Between the endless lines, corporate sponsors, and wallet-sucking airfares, South by Southwest Music is no longer the indie haven it once was. While attendance shows no signs of waning when the festivities kick off this week, a handful of alternative festivals hoping to siphon off devoted fans with better weather, cheaper tickets, or, in one case, snow have sprung up.
Savannah Stopover: Georgia’s Savannah Stopover aims to please local music fans that usually have to travel to Atlanta or Athens for shows, as well as bands that want to break up the trip to Austin. The festival, which just completed its second now-annual run, occurs the week before SXSW and is in many ways its opposite: there are no gifting suites, arena-caliber bands, or exorbitant wristband fees. What it does offer up in spades is Southern hospitality. In addition to communal dinners, welcome bags filled with local treats, and shows that are tailored to complement each band’s sound, about 90% of participating musicians reside with locals who volunteer to be hosts.
The storm of blogs and websites offering approachable recipes for home cooks has sparked a more mindful approach to eating. And while these informal digital sources are often on par with those found on the newsstand, there’s still something to be said for the satisfaction of poring through the “pages” of a magazine, whether it be on paper or on an iPad. Hence, a mounting army of new food titles are preserving the spirit of the periodical while celebrating the DIY spirit of the Web.
Kinfolk: Kinfolk is proof that one need not display the homemaking swagger of, say, Martha Stewart in order to be the kind of entertainer from whom friends covet an invitation. The quarterly pub, available in both digital and print formats, revels in the elegance of simple, intimate gatherings rather than fussy banquets only achievable by a catering company. Kinfolk is more than just a piece of reading material, however. It’s also a community of artists dedicated to promoting casual, yet still creative, assemblies of friends over a thoughtful meal. The Kinfolk dinner series is bringing artisan feasts to different cities, including Brooklyn, Austin and San Francisco, every month.
Kids today rack up charges on their parents’ iTunes accounts, but children of the ’80s, too, had ways to spend surreptitiously. When unsuspecting moms and dads weren’t getting solicited by collection agencies for unpaid Columbia House bills, they were being billed by hotlines advertised during Saturday morning cartoon blocks. Tapping into nostalgia for said hotlines, a rash of creative projects has people using their phones for more than texting and apps.
VFILES Toll-Free Hotline: Glossy V Magazine has been artfully, and intelligently, covering fashion and popular culture for 13 years. This spring, V is launching VFILES, a new social media platform “for the image obsessed.” As a teaser for the forthcoming aesthetics archive, the V team created a VFILES hotline (1-855-MYV-3800) that prospective readers can call to get a taste of the types of content one might expect. Press 1 to hear new exclusive music tracks (artists include Brooklyn MC Zebra Katz). Press 2 for party listings (including one that suggests wearing waterproof shoes…?). And, press 3 for what’s hot (Madonna, Red Bull, chunky highlights) and what’s not (Monsanto, neon tracksuits, Monroe piercings).
Every time a gadget company unveils another affordable way to shoot beautiful HD video from your pocket, YouTube receives a fresh upload of snooze-worthy videos. Now more than ever, in the age of validation, mobile videos demand expert editing in order to yield the “likes” and love that their makers so desperately crave. Armed with these video editing tools, smartphone auteurs will be well prepared to bask in retweet glory.
Magisto: For those who have suffered through hours of video editing, any app that claims to do it for you must be an act of magic. Following the lead of other apps using prestidigitatorial technology, Magisto asks for a self-shot video, a snappy title, and a song selection, then – presto! – it conjures up a short and sweet edited version of the footage. The Magisto algorithm recognizes faces and camera movements to ensure the most visually compelling narrative possible. A few cuts and transitions later, the results are downright heartwarming. As with any good app, Magisto’s final chef-d’oeuvre can be shared on the creator’s social networks.
Comedy has been a cornerstone of online video since YouTube’s inception. Early experimentation propelled the virality of Will Ferrell’s hilarious “Landlord” skit and Zach Galifianakis’ acerbic “Between Two Ferns” series, while Andy Samberg’s edgy “D*ck in a Box” video thrust the previously little-known SNL player onto the digital A-list. Now, online comedy is moving beyond quick giggles, with top talent taking to the web to deliver premium content to the humor-hungry masses.
Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater: Fresh off the cult success of his FX series Louie, the irreverent comic (née Louis Szekely) broke barriers in December when he bypassed traditional distribution channels and offered his latest stand-up act exclusively on his own website for $5 per download. Without the support of offline promotion, the special grossed $1 million in its first eight days in release. (For any doubters out there, he took to the airwaves to prove it.) Then, Louis went viral by posting his PayPal statements, asserting that he’d split up the million and give six-figure shares to charity and his employees…and, in a stroke of refreshing transparency, admitting he’d keep the rest for himself.
