South by Southwest Festival

The Ten Dumbest Things Overheard at SXSW

For every insightful conversation I have heard or had at SXSW over the years, whether it was talking to Matt Pinfield while walking the streets of Austin talking about David Bowie, or telling The Clash's Mick Jones that he was in fact, in The Clash, I have overheard a thousand awful ones. Years of ... More >>

There's an App to Get You Laid at SXSW, But You Absolutely Don't Need the Help

"All the single dudes put up your phone. Now all the single ladies put up your phone. Turn to the nearest person with a phone up. Now type in your phone number. Now you have something to do after this." That was Chuck D, talking from the Doritos Main Stage. Or at least I think it was Chuck D. I wa ... More >>

10 Signs Your Band Won't Make It at SXSW

Being a successful musician really has to be a slice of heaven. And of course the chicks are great. It's why from the beginning of time men (and women) have taken up instruments in the chance that they will be played in front of many, many others, some of whom could possibly want to have sex with ... More >>

March Madness: Festival Season in Texas Requires Stamina and Flexibility

For the past three years, Spring Break in the state of Texas has been a frantic, music-fueled experience. 2009 brought us the first year of what is now commonly referred to as "festival season", when Chris Flemmons brought a budding young fest called NX35 to Denton. The idea? A small off-shoot festi ... More >>

The Five Biggest Sellouts at SXSW

SXSW is not a music festival so much as it is an experiment in excess. If Coachella is a glass of water that keeps getting bigger until it more resembles a kiddie pool, then SXSW is a flood with a neglected cup somewhere in the middle. The natural result is rampant crowds and ever more rampant lame ... More >>

The 20 Most Overused Terms In SXSW Band Bios

Before I take any trip to Austin and SXSW, I always take more than a few days to peruse the schedule and check out a few of the hundreds of names on the roster and read their bios. Some years there are more bands with "wolf" and "space" in their monikers than usual, and some years there are random ... More >>

How the Smoker's Club Went from Showcase to Tour

The Cool Ranchification of SXSW 2012

A Sucker For Your Marketing: A Conversation

When Observer Web Editor Nick Rallo and I shuffled down to SXSW last week, we both noticed the same thing: The somewhat icky marketing that seems to have inundated the Austin music festival, to the point where even the fans themselves were part of the brand. Here's an excerpt of a conversation we ha ... More >>

A.Dd 's Top Eight Moments of SXSW

Dallas own' A.Dd had quite the spin during SXSW 2012, playing roughly half a dozen showcases and day parties before getting right back on tour with Black Milk on Saturday. And with each show, they seemed to gather more fans. At their Thursday Audible Treats showcase, they ended the set in the crowd ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Thursday 3/15/2012

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music e ... More >>

10 Lessons Learned at SXSW 2012, Day One

SXSW soldiers on through Sunday, of course, but before our minds go supernova from the the plethora of great music, we'd like to share a few important things learned after Day One in the Chaos Machine. Also, our feet are like blood balloons so we need to sit down. That's another lesson: Bring 1,400 ... More >>

Five Hot Genres To Look and Listen For at SXSW 2012

Slimerave (NOT slimewave, Google that at your own risk) was hot in Denton this past weekend, and seapunk is apparently a real genre. These are the times we live in. SXSW is always one of those weeks where it seems like genres breed, give birth and then die, but that's the make-or-break nature of a f ... More >>

Good Old War's Dan Schwartz: "Is That a Word? Sing-alongable?"

Philadelphia's folk-pop trio Good Old War just released their third album, Come Back as Rain, and stop in Dallas tonight before heading off to Austin. Guitarist Dan Schwartz took a few minutes to chat with us about sing-alongs, SXSW and other bands from Philly. Given how many shows you've played ov ... More >>

SXSW Coverage Ahead. Plus, We're Sponsoring 50 Cent, Big K.R.I.T. and More

"What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area." -- Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive You don't have to spend much time at South By Southwest to know that all of the above building ... More >>

Watch: Eisley -- "Better Love (Acoustic)"

The Family DuPree.​Seems the Sisters Dupree in Eisley were especially busy two weeks back at Austin's South by Southwest Music Conference: In the days since that ordeal, not one but two sites have posted videos of sisters Chauntelle, Sherri and Stacy performing private, acoustic takes of their new ... More >>

SXSW Meets Its Odd Future

Dallas, a Polka City in a Rock and Roll World

​A couple weeks ago in my guise as Jim Schutze, really cool hipster (instead of crazy old man with gun), I wrote a post for DC9 At Night about Michael Seman, a research associate and doctoral candidate at University of North Texas' Center for Economic Development and Research, who is developin ... More >>

The Best Performer of All at This Year's SXSW? Seryn, If You Ask Paste.

Seryn​ Regrettably, we didn't make it out to Paste's Thursday day party featuring North Texas' own Sarah Jaffe and Seryn (fellow North Texans Eisley played the magazine's Wednesday party), and, to hear Paste tell it, boy, did we miss out: The venerable and regrettably now online-only music rag cla ... More >>

Picture Show: Street Scenes from SXSW

All photos by Nick RalloLot of mullet going on in this photo.​It was perfect weather for taking it to the streets yesterday in Austin, which is why our feet were a couple of blood-filled balloons by late last night. Good thing there's plenty of street pizza and bizarre performances on 6th street t ... More >>

SXSW 2011 Buzz Power Rankings: Odd Future Slips Just Past Kanye, Mostly Because People Are Sick of Talking About Kanye.

Swag!​Well, mercifully, the last night of SXSW 2011 is finally upon us. And, on this final day, in which luminaries such as Kanye West, Perez Hilton and Rachel Ray are finally letting their presence be known, we finally have a new act sitting atop our buzz power rankings.That's right: Later Kanye; ... More >>

The Best Of SXSW Thursday: Damien Jurado and Hangover Tacos

Nick RalloDamien Jurado, the minimalist, at the Swan Dive​Moving forward.There were a number of un-missable day parties with good lineups yesterday, including those from Pitchfork, Paste Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan and, of course, the Village Voice Media SXSW Showdown (with Wu-Tang Clan).So, Pete's w ... More >>

SXSW 2011 Buzz Power Rankings: Kanye Is On Top For Now... And Pretty Easily, Too.

You can do it, put your stinger into it.​South by Southwest is a static thing -- both in theory and in practice. It's a chance for bands to fans to see the established acts they've been wanting to see and for new, up-and-coming acts to try and make names for themselves. And that latter part very m ... More >>

Presenting: SXSW Bingo 2011!

Illustration by Noah Patrick Pfarr; Design by Alexander FloresThere is no free space because SXSW is so damn expensive. Click here to embiggen.​And so we come to it at last: South by Southwest 2011. Surely, the great music festival of our time. But one does not simply walk into SXSW. Nay, there ex ... More >>

And Presenting: SXSW Bingo 2011, Interactive Version!

Illustration by Noah Patrick Pfarr; Design by Alexander Flores. Written by Bill Jensen, Keith Plocek, Nick Lucchesi and Alex FloresClick to embiggen. See more in SXSW Bingo: Music Edition​It's happening right now. South-by-Southwest 2011 started up in Austin. And, as we pointed out earlier, one do ... More >>

Q&A: Through "Operation Every Band," Denton Resident Kevin McStravick Has Listened To Most Every Act Playing SXSW '11 -- And He Has Some Band Recommendations For You.

​Over the past three months, Denton resident Kevin McStravick has taken on a rather daunting project -- finding and reviewing every single band that is playing at SXSW this year, which counts almost 2,000 acts, and ranking them on his website.For the project, which is called Operation Every Band a ... More >>

Shot at Garland High, Clay Liford's WUSS Among Titles at South by Southwest Film Fest

​In coming days, writer-director Clay Liford will have other bits of big, breaking news to share concerning film-fest invites and a major film rep who, fingers crossed, will find his latest offering an ever larger audience. But for now, all he can comment on is today's announcement that his new mo ... More >>

SXSW's Most Recent Performer Announcement Includes At Least 38 Bands With Area Ties

​After a handful of early teases, the folks down at Austins' South by Southwest Music and Media Conference went ahead and released the whole big batch of names -- although, let's be honest, there will probably still be some changes (not to mention names we just missed) -- of performers slated to h ... More >>

Parade of Flesh Announces Beefed-Up Initial Lineup For Annual Post-SXSW Bro Fest Bash

Last year's Bro Fest poster.​Speaking of festivals that aim to squeeze a little North Texas shine out of SXSW's excess, Parade of Flesh has announced today another round of acts booked to play his annual post-SXSW bash, Bro Fest, which will take place this year on Sunday March, 20, on both the ind ... More >>

Erykah Badu Included Among SXSW's Very Early Initial Performers List

​Well, at least one local will be participating at South by Southwest in the coming spring.In anticipation of its 25-year anniversary, SXSW has just just released its earliest performer announcement in history, and, alongside acts like A Place to Bury Strangers, Asobi Seksu, Designer Drugs, El Gui ... More >>

Hey, Man, Can You Play Some Motörhead? Dallas Int'l Film Adds Five.

The Dallas International Film Festival just sent word: It has added five docs to its line-up -- chief among them Lemmy, about the Motörhead frontman, which had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival two weeks ago. The NSFW SXSW trailer's above; the full list of add-ons -- which ... More >>

It's Good To Make Time For A Bro, Even After SXSW and NX35.

Night Moves: Lazers and Broken Teeth at SXSW

​Here, we present the DJ and electronica side of SXSW. Y'know: DJ Craze, Reid Speed, Redeye, Kill The Noise, The Broken Teeth crew showcase, Harmonious Discord showcase, Bird Peterson, Le Castlevania, Major Lazer--all those rumpshaker-makers. The Lek Brothers, before freezing their butts off, caug ... More >>

SXSW 2010 Video: Frightened Rabbit, Justin Townes Earle and Band of Skulls

Alright, folks, let's wrap all this South by Southwest coverage up finally--and do so in style, yeah? OK, then! Here are the last few videos we've uploaded from our trip down to Austin, starting with the above performance of Frightened Rabbit doing its new single, "Swim Until You Can't See Land" off ... More >>

What It Was Like: Twelve More Bands To Close Out SXSW 2010 in Style

Pete FreedmanWashed Out played the Fader Fort on Saturday, backed by Brooklyn's Small Black.​Another year, another grueling sprint to South by Southwest's end--only, this year, well, things seemed a little different than in year's past. Especially on Saturday night.More so than on any previous nig ... More >>

SXSW 2010 Picture Show: Taking it to the Streets

Nick Rallo​Sure SXSW may be the best music festival in the Milky Way--but if you're not there, how do you know what it looks like out in the streets? You can imagine the venues--blue lights, smoke, and beer--but what about the rest of Austin? What does Sixth Street look like? Well, imagine a guy h ... More >>

SXSW Video: Bowerbirds, Blair, J Rocc and Those Darlins

What do the Bowerbirds, Blair, J Rocc, and Those Darlin's have in common? We got sick video of all of them performing at SXSW. Bowerbirds at SXSW

For Your Weekend Listening Pleasure: The Flaming Lips' History of Freaky

​So much to do this weekend -- like, oh, I dunno, that St. Patrick's Day Parade we co-sponsor. But before you go, here are Angela Hunt's do's and don'ts, not only for the parade but the daylong after-party (and after-after-party, and after-after-after-after-party) on Lower Greenville. Do keep in m ... More >>

Spune, Weekly Tape Deck And Gorilla Vs. Bear Announce SXSW Day Party Lineups

​Spune just announced the details of its 2010 South By Southwest free day party, set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 20, at J. Black's (710 W. 6th St., Austin). It's a strong, if not especially surprising, lineup featuring some of DFW's usual rootsy, folky suspects (Doug Burr, Telegraph Canyon ... More >>

SXSW Begins Announcing Schedules, 25 DFW Area Bands Named To Lineup

​Over at SXSW's Web site, festival organizers have started posting the schedule of events for this year's ordeal. And, though its still a few weeks off and many bands and showcases that we know are set to happen have yet to appear, it's still a fun browse.Also, for what it's worth, we've counted 2 ... More >>

Sloppy Seconds: All Washed Up

After a long night traipsing around Austin looking for another Michelob Ultra or Tuaca giveaway party, nothing soaks it all up like a lukewarm slice of Roppolo's pizza and a mind-clearing read through the City of Ate archives. That's how some of us felt, anyway, in the wake of SXSW this week. If you ... More >>

Denton Acts Share Their SXSW Battle Scars

At SXSW, The Bell Tolled For Thee

Southbound and Down: One Last Best and Worst of SXSW '09

Patrick MichelsThe best photo of SXSW, in my book. And, yes, we at DC9 are clearly obsessed with Monotonix. We know. If all goes to plan (which never happens, but we'll see), we should have a few more belated dispatches from bands who played SXSW popping up in the next couple of hours and/or days. ( ... More >>

SXSW Dispatches: Telegraph Canyon Shares All The Good News From Its First SXSW Trip

[Last week, we asked a few bands to check in with us from time to time over the course of the week to tell us about their SXSW experiences. Now, with the fest over, those diatribes are starting to show. Here's Telegraph Canyon frontman Chris Johnson's SXSW diary, for your reading pleasure...] Hal S ... More >>

Eyrkah Badu's Busy, Busy, Busy SXSW Week.

Dallas' own Erykah Badu had herself quite the weekend, turns out. More eventful than yours, I'm guessing. Unless, that is, you somehow managed to......evade a stalker (as Unfair Park unearths this morning) and get delayed on your travels to SXSW....have your manager announce to the audience at your ... More >>

South-By On A Dime: Saturday

Well, my SXSW trip is over. I didn't manage to survive solely on day-party free food and beer the way I'd hoped to because doing so would have been at the sacrifice of other, better shows. Plus, my experience Thursday taught me not to trust a free-beer or free-food promise. My food expenses were far ... More >>

Last Night: Metallica's "Secret" Show at Stubb's BBQ

MetallicaSXSW's Guitar Hero: Metallica PartyStubb's BBQ in Austin, TXFriday, March 20, 2009 Better than: anything else you could've seen at SXSW last night--and maybe all week. People might try to disagree on that. But don't buy into it. This was the show by which SXSW 2009 will be remembe ... More >>

SXSW Dispatches: DMG$ Say Hello To Austin

[Earlier this week, we asked a few bands to check in with us from time to time over the course of the week to tell us about their SXSW experiences. First up, Damaged Good$' Coool Dundee and Trak Bully, with DJ Prince William in tow, tell us how their week got started.] Well hell... L ... More >>

What It Was Like: These United States, Phosphorescent, BLK JKS, Foreign Born, Akron/Family, Dinosaur Jr

Pete Freedman Phosphorescent captivates the crowd at Mohawk's Patio.Night two at SXSW 2009 very much encapsulated everything I love about SXSW: Writing down a schedule of shows to see, throwing it out the window and catching a whole different lineup of acts that were probably better than any ... More >>