Stubb's serves up more than hot barbecue. This week, the South by Southwest festival will once again test the tourist capacity of Austin, Texas. From its humble beginnings as the Austin Battle of the Bands in 1987, this music, art, and emerging technology exposition has since grown into Austin's biggest money maker, beating out the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Texas Longhorn home games. This year, bands like Holy F**k and A Place to Bury Strangers will shock and awe audiences with noisemakers they undoubtedly built themselves out of old alarm clocks, home stereos, and tube amps. Wednesday night, college rock legends R.E.M. murmured their fabled reconstructions of life's rich pageant at Stubb's Bar-B-Q -- and to the world outside via a live webcast from NPR.org. In addition to the core music and film festivals, SXSW Interactive attracts web and software developers from around the world to discuss innovations in social media that not only introduce weird people to each other, but also make possible the independent, free, and mass distribution of film and music online. This might be why indie, unusual, alternative, and experimental music finds such a ginormous audience waiting for it at the SXSW's music festival -- a network of 68 venues spread throughout "The Live Music Capital of the World's" scenic downtown, along the breezy banks of the Colorado River. Suggested Sites... South by Southwest (SXSW) - official site of the festival, featuring band line-ups, keynote speaker schedule, pictures, audio and video coverage, and pretty much everything else you'd need to know to attend. SXSW 2008 Concert Webcasts - NPR.org - too broke to attend? (We are, too!) Don't fret, you can watch live shows, thanks to NPR, WXPN, The Current, KEXP, and KUT. IMEEM's Ultimate Guide to SXSW - listen (for free) to a few songs by nearly every artist performing at South by Southwest by clicking on the Day by Day playlists. SXSW Coverage - AustinChronicle.com - complete coverage of South by Southwest from Austin's alternative weekly. SXSW 2008 Web Award Winners - winners of the 11th Annual South by Southwest Web Awards.

Directory categories: South by Southwest (SXSW), Indie Music, Austin, TX, Entertainment and Arts, Alternative Rock and Pop, Experimental Music

Archived under: Events, Festivals, Film Festivals, Internet, Music, South by Southwest, Technology, Texas

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