Part of the tired, poor, college-debt ridden, huddled masses looking to get a foot in the door at SXSW without breaking the bank? Never fear. SXSW offers its usual round of events free to the general public with a guest pass as well as some new festival phenomenon sure to get an eyebrow raise out of even the most curmudgeonly and disgruntled of Austinites.

The idea that the average local can hit the jackpot renting their place out for exorbitant fees during SXSW might be fading. Fortunately for renters and unfortunately for the hopeful Austinite, wild inflation is no longer the norm for festival season and Airbnb pricing.

Even for a seasoned veteran, it can be overwhelming trying to navigate SXSW. But as they say, the best defense is a good offense, which we'll interpret to mean: Plan ahead. Know your options. Download the recommended apps. Program a few numbers in your phone.

Tradition has March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, but here in Austin there's also a part when March goes full hyena, laughing like crazy, and that's all due to SXSW Comedy. The 2018 lineup shows just why that's so with the presence of such comedy greats as Rachel Bloom, Jim Gaffigan, Nick Offerman, James Adomian, and … Dick Cavett?

Horror movies are like frozen yogurt shops: There are always three times more of them than the world needs. At least with horror movies, there’s joy in the glut, as a tremendous number of weird entries are there to mine for humor. Thus, the now 5-year-old SXSW tradition of Doug Benson joining Master Pancake to mock a Leprechaun movie.

When Shane Mauss took the stage at the Hideout Theatre Tuesday night to perform his acclaimed stand-up show A Good Trip, he wore a hoodie, a graphic T-shirt, loose jeans, and sneakers. It became apparent within minutes that his slacker-comic costume was part of a calculated ruse to pleasantly baffle the packed house’s expectations.

Nearly four months after the exoneration of a sexual assault conviction that sent the four women to prison for nearly two decades, the San Antonio Four (Elizabeth Ramirez, Anna Vasquez, Kristie Mayhugh, and Cassandra Rivera) were in Austin for an interview with Jason Flom and his podcast, Wrongful Conviction.

Witch Taint. Mystikum. Have you ever heard such dark, brutal names of any black metal band in your life?

Shane Mauss is not afraid to explore the farthest reaches of his mind. The L.A.-based comic, who once broke both his feet while hiking and turned the experience into a hysterical album, is now winding through a six-months-and-counting tour all about psychedelic drugs. But this isn't a “far out, man” Cheech & Chong routine. Mauss gets real.