Photo of the Day: Austin’s Zilker Park Kite Festival

On March 4, Austin’s Zilker Park held the Zilker Park Kite Festival. It was a beautiful day — the sort that made lounging folks enjoying their Saturday want to go fly a kite. Preceding SXSW isn’t an easy task for an event, but the Zilker Park Kite Festival is a staple engrained in Austin culture. The kite festival is the oldest one in the US. It’s a free event that, on top of producing fun, raises funds for the prevention of child abuse. According to the event website, “The 2010 festival benefited the Center for Child Protection, Safeplace, Theater Action Project, Communities in Schools, Family Eldercare, the Dept. of Family and Protective Services, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Boy Scout Troop 10.” Chris Owens is a photographer based out of Austin. He snapped this shot while attending the kite festival in 2011.

A record exec’s guide to South by Southwest (SXSW)

Tens of thousands of hipsters and wannabe hipsters from around the world will be converging on Austin this week for the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film and technology festival, now in its 26th year. What started as a music showcase for some 172, mostly regional, bands in 1987 has gradually expanded into the global colossus that SXSW has become. Last year the festival featured more than 2,000 bands from 58 countries, nearly 20,000 interactive conference participants, and more than 13,000 film conference participants from 38 countries.

SXSW also introduced two new components last year: a fashion expo and an education conference called SXSWedu. But SXSW is still best known as the world’s largest music industry gathering and each year, unknown bands are discovered there while established stars come out of the woodwork to play unadvertised, pop-up shows in small venues. Visiting Austin during SXSW, which begins on March 9 for the film and interactive component and March 13 for the music festival, can be a tribulation, but it’s also an incredible opportunity to hear a staggering variety of emerging and established artists, often in intimate venues.

We talked to Michael Howe, vice president of A&R for the Capitol/Virgin Label Group in Los Angeles, in order to help readers understand what SXSW is all about. (He’s the guy who isn’t Neil Young or Paul McCartney in the photo above.) Howe is responsible for discovering new talent and helping to advance the careers of established groups. He has been attending SXSW every year for more than a decade.

You’ve been going to SXSW for 12 years. It’s no longer just about the music, right?

Right. Now they have a film portion and an interactive portion that precede the music event. I think the interactive element has become the most attended of the bunch.

The SXSW fact sheet from last year says that there were more than 49,000 people at the event. What’s it like to have that many creative types all in the same city at one time?

It’s overwhelming. They close 6th street down and allow only pedestrian traffic on it. The only thing I could compare it to is Mardi Gras. It’s a total, round-the-clock bacchanal, essentially. It’s music from dawn until the following dawn, a 24-hour orgy of music and drinking.

Are there beads and flashers like at Mardi Gras?

I’ve seen some of those hijinks. The whole thing can be obnoxious. I’m there for work, but for the average person who goes there to hear great music and party, it’s a great time. There are thousands of bands there every year. There are bands who play seven to eight times over a thee to four day period, there are shows in the morning, there are shows that begin at 2:30 a.m. The convention has keynote speakers too. Springsteen is giving it this year; Robert Plant did it last year.Can you recommend a few acts that will be performing at SXSW this year?

There’s a band called Wild Belle from Chicago who I think will be among the buzzier bands down there. They’re very good but not yet signed. There’s also a kid called Allen Stone who is very good and attracting a lot of attention. He’s 23 or 24. He’s like a soulful kind of a white Marvin Gaye, with a guitar. I like him a lot. I’d say the other buzz bands to see are Hospitality, FIDLAR, Chasing Kings, Policia, and Lucius to name just a few.

What do you see a lot of during SXSW? Beards, tattoos, what else?

The beard has certainly made a comeback. The authentic, corduroy Laurel Canyon kind of rock vibe with Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver, and a bunch of other artists in that world are very popular. There’s been a fashion movement that has followed them. And of course, there’s still a contingent of tattooed rockers, but there’s also world music, instrumental bands, pretty much anything you want for the taking.

No one wears a suit, do they?

Very few people show up in a suit at SXSW. If you wore one, you’d be part of a very small minority. I wouldn’t want to try it.

And aside from all the musicians and filmmakers, and what not, there are plenty of corporate cool-hunters at this as well, right?

Sure. There are definitely trend spotters there, to be sure. It’s viewed as a place where the coolest of the cool emerges.

Jessica Marati recently wrote about how to score a hotel room in Austin during SXSW. It isn’t easy, is it?

The whole town is usually sold out. The locus of the festival is along the 6th Street corridor downtown and all the hotels within striking distance of that will be sold out months and months in advance, probably by July of the previous year. The festival blocks out a lot of rooms for registered participants of SXSW, so it’s hard for anyone who isn’t registered to get a prime hotel.

Where have you stayed over the years?

I like to stay at the Driskill, which is at 6th and Brazos. There’s a place called the Stephen Austin Intercontinental, which is a block away and is also nice. I’ve stayed at the Omni. I’ve stayed at the Four Seasons. This year, I have to split my stay. I’m staying at the Hyatt, on the other side of the river, for one night and at the Radisson Town Lake because I couldn’t get one room for my whole stay. I booked my airfare in October and all the hotels were already sold out.

Are the hotels gouging people?

They completely gouge you. The W, for instance, is $709 per night.

The walk up rate for a music pass is $750. That’s pretty steep too, isn’t it?

It is. It entitles you to go to the panels and get into all the official SXSW shows. Theoretically, with that badge you can get into anything you want at any time. But there are so many people that if the venue can’t hold more people, they won’t let you in. Sometimes spending the money on the badge, unless you are really strategic about it, doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If every gig has a $10 cover, even if you see 70 gigs, that’s still cheaper.

Will the bouncers deny you entrance even if you’re with a major record label?

Definitely. They don’t care who you are. It’s first come, first served.

There are dozens of venues, any that you like in particular?

La Zona Rosa is decent but off-the-beaten track. Emo’s is pretty good. I also like Antone’s. Generally, Stubb’s has worthwhile stuff. Stubb’s is a large, outdoor venue, the capacity is probably a couple thousand people outside. Emo’s has several rooms, but they probably accommodate 800-1000. Maggie Mae’s is another good one.

Back when you first started attending SXSW, record execs were handing out contracts to pretty much anyone who could carry a tune, is that right?

That still happens, artists and bands go there to be discovered, but it’s turned into more of a network, showcasey-type environment for signed bands who emerge into the public sphere from down there. Up until around 2001 or 2002, the record labels were essentially printing money. There were many, many more deals getting done and the size of the deals were a lot bigger. Companies were taking things off the marketplace to prevent competitors from getting them. It was a completely different climate than it is now.

So what chance does the average band that turns up at SXSW now have to get signed?

If they’re a run-of-the-mill band, their chances aren’t very good. Major labels are signing stuff they can turn into a hit very quickly. If you’re a competent, but unremarkable band it’s very, very unlikely you’ll get a deal at SXSW or anywhere else for that matter.

How many of the bands performing at SXSW are signed versus unsigned acts?

Hard to say because it’s become much easier for bands to release their own records. Any band can have its own label now and have something up on iTunes. When I started, that wasn’t possible. Of the higher profile showcase shows there, almost all of those acts are signed already. But there are usually three or four, at best, buzz bands that come out of SXSW every year that all of the labels, indie or major, are talking about that end up getting signed.

Every night there are also surprise performances. Springsteen is going to play an intimate gig down there this year. I don’t know where, but he will since he’s the keynote speaker. Willy Nelson usually plays a surprise show. Prince shows up every once in a while. The Foo Fighters have played. McCartney, Robert Plant. I could see The Stones showing up. Anything is possible there.

How do people find out about the secret gigs?

Through Twitter, or the SXSW website, or through fan clubs or word of mouth. Catching those kinds of gigs is usually about being in the right place at the right time.

You’ll be there for five days. How many bands will you see?

I’ll probably see between 75-100 bands.

How long do you stay if you’re not into the band? If the first song sounds bad, will you wait to hear what the second song sounds like?

Not down there I won’t. Here in L.A., I would give them a few songs, but at SXSW, you don’t have the luxury of time.

What’s the quickest you’ve ever bailed out of a show for a band you were considering for the label?

Two minutes, probably less for sure. If something has no emotional or artistic resonance or there was no star in the band, nothing drawing me to the music or the band, then I don’t stay.

Have you discovered or signed bands at SXSW over the years?

I have. I signed Cold War Kids when I was with Downtown Records. I signed a guy called Brett Dennen.

It’s always fun to take a look at the SXSW band lineup and see all the great band names. This year, I like Bipolar Gentleman, Peanut Butter Wolf, More or Les, Teenburger, Pimps of Joytime, and Reptile Youth.

Those are good ones. There are some bands that have terrible names that are pretty beholden to them. There are times when I scroll down a list, though, and decide I don’t want to see something based upon their name.

How can people enjoy seeing this many bands in one week?

Bring earplugs. Try to pace yourself. Drink a lot of water. Go back to the hotel and sit in the air conditioning. Read a little bit. Just take some breaks from the music.

Would you recommend people attend the entire festival or just a day or two?

Probably not the whole thing. Go for a day or two. It’s ambitious to stick it out the whole time. By Saturday, you’re shredded. There’s no off-day, so the whole thing is a crush. Thursday and Friday are probably the busiest days though.

Is there an equivalent to this in Europe or other parts of the world?

There’s a festival in the U.K. in Brighton called the Great Escape, which isn’t nearly as well attended but is starting to gain some traction. There’s one in Iceland called Airwaves that tends to draw a good number of Europeans. But SXSW is the premier festival for the music industry. It’s a very international festival.

But most of the international bands sing in English, I assume?

Most but not all. There are Swedish bands who sing in Swedish. And look at Sigur Ros, they sing in their own language, Hopelandic, and they’re popular.

[Photo one supplied by Michael Howe. Photo two of Fleet Foxes via Martijin on Flickr. Photo three of Driskill Hotel via Rutlo on Flickr. Photo four of Cold War Kids by bahoolala on Flickr.]

How to find a last-minute room in Austin for SXSW

Over the past several years, the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film and Interactive Conference & Festival in Austin, Texas, has topped the event calendar for industry insiders, along with anyone eager to discover the Next Big Thing. This year’s festival, which runs from March 9 to 18, promises to be the most intense yet, with hundreds of panels, workshops, concerts and events on the official schedule.

But Austin, it appears, isn’t ready for the visitor boom brought on by the two-week spectacle. In December, organizers announced that SXSW rooms had sold out in local hotels for the Interactive and Film portions of the festival, with three months left before the start of the event. Last minute attendees, in particular, have been scrambling for places to crash.

SXSW organizers have stepped in with an option. In true “interactive” spirit, the SXSW Housing Desk is encouraging individuals who booked a hotel room with two beds to offer their additional bed to a friend or colleague, or swap for a room with a single bed. They’re maintaining a waiting list for people who wish to be informed when a room opens up this way; you can get on it by emailing housing@sxsw.com.

And then, of course, there are the online options. Thousands of enterprising Austin residents are making significant chunks of change by offering their homes, spare rooms, couches, and even air mattresses to desperate attendees. Airbnb reports a 44% increase in Austin host sign-ups since January, and more than 3,000 nights have already been booked. But Airbnb’s Austin listings don’t come cheap; inflation has led to nightly rates of $200 to $2000 per night. A more lo-fi option is Craigslist’s Austin vacation rentals listings, which offer up new places seemingly by the minute and have lower average rates than those found on Airbnb. Or, try issuing a desperate plea on Facebook or Twitter. You’ll certainly have lots of company.

[image by Merrick Ales via SXSW.com]

Austin Marathon: why run a marathon?

The Austin Marathon from The Daily Texan on Vimeo.

The Austin Marathon took over the streets of Austin, Texas this past weekend. Established in 1992, the Austin Marathon began just a few blocks north of the Texas State Capitol. The marathon’s course took runners through several other Austin landmarks, as well. The Colorado River, the downtown area, Hyde Park, UT, and Memorial Stadium were all attractions to be seen during the 2012 race. Kenya‘s Edward Kiptum was this year’s winner. From Kenya to Austin, Texas, Kiptum, who trains in Mexico, came a long way to win a race. But what drives marathon runners to run, let alone run around the world?

%Gallery-148165%What makes a person want to run, for the sake of running? Having been in and out of love affairs with running for years now, I feel as though I might know at least a few common answers to this question. But I’m not a marathon runner. I deeply respect marathon runners and on some level, I casually aspire to be one, but I know casual aspirations won’t help to get me through a marathon, or even marathon training. Cities across the globe host marathons each year and devoted runners traverse the world to participate in these scattered races. A long run will, no doubt, expose a runner to the landscape of respective host cities. I see the appeal in that, in fact, this is one of the reasons why I’m tempted to think seriously about training for a marathon. Getting to know a location on foot is intimate; it’s a foundation for long-lasting travel memories. But as for what drives people from every background to suck it up and run 26.2 miles as quickly and efficiently as he or she can–it varies.

George Mallory, an explorer who died climbing Mount Everest, once cited his motivation for climbing with a simple response: “Because it’s there”. Perhaps a response like this is what it boils down to for many runners. A marathon is a challenge and finishing a marathon is an accomplishment that commands respect. To do it just to do it seems reason enough to me, for those who feel a pull toward marathon running.

The drive to push the body beyond perceived limits is not only a reason to run in and of itself, but the endorphin high experienced by any person pushing their body’s limits lasts well beyond the pushing. Whether a person is climbing Mount Everest, running a marathon, or even perfecting fast-moving guitar scales with their left hand, we receive an innate gratification when we reap the rewards of hard, physical labor. Runners, in particular, experience ‘Runner’s High‘.

In the case of marathon running, pushing limits or rewarding surges of endorphins are only the beginning when discussing motive. Although often disputed because of the wear and tear experienced by some marathon runners, long distance running, when practiced properly, can yield remarkable health benefits. Runners regularly confess to physical, mental, and emotional improvements at the hand of their running. Running can be used to lose weight, fight depression, stabilize moods, and even gain a more confident self-perception, among other things. Aside from all of this, long distance running is an engaging hobby, devotional lifestyle, and, if a runner is really into it, a great excuse to travel the world.

Have you ever run a marathon? Do you run regularly? Have you ever traveled to run in a race? Tell us about your running and related travel experiences in the comment section below.

Abandoned Austin: photos of neglected structures in the city of Austin

Life might sway to a slower beat in the South, but, compared to other cities in the United States, Austin, Texas‘ growth over the span of the last decade or so hasn’t been slow at all. Steady job growth and population growth have worked together in Austin to create a sort of surreal union between urbanity and rurality. A succinct but steadfast downtown area in Austin is only a couple of miles away from artists’ communities developing on the outskirts of town. These communities are budding and blossoming a short bike ride away from the city’s center, but these communities, like East Austin, are still rural enough that you’ll find chickens roaming the streets and newly-converted living and work spaces being created from has-been barns. This is usually the way these things work.

Artists seeking more affordable housing in New York sought Brooklyn and found homes in vacant factories–vacant anything, really. With dilapidating real estate, supply often meets demand in communities that are attractive for one reason or another to creative thinkers–innovators. It takes a visionary to see the worthwhile in what’s been neglected, and Austin seems to have plenty of visionaries. Upon close inspection, Austin’s framework is still falling apart at the seams in some places. It’s a safe bet that these abandoned and broken-down buildings will be renovated or replaced in due time, but for now, during an economic shift like the one taking place is Austin, these boarded up buildings belonging to abandoned Austin represent the transition of a city to me.

%Gallery-145676%Austin is no abandoned city, but the bygone buildings in Austin are all that much more interesting because of this. Some of the most notorious neglected buildings in Austin are, as summarized in an article in the Austin Chronicle: The Cabin, The Walls, The House, The Restaurant, The Tracks, The Kiln, The Athletic Club, The Rock, Robertson Hill, The Hog Farm, and The Dog Park. The Riverside Dog Park‘s abandoned house on the hill is the only one I visited for this piece, and that’s because I frequent this dog park regularly as it is and was interested in taking a closer look at the house, which has always only been an object barely noticeable in my periphery while socializing my dogs.

Other abandoned Austin buildings have stuck out to me since moving to Austin. The old train station that sits next to the current Amtrak station, for instance. Smaller buildings, like homes, that are beautiful in that way that only a run-down structure can be always catch my eye–particularly since there are so many of them in my neighborhood, East Austin. When I went out to shoot for this piece, I posted a status on my personal Facebook page that read:

“Out photographing abandoned Austin. If you know of a cool abandoned building in Austin, tell me where it is.”

One of my friends commented:

“There are abandoned buildings in this town?”

And I thought that was telling. With all of the boom and business hitting Austin, it seems people are quick to overlook the lack thereof in some areas. It’s easy to overlook, primarily because there really aren’t that many abandoned or otherwise neglected properties in Austin. Thanks to Austin’s increasing popularity and good reputation, people have been flocking to the city for years now and swiping up run-down buildings and making them new. Few remain untouched and that is exactly why I wanted to capture them while I still can. It’s a beautiful thing that Austin is doing so well, that these buildings likely won’t stay neglected for long–and I say that despite that fact that I aesthetically like something about dying structures. I gathered these photos not as a showcase of all of the neglected buildings in Austin, but as a photo diary depicting the abandoned buildings I encounter in my daily life here in Austin. Take a look at these buildings–they won’t be unoccupied for long.