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What can the City of Houston do to promote H-town as a musical, cultural and artsy-fartsy tourist destination to the thousands of people who attend SXSW in Austin each year?

That's the question posed by Jim Moran, a multi-decade veteran of the music/film/interactive festival, to representatives from the Mayor's office, the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Houston Film Commission and other movers and shakers in the city's varied entertainment world.

Moran scored a meeting with Minnette Boesel, the Mayor's Assistant for Cultural Affairs along with Susan Christian, deputy director for the Mayor's Office of Special Events and three members of the marketing department at the GHCVB yesterday. Also in attendance were W. Ross Wells of Zen Films, Rick Ferguson of the Film Commission, SugarHill Studios marketing director Gina Miller and yours truly.

After the meeting, we called Moran to find out how he thinks Houston could be better represented at the festival, and what his goals are for accomplishing just that.

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Photo by Bradford Schmidt

Who could forget this amazing angle?

​Among the many bands we are excited to see at SunFest's New Music Night next Wednesday, Crash Kings are near the top -- due largely to our SXSW correspondent's unwavering love for the Los Angeles band. Now, as the images of Texas barbecue and sweat-soaked tapered jeans start to fade, we are jolted back to Austin over at Bone in the Fan. Apparently there's some clavinet to be had. See what we're talking about after the jump.


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After chatting backstage at the Village Voice Media SXSW party with Surfer Blood (who told us about their Twittering philosophy), and Pains of Being Pure at Heart (who recounted an innocently embarrassing incident involving a condom), we cornered Merge Records honchos/Superchunk leaders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance to probe them about their best SXSW memories, an Austin club toilet that Mac doesn't miss, and what Superchunk's last show ever would be like. But they insist that such a thing will never happen--at least deliberately. That's good news, right?

Today's song of the day comes from an utterly bewitching Swedish duo known as jj. Comprised of Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander, the group is in the midst of embarking on its first ever tour of the States with xx, a kindred act with an equally google defying moniker. Bummer or all bummers: The tour bypasses Denver, unfortunately.

We caught the act a few weeks ago at South By Southwest, though, and while from a pure entertainment standpoint, the stage show -- essentially Kastlander seated cross-legged, center stage in a darkened sanctuary, lit only by the lights bleeding in from the foyer, crooning in front of random projections to pre-recorded tracks -- is boring as fuck (seriously. If you're looking for bombast, flashing lights and pyrotechnics, go see KISS), the sound, setting (Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Austin) and experience was magnificent.

When we closed our eyes and listened to Kastlander's gorgeous vocals pinball off the cathedral ceiling, the experience was beyond rapturous -- particularly this song, "Let Go," which we've been madly in love with for a while now. The song, which sounds like Dido channeling Bjork as filtered through Basia, is fantastic. The video for this one, meanwhile, you'll notice, is rather odd and mildly disturbing toward the end.

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Supposed to be a "secret" who's in charge, but all we had to do is ask. The answer is. . . in the video. "A lot of the things I Twitter are the things I hear other dudes say," the Surfer Blood with the password explains. To wit, this gem: "Anyone remember the frozen Han Solo toy? All you could really do with it was lament." Nicest kids ever, in person. Ooh looka the time.

Like to pretend this doesn't exist, but the Music Slut won't, so here you go. Backstage at the Village Voice's finely tuned SXSW day party, someone who is definitely not me was conscripted into having how-is-your-SXSW-going conversations with bands who were kind enough to humor their hosts. Included in this snippet with three-fourths of Brooklyn's very own the Pains of Being Pure at Heart is the observation that SXSW is "indie rock Mardi Gras," an anecdote from Peggy Wang that encapsulates the essence of what it means to be the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (it involves a condom), and the all-important answer to what's in the band's SXSW survival kit (a map, sunscreen, heroin). P.S. that last question really wasn't me, swear.

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This ROCK SOLID SOURCE claims Beyoncé is preggo. Uh huh. However, it's being re-reported by publications like the New York Post and The Daily Swarm... so maybe it's legit?

Speaking of rock solid sources, the Allen Oldies Band got a nice little write-up in this New York Times SXSW recap:

"Looking sharp in matching dinner jackets, they blasted through revved-up versions of Tommy Roe's "Dizzy," The Monkees' "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," The Music Explosion's "Little Bit o' Soul" and other chestnuts, cutting straight through every hangover in the room. The frontman Allen Hill was a dervish in constant motion, working the crowd and testifying to the power of old-time rock 'n' roll to soothe your soul."

Here's Fat Tony's SXSW recap. He liked Cubic Zirconia.

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Every year, Kansas City serves a pit stop on many bands' paths to Austin's South by Southwest festival. Check out shots of a few of the rising buzz bands that played on their way down south: Fang Island, Chinese Stars, Past Lives, Quasi, Sisters, So Cow, Think About Life, and Tiger City.

Click here for a slideshow.

Forester Michael

Tiger City

Dudes brawling in Whataburger, at least one minus underwear: Just like you like it.

​No doubt headlining your own SXSW showcase is hungry work, so after he and Chamillionaire closed out the "Best In Texas" night at a sold-out La Zona Rosa March 17, Paul Wall did what a lot of dyed-in-the-wool Texans would do and headed to the nearest Whataburger for some late-night grub. Luckily, he brought his iPhone or some other type of video-recording device with him.

While Wall was waiting for his order, the above gentleman in the green shorts (and, as you'll see, no underwear) became dissatisfied with the Whataburger staff's speed in filling his order. Some other patrons at the restaurant, meanwhile, became dissatisfied with the manner in which the customer - who, we're guessing from the shorts and the beads, may have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day just a little too much - expressed his displeasure.

Here are a few highlights from the video, which you can link to after the jump. It was originally posted by TMZ via WorldStarHipHop Saturday morning...

0:14: Wall, not even trying to keep a straight face - "Only in Texas, man. Only in Texas."

0:42: "I asked for a f*cking cheeseburger!"

1:53: "I will beat you all over those french fries."

2:13: Fight! Fight! (Including exposed butt-crack.)

3:06: Whataburger employee - "Number 34!"

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Ty Segall's first of ten SXSW shows

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