2011 South by Southwest Festival seeking submissions

Star-Advertiser Staff
tgif@staradvertiser.com

Submissions for the 25th Annual South by Southwest Music & Media Festival are now open.

Over the past two years in particular, the prestigious music industry festival and conference has showcased Hawaii artists.

John Cruz, Anuhea, Pimpbot, One Right Turn, David Tamaoka, Tavana McMoore, Kona Chang and Sabrina Velazquez performed a number of individual and group showcases in 2009 and earlier this year, and an even larger contingent of talent is expected for March 2011 to take the multifaceted Hawaii brand of music to another level.

Next year’s SXSW will occur March 11-20, and artist submissions to showcase are now open until November 5 online at www.sxsw.com/music/shows/apply. Early applications are highly advised.

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South by Southwest Diary: St. Patty’s Day in Austin

Concert-hopping with Ryan Miyashiro

Photos by Gary C.W. Chun / gchun@starbulletin.com

With the music conference starting up full-tilt Wednesday, the main club drag of Sixth Street was closed down to make way for the heavy pedestrian traffic. Street performers were out in full force in the afternoon, with St. Patrick’s Day revelers joining the SXSW attendees.

By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

AUSTIN, Tex. » Day 3 of the South by Southwest experience started earlier than I expected.

After falling asleep around 5:30 a.m., Ryan Miyashiro, Sabrina Velazquez’s accompanist and Honolulu’s friendliest underground musician, called me up and roused me out of my deep sleep to go with him to see a favorite band of his in a couple of hours, the Morning Benders, at Emo’s, one of Austin’s more famous rock clubs. Read more

South by Southwest Diary: Jakob Dylan and Eisley

Getting into the swing of things at SXSW

Photos by Gary C.W. Chun / gchun@starbulletin.com

By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

AUSTIN, Tex. » Music lovers — and other distractions — got a head start Tuesday night at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas with a major evening showcase held before the nonstop parties and concerts that will start in the afternoons and last late into the evenings over the next several days. Read more

South by Southwest Diary: Dining with Kona and Sabrina

On the ground in Austin

Photo courtesy South by Southwest/Jeff Picard A view of Austin’s busy 6th Street during last year’s South by Southwest Conference.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of posts by Star-Bulletin staff writer Gary C.W. Chun filed from Austin, Texas, the location of the annual South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conference. He plans to post his observations of the conference and its surrounding events daily until Sunday.

By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

AUSTIN, Tex. » Even though it was the end of a long traveling day for Kona Chang and Sabrina Velazquez, there was no denying their building excitement to showcase their music in three days at the prestigious South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conference later this week.

Both they and their traveling companions left Honolulu on Sunday evening with stopovers in Dallas and Houston, respectively, and caught separate connecting flights to Austin yesterday. They all met up Monday night in Austin’s busy downtown district, filled with bars and nightclubs which usually provide nightlife options for students from the University of Texas. Read more