South by Southwest is upon us, and while i’m likely not going to be there for 9 days this time, I will be there for Interactive, Thursday thru Tuesday. Amid all the excitement, panels, parties, and more parties it can be difficult to meet up with everyone I’d like to, so please hit me up if you’re going to be there so we can connect. I’m especially interested in discussing upcoming projects I’m working on at Live Earth and the many ways you can get involved as a partner, friend, or otherwise.
Below is the overbooked schedule of events that i’m interested in but won’t be able to make it to without cloning myself (via sched.org):
Your best bet, as per usual is to find me via twitter and/or brightkite.
I’ve already posted these at LAist but thought I’d go into a bit more detail here. I caught the Raveonettes after literally getting thrown onto (not under) the bus, by Kyra who was hosting day parties Thursday and Friday at Red Eyed Fly with Little Radio.
It’s definitely a spectacle to see every side of a festival that includes 1700 bands, some 100+ venues and all of the labor, scheduling, and moving about that it entails. It’s not uncommon for bands to play 3 or more sets in a day during SXSW. So it’s crucial that the bands and their crews are on time and expedient and for the most part — this was the case. Little Radio’s setup at Red-Eyed Fly was an ADD-dream-come-true, with an outside stage and an inside stage, each with staggered 25-40 minute sets so that there was never a quiet moment. Red Eyed Fly was another establishment that participated in one of the the biggest — likely the tastiest — cocktail promotion I saw throughout Austin: The Dewars and Ginger Ale. All I could think was that someone finally set Dewars straight at a focus group… you CAN mix scotch with Ginger Ale, and it’s even tastier and more special if it’s with something like Reed’s Ginger Beer.
Anyone who heard me DJ or received a mix from me circa 2005 knows that The Raveonettes “Love in a Trashcan” is a favorite. So it just worked out perfectly that it was the song they performed when I turned on the camera.
Still absorbing the excellent music I heard in Austin last week, some of it expected — if not long-awaited, but much of it newly discovered. Here are some cuts from some of my surprisingly awesome discoveries (new to me, at least) at SXSW.
Below is just a sampling of the events I’d like to hit today. Day-shows that might be missed can be caught in the night or perhaps tomorrow. Not listed is the Spaceland/Echo party at Antone’s or the Schuba’s party at Yard Dog Art Gallery, which I’d like to stop by in hope of running into some Chicago peeps. Hoping to find a place with good wifi access so I can get some work done and ALSO stream live video/audio from one of these day parties. Check back here for some live-streaming fun.