SXSW 2011 Bullets (3/2/11)

Sheesh! South by Southwest is just around the corner. Life got busy for me at a bad time.

That won't keep me from dipping into the overflowing pool of loveliness that is SXSW however. I'm sure you wouldn't expect otherwise.

So to get back into the swing of things, here's the first installment of my relaunch of the Bullets series. If you're not familiar, leading up to and during the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival, FBtA borrowed a feature from one of my favorite blogs, TrueHoop: A bullet point list of the latest news stories, juicy tips and what have you. We'll try to keep it up for the next couple of weeks as Austin is invaded by the skinny-jeaned army.

• My favorite unofficial event, Mess With Texas Party, has finally announced part of its lineup and other details. The free multi-stage event is brought to us in part by our friends who throw the great Fun Fun Fun Fest. The party has moved from its old home in Waterloo Park, but the East Side Drive-In is a pretty good substitute. Again, the event is free, but an RSVP is necessary (go here). Dead Milkmen and !!! get the top line. Other highlights? Ted Leo rarely disappoints. The Oh Sees, Deer Tick, Strange Boys, all good. My favorite so far though is Screaming Females, whom we saw open up for Mr. Leo (with his Pharmacists) at Emo's a year or so ago. Like Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Screaming Females are a trio from New Jersey that play good, loud, energetic rock. There's actually only one female in the band -- shredding, sub-5'3" guitar hero/singer Marissa Paternoster -- but she is, in fact, "screaming." See for yourself in this vid from a Carson Daly (remember him?) appearance:

• Speaking of free, SXSW also puts on a great annual free event outdoors at Auditorium Shores. We've seen Spoon, M. Ward, Grupo Fantasma, Del tha Funkee Homosapien and others there in the past. This year, M. Ward's buddy Conor Oberst is there with Bright Eyes, along with Man Man, Kurt Vile and ... The Strokes? Apparently they'll be there on Thursday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. Wonder when they'll actually hit the stage?
• Another official free SXSW event are the Second Play Stages, which are early evening shows at local hotels. The schedule is pretty packed, mostly with unknowns. But there are a few familiar names in there.
• Want to know some very handy festival basics? Like what do the various wristbands do for you? Where should you park your rental? Our little local paper the Community Impact has put together SXSW 101: What you need to know.
  
• NPR's All Songs Considered bloggers have been busy compiling an MP3 playlist of artists at this year's festival. They claim to have gathered over 1,300 tracks so far. Check out the box at the top of the page. You'll also find a list of the great acts NPR and others are showcasing during the festival. More reasons to spring for a wristband.
  
• When I was about 22, I was often seen in a pair of brown Dickies painter's pants. As a devoted follower of the blue-collar clothing co., I am being paid back this year at SXSW. Dickies, along with FILTER Magazine, is hosting three days of Sounds from Thursday, March 18 to Saturday the 20th. Great lineup at Lustre Pearl, including Dawes, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dr. Dog, Here We Go Magic, She & Him, Broken Bells, Sondre Lerche and others. If you have a wristband, you're all set. Otherwise, you'll need to RSVP.
• There are plenty of other folks that have been doing a compiling event info while I've been asleep at the wheel, so why recreate the wheel? One place to start is the Unofficial SXSW Insider's Guide. If you've been paying attention, you'd have heard about great shows like Mogwee Live at the Mohawk. Ultra8201 has been on top of things as well. Here's a good rundown from a low-fi blog, Donew8ing. And another of my old faves, the silly-named Austin Bloggy Limits, has been running updates on South By.
  
• This site called SCHED, which is done by the makers of a timekeeping app company named Harvest, has put together a pretty cool unofficial schedule for the festival. Every day is laid out in detail. Go check it out.
  
• One of my favorite events at SXSW Interactive is gearing up for another good year: ScreenBurn Arcade. Taking place at the Convention Center, this free event showcases all sorts of hands-on demos from companies across different segments of the gaming industry. Now that people have finally figured out that Guitar Hero is as boring as playing Math Zapper on my old IBM PC Junior, albeit with better graphics, I wonder what people will flock to this year? Here's a list of 2011 exhibitors.
• Okay, it's a bit corporate, but AOL has a comprehensive SXSW blog. If you're interested.
  

More to come. Check back soon.