“Those who have ever been to a She Shreds show before know the drill: community first, everyone is welcome, and no one is “good for a girl”, they’re just good. Fans and musicians come to our shows to be surrounded by people they love and look up to in an environment that in other contexts might be controlled by corporations. This necessity to be surrounded by an alternative yet necessary perspective on the music industry, one that celebrates diversity and identity is what fosters the spaces that She Shreds creates—no one can stop us from honoring that.”
I'm honored I was able to be a part of the She Shreds SXSW experience this year. I was involved with the one two years ago, as well, but this one was especially... special. Originally, the day was supposed to be at a space called Kinda Tropical - an old gas station convenience store turned cafe and small local market with cool teas, local beers, iced coffee on tap, and breakfast tacos. Everything was beautiful - the aesthetic could not have been more ideal and She Shreds had swagged up the place with decor, merch, cacti, banners, prayer flags, gender neutral bathrooms, and a breezy little stage on the back patio. The sun was beaming, and Shamir took the stage as I sipped the first few sips of my extra strong, bone chilling iced coffee as I began to shoot photos for the day.
And then... barely 30 minutes into the set, cops appeared and began roaming around the scene, eventually shutting us down due to a double whammy of overcapacity and unknown lack of a permit from our venue. Everyone lingered around like "Whaaat" for about the length of time that it took to make some phone calls, secure a new location, pack up all the merch, the gear, and relocate EVERYONE - the whole dang crew of show-goers and show-players. The Sahara Lounge saved the day in under 45 minutes. The show must go on!
Everyone packed into the teeny tiny super cozy bar that smells of old (and new) Lonestar beer. Like 500 bodies. A whole community. We were still all in this together, no one was letting anyone give up. The bands played on, and the day evolved into it's own beautiful success story. I was there to document the whole dang thing and I'm happy to share my photos of #SXSHESHREDS with y'all.
FULL STORY AND ALL PHOTOS HERE!
Thanks for reading, see you out there next year!
xo, Emily
French Vanilla
French Vanilla
Speedy Ortiz
And to close this out, here's me, fresh faced and super stoked to shoot the full day ahead!
