CT.com Launching ‘Emerge Festival’ To Get Local Artists To SXSW

The first annual Emerge Festival will be at Arch Street Tavern in March to support local bands going to SXSW. (Handout Image)

It’s the biggest indie rock festival in the country, and this March The Advocate papers will be helping some local artists play South By Southwest.

CT.com and the Advocate newspaper group (also owned by Courant parent CT1 Media and Tribune Company) will kick off the ‘Emerge Festival,’ what will hopefully be an annual tradition of boosting support for local groups.

“When I found out that Daphne Lee Martin, Sidewalk Dave and Elison Jackson were touring together down to SXSW I wanted to help in any way I could,” says Chip McCabe, The Advocate’s “Minister of Propaganda.”  “I came up with this concept of a yearly festival that will raise money for bands touring to what I believe is the biggest and best indie music fest in the country.  The whole concept is to get more CT bands of all genres on the road and in people’s faces, to help them ‘emerge’ from the borders of CT. Hence, the name.”

The Emerge Festival is a two day event, March 2 and 3, at Arch Street Tavern in Hartford. Fake Babies, Jose Oyola & The Astronauts, Little Ugly, Modern Merchant, Sun Dagger, and Ports Of Spain are also in the  lineup.

McCabe says proceeds from the door will be split among the touring bands, as well as any other sponsorship money they can secure. The rest goes toward the other bands on the bill.

If the weekend is a success, McCabe says he hopes to expand out to include other touring bands, not just those going to SXSW.

For more updates, check out the festival’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EmergeFestival.