White Reaper: Our SXSW Experience

And the excitement of the new record, ‘The World’s Best American Band’ – with: White Reaper

You played 9 shows in 4 days. What can you say about that experience? How did you determine what set you would play / how to mix up the songs at each gig?

We were very busy last week. We pretty much loaded straight off the stage into the van and to the next gig after every set, except for a few instances when we had a little extra time to grab a drink or two before heading out. As far as coming up with a set, it was pretty much a snap decision at every show.

Were there any other additional preparations that went into having such a heavy schedule like that?

We did our best to stay hydrated! #fiji

Based on your other SXSW experiences, how was this one different? Was this the first time you were promoting a new record there that’s about to be released?

This was by far our busiest. We didn’t have time to see any shows except the bands that played before us and a few that played after us. We also had more free shoes than ever before this year.

What is the impact for a band heavily participating in SXSW?

It depends! You never know who’s watching.

Did you debut your new album in full at any particular show this year?

Not yet! We’re saving that for our release show in Louisville.

White Reaper has played quite a few gigs in Austin. What to you, makes Austin so unique for rock bands?

Austin is home to a lot of great bands and a lot of great players. Like I said, you never know who’s gonna see your band!

How would you describe the emotion of your upcoming record release for The World’s Best American Band?

Not an emotion per say, but one word that really sums it up for all of us is “FINALLY!”

Given the success of your last album, what were some of the main influences behind writing this record?

We were listening to a ton of classic radio kind of stuff, AC/DC, Boston, even Bob Seger. One of the biggest influences on our new record was our old record. We focused and finding things that our old record lacked, and we made it a point to exploit it’s short comings.

~White Reaper