Posts Tagged ‘Ian McLagan’

Plutopia will rock your world (so go live in theirs)

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

PLUTOPIA 2009 @ SXSWi

PLUTOPIA 2009 @ SXSW


It’s March and with the month of March comes many things, the change of weather, March Madness, the Ides of March, and of course… the Texas monster known as SXSW. As things like SXSW showcases, ScreenBurn, and SXSWi become more and more popular, you better believe that the world takes notice.

So what do you do to cap off SXSWi’s biggest year yet? Why throw the mother of all parties of course. Not the same old event where you stand in line with a worn out badge and may not get in, but a huge living system that is designed to make you think and interact. Hey kids… this is SXSWi we’re talking about, it’s not your Dad’s corporate stiff shirt event.

The word “Plutopia??? came about when party organizers were thinking of pluralist utopias. That’s right PLURAL, not just a single idea of a good time. This party is designed to have it all, and even if it goes over your head, it’s just a hell of a party to go to with music and lots of social interaction.

I met up with two of the event organizers, Shanta Stevens and Bon Davis who consider themselves “Plutopians???, at a Staple! Pre party in Austin Texas. I was not only intrigued by the event, but by the enthusiasm both of them seemed to have for the event. “Myself and the other Plutopians have very wide social networks and are always out at different events looking for kindred spirits,??? Bon Davis, Techinical Producer said, “We try very hard to make our events appeal to a wide variety of people and are always trying to get the word out. Amongst other things, we try to promote Social Sustainability, so the more people we talk to the more people hear about our participants and what they have to offer. Hopefully we get more converts to our cause. I think personal verbal invitations are so much more valuable than mass market media advertisements.??? The grassroots approach worked, while we discussed the event, music and playing in bands (both Shanta and Bon are musicians like yours truly), you can’t help but be intrigued what kind of party two guys drinking beer in a comic book store would help throw. “I work professionally in Theater and Event Production and am always looking for ways to combine my interests in Futurism and Technology and Art with my Production efforts,??? Davis continued, “These Events at SXSW are a Great opportunity to present to a National Audience while keep trying to keep true to our local roots.???

So what does Plutopia have to offer you? This year’s theme is “Living Systems??? and participants were invited to explore this concept. In short… there will be tons of things for you to interact and play around with. In addition to this, there will be a number of speakers and performers, 70 art installations and exhibitions with artists from all over the world, and nifty technology.

And what’s a party without music? The headlining musical act is Ian McLagan who’s 40 year span of music has let him play and record with everyone from Bob Dylan to John Hiatt as well as a member of the band Small Faces. There are also 15 other bands spanning over 3 stages including Hipnautica, Black Pig Liberation Front, Exstus, Tolera Storm, DJ John Gomi and Beatimprint.

The event is being held at the PALMER EVENTS CENTER in AUSTIN TEXAS, Monday March 16 2009 from 6pm to midnight. The event is free to badgeholders, and ten bucks to the general public. There are also too many things going on at this party to list in this article, but definitely worth checking out online at Plutopia’s website.

-T.Danger










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