Interview: West 22nd and Their “Sweet!” Experience at SXSW

During a busy week of showcases at SXSW, UT’s own West 22nd sat down with Afterglow for a chat about how far they’ve come and what’s next for the band.

Written by Janie Bickerton

Photo courtesy of Jaclynn Sky

Deep in the heart of West Campus on West 22nd St., five friends connected over a love of making music. From that moment, UT Austin’s staple indie-rock band was born. West 22nd has expanded their reach immensely over the past year with their triumphantly summery 2023 EP, All The Way Home, and countless live performances across Austin and the South at large. This spring, the band added a new status to their roster — festival performers at SXSW 2024. No longer just a campus-known name, the group hailing from across the U.S. has come together as Austin’s latest folk-rock mainstay, playing midnight showcases downtown and public events in the city all while dropping new music. Lead guitarist Jeremy Ancheta, bassist Jet Beck, and drummer Douglas Blatt took the time to talk with Digital Managing Editor Janie Bickerton about their live experiences, their sound, and what they hope the band can achieve next.

Afterglow: I want to start off by saying congratulations on your new double-singles "Sleeping Alone" and "Let Down!"

Jeremy Ancheta: Thank you, Thank you.

And also just for being such a prominent voice in general for the UT Austin music scene. I personally was first introduced to your music when you opened for Remi Wolf last year at Forty Acres Fest, which must've been such a cool experience. Do you consider that performance to be your "big break," and how have y'all grown as a band since then?

Jeremy: I think that that performance was definitely a big break within the UT community for sure. We played a lot of shows the following summer after that, and that was more of a big break into the Austin music scene. But I definitely think that Remi Wolf performance was really instrumental in getting UT students to be open to our music. And it was also the biggest crowd we've ever played in front of.

Jet Beck: Still, to this day?

Jeremy: Probably, right? 

Jet: Wow. 

Jeremy: So we got some reps in front of a lot of people which was good.

This is my first time covering SXSW, so it's a time of firsts for the both of us since y’all just did your first festival appearance. How did y'all react when you found out you would be playing at South By, which is one of the biggest music and cultural events in the city?

Jet: Well I was personally mind-blown. Let me preface by saying I am the newest member of the band.

As of?

Jet: Like, week old. 

Jeremy: We're getting him some press.

Jet: This is me on my first press tour. They've been training me for this. And so, I played a show with them over the summer when [the bassist] couldn't make it. So I got a random text from Logan, the singer. He goes, “What are you doing spring break?” And I had no plans. He goes, “Do you want to play bass with us at SXSW?” I was like, “Yes, I think I'll do it.” And here I am.

Wow, very cool. How did it feel walking on stage for your first festival appearance? Were you nervous, or did you treat it like any other show?

Douglas Blatt: We kind of treated it like any other show. I mean, first of all, it was a tiny stage. Like, all of us could not fit on there. But it felt homey for whatever reason. It felt like everyone just vibed there, you know. It felt like any other gig for us.

I saw y'all last night at the Still Austin event, and I liked how y'all played “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and then also mixed “Brazil” with — which song was it that you mixed it with?

Jeremy: “Sunny Jones.”

Yeah! So what goes into your selection of songs that you cover live, and why did you choose the songs that are on your current cover rotation?

Jeremy: Ooh, that's a good question. When we're in our routine, like during school — this week's been a blur, like we've kind of been stringing together random setlists — but usually when we're in our routine, at the beginning of the week we discuss [if anyone has] any suggestions for covers, and “Brazil” is one of those covers that we've always played. We play the entire song all the time for fraternity shows and Greek life shows and other paid-for shows like that. And then one day, I came to rehearsal and I was like, “Let's mash up Brazil and Sunny Jones,” and make a little medley. And I thought everyone was going to be skeptical at first, but we tried it. It was actually really good.

And then “Crazy Little Thing” was another song. We all like Queen, and we were like, “Let’s make it not, like, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’” [“Crazy Little Thing”] gets the people going!

You've had a lot of firsts recently, not only with SXSW, but also with playing shows outside of Texas. How has the energy compared to your hometown shows, and what has it been like seeing how far your impact has reached as a band?

Douglas: I say it's more electric outside.

Really? That's surprising! 

Douglas: Yeah, it is quite surprising. It’s probably the concept of us traveling outside of our hometown to perform for them that makes it even more exciting. 

Jeremy: That's a great way to put it. Also, it gets us going more because we just drove 13 hours to Atlanta, and all these people are here to see us. 

And that one was sold out, right? 

Jeremy: Yeah, it makes the show worth it for sure.

Y'all are from across the country but have created a cohesive sound as UT students. How have your experiences at UT shapes your musical identities, your sound, and your lyrics?

Jeremy: We're all going through the same thing together, like school and everything. We're all from different places. We all like different music, and so we get to blend that all into rehearsal, and we get to blend that all into songwriting and turn those experiences into songs. And I think that's pretty cool. We're not all from Houston. You know, like I'm from L.A., they're Dallas, we got Atlanta, and we kind of all come together, and it’s good.

Another question about your sound. How do y'all distinguish yourselves in the indie-rock genre? In other words, how have y'all made the genre a space for yourselves to grow?

Jet: I would say just everyone in the band … is [himself] and portrays himself like that. It’s not like, “Oh, I think people would like a song about this.” Everyone — Logan, Gabe — everyone shares their own experience and is honest and genuine. And I feel like that's something that people can latch onto.

Yeah, authenticity is super important. I saw that y'all are hoping to sign to a record label through SXSW. Since you’re releasing independently right now, y'all are kind of true to the indie-rock genre's origin. What do you think will change and what will stay the same about your music once you achieve your dream of signing to a record label?

Jeremy: I think once we sign a label, we definitely have to stick to our roots, for sure. And I think that will go into songwriting, and how we approach that, [and with] releasing music. But also a label would definitely benefit us a lot, in terms of investing. Their investment and their help with us and their guidance. So I think nothing really would change with songwriting and musicianship and everything. That would all be us — it would stay the same. In terms of signing [to] a record label, that would be tremendous for the trajectory of our band's career.

Y’all are currently riding on the high of South By, and you still have more shows this week. But looking beyond South By, what's next for West 22nd? Do you plan to take the band beyond its lovely Wampus origins after y'all graduate?

Jeremy: Definitely. One hundred percent. We're all pretty excited about the future. For what's next, we want to tour, we want to play festivals, we want to release albums. Yeah, just everything. All of the above.

You can follow West 22nd on Instagram and TikTok and stream their music on Spotify and Apple Music.

This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.