Our 30 Favorite Photos from SXSW 2010

his Orchestra gets honorary slot #31 because we like the band so darned much

While the photos on this post are all by David Price, he’s in Vegas this week, so all the text here is simply an …

Editor’s Note: Our photographer, David Price, dealt with inconsistent lighting, security that weren’t all on the same page, a lack of photo pits, and plenty of cameras in his face to take over 10,000 photos at SXSW. And then I went and boiled them all down here to 30 favorites. There’s other photos in individual posts, and we’ll be drawing from other ones as we continue our coverage as well.  Inside, you’ll find several shots of the most photogenic guy at SXSW this year, Pink Eyes of Fucked Up, including one with our managing editor Dakin Hardwick. It’s not the most well-lit shot in the world, and it’s not particularly newsworthy, but we like it. And that’s how I picked these 30 photos. Because we like them. Continue reading “Our 30 Favorite Photos from SXSW 2010”

Gordon Answers Your SXSW 2010 Questions

I have the set-list napkin Eddie Argos is holding here. I've tucked it into a copy of Booster Gold, no joke. (All photos on this post from my iPhone unless noted)

This year at South By Southwest Music, I lost my voice and my glasses, drank tons of free booze, walked for miles, collected paper wristbands, failed at my attempt at seeing a house party show, and saw a whopping 2.6% of all showcasing acts! (Remember, even an inspired effort will get you, at most, 6% of the acts, so when you see a Top 10 list, it’s working off of a small sample.)

In keeping with the tradition I started last year, I will now answer your important questions about SXSW Music 2010.

1. Who did I see playing on the street four different times?
2. Which Canadian band was my big Wednesday afternoon surprise?
3. What band got a $100 tip in their guitar case?
4. Who tested the stage to make sure it was OK to jump up and down on it?
5. Who took way too long to set up, but then made it worthwhile?
6. Of all the bands that “killed it,” which one killed it most often?
7. Who’s gonna make me skip Hot Chip?
8. What band should have said its name more often so I’d know to miss them in the future?
9. Which act seemed to appreciate my personal enjoyment of them more than any other?
10. Who made 50 people at a 1000-person venue feel like a packed house?
11. Which act finally made me lose my voice for good?
12. What was the best totally improvised, organized-on-the-fly event? Continue reading “Gordon Answers Your SXSW 2010 Questions”

Gordon Answers Your SXSW 2009 Questions

Dead Sexy Inc bring the rock and roll to SXSW 2009
Dead Sexy Inc bring the rock and roll to SXSW 2009

I sat down to make a top 5 list of my favorite musical moments from South By Southwest 2009, but as I started putting it together, I thought I’d rather just give my comments in each of a few different categories. Read ahead to see:

  1. Which band had the best choreography?
  2. What was the most average performance that suggested a great album?
  3. What band is most likely to cause an indie music nerd pit to break out?
  4. Who was my biggest surprise of the festival?
  5. What band clearly got tired of playing shows and seeing me at them?
  6. What act caused my fanboy drool reflex to start?
  7. Which band needs the most practice to go from interesting to awesome?
  8. Who caused a crowd to go from standoffish to dancing madly?
  9. Which show that I tried to attend got visited by the fuzz?

Continue reading “Gordon Answers Your SXSW 2009 Questions”