My SXSW Day 8 began with Keith Urban and ended with Keith Urban. No complaints there. In-between, I visited the Gaming Expo, saw a movie premiere at the Paramount Theater, and heard lots of good music.

Creation and Connection: A Conversation with Keith Urban

Scott Goldman from The Grammy Museum led an excellent interview with Keith Urban. Urban said that he starting playing ukelele at age four and went to a Johnny Cash concert when he was five: “This is the thing I was meant to do.” By 15, he was playing at clubs four nights a week. He ended up in Nashville because he felt that was where everything was being recorded. The first time he played in Austin was for SXSW in 1997. Urban said that he loves new music and collaborating. He was soft-spoken and came across as thoughtful and very, very chill.

Núria Graham

Sunflower Bean

Lo Moon

DJ Jigüe and El Menor

SXSW Gaming Expo

The Gaming Expo is always fun to visit, even for non-gamers. There are board games, card games, arcade games, video games, and even air hockey. It seemed like fewer attendees were dressed up for cosplay than in previous years. Professional gamers competed in the central theater, accompanied with play-by-play commentary. I can’t imagine watching someone else play video games for hours, but this was definitely a popular event.

Natalie Prass

Nikki Lane

Blaze

Ethan Hawke directed and produced this film about the life of Blaze Foley, a singer-songwriter who lived in Austin in the 1970s-80s. Ben Dickey starred as Blaze, and Austin musician Charlie Sexton played the part of his friend, Townes Van Zandt.

Larkin Poe

Keith Urban

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