[SXSW 2014] South by Southwest 2014 Retrospective
South by Southwest has always held a special candle in my heart. Were it not for my inaugural trip to Austin in 2012, I wouldn't be where I'm at right now, both personally and professionally. Going into SXSW every year, I always find myself filled with a level of excitement I never get when covering other festivals, whether they're film or music-related, and this year was no different. With…
[SXSW Interview] John Karna and Dan Beers (Premature)
Dan Beers' (FCU: Fact Checkers Unit) feature-length directorial debut, Premature, put a spin on the typical raunchy high school sex comedy. Equal parts Groundhog Day and American Pie, the comedy was about a high school Senior having to re-live the most important day of his life until he ultimately gets it right. If a misstep is taken, all he needs to do to escape is a trigger in the form of…
[SXSW Interview] Hannah Marshall and Hugh Sullivan (The Infinite Man)
The Infinite Man was one of the first films I watched as part of this year's SXSW, jumpstarting my film experience for 2014 on a very high note. The Australian film, which you can read more about in detail in my review, is about one inventor's scheme to salvage a romantic weekend after his thorough plans fall apart. Of course, when time travel is involved, things can get a little out of…
[SXSW Interview] Cheers Elephant, SXSW Veterans
Photography by Andrew Zeiter
Watch Cheers Elephant for even a fraction of a sogn and you can tell they've been doing this for awhile. The majority of the upbeat, indie rock from Los Angeles by way of Philadelphia has been playing together since grade school, plenty of time to get to know one another and smooth out the rough spots in any performance piece. Unlike most somewhat-traditional four…
[SXSW Interview] The Tontons, Well on Their Way
Photography by Andrew Zeiter
Back in November I was in Austin for a different festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, where I first met Asli Omar and the guys from The Tontons. At the time, the four piece blues-y rock group from Houston was riding a wave of publicity en route to their breakthrough project, Make Out King and Other Love Stories, a harrowing 11-song project that puts forward the young band's…
[SXSW Interview] Bishop Nehru Embodies ‘The Twenty Year Loop’
Photography by Asia Ashley
For the length of my career covering music, one theory has always stayed planted firmly in the back of my mind. Explained to me in one of my first interviews, with 9th Wonder in 2009, the 'Twenty Year Loop' has shaped much of the way I have consumed and understood music, culture and art since. The idea is somewhat simple, that every two decades, themes, aesthetics…
[SXSW Interview] The Radkey Brothers Are Bringing Punk Back
Photography by Ra Ra Photography
By the time I had gotten to The Hangar on 4th and Colorado, SXSW had begun to weigh on me. In what is easily evident from the journals throughout the week, this year's South By was filled a bit more to the brim with corporate positioning and exclusive shows than actually enjoying new, fresh music on the cusp. These three brothers from St. Joseph, Missouri,…
[SXSW Review] Space Station 76
Space Station 76
Director: Jack Plotnick
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 9, 2014 (SXSW)
In Space Station 76's alternate universe, space travel was already established and a common thing by the 1970s. Of course, despite advancements in technology, the same problems that plague us still exist: frosty interactions with others, identity crises, and just general human drama. Space Station…