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Good news for any sad-sack caucasians out there who enjoy music that tenderly removes your heart and takes it apart like a pocket watch and leaves the pieces scattered on the floor: Scottish quintet Frightened Rabbit, who had a strong showing with Pedestrian Verse in February, and The National, who drop their new album Trouble Will Find Me later this month, will join forces this fall to make you feel your feelings.

As one of the most beloved films to premiere on the festival circuit last year, Adam Leon's Gimme the Loot won over audiences with its youthful charm and genuine tale of adventure and intimate friendship. In his feature-length directorial debut, Leon tells a fresh and energetic story of two young graffiti artists from the Bronx who embark on their own plan to tag the New York Mets' Home Run Apple after being buffed by a rival crew in Queens. 

It seems like everybody crashed the music conference at South by Southwest this year. Iggy Pop played The Mohawk. Prince played La Zona Rosa. 50 Cent and George Clinton partied at The North Door. Justin Timberlake premiered his new album at The Coppertank. A whole host of other top-notch acts that will be headlining festivals over the next few years—from Fitz & The Tantrums to Kendrick Lamar to Alt-J—promoted their newest work on every stage possible.

Yeah, right: “need.” But even if we made a point of not attending the sprawling, apparently month-long music/film/TED Talk festival, we’re still a little curious about what went down. No? Okay then: here’s a travelogue written by a small, adorable dog.

"Having been raised by a former D.C. political speechwriter and a former public speaking teacher, it's practically written in my DNA zipper that I should feel the insatiable need to stand in front of a room of total strangers and bullshit them."  That's Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Nirvana, keynote speaker of SXSW.

This year the film portion of the South by Southwest Conference had thirteen entrees that premiered at Sundance and a number of studio-funded projects destined for wide release, meant primarily to bolster the star power attending the daily and nightly Paramount theater premieres. This is not a bad thing—rather, it’s a testament to how vital the SXSW Film Conference has become to the film scene in general, a diverse conflagration of anything and everything within the strata of a theatrical experience. However, it doesn’t make breaking new, below-the-radar films any easier, especially with a bigger schedule—the much-anticipated premiere of the The East comes on the final night of the conference, after this will be published—and more theaters scattered around town.

It takes a selflessness and a courage to bare your soul as an artist. And for musician John Murry, his songs cut straight to into the heart of man steeped in emotion, with the psychological undercurrent of soul in distress. Born from the pain of loneliness and a desire for expression, Murry's solo debut The Graceless Age is a raw and emotional collection of autobiographical stories. Sonically exercising his demons, his voice croons through a record that amalgamates the bleak and the beautiful, the desolate and the serene, and the questions of existence that plague us all. 

Want to brunch with Tumblr founder David Karp? Split an omelette with Vimeo founder Jake Lodwick? Have an espresso with the lead singer of OK Go? Yep, so do I. And maybe someday we will, but for now, we’re getting the next best thing: a video from GE’s two-hour Brilliant Brunch at SXSW, when eight leading creators of all things tech, media, & music came together to dine on waffles, sip Bloody Marys, and tackle how they got started, what challenges them, and how they stay on top.

Donald Cumming has led and continues to lead quite a life. From the trials and tribulations of his youth to those that accompanied signing with a major label, the 31-year-old born-and-bred New Yorker has no shortage of stories illustrating his hustle, his hang-ups and his regrets.

Hey, man: self-promotion is tough. And if you’re the PR point person for a few different bands, that’s even tougher. Toughest of all might be trying to generate PR buzz for all eight of the bands you represent, all of which are performing twice at SXSW next week. Unfortunately, I can’t help. You see, I’m not going to SXSW. Not to see films, or hear music, or gawk at new technology. None of it.