Des Moines front and center at SXSW

The state of Texas' tourism slogan boasts that "it's like a whole other country," so it seems fitting that there be an embassy there. The Greater Des Moines Partnership is hosting a Des Moines Embassy tent in the heart of Austin's South by Southwest conference.

The Des Moines Embassy is a 450-person circus tent located at 6th and Red River, a main thoroughfare for the conference's 72,000 registered attendees, along with the thousands more just checking out concerts and music showcases around the city. The Des Moines Embassy features music daily through Saturday.

On the outside of the tent there is art by Des Moines artist Van Holmgren. Inside are panoramic vinyl pictures of Des Moines events, including the 80/35 Music Festival, the Des Moines Farmers' Market, the Des Moines Arts Festival and more.

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"Our reasoning to go to South by Southwest was to showcase what Des Moines has to offer," said Mary Bontrager, executive vice president of the Partnership. "With the Des Moines Embassy, we have an amazing opportunity for four days to literally put Des Moines in the center of SXSW. People can come in, enjoy the showcases and realize something really incredible is going on in Des Moines, Iowa."

The Des Moines Embassy will host a Des Moines: Hell Yes Showcase on Friday with music by 10 Iowa acts, including Bonne Finken, Holy White Hounds, The Maytags, Canby, Max Jury and others. The tent will also host showcases throughout the week focusing on bands from other locations and genres.

Patrick Tape Fleming has played SXSW before with the band Poison Control Center, as well as helping to record sessions for the Quad Cities website Daytrotter, but this marks his first year playing with his band Gloom Balloon.

"It's going to be a good thing for the Des Moines music scene to have an outlet like this," Fleming said. "It will also be nice to have a base place to go. It's pretty crazy down there, like 80/35 times 10 within a radius not much bigger than 80/35 is."

Ryan Surber splits his time between Austin and Des Moines and made the Partnership aware of the tent's availability. His Des Moines recording studio, the Sonic Factory, is also sponsoring the Des Moines Embassy.

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Surber drove down to Texas stocked up with Templeton Rye and Exile and Peace Tree beers, to ensure visitors experience Iowa's beverages, as well. He hopes the Des Moines Embassy will draw some attention to the Sonic Factory as a recording location, but Surber said he and his partners are always selling Des Moines when they pitch their studio.

"As Des Moines gets ranked at No. 1 on more and more lists, we have to ask ourselves, what are we going to do? Do we sit back and smile, or tell the world about it?" Surber said. "My hope is we continue to gain relevancy, especially as YPs and kids getting out of college consider where they want to go. We tell bands and artists that Des Moines is a very creative city, and the Des Moines Embassy is a wonderful place to tap into the best of what we have to offer."

Des Moines Embassy

• Website: desmoinesembassy.com.
• Twitter: @hellyesdm
• Iowa acts performing at the Embassy: William J. Locker, James Biehn, Max Jury, Gloom Balloon, Christopher the Conquered, Grant Ganzer, Canby, The Maytags, Holy White Hounds, Bonne Finken, Maids.