We couldn't make it to Austin, Texas, this year, but our sister paper, Creative Loafing Tampa sent marketing director Joran Oppelt and food editor Katie Machol there to cover SXSW.
They're covering as much music and culinary delights as they can take in and reporting it all via video, blogs and Twitter posts.
Oppelt caught a random appearance by Delta Spirit that stuck in his head for the rest of the day, was impressed by the energy (and costume changes) of Santigold and shares some of his wisdom from the panels he attended — "Head and Shoulders increased sales by 10% by narrowing their product line from 26 to 15" — and long lines he stood in that "no amount of money or showing of tits would get people in."
SXSW offers bands from around the nation an opportunity to perform at various clubs and label showcases connecting them with everyone from booking agents to label executives and public relations reps. In 2011, Charlotte's Sugar Glyder and Matrimony both made connections at SXSW that led to label deals for each band.
This year, Charlotte is represented by another handful of artists including Lucky Five, Brody and Choch, Jon Lindsay, Deniro Farrar, Flagship, Junior Astronomers and Thought Criminals.
Head over to CL Tampa's site for their coverage, follow Joran on Twitter or check out some of the video's he's posted on YouTube including this one of the Delta Spirit at a record store:
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