A Wide Range of Sights and Sounds Keeps SXSW 2017 on the Cutting Edge

Nick Paruch

Every March, the city of Austin, Texas is besieged by over 130,000 people from over 80 countries, all wanting to experience the massive event called South By Southwest (SXSW). This collective of humanity yearns to see the latest in innovation, films, and music.

The event begins rather calmly, with the Interactive portion kicking it off. This was led by keynote speakers Yasmin Green, Cory Booker and Buzz Aldrin, as well as hundreds of conferences where speakers discuss everything from technology to health and government to experiential storytelling. There’s also a trade show with brands promoting the latest innovations and a job market full of Fortune 500 companies looking for great additions.

As the week progresses, the film portion starts, bringing SXSW hundreds of world premiere movies, documentaries, and shorts. Attendees of this category often plan to hunker down in theaters to see the next box office hit or obscure creations that might never otherwise make their way to local cinemas. Others show up for the red carpet events in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite movie star.

This year’s highlights included:

“Song To Song” — Director Terrence Malick’s modern love story set in the Austin music scene, starring Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman.

“Becoming Bond” — The true story of the poor mechanic who landed the role of James Bond.

“Free Fire” — A gang action thriller set in 1970’s Boston and starring Brie Larson

“Baby Driver” — an action comedy about a getaway driver starring Jamie Foxx and Ansel Elgort.

“Gemini” — A relationship thriller between a personal assistant and her A-list boss, starring Zoë Kravitz and Lola Kirke.

“Muppet Guys Talking” — An inside look at the people behind (and sometimes under) the world’s most beloved puppets by Frank Oz.

“The Disaster Artist,” — A buddy comedy about two outsiders chasing a dream, directed by and starring James Franco.

“The Big Sick” — A romantic comedy based on the real courtship of Nanjiani and his now-wife as they deal with their families’ cultural differences.

“Win it All” — Joe Swanberg and Jake Johnson bring a film about trying to win big.

“May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers” — Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio

“Hot Summer Nights” — A coming of age film set in Cape Cod.

“Mr. Roosevelt” — Texas native Noël Wells is behind this comedy about a struggling comedian returning to her college town of Austin.

The party really starts when the music portion begins. In a matter of five days, over 2000 bands will perform in a multitude of venues from the Moody Theatre – home of ACL Live – to backyard stages set up by brands promoting their favorite acts. Music can be heard in the streets all day and night. The music-devoted search out their favorite acts, but always stumble upon new, incredible bands to add to their playlist.

SXSW Music includes every possible music genre from K-Pop and world beat to hip-hop and indie rock. The top shows included:

Pandora was back at The Gatsby with great performances by Earl St. Clair, Eli Young Band, FRENSHIP, Future Islands, JAIN, Jimmy Eat World. Lewis Del Mar, Lizzo, Lo Moon, POWERS, PVRIS, Rob $tone, The Lemon Twigs and Young M.A.

To celebrate the release of their new album, “Hot Thoughts”, Spoon curated three nights of performances by A Giant Dog, The New Pornographers, !!! (CHK CHK CHK), Walker Lukens, Sweet Spirit and Hamilton Leithauser. Spoon closed out each night with a special performance. Capital One House put on some awesome parties with music from Joywave, Aloe Blacc, Smash Mouth and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears.

House of Vans returned to The Mohawk, with performances by The Black Angels, Polica, Denzel Curry and Betty Who. COLLiDE’s Container Bar parties saw shows from Diet Cig, Benjamin Booker, Rob $tone, Jain, Colony House, Skott, MISSIO, MUNA, and Khalid, Girlpool, and The Drums. SHOWTIME House at the Clive Bar had Grandmaster Flash, Nick Waterhouse & His Tarots, Magic Giant, Bleached, The Wild Reeds and Zipper Club. SPIN, VIBE and Stereogum hosted the Mazda Studio at Empire, featuring artists Mastodon, Kelela, Sleigh Bells, Lil Yachty, Real Estate, Hanson, Lizzo, Rick Ross, Yo Gotti, and Jidenna. 

The StubHub Sound Stage at Banger’s Sausage House hosted parties with Hamilton Leithauser, Sleigh Bells, Bleached, Sofi Tukker, Electric Guest, BANKS, Tkay Maidza, Benjamin Booker, Talib Kweli and D.R.A.M. Rachael Ray’s Feedback House rocked Stubb’s BBQ with stellar sets by Weezer, Action Bronson, De La Soul, Margo Price, The Drums, The Districts, Benjamin Booker, Bob Schneider, The Cringe and Caitlyn Smith. YouTube returned to the Coppertank with some amazing acts including Solange, Jidenna, Rag’n’Bone Man, Rae Sremmurd, Migos and Amine.

Apple Music hosted The Chainsmokers, Vince Staples, and Lana Del Rey. A special performance staged by Bud Light featuring The Roots with special guests throughout the night. These included; Shakey Graves, Jidenna, Cloves. Brandy, T.I. and Rae Sremmurd. The night ended with hip-hop legends Method Man and Redman. As the festival ends, the tired masses revel in the hits and misses of who they saw, or the one that got away – but vow to return, and can’t wait to do it again.