SXSWORLD

Gear Heads Unite! Notes News & SXSW Music Conference Panel Topics Announced Join us next March for a unique slate of panels that will include: • Woody Guthrie's Birth Centennial (presented with the Grammy Museum) • Pennies From The Celestial Jukebox • Music In Mobile, Tablets and Laptops: What's Next? • Composing For TV • Gatekeepers: Tales Of The Pitch • Rebuilding New Orleans Music Community These are just a few of the dozens of conference events that will be announced in upcoming months. A Fond Farewell to R.E.M. Mark Cuban Ringo Deathstarr SXSW 2011 Gear Alley Expo SXSW Alumni News The Civil Wars' exclusive live dig- ital EP, iTunes Live: SXSW went to #1 on iTunes' Singer-Songwriter chart and W to #16 on iTunes' overall Albums chart. Austin's Ringo Deathstarr just released its new Shadow EP w on U.K. shoe- gaze label Club AC30, and will be supporting Smashing Pumpkins on the band's fall European tour. Legendary photographer Bob Gruen has shown photos and told stories at both SXSW 2010 and 2011. This September saw the release of his gorgeous book of images, Rock Seen. The Soft Moon has a new EP titled Total Decay, set for release on Halloween via Captured Tracks. Scottish post-punks The Twilight Sad traded guitars for keyboards on its new single, "Sick," which comes out November 14 on Fat Cat, with a new full-length expected in February 2012. Mark Cuban spoke on the "Music In Sports" panel at SXSW 2011. In June, he hoisted the NBA championship trophy with his Dallas Mavericks! Marc Bianchi recently self released what is said to be the fi nal album under his Her Space Holiday moniker, simply titled Her Space Holiday. On November 10, a number of SXSW Alumni will be rec- ognized at the 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Zoe leads with three nominations, Doctor Krapula has two, and Don Tetto, No Te Va Gustar, Carla Morrison and Little Joe y La Familia each have one nomination. Good luck to all! The Music Gear Expo returns for a third year but with a new name! Formerly known as the Gear Alley Expo, this event is SXSW's headquarters for guitars, keyboards, drums, amps, pedals, DJ equipment and more. So far, 2012's vendor lineup includes Behringer and Bugera, MXL Microphones, KMC Music, Ultimate Ears, Gator Cases, Pro Audio Stash, Core One and others. New this year will be a Gear Store and a Gear Lounge! The Twilight Sad Crowd Safety Expert Comes to Austin With more registrants than ever before at SXSW 2011, SXSW recog- nizes the importance of educating staff, partners and city planners on crowd safety strategies to ensure that future events are safe and enjoy- able experiences for all attendees. R.E.M. Showcase at SXSW 2009 We note with sadness the breakup of R.E.M., who showcased at SXSW in 2009. Mike Mills and Bertis Downs have spoken at the music conference many times, Peter Buck played with Cedell Davis prior to Daniel Lanois' 2003 keynote, and Michael Stipe presented short fi lms from their Collapse Into Now album last March. With SXSW's origins in the independent rock scene of the 1980s, we owe a debt of gratitude to R.E.M. for the band's great music and honorable business practices. 12 Keith Still, Professor of Crowd Dynamics at Bucks New University This past July, SXSW hosted Professor Keith Still, one of the world's foremost experts on the physics and psychology of crowds and consultant for such events as the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia: the 2012 Olympics; Glastonbury Festival and the recent Royal Wedding. During a three-day seminar, Still offered his expertise to 30 participants from SXSW, the City of Austin (including city planners and fi rst responders) and several security and staffi ng companies who gathered to learn about the dynamics of crowd planning for future festivals and city-wide events. Doctor Krapula SXSW ORLD / N OVEMBER 2011 In addition, more than 75 event planning professionals attended an hour-long presentation in which Still provided a summary and overview of the seminar's techniques. MARY SLEDD DON BENDER SARAH BOGER HANS WATSON RAN AN OSCAR RICARDO SILVA

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