SXSW: Where time (and food) are in short supply

I honestly thought I’d be blogging every day from SXSW.

That’s the most laughable idea I’ve had in ages.

Since Friday, I’ve been in Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, which is hard to sum up in just one sentence: It’s a long-running music, film and nerd festival (the nerd track is loosely called “Interactive”) at which many of the things I write about overlap and converge (what a goddamn buzz word that is). I’m here to see bands, learn about Austin’s music scene, watch movies, go to panels and, well, write about them all.

So this is your fair warning. Coming soon: reviews of Some Days Are Better Than Others, a Portland-set movie about loneliness and the little things; Mr. Nice, about a Welsh drug dealer; and many other films, and an overview of what little of the interactive portion of the festival I saw (not little as in I didn’t care, but little as in the inability to see everything you want to see is a big part of SXSW).

The music portion starts on Wednesday, and while I’m going to miss the nerd crowd, I’m excited to see what happens when Sixth Street gets even more batshit crazy than it is already.

If you’re interested in the little details, you can follow me on Twitter at @theothermolly, which is presently half posts from panels and presentations, and half random commentary from the entire Austin Experience, which has, in the last few days, involved short Stormtroopers, cheap beer and a serious lack of breakfast tacos. Currently, it’s Shiner Bock and Jaron Lanier‘s presentation. Lanier just asked us all to experiment by putting the gadgets away, and I’m going to play along.

If you have any requests or suggestions — things you think I should do in Austin or things you want to know about from SXSW — by all means, leave a comment!

Someday, I may even get to eat some queso.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!