south by southwest

[earl grey]

so i'm thinking about going to SXSW this year - it happens to align w/ my spring break, and i've got a friend down in austin. anyone familiar with the festival's details? i've heard they sell bracelets that are much cheaper than the badges, but i can't find anything online about that - what's the deal with those? the badges are a bit steep...

[the one downside of hitting SXSW is that i would have to miss the silver jews. tough trade-off, but one worth making if SXSW is as fun as ppl say.]

[Miss Tasty Princess]

You've checked 2006.sxsw.com?

BTW, we're playing but I don't know where or what night, yet.

[earl grey]

You've checked 2006.sxsw.com?

BTW, we're playing but I don't know where or what night, yet.

yeah, i can't find anythng on there. i think they only sell these bracelets in austin, and not online, which may be why they're not mentioned on the site. or maybe i'm just looking in the wrong place, who knows.

if i go, it's gonna be for the whole time so i will definitely have to catch yr show!

[Joel]

BTW, we're playing but I don't know where or what night, yet.

as in, Happy Flowers?

[Lukas]

here is a list of all the bands.
http://2006.sxsw.com/music/festival/

[Miss Tasty Princess]

yeah, i can't find anythng on there. i think they only sell these bracelets in austin, and not online, which may be why they're not mentioned on the site. or maybe i'm just looking in the wrong place, who knows.Check the music forums. I seem to remember seeing a discussion of that very topic a few days ago. If I'm wrong, you can at least post and ask about 'em!

as in, Happy Flowers?Yes!

[Joel]

awesome. i'm gonna be there the weekend of the 18th (not on business, obv.), so i hope it's then. keep us posted.

[earl grey]

Check the music forums. I seem to remember seeing a discussion of that very topic a few days ago. If I'm wrong, you can at least post and ask about 'em!


great call - i didn't know they had one, but the forum sorted me out. here's part of what i found, if anyone's interested:

Badges - These can be bought by anyone, you do not have to be in the music business. You will have priority to get into all shows before anyone else, but you can be turned away if the event is already full. At each event there will be a badge line and a wristband line and usually a ticket line. With a badge you can go to the conference and you are eligiable to buy (1) wristband at the time you pick up your badge for another person (this is subject to change based on the amount of wristbands sold within the previous month leading up to the festival. With a badge you also get a "big bag" this will have invites to private parties, CDs, magazines and bunch of other stuff. Well worth the money if you ask me. **You will not have preference at day shows however, the day shows are non-SXSW shows and you badge means as much as a matchbook when getting into these.

Wristbands - Sold only in Austin ~1 month prior to the festival and in limited quantity. These usually sell out in a matter of a few hours and then are available only through private sale through methods such as online auction sites or through scalpers during SXSW. **Expect to pay 2x the face value if you're not able to buy one at the time of sale in Austin**. Wristbands are behind badges in order of getting into shows. As mentioned before, there are usually two or more lines and I have seen the wristband line get stopped for big shows and dozens of badge holders who'd just shown be let into shows before a wristband holder who had been waiting for a couple of hours. They then closed the venue off due to capacity and the wristband holders were not able to get in.

Individual tickets - Most venues will sell individual tickets to their shows. Keep in mind that the bigger the show, the less likley you are to get in or that they will sell tickets. **This method is not recommended for anyone traveling to the festival - expect to be dissapointed**

Day shows - With the exception of private label shows (they rent out some venues and hold shows with their featured artists) you can usually get into most day shows and they usually have free beer and food. The venues that hold these events are SXSW and non-SXSW events, you don't need a badge or wristband to attend. I know people who have just come to SXSW to see days shows and been happy, but most are not fullfilled seeing bands at 11am and missing all of the night shows.

[mashuguna]

I'd give anything to see the Twilight Singers show...the last time Greg Dulli was in Austin, he got his ass kicked, correct?

[earl grey]

just purchased my plane tickets. i get into austin on tuesday night and leave @ 6 AM on sunday. very excited! (except for that 6 AM bit, but that's what i get for slacking...)

[george]

have fun not getting into any shows that you want to see

[earl grey]

have fun not getting into any shows that you want to see

heh, seriously ... though we're most likely gonna have bracelets which should make things a little easier. the big shows might still be a challenge, but i don't care as much for those ... most of those bands make it up to NYC. i'm looking fwd more to the bands that don't make it up here, or that i just happen upon.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

i'm looking fwd more to the bands that don't make it up here . . .We're playing the Lava Lounge at 11:40 p.m., Saturday night, if you're interested.

[Joel]

awesome, I should be able to make that.

[earl grey]

We're playing the Lava Lounge at 11:40 p.m., Saturday night, if you're interested.

awesome, i'll definitely be there.

[george]

heh, seriously ... though we're most likely gonna have bracelets which should make things a little easier. the big shows might still be a challenge, but i don't care as much for those ... most of those bands make it up to NYC. i'm looking fwd more to the bands that don't make it up here, or that i just happen upon.

i would count on mostly seeing bands that you just happen upon in less crowded venues. sxsw has gotten out of control with how overcrowded it is. i don't know anyone who saw more than one or two bands that they wanted to last year. i mean, obviously you can forget about stuff like the matador showcase, but even small shows are really hard to get into. you can still have a blast for sure, just don't show up with a list of bands you expect to see.

[interrust]

i would count on mostly seeing bands that you just happen upon in less crowded venues. sxsw has gotten out of control with how overcrowded it is. i don't know anyone who saw more than one or two bands that they wanted to last year. i mean, obviously you can forget about stuff like the matador showcase, but even small shows are really hard to get into. you can still have a blast for sure, just don't show up with a list of bands you expect to see.

ditto. i had to wait in line and missed most of malkmus' set, thanks to the lovely folks at the real world last year

[earl grey]

hey mr. HCI - are the happy flowers gonna be playing any shows @ SXSW beyond the saturday night gig? just curious as i plan things out ... showlist austin (http://www.showlistaustin.com/) seems pretty awesome for keeping tabs on the unofficial shows but i don't think their list is 100% complete.

started going through the full schedule today to prioritize things ... the amount of bands playing is really overwhelming, in the best of ways. on first pass, the bands i want to see most (in add'n to the happy flowers): saturday looks good to me, lavender diamond, the hidden cameras, afrirampo, howard hello, the duke spirit, and a whole bunch of others that i also haven't seen before. the list gets really long when i add in bands i wouldn't mind seeing again (e.g. U.S.E., art brut, etc.), though i'm trying to keep the essentials to a minimum just to avoid being disappointed if long lines shut me out of a show. (which is why i don't even think i'll bother trying w/ goldfrapp.)

[anagrama]

my roomate is leaving in a few days.
lucky prick, got press passes and stuff too.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

hey mr. HCI - are the happy flowers gonna be playing any shows @ SXSW beyond the saturday night gig?Nope. We wouldn't even know how to go about getting one. Plus, all SxSW bands are supposed to agree to no do other local shows in the time period, unless I misunderstood the performance agreement.

[earl grey]

Nope. We wouldn't even know how to go about getting one. Plus, all SxSW bands are supposed to agree to no do other local shows in the time period, unless I misunderstood the performance agreement.

interesting. yeah, i had heard about the day shows but had no idea how many of them there were till i started doing some research. maybe it's a loophole in the performance agreement, or maybe they just don't enforce it ... in any event, saturday night it is! the duke spirit are playing at the same time as you guys but they're doing a bunch of day parties as well, i'll try to catch em at one of those. likewise for camera obscura.