A brief history of SXSW

The first South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) was held in 1987 in Austin, Texas. Despite the fact that Austin was not a Top 20 major market at the time, the background and character of the city made it a perfect location for the conference. Austin was considered a fairly cosmopolitan town for its size because of the University of Texas, which draws people from all over the world. As home to the state government and Texas Legislature it has also always been a popular party town, with a reputation that goes back to the 19th century when numerous nightspots and bars were populated by General Custer’s troops after the Civil War. These nightspots are located in the same areas where the 6th Street and 4th Street club and bar scenes now exist.

Austin’s eclectic music scene goes back to early in the city’s history (from Mexican, German and colonial origins) and encompasses a wide variety of music including country, folk, jazz, blues and rock. Central Austin boasts more original music nightclubs in a concentrated area than any other city in the world.

The classic problem facing Austin musicians was being isolated from the rest of the world here in the middle of Texas. SXSW was a way to reach out to the rest of the world, and bring them here to do business. To do that successfully, SXSW needed to appeal to people other than local artists whether they were from Austin, Ft. Worth, Chicago, Toronto, Munich or Tokyo.

National interest in SXSW was immediate. For years, music businesses on both coasts had been intrigued by what was going on in Austin. The cosmic cowboy, blues, punk and other scenes had already proven that Austin was a receptive place for bands to be creative. With SXSW, music industry executives gained a good excuse to visit.

International interest in SXSW began the second year due to many Austin and American bands finding their first success in Europe. Conversely, there was a lot of interest from SXSW registrants in the international bands who came to perform. SXSW now has offices in Ireland, Germany, Australia and Japan who help bring SXSW registrants to Austin.

The music event has grown from 700 people in 1987 to nearly 10,000 people. As Austin has grown and diversified, film companies and high-tech companies have played a major role in the Austin and the Texas economies. In 1994, SXSW added a film and interactive component to accommodate these growth industries. SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive events attract approximately 7,000 people to Austin every March.

SXSW’s original goal was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas. That continues to be the goal today whether it is music, film or the internet. And Austin continues to be the perfect location.

The SXSW Festival, which inlcudes, Film, Interactive and Musical talents rom aroudn the world, is agrea way to discover the hidden talents that exists out there.

Here is one such talent that will be appearing this year at SXSW – RIO on 3/14.

David Moore Plays On

David Moore cut his musical teeth as a teen. Though he’s now a well-groomed married man with two children, the lyrical perspicacity that has endeared him to multiple generations both here and aboard continues unabated.

Moore made his start in the thoughtful, archetypal hardcore band Split Lip. Formed in the late ’80s with guitarists Adam Rubenstein and Clay Snider, bassist Curtis Mead, drummer Charlie Walker and vocalist Stevie D. (Moore soon would replace him), the young outfit quickly captivated Indianapolis and surrounding music scenes as proficient, intelligent and wholly ahead of their time.

Various bit releases and two full albums on Ohio’s burgeoning Doghouse Records later, Split Lip underwent drastic changes after becoming restless within the confines of their sound. Taking a new name from their retrospective song “Five Year Diary,” Chamberlain was born.

Following a successful tour of Europe, Chamberlain recorded their most realized offering to date — 1998’s heartland-inspired “The Moon, My Saddle.” The band endured through lineup changes and unrequited flirtations with major labels before officially disbanding in early 2000. A Web site continues to keep the name alive and fan mail still comes from overseas.

Moore obviously was disillusioned at the time with Chamberlain’s unfulfilled promise, though their legacy remains strong through a legion of believers. Time and wisdom have mostly tempered his disappointment.

“Ultimately, I think we forgot about the shared, collective vision that got us to the point we were at, the height of our creative output,” Moore said. “We got away from what made us want to play music and play music together. We started to focus on peripheral things that didn’t do anything but detract from the creative process. We decided to break up before things got too nasty. We made sure we could walk away from it as friends before things got out of hand, which is kind of where things were heading or at least seemed to be.”

All from Moore’s past is not lost. In 1997, when Chamberlain was based in Bloomington, Moore and Tim Jones, from the Sony 550/Epic Records-signed Indiana band Old Pike, would get together on weekends with members of both bands and jam. This incarnation was dubbed Chevy Downs and has survived on and off since. “It’s kind of funny to think we’re still doing it after we started it as a sort of whimsical offshoot of our other musical ventures,” Moore said.

Chevy Downs is a conglomeration of Indianapolis music veterans, including Chamberlain alum Seth Greathouse on mandolin and banjo. They play a form of foot-stompin’, vintage country/Americana meant more for fun than brooding introspection. Their debut, “Songs From a Forthcoming LP,” has been complete for several months now, but won’t have its official release until sometime this summer. That can happen when its makers are spread out over the country and can only unite sporadically.

Read Moore on David Moore and South By Southwest by clicking here

One of the most interesting and visited countries in Europe is Italy with lots of touristic objectives worthy of visiting.

Whenever visiting Europe, don’t miss the pleasant opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful countries lying on a peninsula, Italy as art, nature, history, romantic breath taking sights and tasty food are waiting for you. There is practically no place in the land that does not offer some interesting view for tourism or culture.

More than half of world’s historic and artistic heritage is to be found in Italy and over 3000 museums are spread throughout the territory. The whole region is fairy tale like and if you are in the mountain side and wish to bait in the sea, just change direction, turn around and your way will lead to the seaside. As a total opposite level of the sea, standing at almost 11,000 feet, Mount Etna dominates the Sicilian skyline, being the most active volcano in the world. It has erupted around 200 times, even lately in 2001, with lava flows reaching within mere miles of the nearby town of Nicolosi.

Not covered by lava, but calmly being sprinkled by water lies Venice, the most beautiful and romantic tourist attraction. Here even the ambulances are waterborne as water, boats, gondolas and bridges are the first things man meats during a visit to this city. There is no possible wrong turn in the city, as every canal in the maze leads to a beautiful destination. Each year, the city’s water levels rise, but this doesn’t seem to stop the tourist torrent, peaking at Carnavale time, the annual celebration before lent. Other tourist attractions include St. Mark’s Basilica, also known as “The Church Of Gold” and traveling with gondolas through tiny canals and under bridges while listening to great stories told the boat men. Riding down the famous Grand Canal will lead you to Ca’ Rezzonico and Ca’ d’Oro, the former famous for its ornate ballrooms and aristocratic balconies, the latter for providing shelter for the great works of Titian, Mantegna and Carpaccio. The Academy Gallery is also a breath taking attraction, where many of the city’s masterpieces are displayed.

Not far from the beautiful city of Venice stretches the island of Murano, famous from its hand made glass objects and jewelry. This year’s glass Christmas tree has qualified for the Guinness Book of World Records being the tallest glass tree in the world.

Moving towards the center of the country is the capital, Rome luring thousands of tourists with its grandiose buildings and the Vatican. Located on the north side of Vatican City, a spiral ramp leads visitors inside the Vatican museum, an array of corridors and papal spaces. As the next step, the tour must lead you to the most famous room in Italy: the Sistine Chapel. But before you get there, there are a multitude of other things to see, primarily the Raphael rooms, being private quarters built for Julius II with the artist’s frescoes spread across the walls and ceiling.

Located in Campo dei Miracoli stands not quite straight the leaning tower of Pisa, representing 14,500 tones of civic pride, adored by both locals and visitors.

Don’t also miss the little Italian Riviera, Camogli, a beautiful fishing village with a small harbor and colorful houses. Camogli also has an interesting old town, shops and seafood restaurants and hiking trails, not far from Genoa.

Moving towards the southern part of the country, rich vestiges of ancient Greece please the tourists. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento to the city of Selinunte, both in Sicily and on to Paestum and the Homeric charm of the Campi Flegrei in the region of Campania, beautiful sights and friendly people assure an excellent staying. Tuscany is famous for its historical and impressive art pieces, proudly presenting masterpieces like Giotto’s paintings, and fathers of the Renaissance, like Lorenzo de’ Medici, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Leonardo da Vinci, Filippo Brunelleschi, Sandro Botticelli and many others.

Visit this overwhelming country and let yourself be spoiled beside the beautiful monuments from the special taste of its cuisine, the fine wines, the design and fashion style as well as the sight of a speeding red Ferrari sports car, all reflecting Italy’s beauty, impetuosity and heritage.

The Author: Kianna Smith

More on Rome

There is so much history in Rome. Its hard to narrow down the endless possibility’s on what to see and how often? In this short video by Dennis Callan of TourVideos.com,

all that is discussed is the Panthenon. Its the kind of tours Dennis can lead you on, he knows his stuff and likes to share his wisdom.

Enjoy this short on Arriving in Rome and the immediate areas surrounding, the Panthenon.

From cool jazz, to spirited salsa to heart thumping house music- all can be found in South Beach, Miami.

It’s all here in SOBE, from Nikki Beach to Pearl and Opium Gardens. From a Mansion to B E D to Red at the Delano. Plenty to do and plenty of great people watching in South Beach – The picture perfect playground to trend setters, jet setters, locals and celebrity’s alike. Looking for something unique and luxurious in Miami?

More information on Miami

Watch the General Overview Video Podcast

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There is something for everyone in the Fiji Islands. Weddings, Honeymoons, Adventure, Scuba, Dive, Spa. Sport Fishing and More.

Enjoy this overview on Fiji brought to you in conjunction with the Fiji Visitors Bureau.

There is something for everyone in the Fiji Islands. Weddings, Honeymoons, Adventure, Scuba, Dive, Spa. Sport Fishing and More.

Enjoy this overview on Fiji brought to you in conjunction with the Fiji Visitors Bureau. For more information on Fiji, visit fijime.com

Watch the Geography and Customs Video Podcast

Watch the General Overview Video Podcast

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Contributed By Dennis Callan, World Traveler

A LONG the Mediterranean shore of eastern Spain lies Barcelona, one of the great cities of Europe, home to 4.2 million residents.

You can see the main attractions of this country’s second-largest city in just a few days by walking through its square-mile historic center. Be sure to see Barcelona’s most famous building, Sagrada Familia, the fantasy church designed by eccentric architectural genius Gaudi.

You’re likely to spend most of your time in the old section of town, called the Barri Gotic, or Gothic Quarter, a giant pedestrian zone dating to ancient times. This is perhaps the most extensive automobile-free district in Europe (except for Venice, which has no roads). Indeed, one of the most enjoyable activities in Barcelona is taking a walk through its many narrow lanes, they are swimming with excitement and mystery. They wander, bend and curve like a maze, posing the traveler’s question, What’s next? View the Podcast on Barcelona below.

Photos Courtesy – Mother Magoo

An option to consider for Travelling through Europe is the Eurail Pass and, in this episode, Craig and Linda do a brief review of the Eurail Global Pass drawing on their experiences and those of other travellers they have met.

We suggest who might want to use it and who might not, concluding that a consecutive pass is great for a whistlestop tour and making some other suggestions for those with a bit more time.

Don’t forget to check back next week for our tips on how to get the most out of it.

Eurail Tips

Europe’s leading Podcasters and experienced travelers, Linda dn Craig of the Indie Travel Podcast provide six tips for using Eurail passes.Ideas include:

• Check the small print
• Buy before you arrive in Europe
• Check for exceptions

If you’ve used the pass, drop your stories or tips in the comment box below or email us.

LINKS:

More from this Podcaster on ExplorerPod

Italian train information
Austrian train information

Generally making you feel happy and fulfilled, like many of the fine Activity and Resort offerings available on this beautiful island nation inthe South Pacific.

For more information on fiji, visit- fijime.com

Watch the Geography and Customs Video Podcast

Watch the Places to Stay Video Podcast

Filled with white marble buildings, memorials, fountains, pools, manicured gardens and expansive lawns. It is the meeting place for Democracy.The idea for the National Mall was originally conceived by Peter Charles L’Enfant in his plans for the city of Washington, D.C., created back in 1791. However, his vision was not realized until the beginning of the 20th century, when the McMillan Commission plan was put into effect.

The Mall’s is a wide, open expanse at the heart of the capital and its close proximity to government officials and offices, makes it an ideal site for protests and rallies of all types. The backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial is a powerful image to have covering your back as you speak your mind in protest. Many Historical speeches and rallies have occurred at the steps of the memorial which have helped to change attitudes and shape US policy.

It would not be a stretch to call the Lincoln Memorial, a Mecca for the Civil Rights and Peace Movements of the past. Read more on the Mall

The resort is one of the first if not the only to offer a full hydroponic organic vegetable gardens for its guests culinary delights

and with a name like Cuisinart- one would expect “Food” to be at the top of the list of items the resort should be known for.

Not one to publicize its world class guest list, the island is a favored beach getaway for many of the worlds most famous

celebrity’s, jetsetters and wealthy alike who enjoy swimming in the nearby tropical ocean waters.

Enjoy the quick overview of this world class destination.

Anguilla Cuisinart Luxury Resort & Spa

Anguilla is 17 miles long and 3 miles wide at it’s widest point. The capital of Anguilla is The Valley where Wallblake Airport is located. Blowing Point located on the southern coast of the island has a ferry terminal with ferries on the half hour to St. Martin. The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes.

ANGUILLA LOCAL CUSTOMS AND LAWS

– Greet locals before making a request of them.
– When visiting town (The Valley) please wear proper attire (nudity is prohibited on Anguilla).
– Always drive on the left.
– Speed limit for most of the island is 30 mph.
– Yield to the vehicle on the right when approaching a roundabout.
– Watch out for goats, as they do roam freely about the island.

Enjoy yourself.