SXSW is over.  The rain will wash away the dirt and stench that overwhelmed downtown.  Another year has taught me that I enjoy indoor shows with seating way more than the outdoor ones.  The sound is better, the people tend to be more civilized.

Here’s how the rest of the week went.  I am still deciphering my notes from SXSWi panels.  Stay tuned.

Day 6, Wednesday:

• I spent the day hiding in the movie theater.  I was disgusted by spring breakers and the smell of downtown.  I made it to 4 films.
• nothing spent, nothing gained (unless you count my post movie run to the grocery store)

Day 7, Thursday:

• Still hiding out.  I went to 3 movies and decided to take a chance and check out a show.  I camped out in line to see Fiona Apple at the church.  The sound was great and it was clean.
• After the show I biked to Red River to get a snack at Austin Daily Press and charge my phone in M’s apt before going to Club DeVille for Fanfarlo (awesome) and Tennis (not so great).
• $8 ADP sammich

Day 8, Friday:

• Believe it or not, I actually spent my morning at Stubbs for the Spin Party.  I showed up at 9 to pick up my wristband. Then I roamed around the Convention Center and checked out Flatstock. Then it was back to Stubb’s around 11ish.   The line up wasn’t as great as it used to be.  It was nice to see Best Coast and Santigold
• After it was over, I walked over to the Paramount to see Sunset Strip.  I was tired and dirty.
• Biking home was beyond scary.  I made a mental note to leave the bike at home on Saturday.
• $3 on tips, 3 free drinks

Day 9, Saturday:

• This is usually day party day for me but, I wasn’t feeling it.  Instead, I ended up in a movie that was a complete dud.
• I decided maybe I should check out the day party and see if the day would improve.  Not so much.  The sound at Club DeVille got worse.  I stayed for Twilight Sad and 2 beers and quickly maneuvered through the crowd to the Ritz for another film.
• Film redemption + a free meal (not a giveaway, just a good friend).  After the film we booked over to the Driscoll to use the restroom (Dear, Alamo, there are NEVER enough stalls in the ladies room).
• On the way to Style X we popped in to the Canadian Blast Party and caught Elephant Stone.  We swooned over the lead singer/sitar player.
• which had improved quite a bit since last year.  I chatted with a few friends and ended up going back to the staff area to see how teardown was going.
• Apparently they were done for the night so we walked to Sidebar for beer then the State for another movie.
• Instead of calling it a night, we hit the midnight film.  Then I ran to catch the film shuttle back home.
• $12 for beer and tips, 3 beers, free food

You know how I saw 19 films last year?  Well this year I saw 20.  Technically, 19 during the fest and one pre-screening of 21 Jumpstreet on Thursday before Interactive.  I am going to count it since the screening was hosted by SXSW for staff.  Here’s what I saw.  I will write about what little music I heard later and give you part two of my SXSW recap.

Thursday

• 21 Jumpstreet-  I thought this was going to be incredibly cheesy like many of the tv shows that became films (remember Starsky and Hutch).  I was shocked to find out otherwise.  I used to watch Jumpstreet after school.  I was in love with Johnny Depp.  No way that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum could be the new Penhall and Hanson.  Luckily the writers were smart.  They updated the tv show  to current time, tossed in a lot of comedy that referenced the old show, and then the icing on top was a lot of explosions. – WIN

Friday

• Girl Walk//All Day-  M and I have been  Girl Talk fans for awhile.  I saw a teaser for the film ages ago.  Then I forgot about the film until just before SXSW started.  This was a great kick off to SXSW.  I had just finished my last shift.  If you aren’t into dance movies, this film probably isn’t for you.  It’s essentially a musical with no singing.  There are three principal dancers that dance all over NYC Fame-style (I am talking about the original NOT the remake). – WIN

Saturday

• Welcome to the Machine- I ended up in this film since a friend of a friend was the director.   It’s a wee bit scary how much we depend on machines.  The story is centered around the  tech centered conception/birth/survival of the directors triplets but segues to the Unibomber’s manifesto on the Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.- WIN
• Narrative Shorts 2-  At this point I am going to give up on shorts.  That’s 90 minutes of my life I won’t get back.-LOSS
• Wonder Women! The untold story of American Heroines-  By this point in time I was exhausted.  But as a Wonder Woman fan from way back (I had the underoos and red boots to prove it).  I had to go.  I am not a comic book reader so I learned quite a bit about who Wonder Woman was before she hit TV.    There were some rough patches in the film that let to me nodding off.  It could have been a little shorter.  Other than that, I thought it was OK.

Sunday

• SXSW Community Screening: Faces of Austin- A friend of mine worked on a film in this series.  I had no clue there were screenings at the Carver or that some of the programs in the film existed around town.
• $ellebrity- I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this film.  I knew it was about the paparazzi, but I didn’t know that they were going to discuss the history of the work. They weren’t always as bad as they are now.  I spent the day darting in and out of panels so I was a bit tired and nodded off.  This film was OK. I agree with the director and crew, nothing will change related to privacy until people stop buying those trashy magazines.

Monday – Somehow I didn’t see any films

Tuesday

• Trash Dance-  This film was a WIN.  AFS recommended it so I decided to skip panels and check it out.  I was familiar with Forklift Danceworks but I had yet to make it to one of their shows.  The documentary follows Allison Orr’s creative process from start to finish and takes you into the lives of the dancers. The film was incredibly moving.  The score by Graham Reynolds is partially to blame for this.  At some  point in time during this film, you will cry.  At the end of the show we got a special treat. Two of the guys came in after their shift to catch the screening and stick around for Q&A.

Wednesday

• Lost and Sound-  As a music fan, I don’t know what I would do if I lost my hearing.  I am really strict about protecting my ears.  I always have earplugs at concerts.  I freak out when I have an ear infection in fear of bursting an eardrum.  This film follows three people who at some point in their lives have lost some or all of their hearing and how music is still part of their life.  Two of the people involved have cochlear implants.  The third is unsure whether or not to make the leap since he has partial hearing (another man and technology debate).
• Rock ‘n’ Roll  Exposed:  The Photography of Bob Gruen-  I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this film.  Luckily it was a complete 180 from $ellebrity.  Bob Gruen is a great photographer.  He isn’t a technician.  He’s just a guy who likes music and likes capturing people in the moment.  I sat through the Q&A and I love that he admitted that over the years he has hired people to handle his darkroom work He’s not into fancy cameras, he wasn’t in it for the money.  Based on what I saw in the film,  the experiences alone are priceless- WIN
• Beauty is Embarrasing-  This film started getting buzz and I decided to check it out.  WIN.    The film as about Wayne White, artist, cartoonist, comedian, the list goes on an on.  I’ve heard of him, but I didn’t know much about him beyond Pee Wee’s Playhouse and the Smashing Pumpkins video for “Tonight, Tonight”.   The film reminded me that it doesn’t matter what other people think of your work.  Stay true to yourself.  The people that matter will get it.
• The Babymakers- This film was ok. I got what I expected.  A random comedy about a couple trying to make a baby (what’s with all the procreation films this year?)

Thursday

• King Kelly- This film gets points for being shot entirely on camera phone.  But I really can’t believe that I sat through the whole thing.  I think I sat through it because I was hoping that natural selection would lead to the death of all the teenagers in the film.  She should have got it in the end.  She shouldn’t have been rewarded for being so stupid.-LOSS
• Shut Up and Play the Hits- Film redemption time.  I miss LCD Soundsystem.  This film chronicled their last show at Madison Square Garden.  I know we all hate it when bands break up but we all wonder is it better to quit while things are still good or end up burning out and producing crap?  At the end of the day, musicians are people and this was 10 years of their life  (although James Murphy just lost points for being in the Comedy.  More on that later). WIN
• Gayby- This movie was cute.  Not sickening cute.  Cute in a feel good, comedy way.  Good people deserve to be parents.  Regardless of sexual orientation.  I am raising a kid with my best friend and her husband and it has changed me for the better. WIN

Friday

• Sunset Strip- I saw this after the Spin party.  I was exhausted and I managed to stay awake.  The Strip has a long history and the film did a great job of preserving that and discussing the future.  Many of the businesses are still family owned. WIN

Saturday

• The Comedy-  You know that SXSW Film Bumper with the two moviegoers in front of the Paramount?  That was me after this film.  That is time I will not get back.  I debated walking out but I thought that maybe this was an existential film and the point was coming.  Nope!  I spent 90 minutes watching sad, aging, Brooklyn hipsters waste time and money. All the reviews said that it wasn’t your usual Tim and Eric film.  I think I would have preferred that over what they went with.  It was well made but it was crap.
• Small Apartments-  Film redemption-  I like that they left a lot of the characters’ idiosyncrasies unexplained.  Who care’s why Franklin doesn’t wear pants through most of the film.  That’s just the way his is.  This was a great off-beat comedy.   WIN
• Fat Kid Rules the World- I had given up on going to shows. I was tired of the people, smoke and dust.  I sought refuge in the theater.  I picked this film at random.  I lucked out and picked a Winner!  Suicidal teen ends up realizing that there are people way more messed up that him.  Specifically, the kid that saved him.  This should have been the only teen drug movie at the fest.  You see consequences.  The movie had heart.
• Citadel- I am not a fan of scary movies but I was one film short of 20 so I went for it.  We trekked through the unruly mob of beer soaked urchins to get from the State to the Ritz.  We definitely earned our cinephile merit badge for that one.  (Seriously, Saturday+SXSW+ St. Patty’s day?  This is why I didn’t ride my bike. These people are cray cray).  So the film ended up being more of a phycho thriller than a true horror movie.  Single dad must overcome fear of feral children and kill them all to save his daughter (and the town).     WIN

It’s been ages since I have posted anything here.  M and I have been extremely busy.  Most of you know how to find out about our side projects because you follow us on FB or Twitter.

Both of us managed to take time out to return to our volunteer gigs. It’s my eighth year and it’s  too sweet of a deal to pass up.  We work the entire week before SXSW and then we get to make use of those badges.

Now that interactive has come to a close I will let you know what I have been up to.  Stay tuned for a more in depth discussion on some of the panels/movies that inspired me.

Day 1, Friday:

• I volunteered until 5pm then hit the movie theater for Girl Walk/All Day.  It was a perfect film to kick of my SXSW.  I watched it with a bunch of New Yorkers and we enjoyed views of home.
• I managed to get a few free drinks between a lounge on the way to the film opening and the actual opening party.
• $3 on tips, 3 free drinks+snacks

Day 2, Saturday:

• I decided that I should take advantage of panels now that I am a small business owner.  I went to Group Deals and learned how those deals can make or most likely break you.
• Next it was film time.  If you get a chance, you should check out Welcome to the Machine.  Then Narrative Shorts 2 (not so good)
• Then I fell victim to false advertizing on a panel.  Google and Bing: help me rank better.  Meh.  I could have gotten the same information from reading the Google webmaster stuff on the internet.
• I left the panel and went to the Drafthouse for Wonder Women! (another must see).  By this point in time I wasn’t feeling that great.  Spending two days in the cold and wet weather may have done me in.
• Nothing spent, nothing gained

Day 3, Sunday:

• More panels.  I learned my lesson when I attempted to hop around from panel room to panel room.  You don’t get in.  It’s best to camp out in one room to ensure you have a space.  I spent the whole morning in the Stephen F. Austin Hotel learning about marketing and consumer habits.

• Then it was film time.  I drove to the Carver Museum to catch the Faces of Austin Screening, then I went home for lunch before hitting the Drafthouse for $ellebrity
• I wrapped up the night at the Google Village.
• $2 on tips, 2 free drinks+snacks

Day 4, Monday:

• The sun finally came out so I walked to the Drafthouse to catch the film shuttle to the Convention Center.    I stopped by the Fashion Meet up briefly and ran off to the Craft Camp where I felt more at home.  Many crafters get a bad rap, but these days they are the people getting their hands dirty.  More and more I shy away from using the word designer.  I get my hands dirty.  I am a technician. I found the lecture on The Psychology & Philosophy of Premium Pricing rather informative and spent some time chatting with the panelists afterwards.
• After the lecture I hung out in the tradeshow.  It was a bit overwhelming.  So many things that I wasn’t remotely interested in.
• I went to a three panels afterwards.  The best one was on social privacy.  The others completely missed the mark (aka.  The title of the panel should match the topic you actually speak on).
• By this time was starving and twitter told me there was food and Reggie Watts at the IFC house. The show ended up being lame because the actors were distracted by the rude people in the bar.
• I decided to flee 6th street and head back to Google land.  It was safe there.  You had to have a badge to get in.
• $5 on beer,  free food

Day 5, Tuesday:

• I probably should have gone back to bed when I couldn’t remember the combination to my bike lock this morning.  I needed sleep, not a 9:30 panel.  Luckily, M and I have the same combination.  I didn’t make it to the 9:30 at SFA hotel because I got stuck at a train crossing.  I went to my second choice at the convention center only to find that it was a book signing not a panel, GRRR!
• My first panel was in the Hilton at 11.  Not too bad.  Panel 2 was a disaster from the start.  I went in, they cleared us out to do a mike check or something, then once they started, Occupy Austin decided to have a little demonstration.  I managed to get out of there before things got ugly.  I sought refuge in the tech cave and regrouped.
• I killed time in the line for the Hype Hotel, and by time I mean losing an hour of my life.  Then I snagged a beer at IFC before heading to the Driscoll for a lame panel.  False advertizing strikes again.  On top of that, the speaker read their speach verbatim.
• My day turned around when I saw Trash Dance at the Paramount.  It was a recommendation from AFS.  If you get a chance you should check it out.
• I closed out my day after checking in with my peeps in the convention center.  It was flip day  and they were dealing with the switch from interactive to music.
• $1 on tips, 1 beer

So the 3rd  list of bands dropped a week or so ago. I am looking forward to seeing the following bands: Heartless Bastards (with a better sound guy than they had at Fun^3 Fest), Magnetic Fields, Talib Kweli, Metric, Neon Trees, Alice Russell, Shiny Toy Guns, Soul Khan, Spinto Band, Stars,  and Three Blind Wolves.

Wish List:
We were Promised Jetpacks (they said that they would be there when we interviewed them during Fun^3 Fest), Mos Def (with Talib), Black Keys (they have a new album out), The Roots (they have a new album out), Blackroc (why not, the rest of the group is somewhere on this list), Broken Social Scene (’cause Metric and Stars will be in town). amd a Daptone label showcas.e

While I am wishing, I would like more bike parking and no moshing (or maybe move it to some sort of playpen type area).  I have more wishes, but I will save them for another post.

M Shooting We Were Promised Jetpacks

M happened to track down We Were Promised Jetpacks while I was checking out Mates of State.  We were able to sit down and interview Sean their bassist.

M accidentally kicked off the interview by saying that we were with Sean of Frightened Rabbit.  We quickly jumped into our first question about touring with the other Scots. The last few times we saw them they were playing with Frightened Rabbit or Twilight Sad.  We asked if they could play a gig with any band, who would it be?  Sean  said they like touring with friends.  They’ve toured with Royal Bangs and they would like to tour with Lady North.

We asked if they were happy to be back in the states.  They were exited.  M mentioned that they would be touring up until Christmas (that’s what the tour schedule looked like on the website).  We were wrong on that one.  They guys are going to get a break soon and they will spend some time in England.  They plan to practice and watch football (aka soccer).  At this point in time 2.0 got really excited about football (he managed to hold his questions until the end.). We asked what his Fun^3 Fest highlights were.  He said that they played Dallas last night and arrived in Austin at 4am. They wouldn’t have time to check anything out.  He said that he enjoyed playing today.  I thanked him for the sunshine they summoned during “Roll up your sleeves”.  He enjoyed playing today.  He said it’s been his best festival experience.

Apparently the guys will be back in Austin for SXSW 2012.  They were here for SXSW 2009 and 2010.  One of Sean’s favorite venues to play is Emos.  We had to give him the sad news that the venue is no more.  They moved.  We asked if it was the venue or the crowd that made it is favorite.  He said the crowd.  But he also mentioned the sound was good.  We had to burst that bubble as well.  They bring in sound people for SXSW.

Our last question was if he knew of any up and coming Scottish bands we should watch for.  Over the Wall, Lady North, and Three Blind Wolves.

If you have some time, check out the new album and catch them at SXSW in March.

So, I am officially free of the government shackles that held me steady for the last 10 years.  As of December 1st I am a free agent.  So what does that mean?  Infants and Hipsters is a reality.  I watch Scout three days a week and I stitch at Frock on Vintage on Fridays and Saturdays.  Most importantly, I have a weekend.

The last month of transitions was rough (the last 6 months of engineering this plan was rough). I think everything is in order.  I have health insurance, a dba, a new bank account, and I applied for a sales tax permit.    I managed to get it all done before Mercury went into Retrograde (I am not into astrology, but it is more than coincidental that something in my life goes wrong during this time).

What’s on Tap for December?  I’ve already crossed off decorating for xmas. I need to convince Scout that napping is a good thing  (she is opposed to sleeping in general).  Getting my business stuff in order for filing taxes.   Making a suit for M.   Writing. Reading the stack of books on my nightstand. Researching bands for SXSW [BTW.  They released the third round of artists.]  Working with Savannahred on her plus sized clothing line.

This was year 7 of volunteering my way to platinum. I I took 2 weeks off from work and this time around I stayed at my own place (Yay for living close to downtown!).

(You should go back and read the daily recaps. I put this stuff out on the internet for you, little readers)

Total # of bands: ~11 Theophilus London, Foster the People, Noah and the Whale, Portugal. the Man,  Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band,  TV on the Radio , Ellie Goulding, Smith Westerns,  Matt and Kim,  J. Roddy Walston and The Business,and Wanda Jackson.

Total # of movies: 19 ( the Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Little Deaths, Documentary Shorts,  Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey, Super,  Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Narrative 2, Medium Cool, Something Ventured,  El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, Fambul Tok, Blacktino, Hesher, the Other F Word, Our Day will Come, A Matter of Taste: Serving up Paul Liebrandt, Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW, and PressPausePlay.

Total $ spent: ~61 tips, 2 dinners and a Go Local card.

Carbon Footprint: I biked at least 58 miles (from my house to downtown is about 7 miles round trip).  The car was used once during the two week period (I was lazy and drove to the Alamo Lamar).

And now for the Rants/Raves (mostly rants though). (more…)

Yesterday morning I was so tired that I debated if I wanted to finish out this race.  I made breakfast, wrote for a bit and decided to see my 18th film.  It was the documentary about SXSW.  I was surprised that the machine has survived all of these years with the amount of growth.

Since it was the last day, I decided that I should go see some music and attempt to find M (I think I hung out with her once in the last week).  Wall to wall people and no bike parking (People go home, I would like my city back).  Luckily the line for the party at Stubb’s moved quickly in comparison to the hunt for something to lock my bike to.

I walked in during the end of the Bravery’s set (not a fan).  I grabbed a beer and found M. The next band was really good.  J. Roddy Walston and The Business.  M saw them the night before and said I should check them out.  I stayed for Wanda Jackson.  I was curious if she had given into the machine and altered her sound.  Nope.  She was the same as always, sass, jet black hair and a fringed jacket.

After Wanda’s set and 3 beers I headed back to the ACC for air conditioning and a film.   PressPausePlay.  Netflix this one.  It talked a lot about the film and music industry being diluted with artists who make art because they have the tools, but most of them just don’t have  the human aspect.  My thoughts exactly. There are a lot of bands out there that have made a name for themselves on the internet but they just can’t put on a good live show.  This is why I spent most of this SXSW in the movie theater.  I wanted to feel something.

I made another pass at Style X.  This time it was the fashion show.  I was curious to see if there was anything new and innovative.  Other than the awesome boots from Helm, the only thing that I liked was a yellow jacket (I need to find out who the designer was).

I checked in with M after the show and headed to Bar Congress for dinner with 2.0 and his friends from out of town.  After dinner I made the executive decision to bike home.  I wanted to shower and wash the SXSW out of my hair.

Free stuff: 3beers

Money Spent: $3 on tips and $23 on dinner

I decided to stay in and write for a bit.  I checked in with my mom (to let her know that I didn’t get hit by a car on St. Patty’s day).  I looked at the schedule and decided that there was nothing worth biking into town for until about 2.

Movie time.  #17 was A Matter of Taste: Serving up Paul Liebrandt.  If you are into food and art, check it out.  After the film I explored the convention center.  I was curious about Style X and I was tempted to go to the 70s house of porn American Apparel Garage Sale.  It was Style X’s first year so I didn’t have high expectations.  I had also surveyed some of my artist friends and it turns out that many locals were rejected (there was also a pricey booth fee).  I am curious how Style X was curated,  I may have to interview the man behind it at some point.  I’ve been to his store and this was not what I expected.  There was a mix of corporate (Keds), out of town vendors, and one or two locals. [BTW.  I know that it is really hard to spend a whole day in your booth vendors.  I've been there, but please, please find reps that know your products.  Yesterday some guy tried to sell me glasses and he said that they had a deal going one price for all prescriptions.  I told him that my eyesight was bad (not eligible for lasik bad) and he said that it didn't matter.  I double checked with the owner and he said that I would probably have to pay extra.]

After a disappointing stroll, I left the convention center in search of free beer.  I headed to  Fader because I was curious about Smith and Westerns and I wanted to see Matt and Kim.  I found a place to lock the bike and stood in line for about 5 minutes before someone came up to us and said the line was closed and that no one would be allowed in the rest of the night.  I decided to stick around.  They say that every year. Crowd turnover happens after every band.

…30 minutes later, I am in.  Fiat Fader was ok.  I still miss the Levi’s Fader though.  Specifically, the one that was at Youthworks (aka The Honeycomb Hideout).  After last nights trampling, I decided to steer clear of the front.  Matt+Kim= Mosh Pit (You would think that they would be more careful after Matt messed up his back a few years ago.  Nope)  Great Show.  I look forward to seeing them play this summer with the Thermals.

I biked to the ACC after the show to charge my phone and check in with a few people.  I was on the other side of tired.  I decided to go home early.  I was in bed by 10:30.

Free stuff: 2 beers and 2 bottles of water

Money Spent: $3 on tips

My tolerance for “special” people is tanking.  I don’t know if it is related to the string of violent films I have seen or what,.  My field notes from TV on the Radio at Stubb’s say the following: To the girl with the “serenity” tattoo on the back of her neck,  I have all I can do not go go Rainn Wilson on your ass with my bike wrench. [For those of you who don't know, that is a reference to Super.  Watch the trailer.  I am glad a wrote that down.   In reality, I would turn her in to security.  I would tell them that she was a danger to herself and that she was probably on drugs.  Why the passive aggressive approach?  Umm, APD doesn't like brown people.] I think that my surrounding concert mates would have liked to have a go at all the drunkards who felt the need to mosh around to a band that deserves more respect.

Let’s rewind to the start of my day. (more…)