SXSW Co-Founder Louis Black Graces Rockin’ March|April Issue Cover

By alcalde in Blog on February 21, 2011 at 8:56 pm | 1 Comment

South by Southwest turns 25 next month, and for the March|April issue of The Alcalde co-founder Louis Black, MA ’80, reflects on how it all got started.

He was against it, first of all. When some members of his staff at the Austin Chronicle approached him about starting a music festival, Black dismissed the idea. He wasn’t just against it, he says — he was vehemently opposed.

At the time, the Chronicle was planning to increase its frequency, and the thought of pouring the little money they had into a music festival struck Black as foolhardy.

But over time, he relented, and the phenomenon that has become SXSW got its start. Now, 25 years after that modest inaugural effort, freelancer David Menconi gets Black to muse on how the festival has grown and changed.

Be checking your mailboxes for the March issue — you can’t miss it.

Designer Dan Grissom of Sanctuary Printshop produced this fantastic, throwback cover inspired by classic-rock posters.

Let us know what you think.

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