SXSW 2010 Recap

Posted on by lhl

Better late than never!

Fav sessions from Interactive include:

“No Line” rule was in full effect during Interactive and served me well. The Drake, Ginger Man, and the Hilton were great post-party hangouts. A special shoutout for Datapop 2010 on the last night. Just tons of fun.

Now onto the Music…

  • Best Pre SXSW Music music – as mentioned above, Datapop 2010. A great chiptunes lineup, and the best crowd at SXSW:
  • Wished I caught them a second time – Washed Out
  • Best Showcase – Central Presbyterian Church on Wed night – I caught Balmorhea, and then skipped out on Zoe Keating and Volodja Balzalorsky, but dropped back in for Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka, which was amazing. All in all, a huge change of pace and a great way to ease into SXSWm.
  • Criminally Empty – I caught the last of Sole set after Shearwater – granted, it was a busy Saturday night, way too much stuff going on, but only a like a dozen people showing up for Sole? Too bad, was a great set.
  • Hey I remember that band, cool – Little Brazil – I discovered them a couple years ago and was a big fan – a throwback indie/emo sound that was both super familiar, yet… actually good. When I saw they were playing, I had to catch them, and I was glad I did
  • Came through in the clutch – Estelle – I swung by for one reason only, to hear American Boy live. I asked at the door (a good habit) how late they were running and they said only a few minutes, but I started getting antsy as time dragged on – there’s always that sunk cost/can I get to another venue in time conundrum – in the end, they ran almost 30 minutes late w/ the soundcheck. I was in a pretty bad mood when Estelle finally came on… but surprise! She was a lot of fun and a great performer. Knowing how late they were running, would I have gone elsewhere? Probably. But at the same time, it was worth my while.
  • Longest Walk – this is a tie I think between trying to catch Seabear at Cafe Mundi (seriously far) – who ended up not playing at the time I thought they would be and was a bit of a cold windy bust, and catching Quantic spin a set at Malverde, which totally rocked.
  • Biggest Disappointment – Sleigh Bells – now mind you, I didn’t actually really hear them. The disappointment was that I tried to catch them twice – one at an impossibly long line at the NPR day show, and the second time at the Fader Fort – I rolled there just a few minutes too late – there was no line for the badge line, but they closed the venue as I was literally <20ft away walking up to the gate. Doh!
  • Best Random Day Show Act Discovery – I caught a bit of Body Language, who were fun and new to me, but I think passing by Lovejoy’s and hearing the Deleted Scenes playing at a DC day show was my best random discovery – I would have stayed and caught more than a song (apparently, some ex-Q and Not U guys played right after) but I was meeting up w/ a friend elsewhere.
  • Best Act I caught at SXSW – Nneka – caught her at the Day Stage and was just blown away, and went and caught bits of her and her band at Cedar St, and The Parish after. Good stuff.

Oh, the bonus “Best of” for this SXSWm was the SXXpress pass – basically SXSW’s equivalent of a Disneyland Fastpass. The caveat is that you have to try to drag yourself up and to the convention center at 10am. Still, I definitely approve.

Overall, I had tons of fun and let’s be honest, I’ll be back again next year.