Here it comes: The week where Austin, Texas briefly becomes the music capital of the world (not to mention the capital of film and technology, as well). From March 13 to March 22, Austin transforms from a “weird college town”-a local business alliance created the “Keep Austin Weird” campaign a few years ago to promote small businesses in Austin and fend off corporate influence-into one enormous party. As the streets flood with people and culture, the term “festival” in the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) moniker isn’t to be taken lightly.

The line-up for the festival, which was announced Jan. 20, features more than 1,800 acts. Of those, 14 are from Chicago. However, those 14 eloquently represent the diversity of Chicago’s music scene. There’s the whistling indie singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, local indie rockers Red Red Meat and Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, folkies like Anni Rossi and Joe Pug and the experimental sounds of The Enright House. The Chronicle talked to four different Chicago artists in the line-up about representing the city while in Austin.

Disappears

Graeme Gibson, Jonathan van Herik, Brian Case, Damon Carruesco

Unsigned, Est. 2008

Equipped with a sound that isn’t afraid to be unique, Disappears is a group of true Chicago boys. On their blog, they frequently denounced Mayor Richard M. Daley for backing the Promoter’s Ordinance plan, which, if passed, would require independent promoters to buy a $2,000 license to host live shows. Two members of the band, Jonathan van Herik and Graeme Gibson, work their day jobs at The Rainbo Club, 1150 N. Damen Ave., in Wicker Park-just one example of the members’ Chicago “credentials.”

Things are actively looking up for Disappears, who are in talks with “a couple labels” (the details of which couldn’t be divulged), toured select dates with indie rockers Deerhunter and Times New Viking last year and just finished mixing their full-length LP, tentatively titled Lux. Van Herik said the band is ready to “get huge.”

“It’s been a crazy year. We’ve only been together a year and it’s getting better and better,” van Herik said. “We’ve got high but realistic hopes. We’re in position to be supported by our music.”

After a brutal Chicago winter, van Herik said he is happy about the opportunity to head down to Austin for the warm weather and atmosphere.

“I think it’s fun just to go down there and see the spectacle. It’s so crazy,” he said. “Every time we’ve been down there it’s a madhouse. There are rickshaws in the street and people rolling around.”

Vince P.

10th Dimension Records, Est. 2005

Vince Peters, better known as Vince P., isn’t the kind of guy to perform for fans of underground hip-hop. This was best illustrated when the hip-hop/electro-pop artist opened for The Wu-Tang Clan at Chicago’s House of Blues.

“I was up there in a yellow shirt with purple shoes on, and people were just like, ‘What the hell is this guy doing?'” he said.

That’s one of the reasons why he’s excited to head down to Austin for SXSW. Vince P. is performing in a showcase with other artists like him.

“I’m pretty stoked about it,” he said. “We’re going to go down there a little bit early and try to sneak into some of the film parties, because I’ve heard those are pretty hot.”

Vince P. said his music career started in 2005 after graduating from West Point. Since he was medically disqualified from going to Iraq because of asthma and dust allergies, a career in music seemed like the next natural step.

Before SXSW, Vince P. is heading to St. Augustine, Fla., to play The Harvest of Hope Fest along with the likes of Girl Talk, Broken Social Scene, King Khan and Bad Brains. He’s also planning on releasing an EP or mixtape later this year.

Ohtis

Adam Pressley, Sam Swinson

Unsigned, Est. 2002

Ohtis’ latest album is titled If This Country Had a Heart, That’s Where I Was Born. Interpreted literally, Ohtis makes a bold claim: The heart of America is the band’s hometown, Bloomington, Ill. However, that isn’t the rationale behind the title-the band chose the name because they felt that it fit the album’s overall feel.

Adam Pressley and Sam Swinson are the two minds behind Ohtis, an erratic indie folk-rock project that faintly resonates the sounds of Neutral Milk Hotel and the lyrics of They Might Be Giants. It’s unfair, however, to whole-heartedly compare them to any other artist, considering their sound is entirely their own.

The two are joined live by Nate Hahn on guitar, bass and backup vocals; Seaby Bess on keyboards, percussion and backup vocals; and Jim Coleman on drums. The group has played a lot of shows in small towns in Illinois. Now, the group is heading down to Austin for a beast of a music festival.

“We’re definitely excited to play for people who haven’t heard us,” Pressley said. “I think it’s probably the biggest thing that my band’s done.”

Ohtis plans to continue touring and re-release If This Country Had a Heart on vinyl. They are currently working on an EP to pair with the album’s vinyl release. However, the rest of their year isn’t going to include a lot of songwriting and recording.

“We’re mostly just concentrating on playing live and building our fan base,” he said.

Rabid Rabbit

Mike Tsoulos, Andrea Jablonski, Arman Mabry, Gregg Prickett

Interloper Records, Est. 2007

Rabid Rabbit are totally metal. Mike Tsoulos, the drummer, describes their sound with terms like “improvidoom” and “free doom.” To translate, it’s like the metal alternative to free jazz. Their jams are long, ominous, instinctual and intricate. The band’s live show is, in short, unpredictable.

“You’ll never see the same show twice,” Tsoulos said.

Also, to add to the band’s sound, they’ve taken an extremely hardcore DIY approach to their new release’s packaging. The records are individually silk-screened, and wrapped in asphalt and plastic bags.

Rabid Rabbit was started by Tsoulos and his wife, bassist Andrea Jablonski. The duo is joined by bassist Arman Mabry and guitarist Gregg Prickett.

In the past, Tsoulos has traveled to SXSW numerous times in different bands, including Frontier and The Dishes.

“South by Southwest is a fun time,” he said. “It’s spring break for the pasty white rockers.”

This time around, Tsoulos is more excited about heading back to Austin.

“It’s actually the first time in quite some time that I actually play in a band I like, which is weird to hear someone say,” he said.