South by Southwest Festival

The 10 Dumbest Things Overheard at SXSW This Year

For every insightful conversation I have heard or had at SXSW over the years, whether it was talking to Matt Pinfield while walking the streets of Austin talking about David Bowie, or telling The Clash's Mick Jones that he was in fact, in The Clash, I have overheard a thousand awful ones. Years of ... More >>

EPIC: The 20 Most Overused Terms In SXSW Band Bios

Before I take any trip to Austin and SXSW, I always take more than a few days to peruse the schedule and check out a few of the hundreds of names on the roster and read their bios. Some years there are more bands with "wolf" and "space" in their monikers than usual, and some years there are random ... More >>

10 Music Films at SXSW That You Don't Wanna Miss

Well, it's SXSW time again, friends, and you know what that means: dashing around Austin all day, drinking until our eyebrows fall out and doing our best to stick to pre-planned schedules intended to maximize the amount of live music that we can cram into our ear canals before passing out on the flo ... More >>

Locals Grandfather Child, Le$, Tontons, Killa Kyleon Added to SXSW 2013 Roster

Houston acts Grandfather Child, The Tontons, DJ Buddha, Beat King, Hoodstar Chantz, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Killa Kyleon, Branzil, Le$, Lucky Luciano, and Essay were among the artists added to the SXSW 2013 lineup today. Previously announced were Young Von and The Linus Pauling Quartet. As it stands now, ... More >>

SXSW: Echoes Of Festivals Past In A Vastly Different Landscape

The most telling, most poignant comment about SXSW 2012 came on Twitter. Texas Monthly music writer Jason Cohen tweeted something to the effect that watching the band with the current No. 1 song in the country -- in this case Brooklyn's fun., who plays Warehouse Live tomorrow and whose "We Are Young ... More >>

SXSW: Why Are We Here?

That headline is not any kind of existential plaint; Rocks Off was legitimately curious. We know why we're at SXSW - it's our job. But it's a broad, broad spectrum between those of us doing some kind of business here this week and the hordes of people in Austin purely to party. So, because we are s ... More >>

SXSW: World's Youngest DJ, BabyChino, On Sixth Street

When I was nine years old, I was taping Nirvana and Soundgarden songs off the radio from a tiny boombox and learning to pee at a urinal without pulling my pants down to my ankles, but DJ BabyChino is gigging around the world. I caught him on Friday night close to midnight on Sixth Street at Status, ... More >>

Top 5 Local Acts We'd Like To See Playing SXSW

Neighboring Houston is already providing a wealth of talent to Austin's SXSW this year, but so many other acts are flying under the radar that we think deserve that extra buzz, or maybe they just couldn't make it for various reasons. Point is, we would have liked to just have the option to see cert ... More >>

SXSW: The Niceguys & ADD Have A Ball, And Throw Some Too

It's easy to tell the Niceguys really like each other. The three MCs and one DJ seemed to be Houston's more buzzed-about bands coming into the festival. Besides their spot on the SXSW Next Stage at the Austin Convention Center Wednesday afternoon, they were one of three Houston SXSW acts (with Grand ... More >>

Alert: SXSW Coverage Ahead -- 50 Cent And Much More

"What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area." -- Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive You don't have to spend much time at South By Southwest to know that all of the above building ... More >>

Not Cool, Nerds: Company Turns Homeless into Hotspots

There is a scene in the movie Scrooged where the family representing Bob Cratchit's impoverished clan in the Dickens classic, being too poor to afford a Christmas tree, decorate the Tiny Tim character with lights and turn them on as he stands there with a sad look on his face. The family struggles n ... More >>

Kevin McStravick Will Listen To Every SXSW Artist This Year... Why?

Kevin McStravick has vowed to listen to every act performing at SXSW this year - more than 2,000 artists, by our last count - and review them all for his Web site. Yes, you read that correctly. Each and every one. You can track McStravick's progress at operationeveryband.com. Rocks Off emailed him ... More >>

Female Demand: Fearsome Predator In Local-Music Bestiary

Each week, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. A dream from the other night: This ... More >>

Counting Crows Headlining SXSW? Seriously?

Rocks Off has long since made our peace with the massive inconvenience SXSW can be. Even after our recent medical difficulties, we're even looking forward to going next month. We had a good time last year, mostly because we finally got to see OMD and Men Without Hats live. The bucket list got a litt ... More >>

SXSW 2011: Videos and Photos Galore

What the @#$% happened last night? A City Pages SXSW recap of 3/17 from MPLS.TV on Vimeo. Want to experience SXSW 2011 but have a short attention span? Then check out the above video compiled by our sister paper City Pages which features several big-name performers plus highlight footage from the V ... More >>

SXSW Last Night: LL Cool J Knocks Out Red Bull Thre3style

Marco Torres​The largest party of this year's SXSW included eight world-renowned DJ's, one legendary hip-hop group, a rap pioneer, and more than 10,000 screaming fans who took over a entire city block of Austin's Warehouse District Saturday night. Fueled by Red Bull and love of the turntable ... More >>

SXSW Tour Diary: The Nice Guys

The Nice GuysThe Nice Guys at Cream Vintage.​Rocks Off is asking a handful of Houston artists to write about their experiences performing at SXSW. Day 1 of SXSW went pretty well, we got on the road to ATX at about 9 a.m. The moment we arrived in Austin we were busy, went straight to the conve ... More >>

SXSW Live Pics Last Night: B L A C K I E

Craig Hlavaty​We started our SXSW Wednesday night by supporting Houston's own B L A C K I E at underground venue Barcelona, where he scared unaware college gals and converted a slew of SXSW badgeholders.

SXSW: The Best Things Come In Small Packages

Brittanie SheyThe Vandelles​If we'd been playing SXSW bingo yesterday, Rocks Off would have scored multiple squares for animal hats and "more badges than clothing." We spied a guy in a Borat swimsuit (sooo 2007, brah) and had the pleasure/pain of riding our bike behind Leslie Cochran wannabe w ... More >>

Super Happy Fun Land's SXSW Overflow Fest In Full Swing

myspace.com/jankanabaySierra Leone's Janka Nabay plays Super Happy Fun Land's SXSW Overflow Fest Monday night.​Not everyone has the capital to attend South by Southwest this year, but that doesn't mean that you won't have the opportunity to hear some of the greatest bands in the world in the c ... More >>

2011 South By Southwest Supplement

Buxton takes its bump to the roots-rock big leagues in stride.

App of the Week: Lanyrd

Now, if someone would just create something to cover the shows too.​App: Lanyrd Platforms: All Smart Phones Web site: Lanyrd.com Cost: Free Most weeks, this space is filled with information about an app you can get for iPhone or Android. This week is slightly different because Lanyrd is n ... More >>

Wu-Tang, Fishbone, Trae Top Village Voice/Frank 151 SXSW Party

Marco TorresMethod Man returns to Texas to smoke our SXSW party this year.​We finally have the full lineup for the 2011 Village Voice Media/Frank 151 SXSW party, and it's a doozy. Heading up the bill are Staten Island Shao-Lin spitters the Wu Tang clan, still coasting on their late 2010 reunio ... More >>

Surprise... Houston Is Sending Some People To SXSW

​In the past couple of weeks, Rocks Off's already-groaning email inbox has begun sagging even further with pings from random Australian bands looking for "coverage" for their SXSW appearances - we recommend a geography lesson, mates - and the usual onslaught of press releases on behalf of arti ... More >>

Beyonce Baby Rumors Freeze Internet; Allen Oldies Band Wows New York Times; Justin Bieber, Future Bull Rider

​ This ROCK SOLID SOURCE claims Beyoncé is preggo. Uh huh. However, it's being re-reported by publications like the New York Post and The Daily Swarm... so maybe it's legit? Speaking of rock solid sources, the Allen Oldies Band got a nice little write-up in this New York Times SXSW recap: "L ... More >>

The Year SXSW Film Broke

At 17, you were going through a lot changes too.

Yes, We Are Sick Of SXSW Too, But We Did Find (And Shoot) These Videos...

Bun B x Motion Family x SXSW from Motion Family on Vimeo. Bun B wrecks it at SXSW; video by Motion Family As the dust settles from SXSW 2010, we began scouring YouTube for clips of some of our favorite performances. We managed to capture a handful on our own, but the internet video site is awash wi ... More >>

A Few Possible Cures For Rocks Off's Acute "Can't Stay Home" Syndrome

Lev Kuperman/ myspace.com/viaaudio​ Monday night, an obviously delirious Rocks Off found ourselves upstairs at the Mink's Backroom instead of where we should have been, home in bed asleep. We enjoyed high-energy/lo-fi trio Vivian Girls, but at this point we are starting to realize we may have a pr ... More >>

SXSW: Dios And The Black Angels Warm Up A Frigid Saturday Night

Photos by Craig HlavatyDios​ Saturday night was a frigid one for the last full night of SXSW, and Aftermath's musical choices seemed to fall directly in line with the torrid temperament of the weather gods. The night before we found ourselves dabbing sweat of our brows, and exactly 24 hours later ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Get In The Groove

South by Scorsese: The festival in a single 6th St. tracking shot. Video by Craig Hlavaty It didn't take long for Aftermath to remember you don't have to look very hard at all for music at SXSW; in fact, we were barely even awake when it happened. After arriving in Austin late, late Thursday night, ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: Here's To The Most Accessible, Personable Festival In Years

Katharine ShilcuttAt SXSW, everywhere is a venue, including the back alley where we came across these ladies Thursday afternoon.​SXSW is a festival that tries to beat you down like the drip-drip of acid on the blink-blink of an eyeball, and more times than not it succeeds. But if you're able to co ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: Alex Chilton Haunts A Festival Full Of His Musical Children

Dan OkoThe line for the Black Keys outside the Mohawk Saturday afternoon... we have no idea about the pinata truck, either​ After the mega-shows last SXSW with Metallica and Kanye West, the 2010 version of SXSW launched struck your humble badgeholder as busier than last year, just on a smaller ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: A Night Of Ecstatic Peace, White Mice And Courtney Love Singing The Blues

Photos by Craig HlavatyBlack Helicopter​Rocks Off Jr.'s fourth night of SXSW frolicking starting off groggily as we woke from a well-needed nap after what has seemed like a month now pounding the pavements of Austin, seeking out new music from club to club like soldiers kicking in doors in Iraq lo ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: Freelance Whales And Local Natives Shine At French Kiss Records' Showcase

Photos by Brandon K. HernsbergerFreelance Whales​For as long as French Kiss Records has put on a showcase at SXSW, French Kiss Records has not dissapointed. The bands in their stable are a who's who of up and comers along with a number of indie mainstays that have remained in the public conscious ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: Partying With Andrew WK > Sleep

Photos by Craig Hlavaty​Rocks Off stayed out past curfew (last call at the bars) to make our way to the Pure Volume party, just a few all too short hours ago. Headliner Andrew WK riled up the already drunken, burrito-fueled crowd with his staunchly pro-party anthems until way past 4 a.m. and right ... More >>

Aftermath: SXSW Begins With A Bang, And A Blade, At Motörhead

Photos by Craig Hlavaty​ It wasn't a SXSW-sanctioned show, but for Motörhead, Aftermath will spare the formalities. Last night at Stubb's in Austin, the prolific and iconic punk-metal-biker-doom band turned in a concrete gig to unofficially open SXSW 2010 with a decidedly hellish bang. Aftermath ... More >>

South Bayou: Where And When Houston Artists Are Playing In Austin This Week

​Monday afternoon, when Rocks Off was scouring our email, MySpace, Facebook and various other Web sites for the following information, this thought occurred to us more than once: "Why are we wasting our time telling Houstonians where to go see people during SXSW who they can see practically anytim ... More >>

News On The March, White Stripes, Guitar Shorty - Rocks Off Will Be At Cactus Music All Saturday Afternoon

Just when Rocks Off was wondering how we were going to spend one of our last work-free days before SXSW, Cactus Music's weekly email circular showed up in our inbox. So now we know: We're going to be watching music. Shocker, huh? So much for laundry and shit. Here's what's going down: News on the M ... More >>

Still Not Sold On SXSW? How About Smokey Robinson, High On Fire, She & Him, Band Of Horses, Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick, Anya Marina, Black Angels, Major Lazer...

Today the organizers of the SXSW Music Festival announced their showcase schedule for the music portion of the industry fest starting on March 17. This is the news Rocks Off has been looking for, so let's get it on. We are now one month away from Sixth Street and one of the world's biggest conglome ... More >>

There's A Bomb At SXSW, MacGruber!!!!

The South by Southwest Film Festival has firmed up its lineup, and it includes a film by artiste Michael Gondry and....MacGruber.There is a lot of hatred out there for the Saturday Night Live MacGruber sketches, but we have to admit we like them. Mostly because they come in small doses, not in 90 ... More >>

SXSW Adds Wild Moccasins, Roky Moon & BOLT, White Stripes' Northern Lights Doc

This week Rocks Off is pleased to announce that Houston pop kids Wild Moccasins will be playing the Houston Press' SXSW showcase. So you guys can now mark the Moccs down as another local band set to bear down on Austin in March. We will have the names of the other performers coming by next week or ... More >>

More SXSW Speculation: Perhaps a Visit from the Plastic Ono Band?

​We haven't even passed MLK Day, and already Rocks Off is spinning our collective wheels about SXSW. Hell, we haven't even covered RodeoHouston, and we have already begun talking about where we are going to crash every morning at dawn. Rocks Off would like to admit that even on the way home from A ... More >>

Not to Stoke the SXSW '10 Rumor Mill at All, But Might Pavement and Soundgarden Show Up?

Well here it goes, the year's first official blog entry about South by Southwest 2010. Yes, we know that it doesn't start until March 17, but the hype machines have already been running since the fall and rumors have been getting stoked since before Austin City Limits in October. So let's get this ... More >>

White Lies

Balaclavas, Future Blondes

Westheimer Block Party Preview: Updates from Woozyhelmet, Hell City Kings, Gold Sounds, Heptic Skeptic and More

Woozyhelmet: "Woozyhelmet is one word. We've been spreading the love of our new album, Get Down, for the last several months and are working on a follow-up EP that will only feature Brandi singing with the working title "Crop Brandi Out." It may end up being a 7" on Soda Pop Sounds. Jay recentl ... More >>

Westheimer Block Party Preview: Updates from Elaine Greer, Bolt, Linus Pauling Quartet, Future Blondes and More

The second in Rocks Off's series of self-penned updates from bands playing Saturday's Westheimer Block Party. If this also applies to you, please send yours to chris.gray@houstonpress.com. Elaine Greer: "I have been working on my first-ever EP, which is set to be released in May, and am playing ... More >>

Top Five SXSW Performances

Chris Gray Black Joe Lewis and a couple of HoneybearsWell, thank God that's over. SXSW 09 is history now, so before we completely block it out of our mind for another 11 months, here's Rocks Off's top five reasons it was worth going to after all. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women: ... More >>

SXSW: Echo & the Bunnymen at Stubb's

Photos by Chris GrayBy Friday afternoon, SXSW fatigue has taken hold. You're walking a little slower, less inclined to whip out the notebook to jot down every little observation - Rocks Off has seen many journos just typing notes into their BlackBerries, a trend that both intrigues and dismays him - ... More >>

SXSW Snapshots: Strange Days Indeed

Beelzebun's: All Hell's About to Break Loose! Photos by Chris GrayThis guy hasn't slept in days.