Friday, February 23, 2007

See You in the Pit is Back!

The unofficial mp3blog for SXSW Music, See You in the Pit, appears to be back up and running. See You in the Pit showcases different artists playing the SXSW Music Festivals with mp3 samples. 

Thursday, February 22, 2007

I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK

No, that’s not a new panel for SXSW Interactive, but rather the newest film from the director of Oldboy which will screen at the the SXSW Film Festival:

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival is happy to announce the North American Premiere of Chan-wook Park’s new film, I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK as its Closing Night Film for the 2007 Festival. It will screen on the final night of the festival, March 17, in Austin, TX. Park is the director of such critical and commercial hit films as Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to host the stateside debut of Mr. Park’s latest film on our Closing Night,” says SXSW Film Festival Producer Matt Dentler. “Mr. Park is easily one of the most exciting filmmakers working in Asia today, and we can’t wait to share his new vision with the SXSW audiences.”

Austinist’s Guide to SXSW

Austinist has put up their slick, nice-looking guide to SXSW’s evening events and parties. It’s a curated list of what they think is good, integrated with Google Maps and Austinist interviews. Nice job!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Personalized SXSW Calendar is Back!

The personalized SXSW Calendar is back! Personally, I find this application to be a lifesaver. When viewing any conference panels (Interactive, Film, or Music), film you’ve like to see, or band you’d like to catch, note that there’s now a link that says “Add this to your SXSW Calendar.” You can then easily build your SXSW schedule without having to resort to fancy spreadsheet tricks, although, the calendar only works for official panels, keynotes, film screenings, and music showcases, and none of the unofficial events that happen around SXSW (like Music daytime parties). But it’s still really great at planning out your days and nights.

The SXSW Calendar is intended for use with Mozilla Sunbird or Apple’s iCal. For best results, you should use one of these programs or any other iCal/ICS compatible calendar software that supports calendar subscriptions.  This will give you the most flexibility for viewing, printing and syncing your calendar to other devices.

Please be sure to tell your calendar software to refresh the calendar at least once per day. This will ensure that you are informed of any scheduling or venue changes.

If you do not have a calendar application yet, a simplified version of your calendar can be viewed online as well. (Might want to bookmark that in your Treo or Blackberry.)

Getting Back to Your Hotel During SXSW Music

Not staying downtown for SXSW Music? Not looking forward to waiting for the bus or trying to find an available cab? Well, SuperShuttle may be the answer. Says SXSW.com:

SXSW has arranged for SuperShuttle of Austin to provide transportation to music badgeholders on Wednesday, March 14 through Saturday, March 17 between the outlying hotels and downtown (Hilton) on a pay-per-ride basis. Service is limited to specific times and schedules for each hotel (to be posted in the lobby) and the number of vehicles and seats available. Cost is $10 per person, per ride. Read below carefully:

Morning - 9:00 am - 11:00 am - Hotels to Downtown (Hilton)
Reservation and advance prepayment by credit card required. (512-929-3900 x2)

Dinner - 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm - Downtown (Hilton) to Hotels (and return)
Reservation and advance prepayment by credit card required. (512-929-3900 x2)

Late Night - 1:00 am - 3:00 am - Late Night - Downtown (Hilton) to Hotels
No reservation needed. Cash only.

Call the SuperShuttle Austin office to make reservations or for more information (512)929-3900 x2.

Toyota Yaris has a SXSW Music Site: Turns Out to Be Helpful

I’m not sure what the Toyota Yaris’ connection is to SXSW (other than some good old fashioned corporate sponsorshop) but they’ve put up a nice little SXSW site with some neat stuff.

There’s screenprinting demos in downtown Austin:

To help raise awareness of Flatstock, Yaris is taking the poster art experience to the streets. At “Flatstock Corners” in downtown Austin, passersby can watch screen printing in action. Each of the corners will be run by different printing presses from across the country.

At the corners:

* Free limited edition, commemorative posters
* WiFi Hot Spots
* Free water & snacks

Locations*:

Squeegeeville & Diesel Fuel Corner
E 4th St and Neches St (By Registrants Lounge), 3/14-17 @ 12pm-5pm

Obsolete Industries Corner
W 4th St and Colorado St, 3/15-17 @ 12pm-5pm

Firehouse Corner
E 7th St and Trinity St, 3/15-17 @ 12pm-5pm

Screwball Corner
Across the River on S Congress St, 3/15-17 @ 12pm-5pm

*Subject to change.

As well as an exhibit at Town Lake:

At Town Lake, Yaris will be hosting an exhibit of vintage posters, curated by the American Poster Institute, 3/15-3/16, Thurs & Fri (5-10pm) and Sat (12:30-9:30pm).

And free rides from the airport, some SXSW frequently asked questions, and a contest to win a trip to SXSW. Not bad at all. 

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Interactive Panels Schedule Revealed

SXSW Interactive attendees, be sure to stop by the SXSW.com site and take a look at the Interactive Conference Panels schedule. 

Monday, February 19, 2007

More Official Interactive, Film and Music Parties

The official parties lists have been updated on the SXSW site.

For the Film Parties don’t miss The Annual Chronicle Film Bash on Monday, March 12th featuring local Austin bands Voxtrot and What Made Milwaukee Famous. There’s also the OnNetworks Party on Wednesday, March 14 where you can enjoy food from renowned NYC chef, Sam Mason, and great drinks by Alberta Straub on the roof-top deck of Six.

For the Music Festival parties, I’m looking forwards to the Canadian Blast BBQ, the College Day Party by Team Clermont and Under the Radar Magazine, as well as great parties showcasing talents from Japan, Wales, and Australia.

There’s also a huge list of interactive parties and a bunch on upcoming.org as well. 

SXSW Music MP3 Torrent Is Online

Head over to the SXSW Toolbox to find the 2007 Music Festival MP3 Torrent, including 739 mp3s from showcasing bands. 

Friday, February 16, 2007

Music Conference and Festival Schedule is Up; So Are MP3s

Lots of new information on the SXSW 2007 site now. Check out the full festival showcase schedule to check out when all of the artists are playing. Don’t forget to download some mp3s while you’re there. I imagine the giant torrent will be up at some point soon.

The panels schedule of all of the different sessions in the Convention Center is also up. There’s a load of great interviews and sessions planned: Iggy Pop, Tom Anderson of Myspace, Pete Townshend, and more.

One of the Music Conference Panels, called Idiots Unite! has its own blog, too. Idiots Unite is about “how to survive, thrive, and be happy working with the universally-loved art form called music.”

Film Festival Schedule Unveiled

SXSW Film has unveiled the film festival schedule online. Time to start planning!

The festival will host 120 features, 60 of which are World Premieres, and 120 short films from around the globe, divided into various sections and competitions. The feature films make up the Spotlight Premieres, Documentary and Narrative Feature Competitions, Emerging Visions, 24 Beats Per Second, Lone Star States, ‘Round Midnight, and Special Screenings categories of the Festival.

Don’t forget to check out the online trailers. The panels schedule has also been revealed. 

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Women @ SXSW Music

In the middle of the indy emo bands playing at SXSW, there are still big names coming out.  Some random (Pam Tillis)...some not so random (Emmylou).  I am wondering where this is coming from.  For one, I am pretty psyched about seeing Ms. Tillis.  It’s been awhile since she has been out and I think this is a great way for her to get out there and show her crazy bluegrass/Americana side she has hiding in there.

I read today Emmylou will be performing and giving a special talk on March 15 that should be interesting.  She has had a big year with “On the Road Running”, so I look forward to hearing what she has to say. 

Posted by lane33629 on 02/15 at 03:23 PM
Music | (0) Comments | Permalink

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Film shorts selections announced

Last week, it was features and today, SXSW Film announced its short films selections.

Also, it looks like Ain’t It Cool News is throwing a l’il party on March 9 for the Austin debut of Disturbia. [hat tip: Matt Dentler]

Monday, February 12, 2007

Addendum to Wristband Information for Austin Residents

According to a Cedar Park resident on Donewaiting’s SXSW blog:

I called the SXSW office and asked the receptionist if I would be able to get a wristband even though I live in Cedar Park. She said that indeed I could and that they were hoping to release information to say so. She said that those in the Austin area (Travis County and/or the 512 area code) would be able to purchase wristbands as long as they could prove that they lived in the area.

Friday, February 9, 2007

Today’s the Last Day to Save on Registration Fees

February 9 is the final deadline for saving on fees for all badges: Interactive, Film, Music, Gold, and Platinum. Register now to save on the walk-up rates.