SXSW Film Fest 2008: Final Thoughts/Reviews
Tom Waits once compared New York City to a ship floating on an ocean that’s on fire. Somehow the analogy fits SXSW, too. Even though I live in Austin I feel that when I go home each night I’ve left some sort of insane, big top outpost but I find myself perversely persuaded to return to it each morning. And no matter how selective you try to be you inevitably will miss the one event you told yourself you would absolutely make. But I’d do it all again, though maybe after a little more sleep. The Music Luckily, some of... read more
SXSW: Make it stop!
Well, our friends over at Stereogum just promised they’re never posting about SXSW 2008 ever again, and it’s about time I do the same. I seem to recollect promising some photographic evidence of Paste’s exploits in Austin, so here you go. Nick gets intense with a potential “Pay What You Want"-er. Moby landed his spacecraft and made some white folks dance (eventually) in Stubbs’ back yard. Akron/Family at the Convention Center-- an awesome, freaky, trippy, folky show during which I could not shake the gray-ceilinged, industrial-carpeted, modular-walled feeling of being back at one of my high school Model United Nations... read more
SXSW FILM ‘08: My Top Five
[Picture above: Greta Gerwig and Joe Swanberg of Nights And Weekends] I saw 18 films during my four days at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Here are a few words on my favorites: 1. Nights And Weekends – Easily the most gorgeous, arrestingly honest film I saw at this year’s festival. Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig’s supremely collaborative picture, Nights And Weekends, offers a tender, unflinching look at the arc of one couple’s romantic journey. Mattie and James negotiate the inevitable complications of trying to make a relationship work despite the geographical divide separating their lives in Chicago and New... read more
SXSW: Fuck Buttons exploded my brain
I didn’t mention it then, but during my last venture into the blogger cage my cerebral cortex was being melted by Fuck Buttons (or “F**k Buttons,” if you believe all our signage). In MySpace parlance, they’re “experimental / progressive / other.” That “other” could be all sorts of things. I’d say “migraine” works but maybe that’s unfair, because I’ve never actually had a migraine-- so let’s say, um, they sounded like “how I felt on my fifth day in Texas.” Their droning buzz was my lack of sleep. And food. Their frenetic yelps channeled through a Fischer-Price tape recorder were... read more
SXSW 3.15: You Only Get Two Sets Of Ears
Days uno, dos and tres of South By Southwest disappeared as fast as the guy I saw urinating in a public trashcan, but not in comparison to Saturday. It turned out to be the day of legends past, present and future, and I leave it to you to figure out where Daryl Hall fits in all of that. Flying “solo” without Oates, DH still can hit them out of the park, although his voice has aged a bit. Just don’t call him blue-eyed soul, and if you want to sample “You Make My Dreams,” pay up! “Sara Smile” and “Rich... read more
SXSW Film Fest 2008: Day Four
By: Tim Basham I saw two films about illness today. One, a documentary, is inspiring on a global scale. The other, a narrative, inspires right out on the front stoop. Flying On One Engine One of the most engaging docs of SXSW had nothing to do with the Iraq War or politics. Flying On One Engine is simply a beautiful film about a very special doctor, Sharadkumar Dicksheet, who journeys to India from his Brooklyn apartment each year to perform up to 700 surgeries on children with cleft lips and other ills. That alone would make the man special but... read more
Unnofficial SXSW Part Two: We Still Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Badges!
Welcome to Friday, seekers of the free and communal. The bridge show deserves your attention first. A couple bridges West of the infamous Bat Bridge, lies its punk sister, Lamar Street, where every year at least a thousand kids make a citywide b-line to Oi!-it in suspension over the Colorado River, never before 2 a.m. Not too keen on my bridge knowledge, but I’d wager that this is one of few structures of its kind with an electrical outlet on it. Plugged in by the time I hustled over there were hardcore Toronto crew, Fucked Up. It was a godsend... read more
Vampire Weekend: Two shows, two cities, two verdicts
Last night I went to see Paste 4 to Watch artist, Vampire Weekend (the apparent darlings of SXSW) which I had said that I would not do during SXSW—not out of protest or anything, but because I had already seen them earlier that week in Atlanta, where they opened for The Walkmen at The Earl. But here was an interesting opportunity: to compare a “normal,” non-SXSW, non-NY show with a “hyped” SXSW one… all within 6 days. Here’s what I noticed... Atlanta SXSW Opened for... The Walkmen DeVotchKa, Constantines Opened with... Mansard Roof Mansard Roof Wore... Preppy sweaters Preppy button-downs... read more
SXSW: Afternoon surprise
A big part of SXSW is seeking out and discovering bands you’ve never heard of-- or at least never heard-- but a bunch of people at our day party yesterday either didn’t get the memo or just chose to ignore it. After a really solid set by Lightspeed Champion (who I started getting into right before we left for Texas, and by “started getting into” I mean I heard “Midnight Surprise” once and then listened to it at least five more times and never moved on to any other song because it’s so awesome) the Weakerthans took the stage to... read more
SXSW: Butchers, rabbits, chicken and Korn
By: Austin L. Ray Shortly after finishing this post yesterday, I began my walk over the Congress Ave. bridge into downtown Austin. Heading towards our day party, I heard a band playing in a tent and thought, “Why not?” After all, I’ve hoped all week to stumble across a group I’ve never heard of that would blow my mind wide open. As I approached the tent, however, a gruff voice boomed through the PA: “Pretend this is Lollapalooza! And we’re fucking Korn! And we don’t suck!” I kept walking. Liam Finn delivered on behalf of that anonymous band at our... read more
SXSW 3.14: She & Him Fry On The Pavement
Unlike Wednesday and Thursday, some scalding, dry heat descended on Austin for Friday’s slate of SXSW hits and misses. My love affair with this city is still strong, but we’ve had our first series of slight disagreements. The hot sun made it even harder to execute my careful photography technique of holding my pocket Pentax high, pressing the shutter button and praying that I was aiming toward the stage. So if the photos seem even less professional than usual, you know why. A good idea According to my blog-hype instincts, there’s a lot riding on the She & Him portion... read more
SXSW: Bands are Playing at My House
The nice thing about being an event planner at SXSW is that I don’t have to travel very far to see bands I like: they can come play for me! (well, they actually come to play for Paste and its audience… but I can pretend). For the past few days I have been holed up at the newly-opened Volume Night Club on E 6th Street (next to Emos) where Paste and Stereogum are hosting the DELL Lounge. I must say, I have been very shocked by the consistent quality of the performances, because everything is rushed at SXSW… quick set... read more
Unofficial SXSW Part One: We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Badges!
Yes, South By beats a heavy drum the way of official shows – Lou Reed milling about. Vampire Weekend swooning the hype machine – but the city beat is so cacophonous these days, piggybackers and impromptu, guerilla house parties reign supreme. Dudesters, you don’t need a $600 wristband to keep Austin weird. A map on the other hand…yes. And a cell phone capable of receiving the following dispatches: Secret show at the UT six pack – byob…Die Die Die, Best Fwends, Headlights, Dan Deacon and more. 12 a.m.! A crew from Brooklyn – ToddPNYC.com – has flooded Austin with listings... read more
SXSW 3.13: Jens Lekman Has Nasty Feelings About Austin
Time for the rundown of Austin’ s parade of iPhones and ink-stained wrists, South By Southwest on Thursday, March 13. Yesterday’s entry is brought to you by the fine staff in the press room in the Austin Convention center, who will constantly interrupt you while you’re working and remind you to sign up for free massages. To get the day started right, I swung by Lou Reed’s keynote address, which was out of the question for anyone still facedown on the floor somewhere at 10:30 a.m. CST. Lou was hanging out with and producer Hal Willner, who provided musical direction... read more
SXSW: Girl Fart, cheese graters & snow globes
Let me just say how cool it is that so many people showed up for our party yesterday at a venue with a tiny sign in the middle of a block kind of at the far end of 6th Street that had just opened the day before. Folks, it was a good choice. Highlights: Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond covering Roy Orbison’s “It’s Over” (I vote for a MBD-does-Orbison cover album a la Scarlett Johansson doing Tom Waits-- maybe John C. Reilly can make a guest appearance), Destroyer destroying, Nada Surf making me wonder how I missed them the... read more
SXSW: Reatards, tacos and Drew Carey
By: Austin L. Ray Most of my Wednesday was spent at our day party at Volume, whether that meant cage blogging while Colour Revolt rocked out, loving Destroyer’s live show or watching Peter Morén march around in the crowd while ending his set with a song from that other band he’s in. But all the Paste fun was over by 6 p.m., leaving me free to roam the city in search of something interesting. After re-charging (both my phone and my legs) at the hotel, I was off. On the way towards 6th St., I couldn’t help myself, and stopped... read more
SXSW: Despite all my rage, I am still just a blogger in a cage
I’m at our first day party at Volume and I’m taking advantage of one of the two BLOGGER CAGES! Paste’s WebWarrior Austin L. Ray is across the room in the other one. It’s like a blogger cage match or something. Destroyer, Nada Surf and My Brightest Diamond already played-- all awesome-- and Colour Revolt just took the stage. Earlier I opened and labeled 100 disposable digital Kodak Cameras and came away with nary a papercut. Hopefully the folks we gave those out to will take some great photos and email them to us later so we can post them up.... read more
SXSW: Live from the Blogger Cage!
By: Austin L. Ray Let me set a rather odd scene for you: I’m standing in what the folks at our party are calling a “blogger cage.” Basically, I’m typing on a computer that’s atop a small set of stairs and housed inside several metal bars. If you’ve ever seen a go-go dancer at a high-end club in a movie, then you’ve got the right mental picture. Except, you know, go-go dancers don’t blog. I think. I can’t tell you how weird it is. To my left, Colour Revolt just began its afternoon set. As if we haven’t told you... read more
SXSW: Blogging next to Destroyer
I’m down at the Paste & Stereogum DELL Lounge on 6th Street in Austin, TX. Destroyer is OWNING their set to my left as I blog this in a Blogging Cage, courtesy of DELL Lounge. I’m stoked to see Colour Revolt and Delta Spirit next, two young bands that deserve your attention. If you are in Austin, stop on by and say hello. I could use some new friends because I’ve been spending every waking moment with my Paste coworkers (who are wonderful, but really, who couldn’t use more friends?)... read more
SXSW 3.12: It Should Be Loud Everywhere
Leaving the mild cold of Brooklyn, N.Y., for the mild heat of Austin, Texas, was a thrill that reverberated through my first full day at 2008’s South By Southwest, the music festival for people who love blogging and barbeque. My love for the latter is clear, and an earlier version of this post that went live shows I’m still getting the hang of the former so bear with. The rundown of events to come would not have happened without a stop at Iron Works BBQ. Brisket in your stomach definitely will help you get through 12 hours of chasing the... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
David Bazan - Hard To Be
