Accent

So how did the Accent team put together our cover and double truck for SXSW shown in this post? Watch the video below.

The making of Accent's SXSW pre-coverage layout for Issue #3 from Sarah Vasquez on Vimeo.

I'm competing in a video contest so I used this as a chance to get some practice before the journalism conference after SXSW. I filmed most of the clips except for the ones I'm in, of course. The video was shot on my Flip Mino and edited myself in iMovie.

Thanks again to the bands that gave me permission to include their songs:
Love at 20
Quiet Company
SPEAK

So it begins. Accent is ready for our SXSW coverage. We did a whole package for pre-coverage which can be found here.

Isn't this banner freaking amazing? Our web editor, Hanlly did a great job with the banners on the site. I love it! I have a feeling walking around 6th street or ACC campus is never going to be the same again. But it's part of the job. And if it means bands approaching me more for coverage, then I'm all for it.

Check out my awesome bio Life & Arts Editor Devon wrote for me. I surely couldn't have done it better.

Hola amigos, this is Sarah Vasquez checking in. When I’m not clocking campus news for the Accent, I also moonlight as a professional music writer at Austin Vida. This is my sixth SXSW, so I’ve got the experience, the knowledge, and the stamina required to tackle a festival of this magnitude. While all you amateurs are suffering from heat stroke and blown ear drums, I’m going to be front and center, taking video and photos of the hot acts descending on Austin’s downtown. From off the map parties to wild and raw day shows, I’ll be proving that, here at the Accent, we don’t need no stinking badges (though I will have a full music badge).

I wrote the caption for this: Use a QR code reader on your smartphone to take a photo of the above code which will then directly link you to our specific SXSW coverage page on www.theaccent.org. Because typing the url is so 2009.

Everyone with a SXSW badge is going to have this type of code on it so when you meet someone you want to keep in touch with, you just scan the code on your smartphone and the info is stored. Cool but creepy technology.

Then Devon and I wrote super short briefs on unofficial shows/parties to check out during SXSW. Here are my contributions:

5. Red Gorilla Fest
Since 2007, this festival has expanded to a multi-venue display of up-and-coming independent music. Former alumni that have performed in RedGorilla Fest include Cage the Elephant, Dead Confederate and Family Force 5. Centrally located on downtown 6th Street, fans can enjoy bands and musicians from a variety of genres such as acoustic, blues, hip hop and punk. March 17-21, Venues TBA

6. FUSXSW
With the abundance of cliched indie rock scheduled during SXSW, Giant Steps Productions provides a much needed relief with a week of loud, in your face rock bands. Located in the small confines of Plush Bar, the lack of stages gives a more intimate feeling as the fans are right there rocking with the performing bands.
March 14, Beerland, March 16, The Parlor, March 17-20 Plush, March 20 Music Gym

7. The Versatile Cache: Volume 2 Release Party
To celebrate the second volume of their compilation, Versatile Syndicate is throwing a day long showcase at Hole in the Wall. Bands featured on the compilation such as Prayer for Animals, and Obsolete Machines perform on two stages at this free show.
March 18, 12 p.m. Hole in the Wall

8. Octopus Project’s Hexadecagon Show
The Octopus Project are bringing another visual experience to the masses during SXSW. The band is joining forces with visual artist Wiley Wiggins, who some may remember as the upcoming freshman in Dazed and Confused. The audience will be surrounded by eight speakers set up in a circle as eight images will project over their heads.
March 16 7:00 p.m. and 9 p.m. Whole Foods Rooftop

All that's all for now. Be sure to bookmark my Accent SXSW blog which can be found here.

Smile Smile’s newest album Truth on Tape reveals an open letter from the heartbroken vocalist/guitarist Ryan Hamilton to the woman who caused these scars. His lyrics portray the hurt and longing of his former lover. They are accompanied by a simple acoustic piano backing or a head bopping ditty complete with a full band.

The woman who is Hamilton’s muse of these public proclamations is Smile Smile’s keyboardist herself, Jencey Hirunrusm. Hirunrusm even provides backing vocals to the angsty lyrics written about her.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.

Editor's note: Sometimes these stories just write themselves. I stumbled across this band at a show a friend of mine wanting me to tag along with (which later on, she bailed on me and I was at the show alone). After a spontaneous interview with SPEAK that night, I decided to feature them months later after they had just released their EP. So another follow up interview was done and I was immersed in SPEAK for about two weeks. Writing this feature made me realize how much I miss writing them. Lately I've really only had time for Q&A's and album/show reviews, but now, I'm definitely going to take the time and effort to write more band features. Of course, after SXSW is over and done with.

SPEAK immediately got the Antone’s crowd dancing through their shyness at a December show with their 80’s reminiscent indie pop. These four baby-faced guys looked like they weren’t born to enjoy that music when it originally debuted but the lack of black x’s on their hands proved they are much older than their looks insinuate.

Those young looking kids are really vocalists Troupe Gammage, guitarist Nick Hurt, drummer Jake Stewart and bassist Joey Delahoussaye.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.

By the way, here is the video for "Carrie" that was discussed in the feature.

And for those that haven't read my show review/recap on Digital Love (SPEAK's EP release), that link is here.

So for this issue of Accent, we decided to make our SXSW coverage the cover story. Since three editors are covering the festival (Devon and Chris: film and me: music), we had our pictures taken by Tea, the photo editor. The photoshoot was awkward because I haven't really done anything like this before but the photos came out awesome.

Preview of the cover

Preview of the double truck

Doesn't that layout look pretty sweet? I love it.

Anyway, You can check out the entire issue online here or you can pick up a copy of the physical issue on Monday. I'll post the links of the actual stories I contributed once those get posted on the Accent's site. I'm so ready for SXSW. Bring it!

News Briefs for Accent's second issue:

Students participate in mock health care panel at State Capitol

Pinnacle Parking Lot update

Spring Enrollment Increases

I wrote about the Fashion Freakout twice. One more in-depth than the other.

For Austin Vida:
Photo Gallery: Fashion Freakout 2010

Another for Accent:
Fashion Freakout

I have a new blog for Accent as part of my editor position. This blog (which is currently nameless) is going to be featuring bands and musicians that have current or former ACC students. Here's my first interview for the blog with The Paper Shapes.

I've known Jason Bearden since his days in the former band, Consider the Source. He recommended I checked out his new band, The Paper Shapes.

Maybe it was my tiredness of the same formulaic, predictable indie music I had been covering for the past year or maybe it was what I needed to perk me up that morning, but once I heard this aggressively melodic post-punk band on the bus ride to class, I was instantly hooked. Either way, this band has my attention.

The Paper Shapes were formally known as the band Prom Nite, but after noticing the new direction the music was taking, the five guys decided to start completely fresh. A new band name and a new genre. This band is pretty new to the music scene. However, I'm sure there are fans out there who feels just like I did and are ready to embrace their refreshing vigorous sound.

But hearing the album isn't enough. This band is definitely one that needs to be seen live. One memorable time I caught one of their shows was during Transmission's Free Week at Red 7. The temperature at the outside stage was a freezing 17 degrees that night, but that didn't stop the band from performing with as much as energy as they would have given if they played on the inside stage. In fact, the guys claim to this day that that was their best show they've had so far.

I had a chance to sit with the band during one of their practice sessions at Music Lab. It was that night I learned that vocalist, Aaron Pearson-Jordan is a currently student at ACC as well as that guitarist, Hector Guerra, is a former student.

At this meeting, the band chatted with me about how the band got together, the recording of the EP they are currently working on and why there is a guy in the band that just works the lighting during the shows.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.

Campus News Briefs for the first issue of Accent:

New semester of Austin Java Lit Gatherings starts this month

Gospel Extravaganza to be held at Eastview

Student Life wins International Gold Award for ad campaign

Former mayor, Reps, speak at CSPS welcome back event

Noyce Scholarship offers $31,000 for math and science

Then I wrote a short recap of Welcome Week.

Welcome week offers help and s’more

For Austin Vida, I wrote an in-depth profile on local artist, Alonso Reyes.

Painting for the future; local artist Reyes on his risqué oil paintings

photo by Jorge Solares

Spoon has been one of Austin’s hometown heroes for years. After vocalist Britt Daniel initially teamed up with drummer Jim Eno in 1993, the band quickly started earning critical praise from press and music fans for their easily accessible hybrid of indie and post-punk rock.

Spoon achieved commercial success as songs from their 2005 album, Gimme Fiction, provided the soundtrack to a variety of movies and TV shows. The involvement with popular TV shows like The O.C. and Veronica Mars, and movies such as 17 Again and Cloverfield attracted even more aficionados to Spoon’s minimalistic rock.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.

Every year before South by Southwest, I take time out to sit down and sort through all the bands I have befriended on MySpace, visit various websites such as www.showlistaustin.com and Red Gorilla Festival, and make a calendar of all the free shows I want to see.

This normally follows with me printing out this list so that I have a schedule of where I need to be during the week, but of course, when the week finally rolls around, this schedule ends up staying in my bag.

While I did catch some bands that were originally on this schedule, the majority of bands I saw this year were discovered as I was walking down Sixth Street and was intrigued by what I heard. So, without further ado, here is a list of bands not on my schedule, but that I was fortunate enough to see.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.