SXSW 2017: Chicano Batman

One of the most talked about acts to play SXSW 2017 was Chicano Batman, a Latino psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles. I caught two of their sets—the best was at the Radio Day Stage at the Austin Convention Center, where they played most of their new record, Freedom is Free, which has just been released on the ATO label. While their instrumentalism and stagecraft was practiced and ready for primetime, their original material had its weak moments. To be fair, their mix of tropical and Latin rhythms, swirling guitar, and organ parts is a challenging mix that's going to take awhile to master. But they are a band with a lot of momentum and talent and the future is clearly bright. The video below is of one of the mainstays of their live set, "Black Lipstick."

X