South by Southwest Source > South by Southwest Source > Archives > 2007 > February
February 2007
No wristband? No worries
Scion presents Rakim and Ghostface at Stubb’s BBQ on Saturday, March 17.
Austin Daze presents Antibalas at Ruta Maya on Thursday, March 15.
IHeartComix, Viva La Rock and Triple 5 Soul present Diplo, A Trak, The Federation and more at Blue Genie (on the eastside) on Saturday, March 17.
Other than fantastic artists, what do these three shows have in common? They’re all SXSW side parties that don’t require credentials! We have information on how to RSVP to these parties and many, many more in our SXSW side party directory. Our list grows longer every day. All parties are now alphabetized by promoter and browsable by day to make it easier to figure out where to get your free tacos, cocktails and groove on during the SXSW Music Festival even if you’re a lowly member of the wristband-less masses.
Spore man Will Wright at SXSW
Why we’ll will be at the Austin Convention Center 2 p.m. March 13: (Will Wright)http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/outandabout/entries/2007/02/28/waitingforwil.html.
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Waiting for wristbands
Wristbands for the South By Southwest music shindig went on sale at noon Monday at Waterloo Records and, for the second year in a row, store managers anticipated a sellout by closing of all 4,000.
Perhaps giving Austin a preview of SXSW, the morning line at its peak stretched around the Waterloo block and down Sixth Street in 80-plus-degree weather. The first 2,000 sold for $130, the second 2,000 for $160. The wristbands allow entrance — but don’t guarantee admission — to venues at the festival March 14-18. SXSW Director Roland Swenson said more wristbands would go on sale eventually, but he declined to give numbers.
“Our plan right now is to wait a week, track how registrations are coming in, take another look at our total capacity (and then) put some number of wristbands on sale the first night of the festival,” he said. In recent years, a total of 12,000 wristbands have been put in circulation, some sold to the public, many others given to bands and festival participants.
Where in previous years it took several days for wristbands to sell out, the little pieces of plastic sold out in a day for the first time in 2006.
In an effort to combat scalpers, SXSW this year sent out a text message informing people who had signed up on their Web site the moment the wristbands became available. The line formed within minutes. “We did achieve that goal, I think,” Swenson said. “I didn’t see the obvious scalper types there. This was one of the few time we’ve ever kept a secret and it worked.”
(photo by Deborah Cannon AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Sound off:
Hundreds of Austin music fans swarmed Waterloo Records today and some waited in line for hours to secure wristbands for the SXSW Music Festival. Did you buy a wristband? Was it worth the wait? Which 2007 acts are you excited about seeing?
UGK @ SXSW
Yes, it’s true.
Port Arthur hip-hop legends UGK are playing South By Southwest Mar. 15 at the Fox and Hound. ShowtIme to be determined, other acts on the bill to be determined.
The album “Underground Kingz,” the gro up’s first since UGK rapper Pimp C was released from prison Dec. 30, 2005, is due April 17.
Austin Music Awards tix on sale
Tickets for this year’s Austin Music Awards ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, are on sale now at Waterloo Records. Winners of the Austin Chronicle’s annual music poll will be announced at the ceremony, which serves as the official kickoff event for the SXSW Music Festival. This year’s show will feature performances by Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel with Stephen Bruton; Barbara Kooyman and the Unstrung Heroes of Texamericana with Carrie Rodriguez and Michelle Shocked; Ian McLagan and the Bump Band and more. There will also be an appearance by Six Strings Down: the Clifford Antone Tribute with Jimmie Vaughan, Derek O’Brien, Gary Clark Jr. and more. Tickets for the event are $15 in advance, $20 night of show. SXSW badges and wristbands include entry into the show which will take place at the Austin Convention Center in Ballrooms A and B.
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SXSW preview: LZ Love
As each week brings us closer to the annual Spring Break music marathon that is SXSW, Austin360 will be previewing local showcasing artists in the 360SoundCheck online player. Soul queen LZ Love relocated to Austin from California in 2003 and rapidly garnered critical acclaim and a loyal local following. Packing a big brassy voice that both resonates hope and aches with pain, LZ’s rockin’ blues and gospel-oriented roots sounds are a natural fit on the Austin scene. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we caught up with Ms. Love herself to talk music, romance and, naturally, SXSW.
What do you love most about Austin?
LZ Love: The Southern hospitality connects me to my family roots.
If you could sing any love duet with any famous crooner, what song would you pick, and who would you choose as your partner?
Travis Tritt would be the crooner, and we would sing “Try a Little Tenderness.”
The song “Never Had A Love” taps into a deep loneliness that a lot of people struggle with this time of year. Is there an autobiographical element to this song? Is it difficult to maintain romantic relationships while living the life of a career musician?
It’s (about) being in and out of love, and that says it all. Yes, it is quite difficult to have a romantic relationship. Two reasons why: Your schedule does not coincide with your partner’s at times, and (musicians’) cash flow fluctuates.
Can you give us three words to sum up your sound?
Groove-Joy-Reality
Have you noticed any evolution in your sound in the time that you’ve been living in Austin?
Yes, Austin has given me a platform to share my gospel blues roots.
How many times have you been to SXSW, and what aspect of this year’s festival are you most excited about?
I showcased last year at SXSW. This year, I can feel more at ease knowing that I’m more accepted within the Austin music community.
LZ Love’s SXSW showcase is scheduled for March 14 at the Continental Club. She will also play a gospel brunch at Threadgill’s on March 18. In addition to her SXSW dates, LZ Love will co-host a CD release party for the acoustic album “Gut Bucket Blues” with Lightning Red on Feb. 23 at Flipnotics. She will also be at Maria Taco Xpress at noon Feb. 25.
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SXSW film fest schedule news
Head over to the SXSW film site for news that will help you plan your time at the fest. Just announced are panel highlights, the short-films lineup and additions to the features lineup.
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Gear up for ‘Grindhouse’ at SXSW
Prepping Austin audiences for his and Quentin Tarantino’s splatter-flick tribute “Grindhouse,” Robert Rodriguez is personally presenting a double feature of hardcore exploitation movies on the second night of South by Southwest, 8 p.m. March 10, outside in Republic Square Park.
Rodriguez has handpicked a pair of Italian horror classics, Sergio Martino’s “Torso,” which, we’re told, features a traumatic hacksaw dismemberment segment, and Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie,” which I can attest is worth every sickening sight, including a zombie fighting and biting a real shark underwater. Pure genius.
The show is sponsored by SXSW and the Alamo Downtown. Free with SXSW badge, $10 general. Tickets on sale at noon Feb. 23 at www.originalalamo.com. Beer and food service available at the event.
Details here.
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Appropriately named Amy Winehouse
I’ve been all about the sultry, smoky soul of British songstress Amy Winehouse ever since I stumbled across a leaked copy of her fantastic Ghostface collab “I’m No Good” last fall. Consequently, I was pretty depressed to read this article about the young singer as alcoholic and tormented artist. Even as the Winehouse star begins to rise stateside (she’s playing sold-out shows in NYC, receiving props from the likes of Jay-Z and Mos Def), she seems trapped in a dangerous spiral of self-destruction.
In any case, Winehouse will be in Austin for SXSW. I seriously hope the girl can pull herself together over the long haul, but in the short term, at least we’re getting a chance to catch her before the supernova implodes.
(via Idolator, photo courtesy of amywinehouse.co.uk.)
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Public Enemy and Ozomatli, Mastodon and Boris to play Town Lake stage
Get ready for some classic hip-hop and modern metal (though not at the same time) courtesy of South By Southwest, all for free.
Public Enemy and Ozomatli headline a free show on the Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores stage on Friday, March 16.
Mastodon, Boris, Against Me!, the Riverboat Gamblers and more play the popular free stage on March 17.
Times are still not set, though the Friday show usually starts after 5 p.m. and the Saturday show starts in the afternoon, complete with kid’s fare in the early afternoon. The lineup for the Thursday free show remains unconfirmed.
Burnt Orange film gets UT premiere
The Austin-made romantic fairy tale “Elvis and Anabelle” gets its world premiere during the South by Southwest Film Festival at 6:30 p.m. March 10 at the Paramount Theatre.
A love story between a beauty queen and a mortician’s son (Max Minghella), the movie was produced by Burnt Orange Productions and the UT Film Institute. It co-stars Blake Lively, Mary Steenburgen, Joe Mantegna and Keith Carradine, some of whom will be at the screening, and was written and directed by Will Geiger. See the “Elvis and Anabelle” Web site.
Steenburgen talked to us last year about the film while she was in Austin. You can read the interview here.
This is the second Burnt Orange/UTFI movie to premiere at SXSW. Last year “The Cassidy Kids” made its bow. The production team’s caveman comedy “Homo Erectus” premiered at Slamdance last month.
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