All I wanted to do was watch a performance of the song “Bruises”. And because – surprise!—Train wasn’t scheduled to be in Austin, Texas, this week, my only hope was Ashley Monroe, an up and coming country music star with whom Train collaborated to compose the silly, little pop song at hand.

I didn’t hear it, of course. South by Southwest artists run on the click of a very important and very lucrative clock. If you’re Ms. Monroe, why offer up a song more synonymous with another artist when this is your one true moment in the spotlight? Then again, if you’re me, why schedule your first day at the preeminent music conference in North America around a slate of country music artists when you have spent 28 years despising that very niche?

Animated Shorts, Often Underrated, Are a Highlight of This Year’s SXSW Film

The animated short provides rich opportunities for filmmakers who want to tell short-form stories that can be just as philosophical as they are whimsical. This year’s SXSW animated shorts selection is proof of just how diverse this form of storytelling can be. The animated shorts program premiered on 3/9 and will run again on Tues. 3/12 at 4:15 PM at the Stateside Theatre and Weds. 3/13 at 9:30 PM at the Vimeo Theater.

UK indie pop quartet Django Django took the stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in the dark, before setting off with the chugging beat of “Hail Bop”. The group established itself in London in 2009 after meeting up at the Edinburgh College of Art. An art rock aesthetic pervaded the show, from slightly unmatched shirts to a frenetic light show—constant strobes and fluorescent bulbs piercing through blinds, framing the band like a sculpture installation. These two sold out shows in Brooklyn attested to their quick rise on the music scene, as their self-titled debut album was released barely over a year ago.

Elon Musk is an entrepreneur with a mission. SXSW is full of entrepreneurs with a mission, but Elon Musk ups the ante. One of the most anticipated speakers at SXSW this year, he’s the man who put payment on the internet, fuel cells in sports cars, and rockets in orbit. He’s in the business of changing games.

His resume lists him as founder and co-founder of some of the most impressive companies of this century -– PayPal, Tesla Motors, and now SpaceX, the first privately funded space flight company. What would be his biggest disappointment? Not seeing life on Mars in his lifetime.

As a child in the ‘80s, I loved watching David Copperfield on TV because his high-tech tricks were a truly magical experience. Even today I can remember some of his more amazing feats. It’s precisely this sense of wonder and joy that The Incredible Burt Wonderstone plays on in order to draw its audience. The film premiered to an enthusiastic audience on the first night of SXSW Film 2013 at the Paramount Theatre. Those who showed up for the sold-out premier were treated to an introduction by John Francis Daley, complete with the on-stage antics of Jim Carrey.