South By Southwest 2007 in Photos

Whether you were down in Austin last week for the musical shit-storm known as SXSW or merely living vicariously through our online coverage, you'll still want to gaze upon the awesome photos in our SXSW galleries.

Day One: The Calm Before the Storm

Day Two: The Crowds Begin to Gather

Day Three: 24-Hour Party People

The Festival Ends

The gorgeous pictures -- featuring special moments with Mastodon, Girl Talk's Gregg Gilles, the Black Lips and more -- were snapped by twenty-six-year-old Brooklyn photographer and rising art star Noah Kalina. You might recognize Noah from his genius YouTube hit "everyday," a video documenting his six-year-long self-portrait project. (Noah was the subject of this New York Times article about portraiture in the age of the Internet.)

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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