I got do my first-ever live show of The nsavides Podcast a couple of weeks ago, and I was honored to get to do that as an official event at SXSW 2018. Last episode, I posted the audio from my live podcast at SXSW. On this episode, I will discuss some of the installations, key notes and sessions, films, and music shows that stuck out for me.

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The Ready Player One Experience was the most notable SXSW installation I saw.

I’m combining those seemingly disparate areas because they’re all interconnected: Techniques musicians use to get attention can also relate to filmmakers, technologists at SXSW were taking cues from filmmakers and musicians, and so on. Plus, the festival itself declares that it is dedicated to “helping creative people achieve their goals,” and so we might learn a few things about collaboration by exploring all the different ways that SXSW does that.

A large part of this episode includes discussions about the various film, music, and interactive keynotes and sessions that I heard either at the festival, or after the fact through videos and audio files uploaded to the SXSW YouTube and Soundcloud pages.

SXSW 2018 Recap sections

Since this episode is over 2.5 hours long, so I’m including time stamps for the start types of some of the different categories. Note that sometimes the timestamp may vary somewhat on the web player.

• Installations: 9:31
• Film keynotes & sessions: 23:40
• Interactive keynotes & sessions: 55:24
• Music keynotes & sessions: 1:41:45
• Films: 1:48:47
• Music shows: 1:54:20
• My take: 2:02:38

Scroll down to RELATED THINGS to get my favorite discoveries from the festival.  Next episode, I’ll include an interview with another music discovery I made at the festival. Without further ado, here is my SXSW 2018 recap:

Want more coverage from SXSW? If so, you might be interested in the interactive and music coverage I did at SXSW 2017. That episode also includes my recap of my festival experience that year.

Show notes for that episode are here.

In the episode, I mentioned that I was impressed by the band description for Joshua Burnside. Some music industry professionals like Wade Sutton actually specialize in helping bands write bios. To learn more about how Wade works with musicians to make their shows more engaging, check this interview I did with him.

Show notes for that episode are here.

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She was friendly enough, so I took a photo with this Evernote rep. 

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SXSW 2018 Recap – Sessions Discussed

• Ari Herstand
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Barry Jenkins
• Bernie Sanders
• Chris O’Neill
• Daniel Glass
• DANIELS
• Darren Arronfosky
• Elon Musk
• Esther Perel
• Ethan Hawke
• Ezra Klein
• Keith Urban
• Ray Kurzweil
• Rian Johnson with Mark Hamill
• Tim Ferriss
• Tim Gray
• Sadiq Khan
• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Whurley

Books Mentioned

• Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue
• Quantum Computing for Babies
• The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
• Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator

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Films & Shows Mentioned

• Agave: The Spirit of a Nation
• Black Panther
• Blaze
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
• Damsel 
• Dead Poets Society 
• The Director and The Jedi
• Everything is a Remix
• Jacob’s Ladder
• Jerry Maguire 
• Moonlight
• Mother!
• Oblivion
• Pitch Perfect
• Ready Player One
• Spheres (VR)
• Sriracha
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi 
• Swiss Army Man
• Together (VR)
• Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 
• Westworld 
• Wild Honey Pie!#

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Musicians Mentioned

• Ari Herstand
• Childish Gambino
• Chvrches
• The Givers
• Jade Bird
• Joshua Burnside
• Keith Urban
• Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
• Tank and the Bangas
• Todd Rundgren
• Vampire Weekend
• Wye Oak

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Spotify

The post (Strangely Elaborate) SXSW 2018 Recap appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Brothers Daniel and Jesse Reaux have been playing music since they were kids. After a couple of encouraging open mic sessions, they drew upon some of their musical influences from bluegrass, the blues, and outlaw country and partnered with some of their musician friends to form The Rayo Brothers. 

In their current lineup, they have Jordan Ardoin on bass, Lance Kelehan on drums and mandolin, and Sarah Jayde Williams on the fiddle. Daniel plays the guitar and Jesse plays the banjo, and both of the brothers do the vocals. Since the band’s inception they’ve played all across the South, including shows at SXSW, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Festival Internationale, House of Blues New Orleans, and Gilley’s Dallas. They are scheduled to do another showcase for Jazz Fest this year on May 3rd.

Some of the discussion topics include

• How the band got their start and developed their sound
• The appeal of old-time traditions and throwback styles
• How a distinct music video can help a band get noticed
• What other bands should keep in mind when shooting music videos
• Tips for filmmakers who want to shoot videos with bands
• Budgeting for music videos, tours, and album releases
• Building a fan base one show at a time

At the end of the episode, you can hear the song “Red River Blues,” which comes from the band’s latest album, Take You For a Drive.

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If you like exploring some of the music traditions that The Rayo Brothers reference in their music, you might appreciate this interview I did with Scott Rosenbaum, the filmmaker behind Sidemen, a documentary that premiered at SXSW in 2016 and tells the story of the Grammy-winning sidemen who played alongside legendary bluesmen Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf and developed their own musical voices along the way. Show notes for that episode are here:

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Films & Shows Mentioned

• Bonnie & Clyde (2013)

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Musicians Mentioned

• Bill Monroe
• Bob Dylan
• Chuck Berry
• Hank Williams
• Johnny Cash
• Mumford & Sons
• Owl City
• The Rayo Brothers

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Other People Mentioned

• Alexander the Great
• John Paul Summers, director of the “Gunslinger” music video
• Logan LeBlanc, cinematographer on “Gunslinger”
• Oracle of Delphi

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Spotify

The post Rayo Brothers: Americana Music, Old-Time Roots, & Music Videos appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

• How to enhance a song’s emotional impact during a live music show
• What every band should do before releasing a new album
• How artists can uncover the hidden stories that make them unique
• How to find an angle that will interest local newspapers and TV shows
• What is the most important feature of a band website
• When is the right time to do a music video

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The post How to Optimize Your Live Music Show with Wade Sutton appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Xan Aranda has collaborated with the Duplass brothers on a number of projects including Blue Jay, a film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival with critical acclaim. It is now available for streaming on Netflix. Xan also helped the Duplass brothers produce Room 104, their upcoming series for HBO.

Xan has also produced and/or directed a couple of music videos for Andrew Bird and directed the feature-length documentary Andrew Bird: Fever Year. Another one of her notable music-related credits includes directing an album trailer for Neko Case.

This is Me, the docu-series she produced to supplement Amazon’s Transparent, got nominated for an Emmy.

Very often producing can be matchmaking.” – Xan Aranda 

Some of the things we discuss in this episode include

• What a creative producer can bring to a project
• Working with artists to help them express themselves
• What goes into producing a music video with animation
• How a producer can get better performances from actors
• When it might make sense to do an album trailer instead of a music video
• The unexpected benefits that come from hanging out with those we cherish
• Exploring challenging topics like transgender issues with people of faith

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Listen to the Episode

• Andrew Bird: Fever Year
• Blue Jay 
• Room 104
• This is Me 
• Transmormon
• Transparent

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• “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen

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If You Liked the Show

The post Xan Aranda – Duplass Brothers producer, Andrew Bird director appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.