Macon Blair to Direct Toxic Avenger Relaunch
Austin director cleans up with return of the cult classic
Austin Bat Cave Panel Dissects the Blurring of Journalism and Activism
Black Lives Matter’s DeRay Mckesson talks with journalists
SXSW Film Review: Midnight Shorts
The best of the fest’s late night micro-horrors
SXSW Panel Recap: Diversity in Video Games: Hard Talk for Change
YouTube exec dodges direct questions about tackling online extremism
SXSW Recap: Bozoma Saint John
The marketing trailblazer’s keynote on authenticity in branding
“The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss” Unveiled at Ao5 Gallery
Mythical taxidermy and more in Theodor Geisel’s “midnight paintings”
Best of SXSW: Best Stage Banter, Best Show, Best Repeats
… and other observations from Kevin Curtin’s notebook
Vibrations
Vibrations 1996, R, 104 min. Directed by Michael Paseornek, Starring Christina Applegate, James Marshall. A rocker gets upgraded with cyborg hands.
Batman’s Iconic Emblem Lights up Lady Bird Lake for Caped Crusader’s 80th Anniversary
Congress Ave. Bridge and its resident bats proved the perfect backdrop
Loud and Proud at Pink Elephant Radio’s First SXSW Showcase
Pink Privilege becomes SX’s inaugural queer hip hop event
SXSW Music Review: From the Hills With Love
Israel Nash’s answer to Luck Reunion and Revival Experience
SXSW Comedy: Doug Loves Movies Podcast Recording
Doug Benson and friends give South By a fond, filmic farewell
SXSW Film Review: Amazing Grace
Two nights with the incomparable Aretha Franklin
Pet Sematary Premieres at SXSW, but Does the Big-Budget Revival Stand Up?
Will the latest Stephen King adaptation raise your spirits?
SXSW Music News: Arthur Brown Cancels Performance After New Zealand Mosque Shooter Plays “Fire”
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown will not play at Waterloo Records today
SXSW Comedy: Loud Village Live Stand-Up Showcase
L.A. comics offer a tasting menu of approaches to stand-up
SXSW Film Review: The Curse of La Llorona
An overdose of jump scares in this latest Conjuring spin-off
SXSW Music Review: Leyla McCalla
Cultural folk chanteuse gives voice to the voiceless
SXSW Music Review: Nicole Atkins/Erin Rae
The new Nashville sound
SXSW Music Review: Bush Tetras
Dance music only the Lower East Side in 1979 could’ve produced
SXSW Music Review: Swervedriver
Pulling the plug on the sweetest of crunches
SXSW Music Review: The Beths
Kiwis process the Christchurch mosque shooting at last SX set
SXSW Gaming: Noclip Says Love Your Developers
Danny O’Dwyer wants you to understand who is making your games
SXSW Music Review: MUSICOMEXP by Aurélie Ferrière
Transformative travelogue of a Magellan-like sea voyage
SXSW Music Review: Shao
Dark, ominous, electronic “sound design”
SXSW Music Review: Japan/Korea Summit
The best of Asian rap and electro for the cost of a Lone Star
SXSW Film Review: The Day Shall Come
British satirist Chris Morris takes aim at security theater
SXSW Music Review: Dungeon Family
Big Boi and Goodie Mob make hay
SXSW Music Keynote: Beastie Boys
Ad-Rock and Mike D remain funny to us, too
SXSW Film Review: Sister Aimee
The true-ish story of the original celebrity hoax
DC Swoops Into SXSW to Kick Off Batman’s 80th Anniversary
To the Bat-Bridge, Robin!
SXSW Music News: Lauren Mayberry, Lizzo & Khalid Highlight Thursday
Celeb sightings and what to do today
SXSW Music Review: Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion
Mavis Staples steals show at the Red Headed Stranger’s ranch
SXSW Music: Beastie Boys Talk Ill Communication in Austin Studio
Ad-Rock & Mike D detail the origins of “Sabotage” and “Sure Shot”
SXSW Music Featured Session: Laura Jane Grace, Our Lady of Punk, Devours SXSW
Against Me! founder on the “demonstrable power of punk”
SXSW Music Review: Amyl & the Sniffers
Aussie punks froth equal parts AC/DC and Ramones
SXSW Music Review: Cherry Glazerr
Meet Clementine Creevy, rocking headstand specialist
SXSW Music Review: Lonnie Holley/Mary Lattimore
Instant poetry by Holley and golden harp from Lattimore
SXSW Music Review: DJ Paypal/DJ Taye/Madam X
Teklife footwork heroes meet a genre-bending UK ambassador
SXSW Music Review: The Comet Is Coming
London jazz-tronica trio sparks psychedelic soul vibrations
SXSW Music Review: Kokoko!/Bixiga 70/Jojo Abot
Afro tsunami lays waste to Sixth Street world music hub
SXSW Music Review: Rico Nasty/Tierra Whack/Dreezy
Three of the many women in hip-hop clawing new self-expression
SXSW Music Panel: The Hip-Hop Bubble That Popped Culture
Long ignored, the genre now takes industry to the next level
SXSW Music Keynotes: Shirley Manson & Lauren Mayberry
Scottish powerhouses take control of the narrative
Mapplethorpe
Matt Smith creates a startling portrait of the master photographer
Birds of Passage
Colombian drama redefines the drug trafficking movie
Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn
Part one of epic anime quest is a fine first step
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
The original girl detective makes a modern return
Apollo 11
Astounding documentary takes us back to the first crewed mission to the moon
SXSW Music Interview: Black Belt Eagle Scout
Multi-instrumentalist pushes increased visibility for Native people in music scene
The Austin Chronicle Presents: Hair of the 3-Legged Dog, Volume VI
Join us on Friday, March 15, 1-5pm, at Hotel Vegas for our annual SXSW day party. Featuring performances by White Denim, Jackie Venson, the Reputations, and Harry Edohoukwa, the event is free and open to anyone over 21 (but you’ll need to RSVP in advance: austinchronicle.com/day-party). Cure your hangover with Bloody Revolution Bloody Marys, enjoy…
Nine Metal Bands to Bang Your Head to at SXSW
Ghxst Wed. 13, BD Riley’s, 9pm Unhinged and fervent, Brooklyn duo Ghxst arrives industrial-smeared. EPs Gloom and Perish spin out into maelstroms that oscillate between depressive stillness, desert-tranced headiness, and caustic grinds. “Vaquero” muscles out gut-punched feedback, and “Ocean Is a Desert” sandpapers bass that short-circuits into noise-grime. The Munsens Wed. 13, Maggie Mae’s, 10pm…
“Exquisite Corpse” at Recspec Gallery
Dying is an art; at this gallery, they do it well
SXSW Music Interview: Pink Sweat$
How a color inspires R&B artist David Bowden’s work
16 Experimentalists to Help You Get Weird at SXSW
Byrke Lou Wed. 13, Las Perlas, 10:30pm Like the flash lives of cybernetic circuitry hatched by Louis and Bebe Barron of Forbidden Planet fame, physicist and artist Byrke Lou, based in Berlin, detects inorganic structures in code, modifying them during live sessions after scanning rotating black glass sculptures via video feeds into her made-from-scratch synthesis…
Day Trips: Twilight Epiphany Skyspace, Houston
Light show accents the space between day and night
SXSW Music Interview: Body Type
Sydney-based band turns heartbreak to community in recent EP
The Cannabis Industry Is a Growth Market at SXSW
New Cannabusiness track reaches new highs
Eight International All-Stars at SXSW Music
Westerman Wed. 13, Swan Dive Patio, 9pm; British Music Embassy @ Latitude 30, 3:50pm A buzz-cut Londoner with a voice pure and high and whose emotive pop compositions are scaffolded with six-chord, ultra-clean guitar parts and seasoned with subtle synths and electronics, Will Westerman can sound David Byrne-esque even though his 2017 debut EP Call…
Soccer Watch
With less than 90 days until the kickoff of the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, all 28 players on the U.S. Women’s National Team have joined in a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer – filed on International Women’s Day – demanding pay, working conditions, promotion, and support equal to what the men’s team and its…
SXSW Music Interview: Swervedriver
British shoegaze icons tune out doom and gloom with latest music
Tracking the Next Big Things at SXSW Gaming
Beyond playtime: where the developers and designers will be at SXSW
Go South of the Border With These 15 Latinx Acts
Eme Alfonso Wed. 13, Radio Day Stage @ Austin Convention Center, noon; Fri. 15, Parker Jazz Club, 10:35pm Both of Cuban singer-songwriter Eme Alfonso’s parents are founding members of Síntesis, an island institution mixing progressive rock, jazz, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. She joined the band at 14 and explores many of the same themes in her…
Headlines
More, More, More: South by Southwest 2019 has reached full galactic speed, with hundreds of conference panels already concluded and an astonishing array of films, concerts, performances, keynotes, special events, digital wonders, random connections … be there, be square (or hip), and follow our ongoing coverage in the Daily News …. Vote Buttigieg–Yang 2020: Among…
SXSW Music Interview: Deathchant
A few words with L.A. death metal trio’s frontman TJ Lemieux
Can Kitties, Weed, and Votes Save Blockchain?
As the cryptocurrency bubble looks ready to burst, developers and innovators at SXSW see new uses for the underlying tech
19 Exceptional Songwriters Showcase Their Craft at SXSW
Yola Wed. 13, Radio Day Stage @ Austin Convention Center, 5pm; Wed. 13, Central Presbyterian Church, 11:20pm; Sat. 16, Scoot Inn, 3pm After her 2015 debut EP Orphan Offering garnered attention in Americana circles, Yola Carter’s freshly released first LP, Walk Through Fire, delivers a soulful wallop with lush arrangements that swell into solid country…
Point Austin: It Ain’t Easy Being Weird
Welcome to Austin – accept our gift of the spirit of change
SXSW Music Interview: Lonnie Holley
Alabama-born artist and musician explains his process
16 Punk Rock Bands to Slam Into at SXSW
The Dunts Wed. 13, British Music Embassy @ Latitude 30, 3:50pm; Sat. 16, 720 Club, 10pm Glasgow’s most ferocious musical export presents September’s Self Proclaimed Council Punk EP: working-class political rage, loud guitars, and accelerated tempos like a more-pissed-off Undertones. This is punk for the modern denizen, projecting them far beyond Scotland’s borders. The Klitz…
Luv Doc: Drop Crotch
The difficult conversations we don’t have are often the ones that alter the course of our lives
Quote of the Week
“If under the Constitution we compensate people because we take their property, why wouldn’t you compensate people who actually were property?” – Former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, endorsing reparations while at SXSW (and provoking the ire of Bernie Sanders in the process)
Laura Jane Grace Finishes Media Therapy to Concentrate on Music Again
Catching up with the singer, activist, and Against Me! and Devouring Mothers bandleader
SXSW Music Interview: Kokoko!
The street sounds of Kinshasa come alive in Congolese band’s inventive beats
11 EDM Artists to Help You Find the Beat at SXSW
Ouri Wed. 13, Waller Creek Boathouse, 8pm; Thu. 14, Scratchouse, 8:45pm Inspired by African-American poet and civil rights activist Audre Lorde, Ourielle Auvé’s 2018 EP We Share Our Blood pulses experimental dance pop and R&B techno. The Canada-based, South America-born, Paris-bred producer puts on “spacious, improvisational” live performances where her DJ sets eschew genre. Anchorsong…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The first woman depicted on currency was Arsinoe II, a Ptolemaic queen of Egypt, who appeared on a coin in the third century BC. The bottle used as Jeannie’s home on I Dream of Jeannie started out as a 1964 Jim Beam collector decanter. Director Gene Nelson saw it one day while going by a…
Dawnna Dukes Finds Herself on the Wrong Side of the Texas Ethics Commission Again
Former Austin state Rep. Dawnna Dukes has found herself once again outside the bounds of the state’s ethics rules. The Texas Ethics Commission is suing Dukes for failing to timely file a semiannual financial statement that was due last July, instead turning in the report this past January. The TEC seeks to collect the statutory…
Lance Bass Relives an Astounding Fraud in The Boy Band Con
Manufactured pop meets true crime in this documentary about Lou Pearlman
SXSW Music Interview: Sávila
Portland trio’s cumbia-R&B soothes and cools
18 International Frontwomen at SXSW Music
Her Skin Wed. 13, Velveeta Room, 9pm; Thu. 14, Stephen F’s Bar, 10pm Cue up Sara Ammendolia’s debut LP, Find a Place to Sleep, and you might picture her deftly fingerpicking in an Appalachian cabin. She speaks fluent banjo and sings in postcard-perfect English, but was born and raised in Modena, Italy, where she developed…
A Guide to Getting a Beer During SXSW
Ditch the convention center and check these brewpubs
Sarah Eckhardt’s State of the County Address Features Brags and Worries
The state of Travis County is strong, but challenges remain
SXSW Music Interview: The Stitches
OC fourpiece has been preaching the punk gospel of 1977 since 1993
SXSW Music Interview: J.S. Ondara
Kenyan-born songwriter works out his feelings about America on debut LP
19 Post-Punks to Bounce Around To
Dehd Wed. 13, Barracuda, 8pm; Thu. 14, Hotel Vegas at Volstead, 7:20pm; Fri. 15, Container Bar, 1:15pm Co-vocalists Jason Balla and Emily Kempf, respectively of notable Chicago acts Ne-Hi and Lala Lala, join drummer Eric McGrady to make dreamy rock. Surf-styled ruminations uphold post-punk structure for lackadaisical latest “Dying For,” an awaited follow-up to 2017…
Qmmunity: The Future Looks Freeing
Events to queer SX and advocate for LGBTQ equality
GOP Speech Bill Sides With Alt-Right Activists
Senate Bill 18 to protect “free expression” from campus provocateurs
SXSW Music Interview: Daniel Brandt
Suit-and-tie techno artist talks about his musical influences
Kambui Olujimi Speaks Art to Power in “Zulu Time”
This Brooklyn artist’s solo exhibition at the Blanton shows how those in power make sure the world runs on their watch
The Best of Asia at SXSW Music
The Fur. Wed. 13, Elysium, 8pm Fans of Mitski and Japanese Breakfast should run (not walk) to Spotify and favorite this Taiwanese dream-pop trio. New wave synth pads give tunes an Eighties sleepover vibe, but it’s not an all-electronic nostalgia play. Shoegaze textures and lazy afternoon guitar lines mark the tunes with an overcast atmosphere,…
Faster Than Sound: Cracking the SXSW Music Algorithm
If my phone broke and clickbait subsided, where would bring me joy at SXSW?
SXSW Music Interview: Moritz Simon Geist
German musician creates robotic electronic music
Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock and Mike D Talk Trap, Basketball, Bogus Conspiracies, SXSW, and Their New Book
“We realized that all we do have, before this started and after it ends, is the three of us.”
13 Jazz Acts to Help You Keep Cool at SXSW
Nérija Wed. 13, the Main II, 9pm; Thu. 14, Edwin’s, 9pm Nérija boasts a pair of Jazz Re:freshed stars: trombonist Rosie Turton and rising sax star Nubya Garcia, who killed it at the label’s SXSW showcase last year. There’s more to the London septet than being a mere JR adjunct, however. The four-horn front line…
Laura Pressley Trolls County Clerk in Real Time
DeBeauvoir wisely declines to take the “election integrity” bait
Austin’s Best Food and Drink Events This Week
Dinner parties, farmers’ markets, beer, wine, and more for the week of March 13, 2019
SXSW Music Interview: Lou Rebecca
French chanteuse infuses current pop with retro influences
Painful Splits Along the Way to Stopping Sexual Assault in and Around Austin
Different approaches to accountability lead to rifts throughout the county
Top 20 Hip-Hop Artists at SXSW Music
Tierra Whack Wed. 13, Container Bar, 6pm; Thu. 14, Belmont, 12:15am Only 15 minutes to digest, Tierra Whack’s 2018 studio debut Whack World brims with a surrealist imagination and an experimental abruptness as jarring as it is welcoming. The Philadelphia MC’s fleeting feelings mirror the 60-second songs, zigzagging from “All dogs go to heaven” naivete…
Lanier High School Staff, Students Skeptical About Renaming
Campus last of six Confederate-name schools to be changed in AISD plan
SXSW 2019 Film Awards
All the winners from this year’s jury competitions
SXSW Music Interview: Ayelle
Nomadic musician tracks where she’s been through her songs
New Study Changes City Council’s View of Flood Risk
Puzzling over a variance on Avenue D, and spending the first of the 2018 bond funds
Nine Must-See Indie Rockers at SXSW
Ambar Lucid Wed. 13, Stubb’s, 8:15pm; Thu. 14, Clive Bar, 2pm; Thu. 14, Palm Door on Sixth, 10:10pm Striking debut full-length from Ambar Lucid, Dreaming Lucid finds the 18-year-old New Jersey native’s powerfully soulful wail switching between English and Spanish. The lovesick “Eyes” skews atmospheric, brass blaring in the background, while “A Letter to My…
SXSW Music Interview: Fontaines D.C.
How frontman Grian Chatten worked his childhood in Dublin into debut album Dogrel
Lege Lines: “Born Alive” Bills Filed
National right-wing moral panic over “infanticide” hits Texas
14 R&B Acts to Soothe Your SXSW Soul
Black Pumas Wed. 13, Banger’s, 10pm; Thu. 14, Barracuda Backyard, 10pm; Fri. 15, Radio Day Stage @ Austin Convention Center, 4pm A brooding and cinematic soul project from Austin vocalist Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada, Black Pumas arrived fully formed in 2018. This year’s Austin Music Awards winner of Best New Austin Band still…
SXSW Music Interview: Ikon
South Korean boy band touches down for first U.S. performance
40 Restaurants to Try in Downtown Austin
Check off all your food goals without leaving the city center
14 Australian Acts to See at SXSW
Mojo Juju Wed. 13, International Day Stage @ Austin Convention Center, 4pm; Wed. 13, Lucille, 9pm; Thu. 14, Parker Jazz Club, 12:45am Through a dazzling amalgamation of blues ‘tude, soul, and pop, Mojo “Juju” Ruiz de Luzuriaga’s newest album, Native Tongue, wrestles with how her Wiradjuri and Filipino heritages fit into her own identity, and…
Zach Theatre’s Notes From the Field
This production of Anna Deavere Smith’s provocative docudrama calls out America’s criminal justice system
SXSW Music Interview: Joe Armon-Jones / Ezra Collective
Avant-garde jazz collective brings genre back to its roots
Unofficial Shows & Qmmunity Guide to SXSW
Unofficial Shows and Day Parties No badge? No problem. There are plenty of unofficial shows to catch. Here are a few that look promising; find the whole exhaustive list at austinchronicle.com/unofficial. – Greg Stitt MidCoast Takeover Wednesday-Saturday, March 13-16, noon, Shangri-La, 1016 E. Sixth This Midwest-curated showcase returns for year 10 with four RSVP-free days of…
Expand Your Mind With These 13 Psychedelic Bands at SXSW
Xixa Wed. 13, Hotel Vegas Patio, 9:30pm; Thu. 14, Hotel Vegas Annex, 11pm; Fri. 15, Russian House, 11:30pm Tucson’s Xixa dunks Italian spaghetti Western soundtracks in such strong psychedelics they come out seeing stars. Cumbia rhythms and Afrobeat repetitions figure equally heavy, all of it strained through the arid sands of a land that time…
Co-Lab Projects and Partial Shade’s “Soft Opening”
In this one-night event, four works by four artists revealed themselves over time in an empty East Austin lot
Southwest Key CEO Juan Sanchez Steps Down
Embattled CEO/founder departs amid protests, investigations
Maeve Higgins Makes SXSW Ghost Comedy More Than Extra Ordinary
Comedian and podcaster takes on the afterlife
