but they did cancel their set at emo's right? thats pretty cool that they are still coming just to play free shows!
back in the day (late 80s/early 90s) there was ONE organized "anti-sxsw" collection. it was called "South By So What." nowadays, there are quite a few anti-sxsw shows. the best "punk/hardcore" party is called "F@#k By F@#k You."
i'm not sure about the emo's show. i do know that bands are startin' to get annoyed by sxsw. it's an inevitability...
you need to rsvp to get into the day shows. the saturday night afterhours party requires a physical invitation (which will be handed out during the day parties.) good luck...
Last year one of the record companies had an all-day party down on South Congress (near Guero's) with free fajitas and FREE BEER!!!! I imagine those same guys will be out there this Saturday as well.
What are the chances of walking up to the Austin Music Hall on Thursday evening and just buying a ticket for that venue. I have done that in the past and would like to check out Morrissey. I'm hoping there will be less people in town on Thursday.
The Brits Rock. The BBC follows SXSW prob better than most American news/entertainment services... http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/southbysouthwest/ Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/southbysouthwest/schedule/ Twenty Years of South By Southwest Now celebrating twenty years in the business, South by Southwest has a long standing reputation as a springboard for new acts. In recent years the festival has helped launch the careers of a bunch of highly successful artists like The Darkness, The White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand. It also provides a valuable showcase for established acts and offers a feast of music for fans of all genres, from country to metal, punk to hip hop, rock to reggae. Every evening for four nights, 1100 musical acts from around the globe perform on 52 stages in downtown Austin, Texas. During the daytime, a huge music conference takes place featuring an agenda of informative and provocative panel discussions with international speakers. 1100 musical acts from around the globe perform on 52 stages in downtown Austin, Texas. All human life is here. Walk along Austin's main drag, 6th Street, and you'll hear music coming out of what seems like every door. Everything from indie pop, metal, country, bluegrass, rap - all these and many more get a look in. Austin bills itself as the live music capital of the world, with good reason. Since the 60s it's provided a haven to musicians from all over Texas and beyond. Venues are everywhere - from alternative rock shacks like Emos to the more traditional delights of the Broken Spoke (with regular line dancing!). And there's no shortage of bands to play in them. South by Southwest has played a major part in launching the careers of numerous bands. The Darkness played there twice, saving up the plane fare and sleeping on floors. Norah Jones got her first break in Austin, while last year showcased the talents of new hopefuls the Kaiser Chiefs, Hot Hot Heat and The Bravery. The festival also provides a valuable shop window for British acts keen to break into the American market. Franz Ferdinand and The Futureheads both found their pulling power across the pond increased by hotly tipped shows at SxSW. Radio 2, 6 Music and Radio 1 are once again broadcasting live from the festival, bringing a host of great live music to the UK, with guests and sessions dropping into many of the shows too. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/southbysouthwest/about/
so did anyone check out the beastie boys at stubbs last night? that would've been a blast. someone told me neil young already played, but i'm not too sure... and the flaming lips played at fox and hound too. auditorium shores tonight and tomorrow should be a blast.
folks at the beastie message board leaked that the show was at Stubbs, I heard there was a line wrapped around the block and that the show was wild... they were promoting their movie
Anyone else catch Morrissey, Nada Surf, Spoon, or Echo and the Bunnymen last night? Voxtrot was my favorite so far though.
i had a VIP pass to spoon and blackalicious (which would've been sick), but opted to see KK and drive by truckers. i'm pretty excited about seeing norah jones' group the little willies.
If you're a true music fan there still is a place for you at SXSW. I volunteered, working official SXSW parties/events. The work in and of itself was fun. I also received a Platinum pass for my work which gave me access to just about anything and everything. It's real cool and easy to b**** about the cost, the lines, the type of folks attending and performing, etc., but it's also easy to work around those elements if you truly love music and want to take part what is still a one of a kind event. The lines to some of the shows were longer than in past years, and some bands were put in venues that were too small for their following or inappropriate for the type of artist involved (i.e. a singer-songwriter in a dance club) but for me, I got alot more than what I "paid" for. I took a few days off work, but it was well worth it. And the time I put in "working" didn't put a crimp at all in my plans. I still had time to see 13 movies at the film festival, countless day parties (not including those I worked), and I didn't miss one band showcase timeslot from Wed-Sat night. It's easy to complain about how it used to be, but instead of bellyaching about the corporate slant of the festival enjoy for what it still does has to offer - which is quite a bit. With 1,400 bands playing in total the "industry types" may be flocking to see the Pretenders, Artic Monkeys, etc. yet there is still plenty of the old guard of independent musicians represented. Here is some of the flavor of the events and the bands I had time to see: Guitartown and Conqueroo (FREE party) @ Mother Egan's- ton of performers but I only saw Walter Tragert and Jon Dee Graham. NX35 Denton Music Party @ Club de Ville (FREE party, FREE beer) - wanted to stop by to catch the Drams (former Slobberbone members) Yep Roc Records @ Yard Dog (FREE party, FREE beer) - caught Tres Chicas, missed Ian Moore but he's around ATX alot anyhow Mojo's Mayhem @ Continental Club (FREE party) - although I see them alot wanted to catch Wearty Boys and James McMurtry New West Records Party @ Club de Ville (Invite only, but I easily got a pass from a guy on the way out) - Drive-By Truckers, The Drams, Kris Kristofferson Guitar World Party @ the Drink (FREE Party, FREE Drink) - Jason Isbell (of Drive-by Truckers) and Friends, The Neighborhoods Schubas Party @ Yard Dog (FREE Party, Free BEER) - Caught Nickel Creek, Tapes and Tapes, and Deadboy & Elephantmen. Neil Young also spotted at party...just not by me. Tagworld Party @ Emo's (FREE Party) - Caught What Made Milwaukee Famous. South by South Austin @ Cafe Caffeine (FREE Party) - Matt the Electrician and Southpaw Jones SHOWCASES: Wednesday: Colin Herring Mudville Project New Pornographers Flaming Lips ("Special Guest" @ Fox and the Hound) Of Montreal The Go! Team Thursday: Beastie Boys (Early Show announced via text message @ Stubbs) Steve Poltz Grand Champeen Twilight Singers - Greg Dulli from Afghan Whigs, had to watch from open door, couldn't get in even with badge. Kris Kristofferson Drive-by Truckers Friday: Robyn Ludwick Devil in A Woodpile Nicolai Dunger Afrirampo Marah KT Tunstall (A wait, but still got in) Centro-Matic Saturday: What Made Milwaukee Famous Jose Gonzalez King Straggler (with dude from Deadwood on lead vocals) Susanna Hoffs & Matthew Sweet (shut out from even with badge) Guy Forsyth Micah P. Hinson Okkervil River The Pretenders Waco Brothers
I went to SXSW to see only one band, Editors. They had a great set, and then I left town as fast as I came in.
I waited for an hour and got into the Morrissey show and thought it was great. After that I hooked up with my friends who were hanging out with a guy from Thievery Corp. and some dj's. At that point, I became an instant VIP and didn't have to wait in any lines. Didn't catch the Beasties though.
I didn't have a wristband and saw quite a lot of free shows. My highlights were 1) seeing the Flight of the Concords free show at Yard Dog, a highlight because Neil Young was in the audience too, so I can now proudly claim to have had a drink with Neil Young while watching a comedy act from New Zealand and 2) The Gossip. I had never heard of The Gossip but they rocked my socks off. Think a young, big, angry, gay Dolly Parton. It was amazing.
best thing i saw was a band from l.a. called dengue fever. saw 3 of their sets in 2 days. doing this weird 60's psychedellic rock filtered thru fela kuti style afro-pop, east african/arabic melodies and far east pop. singer is this beautiful cambodian woman with an amazing voice doing traditional cambodian vocal stylings. band is standard bass, drums and guitar along with organ and a sax player going thru all these effects that makes him sound like a full fledged horn section on his own.
