SXSW 2008

South by Southwest 2008 (SXSW) kicks off today, and for the next 10 days, it'll serve as the center of the universe for music, film and the web. The yearly event ranks very near the top of that "things everyone should go to before they die" list. For first timers, however, it can be a bit overwhelming, so for those of you converging on Austin, and those of you already there, here's a down-and-dirty Uncrate guide to getting-down at SXSW 2008. [Read More]

It stands to reason that more than a few of you are attending the Interactive conference. SXSWi is one of the single most important events in the world of New Media. It's also one of the few events where many of the panels actually don't suck, so pay attention. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is delivering a keynote Sunday and Frank Warren from Post Secret will be there on Monday the 10th. Top parties: People Powered Party, IMEEM Smash-up Party, The Conversation Party and The Official Rock Band Party.

The Film portion of the event runs concurrently with SXSWi until next Tuesday. It has its own parties, but being a relatively minor film festival, most of it is trumped by the Interactive side. Nevertheless, if you're hitting the Film side exclusively, these are the films to see: Choke, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Mister Foe and American Teen.

Once Wednesday rolls around, most of the geeks get out of the way and the music begins. Sure there are panels, yes there are parties, but who the hell cares? You don't need parties when there are amazing bands everywhere. But don't think it's all fun and games. The sheer quantity of incredible music makes it nearly impossible to decide where to go and what to listen to. So let's make it a little easier. These are your must-sees: Man Man, Okkervil River, Walter Meego, Los Campesinos!, Atlas Sound, Black Mountain, Bon Iver, Simian Mobile Disco and Holy Fuck.

Several pass options are available: the Platinum Badge (access to all Music, Film, and Interactive events) is $1050, the Music Badge (access to all Music & Media Conference and Festival events) is $650, the Gold Badge (access to all Film and Interactive events) is $650, the Film Badge (access to all Film Conference and Festival events) $400, the Interactive Badge (access to all Interactive Festival and ScreenBurn events) is $450, and the Student Badge (access to Film only) is $300.

So there you have it, The Official Uncrate SXSW Prospectus. It's in no ways definitive, but with a little luck you should come out a better person than when you went in. Have fun and be careful. Uncrate correspondent Blake Robinson will be on-hand, so feel free to abuse him as the situation warrants.