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a blog by eugene hernandez, editor-in-chief and co-founder of indieWIRE. more at: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

sxsw | ten bands to see this week

SXSW is at its midpoint.

Earlier today in indieWIRE, I tried to make sense of the film and interactive fests during the first half of South By. Now it’s time for some music.

Here are 10 acts I am hoping to catch here in Austin this week.

The full list is after the jump…

eug posted to music on March 17, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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sxsw | shadow shadow shade

photo by eugene hernandez

Formerly known as Afternoons, L.A. band Shadow Shadow Shade is my first of hopefully many music discoveries at SXSW 2010 this year. The seven piece group changed their name last year to distinguish themselves from a Welsh act with the same name and the band—in the wake of popular shows in Los Angeles—are at SXSW hoping to score a distribution deal.

Shadow Shadow Shade (pictured below) headlined IFC’s annual Crossroads party on Tuesday, this year held at the network’s house on Brazos & 7th St. in downtown Austin. They blew a lot of us away and while I only caught a few of their songs, I’m already anxious to hear more. Two drummers, a tambourine, and a distinctive mix of vocals and musical instruments drive what the LA Times described as a, “swooning, layered sound (which seems somehow simultaneously informed by Pink Floyd and the Mamas & the Papas).”

Shadow Shadow Shade have just one song on their MySpace page and were recently interviewed by Spinner ahead of this week’s SXSW sets.

After tonight’s IFC gig, I casually caught up with band member Claire McKeown (pictured, right), an opera singer. She said that if they don’t secure a deal to release their album, they’ll just find a way to do it themselves.

“We don’t really think of the major labels as something we need or need to pursue at this point,” the band’s Brent Turner told the LA Times last year. “Everything these days is in flux, and you find your audience in different ways.”

eug posted to music on March 17, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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udpated: ten to watch at sxsw

Here are the ten movies I’m looking forward to at SXSW, with descriptions provided by the fest. The full lineup is at indieWIRE and my full list of ten is after the jump.

Now updated a sentence explaining why…

eug posted to Film Festivals on March 14, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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an oscar night gallery

New at indieWIRE, a gallery of black and white images from the annual Governor’s Ball. Below is one of my favorites, engraver Alex Youst displaying Jeff Bridges’ engraved name plate for his best actor Oscar trophy. Photo credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

eug posted to awards season on March 10, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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gurus o’ gold: and the winner is?

The annual Guru’s o’ Gold survey of likely Academy Award winners came to a close on Oscar night, months after the game began. The final Gurus ballot polled the 15 voters in 19 categories. And the winner is, with 17 correct predictions:

Kris Tapley.

Probably the youngest of the group, Tapley is a terrific awards season writer with a great site (In Contention) who’s understandably taking some down time for a few weeks.

It’s funny to look back at the Guru’s first official ballot back on November 4th. Notably, in a few key categories, the race certainly shifted over time:

BEST PICTURE:
Only colleague Anne Thompson and I ranked “The Hurt Locker” at #1 for the top prize.

BEST ACTOR & ACTRESS:
No foresaw Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges winning.

ANIMATED FILM:
Everyone predicted “Up” would take the Oscar.

The results of the final Guru’s ballot are after the jump:

eug posted to awards season on March 10, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)