SXSW 2012: Sharon Van Etten In Concert

At SXSW in 2010, Sharon Van Etten slunk shyly onstage at a church to tentatively sang breathtakingly fragile songs from her breakthrough album, Because I Was in Love. It's almost impossible to comprehend the transformation she's made since, as her wounded acoustic material gives way to "Serpents," the bracing and caustic rocker which closes Van Etten's performance during NPR Music's showcase at Stubb's in Austin, Texas. Without sacrificing the intimacy of a small club Van Etten flexed her songs' newfound muscle without obscuring the beating heart and raw nerves that lie beneath. Hear Sharon Van Etten's set performed live during South By Southwest on March 14, 2012.