We don't remember much of SXSW but of what we can remember, we think we had a pretty kickass time. During the week of March 13th to the 17th, we were out surviving on what little we had time to consume (usually free, alcoholic or "containing artificial flavors"), catching every bit of sanctioned and unsanctioned SXSW goodness.

While we were out on the streets and bars of Austin, we began to realize a lot about our city, the people who live in it and the people who come visit. We gained bits of confidence everyday answering the simplest questions--treating each query from a confused out-of-towner as a mini trivia quiz to see how much we really did know about this city. We got lots of compliments on how pretty Austin was, right along side how crazy our weather is. We utilized our knowledge of venue secrets and venue shortfalls, like informing only the people we liked that flanking stage left at La Zona Rosa is by far the best spot in the house.

And then there were the shows. We all saw the "best show of the entire festival," while somehow missing everyone else's "best show of the entire festival." The musicians and actors/directors gave it their all, performing in the hopes of gaining greater audiences across the world. They gave it their all off the stage too, many of the performers could be seen getting plastered at any given bar, at any given night, regardless of what time of day their performance was.

Put aside the bureaucracy, the controversy and the debates about how it works, SXSW is here to stay. Whoever should be in the crowd, it is a week long gathering of progress and contemporary arts so immense that we should all be proud. Proud to host that no name high school kid inviting all of his friends to watch his five-minute short playing at 2am at Dobie. Or proud to host a gathering of the minds of the world who talk about things most of us can't understand, yet those are things we depend on everyday. Or that no name grunge band from New Jersey who rented an old bus, crammed in their shitty equipment, drove dozens of hours and slept on carpet just to say, "We went to Austin and played SXSW."

We had a good festival and we hope you did too. Since SXSW is often an individualized experience of likes and dislikes, we split up for the time being to give you just some of our individual favorites of the 2007 spring ritual that is SXSW.

1. Girl Talk at The Diesel Party - Friday night's Diesel show turned into something special the minute Girl Talk began mixing Beyonce's "Ring The Alarm" with Foghat. He invited 50 people onstage, and bedlam ensued. The crowd wasn't huge, but damn, were they excited. As Hot Chip mixed into Oasis and Dee-Lite, everyone danced until they literally fell over on the candy and beer scattered throughout the floor. This was the dance party you've always dreamed about.

2. Peter, Bjorn, and John at La Zona Rosa - In the indie-blog world, one expects bands to be a bit rough-hewn. Thus, it was a pleasant shocker to see P,B,and J fill La Zona Rosa with both their musical talent and their showmanship. The closing show Wednesday night showed a polished, tuneful, and confident band getting ready for the bigger stages that they deserve. The young folks loved it, and so did everyone else.

3. Malajube at Maggie Mae's - When you hear "Canadian indie-pop in French" as a descriptor, it leads you to guess that a band will be very arty and inaccessible. But wow, are Malajube catchy as hell. The tiny Maggie Mae's rooftop was literally teeming with hundreds of swaying fans in love with the fast, pretty, and danceworthy sounds Malajube threw at them. We may not understand them, but they know how to move our spirits and rock a party.

4. Pete Townshend w/ Alexi Murdoch, Joe Purdy, and Martha Wainwright at La Zona Rosa - Townshend's been doing this rock racket for 45 years. But he still obviously loves the job, as evidenced by his sideman role during this songwriter set at La Zona Rosa. Townshend pulled out songs from Quadrophenia and Endless Wire for solo turns, but threw "Let My Love Open The Door" in as a duet and played beautiful acoustic rhythm guitar on everyone else's numbers. The pure joy one saw in Townshend's eyes as
he flirted with Wainwright and sang with Murdoch turned an song swap into an event.

5. Sloan - After hearing loads of obscure bands play songs you don't know, sometimes you need to see a group that has a greatest-hits album. Sloan's powerful turn at the Jane party showed why they're the forefathers of New Pornographers and loads of other Canadian indie-rockers. The riffs were instantly in your head, the hockey hair was not messing around, and everyone's day got better in 30 minutes. We may not know much about Sloan, but after this gig, we're going to take the time to find out.

Last night, after spending part of last week at SxSW promoting his new movie, Adam Sandler was asked to take the reins of The Late Show when Letterman came down with the stomach flu. He seemed pretty comfortable in the monologue, but admittedly awkward in the interview with co-star Don Cheadle (Sandler confessed that he'd never interviewed anyone before). Cheadle and Sandler chatted about Reign Over Me, Sandler's dog Matzoball, and eating BBQ at Stubbs. Their "interview" ended with an excellent performance of "Endless Love."

And if there was a clip of them discussing Stubbs, we would have posted that. Too bad Viacom is suing YouTube!

Our favorite posts this week:

• Kristin posts on her SxSW so far.
  
• Norbizness gives his SxSW Music recommendations. Sort of related, we hear that one drunk woman offered someone $5 to sneak her in to see Donovan.
  
• Steve at Austin Real Estate Blog assures a SxSW visitor that it is faster to walk to 6th street from 15th and Guadalupe than to try to hitch a ride from someone.
  
• La Dilettante says, "Whistling is the new cowbell, it gives any song you add it to a kitschy vibe so that the song then becomes sort of critic-proof." Guess which band's song she's talking about.
  

Photo by zach-o-matic on flickr

Dan Rather delivered a keynote address yesterday to a packed ballroom in the Hilton downtown.

Among other things, Rather suggested that modern journalism needs "a spine transplant." He also had some interesting things to say about the nature of journalism in general and why he thinks it is the way it is.

One important point he made was that the term "investigative journalism" is redundant because journalism, when done correctly, is inherently investigative. Having said that, he explored some of the myriad ways that news media has gotten quite far away from investigative techniques, instead moving toward a more passive reporting technique that Rather described as the "go along to get along" way. In other words, reporters would rather be a part of the action and water down their reports than ask the hard questions and risk alienating important sources.

Another interesting point Rather covered was competition in news media and the effect it has on the quality of news. He argued that competition is vital and is becoming scarce. He pointed out that there are only three or four huge companies behind all of the major news sources, and one of their prime objectives is to stamp out competition. In this climate, Rather argued that news media outlets have no real motivation to stay honest and have integrity.

Rather was always careful to include himself in his critique of the industry. He did not come off as a know-it-all, been-there-done-that type of guy. Instead, his attitude suggested modestly that, given his experience, he might have some advice to offer to anyone who feels like listening. Further, on several occasions when discussing topics such as war and patriotism, Rather's voice cracked as emotion welled up. It is an amazing thing to witness this man who has had decades of experience (and opportunities to become desensitized) tear up about things like the sanctity of the role of American presidents. We highly recommend seeing Rather speak if you ever have the opportunity.

Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha arrives officially on March 20, and after his performances here for SXSW, he'll embark on an international tour to support it. The Suzuki method-trained violinist, whistler and multi-instrumentalist is known for heart-stoppingly impressive live sets, and his use of Line 6 DL4 Delay Modelers for live phrase samples has prompted a wave of innovative live acts, as artists like Feist and Final Fantasy make use of similar modelers during their shows. Recently we had a chance to talk to Andrew about bloody ass-spankings, margaritas and Armchairs.

Which songs are you most excited to play live?

"Plasticities" and "Dear Dirty" (Fingerlings 3) "Scythian Empires", "Armchairs" - pretty much the whole record, but these songs in particular can reach an ecstatic otherness where I might wake up inside the bass drum when its over.

Andrew Bird will perform on Thursday @ the Onion, AV Club and Tag Team Media party at Emo's. Check our Interactive Guide for details

Little-known outside the experimental guitar scene, the immensely talented Japanese guitar-slinger Tetuzi Akiyama has been perfecting his improvisational rockabilly style for the better part of 20 years now. Due to play several shows during SXSW and a smattering of shows in Texas and elsewhere, Tetuzi kindly extrapolated on his singular talents for us:

You started playing guitar when you were 13. What sort of music were you listening to at the time that drew you to the instrument?

Like almost of all others in that time, some kind of hard rock music, like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, then moved to focus on more guitar players like Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, or whoever they called "super guitarists" [at] that time in 70's. But by the time when Van Halen came on the scene, I had already shifted my interest on more like Pink Floyd. Almost no influence by the punk/new wave scene.

We first ran into The Small Stakes at The Flatstock Poster Show during SXSW 2006. The three-day concert poster convention features works by today's premiere screenprinters and artists. Sifting through the field of amazing choices, we kept finding ourselves returning to The Small Stakes before making our final purchases. We grabbed up a number of their posters that day; now, their business card is the only one we still have.

Behind The Small Stakes is Jason Munn. Working out of his studio in Oakland, California, Munn has consistently produced gorgeous posters for clients that include Asthmatic Kitty, Barsuk, Polyvinyl, and bands such as American Analog Set, Nada Surf, Death Cab and Wilco. As digital designs grow and pop art eagerly catches up with it, artists are producing busier graphics that tend to ruin the art. Jason Munn's designs—on t-shirts, books and album covers—are affirmation that less is most definitely more.

We recently got the chance to ask Munn a few questions about poster design, working with musicians and the current state of art in music. At this year's Flatstock, be sure to swing by The Small Stakes booth—Munn's art only gets better in real life. His website has most of the prints available for purchase (if they aren't already sold out).

With the current state of music—digital music and CD burning, where some of today's kids will grow up never having touched cover art or liner notes—where do you think concert art or pop art and music stands?

Obviously to me the art and music go hand in hand. I think posters are helping to fill that void because of so much downloading of music going on. I also think a lot of labels are doing great packaging and stepping it up a bit as of late to create packaging that you want to hold onto and accompanies the albums very well.

The jet lag had just started to wear off (or the booze just started to kick in) when most of the filmmakers, actors and bloggers who are showcasing work during The 2007 SXSW Film Festival & Conference met at Buffalo Billiards Thursday night.

Film gets kicked off today, with Scott Frank's directorial debut, The Lookout debuting at The Paramount tonight at 9:00pm.

L to R: Dan Cox, director of Running With Arnold & Reginald Harkema, director of Monkey Warfare.

Of all the awesome-looking films playing at SXSW this year, Frownland initially caught our eye because, well, any reference to Captain Beefheart is awesome. And after checking out some clips on the film's website, we immediately added it to our schedule. This kind of film scratches us right where we itch-- it's that sort of bleak, acerbic comedy that makes you laugh while simultaneously making you feel weird about laughing.

Director Ronald Bronstein has described the film to us as "a miserablist sort of comedy about an excruciatingly irritating and inarticulate young man, chronicling several days in his life as he pingpongs from one damaged rapport to the next". Bronstein went on to say, "The goal of the movie, I guess, is to sort of keep the audience disoriented in terms of how they feel about him...encouraging disdain but then leaving just enough room to question it and wonder whether sympathy might be appropriate. It both wants you to laugh at him and then feel uneasy about it."

Bronstein also suggested to us that the film will resonate with fans of early Mike Leigh films, so if you're into that kind of questionably misanthropic comedy (which we definitely are), you should check Frownland out.

[Add Frownland to Your Calendar on our (Unofficial) SXSW Film Other Side Guide]
[Add Frownland as a friend on Myspace]

GOOD Magazine ("media for people who give a damn") and new kid on the scene MOLI will be sponsoring a bash during SxSW Interactive to raise money for blogger/flickr-user favorite Creative Commons. They have managed to recruit New York DJ trio The MisShapes and LA's Filip Turbotito to handle the tunes, with VJ Phi Phenomenon providing an audio-visual experience. Joi Ito, chairman of Creative Commons, will be there as well.

We read that Six Apart will be matching donations up to $2,000, so join the GOOD readership if you haven't already (the party is open to GOOD subscribers only). Donate money to a good cause, attend party with open bar . . . sounds like a plan.

SxSW Interactive Party [more info]
presented by GOOD and Creative Commons (along with MOLI)
Monday, March 12
Uncle Flirty's, 325 E. Sixth St.[map]
9pm-1am

Michael Tully came of age at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he made friends with such latter-day indie stars as director David Gordon Green and songwriter Dave Berman. His documentary, Silver Jew, about Berman's band The Silver Jews and their recent tour in Israel, is set to screen during SXSW. We caught up with him via email to ask the tough questions:

So the documentary is only 51 minutes long. Does that even count as a feature? Any plans to sell the film to, say, IFC or PBS as an hour Hannukah special?

These days--at least for festival purposes--over forty minutes is considered a feature. When we went to Israel, we had no idea what we were gonna end up with, though my stomach always told me an hour was just about right. For a film like this, our chances of a television sale increase exponentially by having a running time of just under an hour. That said, of course we're hoping to make a TV sale to someone like IFC or PBS! The film doesn't address Hannukah specifically, though it is a hopeful story about faith so I'd love to see it aired during Hannukah, or Christmas, or Kwanzaa for that matter.

One of the films we're really excited about seeing at this year's SXSW Film Festival is A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar..., a broad, lighthearted look at America's obsession with (and simultaneous hatred of) lawyers and lawsuits. The film follows six law students as they prepare for the notoriously difficult California Bar Exam, but it also features stories and commentary from several notable lawyers, comedians and personalities including Eddie Griffin, Robert Shapiro (counsel to O.J. Simpson), Senator John Cornyn and one of our favorite comedians ever, Michael Ian Black.

We recently had a chance to talk to director Eric Chaikin about lawyers, perseverance and moral responsibility.

The film follows six people who are trying to pass the California Bar Exam. But is the film a character study, or is it about something more broad?

It weaves two elements together. It’s probably best described as an overall look at our kind of love/hate relationship with Lawyers and with suing each other in America. And the kind of character thread of that—let’s say half the film, or more than half, does follow these people who are trying to be lawyers, and you learn about their motivations and their situations and what they have to go though to pass this test, and it’s a pretty straightforward character study. You hook onto sympathetic or unsympathetic things about them, and you wind up really rooting for them.

But it’s framed in the context of the media images of lawyers that we see, and of lawyer jokes, and of what people say about lawyers though man-on-the-street interviews. And so we kind of interplay America’s perception of lawyers with the, just kind of real people trying to get to be lawyers.

I’m interested to see it, because I often wonder why anyone would want to be a lawyer. I mean, it’s a job where you have to work incredibly hard, but there isn’t the same social reward as, say, if you were to become a doctor. People don’t generally respect lawyers the way they respect other professions on that same level.

That’s the “necessary evil” component of the whole Lawyer discussion. One of the things that motivated the project was that there are all of these stats out there about how sort of “in distress” lawyers are. Overall, the statistics for things like depression and alcoholism and divorce are much higher for lawyers.

Now, a lot of times when we say “lawyers”, we really mean corporate lawyers. And the characters don’t necessarily…I mean, we’ve got a character who’s going to be a corporate lawyer, we’ve got a character who’s going to be an activist, we’ve got a guy trying to be a public defender—so there are lots of different types of lawyers. But a lot of the stress people talk about is among corporate lawyers, and that negative perception.

The Rosebuds may be your best hour of SXSW 2007. The North Carolina-based duo has been on the Merge (Spoon, The Arcade Fire) roster for several years, and new album Night Of The Furies may just be the record that breaks them to the larger audience they deserve. The album is a notable departure from both the New Pornographers power pop of debut The Rosebuds Make Out and the more somber, Pitchfork-lauded Birds Make Good Neighbors. The band seems to have somehow mined forgotten songs from the Factory Records vault for the new, synth and bass-heavy material.

People will be dancing with abandon at these shows, but none more so than Rosebuds co-founder, guitarist and vocalist Ivan Howard. Howard tells us about tea, shooting things in Austin, and BBQ wars in our SXSW preview.

You guys have played SXSW before. Do you look forward to it, or is it just chaos for a band perspective?

We look forward to going down there and visiting Kelly's Uncle Clyde. He manages a firing range right outside of Austin where you can actually get into tanks and shoot things up. It is cool seeing all the [SXSW] haircuts, too.

We should probably preface this whole thing by saying that we absolutely love Don McKellar. And not in a cute, innocent, forgivable way—in a nerdy, fawning, obsessive kind of way. And so while much of the following interview does relate directly to Reg Harkema’s new film Monkey Warfare (which Don is in, and which will be screening at SXSW), we also couldn’t resist occasionally veering way off topic, randomly blurting out years worth of pent-up questions, and unsuccessfully trying to convince Don to move to Austin. Please forgive us.

For those of you who don’t know, Don McKellar is one of Canada’s most well-respected director/writer/actors. The multi-talented McKellar has written, directed or acted in countless award-winning films including Last Night, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould and The Red Violin. But he’s also found success outside the film world, hosting a radio show on Canada’s CBC Radio, co-writing the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone and starring in the cult TV series Twitch City (a brilliant anti-sitcom about an agoraphobic television addict named Curtis).

In Monkey Warfare (named after a term Abbie Hoffman used in Steal This Book), Don stars along with his real-life girlfriend Tracy Wright as a pair of ex-revolutionaries living an underground existence in Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood. The pair—who survive by selling garage sale treasures on the internet—meet a feisty young radical named Susan whose own revolutionary tendencies begin to threaten their safety.

We recently had a chance to chat with Don about Monkey Warfare, Twitch City and the indestructibility of television.

So the film is about a group of revolutionaries…

It’s not so much a group as a couple—me and my girlfriend, who is played by Tracy Wright. It’s sort of unclear, but we were sort of radicals who are living off the grid now in Toronto. Radicals, activists who are sort of “on the lam”.

Is it ever made clear what sort of activists you are?

Kind of, yeah. But that’s why I’m being so coy. It’s sort of revealed later on. I don’t want to give away too much. But at the beginning, all that you know is that we’re sort of living a strange life, off the grid, making money selling things on eBay, without a phone and without any connections to the civilized world. Well, we have a house and everything, but you know.

I ask because it seems like there isn’t a lot of that sort of 60s and 70s-style guerrilla activism any more.

Well, definitely not. I guess there is, but it’s definitely not as apparent as it was when I was in university. People are shy about being organised now, that’s for sure. And I think that they’ve been cowed, you know, beaten down a fair bit. Activists, they don’t want to seem like Angelina Jolie or Bono or…

This weekend, first-time directors Brian Cassidy, Jennifer Loeber and (ex-Austinite) Aaron Hillis will bring their unusual but fantastic new documentary Fish Kill Flea to Austin for its world premiere at SXSW. Strange and funny and sad by turns, Fish Kill Flea is an honest, close-up portrait of a decaying mall in upstate New York that has become home to a popular (though shabby) flea market.

Though the subject seems fairly specific at first, the film eventually forces viewers to ask themselves some fairly weighty questions: Who is controlling our progress as a culture? Can good things be born out of failures? Will abandoning our history destroy our future?

We recently had a chance to ask the filmmakers about malls, filmmaking, and the importance of preserving our past.

Assuming you're all my age, we grew up near the peak of America's Mall obsession. We practically lived in those things—eating there, socializing there, and shopping there. Why have we begun to abandon malls as social centers, and what is taking their place, if anything?

AARON: The social aspects of shopping malls are dying out because the internet is swallowing all mall culture, period. Amazon.com gives you a department store in your living room, eBay is the ultimate garage sale, and these are just the household names. If people can buy goods faster, cheaper and easier online, are business owners going to keep their stores open just for teenagers to hook up on a Saturday night? I don't believe Second Life or MySpace is going to replace the need for concerts, coffee shops, museums, or anywhere else you'd ever meet someone, though it's also true I first met my wife through her blog. What technology has done that malls couldn't is centralize a global community instead of a regional one, but hopefully, people won't mistake these social tools as alternatives to live human interaction. I don't go for virtual hugs.

Throughout the film, you've interspersed shots of the mall both in its heyday and during its second life as a flea market. Is there a particular version of the mall you're more attached to? The shiny, happy, thriving mall, or the run-down but noble flea market?

BRIAN: I think the mall in its flea-market state is a more honest mall, not necessarily noble. It was as if the Dutchess Mall had finally become what she always intended to be. When you look at those old black-and-white photos, it's like somebody was pushing for this image of the mall as a vibrant social hub; I'm not sure that was ever true. The flea market was very bleak in some ways, but there was still a palpable sense that people were making the best of a situation and hoping to make a connection. I don't think anyone leaves the house in the morning because they need a Phyllis Diller backpack.

We've gotten our hands on a bunch of tickets, guestlist spots, and assorted swag for several excellent parties happening during SXSW, and over the course of today we'll be giving these away. Check back every two hours hour for the newest giveaway contest -- each will only run until the next one is posted, so your chances at winning are pretty damn good.

First up: two guestlist spots on the private balcony at our Austinist+Gothamist+Gorilla Vs Bear day party, with free BBQ, snacks, and beer!

What: "Gonna Gonna Get, Get Down! 2," presented by Austinist, Gothamist, and Gorilla vs Bear, sponsored by BMI, Yaris, TuneCore, and the Musebox
Where: The Mohawk (912 Red River)
Who: Architecture in Helsinki, Headlights, Nicole Atkins, Peter and the Wolf, Tom Brosseau, Apes and Androids, Shivers, Hello Stranger, Forms, Sparrow House, Teitur, Earl Greyhound, Stars of Track and Field, Loney Dear, Hourly Radio, Ceeplus Bad Knives
When: Wednesday, March 14th, 11am-6pm
Details: Free!

Also, please note that our FactoryPeople giveaway contest is open until tomorrow at 6pm.

Seattle's Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter drew raves in alt.country circles for their 2004 album Oh, My Girl. They opened gigs for similar artists like Neko Case and Richard Buckner and seemed to have found a niche. That made listening to Sykes' newest Barsuk album Life, Love, Lust & The Open Halls Of The Soul awfully surprising. The twang is mostly gone, replaced by grittier singing, a dark but loose vibe reminiscent of Neil Young, and a more rock-oriented sensibility.

After a recent trek across the US with Sparklehorse, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter return to Austin next week for several SXSW-related shows. We spoke with Sykes this week about the Godfather of Grunge, music execs, and keeping the magic alive.

Your new record seems to have more folk and rock influences than Oh, My Girl, which felt like more of an alt.country album. Was the change intentional?

I never had any conscious idea about this record on the front end in terms of how it was going to pan out. I just tried to pay attention and allow myself to follow through with what was coming from me at the time. It wasn't until I was in the thick of the writing process that I started to realize that it was going to be quite a departure from the others. I’m glad, because as a band I think we would have dried up if we hadn’t attempted to leave our comfort zone.

This Sunday, the SXSW Film Festival will host the world premiere of Jennifer Venditti's much buzzed-about documentary Billy The Kid. The film follows Billy Price, a fifteen-year-old boy who overcomes obstacles with courage and wisdom to spare.

This one looks really interesting—apparently, Venditti is a casting agent who's famous for her "street scouting", where she travels around finding real people (as opposed to, you know, actors) for advertising, fashion and film roles. She encountered Price while on a casting trip in Maine, and became so intrigued that she decided to make a documentary about him.

After the screening, head over to the after party at FactoryPeople, featuring a celebrity DJ (TBD) and imagery on the outside rooftop (running the trailer and additional footage from the documentary). The party is free and open to the public.

Billy the Kid Screening
Sunday, March 11th
Austin Convention Ctr
9pm
[Add Billy the Kid to Your Calendar on our (Unofficial) SXSW Film Other Side Guide]

After Party
Sunday, March 11th
FactoryPeople
11pm-2am, Free

Sure--we already told you about our amazing Other Side Guide to the South by Southwest Film Festival. But we're posting again to let you know how excited we are about this thing!

Not only can you effortlessly browse the huge list of amazing films playing at SXSW this year (by title, theatre, category or day), you can also rate movies, read and write reviews, keep a festival blog (maybe even a hilarious festival blog), get directions to the venues and plan out your entire schedule on a handy web-based calendar.

I know what you're thinking-- "That's all well and good, but what about the panels?" You're in luck, my friend, because now you can do all that stuff with the panels too! You can even search the schedule by the panelists you want to see.

And one of the great things about these nifty B-Side Entertainment sites is that your account works on any of them. So when the Austin Film Festival or Fantastic Fest or the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival rolls around later in the year, you'll already be set up.

Austin filmmaker Bob Ray's Hell on Wheels tells the story of Austin's roller derby revival, following a group of hard-hitting Texas women who pulled the sport from the brink of obscurity and into the international spotlight. Five years in the making, this rock-meets-rollerskates doc will be premiering at this years' South by Southwest film festival.

We recently had a chance to talk to Bob about Roller Derby, filmmaking and one-man bands.

How did Hell on Wheels get started?

Werner [Campbell, the film’s producer] and I had worked together in another capacity on some short films that I’d done, and we were trying to get a project together where he would produce. We were talking to this dude named Hasil Adkins, who was, like, the godfather of one-man bands; he lives out in Virginia out in some Podunk-ass holler out there, and he’s like a like a legend in the hillbilly, one-man band world—which is, granted, probably a very small world. But there are quite a few one-man bands here in town, so we were going to book a tour for him to Austin, where we would have a one-man band showcase with him as the headliner. So the project would be sort of a road doc thing, because he doesn’t fly or anything. The problem was, he is actually as crazy as his rep, and it ended up being more problematic than anything.

And so we were down at Emo’s—because this local band Honky that we like was playing—and we saw a bunch of girls on skates. And an old friend of mine, who was like the valedictorian at my high school, Crokett High in South Austin, she was there on skates. So I was like, “why are you on skates? What’s the deal?” And it turned out it was a benefit for the roller derby that was being organized. I’d heard about it before, but I just thought it was a bunch of hot air and lip service, as many, many, many things in this town are. But once I saw that my friend Jennifer was involved, I knew something was actually happening.

Earlier that day, the Hasil Adkins project was kind of falling apart, and so we thought, “let’s not do that, let’s do something else”. And then we thought, “hey-- this [roller derby] is happening right in the music scene that both Werner and I grew up in, involving a lot of the women from the music scene and the sort of 6th and Red River punk rock scene that was going on”. And so it just made sense.

We asked, “Is anybody filming this?” Nobody was, but they wanted someone to, and they’d seen or heard of Rock Opera, which was my first feature film, as well as some of the music videos that I’d done for bands like Nashville Pussy and Fuckemos… you know, kind of rock n’ roll punk rock bands. So I had some credibility, and they were really pleased to see someone who wasn’t just going to come in and spew hot air, hoping to pick up girls and get laid and maybe or maybe not make a movie. The realized that wasn’t the case with us, so we immediately started filming.

We hung around and filmed everything at first, and just kind of figured out where the story was, which is how it works with documentaries of this nature. Like with Spellbound, for example, or with Murderball, there’s a competition that becomes the third act, and then there’s an aftermath. But that wasn’t the case with us, and we though maybe it would be the case if—and this was a huge, huge if—if they ever even had a game. And if they managed to have a complete season, then maybe we could structure our film around that and have some sort of momentum build to a conclusion. Turns out it got way more insane than that, and that became completely secondary to what the real story was.

The good people of Austin realize that SXSW is a time to capitalize on the teeming hoards of dirty musicians rolling in to town in vans and pulling trailers. Especially those good people who own parking spaces. Finding a parking spot during the week is like discovering the purple diamond the old lady dropped into the ocean at the end of Titanic. Ohio's Lovedrug is one such band who has encountered this parking problem. Singer/guitarist Michael Shepard and guitarist David Thomas Owen IV share the story and their hope for finding bbq tacos.

How do your parents describe your music to people?

David: I just told them I was still in the marching band ... I mean they don't go to games anymore, so I'm good.

It's been nearly five years since an appearance on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" rocketed Alexi Murdoch's songs into Honda commercials,The O.C., and Garden State. The teen drama association doesn't do justice to the careful and serious tone of Murdoch's music, which he recorded and released independently despite multiple offers from the major labels.

After a long silence since his Four Songs EP, Murdoch's 2006 full-length debut Time Without Consequence didn't pander to casual fans. The album is tough to navigate on first listen, with dark folk, somber lyrics, and very subtle hooks that only reveal themselves after you've spent some time with the songs. The overall effect is that Murdoch challenges listeners to come to him, and the patient are rewarded with something quite special. We recently had an amiable and spirited conversation with Alexi Murdoch about the merits of television, ACL Fest, and tequila mixers.

There was quite a gap between your popular debut EP and the full album. Was the delay due to your schedule, or from finding the inspiration to write?

I was clear that the record needed to be made a certain way. I wanted to do it all on tape and record the songs live. This meant having to find the right studio, and getting the musicians in at the same time, and getting the songs down in single takes...which when you're producing on your own can be a little challenging. Also, I'm just really fucking anal.

Aside from being an accomplished documentary filmmaker (and Guggenheim, Rockefeller, NEA and AFI Fellowship award recipient), Third Ward TX director Andrew Garrison is also an associate professor at the University of Texas, and the founder of East Austin Stories, an ongoing student documentary program that focuses on East Austin neighborhoods.

We recently had a chance to talk to Andrew about Third Ward, East Austin Stories and South by Southwest.

Tell us a little bit about the film and what it’s about.

Well, it’s about an inner-city neighborhood in Houston that had gone into decline since the 60s. It had been left for dead—abandoned, basically, by the city of Houston—and a group of seven African-American artists decided that they wanted to do some art that would draw attention to the issues there. But they got their awakening when they asked people, “what do you need?” and the people in the neighborhood said, “what we need is this placed cleaned up. We need the junkies out of here”. So the artists decided to take that on as their art.

One of the first things they did was to take two blocks of housing—shotgun houses that had been abandoned for thirty years, used as shooting galleries and for prostitution—they boarded them up and painted on the boards, over the windows and doors, and made a “drive by” exhibition. And then they actually bought those houses with an NEA grant, which is kind of remarkable. The bought twenty-two houses on two blocks, and they started to rehab them. They made eight houses into exhibition spaces for artists to show work for six months at a time. They had international art stars and locals—all kinds of different artists.

Another issue was that there were a lot of single mothers going to college who had no place to stay, so they dedicated another eight houses to single mothers. Six of them are residencies where single mothers can stay for up to two years rent-free, and the others are meeting houses and so on.

And as they kept doing art, it brought more people into the neighborhood and pushed the junkies away, and the neighborhood once again became a safe and lively place to be. They started an after-school program for kids; they had a summer program and a cultural center. But all of that, while making it a better place, brought the attention of developers. And so now they’ve got this great neighborhood, but the market force of gentrification might just scatter everyone. And so their new challenge is, “what do we do about that?”

SXSW has truly built a strong reputation around the world, and every year various countries send their top-notch artists to Austin to display their nation’s talent. Scandinavia is one such area with a booming music scene. Danish band Mew and Sverige’s own Loney, Dear (Emil Svanängen) will bring their best to the festival this year. Finland, too, is doing its bit, with the Finnish Moosic Tour. Featuring punk rock from Disco Ensemble and electro-pop from 22-Pistepirkko, the night of Finnish delights also includes KTU and Lodger. Can’t forget about our friends from Norway Bigband, who will be peddling their wares at numerous gigs around town throughout the week.

The Austinist has already done some justice to Asia with our Japan Nite showcase preview as well as an interview with Luminous Orange. China will deliver their goods in the form of Lonely China Day (a “Chinese Sigur Rós”) and Re-TROS (Rebuilding the Rights of Statues). Both bands are scheduled to play Spiro’s on March 14th. We’ve always felt that India has had a sparse representation over the years at SXSW. This year, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations remedies that, and presents Menwhopause at Red 7 on the 15th at 8pm sharp.

The south of the Equator is not to be denied either. South Africa presents Harris Tweed on the 18th at the Hilton Garden Inn, while the Australian Music Collective hosts their annual Bar-B-Q at Brush Square Park on the 16th (RSVP Required). Featuring the likes of Wolf & Cub and Beasts of Bourbon, mixed in with delightful sausage wraps (if last year’s shindig is any indication), this promises to be the big day out for the Aussies in Austin. No broadcast of the Australia vs. New Zealand World Cup match probably, but the New Zealand Industry Commission showcase their country’s finest, including Die! Die! Die! and Cut Off Your Hands at the same venue on the 15th.

We’d like to finnish this international preview by offering two tickets to the Finnish Moosic Tour.

Congratulations to our winners!

Finnish Moosic Tour
Wednesday, March 14th
Uncle Flirty’s Loft (Upstairs at the Drink)

Poster Art courtesy of Finnish Moosic Tour and Menwhopause.

The City of Austin is going to be rolling out their recently completed project to coincide with the start of SxSWi: an interactive DVD, titled Austin Past and Present, which tells the history of Austin. The DVD incorporates historical documents from local archives (mainly the Austin History Center) into 300 slideshows and stories about our fair city. You can learn about the geological beginnings of our area, learn more about the beginnings of neighborhoods such as Clarksville, or check out the 160 biographies included in the disc. Austin Past and Present can be viewed (starting Friday) on public access computers at public library branches, and will also be available for perusal at the Convention Center during the Interactive fest and on sale at the SxSW store.

The city is hoping to soon set up permanent kiosks at the airport, city hall, and convention center to make this interactive program available to tourists and others. A.I.S.D. has plans to use the program in local schools.

If you want one of your own, the DVD will be sold at BookPeople and the shop at City Hall. Proceeds from home sales of the DVD will go to the Austin History Center Association (which works with the Austin History Center).

[Official site]
[Austin Chronicle: Community Access (article about the project)]

Photo by mcorry at flickr

One of the films we're most excited about seeing at this year's South By Southwest Film Festival is Laura Dunn's The Unforeseen, a documentary look at the controversy surrounding Austin's real estate development and its impact on the Edwards Aquifer and on Barton Springs. Co-executive-produced by Terrence Malik and Robert Redford (who reportedly learned to swim at Barton Springs), the film explores the unseen relationships between our natural environment and our urge to destroy it.

A graduate of UT Film School, director Laura Dunn is an award-winning filmmaker, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of the Austin-based production company Two Birds Film. We recently had a chance to talk to Laura about the creative process, the documentary backlash and the American Dream.

Tell us a little bit about the film and what it’s about.

Basically, the film looks at the growth wars in Austin—the battle over Barton Springs and the land and the environment. The battle between developers and environmentalists that’s been going on in Austin since the early 70s. So it’s really sort of a 30-year trajectory. What I’m trying to do is use the battle in Austin as a microcosm for what communities all over the country are dealing with. As we “grow” (and that word is debatable in terms of what it means in my opinion), we threaten the very natural resources that brought us here to begin with.

Barton Springs is a symbol in our community of the natural environment and of our precious natural resources. It’s also been a real icon of the community, and a catalyst for a lot of the debate in the growth wars. So though I’ve focused on Barton Springs for the film, it addresses a lot more than just Barton Springs.

There are a handful of key characters I selected, one of which may be a little controversial—Gary Bradley, who has been one of the more notorious developers over the [Edwards] Aquifer, and is sort of the arch nemesis of the environmental movement. I really wanted to try to see it all through his eyes, and so he’s a key character in the film, as is Barton Springs and several people who speak for Barton Springs. In a nutshell, that’s what the film is about.

You’re a local, so obviously this topic is important to you. Was the impetus for making this movie because you wanted to tell this particular story, or was it that you’re a filmmaker, and you need to make films?

It’s an interesting question—the impetus for the film actually came from Terrence Malick, who approached me about the project. He put the idea on the table for me to do, and he’d executive produce and sort of mentor me though the process. So in this case, the reason I did it was to work for Terrence.

I personally am driven equally by the need to make art just as a matter of self-expression, and to try to kind of find a language to communicate with. As well as that I’m very concerned about the state of the environment, and I find a lot of peace in the natural world, and that it’s disappearing before our eyes is of great concern to me personally. So I wouldn’t really say that it’s one more than the other—it’s both for me.

Since moving to Austin in the early 90s to attend film school at UT, Bryan Poyser has become a fixture in the local film scene. A co-founder of the Cinematexas Film Festival, Bryan has also spent time as a producer at SXSW Film, and is currently Director of Artist Services for the Austin Film Society.

And on top of all that, he makes movies. With two shorts and two features under his belt (one of which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 2004), Bryan is set to premiere his newest short, Grammy's, at this year's South By Southwest Film Festival.

We recently had a chance to talk to Bryan about his new film, South By Southwest, and the rise of Rusty Kelley.

Tell me a little bit about what Grammy’s is about, and how the project got started.

Basically, I’ve been friends with Joe Swanberg for a long time—he’s a Chicago filmmaker who’s already made like four features, and he’s only 26. Joe sent me his first movie, which he’s in, and as I was watching it I was thinking that I really wanted to try to cast him in something with Rusty Kelley, who’s the star of Dear Pillow, the first feature that I did. I wanted to cast them as brothers because I thought they had these really great, similar sort of mannerisms and they sort of looked the same. So I was obsessed with the idea of putting them together in some sort of story for about a year, and I finally came up with the idea of them going on a fishing trip and meeting this strange sort of guy, played by another Austin actor that I really like, Chris Doubek.

So we ended up doing a fundraiser to raise money for the film. I talked to the folks at the Alamo, and they let us do a double feature of Dear Pillow and Joe’s first movie, Kissing on the Mouth. We also did a raffle—I’ve been part of the Austin film community for a while, so I was able to call in favors from places like SXSW and the Austin Film Festival and the Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival to give away badges or memberships.

We did that on June 15th, and we started shooting on June 16th, so it gave the whole shooting process a sort of frantic air. We were trying to do it really fast and be excited about the process rather than obsessing over the details.

How different is it showing a short film as opposed to a feature?

Well, short films are always going to be the sort of “neglected step-cousin” to the features. And I didn’t really know that until I’d gone through the process of showing one; a short film that I did called Pleasureland played at about 25 film festivals both here and in Europe. I had a great time showing the film and having people react to it and meeting other filmmakers, but I didn’t get much press or industry attention out of it.

That kind of changed when Dear Pillow started the festival circuit though. Even though we still haven’t gotten distribution for the movie, it got nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and won some festival awards and got some great reviews and basically set things up so that we could do The Cassidy Kids, which was a feature with a real budget. And noticing that difference was pretty interesting and pretty stark.

But now that I’ve made a short film and I’m about to show it at SXSW, I’m totally okay with the idea of not getting much press. And if people end up liking it and connecting to it then that’s great.

Now in his fourth year as producer for the South By Southwest Film Festival, Matt Dentler might just be the busiest guy in the Austin film community. In addition to his year-round duties at SXSW Film, he's also a programmer for the mega-awesome Fantastic Fest, a curator for two national film distributors, an active blogger, television show host and occasional film festival panelist, judge and lecturer. And as if that weren't enough to keep him busy, he also sits on the Board of Directors at the Austin Film Society (and as far as we can tell is the youngest current Board Member).

We recently had a chance to chat with Dentler about film programming, Austin audiences, and the upcoming South By Southwest Film Festival.

You spend a lot of the year traveling to other film festivals looking for films to show at South By Southwest, right?

Yeah, I definitely do. Programming, looking for things, figuring out what works for us and what we can bring to the festival.

Being a guy who has a lot of experience attending film festivals, what makes South By Southwest different?

I think the audiences. By and large, Austin has some of the best audiences in the world, and I think that a lot of the filmmakers and the industry people who come into town for the festival are really excited by our audiences—there’s a tangible feeling in the air with the screenings here that you may not get at a lot of the other festivals. Austin is a film lover’s town, and it’s really exciting to be able to host an event that caters to that.

How has the festival changed since you came on as Producer?

It’s definitely gotten bigger. There are more films now than there were before, and I think the scope of the attendees has grown. We’re getting a lot more audience and industry from all corners of the globe. And I’d say that as a result, the quality of the films has really grown over the years. We have a really great staff of programmers and a really great team of people working year-round. The chemistry of the staff has been very successful in achieving a bigger and hopefully better event.

Obviously your job entails a lot of movie watching. Do you ever get burned out on watching films?

Well, not really. Obviously it’s a very busy job, but the great thing about working in a business like this is that every year there are new films and filmmakers to discover, and that keeps things vital and fresh year after year. It’s certainly not a job that finds you getting complacent or sluggish or in any sort of groove. And for whatever reason, I’m of the mindset that I’m always thirsty and willing for more films to watch.

Dallas’ The Hourly Radio has garnered some top-notch buzz lately. Rolling Stone and Filter magazines both named History Will Never Hold Me in recent “Top 5” listings, while their guitar-centric, post new-wave musical stylings are a hit in NYC, among other cities. We, too, have enjoyed their Texas shows, be it last year’s non-SXSW the rich girls are weeping bash during, well, SXSW, or their opening gig for Stellastarr* at the Parish a few years back. Everyone gets their Hourly Radio fix at Austinist’s free day show at the Mohawk on the 14th.

If you could open for any artist living or dead, in any era of their career, who would it be?

The Depeche Mode/Primal Scream tour after which both bands and crew had to check into rehab.

For those of you keeping up with casual SXSW events that don't require badges or (hopefully) redonkulous lines, we've got an update on local in-store events from End of an Ear record store on S. 1st. For more information on all of the artists scheduled to perform, head over to the Instore information page on End of an Ear's site and follow the links. All of the events are free, so mark your calendar. We're excited to see Rob Crow, Ola Podrida & Benjy Ferree. For more tips on unofficial SXSW events that are free or hella cheap, check out our tipsheet from last week. For a more comprehensive list of happenings better suited for those of us who obsess a bit, bookmark our Interactive Guide.

Thursday - March 15th

Suishou No Fune (Holy Mountain / Japan) - noon
Benjy Ferree (Domino) - 1pm
Dirty Projectors (Dead Oceans / Secretly Canadian) - 2pm
David & the Citizens (Friendly Fire / Sweden) - 4pm
Oppenheimer (Bar/None / Belfast, N. Ireland) - 5pm

Friday - March 16th

Danny Saul (Machester UK) - noon
Rob Crow (of Pinback) 1pm
Arbouretum (Thrill Jockey) - 2 pm
Peter Walker (Tompkins Square) - 3pm
Cyann & Ben (Ever Records / France) @ 4pm
Ola Podrida (Plug Research) - 5pm

Saturday - March 17th
Kid Harpoon (XL, UK) - noon
Blacklist (NY) - 1pm
Ecstatic Peace 2 to 4
Matt Valentine & EE
Thurston Moore
Tall Firs

End of an Ear
2209 South 1st
(512) 462-6008
[map]

Canadian natives The Hylozoists play vibraphone-led instrumental pop with a leaning towards minimalism and a penchant for BBQ. 2006's La Fin Du Monde wowed critics and brought the band to the forefront of the not-boring instrumental music scene with sweeping instrumentation and admirable orchestration. If you like film scores, Reich or anything vibe-related, you'll enjoy The Hylozoists. You can also catch them twice during SXSW, check our Interactive SXSW Guide for more details.

We recently had a chance to talk to the band's vibe, glock and drum player, Paul Aucoin about Austin, A Love Supreme and yes, BBQ.

Share a story about a visit to Austin or a previous trip to SXSW.

I love Austin and have gotten to play there many times. My first trip was for a SXSW and played 7 times in four days while the most memorable show was having 150 inside the club (kept very strictly to capacity by very zealous fire Inspectors) and having a good two hundred people outside the windows watching back into the club.

Photo courtesy the band's MySpace

Hylozoists Myspace
Hylozoists Official

Our interviews with SXSW bands have been appearing fast and furious on the site lately. From Girl Talk to My Latest Novel, we’ve been blessed with some great responses. Justin Harris, bass and sax player for Portland’s Menomena might now be our favorite interviewee. Menomena specializes in experimental pop-rock, with no clear formula, but plenty of invigorating innovation (thanks to band member Brent Knopf’s Deeler, short for Digital Looping Recorder). We caught up with Harris recently, and found him a bit obsessed with harmful insects, be it the Vespula Vulagaris, W.A.S.P., or simply Sting.

Share a story about a visit to Austin or a previous trip to SXSW.

Well, we played SXSW in 2005 and it was the first time that any of us had been to Austin. As we were driving in, I was amazed and astounded by the life and energy displayed before me on the over-crowded streets. I mean I have never seen so many people who look just like me and my cohorts concentrated into one place like that. Simply amazing!

So anyway, as you can imagine, the excitement was building more and more with each block passed until finally we had reached our destination...The Red Eyed Fly. I think I said something to the effect of, "well boys, here we are. Austin, the city that pulses music through its veins, and blood through it's streets..." which, you know, really makes no sense, but I meant it! Big time! I mean, at that moment, I was Hemingway, you know?

For some of you, SXSW is an obsession. For others...not so much. While we're rather immersed in the whole SXSW experience at Austinist, we know that many of you just want to take in a free or cheap event or two during the festival to experience the thing. No problem. Here's a list of events featuring local merchants, community organizations, and radio stations that will allow you to casually dip a toe in the SX waters without waiting in wristband lines or staying out until 2am.

Waterloo Records: Waterloo again features an amazing lineup of free in-store performances coupled with free St. Arnold's beer. Thursday features Sparklehorse (2pm), Lily Allen (3pm), and Albert Hammond, Jr. (6pm). Friday's line-up includes Peter, Bjorn, and John (3pm), Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly. (4pm), and The Stooges (6pm). Arrive early, because that Stooges showcase will be mobbed. Saturday's finale has Money Mark (2pm), Amy Winehouse (3pm), and Rosie Thomas (5pm). More acts and details can be found on Waterloo's site.

KGSR at the Four Seasons: From 3/12 to 3/16, KGSR will bring their morning show to the lobby of the Four Seasons from 6-10am. A $5 charity donation will get you a breakfast taco, a cup of coffee, and the chance to see bands such as Grupo Fantasma, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Mofro, and Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly. play acoustic sets.

BookPeople: There's a genre approach at BookPeople this year. On 3/15, country singer Johnny Bush signs Whiskey River (1pm). Later that evening, punk photographer Suzie J. Horgan presents her new book Punk Love (7pm). Finally, there's some indie-rock Friday, as John Sellers showcases his Guided By Voices/indie scene memoir Perfect From Now On (7pm). All events are free.

SXSW at Auditorium Shores: The big freebie of the festival, SXSW presents some bigger names free to the public in an outdoor setting. Friday the 16th, Ozomatli (6:45pm) and Public Enemy (8pm) headline a bill that truly fights the power. On Saturday the 17th, a wildly eclectic line-up features children's bands like The Sippy Cups and Daddy A Go-Go from 11am to 2pm, then transitions to Japanese indie-rockers Boris (5pm), Austin punks The Riverboat Gamblers (6pm), folky-punk from Against Me! (7pm), and indie-metal icons Mastodon (8pm). These events are always crowded and quite fun.

Austin Rock 'n' Romp: A special SXSW edition of the monthly indie-parent event on Sunday, 3/11 features Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, who made headlines recently by signing to Matador Records. Author Neal Pollack will also appear and read selections from his new book AlternaDad. It takes place on that patio at The Mohawk on Red River.

For more SXSW event information, visit Austinist's Interactive Guide to SXSW.