With construction on the new downtown Drafthouse well underway, the Alamo's Henri Mazza recently set out to explore the stretch of shot bars along Sixth Street that'll soon be their neighbors. To wit: ...And every night, I'm going to hang out for at least 15 minutes in a random bar. Tonight,I was by myself at Buffalo Billiards, the first bar that was open when I headed east from Congress. Buffalo Billiards was also pretty... more ›

Anyone can do man-on-the-street interviews, but you know you're up to something special when you can get a dog-on-the-street interview. This is Samurai the mellowest, sleepiest, most-laid back dog of SXSW and his buddy Jameson. We met them outside of Buffalo Billiards on 6th. Jameson says that Samurai wears sunglasses because so many people take pictures of him using flash photography, which is frowned upon at art galleries and apparently also by dog owners.... more ›

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,... more ›

We keep reading that My Latest Novel are being compared with Arcade Fire. Obviously, there are major differences. First, My Latest Novel is a five-piece from Scotland, and Arcade Fire is an eight-piece (or more) from Quebec. And while you can see Arcade Fire this week on SNL, you have to wait until March 16th to see My Latest Novel. Wait you must; for now you can read drummer Ryan King's take on the... more ›

We’re not sure exactly what happened. We remember music, vodka, more music, sore legs, even more music. But the details have all bled together in a beautiful disaster of a memory, a passionate four-night stand that left us spent yet somehow wanting more. It was our first SXSW, the twentieth for Austin, and hopefully the beginning a fantastic March tradition of depraved boozing and beats. It all started Wednesday when we got stuck in... more ›

Yeh, we know, it sure as hell took us some time to do the write-up on this year’s (NSFW, for most people, apparently) Extravagasm, which went down on Saturday the 22nd. And there is a really good reason for that. Perhaps we were so black-out-obliterated on the Friday night before, that we could not decide whether to dance on, or throw tables all over the place, and it has taken us a week to recuperate? Perhaps. But that would only be part of the equation. Extravagasm is a rather unique experience, and it would be unjust to wing it in description, with or without the crippling hang over. more ›

As a delicious appetizer to the unbelievable day/night of funky jazz on the Fourth over at Tambaleo, Austin’s own Funk Shui will be performing Sunday night at the Orbit Lounge (above Buffalo Billiards on 6th). The quintet is led by the spectacular horn play of two artists who you can tell have been playing together for years. The rhythm section lays down a funktastic groove, and the band features of the best guitar players in all of Austin. Coming off a spectacular show at Sullivan’s two weeks ago, the boys are primed and ready to make you move with their ‘abstract funk.’ So head downtown and start off your second Saturday night (God bless the three-day weekend) in style. Cause we could all use a little Funk Shui to put us in order. more ›

With so many bands to see, how will you ever decide? We'll give you OUR approved list every day! 9pm Kaiser Chiefs at La Zona Rosa 10pm The French Kicks at Buffalo Billiards 11pm The Futureheads at La Zona Rosa 12am Hot Hot Heat at La Zona Rosa Nini Camps at Crowne Plaza Young Heart Attack at Momo's Bavu Blakes at The Vibe The Hold Steady at The Whiskey Bar 12:30am Fat Boy Slim at... more ›

Anyone who has been to SXSW before knows that you can easily suffer from band scheduling overload. Looking at today's schedule, there are a virtually uncountable number of bands, and that doesn't even include all of the day time showcases and unlisted events. What to do? more ›