Music of March Showcase

 

Each year, thousands of excited fans descend upon Austin, all eager to hobnob with the talent drawn in by the ever-growing South By Southwest Music and Media Festival. For some, the annual festival is pure chaos, but for a seasoned photographer like Steve DeMent, the March madness of SXSW holds a unique allure—the promise of capturing South By’s particular brand of excitement in his photography.

In the past, Steve has taken it upon himself to capture and chronicle the essence of the music festival, but this year he kicked it up a notch and became a volunteer for the official South By Southwest photography crew, submitting his work to a South Austin exhibit titled Music of March 2013.

The exhibit is meant to “showcase the photography from previous South By Southwest events and the level of artistry of the photographers who will be working the event,” says Steve, who had two images selected to the prestigious showcase. “A very limited number of images were selected for the showcase, so it was a real honor to be part of it,” says Steve.

In addition to the South By Southwest photography on display, the gallery features never-before-seen outtakes from photographer Kirk Weddle’s iconic cover shoot of Nirvana’s 1991 album, Never mind. The photographer was present at the gallery to discuss his work.

The Music of March exhibit opened March 1 at Photogroup Austin Studios in South Austin and will be available for public viewing throughout the month. Online versions of Steve’s images, along with some of his favorite live event shots from 2012, can be viewed on his Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdement/sets/72157632535358237/

“This is my second major gallery exhibition, and I am very proud to be a part of it,” says Steve.