Mo SXSW

I don't want to blog about Miss Deaf Teen Texas being hit by a train; or that we killed ten people today to catch Osama's fluffer; or that the media evidently feels it is OK to coach Federal witnesses in a death penalty trial; or that they feel Russ Fiengold is a jerk for wanting to censure a despot who has stolen our liberty, dignity, and humanity. I am sick of all the smirking, irony and cynicism. And yet I come accross this today:

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
Get a good buzz
Bands invade Austin with high hopes of getting noticed

By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

The South by Southwest music conference this year represents rock 'n' roll's version of the circle of life

Over five days, beginning today, 45-minute blasts of music can determine artists' fates and help shape musical tastes for the upcoming year. Some performers are fresh-faced and taking their first big musical steps; others are established veterans looking for another shot.

For most of the roughly 1,400 acts invited to the music conference, SXSW offers the opportunity to grow from an undiscovered regional group into a talked-about national act. Beck, Hanson, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat and TV on the Radio have all gotten boosts from the conference. This year, new names include Arctic Monkeys, coming from the U.K. with a suitcase full of hype, and Australian power trio Wolfmother.

One band, neither old nor new, that hopes to land a long-overdue breakthrough is Brit-pop ensemble Belle & Sebastian. On the just-released album The Life Pursuit, the seven-piece band specializes in twee, dreamy songs that have slowly edged more toward rock 'n' roll. The group will bring this new sound to SXSW for a test-drive.

"This definitely is an unusual gig for us," said vocalist and guitarist Stevie Jackson. "It's all about trying to reach more people. The shows are short, which makes it kind of different. I guess we're just going to fire off a few fast ones."

........

At the SXSW music conference this weekend, careers could be made through just about every downtown doorway. The trick is figuring out where the buzz is loudest.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The problem with the people in the press isn't so much that they are stupid and lazy, which they are, it's that they don't believe in anything real, and are willing to sacrifice nothing. That is why they can't sell newspapers. The above piece, for instance, is simply crap. It is a superb example of infotainment. SXSW is for the enrichment of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and its clients. Besides the tangental comments relating to this below. Texas is now awash with temporarily homeless minstrals, once young and shiney, now wizened and grimey. The "1,400 acts invited" play for free, or worse, go out of pocket.

Of all the statistics discussed by me and others lately, only one stat counts: who has been signed at SXSW since Eddie Brickell and Lisa Loeb? Kids? Bite me.