2007 Festival Wrap-Up Part 2 (SXSW)

December 29th, 2007 by Rachelandthecity

One of my absolute favorite places to go every year is Austin, TX for SXSW in March. The South by Southwest Music and Media Conference is one of the biggest and best known music showcases in the world. It’s been going on since 1987, but I have only been attending since 2006. It’s basically rock and roll spring break that includes a great mix of up-and-coming musicians and some stellar established artists mentoring the newbs. Unfortunately I have never been able to afford the conference pass, which can set an individual back as much as 600 bucks, but that has never stopped myself or many other music lovers from heading to Texas to mingle with the like-minded. Whether the people behind SXSW like it or not, there are plenty of parties that don’t require badges. Usually all you need to do is RSVP and getting on the list is a cinch - here are a few places to keep your eyes out for party announcements:

Austinist

Stereogum

Of course, last year, rumor has it that the officials at SXSW weren’t too excited that so many folks were having unsanctioned parties and had a few shut down because the curators did not obtain the right permits, including one at Factory People that I was actually in line for, but then decided to skip after after deciding that the sidewalk was looking way too much like a nice comfy bed. I was also kicked out of an after hours party Spank Rock was scheduled to headline along with at least 1000 other people by the Fire Department. This was after spending at least an hour waiting to get in. These instances were not the highlights of the trip, but I still love going.

I love it so much that for the 2007 conference I decided to drag about 40 of my closest friends to play my first unsanctioned showcase - 6 Degrees of Memphis. The seed for this show was planted after I began my regional radio show 10 Degrees of Memphis for Breakthru Radio (the next episode airs on January 7th!). I gathered my favorite Memphis bands and we set up a show on Sunday - which was actually the day after the conference ended - but we still had a decent turnout and a ton of fun. We plan to do it again this year, but this time on Friday.

Photos:

6 Degrees of Memphis

Snowglobe @ SXSW 03/18/07
Giant Bear @ SXSW 03/18/07
Antenna Shoes @ SXSW 03/18/07
Jamie Randolph @ SXSW 03/18/07
Jump Back Jake @ SXSW 03/18/07
Holly Cole @ SXSW 03/18/07
Blair Combest @ SXSW 03/18/07

Other NotablePerformances

Data Rock @ SXSW 03/17/07
Thunderbirds Are Now @ SXSW 03/17/07
Birdmonster @ SXSW 03/17/07
The Broken West @ SXSW 03/17/07
De Novo Dahl @ SXSW 03/17/07
Backstage with The Polyphonic Spree @ SXSW 03/17/07
St Vincent @ SXSW 03/16/07
Sea Wolf @ SXSW 03/16/07
Oh No! Oh My! @ SXSW 03/16/07
Badly Drawn Boy @ SXSW 03/16/07