People's Blues of Richmond, a hard-rockin’, good-time-having trio from Richmond, Virginia, brought the ruckus thanks to guitarist Tim Beavers II and bassist Matthew Volkes. Beavers II used his 2006 Gibson SG Standard the entire set. He originally saved up for a Les Paul but saw this “Frankenstein” SG leaning against an amp at a local music shop and he played it for an hour before looking up—then he realized he didn’t want a Les Paul at all, he wanted that SG. Since buying it he has broken the headstock six times and has done all the repairs himself. Volkes created thunderous bass lines all night thanks to his Squier Precision bass that helped him keep up with hard-hitting drummer Nekoro Williams.
2015 marks South by Southwest’s 28th year as a destination festival in Austin’s beautiful neighborhoods like South Congress, East Austin, and downtown along 5th and 6th Streets. Since its inception, SXSW has tried to serve all music fans with a healthy dose of underground and unsigned acts representing nearly every musical genre imaginable. This year was no different with over 2,200 acts that descended upon the Lone Star State’s capital for five days and nights. Premier Guitar had boots on the ground and here is a fraction of the guitar-centric highlights from the event.
