Matt Dentler (right) with Elvis Mitchell at this year's Austin Chronicle-sponsored SXSW Film party
Shelley Hiam
Nothing like a Monday noontime bombshell to kick off the week.
South by Southwest Film Festival announced today that SXSW Film Festival Producer Matt Dentler will be moving on to the cement pastures of NYC, where he'll head the marketing and programming operations of Cinetic Digital Rights Management, a film sales agency founded by indie powerhouse attorney John Sloss, among others.
SXSW didn't have to look far for his replacement: Local film fixture Janet Pierson takes over the reins. Along with her husband John Pierson, Janet has been an instrumental figure in independent film; more recently, she's been heavily involved with the Austin Film Society.
Able hands, to be sure, but we're sorry to see Matt go. A savvy programmer, an artful networker, and a champion of quality films that otherwise might never have found a home, Matt stewarded SXSW Film into a new era – not just of relevance, but of international recognition. We wish him the best of luck.
Odds this free mini-Magic Eight Ball from NPR will be used as an excuse to do no work?
Photo by Richard Whittaker
So, a few days after the last note rang and the last film ran, we're all just about recovering from the lack of food, sleep, and healthy behavior that adds up to the SXSW hangover (or, as this week's guest page 2 author Kevin Smokler has termed it, SXSaRS.) And now we contemplate the real long-term impact of SXSW upon our lives here in Austin: the endless piles of free swag, junk, doo-dads, gew-gahs and promotional schtuff that was thrust upon us by visiting PR people. (Actually, mostly from SXSW Interactive: no-one hands out free stuff like a tech firm.)
Not that we're complaining (hey, saves buying Christmas presents), but while we have your attention, a quick plea: if you ended up with half a dozen free t-shirts that you'll never use, don't just drop them in the back of the closet or use them to mop up spills. There's probably a good charity store near you that could make great use of them.
Click on the image to see some of the more bizarre objet de freebie and lessons learned that did the rounds.
Béla Fleck in Throw Down Your Heart, winner of the 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award at SXSW Film.
Saturday of SXSW is one of my favorite days of the year. The city is so energized and the craziness has reached a peak, like everyone is on the last leg of a marathon, and a final burst of music, beer, and schmoozing will get us all to heaven. Spent a good part of the afternoon at the epicenter, better know as South Congress, where I caught sets from Jon Dee Graham, Chuck Prophet, Eliza Gilkyson, Bruce Robison, and current fave Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears. Lewis’ set in the parking lot of the San Jose Hotel was a mob scene. Why young Joe and band were wearing Star Trek uniforms I didn’t understand, but no matter how many times I’d seen them last week, I marveled at their ability to get people to shake that thang.
Most Surreal Scene: Bun B
Fuze was a crazy scene Wednesday night, with only badge-wearers squeezing through the door and plenty of irked UGK fans left out in the street. Inside was no less chaotic, dozens of people crowding the stage at any given time, including some very mediocre rappers who had more diamonds than mic skills. Geto Boys veteran Bushwick Bill took control of the stage with an entertaining half-hour of drunken freestyles and ad-libs when a scheduled act failed to show. With serious sound problems and no sign of Bun B by 1:30am, the show teetered on the edge of disaster before Bun walked through a back door and, with no introduction, delivered one of the coldest performances I’ve ever witnessed. Surrounded by people on all sides, including the late Pimp C’s mother and child, Bun’s no-nonsense set included a verse from Dizzee Rascal (who rapped along to every word in the background for the rest of the performance) and a long moment of silence for Pimp C.
Most Likely to Kill You in Your Sleep: Game Rebellion
If screamcore rap-metal outfit Game Rebellion doesn’t think the audience is quite hype enough, frontman Netic will jump offstage, shove the nearest audience member, and stomp around scowling at people. At one point I thought he might actually punch me in the face for not rocking hard enough. At times like this, writers are advised to put away their notebooks and start doing some serious headbanging.
Like most guys in a band, Dan Yemin really wants you to buy a t-shirt. But the vocalist with Philadelphia, PA, melodic hardcore punks Paint It Black won't be making any money off of it.
His band is one of many that have lent their support to the Shirts for a Cure project. Founded by punk photographer Mark Beemer in honor of his late wife Syrentha Savio, it raises money for women unable to pay for chemotherapy - and awareness about early detection of breast cancer - by selling T-shirts. Yes, T-shirts. A plethora of hardcore, post-hardcore, metalcore, and emo outfits contributes a design, and the money goes into the nonprofit endowment. Before their official SXSW showcase last Friday, Paint It Black took part in a fund-raiser; Yemin took time to talk about the number of friends of his who were being bankrupted by crippling medical costs and the sad importance of events like this when millions can't afford any or enough medical insurance.
Afterward, Yemin (also singer for scene godfathers Lifetime and formerly of Kid Dynamite. He also holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. Busy guy.) talked about the inevitable trips to the emergency room that come from life onstage and on the road. He said his "best" was after a collision with his guitarist in Manchester, England. Everything he'd ever been told about long waits and poor service in a nationalized medical service, he said, was wrong. There wasn't even an issue that he wasn't a UK citizen.
Front row, to the right. Look at that face. Enjoying the festival.
Ah. The big gush and the streets are finally ours again. Overheard label execs whining, "It's been fun. But I'm so ready to go home." We were ready, too, Holmes. (Get outta me!) So, thanks for invading, thrashing, and then bolting, because we're better for it – as we are every damn year.
So many good moments this year to make it all worth the traffic.
I know. It's like South by Southwest isn't even cold in its grave yet, and already we're sniffing around, making eyes at Tribeca's ass.
Actually, that particular film festival is still about five weeks away, but news just came down the pike that – count it – five Austin filmmakers will be screening there. The feature-length narrative The Wild Man of Navidad by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks will represent Texas alongside three shorts: "Polar" by Scott Nyerges, SXSW 08 alum "KID" by Miguel Alvarez, and "The Aviatrix" by Toddy Burton (who also premiered her short at SXSW 08 and is – yeah, Toddy! – a Chronicle contributor).
South by Southwest Film announced (somewhat belatedly) on Saturday night the winners of its last two audience awards. (The bulk of the awards went out Monday night.) Voted audience favorite from 24 Beats per Second was Sascha Paladino's Béla Fleck doc, Throw Down Your Heart; top votes for the Lone Star States sidebar went to David Pomes' Cook County.
Finally, all of Dan Brown's fest trailers – which riff on the likes of 300 and Glengarry Glen Ross – are up online now. Check 'em out here.
Trying to navigate the streets during SXSW feels a bit like being in a game of pinball. You shoot out of a club in search of the next club, trying to avoid the hordes, the trash, the vomit, the lines, Bushwick Bill. Sometimes you end up in the gutter, and other times you get a whole bunch of extra balls. Ya know?
In other words, there were a few more unexpected surprises from this whole draining, exhilarating fest:
The Muslims: Four fresh young things who looked as button-up as those Vampire Weekend dudes but are from San Diego, have every Modern Lovers record, and write way catchier songs.
Indian Jewelry: They've filled out as a fivepiece with an extra drummer and guitarist and, as a friend remarked, they're also the “new Thrill Kill Kult." And that’s not an insult!
The Columbus Discount Records showcase: Columbus, Ohio, is seriously going off. The Guinea Worms were bred for Midwest skuzz rock, and singer/guitarist Will Foster kind of reminds me of Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock. El Jesus de Magico brewed up some excellent, serpentine early 1990s noise rock.
Shining: A prog-metal band from Norway that uses a electronic wind instrument sounds iffy on paper, but live this quintet slayed, closing their set with a cover of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man.”
Boots were definitely the accessory at South by Southwest 08. It's pretty easy to tell who was strolling down Sixth Street in their favorite pair, and who probably ran over to Cavender's straight from the airport. Click on the gallery for more.
