SXSW | Local Music Nation

SXSW Day 1: Quick Recap

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Kristen

Day 1 at SXSW was a rousing success! Don’t have time to write an entire post (as we’re about to start day 2), but here are some of the highligts

* following suggestion of fellow band passenger to go see The Head and The Heart (from Seattle)…they were fantastic! (very Mumford and Sons)

* seeing The Kin (TWICE). They have all new songs that are fantastic. Isaac also used a random pole for a substitute didgeridoo

* discovering the lineup at Lipstick 24 (The Stone Foxes, Empires, Saint Motel, Dead Sara, etc…)

* The Silent Comedy tearing it up at The San Diego Hoe Down

* the massive dance party we created at The Silent Comedy show at The Austin Rox Showcase

* finally seeing AWOLNATION (and living through the riot they nearly brought to Rusty Spurs)

* meeting new people who suggested new bands to check out

* being interviewed by All Together Now Showcase about this website

* ending the evening in a Dead Sara mosh

Today is Saint Patrick’s Day so I’m guessing today will be particularly insane. Who am I most looking forward to? SOOOO Many, but let’s go with Mother Mother who play at Lipstick 24 at 2:30 for the All Rights Reserved Showcase.

~ Kristen

SXSW Day 0: A Story

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Kristen

If you don’t know anything about SXSW, you might, at first glance think that it is all about the music. But you’d be wrong. SXSW is really all about networking. You might think that someone only peripherally involved in the music industry (AKA The Scientist who moonlights as a music enthusiast) would not benefit as much from this aspect of the conference, but you’d be wrong.

Also, the idea that the bar is the best place to mix and mingle (a concept I’ve never really warmed up to) might not be entirely correct. I feel like the van rides back and forth from the hotel to the conference center downtown might be the new “bar”. Last night’s transport back, lead us into conversation with a professional “foodie” (from the food network) and someone who works at Bryn Mawr College of all places (my alma mater). So I may not have been able to whisper the names of my favorite bands into some big executive’s ear over a couple of whiskey sours, but I know the best place to go eat in downtown Austin AND I got some top secret intel regarding my 5 year college reunion coming up in May.

Such random encounters really gets me excited about the unknown and unexpected possibilities for the rest of the week!

But back to the music, TONS to look forward to today! The Kin, The Silent Comedy, Twin Atlantic, Oh Land, AWOLNATION, The Blue Pages…all on my list for today.

AWOLNATION plays 10pm at Rusty Spurs for the AustinROX showase…

~ Kristen

(Unofficially) Day 1: SXSW Part Two

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Amanda

My oh my what a day it’s been! As you can tell I’m writing this post at 2:46 a.m. (central time) and I’m not even in bed yet. Although, I do have my pjs on.

Needless to say, it has been one crazy day full of line waiting, wristband/badge picking up, music, and food. We actually retired to the hotel around 11 to get rested, charged and ready for tomorrow. We just spent the last few hours going over our schedules for tomorrow and who wants to see what and where.

I really should be in bed right now but I just wanted to check in a share a few photos from today…

This was how the line looked after we spent 2 hours in line for our wristbands. I’m super glad we got there at 12 instead of any later.

Fader Fort Line- After our pickup

This is one of the four members of Viva City. Chelsea and Trina boasted about them so we decided to go see what the fuss was about after we picked up our Purevolume badges. I’m super glad we got to see them. They remind me of a hybrid of Parade of Lights and Kill Hannah but with a harder edge. I dig.

Viva City

Until next time.

~Amanda

p.s. Follow us on Twitter @_localmusicnat if you don’t already! We will be updating throughout the day as much as we can 🙂

On the Road…. SXSW: Part One

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Amanda

This has got to be one of the most unique and important posts I’ve ever done so far.

In case you haven’t heard, LMN is heading to SXSW (aka: South by Southwest), which is a huge music/film festival in Austin, Texas. I’m not talking about Coachella or Bonaroo size. Think bigger. Bands come from all over the world to play as many showcases as possible in the hopes of breaking out and making it big. Anyone who is anyone has been through and come out of SXSW. According to the SXSW website….

“The SXSW® Music and Media Conference celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2011. Reaching a quarter of a century of being the biggest and most anticipated convergence of all things music, SXSW is ready to keep the reputation alive by programming the best event yet.

By day, thousands of conference registrants network in the halls of the Austin Convention Center on their way to do business in the SXSW® Trade Show, sit in on informative panel discussions featuring some of the industry’s key players, gain insight from legendary keynote speakers or plan out their abundant party schedules. At night, SXSW showcases hundreds upon hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. All this and so much more, combine to make SXSW one of the most revered music events, year after year.”

AND

“With numerous avenues for exposure to over 36,000 key industry representatives, SXSW® 2011 is the most valuable addition to any marketing plan.”

So there you have it. And we are on our way there as I type this. It’s been interesting so far as I only just met up with my cohorts last night. I drove out of San Diego yesterday with local photographer geniuses Kevin and Rebecca Joelson who are riding to SXSW with The Silent Comedy. We met up with them in Tempe and had quite a few adventures along the way including an impromptu photo shoot at an empty car wash and a stop at a Waffle House. Other than that, it’s been a whole lotta desert and some cool looking trees (even one with Christmas decorations!).

Kristen and Brooke drove out of LA and met up with me at the Marquee Theater last night and we’ve been together since. We got some rest at a Comfort Suites last night so we would be fresh for our 12 hour drive today. We are currently in New Mexico and are Austin bound. I’m hearing we will be in Texas rather soon!

In the meantime, I’m going to leave you with Hugo’s 99 Problems video. And you can check him out at The Force’s Texas Tornado Showcase at Red Eye Fly @ 3:30

[youtube LloIp0HMJjc]

<3 Amanda

p.s. Be sure to follow our Twitter feed. We will bring you pics and updates along the way as often as we can!

SXSW ’13-Day 4

Posted on 8 Hours Ago by Amanda

I apologize if my last post seemed a little lackluster. I think tiredness and soreness had set in. Today was a different story however. I’m still really jazzed from the events of the day despite how much my feet are screaming at me.
We started off with lunch at the ASOS lounge where we munched on free tacos and indulged in some free music thanks to RedTouch Media. From there we went to see Third Eye Blind at Hangar Lounge however, they were half an hour late and the sound was so loud that even with ear plugs, my ears hurt. We decided to leave right then and there but not before scoring some free Sony headphones. A quick dash to Filter on Cedar Street for our wristbands and some stuff, including a slap band with a usb drive! We got back to the ASOS lounge in time to catch some K. Flay and another taco but our bags of swag were weighing us down and we needed to drop our stuff at the hotel.

I was determined to catch some Airborne Toxic Event since I had never seen them and with Fitz and The Tantrums playing after, I knew I found a place to hang. After catching a bit of Airborne Toxic Event, I went to meet with my other half at Empire Automotive but they were running so far behind that I went back to make sure I made it in for Fitz and the Tantrums. This was an epic show at Old School Bar and Grill presented by StubHub and I was so glad to be there. I even got a set list!

From there was a quick dash across the street to catch the tail end of Free Energy at Peckerheads. We hiked over to Rachel Ray’s Feedback House for dinner but dinner never seemed to come. The gang split up and I took the chance to get a quick rest at the hotel before coming out to dance with Semi Precious Weapons at The Main. All of the SXSW High Voltage crew was there dancing and singing along with the band at the top of our lungs. We all had smiles by the time Semi Precious Weapons ended, which was far too soon.

I decided to make a go for The Roxy Showcase at Empire Automotive to see Dead Sara. However, Capital Cities went way late and despite the line outside, I managed to make it in and up front. Dead Sara blew the house down, as is their usual style. However, by the time my feet were screaming at me and I had to call it a night. But it ended on such a great note, I, couldn’t be happier!

Check out more photos below.

~ Amanda

addendum: I just wanted to mention the amazing time I had at The Blackberry House. It was the best sound I’ve heard all week plus I got to see two of my favorites, Keaton Simons and Leogun back to back. Add in the comfy chairs, accessible outlets, and ice pops and we have the makings of a highly enjoyable afternoon.

~ Kristen

SXSW ’13- Day 3

Posted on 8 Hours Ago by Amanda

I guess today was my day of running all over downtown Austin. Even with starting the festivities at noon at CTC Garden for the Butch Walker documentary screening of Out of Focus, it’s been a long day. Kristen is still out and about. I’m not sure how she does it but after 8.99 miles, this lady is done.
Today turned out to be more of a sampling day which I guess is why I wandered from CTC Garden at 1102 East Cesar Chavez all the way to Waterloo at 600 North Lamar and back again. Well, it didn’t happen in that exact order. The first musical act I caught was Wild Feathers at Lusture Pearl but I didn’t manage to stay too long. From there, I wandered about with Kristen until we got over to Rusty’s for the Swinghouse event. I caught some of A Silent Film and hung out for a bit. After that, I caught some of Ambassadors at Brew Exchange on my way to catch a second round of Twenty One Pilots at Waterloo Records. It was only after watching Andy Clockwise and The Chevin play that I caught some Butch Walker at the Rachel Ray Feedback House. That place was one of the highlights of my night. Nice space, good food, and great music. My night ended with a few songs of Atlas Genius at a horrible and late venue and Civil Twilight at the lovely Hanger venue.

The thing I came back with today was how much I really enjoy acts that seem to bleed music. They eat, sleep, pray, live, breathe, and bleed music. Those are the artists that I truly enjoy and I’m realizing that with the more shows I see. Call me a cynic but I want to see how passionate you are about what you do. Otherwise, why do it?

Here are some random photos from my day. Enjoy!

SXSW ’13- Day 1

Posted on 8 Hours Ago by Amanda

Today marks the unofficial beginning of the SXSW music madness. It was just a mere taster and sampling of the craziness that is to come. We arrived at 6:30pm in Austin, Texas after leaving San Diego at 10:15 this morning. The screaming child on the first flight notwithstanding, they were uneventful. We started the night at Burbon Girl to catch a band and after realizing they weren’t going on anytime soon, we bailed and headed to the Paste + Sennheiser Party. After a decent walk (I’ve done 11,113 steps today!), we arrived at an unassuming looking house to catch Moon Taxi and Free Energy. Both bands were high energy and fun. While I’ve never seen Moon Taxi before, I am definitely a fan of these Nashville natives!