It's already time to start thinking about SXSW again: they've redesigned their site and opened up submissions for '09 showcase artists. Bands can apply through their site or via Sonicbids here. Music fans can get a head start by purchasing their music passes now for $550. SXSW 2009 is scheduled for March 13 - 22.......

Finalists for the 2008 SXSWclick Online Shorts Festival have been announced, and you can watch them all on the festival's website. The selected shorts are competing for various prizes, and a slot at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. The finalists are divided into five categories: "Old School Shorts", "Really Real Shorts", "Animate-It", "Sound Checks", and "What the F*#!?". This year's judges include Jeffrey Tambor, Don Hertzfeldt, Doug Benson and Eugene Mirman among others--but the general......

Islands = Mania. That's a good way to start, as facepainted lead singer Nick Thorburn waxes eloquent or arrogant on stage, and the Montreal six-piece come together in a clattering display of Graceland-influenced indie, not to mention the occasional rap, and pretty much anything else you can throw in there. Their latest record, Arm's Way, which some love, and some don't so much love, is a collection of twenty-first century rock songs bordering on the brooding, though the light-hearted catastrophizing that marked their debut album still pops up in places; it will be more than interesting to see these elaborate arrangements manifested on stage. ...

We just woke up from a heavy post-SXSW slumber, and thought we'd share some of our personal highlights from this year's SXSW Film Festival, along with a tidy roundup of our interview and preview coverage (and we've still got a couple interviews in the queue, so keep an eye out for even more!)...

Another SXSW has come and gone in a mind-addled, Sparks-fueled hurry, and just like every other virtual self-professed music lover, Austinist is taking a moment to reflect. You'll no doubt get your fill of commentary on the business of SXSW, the delicate balance between branding and community, our city's perceptions about the music industry and its impact on them as music lovers elsewhere. There are no doubt oodles of performance reviews as well (follow this post's jump for a handful of those), but the most impressive (and arguably vexing) facet of this year's SXSW for me was the always astounding dedication of the musicians who make it down here each year. ...

The whirlwind that is SXSW has come and gone. Weeks and weeks of preparation and planning were funneled into an overflowing, often overwhelmed city of Austin for just a few magical days and nights. Now as the sense of normalcy returns, we’re left with wonderful memories, cramping legs, and a hoarse voice. In anticipation of being greeted with a plethora of “Who did you like best?” queries, here’s a shortlist of great events, thrilling performances, and moments that took our breath away....

To be honest, of the narrative features premiering at SXSW shot by Texas based filmmakers, the two that we were immediately drawn to were Bob Byington's RSO [Registered Sex Offender] and Alex Karpovsky's Woodpecker. The first initially drew us in because we have a morbid fascination with all things criminal, especially criminal acts that traditionally allow for no possibility of redemption and the later because of the duality of a film that injects a non-fictional situation with fictional characters. Serendipitously, we recently had the chance to sit down with both Byington and Karpovsky at the same, and during a very circuitous conversation we got the chance to discuss film festival groupies, Olive Garden movie goers, fanatical birdwatchers and well, registered sex offenders....

The Wall Street Journal dogs the SXSW Conference. According to speculators on Wall Street, Tuesday is a "make-or-break" day for the U.S. economy... Yikes: Apparently there's a growing concern over hackers being able to hack into pacemakers and other implanted devices. Tibetan protests against the Chinese government have recently intensified. The Dalai Lama fears imminent bloodshed on a large scale...while the Chinese government has blocked YouTube viewing of the Tibetan protests. Many community gardens throughout Austin are at risk of being bulldozed for the sake of urban growth....

One Minute to Nine is the story of a family crushed in the tyrannical grip of an abusive patriarch, and what happens when the saying "enough is enough" is a monumental understatement. Director Tommy Davis met the Maldonado family a couple of days before Wendy, the mother of four boys, was to be incarcerated on the charge of murder. Using hand shot chronicles and aging home videos, Davis pieces together the last moments of freedom for a family who has already lead a long life of imprisonment. We had the chance recently to pick Davis' brain about courage, exploitation and a little bit of old fashioned luck. ...

Major heroin ring busted in town; 37 people indicted on drug charges. APD's annual racial profiling report was released last week. City of Austin releases list of SXSW street closures. Lorraine Branham, director of UT Journalism School, has been named dean of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse. Gary Cobb to endorse Lehmberg for Travis County DA....

Every Wednesday on Austinist we feature one of our multitude of ridiculously talented writers, writing written things for your eyes to consume. The opinions expressed by the writer are strictly their own, and are not necessarily shared by the Ist Network or any of its affiliates. For this week, meet: Anna Hanks. Enjoy! -- Columnist Editor Image from movie: Rock and Roll High SchoolSouth By Southwest is my favorite time of year. Not so much......

Upright Citizens Brigade founders Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Ian Roberts perform tonight (United States Art Authority) and tomorrow (ColdTowne Theater). Tickets online. // At the SXSW South Tent tomorrow, the Bowery Poetry Club and others perform, from 11:30-3pm. Wammo emcees! Full schedule after the jump....

Austinist & Gothamist's day party is today, at the Mohawk (912 Red River). The party kicks off around 11 a.m., and the day ends at 6, but not before Shout Out Louds, Shearwater, Liam Finn and Phosphorescent perform. ...

Heavy Metal in Baghdad has amassed a considerable amount of buzz in the run-up to its US debut at SXSW tonight. The film follows Acrassicauda, the only heavy metal band in Baghdad, from the fall of Saddam Hussein in late 2003 through December 2006. We spoke with Suroosh Alvi, one of Heavy Metal’s directors, about his experience shooting the film in Iraq....

Simian Mobile Disco are no strangers to SXSW. The duo were one of the highlights of the electronic music at SXSW '07, and they've returned for four shows at this year's event. James Ford and Jas Shaw are still touring behind 2007's Attack Decay Sustain Release, which has lit up dance floors worldwide with cuts like "I Believe" and "It's The Beat." The band are currently working on material for their second album, so one can hope that a few new tracks may turn up in these live performances. Ford is also working as an in-demand producer for acts like Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons, thus is a busy man indeed....

So my original guarantee - that every big rapper in the state would come to SXSW again - kind of didn’t pan out, though our city’s finest will be out in force (more on that later). Still, sans Lil’ Keke, Matt Sonzala’s rap line-up for the official events is particularly strong, bolstered by a handful of legends and all sorts of regional stars. Here are my picks from the official showcases in no particular order (except that Bun is first): Bun B (Houston) Mike Jones will be telling his great grandkids about Bun’s first Houston show after Pimp C’s death. Bun will pay tribute again tonight at Fuze (or, to be more exact, early morning on Thursday). You’re probably already planning on going....

The wait for SXSW Music is almost over but the information overload will persist for another few days! Our writers combed through stacks of emails, tons of event listings, and pages and pages of our beloved "Party Flyers" slideshow to come up with a list of recommended happenings....

It has been almost eight years since the last episode of the Upright Citizens Brigade aired on Comedy Central. But beginning well before the series took to television—from its roots as an improv and sketch comedy troupe in Chicago to the opening of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatres in New York City and Los Angeles—the Upright Citizens Brigade has been in the process of constructing a comedy empire....

Phosphorescent, the woodsy and brutally honest project of Brooklyn-by-way-of-Athens-and-Alabama musician Matthew Houck, used the strength of last year's Pride to firmly establish itself as an act to be reckoned with. Combining haunting natural effects and skillful understatement, the album presents an intentionally rough-around-the-edges sound that has drawn complimentary comparisons to everyone from Dylan to Oldham. In advance of Phosphorescent's three SXSW shows, including the Austinist/Gothamist get together on Wednesday, Matthew Houck spoke to us while snowed-in in New York....

Much of the buzz leading up to this year's SXSW Interactive Keynote revolved not around Mark Zuckerberg, this year's guest and founder of Facebook, but around his tendency to give awkward and empty interviews. ...

One of Polyvinyl's more interesting, seasoned acts, Aloha, is coming in during South by week to play the Polyvinyl/Team Love show on Friday the 14th and and the Mess With Texas 2 event at Waterloo Park on Saturday. The experimental indie rock quartet is touring on the heels of a recent EP, Light Works, and in advance of an upcoming LP. They had a second and so did we, so we all sat down at our computers and conducted the following interview full of talk about varied instrumentation, the lives of gypsies and becoming rowdier with age. ...

This isn't your typical high school student council race—it is a full fledged election with primaries and running mates, televised debates and newspaper endorsements. The candidates must take such things into consideration as "Can a ticket without Asian representation win?", "What is the best way to market our platform?", and "Will I have to quit the theater council if I am elected?" These kids take themselves incredibly seriously and fight for their right to rule until the final ballot is cast....

Aziz Ansari gets SXSW. While you know him best for his role on MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant (which also features Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer), Ansari is also a music nerd. He has a blog, writes comedy bits about music, and can't help but mock the indie scene we all partake in. For those less familiar with Ansari, here's a quick primer: "Shittiest Mixtape Boombox Blast", "Clell Tickle: Marketing Guru", "Indie Ad Exec", "Other Music" ...

In this follow up to his moving documentary Mojados: Through the Night, which won the Audience Award at SXSW 2004, Director Tommy Davis pieces together the puzzle of what happens when, after 18 years, one woman reaches the summit of suffering and finally summons the courage to deal with her husband in the only way that she knows how....

SXSW Music kicks off on Wednesday the 12th, as always with the Annual Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall, but it has become clear over the last few years that the music really starts the night before. Just thinking back to last year, we remember walking up and down Red River, watching bands like Golden Bear, White Denim and Broken Teeth at venues such as Beauty Bar, Emo’s and Red 7, and congratulating ourselves for getting started early....

Call ‘em Cowpunk. Call ‘em alt. country. Call ‘em country-ish indie rock. But, whatever tag you affix on Memphis rockers Lucero know that there will come a time at least once in your life when their gritty, twangy, whiskey-soaked tunes of hard livin’ fit snugly like a wooden peg. And maybe, that time is during South by week. ...

Last year, we outlined all the Japanse bands coming to SXSW, and this year we're really excited about Norway. We are happy to report that Oslo-based jazz-metal group Shining are on their way, as well as Ungdomskulen and Hanne Hukkelberg. ...

Cook County, premiering at SXSW this week and showing at 4 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at Alamo South Lamar, is about two generations of a rural family dealing with their collective addiction to crystal meth. ...

PureVolume, the folks who helped us host last night's killer Local Music is Sexy 5 afterparty—featuring Brazos, White Denim, Pink Nasty, and Zykos—have a full week's worth of awesome parties left. If you'd like to learn what takes to throw large-scale events like this, here's your perfect chance: PureVolume is looking for help throughout the week. PureVolume.com is looking for help at The PureVolume Ranch during SXSW We are looking for interns to help......

Image by flickr user loreleiLet's face it: the official SXSW website isn't all that handy when it comes to planning out your festival. So the folks at B-Side have once again put together a fantastic SXSW Film Festival guide, complete with movie info, trailers, reviews and (best of all) scheduling tools to help you plan out the next nine days. And this year, the folks at Film Threat will be providing some blog-a-licious content and......