SXSW 2010 Panel Picks – Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse and Interviews
With so many panels to choose from during the SXSW Music and Media Conference, it can be hard to decide which to attend. We’ve gone through the list and will be bringing to your attention the ones that we thought would best help the independent musicians. Starting off with our first pick, Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse and Interviews.
Ali MacLean knows her stuff. It’s as simple as that. With the entertainment industry constantly plagued with a flood of “self-described experts” that amount to nothing more than smoke and mirrors, individuals that have the actual experience to back up the talk are few and far between. Maclean possesses an enviable resume that would make those of her colleagues appear anorexic and lacking in comparison.
Vast experience as an on-air talent, writer, producer (MTV, VH-1, ABC, Fox, Indie 103.1 FM, Little Radio, Vlaze TV, Sirius Radio, Kathy Griffin’s So Called Reality, Celebrity Death Match) as well as a background in stand-up and sketch comedy (HBO’s Mr. Show, VH-1’s Ill-Ustrated) have allowed MacLean to learn the ins and outs of the entertainment industry from being both in front of the camera and behind it. All of this combined with her journalistic talents (Urb TV, Antiquiet TV, Huffington Post) and her passion for good music (expressed via her occasional dj sets and radio shows) lead her to be a logical choice to bring a Music Panel focusing on teaching the “best interview techniques and ways to use press attention to your advantage,” titled Working The Press: Intellectual Intercourse and Interviews to the 2010 SXSW Music and Media Conference.
Fresh from directing a film short called ‘DJ Intervention,‘ starring Arabian Prince from NWA, Adam 12 from She Wants Revenge, Ken Jordan from Crystal Method, and Rhettmatic from the Beat Junkies (Part One can be found on Funny or Die.com where you can vote funny for it, and Part Two will soon follow), Ali MacLean took some time to answer some of our questions regarding her upcoming panel (set to take place Wednesday, March 17th at 2:00 pm in Austin Convention Center Room 11B) as well as why she decided to bring this topic to this years SXSW attendees.
TRAffIK: What prompted you to want to bring such a topic to SXSW?
AM: A lot of people ask me questions about how they can get press or get their demos to the right people. That paired with some disastrous interviews and really bad behavior during interviews I conducted or interviews I’ve seen, I figured it would be very useful to the musicians and the publicists attending the festival.
TRAffIK: What should those in attendance of your Panel/Discussion expect to come away with?
AM: Hopefully they will have a better sense of how to get press for themselves or how to approach a press campaign, get a publicist or journalist to notice them… and definitely how to behave when they are on a TV show or radio show.
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25 TIPS FOR SXSW (PART 4 OF 5)
As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. This week, I have provided you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
My focus has been mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice have been general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW.
For Monday’s 5 Tips on Lodging click here
For Tuesday’s 5 Tips on Driving to Austin click here
For Wednesday’s 5 Tips on Getting Around Austin click here
Today’s tips are 5 General Tips for Your Trip to SXSW
Ok, so now that I’ve shared with you some personal experiences and tips from my own arsenal for SXSW in the areas of lodging, driving to Austin, and getting around Austin the time has come to give some advice that would probably be in line with the kind of advice that a parental figure might bestow upon you. However, since I am still in my 20’s, I hope it will be better received by you than if issued by someone who appears to be more far removed from the experiences you are currently encountering and making a part of your own personal trajectory.
These next 5 tips essentially stem from the one quality that I for better or worse possess an atypically high level of, common sense. It is this quality that has probably kept me out of trouble and drama free for most of my life. I, like the rest of you, may not always put it to good use, but it’s always there if I need to fall back on it.
With that said, here are 5 General Tips for Your Trip to SXSW
1. Carry Business Cards – Don’t forget to pack your business cards. If you don’t have any, you might want to consider printing some out on your own (you still have some time) or if you have some time (time is running out) use cheap printers like Vista Print or Got Print (they are located in Burbank where you can pick up your order personally) They don’t have to be fancy, they just have to have your current contact information. It’s not the best feeling in the world to have someone ask you for your card and you have to make up some excuse every time. This is one time in your life when you really should have them, as you will meet lots of people and you’ll want them to be able to locate you once you are all back in the “real post-SXSW world.” Most people won’t be bothered with searching for pens and paper to write down your number, and being as how you just met (and you might be one of tens, twenties, or hundreds) they probably won’t want to plug your info into their phone just yet (you’d be surprised how many people have never made it into my phone). The information on the business card is also what they’ll probably use to not only contact you with, but also research you with. So make sure that you provide the info (tools if you will) for what you actually want found on you.
Bonus Tip: When it comes to business cards, you actually may already have some from a company that you are employed by. You may be fine with using these, not wanting to take on the additional expense of getting new ones printed. However, take a minute to think if you will want all of those people that you meet randomly on the streets of Austin (some of who may not be legitimately in the business they say they are) contacting you at your place of employment. For example, I tend to constantly embark upon and take on new projects that allow me full control and the ability to exercise my creativity. However, I usually try to keep my personal endeavors separate from my professional ones as typically I have been employed by big
name entertainment companies that sometimes make people see stars (or at least think they will be getting closer to fulfilling some dreams by getting to know me better…or stalking me). For the most part, I would not want random people contacting me on my direct line while I am in the midst of a time crunch trying to make deadlines or seeing projects through.
For this reason, I always have business cards for my creative projects (front and back of my TRAffIK business card pictured left–sorry, had to blackout my cell phone number), so that I can be selective about whom I give which to. For most LA residents that attend SXSW this is their world as well. So I would suggest that you think twice before you hand out your professional business card to every person you meet.
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25 TIPS FOR SXSW (PART 3 OF 5)
As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. This week, I’m providing you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
My focus will mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice will be general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW.
For Monday’s 5 Tips on Lodging click here
For Tuesday’s 5 Tips on Driving to Austin click here
Todays 5 Tips are about Getting Around Austin:
Based on my experiences in Austin, I still think taking cabs is the best way to go (unless you have a personal driver). Taking cabs and not driving around let you avoid the headaches of having to find parking (not to mention having to remember where you parked) and avoiding the possible fender benders that sometimes happen. Here are some tips for getting around:
1. Share Cabs – This is easiest to do when heading to the 6th St. vicinity from your hotel. You will soon learn that most people waiting for a cab have the same destination as you do. If you don’t have a large group of people with you already, you should consider asking some of the other people in the hotel lobby or that are waiting outside if they are heading to 6th St. and might want to share a cab. It’ll save all of you some money and also you might make some new friends or learn of new interesting parties to go to (we definitely did).
2. Get Digits – A good practice to get into is to get the number of the Cab drivers and Ricksha guys if they offer or even if they don’t and you trust them. It’s kind of amazing how much you can learn about a cab driver or rickshaw driver (cyclist?) in a 10 – 15 min. ride. I’m not talking about making a romantic connection, but they might come in handy. Many of these drivers/cyclists work all day and night taking on this job of cab driver only during the weeks of SXSW trying to make as much money as possible in this time frame. You never know, but you may get stuck at a party way out in the middle of nowhere and they could possibly bail you out and get you back to your hotel saving you hours of waiting around for a cab to be sent or one to drive by. As always trust your judgement on whom you ask for this info from.
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JOIN US TONIGHT!!! ADVANCE SCREENING OF ‘THE RUNAWAYS’ & Q&A w/ CHERIE CURRIE
“The Runaways” Advance Screening
See the film before it hits theaters & Q&A with Cherie Currie
Tonight!!!!Tuesday, March 9th
In August 2010, Siria along with some other fabulous women will be bringing to LA it’s own version of the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls that has been implemented in cities like Seattle, NY, Austin, Chicago, etc.
Anyhow, the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles has teamed up with Apparition Films to present an advance screening of “The Runaways” movie at the Los Angeles Film School TONIGHT (Tuesday, March 9th). ALL PROCEEDS from this event benefit Rock n’ Roll Camp! Cherie Currie (lead singer of The Runaways) has been gracious enough to honor us with a Q & A session before the screening.
This is your chance to see it before it premieres!
We hope to see you all there!!!!
Date: Tuesday, March 9th
Time: 7pm doors / 8pm movie starts
Location:
Los Angeles Film School
6363 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tickets: $15
Buy online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/102852
Or by phone: 1-800-838-3006
IMPORTANT NOTE: Tickets must be purchased in advance, they will NOT be sold at the door (venue policy). Seating is limited.
Bring cash to enter the raffle for fun Runaways and Rock n’ Roll Camp
swag!
Please do not bring video cameras – this is an ADVANCE screening and bags
will be checked for sneaky bootlegging action.
About THE RUNAWAYS Movie:
Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning star in this music-fueled story of
the ground-breaking, all girl, teenage rock band of the 1970s: The
Runaways. The film follows two friends, Joan Jett and Cherie Currie,
as they rise from rebellious Southern California kids to rock stars of
the now legendary group that paved the way for future generations of
girl bands. This flim is rated R.
All proceeds benefit Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles and your money is helping create future awesome lady-musicians and helping to keep the art of music alive for our youth. Also, if you attend you’ll have the chance to enter to win fun raffle prizes. YAY!
Visit www.rockcampforgirlsla.org for the most up-to-date information regarding this event. Friend us on Facebook.
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: ROBOTANISTS – ‘SHAPES AND VARIATIONS’
It’s a well known fact that I’m a cover song whore. I might be the only person in LA that has all of the Johnny Cash American Recordings, all of the Me First and The Gimme CDs, and this week insisted on purchasing Scratch My Back, the new Peter Gabriel CD. Yes it is true that I haven’t listened to a Peter Gabriel CD since Lloyd Dobler lifted a moderately sized boombox with cartoonish supersonic range to win back the love of Diane Court, but if he’s putting out an album’s worth of covers then I’m putty in his hands. Digging into the tracks I have to say it is a bit lacking. That’s not to say that the choices are uninspired because that couldn’t be further from the case. Gabriel chose some amazing songs from such favorites as Bon Iver (”Flume”), The Arcade Fire (”My Body is a Cage”), and The Magnetic Fields (”The Book of Love”). It’s the approach that was taken that bothers me. In stripping away the drums and the guitars, Gabriel turned these songs into self serving flat whisperfests with nothing behind them. There’s no heart. No soul. What Gabriel must not have understood is that the science of a good cover is to take the opportunity to honor the source material while completely re-inventing it, making it your own in a way that people will recognize its source but, if done properly, they’ll appreciate it more than the original. It is a tough feat, but a goal that one should aspire to. This approach has worked in the past as a launching pad for people like Gary Jules (”Mad World”), Jeff Buckley (”Hallelujah”), and Cat Power (”I Found a Reason”). By leaving the heart of these tracks in place and giving them a makeover these artists forever took ownership of the songs. Trent Reznor himself will tell you that “Hurt” now belongs to Johnny Cash forever. I doubt Thom Yorke will be saying that about Peter Gabriel’s spin on “Street Spirit”.
Clearly I’m bitter for wasting the money.
Worry not my loyal readers. My sad feelings quickly subsided when I was sent an advance copy of LA’s own Robotanists’ forthcoming EP Shapes and Variations. Where Peter Gabriel failed, the Robotanists succeed. Like I said earlier it is very rare when a cover song surpasses the original. Amazingly enough on their upcoming EP the Robotanists manage to pull off this trick seven times. Seven times they reinvent a popular song. Seven times they take ownership of the covered material. I hate to give someone overflowing credit, but not only do they take ownership but they do it with songs that are part of the popular zeitgeist. It’s as if they shouted out “Hey Gabriel, it’s one thing to cover Bon Iver’s “Flume” but try covering Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” It takes balls to do that..and balls are what the Roboantists have. Balls and beautiful lead vocals. Judging from the songs selected (”Empire State,” “Are You Really Going Out With Him,” “Dance Dance Dance,” “Heaven”) one would think that the band was challenged to make the most overplayed songs listen-able again. They rose to the challenge and then some. (more…)
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Johnny Cash American VI – Ain’t No Grave
Way back in the stone age that was 1994, people had to borrow cds from each other if they wanted to sample new music. If something really struck you then you’d grab a cassette and make a copy. Taping off the radio was just too annoying and none of the deeper cuts ever got played. It all seems weird to me now but that was the world we lived in. CD exchanges were the precursor to Napster, Limewire and bit torrents. The only problem was you’d run the risk of a never getting your CD back. Sure there was a code of honor with these deals but if the other person fell hard for your album they’d use classic snail tactics to keep the cd in their possession a bit longer. I did this with U2’s Zooropa. I know I know it sound’s crazy. I’m not one to give U2 too much credit around these parts but if not for them I’d never have learned of Johnny Cash. You see back then when U2 was sucking on a completely different level then they are now (ex: Numb, Lemon, their PopMart tour) they closed out their Zooropa album with a synth bass driven song about a man’s search for God in the post-apocalyptic future that shook me to my core. In place of of Bono’s preachy falsetto there was a vocalist with a death welcoming bass baritone who kind of scared me. I’d never heard anything like it. Thanks to that one guest spot on The Wanderer I held on to that CD and never asked for my copy of Urge Overkill’s Saturation back.
Shortly after Zooropa Cash was dropped by his record label and was reborn under the guiding hand of super producer Rick Rubin. Together they released the American Recordings series – a series of cover albums (peppered with some original Cash tracks – stand out “”When the Man Comes Around“) that would vault him into the mainstream and establish a whole new generation of followers who would eventually refer to him as “That guy from that Joaquin Phoenix movie.”
Looking to reclaim his legacy seven years after his death the “Man in Black” has pulled a 2Pac and released his second posthumous album. This collection of covers doesn’t have the star wattage of previous American Recordings…but it doesn’t need it. Recorded on his death bed, Cash managed to squeeze all sorts of otherworldly vibes out of the selected offerings. He even manages to make Sheryl Crow sound down right biblical. The tone of the album is very “un-man in black,” and is a nice contrast to the lasting image everyone has of him– the painful death soaked cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”. Compared to that track, this album is downright joyful. Speaking of “Hurt,” many a person will tell you that it is the best cover track from the American Recordings. I disagree. As a lover of both lists and covers, I give you the top 5 Johnny Cash covers to have appeared on the American Recordings.
Click to play.
5. “Redemption Day”
4. “One”
3 “Solitary Man”
2 “Hurt”
1 “I See a Darkness”
Highlights: “Redemption Day,” “Ain’t No Grave,” “Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound,” “Cool Water”