SXSW Music announce the winners of the first annual Grulke Prize awarded in 3 categories that was developed in honour of Creative Director Brent Grulke, who sadly passed away August last year.
Brent Grulke had a lengthy career in many aspects of the music industry from music editor at the Austin Chronicle to sound engineer or tour manager for many Austin bands as well as production and sound engineer in clubs in San Francisco. He later moved to Los Angeles to become the manager at Spindletop Records which eventually led him back to Austin where he was the long-time Creative Director of the SXSW Music Festival.
The winner for Developing US Act is Haim. The quartet, consisting of three sisters and a mister from the San Fernando Valley Most frequently compared to Fleetwood Mac their sound has been described as nu-folk meets R&B. After a successful EP the band signed to Polydor and toured supporting both Mumford & Sons and Florence and the Machine.
Winner of Non-US Act is CHVRCHES. This band from Glasgow, Scotland - pronounced as "churches" - started in 2011 and their catchy synth-pop sound and alluring vocalist, Lauren Mayberry, has made them one of the year’s top bands.
The Grulke Prize winner for Career Act is The Flaming Lips. The Flaming Lips and their storied career have a long intersecting path with SXSW. They debuted their new album, The Terror, in its entirety along with a new stage production. They sound like lushes, multi-layered, psychedelic rockers lyrically they’re space rockers and grammatically they’re mental.
