When is SXSW?

[Tedster]

I've seen hints that it may be soon. I don't normally follow that sort of stuff...but I'd like to attend one of these days.

[Lee Flier]

It's this week. Lyle is headed out there today.

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by Lee Flier It's this week. Lyle is headed out there today.

 

Yep. Film part's already started.

 

Sent our part in by video this year. Waaaay better than fighting that insanity for one quick 20 minute slot with no one watching.

 

Terry D.

[vanlatte]

SXSW?

 

[BATCAT]

Originally posted by vanlatte SXSW?

 

http://2006.sxsw.com/

[BlueStrat]

Here's my buddy Edd O'Donnell's take on it:

 

O'Donnell Statesman blog

 

 

SXSW defines new human prime directive

 

One need only look at the phalanx of unkempt, earnest young people packing guitars around Austin for the next two weeks to realize that self-preservation and procreation have been replaced as the basic instincts driving humans. Clearly, self delusion is now the paramount force in the lives of American young people. Thousands trudge to Austin each spring, where musical stardom seems a true and immediately attainable goal, though many of them couldn't get to the first cut on American Idol. Yet, here they are, shelling out their money, or their 'rents' money, for a few days of basking in the radiance of the "music industry." The strength of this illusion is incredibly strong inasmuch as SXSW has been going on for years and the list of individuals and/or bands signing a major label deal from this event is only slightly shorter than the list of internationally-renowned Asian bullfighters. And still they come. Meanwhile, what do we offer our homegrown music community? Not much, and even less from SXSW. Locals stuggle along at familiar venues, happy to be able make a buck playing. Dreams of stardom are diminished after a few years. If they have real talent, players move on to real music venues --- those are in cities where club management throws out customers who insist on talking loudly over the artist's efforts. Well, at least the clubs, restaurants, hotels and car rental shops do well for a few days. After all, isn't that what its all about. Say, while we're being honest about the whole thing, will someone go out to ABIA and change the sign to read "Welcome to Austin - Live Music Capitol of the World, Chump!"

[MrKnobs]

It should be noted for those who don't know Austin that:

 

(1) The owners of the Austin Chronicle also own South by Southwest,

 

(2) The Austin Statesman (see below) is the rival paper to the Chronicle,

 

(3) The SXSW management has stated repeatedly that discovering new talent was NEVER the objective of SXSW, making money IS,

 

(4) SXSW is always held during the university's spring break, because the students are gone and the clubs used to lose a fortune that week, and

 

(5) Everything in the article quoted below is absolutely true.

 

Terry D.

 

P.S. A platinum badge costs $875, music only costs $575. Yes, you read that right!!!

 

 

Originally posted by BlueStrat Here's my buddy Edd O'Donnell's take on it: O'Donnell Statesman blog SXSW defines new human prime directive One need only look at the phalanx of unkempt, earnest young people packing guitars around Austin for the next two weeks to realize that self-preservation and procreation have been replaced as the basic instincts driving humans. Clearly, self delusion is now the paramount force in the lives of American young people. Thousands trudge to Austin each spring, where musical stardom seems a true and immediately attainable goal, though many of them couldn't get to the first cut on American Idol. Yet, here they are, shelling out their money, or their 'rents' money, for a few days of basking in the radiance of the "music industry." The strength of this illusion is incredibly strong inasmuch as SXSW has been going on for years and the list of individuals and/or bands signing a major label deal from this event is only slightly shorter than the list of internationally-renowned Asian bullfighters. And still they come. Meanwhile, what do we offer our homegrown music community? Not much, and even less from SXSW. Locals stuggle along at familiar venues, happy to be able make a buck playing. Dreams of stardom are diminished after a few years. If they have real talent, players move on to real music venues --- those are in cities where club management throws out customers who insist on talking loudly over the artist's efforts. Well, at least the clubs, restaurants, hotels and car rental shops do well for a few days. After all, isn't that what its all about. Say, while we're being honest about the whole thing, will someone go out to ABIA and change the sign to read "Welcome to Austin - Live Music Capitol of the World, Chump!"

[BlueStrat]

Knowing Edd as I do (28 years now) he'd say the same thing no matter who he worked for. Once, when he lived here and wrote a music column for the local paper, just before he left, he was telling me how the editors were lazy and clueless and didn't fact check anything, so for his last column, he wrote a fictitious review of a non-existent band he totally made up, right down to album titles, track cuts, magazine quotes (said magazines also non-existent) outrageoues personnel names and claims of who they played with, etc, The paper published it, with no research or verifiaction at all involved. He had his joke, made his point, and left town. It was great!

[elbow]

Knobs... or anyone that might have some info I guess:

 

I know there is an "alt SXSW" happening at the same time.. quadruple bypass" or something ... has some venues downtown and a lot of bands signed up on that one as well.

 

http://texasrockfest.com/

 

According to the site, it was put together as a protest to the SXSW commercial machine. I have asked friends of mine in Austin about it and they thought it was all SXSW.. and never even heard of this thing.... some actually live in the downtown area and get the heck out of town when these things are going on.

 

Any insight?

[Franko]

Originally posted by elbow Knobs... or anyone that might have some info I guess: I know there is an "alt SXSW" happening at the same time.. quadruple bypass" or something ... has some venues downtown and a lot of bands signed up on that one as well. http://texasrockfest.com/ According to the site, it was put together as a protest to the SXSW commercial machine. I have asked friends of mine in Austin about it and they thought it was all SXSW.. and never even heard of this thing.... some actually live in the downtown area and get the heck out of town when these things are going on. Any insight?

 

Yeah, there are tons of day parties and some evening shows that are not affiliated w/SXSW in any way. A good place to find out about these is http://www.showlistaustin.com/

[rhat]

 

Originally posted by BlueStrat Knowing Edd as I do (28 years now) he'd say the same thing no matter who he worked for. Once, when he lived here and wrote a music column for the local paper, just before he left, he was telling me how the editors were lazy and clueless and didn't fact check anything, so for his last column, he wrote a fictitious review of a non-existent band he totally made up, right down to album titles, track cuts, magazine quotes (said magazines also non-existent) outrageoues personnel names and claims of who they played with, etc, The paper published it, with no research or verifiaction at all involved. He had his joke, made his point, and left town. It was great!

 

 

 

 

LOL so what you are saying is that betwen austin and south padre island ,,, you can pretty well write march off in texas.

 

April and October is when i spend my time down at the island.... hey strat you ever done bike fest in october on the island? rat

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by elbow Any insight?

 

EVERY club in Austin has tons of live music during SXSW. In fact, most clubs aren't affiliated with SXSW, though most of the better known ones are.

 

Each year there are at least two or three loose groups of "alternative to SXSW" clubs. We're doing something called "East by Southeast" during SXSW this year.

 

There used to be one called "South by So What?" but for some reason the SXSW people weren't thrilled by the name and made them stop.

 

I didn't recognize any of the "alternative" bands listed on your link, other than Alpha Rev, which is my pal Casey McPherson who used to be in Endochine. I'm very surprised he isn't in the official SWSW considering how he's being courted by the labels right now.

 

But it's not surprising I don't recognize many of the bands. There are over 10,000 bands in Austin, according to the local papers.

 

Terry D.

[Tedster]

And they can pick more notes than the number of ants on...

 

Oh wait...that's Tennessee...

 

Never mind.

[MrKnobs]

Crap, Julie just called to let me know a SXSW slot came open and we've been asked to do it.

 

I'm not to keen on getting out in the mess but it would mean one free pass. Trouble is, our live drummer is in Colorado skiing. We'll either have to ask our recording drummer to do it or Julie, Candice, and I will have to do it with a drum machine.

 

Terry D.

[Lee Flier]

Originally posted by MrKnobs ... or Julie, Candice, and I will have to do it with a drum machine.

 

Ewww. I'd pass on the gig before I'd do that.

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by Lee Flier Ewww. I'd pass on the gig before I'd do that.

 

Yeah, not my first choice either.

 

However, the odd thing is that we were picked because of doing just that. The owner of Darwin's has never seen us with a full band, just Julie, me, and the drum machine. We packed her place out a couple of times and she keeps asking us back. She has no idea we have a band!

 

The other thing I have to let you in on is that our drum machine isn't exactly a drum machine. It's a Boss Jam Station which has a little flash card you can store stuff on. The machine will play a drum track, a bass track, and two other instrument parts and you can play guitar along with it or sing into it.

 

But we don't use any of that crap. We have flash cards prerecorded with "mix minuses" of our actual band multitracks, usually just real drums and bass, sometimes with a touch of keyboard.

 

Then Julie and I just play our guitars and sing to the backing tracks. We'd be run out of town if we did that some places in town, but the clientele at Darwin's just wants to dance. The first time we played there during an instrumental break I leaned over and whispered in Julie's ear, "Hey - don't freak and mess up your part, but look out front at something we've never seen before - people dancing!"

 

Terry D.

 

P.S. Austin also has the proud Timbuk3 tradition, the two crazy old broke married hippies who played for a decade with just the two of them and their drum machine, until they wrote "Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades." That put them on the national charts, the National Football League picked it up for all the games (sarcasm just went right over their heads), and suddenly they had money and fame and a house payment and a band.

 

A year later they were broke again, and divorced.

[2180]

 

"Welcome to Austin - Live Music Capitol of the World, Chump!"

 

 

Thats sooo nice, just like everything around here these days, just a bit too cynical/serious or something......(?), yes, this town is getting very expensive to live-in (also crowded) - it just seems there is this all important money/ego lust going on and if you can't get "it", screw-you chump!

 

Thats why the muse is dead around here, it sure seems to me, no spirit of fairness and happy {censored} anymore, the serious assholes have taken control and are running it into the ground.

 

The S. Austin band I play drums in has a non-SXSW gig on Thursday @ 1007 S. Congress, StarBucks, if anyone wants to hear some folky/pop/rock on the side walk, starting 7-7:30:wave:

[MrKnobs]

We ended up getting two slots at two different clubs.

 

Trouble is, it's last minute so Julie & I will have to do it by ourselves, looks like.

 

Terry D.

[BlueStrat]

 

Originally posted by 2180 Thats sooo nice, just like everything around here these days, just a bit too cynical/serious or something......(?), yes, this town is getting very expensive to live-in (also crowded) - it just seems there is this all important money/ego lust going on and if you can't get "it", screw-you chump! Thats why the muse is dead around here, it sure seems to me, no spirit of fairness and happy {censored} anymore, the serious assholes have taken control and are running it into the ground. The S. Austin band I play drums in has a non-SXSW gig on Thursday @ 1007 S. Congress, StarBucks, if anyone wants to hear some folky/pop/rock on the side walk, starting 7-7:30:wave:

 

 

This happens everytime a "scene" emerges out of nowhere: It's new and vibrant, it attracts more people who flock top the area to get in on it, marketers and merchandisers scramble to cash in on it, it becomes a big commercial venture, and the spirit that created it dies, while all that remains is a shell, a structure that was created to profit off of it, long after the meat has been stripped from the bones. It becomes an endless parade of wide-eyed hopefuls and wannabes, being hustled by hucksters and shysters and "management companies" and "promoters", all looking to squeeze the few remaining dollars out of a long dead scene. It happened in Seattle, it happened in San Francisco, it happened in Athens, Georgia, it happened in Jacksonville...

[2180]

Yes, BlueStrat - you said it purty good, and I can even simplify by just saying - the parasites always find a host.

 

Sometimes I wonder if the human species is the only one on earth that has no-cooperative instinct for survival, we seem to be destined to fight till the end for all these basic emotional needs that only become more expensive as time goes on without really having much "gain".......

 

I did go down 6th. st. this afternoon to see if they had any outdoor stages set-up for the free concerts............no.

 

Everyone seemed dressed in dirty clothes and much black, not much enthusiastic energy, maybe it's totally cool for them, especially as the next few days fog into the next fog.......

 

I just don't want to spend the heavy cash for the pass, it used to be you could go to a show and they'd let you in for $5.00, now that just isn't so cool now, the usefull idiots won't let you in the door, even if the place is empty. Thanks nice people, you just can't get-it can you, NICE - SOMETHING? HUH?

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by 2180 I just don't want to spend the heavy cash for the pass, it used to be you could go to a show and they'd let you in for $5.00, now that just isn't so cool now, the usefull idiots won't let you in the door, even if the place is empty. Thanks nice people, you just can't get-it can you, NICE - SOMETHING? HUH?

 

Come see us at Touche's Sat. from 8-10 or at Darwin's from 10-11 on Sunday. NO COVER, NO WRISTBAND. Mention Harmony Central and I'll even buy you a drink.

 

Terry D.

[2180]

Thanks for the invite Mr Knobs, If I can muster the energy to mingle with throngs of humanity, I may just head that way.

 

So, I guess they aren't having the outdoor concert-like shows on the side-streets anymore? That was a nice addition to the atmosphere of SXSW - I didn't even bother with going downtown last year.

[Nighthawkdude]

Hey, guys!

I'm usually just lurking, but since Mr Knobs plugged his SXSW gig, I guess I can plug mine, too. My band, Whitestone, is playing at Beck's, just two doors down from the world-famous Continental Club on S. Congress, Saturday at 12:00 noon. If you get a chance, stop by and say hi! No wristbands needed there, either. We're alt-country with thick harmonies and catchy songs. Think Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Poco, that kind of sound.

 

Ok--shameless plug over...

 

Whitestone

 

[Next to Nothing]

We were asked to play this year but decided to opt out fro reasons that don't matter.

 

Terry, are you just 'over it' because you have done it so much and live in TX? Seems it would be fun for a one time deal for someone who has never even been to TX.

 

Or is it just not worth it period?

[MrKnobs]

Originally posted by Next to Nothing We were asked to play this year but decided to opt out fro reasons that don't matter. Terry, are you just 'over it' because you have done it so much and live in TX? Seems it would be fun for a one time deal for someone who has never even been to TX. Or is it just not worth it period?

 

I hate to say this, but I'd go with your last statement. It's really just all about making money for Louis Black & Co., not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

When the price for a full access pass reaches its current level of $875, something is seriously wrong. Add that on top of the many thousands of bands that apply for the very limited slots, each one paying a hefty application fee, and you start talking about some serious money.

 

I guess you'd have to see it to understand. Austin is turned into a complete zoo every March as tens of thousands of people roll into town to see or be in the show. The standard slot is a 20 minute "showcase" that pretty much does no one any justice. The gear rental places are cleaned out to the bare walls before the first note is played, every deaf or beginning soundman is fully employed for a week, and the cops struggle with the crowds and the truly horrible load in / load out problems.

 

Most of the bands are really, really bad. I have no idea why some of them were chosen, it's mind boggling. The name bands are great, but good luck getting in to see one of them. Your $875 gives you about the same shot as a lottery ticket.

 

I do end up playing either "inside" or "outside" SXSW every year, but my heart isn't in it. It's just too crowded and conditions are terrible for the listeners. I *was* pretty excited the first year I got in, but that's because I hadn't experienced it yet and I bought into the naive thought that we might actually be "discovered." Truth is, there's no one looking. The label guys who are there have already scouted out their bands of interest (if not pulled strings to get them in), and seem to spend most of the time in the bars drinking, from my experience.

 

Still, if you suspend your disbelief, it's quite an adventure for a young musician from out of state, might be worth experiencing once.

 

Terry D.