It’s that time of the year again: gearing up for the inevitable onslaught that is the South by Southwest schedule. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. To make it a little easier to pick through the massive amount of events going on, we’ve highlighted the five best music-related films for you to check out, along with a handy “when to watch” guide to enhance your viewing experience.

Broadway Idiot & ¡Cuatro!

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It’s a two-for-one deal for Green Day this year, so we’re grouping the dual documentaries on the band into a single punktastic category. Broadway Idiot focuses on Billie Joe Armstrong’s transition to the Broadway stage for the theatrical rendition of the band’s 2004 rock opus American Idiot, while ¡Cuatro! focuses on the making of the band’s recent trilogy of albums.

Watch it after: Missing your favorite punk band’s set in favor of that “awesome new shoegaze, EDM meets post-punk” act that your friend misguidedly recommended. Continue reading ’5 Most Anticipated Music Films Of SXSW’

This Year’s South By Southwest Festival will see the premiere of several notable music documentaries, with themes ranging from the digital download revolution to a little-known secretary for The Beatles. The new documentary Downloaded tracks the precipitous rise and fall of Napster and the whiz kids behind it: Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker. Fun fact: it’s directed by Alex Winter. Don’t know the name? Well, surely you know Bill S. Preston, esquire. Yep, that’s right. The new documentary film is directed by Keanu Reeves’ co-star in the famous Bill and Ted movies. Though it might come as a surprise, Winter made the jump to directing in 1993 with the comedy sci-fi flick Freaked. Excellent.

Another SXSW premiere this year is Good ‘Ol Freda, which tells the almost entirely unacknowledged life story of Freda Kelly, the president of the Beatles Fan Club, and the band’s “secretary” for 11 years. Kelly became close to the band during their early days as an up-and-coming Liverpool act and stayed loyal to the band during their rise to fame and subsequent breakup. The film depicts how, “as the Beatles’ devoted secretary and friend, Freda was there as history unfolded; she was witness to the evolution – advances and setbacks, breakthroughs and challenges – of the greatest band in history.” Even more reason to get excited for SXSW 2013.

More like this:

• SXSW Announces Third Wave Of Bands
• SXSW Add 600 Bands To Line Up

One of the music industry’s largest and most highly anticipated events, South by Southwest, has just announced a third wave of bands who will be performing at the festival. For those not doing the math, that brings the list to just under a whopping 1,300 live acts set to take the stage in Austin, Texas this March. Newcomers to the lineup include Tegan and Sara, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Black Lips, and Vampire Weekend. You can check the full list of performing acts for this year’s festival right here.

If you like Tegan and Sara check out OurStage artist Vic and Gab.

More like this:

• Tegan And Sara Release Official Music Video For “Closer”
• SXSW Turns 25 And A Look Back At South Bys Past

Following last month’s South By Southwest announcement that former Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl would be the festival’s keynote speaker, SXSW has now announced an enormous wave of new bands that will play the 2013 dates in Austin, TX from March 8 through March 17.

The new line up includes Third Eye Blind, The Airborne Toxic Event, Alien Ant Farm, The Dangerous Summer, and The Joy Formidable. Check out the full line up right here.

If you like Foo Fighters, check out OurStage artist Europa.

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• OurStage Artists Delta Rae Join Foo Fighters As Performers At Democratic National Convention
• OurStage Artists Invade SXSW

Everyone’s favorite southern music and film festival is right around the bend! Well, maybe March isn’t exactly right around the bend, but between today’s line up announcement and festival details, we’re aching to share the good news about South By Southwest.

Among the festival’s line up announcement was Hawthorne Heights, Charlotte Church, Driver Friendly, Of Mice & Men and OurStage’s own Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.

SXSW will take place March 12-17, 2013 in Austin, TX, and the full line up can be seen here.

Check back with OurStage, and we’ll keep you up to date on the latest SXSW happenings. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on the current line up in the comments.

If you like Driver Friendly, check out OurStage artist Dawnoverzero.

More like this:

• Hopeless Records Sign Driver Friendly
• OurStage Artists Invade SXSW

Greetings from OurStage World Headquarters, located in the bowels of a de-commissioned battleship currently anchored off the Ivory Coast. Let’s get right to the news.

Are you going to be at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, TX this March? We will.

That's what I'm talking about.

In fact, we’re having a party. OurStage will be filming the season two finale of The OurStage Panel LIVE on March 16^th, between 11am-3pm. What’s this all about, you ask? We just wrapped four episodes of this new webseries, in which sixteen top OurStage artists were evaluated by our panel of industry experts, which includes execs from Warner-Chappell, Z100 NY and Sony along with guests Scott Igoe from Jimmy Kimmel Live and famous guy Gavin DeGraw. The four finalists will perform live in front of our panel at The Parish (214 East 6th Street), with one artist emerging as the winner of $5,000, a professionally-produced live performance video and an industry mentorship. If you want to get on the list, message us on the Facebooks.

Oh, and The Panel? Episode One premiers THIS THURSDAY, February 16^th, at 7:30am for your viewing pleasure. Tune in.

If you are an OurStage community member, then you may be selected to receive a survey regarding how we can serve you better. It’s coming this week, so look for it in your inbox. I just KNOW a lot of you have ideas regarding how we can improve. Let’s hear it.

Now, let me tell you this about me: I’m a sharer. I like to share. And so, every once in a while I’d like to hip you to some stuff I like, both on and off OurStage.com. Last week, I was listening to the OS Radio and came across a Brooklyn, NY band called Le Mood. It’s indie/power pop, without the slavish imitation of music past that is too often the hallmark of that genre. Get down on it.

Here’s another one: The Kid Bilal (aka TKB). I don’t even remember how I first heard this, but I come back to it often. Great track, great flow, great lyrics.

Finally, a sad farewell to Whitney Houston, who is simply gone too soon. Yes, it’s been a while since she produced her best work, and maybe we weren’t all huge fans, but she had a once-in-a-lifetime voice, was a classic song stylist and I always thought she had the potential to be even greater—to rise above commercial pop and become a timeless singer, in the mold of Ella, Etta and her own godmother Aretha. Please feel free to leave a comment on this thoughtful tribute by our own Cortney Wills.

In just a few short days the South By Southwest Music and Film Interactive Conference and Festival will be kicking off, and while, for us, this signifies the launch of festival season (whooopiiieeee) it also marks some very exciting milestones for independent artists everywhere. SXSW showcases hundreds upon hundreds of artists every year, and has become a worthy credential in the careers of both established and up-and-coming artists. If you’re heading down to Austin next week, be sure to show some love to the many OurStage acts that will be performing, many of which have been featured on the OurStage Magazine in the last year. Gosh, we just can’t get over our taste-making skills.

Thursday March 17th

Geographer – Indie rock drenched in reverb, electronics and introspection, Geographer should have no trouble fitting into the SXSW scene. Read about them here and check out their 8pm set at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop.

Andrew Belle – OurStage hearthrob Andrew Belle’s debut full-length album The Ladder was released last year to critical acclaim and has been featured on the OurStage Magazine and Best Of charts for months. Catch him at 10pm at The Tap Room At Six.

Or, The Whale – We could tell you about how Or, The Whale has been on OurStage practically since the beginning, or how they gracefully incorporate seven instruments and four vocalists into one seamless act. But we think we’ll just let this OurStage Magazine profile, and this Daily Download post and this winner profile do the talking for us. Don’t miss them at 10pm at the Soho Lounge, right before Eilen Jewell.

Muck and the Mires – Nothing like a little Boston garage rock to cleanse the SXSW palate. Catch them hot off the trails of headlining the Dirty Water Festival in London at Skinny’s Ballroom at 10:15pm.

Eilen Jewell – Eilen Jewell is quickly becoming a hot name in the country world. Read her feature on the OurStage Magazine and catch her on the charts, the folk rankings love her! Playing at 11pm at the Soho Lounge.

The Plastics Revolution -The inaugural act for OurStage and MTV Music’s joint partnership Needle In The Haystack, The Plastics Revolution have been bringing powerpop to Mexico City in waves and will soon cross the border to rock the late night crowd at Mi Casa Cantina at midnight.

The Plastics Revolution

Friday March 18th

Jesse Thomas – Jesse has racked up more Top 10 wins than the average SXSW goer’s Foursquare check-ins. She’s been featured in OurStage playlists for rock and folk, and her raw, smokey voice and take no prisoners ‘tude even scored her a spot playing side stage to John Mayer in this past summer’s John Mayer “Side Stage Warfare” Competition. Don’t miss her kick ass at 7:30pm at The Ale House.

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – The effervescent Lady Lamb has been an OurStage fav for a while now, having been chosen as another Needle In The Haystack artist and featured on the OurStage Magazine for her killer touring style and as an Editor Pick for 2010. She even graced us with her presence and rocked the room at OurStage’s first In The Round session at the end of February. See what everyone’s buzzing about at 8pm at Swan Dive.

Blacklisted Individuals – This hip hop duo doesn’t have to travel far to bring their “Working Class Muzik” to SXSW, being born and raised right in Austin. Check out the former OurStage and MTV Music Needle In The Haystack act at 9pm at The Marq.

RAS (Riders Against the Storm) – This husband and wife hip hop duo is both adorable and talented, winning the Lennon Award in the hip hop category in 2008′s John Lennon Songwriting Competition as well as being a finalist in OurStage’s “Get Out Of The Garage” Competition with Converse. Experience the magic at 9:30pm at The Marq.

Other Lives – Another OurStage artist that we’ve been gabbing about since the beginning, scored a free logo design from Alphabet Arm back in 2009. Other Lives cites lofty influences such as Jóhann Jóhannsson and Arvo Pärt, but you’re more likely to hear Beatles and Rufus Wainwright in the execution, which is a sweeter deal in the end. Learn more in their artist feature on the OurStage Mag, where our Editor in Chief also cited them as an playlist pick. Catch them live at 10pm at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop.

Blacklisted Individuals

Saturday, March 19th

Lelia Broussard – Listen up, people, because Lelia is making some serious waves. Not only is she a contender for Rolling Stone’s Choose The Cover Competition, but the OurStage community loves her rollicking folk rock (as evidenced by her multiple Top 10 wins) and her hilarious videos that are quickly making her a YouTube sensation. Read more on the OurStage Magazine when we profiled her last year, and be sure to check out her set at The Tap Room at Six at 10:45pm, so you can say you saw her when.

Home of: Buddy Holly, George W. Bush, Roy Orbison, Howard Hughes, Tommy Lee Jones, Janis Joplin, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Destiny’s Child, Dixie Chicks, At The Drive-In

Fun Facts: State flower; bluebonnet, state song; “Texas, Our Texas,” state insect; Monarch butterfly

The Venues: Everything is bigger in Texas, and music festivals are no exception. Austin hosts two of the biggest: Austin City Limits and South By Southwest.

Now in it’s 8^th year, Austin City Limits features Kings of Leon, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Coheed & Cambria, Dave Matthews Band, Mos Def, Thievery Corporation, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper And Relentless7, Sonic Youth, Passion Pit and more from October 2nd to October4th in Austin’s Zilker Park, with a slew of big name after parties at the city’s many venues. If you’ve got tickets to the sold out show, be sure to check out OurStage artists The Airborne Toxic Event and Here We Go Magic.

What began as a simple music festival in 1987 has become one of the biggest music, film and interactive conferences in the world. South By Southwest (SXSW) helped launch the careers of artists like Amy Winehouse, The White Stripes, The Strokes and Lilly Allen, and features music’s current stars along with the hottest undiscovered acts. The next SXSW conference will run from March 12^th to March 21^st, with the music conference running from March 17^th until the 21^st.

Lined with quality live music venues, the legendary 6th Street has done a lot to help Austin earn the moniker “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Emo’s, located just off of 6th Street, is an Austin favorite for both locals and festival-goers because of its indoor and outdoor stages.

The Music:

White Rhino – Austin locals White Rhino play heavy, psychedelic rock that falls somewhere between Queens of the Stone Age and Motörhead. “Rhodesia” from their self-titled debut album is about as rock and roll as it gets. The band is currently touring around the Southwestern United State, including a stop at Emo’s with Monotonix on September 25th.

Oso Closo – Oso Closo’s theatrical, jazz-influenced progressive rock combines piano, string arrangements and dueling guitars. Their theatrics landed them a part in last summer’s production of Tommy at the Dallas Theater Center. Check out “Straight Out The Gate” to see why Jim Heath (The Reverend Horton Heat) and Bryce Avery (The Rocket Summer) count themselves as fans. The band is currently on tour promoting the release of their second album Today Is Beauty’s Birthday.

El Tule – Relative newcomers to OurStage, El Tule have already landed themselves a Top 10 finish in the July Latin Channel and a feature on AOL Music. “La Sirena” showcases the band’s combination of Latin, Afro-Cuban, Rock and Reggae music. El Tule’s music will be featured in the soundtrack of the upcoming film Pepe & Santo vs. America starring noted Mexican actor Rafael Amaya.

You’re Done For – Starting a pop punk band in a city where rock and metal rule the music scene might not seem like the best idea, but that’s what the members You’re Done For did. Their plan seems to be working: the band completed a Southwest tour in 2009, picking up new fans along the way. Check out “Everybody is Listening” from their EP Shhh…Everyboy’s Listening. If you like what you hear, let them know! Your basement could be the next stop on their House Party Tour.

Check out these acts and other great Texas artists in the playlist below!

Who are your favorite OurStage Texans? Where do you like to see live music in Texas? Let us know in the comments!

Rhodesia

by:

White Rhino

Straight Out the Gate

by:

Oso Closo

La Sirena

by:

El Tule

Everybody's Listening

by:

You're Done For

Houston We Have A Problem

by:

Blaze Burna

Just Like The Cold

by:

Jets Under Fire

Like You Mean It

by:

All Found Out

Fist Full Of Strife

by:

Blacklisted Individuals

Bliss Chemical

by:

Marquis of Vaudville

Liquid Sunshine

by:

The Georges

Mitch and Ryan of Lazertag

Name: Lazertag
From: San Francisco/Bay Area
Formed: 2005
Sounds Like: Pavement meets Elliott Smith with an MT 500 Casio
Albums: Modern Cuts for The Modern Man (5/08)

If California-based duo Lazertag makes it big, they may want to thank Brad Ungar, whose music video for “Silver State” introduced the band to thousands of fans on OurStage by winning the video grand prize for September. Ungar, who befriended the band at San Francisco State University and now works as a PA in hollywood, says the guys are too humble and laid back to promote themselves as much as they should. Sounds fitting for a couple of college grads from the Bay Area who make lo-fi pop gems on forty-dollar Casios and acoustic guitar.

I caught up with Mitch Buttress (guitar, lead vocals) and Ryan Spratt (keyboards) via phone to talk about South By Southwest, Casios, and why they hate/love jamming…

Continue reading ‘In the Spotlight: Lazertag’