Every year in March, around 30 000 people descend upon the city of Austin – that bastion of cool in the sea that is the state of Texas. The mega-event brings together music, film and tech enthusiasts, and it’s been known to launch careers of bands like the Grammy-nominated Alabama Shakes, and kick off buzz for movies like the critically-acclaimed indie Short Term 12 (a must-see if you haven’t yet). It’s biggest impact is within the tech world, where Southby (as it’s affectionately known) has been the launching pad for Twitter and Foursquare. Disturbingly, this year’s event was marred by a car crash in which a drunken performer who was…
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The 2104 SXSW Diaries
Somewhere along the time and space continuum, it became March 2014 already. So here we are, on the eve of another SXSW adventure. For that really is the only way to describe the next 10 days of tech, film and music events. This year’s line-up spans the serious – virtual discussions with Edward Snowden and Julian Assange about the issues of privacy and freedom of information – to the super fun – Bill Cosby performing to a room of 300 people (try getting into that venue!) and Lena Dunham talking about how one creates an Emmy-nominated hit TV show that’s spawned many an Internet essay. This will be my 3rd…
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SXSW 2013: The Madness Begins
For the second year in a row, I’m at South by Southwest, or as it’s commonly referred to by those who head to Austin every year, “South By.” I like to think I’m prepared for the onslaught of music, film and interactive knowledge that will be spread during these next few days, but I know better. Last year was fantastic, but it was tiring and exhausting too – all that mental stimulation can be overwhelming. But then I remember that I heard Bruce Springsteen talk about his childhood steeped in music, saw Jay-Z perform Empire State of Mind at Austin City Limit and listened to Al Gore converse with Sean…
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SXSW – There’s A Reason They Call Him The Boss
The highlight of this SXSW Festival was announced a few months ago, and it’s the reason I’ve been looking forward to coming to Austin for the event: Bruce Springsteen’s keynote address. It was everything I hoped for and more. The line to get into it was snaking around the convention center 2 hours before he was due to speak, but it was well-worth getting into the auditorium earlier, especially since there was a tribute to the influential singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie who died in the 60s, highlighting the incredible power of his lasting legacy. From Austin’s own Eliza Gilkyson to Jimmy LaFave and Spanish heart-throb Juanes (who sang at Mandela Day…
