SXSW 2011

Concert Review

South by Southwest is the largest event we do each year. On average we give away between 12,000 and 14,000 ice creams, this time we set a new record and slang over 17,000 free Ben n Jerry’s, Airheads Popsicles, and other treats. One of the main reasons we’re able to go so big is that we’ve branched out over the last few years and we sling during all of the interactive portion of SXSW, which means we’re out there for ten straight days and nights hitting up parties and events.

It’s Wednesday morning and I’m still exhausted. I took a brief nap yesterday and still got tired and wanted to take another just a few hours later. I never nap. I have a lot of good memories from being in Austin for over two weeks but I’m also happy it’s over. We’ve been giving away ice cream and copies of our Off the Wookie in town for the last six years and it’s amazing how things have changed. Interactive now has more paid participants than music and the size and scope of everything seems to be twice that since our first year. Yes, that means there’s more people in town to get free ice cream but it also means there’s a lot more traffic, more streets blocked off, and it’s tougher to find parking. There’s even more free ice cream now too, Coolhaus was around town and Pee Wee Herman even had an ice cream truck.

With the growth of the interactive portion, it’s helped us get more tech based sponsors which has helped keep us going. Roku sponsored Beau and we streamed movies from Netflix and other videos to the TV we mounted on the side of ‘her’ for CES a couple months ago. Hurricane Party, an iPhone app that helps friends find, share and create spontaneous parties. On top of the free treats we threw contests and gave away some Roku boxes to lucky winners as well as Hurricane Party Golden Tickets, which are good for a $50 bar tab anywhere in Austin

We hadn’t thrown a party in Austin since our very first year out here when Islands, Detachment Kit, Mazarin, Holy F_ck, Two Gallants, Lavender Diamond, and others played in the parking lot behind Cream Vintage. Since Tuesday, the last day of interactive, is one of the slower days for us we decided to rock things out and brought out Screaming Females, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, White Mystery, Futurebirds, Hacienda, Malajube, Rich Aucoin, Eagle Eye Williams and Ali Holder to play at Club deVille. It was the best. The sound, stage, and venue were perfect and even though there were a lot of people there it never got overcrowded which was a blessing.

Other highlights from SXSW were:

Speaking at Ignite Austin. The video should be up soon and we’ll post it here. I was so nervous and thankfully Kate insisted I take notecards up there or else I would have blanked.
The annual Lawn Party at French Legation. we used to just stop by for a few hours now we post up there all day each day because it’s the best day-party and venue during music and we blow through a ton of cream there
FOOD! Dinner is often the best part of the day and we ate at Hoover’s, Threadgill’s, Hill’s, East Side Cafe, Frank, Torchy’s, Ruby’s (which didn’t work out so well), and a couple others. Austin is my favorite town for food and I never get tired of Southern Cookin’
All the thank-yous, shout outs, high fives, and screams of “ice cream man” as we slang and drove around. Austin’s the best.