Mike Krol

Power Chords, Mike Krol’s new Merge release, picks up where 2015’s Turkey left off. It traces Krol’s journey back to punk rock, harnessing both the guitar technique and the musical redemption referenced in its title. He’s wielding the same influences—Misfits, The Strokes, early Weezer, Ramones—but turning up the gravity and the gain. Indeed, Krol has gone somewhere new; yes, he bludgeoned himself with over-analysis and self-loathing, but along the way he stumbled upon a trove of intricate guitar lines and artfully mutating melodies.

Music ruined Krol’s life. And then saved it. In chronicling that process, Krol has made his best record—painful, voyeuristic, and angry, but ultimately transcendent and timeless. It is the sound of Krol giving in to a force greater than himself, as though the chords are playing him rather than the other way around.



Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

Events featuring Mike Krol

Mar 13, 2019
4:00pm — 4:40pm
Presented by
SXSW DAY PARTY Dr. Martens
Mar 13, 2019
9:30pm — 10:00pm
Presented by
SHOWTIME PRESENTS: The Carnival of SHAMELESS Fun
Mar 14, 2019
10:05pm — 10:40pm
Presented by
LEVITATION SXSW - presented by CREEM Magazine
Mar 15, 2019
3:45pm — 4:15pm
Presented by
SXSW DAY PARTY BrooklynVegan x Margin Walker's Lost Weekend