If you tuned in to the temporary ‘pop-up’ radio station IHeartAustin on 103.1 FM during SXSW, they you might want to return your radio back to the frequency. News reaches us (from All Access) that Clear Channel are going to carry on the broadcast even though SXSW is over for 2013.

103.1 IHeartAustin provides a variety of emerging music to our listeners and by keeping this format thriving, it will help to keep the spirit of the Austin music festivals alive 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Left Austin and still want to tune in? Tune your browser to 1031iHeartAustin.com.

Update: Hugh’s team have been in touch, and the offer is now closed.
Time served attendees at SXSW just might recognise the latest Gaping Void T-Shirt that is going to go on sale… if there is enough demand.

In 2008 Hugh created an image similar to this one for the official SXSW bag. Now, 5 years later, in celebration of the madness in March that “South By” has become, we’ve put together this “unofficial” Limited Edition tee shirt. A killer tee, for a killer city, in time for a killer conference. Wear yours proudly during the madness this March!

There is a catch though – like some fashionable version of Kickstarter, the project will only start printing when fifty orders are received… and you only have till Sunday to put down your dollars. Head over to Gaping Void Austin on Teespring for more.

It might be from October last year, but a link to Kinky Friedman’s favourite haunts and things to do in Austin is a nice little look at the what happens beyond 6th Street. If you’ve spent all that money and effort getting to SXSW you really should take some time to explore Austin – and this is the perfect primer.

For example…

Hands down the best in Austin (or anywhere, for that matter) is the legendary Broken Spoke, owned by the equally legendary James White. James likes to have his picture taken. There are two entire rooms filled with pictures of James with everyone from Dolly Parton to Willie Nelson, and of course, the Kinkster, but the real action is on the dance floor, where ancient floorboards squeak in rhythm with the boot scooters sashaying across it. One bit of advice: you may not want to use the word “sashay” at the Broken Spoke.

Here’s an interesting one from the Austin city council leaders. Because of the increased numbers of SXSW attendees this year, especially the numbers heading out to Interactive, there’s some serious consideration going on abotu extending the road barriers that lock down 6th Street and the surrounding areas not just for the four weekend days and nights of SXSW, but for the full nine days (we assume Friday 8th through Sunday 17th March).

Yes it will make it fun for the traffic flow around the Convention Center, and the extra security and  patrols will cost, but is that worth the extra safety the barriers and patrols will provide?

We await with interest news on what the council decides.

We here at The Baby! love Austin, SXSW, and well made Craft Beer. And we’d love to share all three with you!

So this year on the eve of SXSW we will be guiding you on the zymurgical delight that is Rainey Street in downtown Austin.

Imagine if you will, you are in town on the Thursday before all the madness ensues, you’ve picked up your badge at the Convention Center, and now there is nothing to do but wait.

Why not come out for a drink then? Rainey Street is a short walk from the Convention Center and is bustling with new bars opening all the time (one on our pub crawl isn’t even open yet as of this writing).

The Deets:

Thursday, March 7th from 5-9pm at the following bars:
5-6pm Bungalow at 92 Rainey St.
6-7pm Craft Pride at 61 Rainey St.
7-8pm Javalina at 69 Rainey St.
8-9pm Banger’s at 79 Rainey St.

We even have an app for it! We recently learned about Yapp and how it can be used to quickly make apps in under 10 minutes with no coding involved!

So, download the YappBox app, and our app within it using the link below! It will automatically let you know of any updates to the schedule!

SXSWBaby! Pub Crawl App

A cute story for the weekend? Why not!

The New Mexican city is set to stand in for Austin (reports The Guardian) in the latest film from Lenny Abrahmson. Documenting the life of an eccentric musician (inspired by Frank Sidebottom, Captain Beefheart, and Daniel Johnston) who never removes his large full head mask to perform.

And the section of the film at SXSW? Who knows, maybe Austin was too rich for the film-makers, or they couldn’t get a room during SXSW Music!

This month, Abrahamson begins shooting another comedy: Frank, his most ambitious project yet. Set partly at the SXSW festival (with Albuquerque standing in for Austin), it will star Michael Fassbender as an enigmatic, agoraphobic musician who rarely emerges from beneath his giant fake head. That detail is inspired by the eccentric Mancunian performer Frank Sidebottom – the film is co-written by the Guardian’s Jon Ronson, a former member of Sidebottom’s band – but Abrahamson insists the character stands in for all music’s outsiders.

So today’s weekend poser – which Austin institution is going to be [poorly] replicated on the shores of the Rio Grande and not the Town Lake?

And if you’ve never experienced the majesty, here’s some Frank!

Jamie, over on the Adobe blog, looks back at his time in Austin in March this year at his first South by Southwest.

At first, this year’s South by Southwest [2012] seemed like a bust… But a few days in, after the sun came out in a blaze of glory, people pulled off their rain suits and started to mingle. After that, the conference was in full swing — dozens of panels, hundreds of sessions, some awesome barbecue and many cameos and keynotes by some of interactive’ s famous, the whirlwind week ended just as quickly as it began.

He touches on a number of issues including; where will SXSW go now and can it avoid ‘bursting’ because of its size and expectation; the future of social media; the rise of the mobile app; and what the big brands were doing to woo the Southby attendees.

Most of all though, are the two big points he’s noted for SXSW 2013:

• A closer hotel which has me walking to sessions, no more shuttle dependencies.
• Better Adobe employee awareness, I found that our employees didn’t have a way to reach out to one another via some sort of gathering.

The hotel situation is one that crops up every year (and if you are looking for a hotel close by, don’t forget that downtown sold out by late November last year for SXSW Interactive), but the communication aspect, especially between a small group of people, is one that everyone has to deal with.

We’d suggest making sure everyone has a coffee together in the morning at a fixed time and place…