South by Southwest Festival

The Stooges Cover Madonna and Other Assorted Goodies

Southern Exposure

South by Southwest chooses an eclectic Denver lineup.

South By So What

Unknown bands can't expect much from SXSW, just ask the Czars' Chris Pearson.

Backwash

We remember the Alamo, but South by Southwest is now a blissful blur.

Denver bands announced for SXSW

While it's still a bit early, the official list of Denver acts invited to play SXSW seems pretty narrow. Given the extraordinary talent we have here, we're guessing that the number of artists who submitted this year is down and that this is really more of a reflection of the economy -- bands weighin ... More >>

Backwash

Fear of a hip planet? Austin swarms with the übercool during SXSW.

The Westword.com blog shortcut, February 19 edition

Join us, won't you? Today in Backbeat Online: • Dialed in: local music on the radio. • Update: Lineup for Mile-Hi Fidelity day party at SXSW confirmed. • Holding on by letting go, part one. Today in Cafe Society: • Ted's Montana Grill offers a "real deal." • Today's bite of Cafe Bites. ... More >>

The Beatdown

Scenes from SXSW

The Beatdown

Get out of Denver, baby, go!

Enjoy 1,200 free songs, courtesy of SXSW

If you can't make it to Austin's fabled South by Southwest event this year (and who can? I can't even afford the gas it would take to drive there, much less the other expenses), here's something to ease the pain -- 1,267 songs from various SXSW artists, absolutely free of charge. That's enough musi ... More >>

The Beatdown

The Golden Triangle was really golden during the Westword Music Showcase.

How to cope with SXSW withdrawal

All right, I'll admit it. I'm all kinds of bummed out. Not only am I feeling like two crates of ass specially flown in from Assville right now thanks to some stupid throat/sinus/ear infection, but I'm reeling from reading all the South By Southwest coverage from my colleagues (including a fairly mid ... More >>

Meese SXSW tour diary

Saturday March 21 - Day 4: So here we are. Our last day in Austin. Going to try and take it easy today, seeing as how we have to drive to L.A. tonight, but I'm sure we'll still get into some trouble. We've got a show at 9 p.m. tonight at Maggie Mae's rooftop, and it's our official SXSW showcase show ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, March 20 edition

Photo by JensenThe 3Oh!3 fans in Texas know how to throw signs, too. It seems so unfair that I've been stuck inside all day... Today in Backbeat Online: • 3OH!3 SXSW tour diary by Kam from Chain Gang of 1974. • Epilogues SXSW tour diary. • Overcasters SXSW tour diary. • How to cope with SX ... More >>

The Photo Atlas live at SXSW 2009

The Epilogues gentlemen shot some video of the slackers (yes, slackers! dudes were supposed to keep a tour diary but ended up flaking and passing off the task to the Epilogues) in the Photo Atlas performing at SXSW. From the looks/sounds of it, the guys were in pretty decent form. Check out the vi ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Why, ma'am, what a lovely paper dress

Our weekend started Thursday, with a bizarre made-from-paper fashion show, and continued through Saturday night with a not-at-all-bizarre parade of drunk people at the downtown Lodo's. In between we looked longingly at photos sent from our colleagues in Austin for South by Southwest. See pictures ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, March 23 edition

The Photo Atlas live in Texas. March forward. Today in Backbeat Online: • The Photo Atlas live at SXSW 2009. • Overcasters SXSW tour diary. • Epilogues SXSW tour diary. • Aloft in the Sundry SXSW tour diary. • Meese SXSW tour diary. Today in Cafe Society: • Appleman's cooking in Bould ... More >>

SXSW 2008 Preview

The Photo Atlas live in Texas. March forward. Today in Backbeat Online: • The Photo Atlas live at SXSW 2009. • Overcasters SXSW tour diary. • Epilogues SXSW tour diary. • Aloft in the Sundry SXSW tour diary. • Meese SXSW tour diary. Today in Cafe Society: • Appleman's cooking in Bould ... More >>

Feedback

The Photo Atlas live in Texas. March forward. Today in Backbeat Online: • The Photo Atlas live at SXSW 2009. • Overcasters SXSW tour diary. • Epilogues SXSW tour diary. • Aloft in the Sundry SXSW tour diary. • Meese SXSW tour diary. Today in Cafe Society: • Appleman's cooking in Bould ... More >>

Sight Seeing

SXSW was a real eyeful -- and earful.

On the Download

Free music, yours for the taking.

SXSW 2007 Preview

Texas Toast

Editors Note

The latest British import is learning how to handle the hype.

Goin' South

Denver bands make tracks to Austin.

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Source Tags & Codes (Interscope)

Bang to Hype

At SXSW, it's all about the buzz, not the Buzz Band.

Feedback

At SXSW, it's all about the buzz, not the Buzz Band.

Let It Ride

Silver Scooter glides down a familiar path but sounds good doing it.

Feedback

Silver Scooter glides down a familiar path but sounds good doing it.

Feedback

Silver Scooter glides down a familiar path but sounds good doing it.

Hearsay bits: DJ Chonz available for your sweet 16, Overcasters and A Shoreline Dream lineup changes and more

​Sixteen Candles: Are you about to turn sixteen, or do you know somebody who is? Then pay close attention to this next item: Evidently, the one and only KS-107.5 drive time mixmaster extraordinaire DJ Chonz is willing to get behind the decks for you or your loved one's sweet 16 bash. You read that ... More >>

Moving Pictures: A first look at A Shoreline Dream's "Manhattan Beach" video

Playing like a vivid dream sequence in which the members of A Shoreline Dream gently lull you to sleep, the act's new video for "Manhattan Beach" looks precisely what you'd expect it to look like just based upon hearing the band's dreamy compositions. Extreme close-ups of the members faces and t ... More >>

Moving Pictures: First look at Hideous Men's "Dreamscene"

Experimental noise/pop outfit Hideous Men (read our recent Q&A with the band) are moving at a furious rate. In their first month of existence they toured with Pictureplane. They're playing at SXSW next month. And now they've got an utterly bizarre video to accompany their thoroughly freaky music. It ... More >>

Candy Claws' plan for SXSW: pack plastic sea creatures, stream shows live

candyclaws.blogspot.com​ Fort Collins' strangest, savviest band are only one of many representing locally at SXSW. However, they continue to demonstrate their ability to stand out from the pack, which is a skill we're sure they'll find particularly handy in Austin. The duo posted the merch ... More >>

Busting beers at home and in Austin: Over the Weekend

​Another Monday. Ugh. Not sure if reliving the weekend will make it better or worse, but we don't have much of a choice, do we? So, without further ado, some shit that happened between last Friday and now: • Kate Levy threw down at the Wrangler's Sunday Beer Bust. • Kiernan Maletsky shoo ... More >>

South By Southwest 2011: Candy Claws, DeVotchKa and Slim Cessna tapped to perform

​ Ah, here we are again, a new year. You know what that means? Yep. Time to start the South By Southwest countdown. The first bands have been announced, and although there will likely be a bazillion more announced, so far of the groups announced three local bands have received official invita ... More >>

Village Voice Media and Frank 151 throw down at SxSW with Wu-Tang Clan and Yelawolf

​WU-hah! If you're going to SXSW this year, be sure to mark Thursday, March 17 on your calendar with a big fat red circle. Austin Music Hall is the place to be from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. for our annual Village Voice Showdown, being co-produced by Frank 151. This year, Wu-Tang Clan is headlining the ... More >>

The Uncertain Sea is certain about purple

​Purple: Perhaps the least popular color in the Crayola box next to taupe and coral. Save for fans of Prince, the Minnesota Vikings, the Fluid and Grimace, it's not exactly the most enticing color in the world. Amazingly, however, the Uncertain Sea has combined purple with a sort of sea green ... More >>

SXSW Tip Sheet: Colorado bands

​Purple: Perhaps the least popular color in the Crayola box next to taupe and coral. Save for fans of Prince, the Minnesota Vikings, the Fluid and Grimace, it's not exactly the most enticing color in the world. Amazingly, however, the Uncertain Sea has combined purple with a sort of sea green ... More >>

Help feed Illegal Pete's Starving Artist on their way to South By Southwest this week

​We're big fans of Illegal Pete's Starving Artist series. It's a great service for hungry bands in town or on tour, and it happens to be one of the more innovative marketing ideas we've seen in a while. That said, it's not always easy to dig up the ambition to head downtown to catch the series ... More >>

The five weirdest products at the SXSW Interactive trade show

Somehow, this guy will pay you to eat at restaurants.​Tight jeans and awesome hair have replaced the cargo shorts (and jorts) of Austin's 6th Street by now, as SXSW Interactive 2011 is in the books and SXSW Music gets rolling. The SXSW Trade Show -- which didn't open its doors until Monday, th ... More >>

SXSW Travelogue: The Photo Atlas checks in

Brian Frederick​ Thursday, March 17 And it begins ... 4 a.m. we arrive in Austin, Texas, at Casa de Epilogues greeted by hugs and cases of Upslope, after an amazing day of riding rollercoasters and playing three sets at Six Flags-Dallas and an awesome run of shows with the Epilogues, which i ... More >>

SXSW Travelogue: Ballin' on a budget with Backbeat's own Brian Frederick

Brian Frederick​ Thursday, March 17 From the outside looking in, South By Southwest -- at least to those who haven't experienced it yet -- might seem like an event that only those who can afford to flip for the nearly $800 badges get to enjoy. Not so much. There's a ton of unofficial shows a ... More >>

SXSW Travelogue: Air Dubai engages in water gun fight and plays its first showcase

​ Saturday, March 19 (or Friday, March 18 -- since the night just isn't over) Let me first start today's travelogue by saying how amazing a time it has been here in Texas. It's 4 a.m. currently (technically, still the night of Friday the 18th, but whatev), and I am writing from our hotel roo ... More >>

SXSW Travelogue: Wheelchair Sports Camp named among Top 25 essential hip-hop acts to catch by Boston Phoenix

Photo Roadies​ Saturday, March 19 Good morning -- or should I say afternoon? -- from the beautiful city of Austin! SXSW has gotten crazier by the day, and the day has come for Wheelchair Sports Camp to tear the roof off of Austin at the legendary Red 7 venue! We were cited as one of the top ... More >>

Foster the People

Wednesday, March 30, Walnut Room, 303-292-0529.

Welcome to Spring Break in Denver: A week of shows with Sara Century and Tom Murphy

Hot on the heels of SXSW and in the midst of spring break, Sara Century and Tom Murphy hit us up with the idea of sending them out on the town for a week of shows and then reporting back to us what they saw/heard, with Sara drawing all of the pretty pictures and Tom stringing all the words together. ... More >>

Spring Break in Denver: Days 2-4 of a week of shows with Sara Century and Tom Murphy

​Hot on the heels of SXSW and in the midst of spring break, we sent Sara Century and Tom Murphy on the town for a week of shows and had them report back what they saw/heard, with Sara drawing all of the pretty pictures and Tom stringing all the words together. Click through for the next three ... More >>

The Coathangers

Saturday, July 30, the Mercury Café, 303-294-9258.

Andrew W.K. in Denver at Bluebird on 3/20

Aaron ThackerayDon't miss the photos from our day in the life of Andrew W.K. at the Warped Tour in 2010.​Grab your party shoes, kids. Andrew W.K. is coming back to Denver. In honor of the ten year anniversary of I Get Wet (hands up if you can believe it's already been a decade since dude first ... More >>