Has Phil Tripp signed off on this article?

''US roadkill'' is a good name for a band

''US roadkill'' is a good name for the Aussie BBQ.

zing!

''US roadkill'' is a good name for the Aussie BBQ.

HAHA! Indeed.That line-up is an embarrassment.

Spod, who attended SxSW in 2007, but isn’t making a return visit this year, says the 20-hour trek to Austin was well worth it – even Tex Perkins got to see him play.

He spent $15K and flew 20 hrs for that outcome?

a good juxx is PRICELESS

Max Juxxx is worth any price!

$6K? What's Lucy Phelan suggesting you spend this money on?

I can't really see why bands would bother with SXSW. A band like Naked On The Vague would be able to generate international interest no matter what, because (OMG) they're actually good and would impress labels and crowds anyway. The Drones are internationally well recognised already, so why they would bother playing this event is anyone's guess, unless they're there to lend the Australian showcase some credibility. An Horse already have strong OS connections via their friends Tegan And Sara - again, they don't need to sell themselves. And the Australian pop acts unfortunately don't really stand a chance. The Oz acts Americans think are hot shit at the moment are Cut Copy and The Presets, not Gabrielle Cilmi.

To quote from this week's Age EG:

Cutting through in LA

Melbourne's Cut Copy created havoc last week at the beginning of a two-night stand in Los Angeles, reports Andrew Murfett from Los Angeles, where he's en route to the South By South West (SXSW) music conference in Austin, Texas. The band was scheduled to play two nights at the Henry Fonda Theatre, however, on the first night, the LA Fire Department shut down the gig due to overcrowding. A decision was made to move the next night's show to the much-larger Club Nokia. In a review the next day, the Los Angeles Times called Cut Copy ''the most formidable Australian export since INXS''.

Drones tastiest at BBQ

The infamous Stagemothers Aussie BBQ, a staple of SXSW, came to LA this week. A crowd of Australian tourists, expats and curious locals enjoyed an afternoon of true blue music. Celebs Andrew G, the Veronicas and Holly Vallance brought the glamour, while Stagemothers brought the meat (and vegie burgers) and boutique brewer Baron, the ales. The Drones appeared to be the big attraction; the crowd fluctuated all day but was at its peak for the Melbourne quartet's set. Others to impress were Boat People and Red Riders.

I got an email to tell me that this rather well balanced article (with the somewhat predictable negative reaction from those who have either never been or don't have a clue) was up. So, laying in bed on a Sunday morning at the Radisson after 11 days of SxSW (we had a stand for the Film and Interactive Festivals too which my two interns Jessica and Marieke ran) I thought I'd respond. It won't be the response you want, but at least Craig will know I vetted the article (just joking).

Since I took over SxSW in 2002, the numbers of bands playing here from OZ & NZ has risen from 5 to over 40 (there were over 70 invited of which this number eventually played. The registrants from these two companies have gone from 20 in 2002 (of which 12 were comps) to over 220 this year (of which eight were comped as media or speakers.

From no stand in 2002, this year we had a Film, Interactive (with $20,000 in Screen Australia and DFAT support) and Music (with Sounds Australia investment), a six hour BBQ that Mary and Glenn do with no commercial imperative that gathered a huge crowd as well as an all day party of Australian bands at the Sounds Australia shindig which included a networking breakfast. And then there was the series of lunchtime concerts at Whole Foods Market for the third year.

The NZ mob had a stand as well for the sixth year also government and industry sponsored and had an equally strong delegation of attendees as last year. So did the Australians with greater interactive and film participation. We had seven Australian film makers come over to present their works, three of whom have already scored major deals.

And my third territory, Hawaii, had a major stand in both Film & IA and Music trade fairs as well as five artists showcasing here who did exceptional business with us taking over a restaurant for live shows on three nights and also the Whole Foods Market for two nights. All this with a combined industry and government investment of $50,000 for the first time.

Those bands who succeed here are the hardworking ones who make the investment in money and time to take a risk and make a plunge in the deep end. It's hard, competitive and daunting, but I'm proud as an Australian to see great new young artists cast away the naysaying of their do-little industry mates predicting failure and take it on. In my seven years, no one has asked for a refund. But we get a lot of requests for free tickets and a helluva lot of ambush marketing bands who go over without an official showcase and play side gigs. Some succeed, most fail. The bands that fail to get traction are usually the ones that have unrealistic expectations, don't do the research and contact networking ahead of time, have little business sense, lack finance and budget skills or are hopelessly inept at advancing their careers. They may have talent that got them the slot, but can lack the crucial planning, long term strategy and business partners necessary to get them above the noise.

I'm not ashamed of this 1000% increase in bands and bods over seven years. If this is failure, please bring it on. If this is unfair, why do we not hear bands whining and gnashing their teeth after coming back and instead hear the moaning here of people who have never gone as professionals, maybe as punters but not really with any vision.

Oh well, that was ten minutes of typing well spent. I think I'll try to rouse Murfett out of bed and grab some queso eggs and amble down to the Gospel breakfast at Threadgills and off to the softball game.

Well now that the showcases have closed and the streets are swept, the bands that scored well on the music biz front--based on media coverage and industry friends) are Temper Trap, Boat People ( I saw them and liked them), Dappled Cities, the Grates again, Birds of Tokyo, The Fumes, Josh Pyke, An Horse, The Drones, Gabriella Cilmi and Kara Grainger. Even though not an official showcaser, Guy Sebastian surprised all with his delivery and his presence at this crucial event with his manager and Sony backing will pay off well.

I'm interested in your criteria for failure, Phil. If I'm not completely mistaken, some of Australia's most revered acts, such as You Am I, even after putting on awesome showcases, failed to ''get traction'' in the US as a result of appearing at SXSW. Are you saying they had unrealistic goals and expectations?

Unfortunately, in the case of You Am I, alcohol played a more visible set than the band did when they were here. They're a great band but they have been their own worst enemies when it comes to alcohol and attitude. Those who were interested in their music, saw their act and ultimately failed to see the reason to invest in a troubled band.

Hmmm.... not having been there myself, I can't disprove your assessment of You Am I's performance at SXSW (was it 2007?), but I also know that they I have been trying to break into the American market for a long long time (I saw them play to 15 people at CBGB's in 1996), so you can't really put it down to a lack of dedication.

What I'm getting at is that most of the acts that do well at SXSW are already building their own networks anyway, so is it fair to represent an appearance at this showcase as an inroad into an already overcrowded industry?

There are many roads, trails, paths and superhighways into this industry, SxSW is only one of them, albeit with a 23 year history. There's no fast track. Any act from day one needs to look at export as its main revenue stream and start building networks from day two. The ones that succeed DO. And historically, they do it well.

Gotta get that queso eggs breakfast before they run out, so I'm running out the door.

I'm still yet to hear of any act discovered or signed purely because of SXSW. SXSW seems to help if included as part of a wider US tour or if you already have label or agency interest and that's a convenient place for your rep to see you.

However (on the Friday, for instance), your night will be competing with Devo, Dinosaur Jr, Future of the Left, Tricky, Lady Sovereign, Silver Apples, Black Lips, King Khan, Crystal Antlers, Japanther, Gallows, Radio 4, Hold Steady, Jon Langford, Mr Lif, Okkervil River, Cursive, White Denim, Micah P. Hinson, The Queers, Kylesa, The Woggles, The Chesterfield Kings, The Tallest Man On Earth, New York Dolls, Obits, DJ Shadow, Silversun Pickups etc (and they're just a sample of the bands I've heard of). They're the bigger names and, to be honest, they are the bands people will actively go to see. Even if you play six shows during the week there's no promise of interest.

It's a punters dream, though - so many bands to see. I've not been to SXSW for work (have been to similar conferences in the past) but would maybe go as a punter.

Enjoy! I could go some egg breakfast myself right now.

x-post!

wonder how my disco went.

Yeah, I'd like to hear about that as well, anon. Could have gone either way.

Andrew Mast liked 'em, but he's probably seen them many times before.

...''inspiration enough to see what fellow Melburnians My Disco could do to this Texfest. Intense as ever, the unassuming-looking but unforgivingly-intense musicians wound up the Soho Lounge with a barrage of rib-crushing tones. It must have been good as one of uber-hip heavies Atreyu sidled up to ask who was playing and gave them the thumbs-up.''

only review i've read so far was positive, but it sounds like someone who at least knows of them.

did they play the ''official'' aus things, or just roll into town for some shows as yet another stop in yet another us/europe tour as is there want?

I think even complete failure at SXSW would be a victory for My Disco. Here's a band that just does what it does, with no concession to popularity.

that was the one, didn't catch the byline, was laughing at another blog that had them hailing from canada and being hard house (people shouldn't take myspace genres as gospel methinks)

They're playing four shows at SXSW that I know of all with different, compatible bands and not just the other Aussies. They do have a huge tour though and would have fans and contacts in most of those cities.

I wonder what Mr Tripp thought of them.

The Grates were 'discovered' at SXSW.

The A & R dude who runs Cherry Tree (an offshoot of Interscope) saw them, loved them and signed them.

Good things do happen from SXSW.

Bwahahaha!

Oh, x-bwahaha.

So, The Grates are big internationally? I'm not being facetious, I just haven't kept up with their career.

The Grates already had their album out when they first played SXSW, didn't they? Being a fairly popular album here, isn't it fair to say it may have been licensed for the US anyway?

No, I'm pretty sure this is before The Grates had their first album out anywhere. But they were already signed here and managed by Powderfinger's manager.

SXSW can be a waste of time and money, or it can be successful and productive.

It depends on what you're expecting, your preparation, your music, how much you kiss Phil Tripp and Bob Lefsetz's arses....I've developed a strong allergy against music industry people and scenesters, so I'll probably get ill when I go there again. Austin does have a few amazing skateparks though.

You are planning to go there, timewaster?

I think The Grates first went in 2005 after the EP. They're on their third SXSW now, aren't they? Why bother?

When I was over there in '04 I saw bands called Valis and Some Action (as well as a bunch more famous). Me namechecking these two won't get 'em signed, but at least now you have read their names and may store that information away for future reference.

Also I got a promo CD (along with about a squillion others) that introduced me to the wonderful world of Mike Galaxy Presents, pretty close to powerpop nirvana - I've spread a song off that to at least a dozen friends/associates, some who ARE 'real' industry. I am but a small cog and not in much of a position to make anyone a star single handed (at present anyway) but nothing is entirely wasted, even if you can't see any immediate response.

It's a less expensive undertaking for U.S. bands though.

Valis? You've got to love a band that names itself after a Philip K Dick novel :)

Shugga! A lot has happened between coffee and queso eggs. I'll try to answer questions.

Though there are a lot of great bands that punters want to see, there is limited capacity in many clubs so they end up going elsewhere. Metallica Friday night had a limit of 6000 which was the biggest. Yep, there are a lot of fine artists including those who want to reinvigorate their careers, but there are a vast number of choices for the adventurous.

Acts discovered or signed.. try Wolfmother and John Butler Trio for starters, but there are a lot who get agents, managers, lawyers, catch the ears of promoters for festivals and as always, the 1000 media that attend. It's not always about getting a record deal, matter of fact, that's the least productive deal you can get these days.

Don't know how My Disco went yet. We'll find out a lot more in the next couple of weeks and remember, there's still another Stage Mothers gig in NYC to go.

The Grates did break from here according to their Aussie label which hadn't had a deal here before they played. The label has a habit of putting forward their artists. Though Powderfinger didn't get interest through their management company (aligned with the label) because it was too similar to other stuff, they have done what they could including getting James Mathison to go along this year to work with the woman who's in the band on Nova.

In regards to kissing my rather large rear territory, it does bands no good because I have deliberately NOT been involved in choosing artists, being on the 'committee' or otherwise applying my old useless ears to music of younger people. And my mate Lefsetz is abou as averse to being pimped directly as can be. He is very anti hype and has nothing to do with the talent scouting of SxSW. He refers to SxSW as a clusterfuck, which for some people who are into circle jerking, it can be. But for others willing to do the hard yards., make excellent submissions EARLY like August 1 and follow through, it can open a lot of doors.

Re The Grates third time here. Look at JBT, the first year was solely to get an agent, he already had a manager. The second year was timed with the release of the OZ album which went #1 the week before he played and which got the labels in the house and bidding. After being signed to Jason Flom's Lava, the third year he was presented by the label to garner media attention using the performance and his national tour as the printer. I think you'll see a parallel with the Grates once this is over.

I'm sure you'll get a chuckle out of this

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/sxsw-2009-blog-day-three-200961

Frankie - and here's me thinking it was a suitcase! ;)

Imagined being marooned on a desert island with Bob Lefsetz, Phil Tripp and Neil Wedd.

The burgers! The extra-serves of burgers! The anecdotes about the good old days! The discussions about major label doom, Paul McCartney's back-catalogue and Bruce Springsteen's scrotum!

apt name, is that your best shot?

It's not a shot. It's a joke.

By the way, I like Bob Lefsetz. I always read his columns about skiing, The Eagles and his boyfriend Irving Azoff.

I like the postings from you and Neil too. You're like the grumpy old men on the Muppets.

obviously you have an affection for kids tv

back on topic, you might find this of interest from the local paper

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2009/03/0322sxsw.htmlRumors ring true this year
Big names - Metallica, Kanye, Jane's Addiction - join unknowns at Austin's annual musical party.
By Michael Corcoran
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Sunday, March 22, 2009

It was the year the rumors came true, validating South by Southwest as not only a grass-roots venue for careers to start — and restart — but also as a media-centric festival where the big go to get bigger.

Stadium rockers Metallica performed Friday at Stubb's (collecting the same $250 fee from SXSW as upstart acts) to draw attention to next week's release of the ''Guitar Hero: Metallica'' video game. With fans surrounding the 2,100 capacity amphitheater and listening from the roofs of parking garages, the showcase was the worst-kept secret since the one, long ago let out of the bag, that fans don't need to buy badges or wristbands to see and hear music round-the-clock.

Jane's Addiction used the worldwide media glare of the festival to roll out its original lineup for its first concert in 17 years at the Playboy/C3-presented Rock the Rabbit after-hours party that ended at 5 a.m. Friday.

Superstar rapper Kanye West, meanwhile, kicked off his ''surprise'' set Saturday night at the Levi's/Fader Fort on East Fifth Street with ''Amazing.''

Veterans of SXSW, which officially ends today with the traditional softball game, know that there are two distinct energy spike moments during the festival. There's Wednesday afternoon, when the music portion, featuring 1,900 acts from 53 countries, kicks off with a ''1-2-3-4!''

Then there's Saturday night, the last gasp, when all the complaints of exhaustion, endless bands, nightmare traffic and exorbitant parking charges disappear in a mad rush to drink every drop of the night.

It's when Austin makes its ''live music capital of the world'' slogan seem downright modest, as the rumble of bass and drums, the air-slicing guitars, the screeching voices and hip-hop stomp have been nonstop for days.

''This festival has gotten so huge, so over the top,'' said Nick Miller of Chicago's Jam Productions. ''The logistics of just getting around have gotten a lot harder. But it's still a great place to get a lot of work done.''

In a study commissioned by SXSW last year, the economic impact that the music, film and interactive conferences have on Austin was figured at about $103 million every March.

The music business is in disarray because of free Internet downloading. Keynote speaker Quincy Jones told a packed Austin Convention Center ballroom Thursday, ''We must think of a way to save this precious business. I'm open to any ideas.''

But the mood at SXSW, which has grown into the world's largest music conference in its 23 years, was celebratory more than cautionary.

Although paid music conference registrations were down about 10 percent this year, attendance at the companion interactive and film conferences made up for it.

SXSW Director Roland Swenson said this is the first year that the combined number of registrants for interactive and film surpassed music badge-wearers.

But there was no noticeable letdown in the exuberant chaos this party brings to Austin.

Among the up-and-coming acts making the biggest splash at SXSW were Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear, Glasvegas from Scotland, stylish urban/alternative act Jonelle Monae and '80s-styled rocker Ladyhawke.

Established acts such as Tori Amos, Devo, Indigo Girls, Third Eye Blind, the Proclaimers and even the Oak Ridge Boys also played in an effort to get buzz back on their side.

''Everybody's been waiting for the end of the world since fall, but this is a respite from all that,'' Swenson said. ''The vibe has been really positive, and things have been going pretty smooth so far.''

SXSW is where the industry goes to recharge itself by falling in love with live music again.

It's a party like none other, which sometimes gets out of hand. A member of California-based band Iglu & Hartly was arrested and charged with assaulting a security guard during a naked scuffle at 2:45 a.m. Thursday at the sixth-floor piano lounge of the Hilton Garden Inn downtown.

But considering the crowded streets and clubs, police and fire department incidents were rare as of Saturday afternoon.

The fire marshal issued seven citations for overcrowding during the first three nights of SXSW Music and shut down a party at the Co-Lab in East Austin on Wednesday for not having the proper permits, Assistant Fire Chief Don Smith said.

''Considering that there are 300 venues (84 which are official SXSW), the level of compliance has been really good,'' said Smith, noting that the Co-Lab's Eastside Escape party was back the next day after getting the paperwork in order.

Long lines snaked for blocks outside some of the hipper daytime parties, including TV foodie Rachael Ray's mojito shindig Saturday afternoon at Maggie Mae's featuring the New York Dolls. But crowds for the nighttime showcases, which have a combined occupancy ceiling of nearly 50,000, seemed more manageable than in recent years.

With just about every available space of the downtown entertainment district in use, the music festival has expanded in recent years to East Austin, once the neighborhood that SXSW forgot. A former Safeway location just across Interstate 35 at East 12th Street housed not only the Playboy/C3 soiree but a Saturday late-night party hosted by celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton.

The glitzy star power and unrelenting corporate sponsorships of the new SXSW had many who have been coming to Austin in March for years question whether the fest has lost its way.

''It's probably the most commercial event in the country next to NASCAR,'' said Bay Area publicist Marshall Lamm, who was a freshman at the University of Texas in 1989, when SXSW was in its third year. ''The reality of the music biz is that you need sponsorship money to make something like this happen, but I never thought I'd see Miller Lite girls at South by Southwest.''

But, then, who ever thought that an iconic metal band that sells out stadiums worldwide would join the roster of bands just hoping to get written up in music blogs?

Tori Amos AND the Indigo Girls both played at SXSW? Imagine the huge crowd of moody lesbians!

New York Times has some good coverage of it also.

There are a bunch of links here'

http://www.themusic.com.au/imm.php?s=guest

Strong International Presence At SXSW
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/world/news/e3i30940ed405b2e18488e10eab81fa43b2
From The Hollywood Reporter

Music World Gathers To Hear And Be Heard
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20090323_Music_world_gathers_to_hear_and_be_heard.html
From Philadelphia Inquirer

Stoking Careers In Frenzy Of South By Southwest
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/arts/music/23sxsw.html
From NYTimes.com

Cilmi Leads Aussie Brigade At SXSW In US
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/03/22/Cilmi_leads_Aussie_brigade_at_SXSW_in_US
From LiveNews.com.au

Marketing As Backbeat At Indie Music Festival
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/arts/music/23spon.html
From NYTimes.com

Local Boys Make Noise In Texas
http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/music/local-boys-make-noise-in-texas/2009/03/20/1237526325857.html
From The Age

Chasing The American Dream
http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/music/chasing-the-american-dream/2009/03/20/1237526322163.html
From The Age

Gabriella Cilmi To Perform At South By Southwest In US
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25219875-5012974,00.html
From The Herald Sun

Are The SXSW Day Parties Better Than The Night Shows Now?
http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/03/sxsw-day-partie.html
From Entertainment Weekly

A Full House For Bands And Fans At SXSW
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/arts/music/21sxsw.html
From The New York Times

Indie Labels Talk Survival At South By Southwest
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-fi-cotown-indiemusic20-2009mar20,0,4195530.story?track=rss
From Los Angeles Times

Forgotten Festival Thrives
http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/film/forgotten-festival-thrives/2009/03/19/1237054960570.html
From TheAge.com.au

Quincy's Windy (And Uplifting) Keynote
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2009/03/19/quincys_windy_and_uplifting_ke.html
From Austin360.com

Music Fans Turn Out To See Quincy Jones At SXSW
http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/031909kvue_sxsw_quincy-cb.4fb529fb.html
From Kvue.com

SXSW Day 1 report: Celebrating Weirdness With St. Vincent
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/03/sxsw-day-1.html
From LATimes.com

SXSW Music Shifts Focus To The Biz: 'Everything You've Heard, It's Probably Worse'
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/03/sxsw-music-shif.html
From LATimes.com

South By Southwest's Global Warming
http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/xl/2009/03/0319xlcover.html
From Austin360.com

Optimism Abounds At SXSW Despite Economy
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_en_mu/music_sxsw_preview
From Yahoo News

Elwood Jeans Makes Aussie BBQ Possible
http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=7853
From Undercover.com

Emerging Bands Scrounge Up Cash, Flock To Texas Music Festival
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-sxsw17-2009mar17,0,3647177.story
From LATimes.com

Rocking Up To Texas Without A Dime
http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/music/rocking-up-to-texas-without-a-dime/2009/03/16/1237054735752.html
From TheAge.com.au

It Came From Down Under - Aussie Films Swarm SXSW 09
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:753956
From The Austin Chronicle

SXSW Festival Gears Up For Another Strong Year
http://www.austin360.com/events/content/events/stories/2009/03/0315sxsweconomy.html
From Austin360.com

South By Southwest Festival Appears To Be Playing Above The Economic Static
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/71426-south-by-southwest-festival-appears-to-be-playing-above-the-economic-/
From Popmatters.com

Lions And Tigers And Bears, Beware: Nine New Band-Name Trends On The Rise At SXSW
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/03/lions-and-tigers-and-bears-beware-nine-band-name-trends-on-the-rise-at-sxsw.html
From PasteMagazine.com

Industry Profile--Brent Grulke--Creative Director of SxSW
http://www.celebrityaccess.com/members/profile.html?id=450&PHPSESSID=kjksgl1mdulh2vhp4mocnlpoj2
From CelebrityAccess.com

Aussie Bands Head To SXSW Festival
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=129110
From TheWest.com.au

This Year's Free SXSW Music Flood
http://www.macworld.com/article/139221/2009/03/sxsw2009freemusic.html
From Macworld.com

And for those of you who are doubters of actual results from SxSW, read the following with some history of NZ bands

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/music/news/article.cfm?c_id=264&objectid=10563488

it's just so much money when one is really not very wealthy..but it would be amazing.