Critics Picks:
Arts & Entertainment

Best Bang for Your Buck on One Radio Frequency

KOOP/KVRX, 91.7FM With 91.7FM, you not only get a diversity of programming, you get a diversity of stations. Since a nasty court battle ordered the two stations to share the same frequency, the two new kids on the radio have been getting along wonderfully and complementing (and complimenting) each other well -- the cooperatively run community station (KOOP) during the day and the UT student station (KVRX) at night. Both have similar missions -- wildly divergent programming that has a little something for everyone. KOOP has world music, weird music, several great roots- and Latino-oriented music shows, and public affairs programming that features the true left. The station's programmer slots are open to the public, so anyone has a shot at being a deejay. KVRX similarly romps through a mix of alterna-rock (the real thing, not the corporate pseudo-alternative), with dashes of poetry, speaker-busting metal, psychotic hillbilly music, and a different view of the university than what Dollar Bill Cunningham probably wants you to see.

Best Bang for Your Buck on One Radio Frequency: KOOP/KVRX, 91.7FM photograph by Laura Skelding

Best Transformation From Sauna to Sonic

Austin Music Hall A few months ago, we could have retitled the category "Next Best Thing to Barton Springs Without Getting Wet." The AMH would have deserved this hands down. Along with the recent addition of the Chicago House, the AMH also just installed a killer A/C system, the likes of which make even the prospect of a hip-hop show in August worth considering. 208 Nueces, 263-4146

Best Unidentified Film Encounter

in*situ Screenings This hard-to-pronounce collective of filmmakers and videographers have made it their mission to bring experimental film works out of obscurity and into a light of their own creation, often inviting musical ensembles to compose and perform original scores as accompaniment. Aside from recent programs of rarely screened films by Bruce Connor, Chris Marker, the Lumiére brothers, and Stan Brakhage, in*situ encourages a kind of local guerrilla filmmaking by regularly soliciting Super-8 projects with a central theme to compile and screen for the phenomena-hungry public. 322-2063

Best Movie Theatre Up for Anything

Dobie Theater There's only one movie theatre in town that plays regular host to risky-at-the-box-office independents and still has the energy and enthusiasm to stand in as a SXSW Film Festival venue, entertain the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival, and make space and time available for screenings of local and student works. They even let the Austin Film Society visit for weeks on end to present events like the Film Noir: Masters of Shadow series, and the Tarantino Film Fest, during which visiting director Quentin Tarantino spent 10 days screening a whole load of his favorite (and very oddball) films. Now that's a good sport. 2021 Guadalupe, 472-3456

Best Charles Whitman Impression/Unintentional Publicity Stunt

Wannabe Sniper Outside SXSW Screening The 1996 SXSW Film Festival presented plenty of possible hits, but not any as weird or as painful as this one. Before one of the late-night screenings at the Dobie, some disgruntled citizen with an identity crisis took to the 21st St./Guadalupe area with a BB gun. Who ended up one of the victims? Screenwriter Stephen Grant, in town with the movie, The Delicate Art of the Rifle, a fictional film based on the infamous 1966 UT Tower shooting. In fact, Grant actually played the Whitman-esque character in the film as well. We're glad he wasn't seriously hurt, but the coincidence is killing us.

Best Local TV Music Special

Austin Women of Jazz, Austin Music Network Local singer Pam Hart put this group of lovely jazz divas together to perform last October, Mike Emery directed, and AMN's producer Ingrid Weigand got the show on the air. Frequent airings generated lots of positive response for AMN and helped create a higher profile for the artists. Hart is hard at work on the next Women of Jazz performances in October and April and we eagerly anticipate seeing the new show in the flesh and on the tube.Austin Music Network, Channel 15, 499-1800

Best Damn Danceclub DJ

Herb at Proteus Oh yeah, like that's ever gonna change. Sure, brother, sure. We may not make it to the revamped Proteus as much as we'd like, but it's still head and strut-your-stuff shoulders above the rest, right Sliver Cyberslut? Correct us if we're wrong, klubkid, but this is what we like to call "the shit," balls-out, tribal/futurehouse/triphop, Ecstasy burning from the inside, with Herb behind it all, the Master, every second, every beat, every tongue-kiss, toe-twist, spangle-rip, in and out. Yummy like you'd never believe. Bonus points for pumping it out to the kids on the corner who catch every phunky, phat beat and recycle them on the street corner curbside for the bewildered benefit of the bourgeois passersby. Harthouse toughlove. Herb rocks, in the very purest sense of the word. Peace up. 501 E. Sixth, 472-8922

Best Live Music in a Pinch

Flipnotics Coffeespace On weeknights, when we get the urge for a last-minute live music fix we check out the deck at this no-hassle Barton Springs hangout. Could be an evening of laid-back folk music or a rollicking swing band complete with dancing on the adjacent grassy knoll. Whatever it is, it's usually all yours for the price of a stiff cuppa joe. 1601 Barton Springs Rd., 322-9750

Best Movie Theatre Seats

Lakeline Starport When we sit our butts down in these babies, we don't care how long the movie is. Cushy, placed at an angle, and wide enough to curl up in, these vinyl seats keep numbness away, even on those rainy, marathon movie days. Barcaloungers and really loud speakers make Starport a great place to go, especially when there is A (lot of) Time To Kill. Lakeline Mall @ Hwys 183 & 620, 335-7138

Best Dimmer Dude

Jason Segna Consistent, eager, and reliable, Segna is a master at a sometimes thankless task. Someone has to be the man in the booth with his finger poised over the go button while dealing with the last-minute nit-picks from the lighting designer. Maybe he is so good because he is also one of the ever-so-cool lighting guys at Eden 2000.

Best Save

Ford Trucks Underwrites Austin City Limits With $325K in federal funding cut from his budget and no local underwriters stepping up to the plate, longtime ACL executive producer Bill Arhos thought his program was a goner. Well-connected music maven Robin Shivers was hired to convince local businesses that underwriting ACL is a smart media buy. Before Shivers even got to work, Ford Trucks rode to the rescue with a whopping $200K and helped save the 22nd season of the program that is the city's best-ever music ambassador. Saturdays, 7pm, KLRU, ch. 18/cable 9, 471-4811

Best Unofficial SXSW Event

SeXSW While most badge-wearers headed to the clubs that Friday night, a lucky few heard about something odd happening at a local porn shop. It seems a few local filmmakers talked the manager into letting them run their videos in the coin-op booths. Add in a Tupperware/dildo party hosted by the Unhung Heroes and Golden Arm Trio, a celebrity appearance by Bob Mould, a keg of beer, a big ol' bottle of gin, a pound of pineapple, and it was one hopping party.

Best Trend in Austin Entertainment

Puppet Theatre When veterans of Vermont's Bread and Puppet Theater and Minneapolis' Heart of the Beast theatre met up at the Electric Lounge last spring, the the local performance art underworld axis shifted slightly. These guys added a mystical texture to the scene that has hadn't been seen before. Their work has since enthralled audiences at shows by East Babylon Symphony and the Performance Art Church, and at Quack's Upstairs, the Voodoo Lounge, and various backyards. The puppeteers plan to open their own space this fall, not only for performances but to conduct workshops on this fine art.

Best Bar Lighting

The Bitter End Everyone looks beautiful here. If it's not the light, then it must be the beer that works this magic. 311 Colorado, 478-2337

Best Bar Lighting: The Bitter End photograph by Laura Skelding

Best Music Fundraiser

Austin City Limits: A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan CD & Video With funding for public television programs imperiled all over the country, good fundraising ideas are at a premium. When PBS stations in Austin and Dallas aired this special, making the CD and video available, donations poured in. In one evening, KLRU raised over $31,000 and Dallas' KERA raised over $78,000. Additional kudos to Sony for underwriting the 150,000 CDs.

Best Place for Freaks to Two-Step

The Split Rail Ever since Willie Nelson, Austin's country scene has been, well, a little different. There's always been that group of us who, despite our shaved heads or long hair or nose rings, also need to pull on our boots and swing to a little fiddle music. The Split Rail is the answer. With both a spacious, hardwood dancefloor and lava lamps on the tables, we can feel right at home. And its best feature over regular redneck joints: When you ask, "What beers do you have?" the waitress doesn't answer, "All of them." 705 Red River, 478-0176

Best Alternative to Proteus

Area 52 Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. "Hey, what time is it? 6am? No way!" Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. "Dawn... already?!" Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. "Yaaawnnn..." Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance... etc. 409 Colorado, 474-4894

Best Art Museum Fundraiser

Mexic-Arte's Frida's Fiestas For their first fundraising event, Mexic-Arte threw a bash for "Frida-maniacs" at Jalisco Restaurant and packed the house, netting $3,000 (thanks to event underwriter Whole Foods Market). The featured speaker was Guadalupe Rivera Marin, daughter of famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and author of a cookbook featuring the treasured recipes of her stepmother, the artist Frida Kahlo. Jalisco owner Miguel Stupignan's staff faithfully recreated Kahlo's dishes, which were devoured with mariachi music. Frida's Fiestas was so successful that Mexic-Arte is making the fundraiser an annual event. The 1996 edition took place at Fonda San Miguel last week, with celebrity chef Ricardo Muñoz replicating the meals of Señora Kahlo. We can't wait for next year. 419 Congress, 480-9373

Best Resurrection of a Tradition

The Victory Grill When this venerable Eastside legend re-opened over a year ago, we were thrilled. We're even more thrilled to see the venue thriving with its emphasis above and beyond music. In the past year, the Victory Grill has hosted poetry readings. book receptions, dance performances, and art exhibitions, plus the kind of blues and jazz that are at the heart of our town's musical tradition. 1104 E. 11th, 474-4494

Best Arcade

Le Fun There's the name, first of all, which couldn't be more perfect, and then there's the location, in the Scientology building on the Drag, which is also thematically right-on. But it's the strangely homey smell of bagels cooking next door, the dance music, and the space to stretch out that makes this feel more like a slacker-heaven living room than the typical "play and get out" feel of other arcades. A great place to divest yourself of those heavy, nagging quarters. 2200 Guadalupe, 478-3509

Best Arcade: Le Fun photograph by Laura Skelding

Best Places to Say, "I Was Retro Before Retro Was Cool"

Ego's/Carousel Lounge Back in the early Eighties, the Carousel was still an old-folks bar and Ego's... well, we don't remember much about Ego's -- we were way too drunk, but something kept us coming back. Since then, each place has exploited its seedy ambiance and produced a hyper-hip hangout extraordinaire. Oh, the Ego's Christmas light-shrine thingy and the big screen cartoons -- yum! The Carousel has added avant-garde film screenings to its already surreal blind piano player, Jay Clark. While these spots may have lost their quiet edge, the alluring piquant flavor remains, with a little extra modern spice to spare. Carousel Lounge, 1110 E. 52nd, 452-6790 Ego's, 510 S. Congress, 474-7091

Best Theatre of the Soul

root wy'mn theatre company It's common for theatre to engage the intellect or emotions; what's uncommon is for it to engage the spirit. That's what makes root wy'mn an uncommon theatre company. It speaks to our soul, the spark at the core of us all. Make no mistake; poet/playwright Sharon Bridgforth doesn't pen spacy, ethereal verse. Her words are earthy, sensual, brimming with worldly experience. But they explore voyages and displacement and the ache we all feel to find home, and as delivered by Bridgforth's fiery collaborator, Sonja Parks, they get across the truly redeeming power of love. Bridgforth and Parks tour extensively and are earning a strong national rep. But they always come home. And when they do, they bring us home. For Booking: 448-1835

Best Tease: Miss Xanna Don't photograph by Laura Skelding

Best Tease

Miss Xanna Don't Miss Xanna Don't (from Xanadu, maybe?) sports the best head of hair in town, hands down. Raven dark tresses that tumble to her waist set off her China-white complexion -- but come showtime, the hair goes nowhere but up. Up, up, up, in fact, piled into luxurious curls that nestle gloriously atop her head, whether she's singing about sending dead flowers to k.d. lang or making you wonder if Patsy's getting jealous in hillbilly heaven. Beehives never looked so good. For Booking: 416-6790

Best Band Name

The Goin' Along Feelin' Just Fines We have a good time with this one every year. "The Unhung Heroes -- ha ha ha!" "Lotus Lane -- hee hee hee!" That one about "The Trail of the Dead --chuckle chuckle." But the one that made us smile the most -- especially in the face of Ed Hall's break-up -- was ex-kid in Ed Hall drummer Lyman Hardy's new band, The Goin' Along Feelin' Just Fines. That's one "The," two apostrophes, and an "s" at the end of "Fines." Class dismissed!

Best Weekly No-Cover Blowout

Paul Minor's Rock & Roll Free-for-All at the Hole in the Wall We at the Chronicle confess to having a special affection for 30-year-old Austin native Paul Minor. At the age of 16, Minor presented himself to us as a music intern and -- since we probably earned the equivalent of his weekly allowance back then -- we worked his willing little butt to the bone. What he learned was that he did not want be a journalist, and he has amply proved his mettle as a musician in the ensuing years. So here's to the Free-for-All, to Paul Minor, to the beloved Hole in the Wall, and to all the musicians who have performed those Sunday nights. Traditions, after all, must be kept up. 2528 Guadalupe, 472-5599

Best Weekly No-Cover Blowout: Paul Minor's Rock & Roll Free For All photograph by Laura Skelding

Best Support for Cinema

The Austin Film Society We wanted to be academic about this and talk about how the AFS is one of the best film organizations in the country, bringing classic movies to Austin audiences for a pittance. But what we keep coming back to is how Richard Linklater doggedly kept it going as he went from Slacker to Dazed to Sunrise and -- the most astonishing thing to us -- the way it has attracted support from the likes of Quentin Tarantino, who spent his summer vacation this year running a benefit festival for the AFS at Dobie Theater. Nowhere but Austin. 3109 N. I-35, 322-0145

Best Seat in the Shadows

Austin Film Society's Film Noir Series We spent two months - the first in the spring and the second (back by popular demand) in the heat of the summer -- sipping soda on the edge of our seats as the Austin Film Society (along with co-sponsors Dobie Theater and the Austin-American Statesman) brought to screen the devilishly dark stories of drifters and femmes fatales associated with the film noir genre of the post-WWII years. Intending to educate as well as entertain, the series offered each film lovingly introduced (and devoured) by a resident expert, most of whom went above and beyond the call of duty to bring the audience up to speed on background and behind-the-scenes lore. The movies were impressive to say the least, featuring works by such masters as Samuel Fuller, Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray, and Joseph Lewis. The audience turnout was likewise. 3109 N. I-35, 322-0145

Best Long-Running Late Night

Rocky Horror Picture Show With Lip Service Dammit, Janet! - midnight and no place to go? Why not join Lip Service, the local cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as they sashay through the aisles, time-warping with the likes of Meatloaf in front of our favorite cult classic? In the same place at the same time for 20 years now, the troupe performs every Friday and Saturday night as the clock strikes 12 at the Northcross 6 on Anderson Lane. Audience members can expect all the time-tested jokes and of course, hypnotized cross-dressers high-kicking in fishnet stockings. If fandom finds you forraging for Rocky riff-raff during the daylight hours, subscribe to Lip Service's newsletter, The North Cross-Dresser. Northcross 6, 2525 W. Anderson, 454-5147
[Email] Newsletter info: riffraff@txdirect.net

Best Place to Lyle Lovett Watch

Trudy's Texas Star We've seen his crazily-coiffed head bobbing from behind a booth a number of times over the last few years, and we even know someone who had to ask Julia to remove herself from the hood of his car where she was leaning during a tiff with Lyle in the parking lot last summer. So the next time you see the Lone Star State's most unlikely heartthrob, give him a smile and a reason to keep coming back. 409 W. 30th, 477-2935

Best Movie Theatre Buttered Popcorn

Dobie Theater For those of us who still indulge in this artery-clogging movie snack, a large bag of popcorn with real butter topping at the Dobie Theater makes even the worst movie tolerable. Dobie is the only theater in town to indulge its customers in a topping made from actual butter fat instead of synthetic flavorings. Although some of us believe popcorn buckets beat out bags, Dobie staffers make the most out of the trim lunch bag look-alikes, heaping on the corn and the butter. 2021 Guadalupe, 472-3456

Best Point-of-Purchase Marketing

I Luv Video Selection, schmelection! While these guys have tons which outdo most competitors, remotes down, that's not what keeps us coming back. It's those little notes -- sometimes blissful rants, sometimes disparaging rages -- stuck all over the VHS cases, indicating that not only have the whacked-out staff seen every one of these titles but that they have bothered to develop and chronicle an opinion as well, so you can ask important questions like: "So how is this new Godzilla vs. the Space Aliens?" and enjoy their careful analysis: "It's great! It's just like the old one but with shinier suits!" 4631 Airport Blvd., 450-1966 11139 N. I-35, 837-9510

Best Annual Party to Dance to "We Are Family"

Pride Day Festival So you think you know Austin's gay community just 'cause you club hop once a week or call certain extensions in the back pages of the Fag Rag? Well, sailor, get a grip -- there's more to this town than just cruising. All the colors of the rainbow show their glory at the annual Pride Day Festival, ranging from foxy, silver-haired, birkenstock-wearin' mamas recalling days as young activists in the Seventies, to Izod-totin' Log Cabin boys pondering their Quixotic battles in the GOP last week, from healthcare and social workers united in the struggle working for Informa-SIDA, and other AIDS organizations, to nightcrawling clubkids who are squinting to adjust to the sunlight, plus friends and supporters of the community. Celebrating the community, the organizers of this year's fest did a great job of coalescing this diversity and creating an atmosphere to revel in it.

Best Bookstore to Get a Clue In

Adventures in Crime & Space This nifty little bookstore seems to be thriving; its shelves of mysteries, science fiction, thrillers, comics, and more are attracting healthy crowds of the city's book-devouring public. Even more impressive than the stock of new and used books is the amazing array of authors who've appeared at the store, from Michael Moorcock to Mary Willis Walker. Why go there? Elementary, our dear Watson. 609 W. Sixth, 473-2665

Best Reason to Avoid Iambic Pentameter

Austin Poetry Slam Team Wammo, Phil West, Hilary Thomas, Danny Solis, and team coach Mike Henry took their war of the words all the way to the 1996 National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon in August where they finished fourth in the team finals. Wammo went into the individual finals (top six out of an eligible field of 120), where he placed fifth. In our book, they're all winners.

Best Reason to Forget Arthur Murray

Matt "The Cat" Jones Matt the Cat has been squiring women of all ages (and abilities) in front of bandstands across the city and every single one leaves his arms breathless. Bluntly, the man can dance like nobody's business. Small wonder he teaches the popular dance lessons at the Split Rail on Mondays and Thursdays. Split Rail, 705 Red River, 453-3889

Best Bookstore to Be Someone (or Somewhere) Else

Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy Besides their dark-horse win this year in the readers poll for comics, Dragon's Lair is also Gaming Central, with stacks of books and supplements on the most popular role-playing games, such as Magic: The Gathering, Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Forgotten Realms, and even the granddemon of fantasy role-play, Dungeons & Dragons. The Lair also has a huge selection of GURPS books, so that if you, a self-respecting Masquerade vampire, happen to be sitting in an InterNet Tavern next to a Svirbneflin deep gnome, you can figure out his THaC0 and alignment. Sounds like another world? Step through the door, please... 616 W. 34th, 454-2399

Best Place to Rent Laserdiscs

Encore Movies and Music We're able to watch many a repeat performance after we rent laserdiscs (and videos) from the friendly folks at Encore. Their gigantic selection of laserdiscs -- nearly 2,000 titles fill one whole wall and then some -- rent for $2.99 per day for new releases; older titles cost just $2 for five entire days. We'd scream for more, but we don't want to appear ungrateful, Encore's doing a fine job already. 8820 Burnet, 451-8111

Best Fun, Folk Art Division

Yard Dog Between the spirited exhibition titles -- "Sweet Mud," "Two People Who Drag Stuff Home and Make Art Out of It" -- and playful receptions -- the one for "Elvis Is (Mostly) 61!" featured jelly doughnuts -- this South Congress gallery seems more intent on having a good time than promoting good culture. But hey, who says art and fun are mutually exclusive? Every time we visit Yard Dog and see the funky, odd, enthralling work of the folk artists exhibited there, we're reminded that art is many things, and fun is definitely one of them. 1510 S. Congress, 912-1613

Best Gallery for the Money

Alternate Current ArtSpace Forget about spacious presentation when you walk into this cozy South Austin gallery. Here, art gets jammed together like so many bats under the Congress Avenue bridge. Pieces cover almost every inch of wall space, from ceiling to floor (and sometimes a good deal of that, too). It's just one way AC owners Susan Maynard and David Pratt make the most of their limited resources, and the result is a kaleidoscope of creative imagery that can be dizzying but is invigorating. Maynard and Pratt sponsor intriguing theme exhibitions -- The Mojo Show, He Said/She Said -- that are amazingly inclusive, and they throw a hell of a debutante ball, too. 2209 S. First, 443-9674

Best Theatrical Daredevils

Frontera @ Hyde Park Theatre Nowadays, many stage groups shy away from creative risks for fear of running off what few folks still go to theatre. Not Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre. Its adventurous artists take us on unexpected journeys -- to a Big Apple in meltdown, a government hearing for a Greek tragedy, a boyhood memory of funk and Julia Child -- using theatrical gestures of daring: slo-mo movement, environmental staging, word jazz. F@HP aren't Austin's only theatrical daredevils; they're just the ones who most consistently deliver quality and dramatic power. They fly through the air with the greatest of ease. 512 W. 43rd, 452-6688

Best Razzle Dazzle

Zachary Scott Theatre Center Generally, Austin theatre is more about smoke than sizzle, i.e., more pungent scripts than flashy presentations. Maybe that's why we get such a kick from Zachary Scott Theatre Center productions: They aren't shy about showmanship. Whether it's the the lustrous sets of Michael Raiford and Christopher McCollum, the dizzying choreography of Dave Steakley, or the grab-you-by-the-lapels performances in Avenue X or Alice Wilson's crisp revival of Born Yesterday, Zach delivers spectacle with captivating craft. Now, that's show biz! 1421 W. Riverside/1510 Toomey, 476-0594

Best Sign of Civilized Living

Cafe Bremond We don't even want to guess how we survived so long in Austin without cabaret, but it's moot now, n'est-ce pas? Now, we can saunter over to Bremond House thrice weekly, cozy up to a two-top, and sail away on a tide of romantic song by Cole, Coward, Kern, and company. It's cosmopolitan bliss, made all the richer by the talents of Karen Kuykendall, Sterling Price-McKinney, Karen Kohler, and Larry Greenawalt, who perform these melodic treasures with zest and elegance, longing and grace. 404 W. Seventh, 474-8390

Best Reason to Climb the Stairs

The Public Domain Loft theatres may be old news in many cities, but in Austin they're as rare as actors who don't want to direct. Last September, we got our first one in ages, The Public Domain, but it's a gem worth the wait. Above the Avenue, Robi and Michelle Polgar have created an engaging space: warm, intimate, with a performance area that they reconfigure for different shows, so almost every visit offers a surprise. It's ideal for this energetic young company and adds to the reasons to see their work. 807 Congress (upstairs), 474-6202

Best Skate Shop/Music Venue

Blondie's Okay, so it's probably the only skate shop/music venue. But there's a big stage, excellent PA (better than a lot of clubs), and lots of room to see bands, including Sixteen Deluxe, the Motards, and Buzzcrusher. Plus posters, skatewear, shoes, and boards. Music usually starts Saturdays at 7pm. Good deal -- you're depriving yourself if you don't check it out.510 Rio Grande, 472-7343

Best Skate Shop / Music Venue: Blondie's photograph by Jana Birchum

Best Labor of Love

Harold McMillan & the Clarksville Jazz Festival As understated as Austin's jazz scene seems next to its alternative and country siblings, it is in every way equally vibrant. Nowhere is that better illustrated than the annual Clarksville Jazz Festival, lovingly overseen every year by Harold McMillan and his hardworking staff. The down-scaling of the annual event seemed to work well, indicating that McMillan's determination and efforts to keep his dream and vision afloat are watertight. Clarksville Jazz Festival: 443-3638

Best Behind-the-Scenes Combat Duty

The South By Southwest Staff & Volunteer Crew As incestuous as the Chronicle appears to be with South By Southwest on paper, a completely separate crew staffs the annual conference, and what a job they do! From the small group that works year `round in the office to the hundreds of volunteers who fill every imaginable position necessary in March, there's no way this event could possibly work without their generosity, time, and effort. SXSW workers: We salute you. Here's to 10 more years! SXSW: 467-7979