I Was(n’t) There: A Slackers Guide to SXSW Online

By Mike

Unlike some lucky bastards currently at SXSW, we poor folk have to work for a living – or were too irresponsible to buy tickets earlier. We are idiots…

Since we have lost our chance at going to SXSW, the Austin-based music festival, what are we to do? Well, there are plenty of alternatives that don’t involve bitching about how we can’t go (see what I did there?). Using the almighty power of the World Wide Web, we can watch and listen to almost every SXSW performance via webcasts, internet radio sessions and streaming videos.

It’s like we are right there, man!!!! (Not really – but it sure beats staying at home! Wait…)

A comprehensive list of sites following SXSW after the jump.

• NPR is broadcasting tonight’s showcase live (starring R.E.M.), and will be doing the same for bands like Shout Out Louds, My Morning Jacket and Yo La Tengo over the next few days.

• SPIN at SXSW 2008 Radio streams the publication’s favorite performances at SXSW through Slacker Radio. Vampire Weekend, Sia, Jens Lenkman and Rouge Wave have been cherry-picked from the festival so far, with more on the way.

• Wired’s live webcast will stream live video footage of bands like Afrobots, Lies in Disguise and Pink Enemy today through Saturday, March 15.

• If you subscribe to DirecTV, tune in to their SXSW Live channel on Channel 101 from March 13 – 15 for an 8-hour (4:00pm to midnight) live TV broadcast. Featured artists include Martha Wainright, Tift Merritt, Dizzee Rascal, The Lemonheads and Nicole Atkins.

• Minnesota station The Current is covering acts ranging from Billy Bragg and Devotcha to Tokyo Police Club and The Raveonettes.

• If you need to know all the latest happenings at the festival, even without being there (weird, I know), go to ChaCha’s SXSW alerts for frequent updates on after parties and such. Find out about anybody and everybody performing – and their plans afterwards.

• If crude and quick homemade vids about the SXSW experience are your bag, check out SXSW Videos for a constant deluge of info, rants and vids from random users. Here, the people’s opinion is the main feature; it’s worth tuning in to get the word early and often.

• What happens when a group of people from the West Midlands in the UK trek to Austin to watch SXSW? South By South West Midlands is born. Once again, this is a user-based community, so it’s anybody’s guess what artists will be streamed and posted about.

• Qik user joannageary is streaming video of, well, every event she attends. For that fly-on-the-wall vibe, it’s a great watch – as long as you like the shows she goes to.