When you’re thinking about indie music and the corporations that seem most likely to promote that music, Taco Bell probably doesn’t cross the mind - despite the fact that their Mexi Melts rock harder than a lot of bands formed this century. For the last seven years, however, their program Feed the Beat has promoted a sizable group of musical acts, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Delta Spirit and Portugal, The Man, using them for advertising, promotional events, or even just giving them free food after a late night gig.
The fast food giant is upping its game in 2013, with their first-ever Rockumentary Feed the Beat: SXSW 2013. The project will follow in the footsteps of the Beastie Boys’ 2006 concert documentary I Fuckin’ Shot That by giving cameras to a large group of fans of popular indie bands Passion Pit and Wildcat! Wildcat!, and allow them to record whatever they want during the two bands’ appearances at this year’s South by Southwest arts and music festival in Austin. Sam Jones, the man responsible for well-crafted documentaries about both Wilco and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, will be using the fan-captured footage to form the actual feature, which is scheduled to make its public debut in summer 2013. Catch the trailer below.
To get in on the action, fans can go through Taco Bell’s corresponding Twitter handle #FeedtheBeat to send Tweets, images, videos and Vine videos from now until March 11, which is the date of the performance itself, to be seen at Austin’s Hype Hotel venue. The concert will be streamed live online for fans to watch - which kind of waters down the exclusive documentary aspect - but there’s nothing saying the live shows Passion Pit and Wildcat! Wildcat! need to only be experienced just once. For those who aren’t familiar with either band, below is both a lively performance from Passion Pit as well as a simpler, more hypnotic performance from Wildcat! Wildcat!
