In a time of political and social upheaval, artists at SXSW turned to self-preservation
AUSTIN, Texas - Mid-20s Australian artist Stella Donnelly was about halfway through "Mean to Me," a song about a no-good significant other who criticizes her jokes, acts bored in her presence and lacks even a sliver of human decency, when she decided to lighten the mood with the lilt of a violin.
It was a clever sleight-of-hand, given that the only instrument in sight was her electric guitar. So she improvised. She began swaying the guitar, bowing before the microphone and mimicking the wordless accompaniment, as if she was suddenly an unvanquished star in her own orchestra. Mission accomplished: where bitterness had once filled the room, now there was laughter.
Donnelly was one of a number of artists who
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