NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW

For filmmakers, musicians, & creative people who do amazing things and want to make the world better in some way.

Last Bison: Southern Folk Rock Returns to SXSW

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Years ago, I came to SXSW to see The Last Bison perform. Now with a few new hits and a refined sound, they’re back, playing at Austin’s esteemed film and music festival once more.

Last Bison nicksav film and music show interviewFrontman Ben Hardesty came on the show to discuss

  • The story behind their evolving sound
  • What went into making their latest music video
  • How they create a unified experience for their fans across the country
  • What getting signed by a label has meant to the band
  • Staying true to one’s values while building an audience

Make fans that are friends.” – Ben Hardesty

After the interview, you can hear Last Bison’s song “Dark Am I.”

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Related Episode

Want to hear more music-interviews from SXSW? Check out this interview I did with the singer from Gothic Tropic from SXSW 2018.

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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. This music video I directed got mentioned by Houston’s leading morning talk show, Great Day Houston:

More of my videos are here.
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Related Things

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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Bands & Musicians Mentioned

  • The Decemberists
  • Last Bison
  • Mumford & Sons
  • Peter Gabriel
  • Simple Minds

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Gothic Tropic: Beck’s Guitarist Has Her Own Band & It Rocks

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Cecilia Della Peruti has played guitar for and gone on tour with acts like Beck, BØRNS, and Charli XCX. That’s helped to prepare her to launch her own band, Gothic Tropic. The band has a guitar-driven 80s pop sound infused with some R&B and funk influences. Elsewhere, Gothic Tropic has been compared to Blondie, Fleetwood Mac and Haim.

Gothic Tropic podcast interviewI had a chance to catch two sets that Gothic Tropic did at South by Southwest this year, one at the M&M house that had been set up on Rainey St. and one at the Whole Foods terrace. I liked the band’s sound and was impressed that they did a handful of shows at SXSW, so I sat down with Cecilia at the tail end of the festival to do an interview.

Some of the things we discuss include

  • How growing up in a musical family shaped her artistic development
  • What she’s learned from going on tour for other bands
  • How she collaborated with producer Todd Dahlhoff to put out her first album, Fast or Feast
  • What she looks for in a manager and how her manager has allowed her to stay focused on the music
  • How she worked with her team to set up and get the word out for her multiple sets at SXSW

At the end of the interview, you can hear “Stronger,” one of the tracks off of Gothic Tropic’s Fast or Feast album. Without further ado, here is the interview I did with Cecilia Della Peruti from Gothic Tropic at SXSW 2018:

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Want to hear another interview with a band that has a guitar-driven sound? Then check out this interview I did with Lane Mack, the bluesy rocker you might remember from the 2016 season of NBC’s The Voice.

Show notes for that episode are here.


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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. My new video portfolio is here!
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Mixed Signals, the short film I directed that is a kind-of throwback to the dramas of the 1940s, premieres at the Louisiana International Film Festival on April 21.
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Related Things

Gothic Tropic at SXSW 2018

Gothic Tropic plays a set at SXSW. Photo credit: Sean Wray

 

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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Bands & Musicians Mentioned

  • Beck
  • Blondie
  • BØRNS
  • Carl Della Peruti – Cecilia’s dad, a jazz composer and trombone player
  • Charli XCX
  • Chelsea Wolfe
  • Fleetwood Mac
  • Haim
  • Juliana Gondek, Cecilia’s mom, an opera singer
  • Karen O
  • Linkin Park
  • Todd Dahlhoff, the producer of Gothic Tropic’s album, Fast or Feast

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(Strangely Elaborate) SXSW 2018 Recap

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SXSW 2018 recap from The nsavides PodcastSouth by Southwest is the whirlwind of activity that takes over Austin for about two weeks each March. It’s a massive film, music, and interactive super festival, plus an education summit, plus a video game expo, plus a job fair, and so much more. It’s a full-time job just attending the festival and figuring out what to check out next, so needless to say putting together a SXSW 2018 recap over 2.5 hours long took some time to put together.

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.

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:

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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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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. My new video portfolio is here!
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The Fable House filmmakers were my guests at SXSW 2018, and we’re partnering together to produce distinguished music videos for bands who want to share their music in personable and unforgettable ways.
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Based in Louisiana, Fable House is a production company that has produced millions of dollars worth of content. Their team has done effects work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Game of Thrones, and Star Trek: Into Darkness, and some of the recording artists they’ve worked with include Dr. John, Kendrick Lamar, and Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds to Mars.
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Let’s discuss how we can help your music stand out: podcast@nsavides.com

Related Things

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  • Esther Perel‘s speech (above) was my favorite session from my SXSW 2018 recap.
  • Other favorite sessions 
  • Other festival discoveries
    • App – Otter Voice Meeting Notes
    • Book – Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue
    • Film – Agave: Spirit of a Nation
    • Music – Wye Oak
    • Podcast – This Song

Nick with Evernote gal at SXSW 2018

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

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Music for the show provided by Rob Costlow

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SXSW 2018 Recap – Sessions Discussed

 

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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Film Distribution with BOND/360’s Elizabeth Sheldon

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BOND/360 is a film distribution company that grew out of BOND Strategy & Influence, which specializes in film marketing. Some of the campaigns that the BOND team has worked on include the Oscar-nominated film Exit Through the Gift Shop, the BAFTA-winning Senna, and the Walter Murch-edited documentary Particle Fever about the Large Hadron Collider.

Elizabeth Sheldon has been the chief operating officer for BOND/360 since 2016. Before that she was the senior vice president for indie film distributor Kino Lorber, where she expanded her knowledge of the global independent film landscape.

Elizabeth Sheldon discusses film distribution on The nsavides PodcastOn this episode of The nsavides Podcast, she discusses how she finds films to acquire, how she likes to work with filmmakers, and how BOND handled the campaign for three recent releases: God Knows Where I Am,  Karl Marx City, and Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back. Plus, she shares some breaking news about a new acquisition that came out of SXSW 2017.

God Knows Where I Am tells the story of a mentally ill woman who starved to death in an abandoned house. It won two Special Jury Prizes at Hot Docs 2016.  Karl Marx City explores Cold-War East Germany from the perspective of the filmmaker whose father committed suicide and had rumored ties to the Stasi secret police. Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back profiles the infamous artist-provocateur who has earned both esteem and contempt in art circles around the world. 

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Film Distribution Takeaways

  • Quotes on a movie poster can help a film stand out in a crowded marketplace.
  • Distributors sometimes turn to their peers, agents, and festival goers for recommendations about what to buy.
  • Some distributors are open to meeting new filmmakers at festivals, and emailing a request in advance might help to make it happen.
  • Universities and higher-learning organizations can build awareness and increase income for issues-driven films.
  • Filmmakers who try to take on distribution themselves aren’t able to take advantage of a distributor’s sophisticated relationships with big industry players who can help a film gain traction.
  • Creating special outreaches for segmented audiences related to a film can raise awareness of a release.
  • A film campaign isn’t always just about getting more views. Sometimes it can also extend conversations around a film’s topic.
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nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. My new video portfolio site includes Trent’s War, a short film I directed about a soldier battling PTSD.
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Let’s talk about what we can do together. Email: podcast@nsavides.com.

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Related Things

Past releases from BOND/360 that caught my attention but that we didn’t get to discuss include Mudbloods, a look at the real-life quidditch sport inspired by the world of Harry Potter, and two Shakespeare-related films. Now: In The Wings On A Worlds Stage follows the worldwide tour of a Richard III production that starred Kevin Spacey and was directed by Sam Mendes. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was filmed during Julie Taymor’s stage production of Shakespeare’s beloved play.

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Films Discussed

God Knows Where I Am film promo

  • God Knows Where I Am
  • The Imposter
  • Karl Marx City
  • Man Down
  • Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back
  • Through the Repellent Fence

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SXSW 2017 Podcast Coverage Part II – Music & Interactive Interviews and Concluding Thoughts

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This is Part II of my SXSW 2017 podcast coverage. Part I includes the film-related interviews I did while attending the festival. On this episode I share my interactive and music-related interviews. Then I share my takeaways from the music, interactive, and film aspects of the festival that I experienced.

The episode concludes with my own personal SXSW story. In it, I explore some of the big questions that the festival evoked, meet Tim Ferriss and a few other luminaries for the first time, and share my struggles in attempting to navigate the festival without a drop of alcohol. Some complications ensue.

The nsavides Podcast coverage of SXSW 2017The interviews and my concluding thoughts are interconnected, which is why I kept them together in one episode, but we cover a lot of ground so you might want to reference the start times below if you have a particular area of interest.

Note: The length of the episode seems to affect how the web player displays the time. If you are trying to get to a certain section and aren’t hearing it, try going back a few minutes, up to 10 minutes or so as you get towards the end of the episode.

Guests in this Episode

  • Gregory Kallenberg, founder of the Louisiana Film Prize  – starts at 6:15. He has been attending SXSW since year one and has been on the board for the interactive side of the festival for 20+ years. We discuss some of the changes that the festival has undergone throughout the years, notable aspects of the interactive portion of the festival, and some of the Louisiana Music Prize alumni who have gone on to play at SXSW.
  • Merisa Torneo & Josh Volkov, the friendly husband and wife duo behind the country-rock band Lovella – starts at 17:57. Merisa and Josh played daily at the SXSW Registrant Lounge right across from the Austin Convention Center. They also played a showcase at Cooper’s BBQ towards the end of the festival. We discuss the origins of the band, their experiences at the festival, and what they consider to be a successful show.

Lovella at SXSW 2017I interviewed Merisa and Josh on this balcony at the Austin Convention Center.

 

  • Michael Bonfiglio, co-director of May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers – starts at 32:40. His music doc (and/or the musicians and the filmmakers) got three standing ovations when it premiered at SXSW 2017. It went on to win 24 Beats Per Second audience award at the festival. Mike explains how they captured vulnerable moments from the band and what it was like to collaborate with co-director Judd Apatow.
  • Mark Falgout, owner of Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette, Louisiana – starts at 45:20. He put together a showcase at Antone’s, a storied music venue in Austin, to help close out the music portion of the festival. Three of the bands in his Louisiana themed showcase have received Grammy nominations, one has appeared on NBC’s The Voice, and one has recorded music for HBO’s True Blood. He explains what he looks for in bands and shares some tips to musicians trying to make a living from their music.

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My Take on Things

  • Music – starts at 1:00:25. Here I talk about some of the music shows and keynotes that caught my attention.
  • Interactive – starts at 1:07:26. This includes some of the brands, panels, and keynotes dealing with technology and politics that I experienced.
  • Film – starts at 1:32:38. Here I give some recommendations to filmmakers trying to navigate the festival and share some of the films, shows, and keynotes that I got to check out.
  • My SXSW Story – starts at 1:57:55. Here I share some of the ups and downs that I experienced at the festival while doing podcast coverage and trying to figure out why I had a sense that I should attend the festival this year.

profiterole at Chez Nous in Austin

The profiterole I ordered at Chez Nous

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nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. Check out some of my work.
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Related Things

This is the playlist I put together of some of the bands performing at SXSW 2017. It is a sort-of soundtrack to my festival experience.

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  • This keynote from National Geographic photographer and Canon shooter Cory Richards had a big influence on how this episode turned out.  
  • Writer and film critic Ben Parman also influenced this episode and provided feedback on it. Thanks for that, Ben.
  • pollstar.com – the site Mark mentioned for tracking band touring numbers

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Other Notable Keynotes & Q&As from SXSW 2017

This keynote from Joe Swanberg in 2016 is also worth a watch.

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Films & Shows Discussed

Update: METH STORM: Arkansas USA is another film I saw at the festival. It was difficult to watch, but it deals with a challenging topic in an evenhanded way and is worth seeing.

I overlooked it when going through my notes for this episode, possibly because parts of it were so searing, but it was not an intentional omission. That said, it would take me a few minutes to expand on my reactions to it. Considering that this episode is already over 3 hours long, it is probably best that I save that discussion for another time.  

METH STORM is directed by Brent and Craig Renaud. A few months ago,  Craig came on the show and discussed some of the other films he has directed with his brother.

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SXSW 2017 Podcast Coverage Part I – Film Interviews

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The SXSW Conference and Festivals that happens each year in Austin has three components: film, music, and interactive. Essentially it is three distinct festivals combined into one massive event that happens each March. This year I was able to get a press pass to do coverage for the podcast. Even with a few days of prep, it was still a challenge to stay on top of everything happening at SXSW 2017, but I gave it the ol’ college try.

The nsavides Podcast coverage of SXSW 2017This podcast episode includes most of the film-related interviews I was able to get at the festival or shortly after it concluded. The interviews are a little shorter than usual so as to allow for a sampling of perspectives.

Part II will include music and interactive-related interviews and my concluding thoughts about the festival experience. It’s not a definite account by any means, just my subjective take on what stuck out for me. I will also share some of the ups and downs I faced as honestly as I can, which I hope will provide some perspective on the festival experience that goes beyond what straight reporting can convey.

The guests in this episode include

  • Mike Ott, director of California Dreams – starts at 4:23. He was once featured on Indiewire’s series “Futures: 15 to Watch,” which profiles up-and-coming voices in the indie film scene. His work has received accolades from the American Film Institute, the Gotham Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards, and film festivals across the country. California Dreams follows a series of unusual characters struggling to make ends meet as they pursue their dreams of becoming actors.
  • Marina Zenovich, director of Water & Power: A California Heist – starts at 18:18. She won an Emmy for her film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, one of two documentaries she made about the filmmaker.  On Water & Power, she worked with Alex Gibney to document California’s water crisis and used Polanski’s Chinatown as a framing device to explore the real-life intrigue happening behind the scenes.
  • Sebastian Junger, producer of Hell on Earth: The Rise of Syria, the Fall of ISIS – starts at 23:38. He is the New York Times best-selling author of The Perfect Storm, War, and Tribe. He also co-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo. In his latest documentary he explores the destabilizing conditions that gave rise to ISIS and the unrest in Syria.

Sebastian Junger at the National Geographic Basecamp SXSW 2017

Sebastian Junger autographs some of his books at the National Geographic Further Base Camp, SXSW 2017.

  • Miao Wang, director of Maineland – starts at 35:00. She has produced short films in partnership with companies like Budweiser, GE, and Microsoft. Her first feature, Beijing Taxi, premiered at SXSW in 2010. Maineland is a cross-continental exploration of the Chinese students who apply to and attend a boarding school in rural Maine. The film won the Special Jury Recognition for Excellence In Observational Cinema at SXSW 2017.
  • Leonard Maltin, film historian and critic – starts at 48:26. He has appeared as a film reviewer on Entertainment Tonight and currently teaches a class at USC and hosts the Maltin on Movies podcast with his daughter. At SXSW he moderated the Q & A for the film Lucky and interviewed Frank Oz. The third edition of his book Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965 was recently released and presented by Turner Classic Movies.

Some of the topics we discuss include

  • What distinguishes a true artist from a mere dreamer
  • Why winning an award or becoming famous doesn’t always make things better
  • The importance of ensuring that everyone has reliable access to water
  • How to use dramatic elements to make documentaries more compelling
  • How to collaborate with others to capture footage in dangerous regions
  • Destabilizing factors that can lead to violent extremism
  • How to work with large companies to produce short films
  • What is involved in shooting a cross-continental project
  • Notable highlights from this year’s SXSW
  • How Leonard Maltin responds to seeing a movie he doesn’t like when the filmmakers are in attendance

Special thanks to Sam Claitor from Fable House for helping me put together my podcast coverage of SXSW 2017. I would also like to thank Kara MacLean of K2 Publicity and Sara Tehrani of MPRM Communications for helping me get some of the interviews in this episode.

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nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. Check out some of my work.
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Related Things

I shot this video during SXSW. In it Jon Miller from Hive Lighting demonstrates the features of the Wasp 100-C, a new light that Hive Lighting introduced at the festival.

Part II of my SXSW 2017 coverage includes interactive and music-related interviews. It also includes my festival recap and some of the bands, keynotes, and films that caught my attention.

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Films Discussed

  • American Movie
  • Beijing Taxi
  • California Dreams 
  • Chinatown
  • The Founder
  • Hell on Earth: The Rise of Syria, the Fall of ISIS
  • Hero
  • Lucky
  • Maineland
  • Park Row
  • Rear Window 
  • Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
  • Steel Helmet
  • Strangers on a Train
  • Water & Power: A California Heist

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Books Discussed

  • Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965
  • Tribe

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Podcast Episodes Mentioned

  • Jeff Jasper – digital effects supervisor on The Dark Knight, Hugo, & Interstellar
  • John Lee Hancock – director of The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks, & The Founder
  • John Schneider – actor on Dukes of Hazzard, Smallville, & The Haves and the Have Nots

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