It’s a week before SXSW Music 2018 and I’m already exhausted. I also couldn’t be more stoked. In a few days, I get the opportunity to cannonball into a maelstrom of sights and sounds, showcases and songs. For seven days, Austin literally becomes the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Over 2,000 bands will play […]
14 Crazy Stories From Locals That Prove SXSW Is the Best Festival Ever
Brace yourselves. SXSW is coming! The popular meme floating around the interwebs was inspired by the festival’s legendary reputation. And with good reason, considering everyone has an epic SXSW story. With approximately 400,000 participants, attendees, and celebrities descending on Austin from all over the world, it’s hard to not have a crazy tale about what I refer […]
Top 6 SXSW Music Venues for 2018
Walk downtown on a Saturday night in Austin, and you’ll find yourself in a mixtape. Songs and tunes of every genre swirl together to create a kaleidoscope of sound. As the entertainment lifeblood of our fair city, live music holds a special place in our hearts. During SXSW, the vibe is amplified by a factor […]
Street Lamps Are Now Recording and Replaying Your Shadow in Austin
Austin is a unique city, with a vibrant culture that can be directly attributed to our embrace of the arts. So it should come as no surprise that an interactive art exhibit has chosen Austin as home for the next five weeks. In the tradition of keeping it weird, Austin Cultural Arts Division is hosting […]
My Favorite Moments Covering SXSW Comedy 2017
Comedians and comedy fans alike worked hard to make SXSW 2017 memorable. It paid off because nearly all the comedy events were PACKED. In fact, you could hear the hearts breaking among those who didn’t make it in, after waiting an hour or more to see a show. My main objective this year, while covering SXSW […]
Who Wins the SXSW Music 2017 Superlative Awards?
The stages are down; the attendees are gone; and Sixth Street has been cleansed as much as humanly possible. SXSW Music 2017 is officially a memory. And from a local standpoint, the Austin SXSW Class of 2017 was an exceptional one. To celebrate last week’s musical mayhem, we’re celebrating the best of the best like a […]
SXSW Red Carpet Musings With Todrick Hall, Nick Offerman
SXSW red carpets are paraded on by people buzzing about their film projects. This year, I spoke with the stars and directors behind two world premiere films at ZACH Theatre, “Behind The Curtain: Todrick Hall” and “Infinity Baby.” In the spirit of keeping things local, I asked each person if Austin tickles their creative side, and whether they […]
You Don’t Need a Badge to See 5 Innovative SXSW Art Installations Here
This year, SXSW extends its reach into the art world with the new, expansive SXSW Art Program. By highlighting documentaries focusing on art (like “The Secret Life of Lance Letscher,” based on an Austin artist), art happenings (like the walls of HOPE Outdoor Gallery represented on the Trade Show floor in the Convention Center) and sessions […]
The Evolution of SXSW Comedy
In my opinion, comedians are the new rockstars of SXSW. It’s about time, since SXSW Comedy is celebrating its tenth edition during the multi-track festival. Over the past 10 years, SXSW has showcased the comedy industry’s influential and up-and-coming comics. There were amazing comedians around in 1987 when SXSW started, but it wasn’t considered a necessity at a festival […]
Your SXSW Music Survival Guide
SXSW is a war. Locals curse invading tourists. Business types attending the conference rub elbows with media-loving millennials. Downtown becomes choked with product placement, badge-only lounges and swarms of ads for tech startups. It’s madness. It’s also a blast if you do it right. During SXSW Music, the eyes of an entire industry are focused […]