Get Smart at SXSW: Five tips for surviving the week

Last year I gave you three pieces of advice on SXSX Music before embarking on my first Platinum SXSW experience (Music, Film and Interactive conferences all). With that behind me and nine days of SXSW ahead of me, I give you five more pieces of advice on how to survive SXSW 2011.

1) Bring a phone charger or spare battery with you wherever you go. All of those tweets, check-ins, emails and texts are going to drain your phone so fast you will be running around looking for an electrical outlet before lunchtime. The Convention Center usually has cellphone charging lockers you can use on the upper levels, but also consider bringing a spare battery pack (sorry, iPhone users, that doesn't apply to you) or else carry an extra AC adapter in your bag.

2) Be diligent about your health. Not to sound too much like a mom, but take care of yourself, okay? Go for a run on the awesome Town Lake trails and take some vitamins. With all the beer-swiggin' and hand-shakin' that happens during the week, you are gonna pick up as many unwanted germs as unwanted tchotchkes. So instead of reaching for that mimosa, put some Emergen-C in your water and toast to your health.

3) Get to peddling. Austin is really not a very big town, so this year my friend Monica and I (who are staying a mile outside of downtown) are getting bikes. Cheap, quick and no need to fight for cabs. Plus there are added health benefits (see above) Uber, the private car service I love in SF, is also going to be down in Austin with pedicabs, so put them to work for charity.

4) Create your own parties on the fly. About 20% of your time at SXSW is spent waiting in line for something -- to catch a band, to get some food, to use the bathroom... but when the only reason you're queued up is to get in to a party hosted by a tech company, why not just grab some folks and spill in to the bar next door? Let's be honest, guys: will you really get to meet the founder if you don't know them already? Probably not. It seemed ridiculous last year that people were waiting to get in to a bar for a party when the bar next door was completely empty. Try using Hurricane Party's app to make your own on-the-fly party, or else to tell friends where you're relocating to. And if the Foursquare or Gowalla check-in matters that much to you, guess what? You'll be in close enough proximity to fool the app in to thinking you're there.

5) Create a mobile group to keep in touch. Before you get to Austin, decide which few people you really want to keep up with -- perhaps coworkers so you don't miss networking opportunities, or friends so you can use all the +1s you asked for in your RSVPs. Try Kik (great app which just rolled out group messaging) or GroupMe (uses SMS messages) and hit lots of people at once when issuing only one message.

Wanna meet up in Austin? Find me on Twitter at twitter.com/caren

Management Lessons from Jeffery Tambor, i.e. George Bluth

Of all the management lessons I learned during my HBS career, I certainly didn't expect any to come from actor Jeffrey Tambor, probably because I associate him with one of his famous characters: George Bluth, CEO of the Bluth Company, who is always on the run from the SEC. Does this look like the kind of character you want to take business lessons from?

But let's divorce Tambor from Bluth, since one is real and the other is not....

Tambor led an acting workshop at SXSW that I was lucky to attend. During the workshop he had an actor and actress on stage to help him illustrate some lessons. The most interesting parts of the workshop -- for me at least -- were not acting lessons, though, but managerial ones.

The first thing I noticed about Tambor was that he was a coach who wasn't afraid to give out some tough love. In one instance he reminded the actor, 'It's a love scene, Romeo -- [don't play] some Camus existential motherf*cker.' But he also made a point to compliment the actors' strengths and push him to go further with his talents. It was almost like Tambor was a therapist up there and you could see the two actors really reacting to what he was saying (in a few moments they were moved to tears).

Tambor also made a point to tell the directors in the crowd not to critique their actors on-set. Instead he advised walking your actor over to the craft service table and having an honest conversation there, away from the set and the key grips, cameramen, best boys, etc, who were uninvolved. As a general manager, this makes sense, too. Why embarrass someone that needs coaching by criticizing them in front of peers or coworkers? Have important conversations in settings that allow you to be honest and helpful, not hurtful.

Here are some other things I took away from the session:

"We know that in the fifth act Oedipus is going to pluck out his eyes, but let's get there first." I thought about this in relation to our case studies... when we know the ending, it is easy to try and rush to it and work backwards... but there is a lot to learn in the stepping stones and chapters in between.

'Do not teach acting on the set. Take care of business.' This made me think about start-ups and why they are hesitant to hire people who can't work autonomously. You don't want to be teaching people how to do their job when it's time to perform. On this point, I also thought of what one case protagonist said at HBS: "If someone I hire fails at their job because they weren't ready for it, it's my fault -- not theirs." Teach during the read-thrus, not when the tape is rolling.

"You have to shatter the work to get it right. 'Is this good?' is wrong. You can always repair it. F*ck it up first."

"Be a pencil with an eraser at the end."

And my favorite...

"Losing the love is what is hard about being a human being. But we get to use it as art. It isn't about a scene; it is about our lives."

Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter, on Innovation, Internet and Entrepreneurship

There are no Managing Innovation (#HBSinnov8) or Founder's Dilemma (#fdhbs) classes the rest of the week, so I thought it a good time to type up my notes from SXSW Interactive. One of the more notable events of the week was the keynote address from Evan Williams, co-founder and CEO of Twitter (and recent HBS case protagonist in #fdhbs). As you may have heard, it was a bit lackluster and I would now say this tweet was indeed serendipitous...


(click the link above to see the picture)

When Williams announced Twitter's new @anywhere platform from the stage (to applause, but not cheers) it was clear that he is no Steve Jobs... but I stayed until the end of the Q&A and found his insight and reflections interesting nonetheless... here are the [paraphrased] pieces that stood out.

"Whatever you assume when you start out, you are wrong. Experimentation leads the creative process... Google started out thinking they were going to sell search products."

"We are still focused on how do we create the best experience for users and business... users are opting in to commercial messages all the time. We want to make that process better and faster."

"'What is Twitter?' has always been an iconically difficult question to answer. We think of it as an information network that helps [users] find out what is going on in the world around them, and share... First piece, you don't have to contribute... Value we are working on today is increasing signal to noise ratio and giving people more choices."

How does Twitter handle iteration? "We have awesome people that are doing what they think is best. Autonomous teams... go for it... give them the resources they need."

On his role as CEO: "I personally like to get involved in the product and strategy. Then the nitty gritty... half my time on that, then half of culture internally. How do we scale the company and adopt characteristics we want? ... Parallels between service and culture we want to create... openness and transparency... easy to say, harder to do..."

Re: Openness and transparency... "A window is transparent, a door is open... a window lets you see what is happening, a door lets you come in... openness is survival technique... being open to your probably being wrong... assume there are more smart people outside the company than inside..."

"There are 50 million tweets a day; most users see 100. Are those the best 100 for you to see? Probably not." Hinted at Microsoft and Google being able to help that within the network.

"We don't know the best use for this stuff... like the Internet... why limit it?... We are just realizing the value of the Internet. It is about democratization... we take that for granted. It is changing institutions today, it will changes institutions in the future."

Next wave? "Real businesses will be built on Twitter.... 'Twitter.com' is the consumer interface for the mainstream audience... we would love to see more focus on creating deep experiences that create value for audiences."

"We are sending cease and desist notices everyday to Twitter-follower-shot-gun-spammers... [we] need shepherding."

"SMS is still important in places where internet adoption is low. Twitter can help... strong growth in India, where it is SMS ubiquitous."

"Hard to define 'user' because you don't have to have an account to use Twitter... there's something on Twitter for everyone, but everyone does not know that."

"People have limited attention. We hope Twitter can better direct your attention."

#1 operating principle? "'Be a course for good'... open exchange of information has positive impact on the world. Another is 'pay attention.'... Our advantage will only work if everyone wins." Key to partnerships and why Evan says they haven't introduced revenue generating parts to Twitter yet...

"Dichotomy in traditional media and usage... it is an ecosystem and they get richer and pieces work together. It doesn't work for those who ignore the new species. For Twitter, it is even more clear to me that Twitter complements existing media."

Why be an entrepreneur? "For me, it's [about] creating things that didn't exist in the world before... your product should be the end of a sentence that starts, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if...?'"

Caren Explains 3 Ways to Improve Your SXSW Music Experience

On Sunday I head to Austin, Texas, for my fourth pilgrimage to SXSW. It will be the first time I'm not producing SXSW-related events (like the one pictured above); instead I'll be checking out the interactive panels and film screenings, before I help introduce The Lighthouse and the Whaler to the rest of the music industry [catch the band's showcase on Wednesday March 17th at 7:30pm at The Tap Room at Six].

Ian Schafer penned a great post for AdAge reminding all of us who are Austin-bound “10 Ways to Not Be a Jerk at SXSW.” Ian’s offers some advice specific to SXSWi, so I thought I’d add three pieces of advice for those people going to the SXSW Music festivities.

1) Don't plan every minute of your day. SXSW used to be about the discovery, but now it is a miracle if you can survive the whole thing. Go ahead and make a schedule using my.sxsw, but do leave some room for exploration. There are probably 50-some-odd bands that the industry is buzzing about, and you may be tempted to go see them all; but do you really want to be the umpteenth blogger to proclaim [over-hyped band] the darling of SXSW? Wouldn’t it be cooler to stumble into something unusually interesting? There is certainly talent among the other 1,000+ artists showcasing at SXSW, so ditch the schedule from time to time and let your ear lead you to something surprising.

2) Don't show off all of your day party laminates. It's nice to feel wanted and well-liked, but you don't have to brag about it, especially if you didn't share your party invitations with your friends and instead horded passes for yourself. Imagine checking-in to Four Square and seeing that a few of your friends are at a pretty happening place; but, wait, why didn’t they invite you to go with them?! Don’t wear your party laminates like merit badges unless you’re willing to answer, “How come I wasn’t invited to that?"

3) Make a point to go to Flatstock. For the past 24 years the best poster artists and designers have shown up at SXSW to display their work. I've outfitted my entire apartment with posters I bought at SXSW 2008 and my house guests love them almost as much as I do. If you are on a budget, I recommend doing some research ahead of time, since some of these posters are pricey. Check out two of my favorites: The Small Stakes (responsible for The National poster below) and Methane Studios (which made the Band of Horses print).

Caren Explains Colour Revolt

Photo by Danny Klimetz

Southeast Performer has posted the cover story I penned on Colour Revolt, the young indie band from Oxford, Mississippi. The June print edition should be out soon.

Give 'em a listen or check out a video from SXSW

It is an abnormally hot day in Austin, Texas. Despite the unforgiving afternoon sun, there is a steady stream of people flowing out to the back patio of the Volume Night Club. Colour Revolt has just finished its set at the Paste + Stereogum DELL Lounge at South By Southwest and its members are milling around in the company of Nada Surf and Destroyer. While his bandmates are talking to friends and fellow musicians, guitarist Jimmy Cajoles is sitting at a high-top table and admits (through a wide smile) that he is “tired as hell"... Read More

Caren Explains Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip

At SXSW, Leila and Rachael and I got to catch a performance by Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip at the NME party (this was funny and ironic, because in their UK hit song the hip hop/electronic duo advise, "Thou shalt not read NME").

Here's a video from the streets of SXSW right after the performance:



"Thou Shalt Always Kill" is a rad song, but late reaching the US. Dan Le Sac was handing out "Just a Band" stickers at SXSW and I may have stuck a few on posters of arrogant rock bands around town.

Read the lyrics while you listen.



Thou Shalt Always Kill - Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
(See original post for the embedded song)

Thou shalt not steal if there is direct victim.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a peadophile… Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thall shalt not stop liking a band just because they’ve become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by it’s cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thall shalt not buy Coca-Cola products. Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend’s best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls’ pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoakes.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you're done just because you’ve finished your shitty little poem or song you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just ’cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you’re never gonna fucking talk to.

Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were.

The Beatles - Were just a band.
Led Zepplin - Just a band.
The Beach Boys - Just a band.
The Sex Pistols - Just a band.
The Clash - Just a band.
Crass - Just a band.
Minor Threat - Just a band.
The Cure - Just a band.
The Smiths - Just a band.
Nirvana - Just a band.
The Pixies - Just a band.
Oasis - Just a band.
Radiohead - Just a band.
Bloc Party - Just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys - Just a band.
The next big thing - JUST A BAND.

Thou shalt give equal worth to tragedies that occur in non-English speaking countries as to those that occur in English speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be.


Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music

Thou shalt not pimp my ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When I say “Hey” thou shalt not say “Ho”.
When I say “Hip” thou shalt not say “Hop”.
When I say "he say, she say, we say, make some noise" - kill me.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.
Thou shalt spell the word “Pheonix” P-H-E-O-N-I-X not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Bradley at the club last night by saying “Is it”.
Thou shalt think for yourselves.

And thou shalt always kill.

Just Between Friends: Conversation between Denison Witmer and Rosie Thomas

There's a great Frank Zappa quote displayed in the back hall of our office regarding rock journalism:

"... People who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read."

So when Philly-based singer/songwriter Denison Witmer and Seattle's Rosie Thomas played Paste's SXSW Party in Austin, we left the "journalism" up to the artists themselves...

You can hear these long-time friends (and collaborators) interview each other on the most recent (free) episode of the Paste Culture Club podcast. Among the questions:

- What else would you do if you weren't playing music?
- If you could be an animal, what would you be?
- What was Rosie really thinking when she went to record songs with Denison and "Suf" (Sufjan Stevens)?

It's a real treat to hear two artists talk to each other off-the-cuff as friends, with breathing room to laugh and discuss creativity, music, and caring for other people.

Get it here for free.

And speaking of Rosie Thomas, when I was in Italy I heard her song "Since You've Been Around" playing in a bakery/bar... it was comforting to hear something familiar and unexpected in a foreign place. More to come on my Italy trip soon...

CK

Little Miss SXSW: The Musical

Friends have been asking about SXSW, and I've been meaning to post about it. But I was tired for the entire week following the journey, so pardon the delay.

The best adjective to describe SXSW is overwhelming. At times I was ready to collapse on 6th Street from exhaustion, and other times I was so freakin excited to be working in the music & media industries that I couldn't stop smiling.

This year was a lot of work for me and not as much concert-going as last year. On top of some great business meetings, Paste hosted/sponsored four events this year -- our annual day party at Maggie Mae's (with DiscRevolt, WXPN, and Three Thieves), our official showcase with SoundExchange, a day party with The Militia Group, and an evening house party at Synthetic Pictures creekside studios.

I was sad for everything to end because SXSW-prep stole a lot of my time and energy in Q1. Very proud of how everything turned out, though.

Among the bands I wish I'd seen but didn't: The Fratellis, The Blood Arm, MuteMath, Damien Dempsey, Andrew Bird

To tell you more about what I did see, I will now be creative and use a musical format... yes, that's right... I give you:

LITTLE MISS SXSW: THE MUSICAL



Day 1: All Over the Place

Scene 1: Hartsfield International Airport

"Wait For Me! (I Have Baggage!)”.............. Caren and Leila
“Breakfast Ends at 10am!”.................. Chili's Staff
"We'll Drink Instead"....................... Caren and Leila

Scene 2: Somewhere in the Middle of Texas

“Driving Thru a Satanic Car Wash"........... Jason and Jared
"This Storm Will Pass"..................... Caren and Leila
"Haven't You Seen a Brit Before?".................. Leila, Sketchy Gas Station Guy

Scene 3: Austin Convention Center

“I Miss Arrested Development”................ Caren, David Cross

Scene 4: Opal Divine's

"Where Is This Place? (Caren Is Confused)"........ Jared and Leila
"First Strangers, Now Friends".............. Caren, Andy's Friends in Austin

Scene 5: La Zona Rosa

“Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh Huh"............... The Rapture
"Let's Be Lame and Do Some Work"................. Caren and Jared

INTERMISSION



Day 2: Austin, TX

Scene 1: Magnolia Cafe

"Let's Start the Day"....................... Paste Business Team

Scene 2: GSD&M

"Once Upon a Time, I Applied Here"................... Caren, Media Planners

Scene 3: New West Records Party

“Nothing Like a Lone Star Beer"............. Ensemble
“Rickie Lee Jones Freak Out"................ Ensemble

Scene 4: Rhapsody Showcase at Mohawks

"To the Bat Phone!"......................... Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Buck
"Give Me Back My Bass"...................... Peter, Bjorn & John

Scene 5: KLRU Studios - Austin City Limits set

Musical Interlude........................... The Apples In Stereo

Scene 6: Ringers Bar

"Tar Heel Fans Unite"....................... Nate, Austin, Caren, Brian

Scene 7: Sixth Street

"Cellphone Died Again"...................... Caren
"It's a Long, Long Line to Our Show"............... MuteMath
"Who Knew I Was a Little Edgy?"............. Rocky Votalato
"On a Couch With a Smashing Pumpkin"........ Caren, James Iha
"When Ice Hits Your Head"................... Albert Hammond Jr.

INTERMISSION



Day 3: Austin, TX

Scene 1: Paste SXSW Party, Maggie Mae's

"Where Have All the Gift Bags Gone?"........ Paste Business Team
"Do the Boxed-Wine Box-Step!"................ Ensemble
"We Were Hardened by the War"......... Cold War Kids
"It's a Wonderful Life"....................... Caren

Scene 2: Eddie V's

"Drunk at Dinner"........................... Caren, Others? (Anyone?)
"Tomohawk (Steak) Chop!".................... Paste Editorial Team

Scene 3: Paste Showcase, Austin Convention Center

"Full of Surprises (Freestyle Interlude)"... Pigeon John, Gift of Gab
"I Roll Six Deep"........................... Jamie Kennedy
"Cookies and the Spree"..................... Ensemble, Polyphonic Spree

INTERMISSION



Day 4: Austin, TX

Scene 1: Paste Day at the Belmont

"Nice Day For Sunscreen"................... Ensemble
"Green On St Patrick's Day"................ Ensemble
"You Can Steal Our Van (But You Can't Steal the Rock)"......... Colour Revolt
"Death Be My Cellphone".................... Caren
"I'll Follow You To Every Party"........... Jamie Kennedy
"Drunk at Dinner (Reprise)"................ Paste Editorial Team

Scene 2: Uchi Restaurant

"Sushi or Sashimi?"........................ Waiter, Business Colleagues

Scene 3: Dive Bar

"How Did We Get Here?"..................... Caren, Tim
"Fender Bender Blues"...................... Ensemble

Scene 4: Synthetic Pictures Studios, backyard creek

"I Wanna Be (Where Grey Goose Is Free)".... Ensemble
"Let's Get Loud"........................... The Ringers
"What Would Ringo Do?"..................... The Redwalls

Day 5: Austin, TX

Scene 1: Somewhere In the Middle of Texas

"Broke Down Buick, Broken Foot".............. Kate, Jared
"Whataburger, Whataday".................. Paste Editorial Team

Scene 2: Houston Airport

"Wait For Me! I Have Baggage (Reprise)".... Paste Ensemble

FINALE

"Little Miss SXSW"......................... Ensemble

END