2006年VOA标准英语-Variety Continues to Ring True at South By

By Katherine Cole
Washington
04 April 2006

The official motto of Austin, Texas, is "Live Music Capital of the World." It is certainly true for 10 days in mid-March each year, when the annual South By Southwest (SXSW) music, film and interactive-arts festivals attract thousands of visitors to the capital of Texas. VOA's Katherine Cole attended the 2006 edition of the South By Southwest Music Conference, and filed this report.

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Jon Dee Graham, there performing Swept Away from his forthcoming¹ CD, Gone, was named Artist of the Year at the Austin Music Awards, the opening event at the 20th edition of the South By Southwest Music Conference.
 

 
Streamers fall around The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne during band's performance at SXSW
  

When South By Southwest first took place in 1977, only 700 music industry professionals attended the event. Twenty years later, more than 10,000 registered for the three-day "South By," conference and tradeshow, with another 4,000 purchasing wristbands that gave them access only to the evening music events. The number of performers has increased as well, with the 2006 event featuring more than 1,400 artists performing concert sets over four days at 60 venues² scattered³ across town.

The artists showcasing performed all types of popular music from, pop and hip-hop, to country, bluegrass and blues⁴. There were plenty of rock bands too, including The Flairz, a pre-teen trio from Fremantle in western Australia.

The Flairz, is made up of drummer Scarlett Stevens, and two singing guitar players, cousins Dion and John Mariani, who sang lead on Sidewalk Surfer.

The trio, with no members over the age of 13, traveled close to 17,000 kilometers each way just to play a 40-minute set in Austin.

John Mariani, explains what that long trip means to him.

"A lot! Because we don't know what's going to happen here," he said. "We could maybe get signed up [to a record label, or something. It's a chance to show our music to the rest of the world, and we're really privileged to be here."

Dion Mariani is very aware that, making a good first impression at SXSW is imperative⁶. After all, despite all the rave⁵ reviews he brought from Australia, music at 60 different venues means he might just have one song's worth of time to impress the potential managers, booking agents, radio presenters⁷, critics, and other music industry folks checking out The Flairz during their showcase.

" It's kind of like a fresh start," he said. "Nobody knows who you are, and if you put on a good show, they'll always remember you as good. If you put on a bad one, it's remembered as not that great."

Things went well for The Flairz in Austin. The group was considered one of the "break out" bands of the event, and has received offers to sign with several American record labels, as well as positive reviews from major newspapers including The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

But the variety at South By Southwest 2006 was shown in more than just the musician's ages. Of the 1,400 acts, 337 came from outside the United States. That's up from 294 last year. South By Southwest's largest international contingent⁸ came from the United Kingdom, with Canada coming in second. Japan, Sweden, Africa, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and Yugoslavia were also represented.

Why do so many international acts attend, despite the hurdles⁹ of obtaining a visa in the post-9/11 world? The answer is economics¹⁰. The weak dollar means across the board expenses, including travel and lodging¹¹, are affordable¹² for many groups coming from overseas.

Neil Young, left, and director Jonathan Demme, at SXSW, worked together to make new concert film Neil Young - Heart of Gold   
  
With the hundreds of bands playing each evening, and daytime events including a conversation with rocker Neil Young, it's hard to declare a most memorable¹³ event of South By Southwest. But judging from the lines outside the Austin Music Hall hours before his appearance, the highlight for many was the opportunity to hear Morrissey, the one-time lead singer of The Smiths, performing "You Have Killed Me," and other songs from his upcoming release Ringleader of the Tormentors.

1 forthcoming   

adj.即将到来的，可得到的，乐于提供消息的

参考例句：

• He gave me a list of their forthcoming books.他给了我一张他们即将出版图书的目录。
• Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。

2 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

4 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

5 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

6 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

7 presenters   

n.节目主持人，演播员( presenter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Each week presenters would put the case for their favourite candidate. 每个星期主持人推出他们最喜欢的候选人。 来自互联网
• Karaoke was set up to allowed presenters to sing on the stage. 宴会设有歌唱舞台，可让出席者大演唱功。 来自互联网

8 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

9 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

10 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

11 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

12 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

13 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。