HWTS does SXSW 2008 - Stacy Schwartz audio diary from Austin at SXSW Music on 3/11/08

By: Stacy Schwartz
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  For the fifth year in a row HowWasTheShow.com again provides coverage of the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX with an independent local angle. In past years Kate Galloway, Mark Mallman, Steve Cohen and Neil Olstad have all contributed famously to our extensive personalized coverage.  This year, HowWasTheShow Photo Editor Stacy Schwartz heads  south to host a series of "almost l...

61st Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod at Royal International Pavilion on 7/13/07

By: David de Young
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As part of my ongoing quest to attend as many of the world’s music festivals as possible, this year I made a detour west after the mud and rock of the Roskilde Festival in Denmark to attend the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales.  It was fitting that on my fifth trip to the region I finally attend the festival.  I’d missed it time and again through lack of understanding as much as lack of information, actually catching it on the telly once or t...

SXSW Day Four: Neil on 3/17/07

By: Neil Olstad
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The Rosebuds - Photo by Neil Olstad Due to the fact that Stacy and I stay up until 5 a.m. blogging, we haven’t been waking up until around 1 p.m. out here. It isn’t THAT terrible of a time to wake up, but with parties kicking off at noon, a small portion of my schedule has already been over by the time we get into town. SXSW requires a sharp ability to adapt. Sometimes you don’t get into town unt...

SXSW Day Four: Stacy on 3/17/07

By: Stacy Schwartz
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Asobi Seksu - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom 1:15pm: Wake up. Really. It’s been a looonnnggg three days/nights so far and the rest is needed.  2:00pm: Rain, our cabbie, picks us up for the last time at the hotel. His son is with him and is very sweet. It’s also St. Patty’s Day today. I have my green shamrock t-shirt on. I don’t know what to expect as far a...

SXSW Day Three: Neil on 3/16/07

By: Neil Olstad
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Oxford Collapse - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom Let me start today by stating that Austin is not big enough for the waves of humanity that flood the city during the second weekend in March every year. People have been commenting for years that there is not enough room in town for this conference anymore, and I tend to agree. When every hotel in a town the size of Austin is full, you have an issue. I don’t think...

SXSW Day Three: Stacy on 3/16/07

By: Stacy Schwartz
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Liitle Man - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom Today is my day of woe. There was much missed opportunity served up with a side dish of crankiness. You’ll see... 12:30pm: Wake up. Yes, just waking up. It’s so nice to not have to work or go to classes. If I had to I’d be in such trouble. Instead I hit live music all day/night and ...

HWTS Does SXSW on 3/15/07

By: Neil Olstad, Stacy Schwartz
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It's that time of year again.  The time when hipsters, band managers, publicity companies, radio DJs, writers, and—oh yeah, bands flock to Texas in search of new friends, new fans and new opportunities.  HowWasTheShow.com is proud to be providing day-by-day coverage of one of the biggest musical events of the year, Austin's South by Southwest, brought to you by contributor Neil Olstad and writer and photographer Stacy Sandstrom.  To whet our pallettes, HWTS writer Jen Pa...

Minnesota Does SXSW: An Interview Series on 3/15/07

By: Jen Paulson
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It's that time again. Time for the lucky few to go to South by Southwest, and time for the rest of us to stay home and wish we were at South by Southwest. While this is indeed an industry event, a chance to meet people and make connections, my Sherlock Holmes-like powers of deduction make it quite clear that it is all about the free food, live music and parties. Sounds like the lifeblood of a good time if you ask me. Some of the Twin Cities finest are making the sojourn to the Lone Star state...

SXSW Day Two: Neil on 3/15/07

By: Neil Olstad
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Okkervil River - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom We awoke today to a warm but not hot, sunny day in Austin. Better weather could simply not be asked for on such a wonderful day as today. Today on our way into town, our quirky apache Indian cabbie “Rain” went from telling us about his girlfriend’s lung cancer to why he sleeps with other women in less than 90 seconds. It doesn’t get much better than...

SXSW Day Two: Stacy on 3/15/07

By: Stacy Schwartz
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Lindsey Kimball of 89.3 The Current, Nomad Pub booker Matt Perkins and HWTS's Neil Olstad - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom I am so tired. So, so tired. Not hungover tired. Just a horse dragged me town the street by my ankles tired. But because I hope this is interesting, I’ll tell you what I did today. 11:45am:  Woke up, ate a granola bar, got ready for Rain to pick us up in the hippie-ca...