BogFires took part in the 2011 South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, TX, 11-20th of March. SXSW is a music, film and interactive festival and convention held in Austin annually. First SXSW festival was organized already in 1987. SXSW gathered over 60 000 people from 63 countries all over the world in Austin, a city the size of Helsinki. Finland was well represented as Finnish Mobile Association and Finnode entrepreneurs participated in the Interactive convention, Reindeer spotting screened at the film festival and Daniel Lioneye and Latebirds showcased in the music festival.
As a first-timer in SXSW I took the advice of the experienced and bought a ticket for the whole duration of the festival. Although it seemed like a long time to spend at a festival, those ten days went by really fast: days filled with interesting panel discussions and keynotes by inspiring people in music and film and nights filled with screening independent films or artist showcases. Attendees were also pampered with shows by bigger names such as the Strokes and Foo Fighters.
Daniel Lioneye did their showcase in a small club, called the Ale House, on an alley behind 6th, the "official party street". The group played a tight short set for an appreciative audience. The Latebirds who are veterans of SXSW and Austin had four showcases during SXSW, two of them in a cozy outdoor stage in a bar called Gingerman. The Latebirds played a solid set for a gratified audience in a perfect setting: a sunny terrace on a Saturday afternoon.
Most memorable events of SXSW 2011 were of course the showcases of the Finnish bands but also, the winner of the Narrative Feature category Natural Selection (best narrative feature, 2 breakthrough performances, best screenplay, best editing, best music/score, audience award): a fantastic debut of writer/director Robbie Pickering, featuring astounding performances by both Rachael Harris and Matt O'Leary. The most memorable keynote was Andrew W.K. telling his story and sharing his views on what it really means to be an artist, and what is authenticity.
SXSW is truly an amazing event for anyone interested in the creative or interactive industries, looking to network, learn, or just be inspired. As a first timer in SXSW I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the discussions, panels and keynotes, films and artists, but also by the city of Austin itself. Already looking forward to SXSW 2012.
Videoclips from the panels and showcases can be viewed here.
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