Wow! I find that all the time I’m spending over on Tumblr, working on the LARC account, means less time here on CarlaBorsoi.com. I’ve got several blog posts about marketing, analytics and research swirling in my head, so I have high hopes for at least a monthly post here.
This year is already in full swing – I’ve got lots of cool research projects on some products in development and further work on ones in preview.
Next week I’ll be chairing the 2nd Consumer Insights in New Delivery Conference in Miami. It is perfect timing as the following weekend finds me in Winter Park for a Rollins College President’s Leadership Council Meeting. While there, it’d be great if there’s a chance to sneak in some time at the radio station.
March brings SXSW and a panel on online identity and resumes. That is being done with the awesome team of Jennifer Jongsma, Kristy Duncan and Kevin Lawver. We’ve been meeting and exchanging a lot of comments already. I’m looking forward to that conversation. Our panel is Monday morning, so hope you can check it out.
Finally, another side project of mine (along with my lovely husband and our friend Kevin) is the San Francisco Silent Reading Party. We’re having our next event on Feb 9th. Come join us.
In my anal retentia prior to SXSW, I listened to 600 bands and made a short list of about 100 that I would listen to over and over again in preparation for the festival. In my notes on these guys I had written “Epic choruses, a must-see.” Dead on in my assessment, the first time I saw these guys this year, I lamented the fact that I was at a show alone and having to dance and sing-along with a field of strangers. Far and away, my favorite band this year. You can’t go wrong with a horn section, guys who dress in tie and jacket to play, and hooky choruses.
We loved them so much we bought the t-shirt and followed them on Twitter. Not to mention, got an immediate shoutout from them on Twitter & answers to a question. Love!
San Francisco based bands I haven’t yet seen dominate my top 10 this year – leading the fray is Geographer. Despite a broken leg in the group, they managed to pull off a tight and energetic set that made me want to go see them every possible chance. They are the closest thing to an actual rock & roll band we saw – straightforward and honest.
SXSW has slowly been expanding their classical offerings. This year had a full evening of modern classical curated by Gabriel Prokofiev (who DJed). These two groups, Uccello, a quintet and the Calder Quartet, were amazing. Modern strings played with verve in a non-traditional venue. We were whooping and hollering as we watched these groups play. The Calder Quarter played some modern compositions that they had especially commissioned, making the evening even more entertaining.
This San Francisco based band had me mentally grooving and the tight quarters revealed a smile on every face in the courtyard. Eating watermelon and playing keyboards mid-day seemed perfectly natural. Can’t wait to seem them play out and about in town.
We raced to this show, only thinking we’d stay for a song or two before hitting another act. I ended up staying for all but one song of their set. They look like they met on a yearbook committee, with the sort of adorable nerdiness you recognize in all those who cut & paste images of everyone else in school. These multi-instrumentalists were interesting – breaking out a cookie sheet to make noise at one point, overlaying it all with sweet vocals. My favorite is their song Watermelon. You’ll be humming it for days.
This group, another SF-based band I’ve yet to see on my home turf, had a great connection with the audience. People were super engaged and delighted to rock out with this quartet. I admit to being obsessed with the lead singers wrist tattoo – super cool!
7. Lord Huron, The Stage on Sixth Street/Paste Day Party
A friend called this sound “retro civil war hipness” and they would be right. However, Lord Huron seems to do this better than most of the bands from this genre and put on an unexpectedly good set at the Paste Day Party.
One of my favorite venues in Austin couldn’t disappoint this year – a kaleidoscope of music and videos entertained me during the set. This isn’t deep, meaningful music, but it IS fun chip bit music. Great for the work day - doesn’t distract, and you can play along in your head.
This was the Spanish Iggy Pop + band. Full of histronics that included walking over to the bar and drinking someone else’s beer, this band proved to be the perfect antidote to the sweeter stylings we had been hearing. Energetic and punk en espanol.
I wasn’t going to include them in my top 10, but who am I kidding – the 16 year old inside of me was DELIGHTED to see a band I sang along to driving in my dove gray Monte Carlo in the late 80s/early 90s. They sound pretty much exactly the same and played every song you hoped they would. It was funny, I even predicted they would open with Hazy Shade of Winter and I was right. Also, the most packed show of this year’s festival for me.
Also, there is no way not to give huge shoutouts to my two favorite bands from last year, Jeremy Messersmith and The Spring Standards. We saw both twice again this year – both are on tour at the moment, too. Go see them!
All Shows!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sharon Van Etten, Hilton Lobby
The Vaccines, AOL Pop-up show at First Baptist
Or, The Whale, Cheers
Judgement Day, Sixth Street
Jeremy Messersmith, The Stage on Sixth Street
Toro Y Moi, Red 7 Patio
Lord Huron, The Stage on Sixth Street
Kopecky Family Band, The Stage on Sixth Street
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, The Stage on Sixth Street
Many things have been going on in the personal life, causing a delay in my annual listing of the 10 best shows from SXSW Music, along with the complete list of all the bands seen.
In the months before SXSW I sampled the music of about 600 bands and got to a short list of things I really wanted to see. Among the ones I missed and will be on the lookout for shows in SF are The 88, Break of Reality, The Movits and Fergus & Jeronimo.
The first show was a mellow melodic morning show at Clive Bar, and the second a rocking rolling show at BD Rileys. Without a doubt, the fantastic harmonies and ability to blend the alt-country, folk, with a slight bluesy sound thrilled me to no end. I’ve already pre-ordered their new album. You should too.
3. Jeremy Messersmith at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop/ Jeremy Messersmith at Central Presbyterian Church
Melodies, harmonies and straightforward classic rock-n-roll were hallmarks of this fine gentleman (and crew) from Minneapolis. He impressed me when the power went out at Maggie Mae’s and he and the band went “coffee shop” style — a most excellent performance ensuing. A few nights later he managed to rock a porch. Jeremy also maintains a great Twitter profile.
After lots of twee and melodic time, I needed the palate cleanser that was Holy Fuck. Canadian and prone to having to give fake band names at the border, this electronica outfit had me tapping my toes and shaking my booty.
The first show of the whole week had me nervous it would be the best thing I’d see and it would all be downhill from there. Houston based classical musicians put together a fantastic 45 minute set and handed out CDs to attendees.
Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! – Soho Lounge – This group deserves a special shout out for playing the single worst venue in Austin – a “club” is not the right place for a punk band. They also get love for stopping me in the street and giving me their CD.
There’s more musing to be done on SXSWi, so be on the lookout for this.
As in years past (2007, 2008), here’s a complete list of all the shows I saw last week, and the top 10 shows of the week. I had the pleasure of spending the week seeing bands I’ve wanted to see for a long time (hello, The Hold Steady and The Thermals) while also checking out new-to-me bands and artists. Some of which were fantastic, and some of which were just okay. With the exception of one weird show, everything was pretty darned good.
Note: I did lose some of the notes from Wed, so I’m missing a band or two.
Star means I’d suggest checking ‘em out if you’ve got the chance.
Arms & Legs had the distinction of being the only band we saw all week to play compressed air into a microphone. Not sure it added much, but was interesting. Mellow, but a bit disappointing to see two drummers playing click tracks and not creating the potential dynamic.
We walked outside after Great Lakes Myth Society and found ourselves totally rocking out to these guys. Just what we needed. Plus, they did a Neil Young cover.
A great way to end the second night of music. I’d been listening to their stuff non-stop before I hit Austin and it was great to see them live.
FRIDAY
Friday we agreed to take it easy, and still managed to see 12 bands!
Obits* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!
These guys were a great way to start the day.
Horse Feathers* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!
Also, really enjoyable.
American Analog Set* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!
I love this group. They are super chill and perhaps not best fit for an outdoor show offering $2 all you can drink beer. Still, I adore them and would love to see them again.
The Thermals* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!
OMS! OMS! I have been DYING to see this group and they did not disappoint. I love them. Really, better live than recorded. The best type of show. Professional, polished in terms of performance, but still rock’n'roll.
The Hold Steady* at Club de Ville for Insound’s 10th Anniversary SXSW Birthday Party Presented by Saucony Originals and Hot Freaks!
You know, I don’t know why I haven’t been in love with this band forever. Being the end of a day show, they played almost 90 minutes, like seeing a full show. Blew away everything we’d seen (including the Thermals!), by executing tightly, and just fueling the end of the day. If you’re not a fan now, you need to go buy everything and go see a show!
I don’t even know where to begin with this. Basically, it seems that some members of the Black Lips ran into GZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame, smoked out, and decided to do a show together last minute. Not a good idea. I can’t dignify this with further commentary, but I will tell the story complete with hand signs, confusion and crowd responses if I see you in person.
The Emeralds* at Perdenales Lofts Pavilionfor the Shiny Objects & Butler Bros BYOC Vol. 4
They were definitely on my list to be seen, if possible, having found them on a Japan Nite Sampler last year. Performing in leather on a warm Texas day, they wanted to get the crowd riled.
The Peekers* at Perdenales Lofts Pavilionfor the Shiny Objects & Butler Bros BYOC Vol. 4
This band had a sound I’d been seeking all week – sweet female vocals, and a lovely pop sound.
What a lovely and gorgeous end to the week. Turned on to her by one of my oldest friends, Sandy, and just loved her melodious voice and sweet stage presence.
Thanks also to the awesome folks I got to share my musical adventures with: Cloudwrangler, Kmeelyon, Weegee, Chim Chim, Tornado Magnet, Sandy, and the RVIP Lounge!
The panel I’m on, Developing Super Senses: Tools to Know Your Users, will be on Monday, March 16th, at 5pm in Hilton Room C. It’s been delightful to work with Julie Melton, Mark Trammell, Nate Bolt & Andy Budd. It’s been boiled down to a structured conversation so that those who attend can listen to us argue, debate and discuss the merits of different types of user testing. We’ll also talk about how you use those results and get people excited about it. Andy rightfully pointed out that too many times you attend a panel and the groups says “We had this awesome conversation over breakfast” and proceeds to bore you by agreeing on everything. We’ve decided to let it all hang out for you and play civilly but to let our disagreements manifest themselves in passionate discussion.
There’s so much great stuff to see and participate in — and I’ll be in Austin for all of the festival – interactive, music and film. If you’re attending check out the schedule I’m putting together over at Sched.org. They’ve also created a sweet widget to allow you to listen to the music I’m interested in seeing.
I’ll be heading to visit my alma mater, Rollins College, at the end of January for the annual President’s Council Meeting. While there, the Crummer Graduate School of Business, part of the school, has asked me to come speak to both the school’s marketing team, as well as to students.
This all began when the Donald Hale, Director of Alumni Relations & Development, called to talk to me about working in technology. See, when you have a small school in Florida, it’s inevitable that you’re going to end up producing MBA students to feed into the local economy, which in Florida is predominantly focused on tourism, real estate and finance. One of the first questions Donald asked me was one the students keep asking him: Should I be on social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook when I’m looking for a job?
My emphatic reply was “Absolutely. In fact, if you’re not findable online, in this world, who wants to hire you?” Which is true. In the webby world, not having an online presence can be a real detriment to your career. If you don’t use the tools you’re marketing, developing, or analyzing, or those that complement or complete yours, why are you in this industry? One of the reasons that I moved to San Francisco 13 years ago was to be around people creating a future world view and the tools with which to live that life. Being passionate about the industry in which you work makes you not only a better employee, but also makes you a happier person.
This visit, and planning remarks to share with students and faculty, comes in a week in which a much-beloved, but little used web & mobile service called Dodgeball announced its shutdown. (Well, to be clear, its corporate overlords did.) This topic has been wellcovered by those closer to the product. However, that clear feeling of caring about a product and mourning its loss shows that a group of folks created a product borne of being engaged in what people want. One of the things I want to share with the Rollins folks is the idea that knowing what’s happening in an industry involves more than just reading the latest WSJ or Fortune magazine, but living and breathing alongside what’s transpiring. It just so happens that the products being created in the realm of technology are things that touch our daily lives.
I look forward to sharing some of the online tools that I use on a regular basis with these students and how it can enhance their online presence, while being cognizant of the fact that many do want to go into more traditional fields, which may frown upon excessive displays of personal information. However, given that more and more people do just this, it may be that our social mores must adjust. Something to discuss in a few weeks!
This fall will be all about travel, some of it for work, some of it for play. If I am coming to a city near you, hopefully we can get together and catch up. If you’re one of my San Franciscan friends, please be patient, I want to socialize with you too!
Recently, I went to Zaaz and had the opportunity to just talk shop for the whole day. A good exchange of ideas served as inspiration to want to try new things and use new methods.
Other trips coming up include time to be spent in Los Angeles and Austin.
