SXSW Roll Call

[you be betty]

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
  You can find NYC hotels for much cheaper if you stay in New Jersey.
 
   

Originally posted by Bags:
   

Originally posted by MyraEllen:
  CMJ is cheaper, but not as awesome!          
 

Man, but for NYC to be affordable for a whole week you need a friend who doesn't mind letting you stay in their 400 sq foot apartment that long.  Hotels in NYC are double Austin.  Even the Marriott in Brooklyn is $365/night.
 
 (It's true, though -- airfares have become insane.  In DECEMBER the direct Dulles - Austin flight on United was either $600 or $800.)
 
 I love SxSW because most things are in a 10 block area -- if you can't get into a showcase, it matters less because there are 40 otehrs within a few blocks, not taxi-cab rides away (which also cost you precious time to get in line).  Also, I love the Sixth Street is closed to traffic.  It's like getting a festival with the benefit of seeing shows in small clubs, which is the best way to see bands in my opinion! [/b]

[/b]

yes, and the place to stay is always Fort Lee.  close, cheap, and distinctly less gross...
 
 but i'm moving to new york in like three months, and you all can feel free to crash on my couch any time  

[Julian, Alleged Computer F**kface]

Originally posted by you be betty:
  but i'm moving to new york in like three months, and you all can feel free to crash on my couch any time      

Aren't you underage? I can envision the police busting down the door at 3am and dragging some poor, male boardie off to the clink.

[MonkeyPants]

So?  Who were your faves?  who was the worst?  What other awesomeness happened?  I'll answer my own questions later  

[ggw]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postrock/

[Vas Deferens]

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/56134/music-days-1-2/
 
 http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/56159/music-days-3-41/

[MonkeyPants]

I managed to catch 60+ bands, beating my own record of 40+ last year, but 12 of those were at one of the most amazing shows at the Festival (and one that I will talk about for the next 35 years), the Lou Reed tribute at the Levi's/Fader Fort on Thursday.  I don't even remember the names of at least 5 of the bands or artists that I saw, and I saw many bands for only a song or two, which was more than enough.
 
 The best for me were:
 1. The aforementioned Lou Reed tribute.  Moby, Thurston Moore, My Morning Jacket, Yo La Tengo, Joseph Arthur, Mark Kozelek, and more, all singing Lou Reed songs while Mr. Reed took photos of the bands from the side of the stage.  He came out for the finale.  It was phenomenal.
 
 2. N.E.R.D. at Stubb's, who, despite taking 45 minutes to set up, blew more than 1,500 artists at the festival out of the water in under 35 minutes.
 
 3. Simian Mobile Disco at La Roza Rosa, Shout Out Louds at the Mohawk, Billy Bragg at the Utne party, Nada Surf acoustic at the Paste party, Noisettes at the Good party, The Stills at the Levi's/Fader Fort, DeVotchKa at the Filter party
 
 Lowlights: Evangelicals sucked big time at the Mohawk. Duffy does not live up to the hype, I don't care what anyone says.  And Eldar isn't a person, he's like the child of David Helfgott and Gandalf.
 
 All in all it was live music heaven and I can't wait for next year  

[anarchist]

i thought the lou reed thing was kind of lame.  long set changes when they played disco music.  the best part was thurston moore and band doing a vu cover of a song like "what goes on".  tm dove into the crowd with his guitar and had his glasses broken.  motorhead, black angels, breeders, naked raygun, meatmen at trophy's,  slits and dicks at elysium, black keys+cribs at zona rosa, punk rock on the lamar street pedestrian bridge with a massive crowd at 2am, place to bury strangers many shows, psychedelic garage bands at jaimes, x at stubbs. sxsw is amazing.