Three bags are heavier than one

After a long night watching the SU basketball team beat UCONN in 6 overtimes, I made my way to the Convention Center to pick up my bag. The SXSW bag is filled with swag and with the registration, you also get an industry directory. Because I'm here in Austin for Film, Interactive and Music, I just figured it'd be one bag, three directories. Nope. There are three swag filled bags. I'll get to the content of all of them later (if you need to see it now, I suggest looking through flickr as there are already people documenting the contents) and will just use them as resistance training while I bounce from room to room here. My first session is in a couple hours and it's all based on web design. "Everything You Know About Web Design Is Wrong:" is where I'll be looking to pick up a few tips for the Aux site. I have a feeling it's more of an art design panel than a functional design talk but I hope it includes both. Off to see if the trade show is open...

Beer Trucks & BBQ

I wandered down 6th Street today and the bars and clubs are stocking up for the coming week. Beer trucks lined the streets and the cool weather kept the kegs cool as they were wheeled down the street. The outdoor stages were going up today and it looks like most of the stage sponsors made the call to be sure each tent had sides to keep the body heat near the stage. The cold kept the crowds off the street but registration opens tomorrow so there is no escaping the weather as the Film and Interactive Conferences begin.

After 6th Street, I took in the experience at Stubb's. I was told that it is the place in town to get BBQ and I missed it on my last Austin trip. I opted for the all-you-can-eat selection off the menu and I packed in two plates as my only meal of the day. It was tasty but Dinosaur still wins in a head-to-head battle.

Now I'm getting some SU work done before the SU basketball game tonight. I'm staying in and getting some rest for the week ahead.

Rainy and 45

I made it to Austin after an uneventful flight. I feel a buzz about this town days before the conference registration even opens. It could be me but there seems to be a lot of action going on already I'm currently grabbing some bar food in the hotel lobby awaiting the Syracuse basketball game and there are plenty of tech conversations going on. I'll just sit tonight out and start planning my playlist for iRock this Sunday. I'd love to dive in but I have a few twitter conversations going and I need to get some food. As much as I love the Doritos Munchie Mix on JetBlue it is not enough to fill me up. Right on cue, my food just got here and there is 15 minutes left in the ND/WVU game. Time to eat and get ready for 'cuse hoops.

T5

I should just move my office to Terminal 5 at JFK. The touch screen food selection, laptop counters and plenty of access to power make this an ideal space to work. I did a lot with The Brilliant Light advance CDs today. I also just got word about a plane from LGA experiencing "uncontained engine failure" and landing here at JFK. I'm not in the mood for uncontained engine failure on my flight.

Off to Austin

I've been looking forward to the trip to Austin for quite some time. I booked the trip ages ago and I leave in a few hours. About 9 hours to be more precise. I had really hoped to pull together a Syracuse Showcase but in the end that did not work out. I'll try again next year...maybe the third time really is the charm. Even without the showcase there is a lot to accomplish on this trip. If you haven't followed Aux that closely, you might not know that it is one of three positions that I hold. I do the bulk of the work at the label (and only recently was able to add one member to the payroll part-time). I'm also a full-time college professor at Syracuse University. I'm on the air at KRock as well.

While in Austin, I've got lots of SU grading (it's spring break on campus) and a few classes to teach online next week that need to be finalized. I'm also there because I have two students attending the conference. Furthermore, I'm on the lookout for internships for our students this summer. That's a full schedule right there. As far as the students attending, it's the first time we've had SU students from my program travel this far and spend this much time at a conference. I'm excited for them to experience all that is South By. For me, this trip comes just days after I attended the Billboard Music & Money conference in New York City. I'll be in Austin for 13 days. All told, I'll have been away from Syracuse for 16 days from March 4 - 23. I'm on tour or so it feels.

I'll also be connecting with a few bands for the radio show and hope to sprinkle some Aux work in there as well. I've got two records coming out on April 18 and have some last minute (literally) details on those releases to work out. I'm really looking to start to license some of the music to TV/film and attending the SXSW Film conference will hopefully open up a few doors.

For the duration of the trip I hope to write about the experience without editing myself. If you pour through the archives you can read about the 2007 trip. It'll be a different experience this time. It's longer and I've got more to do while in town. Last time I experienced the music conference and I knew very few people. This time, I'm reconnecting with people I haven't seen in a couple years, meeting people in person whom I've only emailed or called and I'll be out building my network. That means more time at the parties since that's where the real networking happens...

I'll try to get some rest tonight but for some reason this trip has me a bit on edge. Maybe it was the kids begging me to stay. Maybe it's the impending office move (again) once I return. It might be the volume of clothes, computer gear, audio gear and grading that I'm hauling. It could be a million things but one thing is for sure, I'm off to Texas in the morning.

Arson Is For Lovers

Merit's new album Arson Is For Lovers is up for free download at gomeritgo.com. Grab yours after you check out their new video.

Honor Bright on...Cash Cab?

Here's a little look at some Honor Bright videos including h*b versions of Cash Cab and MTV Cribs. Scroll through the videos to find them.

Make-A-Wish & Triple CD Release

This Friday, SubCat Studios is hosting a benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation at The Westcott in Syracuse. The event is also a triple CD Release show for Mat Burke, The Action! and Rocko Dorsey. If you are in CNY looking for a way to spend your Friday night, this is where you should be. I'll be there (feel free to pass off demos and/or get a drink with me).

Mark Bialczak of the Post-Standard wrote a story on the show the other day. If you are outside of the area or just missed it, you can find the story here.