SXSW 2012 Bullets (3/8/12): Side Parties Galore!

We mentioned in our SXSW 2012 Basics post that one great tool to use to find free shows during SXSW is the SXSW 2012 Side Parties Database on Austin360.  A search today for free Music Festival side parties only yielded a staggering 391 results.  Here are a few of the parties we're intrigued by:

•  We already posted the lineup for the Mess With Texas (MWTX) Party.  Mess With Texas has definitely been one of the best free "unofficial" shows each of the last few years, although we lament the  move from Waterloo Park when it closed for renovations. Acts announced so far that we're looking forward to this year include Built to Spill, Cloud Nothings, The Men and Titus Andronicus, plus we're curious whether A$AP Rocky can put on a good show.  3/15-3/17 ][ 1100 E 5th  ][ Free ][ RVSP required

• If you're in town for SXSW Interactive, go check out hot Austin band The Bright Light Social Hour, along with RAC, at the Get Down Party.  3/11 ][ PureVolume House (Trinity & 2nd) ][ Free ][ RSVP required

• Another good-sounding party toward the start of the festival is the #RobotripSXSW party from The Barbarian Group and Tumblr, featuring Japandroids, WAVVES, Kool Keith and more.  It's on Red River Street, at Club DeVille and Mohawk, one of Austin's best live music clubs IMHO.  3/12 ][ Club DeVille & Mohawk (Red River near 9th) ][ Free ][ No RSVP needed
• Another good showcase for local talent is the enticingly-titled Bands and a Bonfire Under the Big Sky.  Solid Austin indie rockers White Denim and The Strange Boys are joined by Brooklyn's Bear Hands and Nashville's Fly Golden Eagle.  White Denim made a bunch of end-of-year best-of lists for 2011's excellent album D.  3/13 ][ Mohawk (9th & Red River) ][ Free ][ RSVP required

• Thrasher and Converse are behind this year's Impose "Texas-style Death Match" day party at the Scoot Inn.  Lots of bands over five days, plus skating?  The Facebook page for the show mentions a half-pipe and the flier says, "Don't forget your board."  Acts include Cro-Mags, Cool Kids, Theophilus London, Das Racist and more.  3/14-3-18 ][ The Scoot Inn (1308 E 4th) ][ Free ][ No RSVP needed

• Pitchfork, the barometer of indie music freshness, landed a bunch of bands that they've reviewed positively for the Pitchfork Day Party at the Mohawk.  El-P, SBTRKT, Lower Dens, The War on Drugs, Cloud Nothings, etc.  3/15 ][ Mohawk (9th & Red River) ][ Free ][ No RSVP needed
• Speaking of Lower Dens, they'll be joined by Magnetic Fields and a few more at the NPR Music Presents Live from the Parish day party.  Should get packed.  3/15 ][ The Parish (214 E 6th) ][ Free ][ No RSVP needed
• For some more hip-hop and less indie rock, check out Wu-Tang's Raekwon and Mr. Muthaf*ckin' Exquire and others at Digital Freshness ATX.  One of the latter's most popular tracks features guest appearances by a few other artists in town for SXSW (Das Racist, El-P), so don't be surprised if a few "special guests" show up.  3/15 ][ Peckerheads (402 E 6th) ][ Free ][ No RSVP required

• Also on the hip-hop front, the IHEARTCOMIX & Life or Death PR present Texas Hip Hop Party has a little Wu flavor as well with GZA, Das Racist, Mr. Muthaf*ckin' Exquire and others.  3/16 ][ Beauty Ballroom (2015 E. Riverside) ][ Free ][ RSVP required
• Undeniably the most yumm-o party each year, Rachael Ray (not a joke) is hosting a great collection of acts again this year, including (but NOT limited to): reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Givers, Blitzen Trapper, The Cringe with special guest Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top) and Austin's favorite Bob Schneider.  3/17 ][ Stubb's BBQ (Red River & 8th) ][ Free ][ RSVP required (link not working last we checked)
• The weekend is going to be fun.  Another good party taking place is the CYP2 X Mad Decent X Fools Gold = SXSW Super Party (that's really the name).  A-Trak, Diplo, A$AP Mob, The Drums, WAVVES and tons more.  3/17 ][ Emo's East & Beauty Ballroom (E. Riverside) ][ Free ][ RSVP required
• More dancing?  Head to the third annual Red Bull Thre3Style party with The Crystal Method, Dan the Automater, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Erykah Badu, Cannabinoids, Z-Trip and others, plus an opening set by Shortkut.  "Each DJ is tasked with spinning three completely different musical genres, all while keeping the party hot and the dance floor packed."  Shouldn't be too tough during SouthBy. 3/17 ][ 8th & Trinity ][ Free ][ No RSVP needed

There are so many more.  About 380.  Expect more parties to be announced too.  If you're going to be here in Austin for South by Southwest, you'd better be well-prepared or you'll waste a lot of time.  Trust us.  So keep checking the database, and check back here too.

Arcade Fire Lecturing at UT ... and Right After SXSW Wraps Up. Let the Secret Show Rumors Begin!

Entertainment celebrities can be preachy I suppose, but at least I often find their intent to be good.  In the case of Arcade Fire, the group has been unquestionably committed to helping Haiti rebuild (just search for "Arcade Fire" and "Haiti" on Pitchfork and see how many articles pop up).  In the latest bit of news, the University of Texas just announced that four members of the band -- leaders Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, along with Win's brother Will and Marika Anthony-Shaw -- will be giving a lecture on  the Haitian crisis and relief efforts.  According to the news release:

In discussing the Haitian need for healthcare and aid from the first world, the speakers will encourage UT students to envision themselves as global citizens and local philanthropists. The musicians will draw attention to the work being done by the non-profit to which their profits are directed: Partners in Health.

Expect a packed LBJ Auditorium at 7:00 PM on March 19.  Speaking of which, as Pitchfork notes, that little music festival we have here in Austin every Spring wraps up on March 18: "Arcade Fire appearing in Austin right after SXSW wraps up... coincidence, or are a lot of festival-goers in for a surprise?"  As a resident Austinite, I hoping for the latter.

Arcade Fire has been on the Austin City Limits TV show twice now.  From their first appearance, below is the video for "Wake Up."  And if you're interested in donating to Partners in Health, visit here.

SXSW 2012: Mess With Texas Party Lineup Announced!

One of our favorite "unofficial" annual South by Southwest shows just announced its 2012 lineup.  Looks great.  Good mix of up-and-comers (A$AP Rocky, Cloud Nothings) and indie vets (Cults, Titus Andronicus, Deerhoof).  Brought to you by the folks behind Fun Fun Fun Festival.  Looking forward to it.

SXSW 2012: The Basics

February's over.  That means South by Southwest is around the corner.  SXSW -- particularly SXSW Music -- is BIG, so preparedness is key.  If you haven't started planning already, better get your butt in gear.

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST 2012 BASICS

SXSW ][ MUSIC ][ FILM ][ INTERACTIVE

March 9-18

Interactive: March 9–13
Film: March 9–17
Music: March 13–18

Attending

For a Platinum Badge (access to all three festivals), this late, expect to pay well beyond a G.  The coveted piece of laminated paper will cost you $1395.  Gold badges are $1150.  If you're more the single-event type, price depends on the festival you're interested in: Interactive = $950.  Film = $595.  Music = $750. 

The Second-Hand Market:

• Craigslist
• StubHub
• eBay

Headquarters

Austin Convention Center

500 East Cesar Chavez St.

Events during SXSW take place all over the city, mainly downtown, but the nerve center of the festival is the Convention Center. Lots of panels, the Day Stage, the Music Gear Expo, Flatstock poster show (see below) and other fun stuff take place at the sprawling center, plus it's the place to go to handle registration and other logistics.

Convention Center area (including parking)

Some More Basics


The official SXSW First-Timer's Guide is full of helpful info for SouthBy virgins.  Another good tool for attendees is SXsocial, "a SXSW registrant tool that allows users to search for and message other SXSW attendees, update contact information, and book hotel accommodations."  There's also SXSW GO, "the official mobile app for getting the most out of attending SXSW 2012 [that] allows you to view/build your schedule, see a map of what’s happening and how to get there, navigate the tradeshow, stay connected to the social world and more."

One of my favorite tools is Austin360's SXSW 2012 Side Parties Database.  Search for unofficial parties by festival category (e.g., Interactive, Film, Music), date, whether free or not, and whether free food/drink are provided.  Click on each party for all the good details -- date, time, bands, where to RSVP, etc. So go find out what music parties are going on during weekend and hunt down free beer!  Great free tool -- use it!

Follow SXSW

We'll be posting SXSW-related goodies from now through after the festival. Here are some other good places to go for festival news, information, gossip, BS, etc.

Official SXSW News ][ Facebook ][ Twitter ][ MySpace ][ YouTube

Blogs covering SXSW:

• Operation Every Band - Had to start here. These guys have set a daunting goal: Review every band playing at SXSW in 2012. That means nearly 2,000 reviews. That's a whole lotta listening. Sounds like ... fun?  Too much?
• Austin Chronicle's SXSW Blog - What you'd expect from the Chronicle.
• Consequence of Sound - Also hosting a show I think.
• SXSW Baby - "An unofficial weblog for South by Southwest."
• Houston Press - SXSW coverage from Houston arts & entertainment news outlet.

More will pop up.  Trust us.

Yaktoberfest 2012 Update: Beer Recipe Development Continues

We're still over 6 months away from the next edition of Yaktoberfest, but we vowed to start preparing early this year.  Although we organizers haven't gotten too much done yet in terms of event planning, I have been busy trying to brew as many new beers as possible in hopes of finding one or more recipes to brew for the festival.  In the first blog update on Yaktoberfest 2012, we were trying out AHS's double chocolate stout recipe.  That one's in the bottle.  It needed a few more weeks of rest before it became a really good drink, but patience did pay off, and this one's a pretty good candidate for the fest.  I may have to tinker with the recipe just a bit to boost the alcohol and body each just a touch.

Just yesterday, I bottled experiment number two, a brown ale that also has promise.  I tasted it flat, and while I knew it would be light on hops, it may be a bit too low.  Guess we'll wait a couple of weeks and see.

Taking an investigatory sniff of the brown ale during bottling

FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective - Part 5: Audio Mix

Before we turn our attention again to things more local (like that little festival that rolls into town every March), we wanted to wrap up our Native Tongue Collective series with FBtA's Native Tongue Mix.  66 songs by artists who are closely affiliated with the Native Tongues, with the amount of attention the artist receives roughly proportional to that artist's significance in the collective.  So expect more from De La Soul than Chi Ali in other words.  There are lots of collaborations, and not just "Buddy" and "Doin' Our Own Dang."  Plus a few more rare cuts and mixes, and some appearances by a few unexpected guests.  Unless you were expecting Scotland indie power-pop band Teenage Fanclub.

Here it is below in big form.  A small one will go up on our main page soon.  See below for a bit more about the mix.

FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective

[Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4][Chi Ali Interlude]

So who's "closely affiliated with the Native Tongues?"


There are a few different ways to define who is a "member" of the Native Tongue collective and who is not.  Fans and press think of the collective in a sense as having a central core surrounded by a small number of concentric circles representing the degree of association to the collective and the closeness to the core members.  That's how we thought of it for purposes of building our mix.  If you aren't in one of the first two or three circles, chances are you're only in the mix by being a lucky guest.

To start off, one thing everyone can agree on is that there are three principal members of the Native Tongues:

Principal Native Tongue Members

• A Tribe Called Quest
• De La Soul
• Jungle Brothers

After that, opinions start to diverge.  The names most likely to appear in the next "circle," at least in my opinion, look something like this:

Secondary Native Tongue Members

• Black Sheep 
• Chi Ali
• Da Bush Babees
• Fu-Schnickens
• Leaders of the New School
• Monie Love
• Queen Latifah

There are a number of other groups and individuals that sometimes are mentioned in the above group.  These are folks with legit claims of association with the collective, but generally aren't considered close to its center.  We'll call these artists the "Affiliates."

Native Tongue Affiliates

• The Beatnuts
• Brand Nubian
• Common
• J Dilla
• Lucien Revolucien
• Mos Def
• Prince Paul

There are certainly other artists and associates who could make a reasonable claim of membership, but let's leave it at that.  Our blog, our rules.