Too broke or too busy to make it out to Austin this year?
Then head over to The Satellite with the rest of us poor bastards who will be left behind. Moheak.com has put together a 4-night line-up of indie rock bands sticking around town this week in a festival it's calling LAxLA (we're not sure if that's pronounced "L.A. by L.A.")
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Results tagged “sxsw”
Can't Make it to Austin? The Satellite Has an SXSW Alternative For You
LAist @ SXSW: Day 4 - Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (aka Mars Volta), Fang Island
Sometimes surprise/secret shows are truly just that. What was billed as a headlining showcase for the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group turned into an impromptu Mars Volta performance when Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala joined co-founder Lopez for the show. Even before the addition of Bixler-Zavala to the group, the line was one of the longest seen at the festival with fans without badges lining up for the 12:50am show at around 2pm for the small chance that they would have the opportunity to get in. Once the show started and it was clear what the show really was crowds gathered in the alleys and fences lining the makeshift Emo's Annex venue to hear a taste of the new Mars Volta sound.
LAist @ SXSW: The Finale - Big Freedia, Fresh & Onlys, Blaqstarr, Davila 666, Surfer Blood, Thee Oh Sees, Bubble Puppy
The last "real" day of SXSW was full of mini festivals, secret shows, hot and windy weather, and raves held at the local mall (we didn't go, but we were shown a photo of 18 year olds dancing in front of a Wet Seal so we know it was true).
LAist @ SXSW: Day 4 - Chromeo (ohhhhh-oh!)
"Chromeo ohhhhh-oh! Chromeo ohhhh-oh!" chanted the crowd well before the Montreal duo of Dave-1 and P-Thugg hit the stage at La Zona Rosa last night for the Green Label Sound Showcase at SXSW. One of the funkiest groups out today, Chromeo have proven time after time -- including a memorable date at the Hollywood Bowl last summer -- that once P-Thugg's beat meets the wicked voicebox of Dave-1's inner Prince, it is impossible not to move and dance.
LAist @ SXSW: Day 3 - Dominique Young Unique, Spank Rock, La Sera, Dum Dum Girls, Boys Noize, Gary Wilson
Having readjusted to the the shock of so many people and bands and free drink specials packed into a few square miles, we thought ourselves prepared for Thursday's festivities - finally in our SXSW stride. We totally forgot that Thursday was St. Patrick's Day. The sea of green that met us as we walked down Lavaca to 6th was a tip off, but it wasn't until we ran into some U of T kids (student population somewhere in the 50,000 range) who informed us it was also spring break, did we realize that we'd be lucky to make it out alive.
LAist @ SXSW : Day 3 - TV On the Radio, The Bangles, The Kills, Portugal.The Man
Imagine a land of wall-to-wall music, booze and BBQ. Now, make it green for St. Patrick's and add the revelry that comes with it, and you have Clusterfuckpalooza '11. The worlds of SXSW and St. Patrick's Day converged Thursday night in Austin in what amounted to a city wide party that would rival the greats. What has been learned and painfully realized in the past few days, is that SXSW is a war of stamina and patience. Treating this like a normal festival will only leave you frustrated and exhausted. At any given time there can be up to 10 bands you really want to see at entirely diffrent points across town, and LAist did the sprinting to bring you photos from some of these killer sets. Thursday night included: The Bangles, TV on The Radio, The Kills and Portugal. The Man.
LAist @ SXSW: Day 2 - Bad Brains, Duran Duran, OFF!, Trash Talk
One of the best parts of the festival is the general air of conviviality - is that Austin or SXSW? Either way, impromptu meet-ups and recommendations (bands, food, clubs, directions) have been flowing freely, which means you can throw out your preconceived notions of where to go and what to see. We're thinking this trip is going to be about uncovering the special. Sort of like last night - our favorites were Trash Talk, OFF!, Bad Brains, and Duran Duran.
L.A. Startups NeighborGoods and Tiziano Project Win Awards at SXSW
Los Angeles represented in a big way at SXSW 2011 in the film, music, and gaming world -- no surprise there. But this week two locally-based startups were recognized for their ability to use the internet as a tool for action and a community resource for social change.
LAist @ SXSW: Day 2 - Queens of the Stone Age, Duran Duran, Black Angels
While SXSW is at heart a showcase for tomorrow's new groups, Wednesday night was a chance to see some of today and yesterdays breakout groups. The Palm Desert, California natives, Queens of the Stone age headlined the Rolling Stone showcase at La Zona Rosa. Kicking off their 2011 tour in style, QOTSA blew through a blistering performance of their debut album and then a set of hits. They were preceded by the Austin-bred Black Angels, who's moody atmospheric psych-rock provided the perfect lead in to Josh Homme's dark, riff heavy rock.
LAist @ SXSW: The Real March Madness Begins In Austin
Forget your brackets and your cinderella stories, SXSW is the true March Madness. 4 days and nights of non-stop music, and that is only a slight exaggeration. Bands are packed into every bar and tiny venue hoping to be noticed and break out. While the meat of the festival is the official slate that SXSW has organized, there are "Unofficial" parties and performances that nearly every band will play along the way. From around 11 in the morning until 3 or 4 am, Austin becomes a musical playground as a walk down 6th Street during SXSW is akin to a walk down Las Vegas Blvd, however, instead of the sounds of slot machines pouring into the streets, it's the sound of bands.
Illustrated Notes From SXSW Interactive
A pet project of the international advertising agency Ogilvy, Ogilvy Notes set up camp at SXSW where they've been hard at work creating illustrated retellings of Interactive panel discussions, keynote addresses, and presentations like "Public Transit Data, APIs and City Governments" and "Star Wars Uncut: The Force of Crowdsourcing."
Surfer Blood @ the Echoplex 03/27/10
It seems like everyone we speak to has a hankering for the baby-faced band that is Surfer Blood. We loved them at The Village Voice party at SXSW and decided to check them out locally for the Aquarium Drunkard presented-Waved Out last Saturday. Of course, any band claiming Pavement and Yo La Tengo as influences is on the right path, but it's a really good thing Surfer Blood have got the musical chops to back up their indie rock know-how. And it doesn't hurt that they are, to cite a fan and local LA band manager who I ran into that night, "so adorable I want to put them in my pocket and manage them forever". Definitely.
SXSW 2010 Through Our Lens: Day Three
SXSW Saturday was a slow descent into Hell GWAR. As LAist's Molly Bergen probably mentioned, the weather dropped about 30 degrees from the night prior, startling the hung-over 90% of us that were completely unprepared clothing-wise. (Not like I own a truly warm coat, anyhow).
LAist On Location: SXSW 2010 - Day 4
It was almost as if a giant, grumpy deity wielding a garden hose came down from the sky on Saturday morning and announced, "You kids are having too much fun! Cool it." Rain poured from the sky in the early morning, and the gorgeous seventy degree weather evaporated over night. Austin was suddenly engulfed in forty degree temperatures and high wind, turning the summery celebration into a chilled autumnal fest. Not that it stopped anyone from attending shows outside. The masses were out (granted in slightly decreased numbers) wrapped in scarves and hats, ready to rock out.
SXSW 2010 Through Our Lens: Day Two
Ok, party people. I've got two words for you: Superchunk (and) Hole. Showing the new kids how things are done, both bands rocked the house in their entirety. Even Courtney declaring, midway through her 1 am set, “Listen, folks. I’m an elderly person. It’s 1:30 in the morning. I just want to get my blow job on and go to bed,” couldn’t detract from her screaming through a ballsy rendition of a "Doll Parts." And Superchunk’s energy was so frenetic that it instantly brought me back to their three-night run at the Fillmore over 10 years ago, with Mac’s bounce as pogo-y as ever. As for bands I haven’t followed for a decade or more, French Miami, An Horse, Bear Hands, and Rumspringa all pulled me in from the street for an enjoyable listen. Surfer Blood, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the xx all gave good performances and rounded out my Friday at SXSW - don’t forget to check out Molly Bergen’s recap for a more in-depth perusal of the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous. As for me, I’ve got to get to GWAR. Pics to follow - if I survive it, that is.
LAist On Location: SXSW 2010 - Day 3
It was almost as if the arrival of GWAR sent out a silent signal to all those who brought their own costumes to SXSW to don them and let their freak flags fly. The esteemed rocker monsters (aliens? beasts?) were walking around 6th street with their spiked appendages flapping in the breeze amongst the masses, delighting most of us, and scaring a few children. After that moment there seemed to be at least one guy in costume at every show. I saw lion headdresses, horse head masks, and even one full on bear suit (which in the heat must have been sweltering). It was almost as if the festival had seen GWAR and thought, "Oh game on!"
SXSW 2010 Through Our Lens: Day One
First of all, it’s more madness this time around than I remembered. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and lamer and my half-Irish liver can’t quite swing St. Patrick’s Day with as much gusto as it once did. Or maybe it’s because Molly and I, in an effort to bring recommendations, recap, and (SXSW) reality to those of you who couldn’t make it this year are trying to see as many bands as humanly possible each 24 hour period.
LAist On Location: SXSW 2010 - Day 2
Day two began right with pizza for breakfast at Homeslice Pizza and rock 'n' roll from North Carolina. Outside on the gravel patio they had set up a small stage where families were able to groove to The Love Language's set while enjoying their gooey cheese and sauce. Despite the rickety sound system, The Love Language sounded sharp. They've had a very good year. After self-releasing their critically acclaimed self titled album, The Love Language signed to Merge Records and have begun work recording their new album. We were curious to see if the new material they have been working on was worthy of their first album and are happy to report that...yes, yes it is.
LAist On Location: SXSW 2010 - Day 1
Yesterday was the official kick off of the music section of the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. Every bar, house, and parking lot in town had a band in it, near it, or sleeping on it. The streets were teeming with literally thousands of musicians, who were looking for their big break, desperately trying to stick out of the pack, as well as all of the support system clamoring for your attention. Every radio station, blog, publication, record company, pr company, and book agent has decided to put on a party here, each competing for the crowd's favor, wooing them with free beer and bbq and trying to put on the best show possible. We waded into the fray with one mission on our minds: finding you those bands who were actually worth seeing and reporting back with details on when they would be playing in Los Angeles.
SXSW Line-Up Announced, 13 Local Bands, Artists Included
Uber music-technology-film festival, SXSW, is coming in March, but the list of 230 bands has been released. Here are the bands and artists that list themselves as from the Los Angeles area: B-Real of Cypress Hill, The Crystal Method, The Daylights, DJ Revolution, The 88, Princeton, Robert Francis, The Funeral Pyre, Audra Mae, Mariachi El Bronx, Mumiy Troll, of Verona (Mandi Perkins) and Warpaint.
LA Tech, Party People Flock to SXSW Interactive
By the time dozens of LA-based bands descend on Austin for South by Southwest next week, LA's greatest freaks and geeks will have already mad an impact at SXSWi. The interactive component of SXSW, which begins tomorrow (along with the opening of SXSW Film) is a long weekend packed with panels and conversations regarding the future of new media, technology, and entertainment. Now in its 16th year, SXSWi has grown more notable in recent years for the sheer number of happy hours and parties (at least 85 at last count) that span the 5-day conference with product launches flowing as freely as the beer.
Interview: Erin McCarley, a Songwriter You've Heard on TV
In recent months, Erin McCarley's music has been featured on shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Privileged and One Tree Hill. The movie trailer for He's Just Not That Into You includes her song "Love, Save the Empty." And tonight, she'll appear on the Late Show with David Letterman. Not bad for an artist whose first album debuts today! LAist recently chatted with McCarley a couple days after hanging out on the set of her first music video shoot. During the conversation, she opened up about the new record, the best advice she ever received, and why she might take up grocery shopping as a hobby.
The Airborne Toxic Event @ Cal State Fullerton, 5/7/08
Last Wednesday, local band The Airborne Toxic Event (MySpace) performed at Becker Amphitheatre on the campus of Cal State Fullerton.
X to Rock the Fonda Tonight, Tomorrow
If you live in Los Angeles or know anything about punk rock circa 1977 then you know about X. If you don't, Perry Farrell will tell you in the clip on the right. Farrell introduced X last month at SXSW, headliners of Spin's day party at Stubb's BBQ. The place was only two-thirds full after a mass exodus of sweater vests following a short set by Vampire Weekend. But all four original members of X -- now touring in celebration of their 31-year anniversary -- proved once and for all that punk's not dead (or at least that rock and roll is alive and kicking).
LAist Interview: Astra Heights
There is a song called "The March" in Astra Heights' infectious debut album, Good Problems, that is so insanely catchy that you can't help but wonder why radio stations don't play songs like it any more, and you would also think that a record company would have no problem hawking the song. But I suppose it speaks volumes of the current woeful state of the record business that Astra Heights was dropped by its label a day after Good Problems was released on iTunes.
LAist Visits Morning Becomes Eclectic on Location at SXSW
For the third consecutive year, KCRW's Nic Harcourt and crew set up shop in Austin's Tequila Mockingbird studios to produce Morning Becomes Eclectic during South by Southwest. We caught up with them for the first of three live in-studio sessions last week and witnessed the raw power of Glasgow's Sons and Daughters.
LAist Interview: Jax of Rock Insider and Justin of Aquarium Drunkard at SXSW
We ran into two of our favorite LA-based music bloggers, Justin Gage of Aquarium Drunkard and Ashley Jex (Jax) of Rock Insider at SXSW last week. We ducked behind The Mohawk, where Aquarium Drunkard cosponsored the Hot Freaks! day party featuring performances by Jens Lekman, Film School, British Sea Power and more.
LAist at SXSW: Day Parties, Raveonettes, Johnathan Rice Caught Live
We made it through another South by Southwest Interactive, Film, and Music Conference and Festival in Austin, TX. After writing out that sentence, we need a nap but stay tuned for more interviews and live footage documenting LA's presence at the 21st annual event.
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