Letting customers take your product home on a trial basis may clinch the sale.

Believing these lies could be hazardous to your business.

Now, even your security can be handled by cloud computing software--but consider these factors before you get on board.

Alternative options for capital-hungry businesses.

Lessons from world-beating entrepreneurs who built massive enterprises from scratch.

Prioritized for your fishing pleasure. Good luck!

A strategic buyer's guide.

Ever had a weird idea for a product? Check out what passes muster with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Weighing your cap-ex decisions? Here's how America's Most Promising Companies aim to re-invest this year.

Learn what things increase your odds for success in being targeted as an acquisition.

Is it a good or bad idea to share equity with employees?

Hear expert advice from attorney Gary Kaplan as he walks through the realities, statistics and key strategies to avoid litigation at your business whenever possible.

When marketers evaluate all of the digital communication channels at their disposal, they're faced with a rich array of choices including the latest in social and mobile marketing.

You need to implement an email marketing campaign to stay connected with current and prospective customers, yet you have no idea where to begin. Consumers are more savvy and selective about which emails they read, and email deliverability continues to be a challenge for legitimate email marketers.

As an account manager, I've had the chance to work with hundreds of companies starting out with email marketing over the year. I've seen that those willing to invest some initial time to learn and apply basic best practices tend to enjoy better delivery and more success with their email campaigns.

Continuing our discussion with author and entrepreneur John Warrillow, this week we dive into the first of the 8 steps he recommends toward creating a sellable company: creating a standard service offering.

For those of you familiar with E-Myth, this one will come as no surprise… When you create a standard service offering, you find a service your clients value and that you can teach someone else to perform. In other words, you create a high value, turn-key operation with documented systems and a way of doing business that isn’t dependent on you — the owner — to run.

Podcast: Creating a Standard Service Offering

(Download MP3 / Listen to the first podcast in this series here.)

John Warrillow is an entrepreneur, author and speaker. Throughout his career as an entrepreneur, John has started and exited four companies. Most recently he transformed Warrillow & Co. from a boutique consultancy into a recurring revenue model subscription business, which he sold to The Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD) in 2008. He is the author of Built to Sell and Drilling for Gold and in 2008 was recognized by BtoB magazine’s “Who’s Who” list. builttosell.com

For a limited time, get a $5.00 discount on John Warrillow's book, Built to Sell and a complimentary copy of "The Model for Selling Your Business" eBook.

In Built to Sell John shares with you:

• The 8 steps to creating a sellable company
• How to attract multiple strategic bidders for your business
• How to maximize your valuation and get the highest possible price for your business
• The secret to getting your cash upfront and avoiding a lengthy earn out

Is your business too small or too specialized to warrant the time and energy it takes to develop a brand? No! Brand building is essential for any business. A strong, positive brand is just as important for a 200-person technology company as it is for a 3-person retail shop. 

One of my clients, Sean, is a chiropractor. When Sean started his business, he knew he had two branding challenges to overcome:

1. Favorably differentiating his business from other chiropractic services
2. Strengthening the legitimacy of chiropractic healing itself; branding chiropractic products and services in general so that more people would consider going to a chiropractor (namely him) rather than going to a more traditional medical doctor for treatments

Every business has to be able to attract and satisfy customers predictably and consistently if it is going to thrive. One of the best ways to do this is to build a strong, positive brand in the minds of your target markets.

What do People Think of your Business?

When people encounter your business, your products or your services they will either think negatively or positively about it depending on your brand. Ultimately, it is your brand that determines if people actually do business with you.

A good branding strategy takes time and attention to develop and implement in your business. You need to have a very good understanding of the purchase decision needs of your target markets and how your business meets or exceeds those customer expectations. You (and everyone else in your business) need a clear idea of what brand you are trying to establish in the marketplace so that you can look for any and all opportunities to reinforce that brand when dealing with customers. Your brand building efforts should also be tracked and quantified over time so that you can keep doing the things that strengthen your brand and identify the innovations that will improve the things that aren't working.

3 Steps To Begin Developing Your Brand Strategy

There are three basic steps you can take that will allow you to start building the right branding strategy for your business:

1. Create a clear objective for your branding strategy. This should be a written document (we call it your Brand Objective Statement) that outlines the brand you hope to establish in the minds of your target market. It should be based on what your customers want and expect from your business, your products or your services. Some areas of focus to consider:
   Product Branding – This involves keeping your company somewhat anonymous but building the brand of your products or services. A business like the H.J. Heinz Corporation may take this approach to building the brand of, say, Heinz Ketchup without necessarily emphasizing the company itself or the brands of the distributors and retailers who carry the ketchup.
   Company Branding – This is something you might focus on if you were a company like the supermarket chain Safeway and are primarily focused on building the Safeway company brand. Interestingly, a company like Safeway carries a lot of “brand name” products and can use those brands to build upon the Safeway company brand to draw customers to their stores.
   Dual Branding – This is an approach that, for example, an automobile dealer might employ. Dual branding comes into play when there’s a strong product brand, like Toyota, as well as the company brand, like Donovan Motors. The Toyota brand (product brand) is developed and supported primarily by the Toyota Motor Company with is national and international advertising and public relations strategies. The Donovan Motors brand (company brand) is established locally in the company’s trading area. This is the branding strategy that Sean wanted to focus on for his Chiropractic business, since he wanted to brand his business and chiropractic health treatment in general in a positive light.
2. Integrate branding into all customer-focused activity. Make sure that everyone in your business is aware of your desired brand and is taking every opportunity to reinforce that brand at every customer touch point. This is a bigger topic than we’ll go into now, but the better everyone understands the brand direction, the better equipped they are to act on the brand building and communication systems you have in place.
3. Establish brand monitoring. This can be accomplished through interviews, surveys or focus groups that allow you to gather data regarding how your business is being perceived in the marketplace, and whether your reputation is growing in accordance with your brand strategy.

Sean worked through the three-step process outlined above and quickly started seeing the difference as his chiropractic business began to grow and gain a reputation. Through his research, he was able to articulate that people in his target market ultimately wanted quality health care and treatment that immediately helped them experience more functionality, a better quality of life, and less pain or side effects. He used that to create and document a Brand Objective Statement using a Dual Branding Strategy approach that pinpointed how his company specifically (and chiropractic medicine in general) would appeal to his target markets.

He then set about integrating his branding strategy into all of his business systems from advertising through sales and client fulfillment. After six months of operating with this new brand awareness he had quantifiable results that his efforts had paid off. He sent out a customer survey which helped confirm positive customer perceptions of his business. His internal meetings with staff helped confirm they were getting consistently positive feedback from customers. He measured a rise in clientele and client retention.

Additionally, he noticed that, since his brand was strong, his customers gave his business the benefit of the doubt when something did go wrong. His customers viewed mistakes and inconsistencies as merely temporary aberrations that the business would recover from quickly.

Interestingly, Toyota (as mentioned in point one above) is facing some brand setbacks right now. They’re experiencing a high volume of recalls for safety defects in certain vehicles. Do you think that this is going to permanently tarnish the Toyota brand? Do you think the company will be able to recover? Newsweek posted an interesting article on the topic that you might want to read.

flickr photo credit: planetc1

Almost every business owner wants more leads for their business. In fact, for many owners the need for a constant inflow of qualified leads often dominates their thinking. There are, however, many challenges to ensuring and maintaining that supply. And, in addition to the needs of today, growth objectives and profit goals will require increased revenue which must come from increased sales—which means more leads. So are there really “sure-fire” methods of lead generation? And, if so, what are they?

Start With Your Plan

Truly successful lead generation must always be an integrated part of your marketing strategy. And this rests on having a comprehensive plan that takes into account the demographics and psychographics of your target market, as well as your positioning—the perception of your business and your product/services held by that target market. In other words, your lead generation efforts must be guided by who it is you are ideally trying to attract to your business and what it is you’re promising them.

A mistake many business owners make with lead generation activities is to simply try different things with no real thought about who their ideal customers are, where they are, and how to best reach them. Random acts of lead generation produce random results—and a very questionable ROI.

Assuming you have effectively put together a strategic marketing plan and you know your ideal target market customer, what can you do right now to generate some solid, qualified leads?

5 Ways to Get Them to Bite

Here are some tried-and-true methods for getting good leads quickly:

• Team up: Many businesses can find ways to share resources with other non-competing businesses that targets similar customers. One of our clients who specialize in dent removal teamed up with an auto detailing facility to exchange customer lists and trade discount coupons to promote each other’s services. Clients who had a dent removed from their car received a coupon for detailing and the detailer did the same for our client. Not only did each of them enlarge their potential customer database by sharing information, they also opened the doors for co-branding opportunities, to boot!
• Referrals: Time, experience and much research has concluded that nothing brings a qualified lead to your door better than the recommendation of a friend or colleague. Having a structured and intentional system, or program, in place to elicit referrals is not only a sure-fire way to generate qualified leads, but it is highly cost-effective as well. 
• Word-of-Mouth: According to Wikipedia, word-of-mouth marketing “encompasses a variety of subcategories, including buzz, blog, viral, grassroots, cause influencers and social media marketing.” People tend to act on what they hear in this way because of the added layer of integrity perceived in it. In other words, getting people to talk about your company, your products or services, who you are and what you do, is an effective means of moving people to come to your business. We often say that your best salespeople are satisfied customers.
• Give it away: Give your product or service for free on a limited or one-time basis. This is especially effective if you’re a restaurant, a spa, or any service-oriented business. Make it a random weekday for just one hour, for example. The restaurant chain Macaroni Grill did this when they first opened with the idea of building mid-week traffic and it was incredibly effective. The old saying that “samples sell” holds a great deal of truth. And lead potential!
• Surprise them: Never underestimate the power of surprise, of the unexpected. Reach out and “touch base” with your pool of past or current customers, but do something spontaneous or out of the ordinary when contacting them. If you can find ways to surprise and delight current or past customers you can then leverage the power of that moment to generate a new sale. Although you may not always think of them as potential leads, these folks are almost always a great source of qualified leads and can be a far more cost-effective source. The added bonus is that your lead conversion, or sales process is often shorter and easier with repeat business.

Where There’s a Way There’s a Lead

The real key to generating more leads is how well you know your most probable customers—your target market. This is why making lead generation a systemic part of your marketing is so important. However, even though continual research and quantification of data on your target market is essential, it’s also critical to avoid getting stalled by too much analysis and not enough action! It was the American General and military strategist George S. Patton, who said: “A good plan, violently executed today, is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” A good strategy supported by some effective tactics will result in the leads you need.

Share Your Story

What lead generation activities do you rely on? What's worked for you in the past? Post a comment and tell us about it.

Further Reading

Advertising is Not Marketing
Tips to Drum Up Sales Now
Stop, Ask and Listen: Exploring the Links between Marketing and Client Fulfillment

Ex-Goldman Sachs employees are sharing their ideas about what their old firm can do to help small businesses.

Local governments have tried a variety of approaches, like wage subsidies and grants, to help small businesses start or stay alive.

Owners of small businesses who do not form a succession plan create a time bomb that can tear apart their companies and their families.

The Obama Administration wants to double U.S. exports in five years by enlisting small business. First, entrepreneurs must overcome concerns about getting paid

The SBA no longer provides Disabled Assistance Loans, but consider its other loan programs, your state's resources, and a private advocacy group's offerings

Sandra Bullock's husband Jesse James apologises to his wife and children following accusations he had an affair.

Film-makers in the US and India form a coalition to fight piracy in the South Asian nation, one of the biggest film markets

Actor Fess Parker, famous for playing American pioneer Davy Crockett on TV, dies in California at the age of 85.

BEST. PERIOD: NEON INDIAN
Backed by a rubbery live band, Neon Indian mastermind Alan Palomo played a set of rinky-dink synth pop that built a pastel pleasuredome out of squiggly synth lines, chintzy keyboard, brittle guitar, and a charmingly stiff beat. Songs like the aptly-titled "Terminally Chill" give off a sense of woozy childlike glee, as if they were composed by a nerdy nine-year old who loves 1999-era Prince, doing the robot, and the occasional acid trip. -- DAVID MARCHESE

BEST THROWBACK: DEMOLISHED THOUGHTS
If the band names Gang Green and SS Decontrol mean anything to you, you likely would have gotten a kick (in the head) out of this apparently ad hoc supergroup of sorts, featuring lead screamer Thurston Moore, guitarists J Mascis and Don Fleming, and a Fucked Up guitarist on bass. Perversely, their singular focus was on covering now-obscure early '80s hardcore, with Moore -- who still looks like a gawky 19-year-old -- reciting the lyrics from a cheat sheet before shouting them when the band butted in. Inspiring a swirling pit and frantic stage dives, it was a great reminder of the sweaty hardcore matinees of my youth and no doubt thrilled a certain record-collector mindset. In fact, before the set Fucked Up frontman Pink Eye proudly showed me the 13-inch -- yes 13-inch -- vinyl he had just picked up from Jack White's pop-up store. This show must have sent him to heaven. -- DOUG BROD

Uffie / Photo: Matt Kiser
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BEST FREAK NASTY REPLACEMENT FOR KE$HA: UFFIE
Pop problem child Ke$ha's stories of hard partying, Hollywood boys, and brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack not freak nasty enough? Meet Parisian rapper Uffie, signed to Ed Banger Records, the same label home of Justice -- and one of Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus' fave new artists. She's a self-described "bad ass bitch" and at Mohawk she played the role, strutting onstage in her short blonde bob and revealing black lace top, dropping XXX-rated rhymes on "Pop a Glock" -- "When I rock the party, you bust a nut." On "Brand New Car," which, like all her songs, features electro beats and deep bass, like a harder version of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok," she admitted her love of shoes -- and aspirations of pop chart domination. Uffie's not there just yet; she's still a bit unpolished. But look out -- with the proper producer, her club-kid shtick could be transformed into pop gold. -- WILLIAM GOODMAN

BEST STATESIDE DEBUT: CHATMONCHY
Chatmonchy are three bubbly Japanese girls who play crunching, hook-filled power-pop that sounds like Weezer rendered in anime. For all I know the band's lyrics are about herpetology and needlepoint, but the trio, which made its American debut on Friday night, played with such infectious enthusiasm and its songs, especially the fizzy "Daidai," are such ingeniously constructed marvels of tension and release that the language barrier easily came crashing down. If Chatmonchy aren't already big in Japan, they should be. Here too -- and everywhere else. -- DM

BEST BUZZ BAND: BEST COAST
When L.A. lo-fi surf trio Best Coast closed out Gorilla Vs. Bear's day party at Klub Krucial, the venue hit capacity and a line trailed down 6th Street -- for good reason. Though frontwoman Bethany Consentino and her two long-haired male bandmates may look like California uber-hippies onstage -- and song titles like "Sun Was High (So Was I)" fuel that assumption -- their fuzzy hooks and 1950s-inspired pop have become the epitome of blog cool since 2009. Named one of SPIN's Must-Hear SXSW acts, Best Coast's solid live performance -- less fuzzy than their reverb-y recordings -- proves they deserve the buzz, which should only grow as they near the release of their debut record later this year. -- JENN PELLY

WORST BUZZ BAND: MEMORY TAPES
Sometimes hype is more than slightly overblown. Case in point: New Jersey's Memory Tapes, the dreamy, dance-y electro project of 28-year-old guitarist/vocalist/programmer Dayve Hawk (who has also recorded as Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes). Like a bubblier Helio Sequence with loops of wistful organ synths, lo-fi digi beats, and a headphones-sporting live drummer adding rhythmic umph, Hawk sang lyrics of heartbreak and despair on tracks like "Green Knight," off his 2009 release Seek Magic: "I want to give you my love / I want to call your name." The sound is part of a new genre called glo-fi or chillwave, the best of which is SPIN's Big in 2010 pick Neon Indian. Live, the smooth, opiate-dream sound is more disjointed -- and Hawk's watery, androgynous vocals sound gruff and choppy. Memory Tapes album isn't bad, but in a live setting its better qualities are compromised. -- WG

BEST SINGALONG: THEOPHILUS LONDON
There were other samples in his totally dance-tastic set that you'd recognize, but when this Brooklyn beatmaster dropped Whitney Houston's glass-shattering Bodyguard soundtrack jam "I Will Always Love You," droves of hipsters at Club de Ville shed any remaining stoicism and sang along. Loudly. As the beats returned, we wondered aloud whether Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" could be used similarly. The answer: a resounding "no." -- PETER GASTON

BEST ALTERNATIVE TO M.I.A.: MALUCA
If M.I.A. were a sassy Latin mami, her globe-trotting hip-hop sound rooted in spicy dancehall instead of electro Bollywood, she'd be 28-year-old Maluca (a.k.a. Natalie Yepez). Raised in New York's Dominican community, Maluca mashes hard-hitting, lo-fi drum machine beats with mambo flourishes and the distress-call horns, deep bass, and fast sing-raps of Spanish youth music. The M.I.A. comparisons are more than sonic: Diplo, M.I.A.'s onetime producer/DJ, discovered Maluca as she sang karaoke and helped launch her career, signing her to his to Mad Decent label. She was initially hesitant to perform due to intense stage fright -- but that's now clearly gone. With two dancers at her side, Maluca jived and moved in black tights, a black ballcap, and a gold robe, opening it occasionally to flaunt her sexy curves. -- WG

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BEST SONIC AIR-CONDITIONING: REAL ESTATE
6th Street's Klub Krucial has a serious heat problem -- it's a friggin' Texas sweatbox. But luckily Ridgewood, New Jersey's psychedelic surf-pop quartet Real Estate had a solution: reverb-drenched guitar jangles and lyrics about breezy summers in suburbia, with plenty of references to beaches, lakes, and pools courtesy of frontman Martin Courtney. Their sound is pretty and freeform -- think the meandering guitars of Built to Spill but with a fixation for good vibes. The boys looked a little tired, but they charged on with songs off their self-titled debut, their best -- "Beach Comber" and "Suburban Beverage" -- exploding in a cool tangle of guitars and bass. Like ice water to the face. -- WG

Real Estate / Photo: Matt Kiser
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Admiral Radley / Photo: Kevin Bronson
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BEST ANGEL FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND: HOLLY MIRANDA
There's something spooky beautiful about spending Friday night in a darkened church, especially if Holly Miranda's implausibly angelic voice is reverberating up to the 60-foot cathedral ceiling and back down to the stiff-backed pews where you sit in wonder and SXSW exhaustion. During her Central Presbyterian Church set, the Brooklyn transplant's tunes about gay marriage and troubled relationships often relied on the start-stop dynamic of her smoky voice, a capella or backed by a single guitar, suddenly punctuated by the Sonic Youth-like clatter of her backing band. It's a pleasing combination; it shakes the cobwebs out of the traditional singer-songwriter formula. But in the end, it was Miranda's vocals – notable for their searching, ascetic purity – that elevated the night and turned the rapt audience into a congregation of believers. -- MARK BAUTZ

BEST CHOICE OF VENUE: THE XX
The Central Presbyterian Church also provided emerging Brit trio the xx a perfect setting for their austere music. In the huge but hushed catherdral, the subtle interplay between guitar, bass, and processed sounds echoed fully – as did Romy Madley's Bjork-like whisper. The group's lack of physical movement or concern for performing, which can be a drawback in a noisy club, suddenly seemed like a moral virtue. Their songs hold mysteries that were deepened by the solemn space -- and absorbing them felt like SXSW's version of accepting grace. -- MB

BEST NON-COMEBACK: RA RA RIOT
With their second album due later this year, we expected Ra Ra Riot to pull the tarps off some brand new songs during their set at the Green Label Sound showcase. But with the crowd well lubricated after a genre-defying, body movin' set from Theophilus London, the clock approaching 1 A.M., and the alcohol flowing copiously, the Syracuse sextet -- playing their fourth consecutive SXSW -- blazed through airtight versions of songs from their 2008 debut, The Rhumb Line. And while they did play two new songs, frontman Wes Miles didn't even acknowledge them, instead feeding off the frenzied enthusiasm that surged when his band powered through their catchiest song, "Dying Is Fine." -- PG

BEST MARRIANGE OF TWO DUDES FROM MODESTO: ADMIRAL RADLEY:
They're longtime friends from the same hometown who sport respected indie resumes. And now Jason Lytle and Aaron Espinoza are collaborating in Admiral Radley, which includes Lytle's ex-Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch and Espinoza's bandmate in Earlimart, Ariana Murray. If Friday's uneven set at the Galaxy Room was any indication, Ad Rad's (yes, they already have a nickname) forthcoming album will satiate fans in both camps — finely honed, intricately layered songs with loopy effects, whimsical themes ("I [Heart] California") and, satisfyingly, the verve of two old buds just having a good time. -- KEVIN BRONSON.

BEST BACKPEDALING: INTERNATIONAL HIP-HOP SHOWCASE
The beauty of SXSW is stumbling upon a new artist as you peruse the chaos, drawn in by a snippet of music wafting out to the sidewalk. My quirkiest discovery yet: the International Hip-Hop showcase, presented by Nomadic Wax. Swede rap duo Timbuktu & Chords dropped rhymes in both English and their native tongue over an international pu pu platter of laptop-generated beats -- reggae dub, African drums, and funky smooth soul. Luckily, two messages seem to translate worldwide: dancing and drugs. "Shake your little asses," the tall, blonde Chords instructed, before diving into another old school track with a simple instruction: "Get high, high, high, high, high, high, high, high, high. -- WG

BEST UNEXPECTED COLLEGE HOUSE PARTY: SHELLSHAG
Tack more grit to Liz Phair's 1994 indie rock debut and you've got Brooklyn's Shellshag, a guitar/drum duo who show their love for all things punk and grunge with their recent album Rumors in Disguise. At midnight a crowd of 50 packed into a messy kitchen at a University of Texas student party, where guitarist Johnny Shell and drummer Jen Shag tore through a raucous set. Shag attached bells and shakers to a her sequined belt and clunky combat boots for additional percussion, and more came from the crowd, who hit her drum while hollering along to Rumors gem "Resilient Bastard." -- JP

BEST BAND VAGUELY CONNECTED TO J. MASCIS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sub Pop newbies Happy Birthday have a spunk that set them apart from other lo-fi noise poppers -- and it only takes one listen of the Vermont trio's mega-catchy, cleverly harmonized song "Girls FM" to get it. Playing an 8:30 P.M. outdoor set at Cheer Up Charlie's parking lot-turned-performance-space, they sped through 30 minutes of tunes from their recent self-titled debut -- upbeat pop with unusual guitar tunings, group vocals, and psychedelic touches. Warm, intricate guitar work came courtesy of frontman Kyle Thomas, who also rocks alongside Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis in the stoner metal four-piece Witch. -- JP

IN BRIEF:

Whoever was DJ-ing at the Friendly Fire showcase at Club de Ville was on fire Friday night. At one point, I said to the friend I was with, "Neon Indian sounds amazing." My friend gently explained that the band wasn't on yet. Both Neon Indian and the DJ should take that as a compliment. -- DM

Entourage star -- and Honey Brothers drummer -- Adrian Grenier dined with a posse of pals in the private patio dining area Moonshine, getting properly pre-gamed for a night of rock'n'roll. -- PG

There's no lack of dedication to Keeping Austin Weird. One transient sipping a paper-bagged beer belted a craggy version of the Beatles' "Lady Madonna," and later joined a dance act on 6th Street, attempting -- and failing -- to execute their dexterous moves. She gets an "A" for effort. – WG

Fresh from guesting with Stone Temple Pilots the night before, former Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger caught the action at Muse's sold-out Stubb's show. -- DM

Whatever Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump's been cooking up for his debut solo album needs a bit more time in the oven. In an awkward 20-minute set last night at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Stump took the stage completely by himself, armed with an array of live loops, pre-recorded tracks, and a variety of instruments -- none of which could hide the fact that his new material isn't yet ready for mass consumption.

"I'm karaoke-ing songs that haven't been recorded yet," Stump admitted to the crowd at the Crush Management showcase at Dirty Dog Bar. But in karaoke, people sing over songs that are finished -- and these don't seem to be.

Travis McCoy / Photo by Kathryn Yu
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New Politics / Photo by Kathryn Yu
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Stump first tried to re-create the one-man band video he released to the web in January, a song called "As Long As I'm Getting Paid," in which he plays each instrument in the song, one at a time, then loops his performances together into one funky jam. But the drum beats he played were messy, his guitar sound came out crackly and out of whack, and his keyboard flourishes provided little stability. Basically, it was close to a trainwreck.

It wasn't all so bad. On the next song, Stump thankfully scaled things back, just singing and playing guitar over a prerecorded track, and appeared far more comfortable, his powerful voice belting out a moving chorus. "This is my confession," he sang over a bare-bones arrangement that was equal parts R&B slickness and sexy swagger. Ideally, Stump should have remained in this zone all night, curbing what seemed like a rather urgent desire to prove his multi-instrumental mettle.

Clearly, the most successful element of Stump's set was his new look: He's ditched the hoodies and trucker hats for a sharp blazer and black t-shirt -- projecting a more serious vibe, for sure. He's also shed a significant amount of weight, so much so that many in the room didn't recognize him at all when he first appeared on stage.

Hopefully, we won't recognize these new songs, either, the next time Stump decides to present them to a live audience. The basic elements appear in place -- a funk foundation, a little bit of disco-inflected guitar, Stump going R&B-style, vocally, like he did on Gym Class Heroes' "Girlfriend" -- but they clearly need some further attention to match Stump's own physical leanness and meanness.

Newly renamed solo artist Travie McCoy, meanwhile, is much closer to sorted for his own debut, Lazarus, which is actually done, and set for a June 8 release. Playing earlier in the night and backed by his Gym Class Heroes bandmate Matt McGinley on drums, McCoy was confident and spot on, even though his DJ missed a flight and couldn't make the gig.

"Dr. Feelgood," which features Cee-Lo on the album version, was the night's most polished cut, a funky number that instantly conjured thoughts of soul band Hall & Oates, whom McCoy unabashedly adores, and whose names are tattooed on his arm. But "Superbad" was totally stunning, with thick, brooding, bass-heavy verses that unfolded into a head-banger of a chorus -- think Linkin Park, but in the best way possible. "Billionaire," which was released as a single earlier this month, also impressed.

In between these two bigger names came the New Politics, a Danish trio with abundant energy -- and a genre-bending approach where anything and everything is fair game for inclusion in a song. On "Dignity," guitarist-singer Søren H played a thinly veiled ripoff of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind," then hollered all punk rock style over it, sounding like Ted Leo covering an AFI song. Søren's rock chops are counterbalanced by David Boyd's goofball rap-sung vocals, through which he recalls skate-punk era Beastie Boys -- and that dude from EMF. You know, "You're unbelievable."

Later, the trio stormed through their single "Yeah Yeah Yeah," and even when bookended by the solid, radio-ready songs from Travie and the stumbling debut from Patrick Stump, its instantly hummable hook was the night's most lasting take-away.

BEST WARM AND FUZZY FEELINGS: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
"Good luck, America," BSS frontman Kevin Drew told a late-night crowd at Stubb's, "I believe in you through all this shit, I really do." Tell you what, Mr. Drew, with an attitude like that -- and songs like your sextet played -- SXSW believes in you, too. On Thursday night, the Canadian collective gave a giddy crowd a taste of the songs from their forthcoming Forgiveness Rock Record, due May 4, and a few big gulps of all-around optimism. A cameo four-piece horn section beefed up one sprawling jam, and Metric's Emily Haines guested on the lovely "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl." -- KEVIN BRONSON

BEST GET UR FREAK ON: ESTELLE
The saucy U.K. vet sure knows how to throw a wicked nasty dance party. Between rapping about motherf**ckin' cheating boyfriends, grinding against a hunky dude from the audience, giving her female fans tips on straying without getting caught, and repeatedly warning everyone to get their hands up in the air cuz she's watching (and she was), Estelle also managed to sing a breathtaking soul version of Smokey Robinson's "Get Ready," do a call-and-response take on her hit "American Boy," cover Coldplay, and bring Gym Class Heroes leader Travis McCoy onstage to rap. Whew! Girl packs a lot into 45 slim minutes. -- MARK BAUTZ

Emily Haines / Photo: Matt Kiser
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Nicole Atkins / Photo: Kyle Dean Reinford
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BEST FLANNEL-CLAD CROWD-PLEASERS: BAND OF HORSES
From the moment Ben Bridwell and bandmates hit the first notes of the echoing, hypnotic "Is There a Ghost," the South Carolina stars had the capacity crowd at Stubb's in the pocket of their flannel shirts. Even between songs Bridwell was nothing less than buoyant, joking of his trip to Austin, "They gotta start abbreviating South by Southwest to just By Southwest." Meanwhile, the band's 45 minutes of lightly psychedelic Southern-fried roots-rock -- highlighted by a grand singalong on "The Great Salt Lake" -- included three songs from their forthcoming album Infinite Arms, out May 18, including a scorching finisher filled out with some rapturous guitar solos. -- KB

BEST FEMME FATALE: NICOLE ATKINS
Currently working on the full-length follow-up to 2007's Neptune City, Nicole Atkins' sexy early evening set at La Zona Rosa had me checking for the album's release date (there isn't one yet -- dammit) as tough and twangy tearjerkers like the new "Civil War" mixed moody keyb-and-guitar interplay with dusky vocals. Every lovesick song Atkins sang (with a special nod to the languidly rocking, cheekily titled "Oh Canada") made it sound as if she'd spent roughly equal time breaking hearts and being burned. The noirish music almost made me want to go order a Scotch on the rocks and call an old girlfriend just to tell her a lie about love. Almost. -- DAVID MARCHESE

BEST NOT SO VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER: MIDLAKE
The Courage of Others, the most recent album from Denton, Texas' Midlake, is a cryptic collection of songs that sound as if designed to accompany druids dancing the quadrille -- it's also a bit of a slog. But live, when the drums hit heavy, the guitars crackle, and the bass rattles in your chest, the eight-piece band becomes an altogether woollier and more impressive beast. (And they still hit all their intricate, spooky harmonies with uncanny accuracy.) Midlake would absolutely kill at Stonehenge. Someone make it happen. -- DM

BEST BID AT THE BIG TIME: POMEGRANATES
Few feelings are as awesome as seeing a band you like live for the first time, and leaving liking 'em even more. Such was the case with this Cincinnati, OH, quartet, who've refined their sound since first popping on SPIN's radar in 2008. They've added a glossy polish to their art-pop and punk with reverb-y, anthemic yet meandering guitar lines that'd raise the eyebrows of both Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock and Coldplay's Chris Martin. On their set-closer, "Cakin," a demo for their next album, thrift store boys Joey Cook and Isaac Karns -- who split guitar and keyboard duties -- traded vocals, Cook's a low mutter and Karns' a high-pitched squawk, and created the kind of electrifying melodic charge that might be enough to push this band out of obscurity. -- WILLIAM GOODMAN

BEST DRESSED: A CLASSIC EDUCATON
While these Italians don't hail from the boutique-clogged streets of Milan, they certainly know how to fill out a suit. Jammed into the front window of 6th Street gin mill Friends, the sextet looked far classier than the club's regular clientele -- flat-screen TVs on the walls cycled through photos of buxom beauties in low-cut tops -- and had chops to match. The tightly wound, mandolin-led "What My Life Could Have Been" closed the set with panache, a spazzy college rock romp (think SXSW 2009 breakout band Pains of Being Pure at Heart) adorned with Old World orchestral touches. -- PETER GASTON 

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BEST UNDERCARD DISCOVERY: RADAR BROS.
SXSW so often seems about foaming at the mouth over the next big thing that the subtleties of an artist's career arc can get swallowed faster than a dollar shot. It'd be optimistic to think that many among the She & Him faithful at the Merge Records showcase had more than a passing knowledge of Radar Bros., the L.A. quintet whose sixth album, The Illustrated Garden, comes out next week. At 42, songwriter Jim Putnam, now surrounded by a young new cast of bandmates, may look like your eccentric uncle, but he crafts pop songs with the childlike wonderment of someone half his age. It took some doing, but his captive audience was eventually similarly smitten. -- KB

BEST OUT OF THE SHADOWS SET: THE CANDLES
Josh Lattanzi has done well for himself as a sideman, acting as hotshot guitarist for folks like the Lemonheads, Ben Kweller, and Albert Hammond Jr. But if his sparkling, carefully laidback performance fronting New York City folk-rockers the Candles was any indication, he might do even better in the spotlight. Singing sweet melodies in three-part harmony over ambling rhythms and laconic guitar, Lattanzi and his band crafted a sound heavily indebted to the golden charms of '70s singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Harvest-era Neil Young. It's a vibe we've heard resurrected before, but when executed with Lattanzi's emotional precision and sure sense of craft it still holds the power to be as moving as watching the sun set over Topanga Canyon. -- DM

COMPLETE SXSW GUIDE
Download our free Must-Hear Bands album. Plus, get the latest news, photos, and more. GO NOW!

 

BEST ROCK'N'ROLL REVIVAL: THE JIM JONES REVUE
These high energy Londoners put on a show that's one part history of rock from Little Richard to the Ramones and one part fire-and-brimstone sermon. They are so tight and loud, so insistent on their retro sound, and so sharp in their dandy outfits, that it almost reads like parody. Which it is -- I think. Frontman Jim Jones mugs for the crowd, gets down on his knees and wails, then pushes to the edge of the stage as if possessed. Luckily, his evangelism has found a faithful flock. Even Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye, watching from the tiny club's bar, seemed transported. -- MB

BEST RETURNING INDIE VETS: QUASI
It's not every day a group of indie rock's most lauded vets play a dusty parking lot for free, which made Quasi's slot at the Kill Rock Stars showcase even more awesome. Formed in '93, members of the Portland, Oregon, trio are friends and ex-bandmates of Elliot Smith and have played in Heatmister, Sleater-Kinney, and Stephen Malkmus's the Jicks. They brought their melodic, high energy guitar rock -- including "Repulsion" and others from their eighth album American Gong, out last month -- to Cheer Up Charlie's, SXSWs 6th Street DIY home base. A mix of middle-aged hipsters and underage faces rocked out in bliss. -- JENN PELLY

BEST BREVITY: PEASANT
For many bands, SXSW is a test of logistical efficiency: Can they set up, quickly line check, and play a quality set within the space of a slim timeslot? For Pennsylvania-based solo performer Peasant, a.k.a. Damien DeRose, who performs simply with his tearjerking soprano and an acoustic guitar, there was no hurry whatsoever. "Do I have time for two more songs?" he asked the sound man. "You've got 30 more minutes," the sound man replied. DeRose considered the situation for a moment, then addressed the crowd: "No, it's okay. Just two more. It's what I planned for." And that was just fine. He cooed a stirring, heart-melting song called "We're Good," and proved that quality triumphs over quantity, even at SXSW. -- PG

NOT BEST, NOT WORST -- MOST MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD SET: THE MOONDOGGIES
This Seattle roots-rock quartet ride the line between loping Southern and the Fleet Foxes' nouveau, harmony-rich folk. Unfortunately, they also blur another boundary: the one between bland and boring and comfy and familiar. Their gritty guitar lines, straight drum beats, and gothic electric Rhodes piano parts would be great background music for a camping trip but there's absolutely nothing exceptional about them. They don't demand anything of the listener and, in turn, get nothing in return. At least not from me. -- WG

BEST USE OF NON-HUMAN BANDMATES: DAN BLACK
The London-bred, Paris-based electropop artist Dan Black is making waves by having broken through to rock radio with his single "Symphonies," which appropriates Jack Nitzsche's sweeping theme to the 1984 movie "Starman." At the SXSW Throwdown day party, Black delivered something in the way of a disco afternoon, performing with a bassist, guitarist, and a pair of glowing touchscreens he uses to control his samplers. Not only do the controllers look sci-fi cool, they make for great bandmates. "I never have to worry about them bringing groupies to the back of the bus," admitted Black from the stage. -- KB

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BEST HIDDEN SHOW:
Take Chelsea Girl-era Nico and inject equal doses of Bjork's oddball energy and late downtown New York icon Arthur Russell's experimental pop and you get Brooklyn quintet Twin Sister -- tiny, tattoo-covered frontgirl Andrea Estella, whose dreamy pipes lead four dudes jamming on guitars, bass, and keys. Their hazy, alluring "I Want A House" -- a recent blogosphere hit -- sounded particularly appropriate at a sunny (and unofficial SXSW) set in the yard of an East Austin house; the fuzzy ode to domesticity offered a reprieve from the chaos on 6th street, while doubling as a testament to the show's home-y locale. -- JP

BEST AFTER HOUSE SHOW: THEE OH SEES' BRIDGE GIG
Despite a steady stream of Tweeted "secret show" confirmations and cancellations, around 100 hopeful fans headed to the Lamar Boulevard Bridge at 2:30 A.M. for a mind-blowingly high energy set from San Francisco outfit Thee Oh Sees. Fans huddled around the band, crowd-surfing and thrashing, shaking the bridge as the three-piece blew through their frenetic repertoire of garage rock and noise pop. The backdrop to the late-night spectacle -- which also included a set from New Jersey garage punks Home Blitz -- was the glowing downtown Austin skyline. Bliss. -- JP

Avi Buffalo / Photo: Kathryn Yu
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The xx / Photo: Kathryn Yu
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She & Him / Photo: Misha Vladimirskiy
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COMPLETE SXSW GUIDE
Download our free Must-Hear Bands album. Plus, get the latest news, photos, and more. GO NOW!

 

BEST WUNDERKIND GUITARIST: AVI BUFFALO
His name is Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, and at 19 he plays as if he's been struck by a lightning bolt launched by a great unknown blues guitarist from decades past. Three-quarters of his Long Beach, Calif., quartet Avi Buffalo are still teenagers, but they were snapped up last year by Sub Pop, which will release their self-titled debut on April 27. At two shows on Thursday, Zahner-Isenberg wielded his falsetto and his axe to fantastic effect -- tender and painterly one minute and fast and furious the next, like on the hurricane that closes "Remember Last Time." -- KB

BEST SPAZZOUTS: CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
It's quite possible that Cymbals Eat Guitars frontman Joseph D'Agostino will someday write the hyper-emotional pitching-and-yawing spastic indie guitar jam that renders all others unnecessary. There's enough power in the feedbacking crescendos and coarsely charming melodies of songs like ". . . And the Hazy Sea" to make one hopeful, anyway. Right now, as the band's sometimes thrilling, sometimes painful set showed, the Staten Islanders spend the softer parts of their songs like they're bracing for a punch. When they learn better how to disguise the ones they're about to throw -- watch out. -- DM

WORST SENSE OF THE MOMENT: THE xx
The hipster nation's favorite lowercase minimalists (sorry, jj) might as well be wax figures onstage. Their purposefully undercooked hybrid of electro, pop, and soul relies on slow-building grooves and sparse beats, demanding that the listener fill in the blanks -- which meant that the Londoners' post-midnight set asked a lot of the audience at the Mohawk. Were the natives getting restless? Possibly. Would a light show have helped? Probably. Did I want to shout "giddyup?" You bet. -- KB

WORST CROWD: THE BLABBERMOUTHS AT THE OLOF ARNALDS SHOW
A bunch of folks sat cross-legged on the floor in silent wonder while listening to Iceland's Olof Arnalds play a hushed set of gorgeous folk in the opulent Victorian Room at the Driskill Hotel. But given that Arnalds, accompanied by the gentle sounds of her own warm fingerpicking and that of a second guitarist, sings like she's telling secrets, the few dozen people who stood by the bar yakking about "hydration" were loud enough to spoil the vibe. Annoying ambience aside, Arnalds delivered a subtly stirring set, her high, pure voice unwrapping gnomic melodies over drifting acoustic settings. -- DM

WORST ON-STAGE ENERGY: SHE & HIM
"Is this our old setlist?" Zooey Deschanel asked collaborator M. Ward near the end of She & Him's gig at the Merge Records showcase at the Cedar Street Courtyard. That was one of several discomfiting moments in a performance that could only be described as rote, despite a crack band that included the luminescent Chapin Sisters on backup vocals. Photographer control seemed to be a distracting concern (the band requested no photos be taken -- fat chance). It ultimately didn't matter, as the duo's lackadaisical folk-pop provided no Polaroid moments. -- KB

IN BRIEF:
Twitter was in a titter over news that Bill Murray was in town, as starstruck SXSWers traded sightings of the sad-eyed comedian. -- D.M.

Early arrivals rewarded: The special guest from "ShutUp, AK," billed in the early slot at the Merge Records showcase at Cedar Street Courtyard was none other than Superchunk, who did a rousing 20 minutes. -- KB

Even if you're a journo, it's easy to get caught up in the SXSW spirit. After Miles Kurosky asked for volunteers from the crowd to join him onstage to help sing a Beulah song, Jeff Miller, the editor of Thrillist Los Angeles, found himself onstage providing vocals on "Popular Mechanics." -- KB

U.K. quartet Banjo Or Freakout has to the band most unlike its name; there's no banjoing in its fuzzy, ambient pop, and not a lot of freaking out either. -- K.B.

Maybe he was calling mom or reconciling with his former Panic! at the Disco bandmates, but Young Veins ringleader Ryan Ross sat on a 6th street curb in his Beatle boots, drainpipe jeans, and white Oxford button up, surrounded by drunkards, jabbering on his cell and sending texts for well over an hour. -- WG 

T-shirt of the day: "Kiss Me. No, really." -- KB

Austin, it might be weird weather out there but there should be nothing stopping you from hitting the best Saturday ever, AKA OUR SPOT RIGHT HERE. We’re extremely excited about our line-up and surprises and not-surprises and chill zones under the tent tonight. We’re also excited to hang with you, since it’s technically our last [...]

We’ve been trying to hold it all the way down over at twitter.com/levisfaderfort. But as posse’d up as we are, we still can’t be everywhere and experiencing everything at once. That’s where you come in: you guys are tweeting maniacs, and we love you for it, so we compiled some of our favorite tweets of [...]

As Morticia Addams, Bebe Neuwirth is hoping for a perfect fit.

Michael Feinstein didnt stand a chance against Dame Edna. Stephen Sondheim doesnt do so well, either.

Looped gets glib laughs and kitsch value from Tallulah Bankheads outsize life, and not much more.

Nitraid has successfully married athletic and military aesthetics with the Dry Sweat Cargo Short. Constructed out of the quick dry fabric that allows moisture to dry off quickly making it perfect for the Summer season. To add extra functionality to the shorts, cargo pants…

HEAD PORTER have introduced a new line of bags and accessories entitled Gala series. The focal point of the item is the vivid rainbow like multi colored stripe prints that are placed in the center of the each piece. Canvas material is used to…

Originally introduced in the 1970s as a basketball shoe, Pro-Keds Royal Plus has evolved through the years into one of the staples on the streets. The Royal Plus is has not only been donned by some of the greatest basketball players and pioneers of…

Malick Sidibé's black and white portraits capture scenes from youth culture in 1960's Mali and convey the atmosphere and vitality of the times.

Jason Fields of iPhone app review blog app.itize.us, explores the best analytics applications.

Play is a short film which looks into a future where video games and reality are almost indistinguishable.

(TrendHunter.com) If you're looking to add a bit of chaotic character to your home decor, I suggest you take a quick peek at the Rubik table lighting. A bit quirky, yet all kinds of stylish, it's a simple deign that will…

(TrendHunter.com) Photographer Jacques Dequeker captures some incredible shots for the new Ellus Leather Denim Winter 2010 Campaign. Starring models Cintia Dicker and Madonna’s boytoy Jesus Luz, the gritty images are both…

(TrendHunter.com) Drinking beer may be a manly man's sport, but now that many men are embracing their feminine side, these Gama-Go pint glasses have a niche. Why would any man think twice about using these adorable glasses?…

It is well established that white people like the past. Vintage clothing, history degrees, and nostalgia are just three examples of how white people show their love for by-gone eras. So when white people think about growing their own food they are reminded of pastoral images of farming, working the land, and growing [...]

White people can do powerful things with their eyes: casting judgment, indicating scorn, and obnoxiously rolling them when someone says something they don’t agree with. Yet in spite of these powers, they are not immune to the dangers of the sun. So white people must wear sunglasses. But what may surprise you is that [...]

BBC:

The administrator of Crystal Palace has said he would “welcome an approach” by rap star P-Diddy.

The music mogul’s publicist confirmed to BBC London that he is thinking of moving into the football business.

Brendan Guilfoyle, administrator of the bankrupt Championship side, said he “would willingly fly to New York to meet him to discuss a purchase”.

P-Diddy, reportedly worth £360m, held talks over investing in the club during a visit to the UK earlier this month.

Mr Guilfoyle, of The P&A Partnership financial firm, said he was “a big hip-hop fan” and would be “delighted if P-Diddy wanted to buy Crystal Palace”.

Read and comment. From news.bbc.co.uk.

Commercial Appeal:

After consulting with Chilton’s wife and festival organizers, surviving Big Star members Jody Stephens, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow confirmed that the panel and performance would go on as scheduled, effectively serving as memorials for Chilton.

“It felt like we had to pay tribute in some form,” said Auer. “In a strange way, it’s amazing that it happened around something like South by Southwest. So many people there are hyper-aware of Chilton and understand what he means musically, so it seems like the perfect place to do something like this.”

The Saturday night Big Star set is shaping up to be an all-star tribute. Though the lineup is still coming together, a variety of artists including X’s John Doe, R.E.M.‘s Mike Mills, indie-folk singer M. Ward, the dB’s Chris Stamey, Green on Red veteran Chuck Prophet and Chilton’s longtime New Orleans collaborators Doug Garrison and René Coman are among those expected to appear.

NME:

The band’s current bassist Ken Stringfellow confirmed that they are hoping to recruit REM‘s Mike Mills and members of Cheap Trick for the gig. The show is likely to take place at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas tomorrow (March 20), reports Spinner. Big Star were due to perform at SXSW with Chilton tomorrow night.

“We’ve decided to still put on some kind of performance in tribute to Alex,” Stringfellow, bassist for Big Star since 1993, told NME‘s sister publication Uncut. “There’s already a lot of people stepping forward, interested in augmenting the band and singing some of Alex’s songs. We drew up a shortlist of people we knew were playing at SXSW who might be interested, but I’m not sure exactly who can actually do it yet.

“Jon [Auer, guitarist for Big Star and the Posies] has already spoken to M Ward, John Doe and Chuck Prophet.

Read and comment. From thedailyswarm.com.

Fusari takes credit for convincing her “to abandon rock riffs and add dance beats. He demonstrated how the sound of a drum machine would not hurt the integrity of her music.”

The suit claims Fusari created her stage name by accident. A text message intended to read “Radio Ga Ga,” named after the Queen song, was changed by spell check on his cell phone to “Lady Ga Ga,” it said. “Germanotta loved it and ‘Lady Gaga’ was born.”

Read and comment. From cnn.com.

BELMONT, NH—"It's not anybody’s fault, honestly," said 28-year-old Megan Slota, standing in her kitchen and holding a mug of tea with both hands. "Sometimes I just get like this where it's like I'm not, I guess, whatever. We don’t have to get into it right now."

The ratings may have fallen during its four week run, but that didn't stop ABC's V from being one of the largest moneymakers on television last year. How good a position does that put the show in for next year? More »

If there's one trend that we hope both The Losers and Kick-Ass will jumpstart, it's one where British comic creators get their due in Hollywood. Particularly because that could lead to these 2000AD movies we've always longed for... More »

Not content with tweaking Marvel for their Avengers teases, Image Comics flirted with copyright law by teasing Harry Potter as a member of their Guardians Of The Globe series, right before writer Robert Kirkman explained all. More »

I often find it hilarious how “Hip-Hop heads” become so quick to throw certain artists into a box; only considering a select few with distinct styles worthy of praise. They do it much in the same vein as Rock & Roll enthusiasts who’d never give somebody such as Phoenix the ...

If you’re a fan of either one of these artists, it should warm your soul a little to see the title of this post. Any DJ Quik diehard will tell you their favorite permed-out producer/rapper is better with his one-time protege Suga Free than without, and vice versa. It’s in the ...

MTV Shows

2nd UPDATE: House To Hold Standalone Vote On Health-Care Bill

US House To Hold Standalone Vote On Senate Health-Care Bill

UPDATE: Bernanke: 'Unconscionable' To Allow 'Too Big To Fail' Firms

The Lockerbie bomber is at the center of a fresh row after it emerged he is taking a cancer drug that could keep him alive for five more years, The Sun reported on Monday.

Kidnappers released a 5-year-old British boy unharmed Tuesday almost two weeks after abducting him from his grandparents' house in central Pakistan, British and Pakistani officials said.

Pope Benedict XVI's former diocese says it has suspended a priest convicted in 1986 of sexually abusing minors and accepted the resignation of his superior.

The four large U.S. cities that have made it through the Great Recession with the smallest increases in unemployment, Minneapolis, ...

The Federal Reserve must reveal documents identifying financial companies that received Fed loans to survive the financial crisis, ...

Regulators have shut down a small bank in Ohio, boosting to 31 the number of bank failures in the U.S. so far this year.

Depositors who banked with alleged fraudster Allen Stanford should start seeing some of their money in a year.

Here are four strategies ETF investors should use to protect their capital during a downturn.

The asset-management firm posted worse-than-expected Q3 earnings amid the credit crisis.

Reaction to our story on cellphone use behind the wheel.

You're likely to save on these items, many of which will be discounted this season.

Many of the country's most lavish properties have dropped in price to lure buyers.

Saint Mary's frustrates No. 2 seed Villanova in upset win.

No. 13 seed Murray State made a buzzer beater to win in the first round. Can they keep their Cinderella run going against Butler? Follow the action live.

NASCAR's feuding pair met face-to-face, along with a few familiar faces.

3/17/10 - Joey Kinder succeeded in sending his most recent project, Flight of the Conchords, which sits in a 300-foot cave near Kinder's home in Hurricane, Utah.

3/3/10 - The first ascent of a huge north face in northern China, completed last summer by Americans Jed Brown and Kyle Dempster, with Scottish climber Bruce Normand, is one of five nominees for this year’s Piolets d’Or.

2/23/10 - On February 12, the full session of the International Olympic Committee formally recognized the International Federation of Sport Climbing, two years after the ISCF was granted provisional recognition.

One defining bank shot by the Gaels pushed the second-seeded Wildcats out of the tournament.

Evan Turner has blossomed from a cautious, wiry freshman to the Buckeyes’ most important player.

Garrett Jones seemed to be stuck in the minors, but at age 28 he hit 21 homers in 82 games for the Pirates.

The manager's 24-year-old son, Oney, "resigned" from the White Sox video department because of his rogue Twitter account, but his mom cleared it all up with the GM. It's gonna be a good year on the South Side. [FoxSports/Sun-Times/Yahoo; Pic] More »

Every week, I'll excerpt a handful of stories — old and new, sports and otherwise, relevant and merely sublime — that I urge you to read for one reason or another. Send any suggestions to craggs@deadspin.com. More »

We get a massive amount of tips in our inbox each week. Some are pretty interesting, but don't get published for one reason or another. More »

Omar Samhan was an unstoppable Gael force and played the game of his career, finishing with 32 points and seven rebounds to lead 10th-seeded ...

The Stephen Strasburg watch is over for now but as for Joe Nathan -- well, we can't exactly call it a watch if it's something we can't see, but ...

Kelley Cain had 18 points and 12 rebounds as top seed Tennessee beat No. 16 seeded Austin Peay 75-42 on Saturday in the opening round of the ...

A new owner, helped by Web sleuths, investigates which famous course architect really designed Long Island's North Shore Country Club course.

The Sweet 16 has its first team -- and its first Cinderella. No. 10 seed St. Mary's overwhelmed No. 2 Villanova inside to stun the Wildcats 75-68 and continue the tourney's run of upsets.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Soccer and its players called a joint news conference for Saturday and were near agreement on a five-year contract that would avoid a strike scheduled for next week, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

PITTSBURGH(AP) Jamie McBain scored his first NHL goal on a slap shot from above the circles with less than a second remaining in overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied from a late deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Saturday.

Letting customers take your product home on a trial basis may clinch the sale.

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Alternative options for capital-hungry businesses.

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A strategic buyer's guide.

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Learn what things increase your odds for success in being targeted as an acquisition.

Is it a good or bad idea to share equity with employees?

Hear expert advice from attorney Gary Kaplan as he walks through the realities, statistics and key strategies to avoid litigation at your business whenever possible.

When marketers evaluate all of the digital communication channels at their disposal, they're faced with a rich array of choices including the latest in social and mobile marketing.

You need to implement an email marketing campaign to stay connected with current and prospective customers, yet you have no idea where to begin. Consumers are more savvy and selective about which emails they read, and email deliverability continues to be a challenge for legitimate email marketers.

As an account manager, I've had the chance to work with hundreds of companies starting out with email marketing over the year. I've seen that those willing to invest some initial time to learn and apply basic best practices tend to enjoy better delivery and more success with their email campaigns.

Continuing our discussion with author and entrepreneur John Warrillow, this week we dive into the first of the 8 steps he recommends toward creating a sellable company: creating a standard service offering.

For those of you familiar with E-Myth, this one will come as no surprise… When you create a standard service offering, you find a service your clients value and that you can teach someone else to perform. In other words, you create a high value, turn-key operation with documented systems and a way of doing business that isn’t dependent on you — the owner — to run.

Podcast: Creating a Standard Service Offering

(Download MP3 / Listen to the first podcast in this series here.)

John Warrillow is an entrepreneur, author and speaker. Throughout his career as an entrepreneur, John has started and exited four companies. Most recently he transformed Warrillow & Co. from a boutique consultancy into a recurring revenue model subscription business, which he sold to The Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD) in 2008. He is the author of Built to Sell and Drilling for Gold and in 2008 was recognized by BtoB magazine’s “Who’s Who” list. builttosell.com

For a limited time, get a $5.00 discount on John Warrillow's book, Built to Sell and a complimentary copy of "The Model for Selling Your Business" eBook.

In Built to Sell John shares with you:

• The 8 steps to creating a sellable company
• How to attract multiple strategic bidders for your business
• How to maximize your valuation and get the highest possible price for your business
• The secret to getting your cash upfront and avoiding a lengthy earn out

Is your business too small or too specialized to warrant the time and energy it takes to develop a brand? No! Brand building is essential for any business. A strong, positive brand is just as important for a 200-person technology company as it is for a 3-person retail shop. 

One of my clients, Sean, is a chiropractor. When Sean started his business, he knew he had two branding challenges to overcome:

1. Favorably differentiating his business from other chiropractic services
2. Strengthening the legitimacy of chiropractic healing itself; branding chiropractic products and services in general so that more people would consider going to a chiropractor (namely him) rather than going to a more traditional medical doctor for treatments

Every business has to be able to attract and satisfy customers predictably and consistently if it is going to thrive. One of the best ways to do this is to build a strong, positive brand in the minds of your target markets.

What do People Think of your Business?

When people encounter your business, your products or your services they will either think negatively or positively about it depending on your brand. Ultimately, it is your brand that determines if people actually do business with you.

A good branding strategy takes time and attention to develop and implement in your business. You need to have a very good understanding of the purchase decision needs of your target markets and how your business meets or exceeds those customer expectations. You (and everyone else in your business) need a clear idea of what brand you are trying to establish in the marketplace so that you can look for any and all opportunities to reinforce that brand when dealing with customers. Your brand building efforts should also be tracked and quantified over time so that you can keep doing the things that strengthen your brand and identify the innovations that will improve the things that aren't working.

3 Steps To Begin Developing Your Brand Strategy

There are three basic steps you can take that will allow you to start building the right branding strategy for your business:

1. Create a clear objective for your branding strategy. This should be a written document (we call it your Brand Objective Statement) that outlines the brand you hope to establish in the minds of your target market. It should be based on what your customers want and expect from your business, your products or your services. Some areas of focus to consider:
   Product Branding – This involves keeping your company somewhat anonymous but building the brand of your products or services. A business like the H.J. Heinz Corporation may take this approach to building the brand of, say, Heinz Ketchup without necessarily emphasizing the company itself or the brands of the distributors and retailers who carry the ketchup.
   Company Branding – This is something you might focus on if you were a company like the supermarket chain Safeway and are primarily focused on building the Safeway company brand. Interestingly, a company like Safeway carries a lot of “brand name” products and can use those brands to build upon the Safeway company brand to draw customers to their stores.
   Dual Branding – This is an approach that, for example, an automobile dealer might employ. Dual branding comes into play when there’s a strong product brand, like Toyota, as well as the company brand, like Donovan Motors. The Toyota brand (product brand) is developed and supported primarily by the Toyota Motor Company with is national and international advertising and public relations strategies. The Donovan Motors brand (company brand) is established locally in the company’s trading area. This is the branding strategy that Sean wanted to focus on for his Chiropractic business, since he wanted to brand his business and chiropractic health treatment in general in a positive light.
2. Integrate branding into all customer-focused activity. Make sure that everyone in your business is aware of your desired brand and is taking every opportunity to reinforce that brand at every customer touch point. This is a bigger topic than we’ll go into now, but the better everyone understands the brand direction, the better equipped they are to act on the brand building and communication systems you have in place.
3. Establish brand monitoring. This can be accomplished through interviews, surveys or focus groups that allow you to gather data regarding how your business is being perceived in the marketplace, and whether your reputation is growing in accordance with your brand strategy.

Sean worked through the three-step process outlined above and quickly started seeing the difference as his chiropractic business began to grow and gain a reputation. Through his research, he was able to articulate that people in his target market ultimately wanted quality health care and treatment that immediately helped them experience more functionality, a better quality of life, and less pain or side effects. He used that to create and document a Brand Objective Statement using a Dual Branding Strategy approach that pinpointed how his company specifically (and chiropractic medicine in general) would appeal to his target markets.

He then set about integrating his branding strategy into all of his business systems from advertising through sales and client fulfillment. After six months of operating with this new brand awareness he had quantifiable results that his efforts had paid off. He sent out a customer survey which helped confirm positive customer perceptions of his business. His internal meetings with staff helped confirm they were getting consistently positive feedback from customers. He measured a rise in clientele and client retention.

Additionally, he noticed that, since his brand was strong, his customers gave his business the benefit of the doubt when something did go wrong. His customers viewed mistakes and inconsistencies as merely temporary aberrations that the business would recover from quickly.

Interestingly, Toyota (as mentioned in point one above) is facing some brand setbacks right now. They’re experiencing a high volume of recalls for safety defects in certain vehicles. Do you think that this is going to permanently tarnish the Toyota brand? Do you think the company will be able to recover? Newsweek posted an interesting article on the topic that you might want to read.

flickr photo credit: planetc1

Almost every business owner wants more leads for their business. In fact, for many owners the need for a constant inflow of qualified leads often dominates their thinking. There are, however, many challenges to ensuring and maintaining that supply. And, in addition to the needs of today, growth objectives and profit goals will require increased revenue which must come from increased sales—which means more leads. So are there really “sure-fire” methods of lead generation? And, if so, what are they?

Start With Your Plan

Truly successful lead generation must always be an integrated part of your marketing strategy. And this rests on having a comprehensive plan that takes into account the demographics and psychographics of your target market, as well as your positioning—the perception of your business and your product/services held by that target market. In other words, your lead generation efforts must be guided by who it is you are ideally trying to attract to your business and what it is you’re promising them.

A mistake many business owners make with lead generation activities is to simply try different things with no real thought about who their ideal customers are, where they are, and how to best reach them. Random acts of lead generation produce random results—and a very questionable ROI.

Assuming you have effectively put together a strategic marketing plan and you know your ideal target market customer, what can you do right now to generate some solid, qualified leads?

5 Ways to Get Them to Bite

Here are some tried-and-true methods for getting good leads quickly:

• Team up: Many businesses can find ways to share resources with other non-competing businesses that targets similar customers. One of our clients who specialize in dent removal teamed up with an auto detailing facility to exchange customer lists and trade discount coupons to promote each other’s services. Clients who had a dent removed from their car received a coupon for detailing and the detailer did the same for our client. Not only did each of them enlarge their potential customer database by sharing information, they also opened the doors for co-branding opportunities, to boot!
• Referrals: Time, experience and much research has concluded that nothing brings a qualified lead to your door better than the recommendation of a friend or colleague. Having a structured and intentional system, or program, in place to elicit referrals is not only a sure-fire way to generate qualified leads, but it is highly cost-effective as well. 
• Word-of-Mouth: According to Wikipedia, word-of-mouth marketing “encompasses a variety of subcategories, including buzz, blog, viral, grassroots, cause influencers and social media marketing.” People tend to act on what they hear in this way because of the added layer of integrity perceived in it. In other words, getting people to talk about your company, your products or services, who you are and what you do, is an effective means of moving people to come to your business. We often say that your best salespeople are satisfied customers.
• Give it away: Give your product or service for free on a limited or one-time basis. This is especially effective if you’re a restaurant, a spa, or any service-oriented business. Make it a random weekday for just one hour, for example. The restaurant chain Macaroni Grill did this when they first opened with the idea of building mid-week traffic and it was incredibly effective. The old saying that “samples sell” holds a great deal of truth. And lead potential!
• Surprise them: Never underestimate the power of surprise, of the unexpected. Reach out and “touch base” with your pool of past or current customers, but do something spontaneous or out of the ordinary when contacting them. If you can find ways to surprise and delight current or past customers you can then leverage the power of that moment to generate a new sale. Although you may not always think of them as potential leads, these folks are almost always a great source of qualified leads and can be a far more cost-effective source. The added bonus is that your lead conversion, or sales process is often shorter and easier with repeat business.

Where There’s a Way There’s a Lead

The real key to generating more leads is how well you know your most probable customers—your target market. This is why making lead generation a systemic part of your marketing is so important. However, even though continual research and quantification of data on your target market is essential, it’s also critical to avoid getting stalled by too much analysis and not enough action! It was the American General and military strategist George S. Patton, who said: “A good plan, violently executed today, is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” A good strategy supported by some effective tactics will result in the leads you need.

Share Your Story

What lead generation activities do you rely on? What's worked for you in the past? Post a comment and tell us about it.

Further Reading

Advertising is Not Marketing
Tips to Drum Up Sales Now
Stop, Ask and Listen: Exploring the Links between Marketing and Client Fulfillment

Ex-Goldman Sachs employees are sharing their ideas about what their old firm can do to help small businesses.

Local governments have tried a variety of approaches, like wage subsidies and grants, to help small businesses start or stay alive.

Owners of small businesses who do not form a succession plan create a time bomb that can tear apart their companies and their families.

The Obama Administration wants to double U.S. exports in five years by enlisting small business. First, entrepreneurs must overcome concerns about getting paid

The SBA no longer provides Disabled Assistance Loans, but consider its other loan programs, your state's resources, and a private advocacy group's offerings

Sandra Bullock's husband Jesse James apologises to his wife and children following accusations he had an affair.

Film-makers in the US and India form a coalition to fight piracy in the South Asian nation, one of the biggest film markets

Actor Fess Parker, famous for playing American pioneer Davy Crockett on TV, dies in California at the age of 85.

BEST. PERIOD: NEON INDIAN
Backed by a rubbery live band, Neon Indian mastermind Alan Palomo played a set of rinky-dink synth pop that built a pastel pleasuredome out of squiggly synth lines, chintzy keyboard, brittle guitar, and a charmingly stiff beat. Songs like the aptly-titled "Terminally Chill" give off a sense of woozy childlike glee, as if they were composed by a nerdy nine-year old who loves 1999-era Prince, doing the robot, and the occasional acid trip. -- DAVID MARCHESE

BEST THROWBACK: DEMOLISHED THOUGHTS
If the band names Gang Green and SS Decontrol mean anything to you, you likely would have gotten a kick (in the head) out of this apparently ad hoc supergroup of sorts, featuring lead screamer Thurston Moore, guitarists J Mascis and Don Fleming, and a Fucked Up guitarist on bass. Perversely, their singular focus was on covering now-obscure early '80s hardcore, with Moore -- who still looks like a gawky 19-year-old -- reciting the lyrics from a cheat sheet before shouting them when the band butted in. Inspiring a swirling pit and frantic stage dives, it was a great reminder of the sweaty hardcore matinees of my youth and no doubt thrilled a certain record-collector mindset. In fact, before the set Fucked Up frontman Pink Eye proudly showed me the 13-inch -- yes 13-inch -- vinyl he had just picked up from Jack White's pop-up store. This show must have sent him to heaven. -- DOUG BROD

Uffie / Photo: Matt Kiser
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BEST FREAK NASTY REPLACEMENT FOR KE$HA: UFFIE
Pop problem child Ke$ha's stories of hard partying, Hollywood boys, and brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack not freak nasty enough? Meet Parisian rapper Uffie, signed to Ed Banger Records, the same label home of Justice -- and one of Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus' fave new artists. She's a self-described "bad ass bitch" and at Mohawk she played the role, strutting onstage in her short blonde bob and revealing black lace top, dropping XXX-rated rhymes on "Pop a Glock" -- "When I rock the party, you bust a nut." On "Brand New Car," which, like all her songs, features electro beats and deep bass, like a harder version of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok," she admitted her love of shoes -- and aspirations of pop chart domination. Uffie's not there just yet; she's still a bit unpolished. But look out -- with the proper producer, her club-kid shtick could be transformed into pop gold. -- WILLIAM GOODMAN

BEST STATESIDE DEBUT: CHATMONCHY
Chatmonchy are three bubbly Japanese girls who play crunching, hook-filled power-pop that sounds like Weezer rendered in anime. For all I know the band's lyrics are about herpetology and needlepoint, but the trio, which made its American debut on Friday night, played with such infectious enthusiasm and its songs, especially the fizzy "Daidai," are such ingeniously constructed marvels of tension and release that the language barrier easily came crashing down. If Chatmonchy aren't already big in Japan, they should be. Here too -- and everywhere else. -- DM

BEST BUZZ BAND: BEST COAST
When L.A. lo-fi surf trio Best Coast closed out Gorilla Vs. Bear's day party at Klub Krucial, the venue hit capacity and a line trailed down 6th Street -- for good reason. Though frontwoman Bethany Consentino and her two long-haired male bandmates may look like California uber-hippies onstage -- and song titles like "Sun Was High (So Was I)" fuel that assumption -- their fuzzy hooks and 1950s-inspired pop have become the epitome of blog cool since 2009. Named one of SPIN's Must-Hear SXSW acts, Best Coast's solid live performance -- less fuzzy than their reverb-y recordings -- proves they deserve the buzz, which should only grow as they near the release of their debut record later this year. -- JENN PELLY

WORST BUZZ BAND: MEMORY TAPES
Sometimes hype is more than slightly overblown. Case in point: New Jersey's Memory Tapes, the dreamy, dance-y electro project of 28-year-old guitarist/vocalist/programmer Dayve Hawk (who has also recorded as Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes). Like a bubblier Helio Sequence with loops of wistful organ synths, lo-fi digi beats, and a headphones-sporting live drummer adding rhythmic umph, Hawk sang lyrics of heartbreak and despair on tracks like "Green Knight," off his 2009 release Seek Magic: "I want to give you my love / I want to call your name." The sound is part of a new genre called glo-fi or chillwave, the best of which is SPIN's Big in 2010 pick Neon Indian. Live, the smooth, opiate-dream sound is more disjointed -- and Hawk's watery, androgynous vocals sound gruff and choppy. Memory Tapes album isn't bad, but in a live setting its better qualities are compromised. -- WG

BEST SINGALONG: THEOPHILUS LONDON
There were other samples in his totally dance-tastic set that you'd recognize, but when this Brooklyn beatmaster dropped Whitney Houston's glass-shattering Bodyguard soundtrack jam "I Will Always Love You," droves of hipsters at Club de Ville shed any remaining stoicism and sang along. Loudly. As the beats returned, we wondered aloud whether Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" could be used similarly. The answer: a resounding "no." -- PETER GASTON

BEST ALTERNATIVE TO M.I.A.: MALUCA
If M.I.A. were a sassy Latin mami, her globe-trotting hip-hop sound rooted in spicy dancehall instead of electro Bollywood, she'd be 28-year-old Maluca (a.k.a. Natalie Yepez). Raised in New York's Dominican community, Maluca mashes hard-hitting, lo-fi drum machine beats with mambo flourishes and the distress-call horns, deep bass, and fast sing-raps of Spanish youth music. The M.I.A. comparisons are more than sonic: Diplo, M.I.A.'s onetime producer/DJ, discovered Maluca as she sang karaoke and helped launch her career, signing her to his to Mad Decent label. She was initially hesitant to perform due to intense stage fright -- but that's now clearly gone. With two dancers at her side, Maluca jived and moved in black tights, a black ballcap, and a gold robe, opening it occasionally to flaunt her sexy curves. -- WG

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BEST SONIC AIR-CONDITIONING: REAL ESTATE
6th Street's Klub Krucial has a serious heat problem -- it's a friggin' Texas sweatbox. But luckily Ridgewood, New Jersey's psychedelic surf-pop quartet Real Estate had a solution: reverb-drenched guitar jangles and lyrics about breezy summers in suburbia, with plenty of references to beaches, lakes, and pools courtesy of frontman Martin Courtney. Their sound is pretty and freeform -- think the meandering guitars of Built to Spill but with a fixation for good vibes. The boys looked a little tired, but they charged on with songs off their self-titled debut, their best -- "Beach Comber" and "Suburban Beverage" -- exploding in a cool tangle of guitars and bass. Like ice water to the face. -- WG

Real Estate / Photo: Matt Kiser
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Admiral Radley / Photo: Kevin Bronson
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BEST ANGEL FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND: HOLLY MIRANDA
There's something spooky beautiful about spending Friday night in a darkened church, especially if Holly Miranda's implausibly angelic voice is reverberating up to the 60-foot cathedral ceiling and back down to the stiff-backed pews where you sit in wonder and SXSW exhaustion. During her Central Presbyterian Church set, the Brooklyn transplant's tunes about gay marriage and troubled relationships often relied on the start-stop dynamic of her smoky voice, a capella or backed by a single guitar, suddenly punctuated by the Sonic Youth-like clatter of her backing band. It's a pleasing combination; it shakes the cobwebs out of the traditional singer-songwriter formula. But in the end, it was Miranda's vocals – notable for their searching, ascetic purity – that elevated the night and turned the rapt audience into a congregation of believers. -- MARK BAUTZ

BEST CHOICE OF VENUE: THE XX
The Central Presbyterian Church also provided emerging Brit trio the xx a perfect setting for their austere music. In the huge but hushed catherdral, the subtle interplay between guitar, bass, and processed sounds echoed fully – as did Romy Madley's Bjork-like whisper. The group's lack of physical movement or concern for performing, which can be a drawback in a noisy club, suddenly seemed like a moral virtue. Their songs hold mysteries that were deepened by the solemn space -- and absorbing them felt like SXSW's version of accepting grace. -- MB

BEST NON-COMEBACK: RA RA RIOT
With their second album due later this year, we expected Ra Ra Riot to pull the tarps off some brand new songs during their set at the Green Label Sound showcase. But with the crowd well lubricated after a genre-defying, body movin' set from Theophilus London, the clock approaching 1 A.M., and the alcohol flowing copiously, the Syracuse sextet -- playing their fourth consecutive SXSW -- blazed through airtight versions of songs from their 2008 debut, The Rhumb Line. And while they did play two new songs, frontman Wes Miles didn't even acknowledge them, instead feeding off the frenzied enthusiasm that surged when his band powered through their catchiest song, "Dying Is Fine." -- PG

BEST MARRIANGE OF TWO DUDES FROM MODESTO: ADMIRAL RADLEY:
They're longtime friends from the same hometown who sport respected indie resumes. And now Jason Lytle and Aaron Espinoza are collaborating in Admiral Radley, which includes Lytle's ex-Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch and Espinoza's bandmate in Earlimart, Ariana Murray. If Friday's uneven set at the Galaxy Room was any indication, Ad Rad's (yes, they already have a nickname) forthcoming album will satiate fans in both camps — finely honed, intricately layered songs with loopy effects, whimsical themes ("I [Heart] California") and, satisfyingly, the verve of two old buds just having a good time. -- KEVIN BRONSON.

BEST BACKPEDALING: INTERNATIONAL HIP-HOP SHOWCASE
The beauty of SXSW is stumbling upon a new artist as you peruse the chaos, drawn in by a snippet of music wafting out to the sidewalk. My quirkiest discovery yet: the International Hip-Hop showcase, presented by Nomadic Wax. Swede rap duo Timbuktu & Chords dropped rhymes in both English and their native tongue over an international pu pu platter of laptop-generated beats -- reggae dub, African drums, and funky smooth soul. Luckily, two messages seem to translate worldwide: dancing and drugs. "Shake your little asses," the tall, blonde Chords instructed, before diving into another old school track with a simple instruction: "Get high, high, high, high, high, high, high, high, high. -- WG

BEST UNEXPECTED COLLEGE HOUSE PARTY: SHELLSHAG
Tack more grit to Liz Phair's 1994 indie rock debut and you've got Brooklyn's Shellshag, a guitar/drum duo who show their love for all things punk and grunge with their recent album Rumors in Disguise. At midnight a crowd of 50 packed into a messy kitchen at a University of Texas student party, where guitarist Johnny Shell and drummer Jen Shag tore through a raucous set. Shag attached bells and shakers to a her sequined belt and clunky combat boots for additional percussion, and more came from the crowd, who hit her drum while hollering along to Rumors gem "Resilient Bastard." -- JP

BEST BAND VAGUELY CONNECTED TO J. MASCIS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sub Pop newbies Happy Birthday have a spunk that set them apart from other lo-fi noise poppers -- and it only takes one listen of the Vermont trio's mega-catchy, cleverly harmonized song "Girls FM" to get it. Playing an 8:30 P.M. outdoor set at Cheer Up Charlie's parking lot-turned-performance-space, they sped through 30 minutes of tunes from their recent self-titled debut -- upbeat pop with unusual guitar tunings, group vocals, and psychedelic touches. Warm, intricate guitar work came courtesy of frontman Kyle Thomas, who also rocks alongside Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis in the stoner metal four-piece Witch. -- JP

IN BRIEF:

Whoever was DJ-ing at the Friendly Fire showcase at Club de Ville was on fire Friday night. At one point, I said to the friend I was with, "Neon Indian sounds amazing." My friend gently explained that the band wasn't on yet. Both Neon Indian and the DJ should take that as a compliment. -- DM

Entourage star -- and Honey Brothers drummer -- Adrian Grenier dined with a posse of pals in the private patio dining area Moonshine, getting properly pre-gamed for a night of rock'n'roll. -- PG

There's no lack of dedication to Keeping Austin Weird. One transient sipping a paper-bagged beer belted a craggy version of the Beatles' "Lady Madonna," and later joined a dance act on 6th Street, attempting -- and failing -- to execute their dexterous moves. She gets an "A" for effort. – WG

Fresh from guesting with Stone Temple Pilots the night before, former Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger caught the action at Muse's sold-out Stubb's show. -- DM

Whatever Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump's been cooking up for his debut solo album needs a bit more time in the oven. In an awkward 20-minute set last night at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Stump took the stage completely by himself, armed with an array of live loops, pre-recorded tracks, and a variety of instruments -- none of which could hide the fact that his new material isn't yet ready for mass consumption.

"I'm karaoke-ing songs that haven't been recorded yet," Stump admitted to the crowd at the Crush Management showcase at Dirty Dog Bar. But in karaoke, people sing over songs that are finished -- and these don't seem to be.

Travis McCoy / Photo by Kathryn Yu
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New Politics / Photo by Kathryn Yu
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Stump first tried to re-create the one-man band video he released to the web in January, a song called "As Long As I'm Getting Paid," in which he plays each instrument in the song, one at a time, then loops his performances together into one funky jam. But the drum beats he played were messy, his guitar sound came out crackly and out of whack, and his keyboard flourishes provided little stability. Basically, it was close to a trainwreck.

It wasn't all so bad. On the next song, Stump thankfully scaled things back, just singing and playing guitar over a prerecorded track, and appeared far more comfortable, his powerful voice belting out a moving chorus. "This is my confession," he sang over a bare-bones arrangement that was equal parts R&B slickness and sexy swagger. Ideally, Stump should have remained in this zone all night, curbing what seemed like a rather urgent desire to prove his multi-instrumental mettle.

Clearly, the most successful element of Stump's set was his new look: He's ditched the hoodies and trucker hats for a sharp blazer and black t-shirt -- projecting a more serious vibe, for sure. He's also shed a significant amount of weight, so much so that many in the room didn't recognize him at all when he first appeared on stage.

Hopefully, we won't recognize these new songs, either, the next time Stump decides to present them to a live audience. The basic elements appear in place -- a funk foundation, a little bit of disco-inflected guitar, Stump going R&B-style, vocally, like he did on Gym Class Heroes' "Girlfriend" -- but they clearly need some further attention to match Stump's own physical leanness and meanness.

Newly renamed solo artist Travie McCoy, meanwhile, is much closer to sorted for his own debut, Lazarus, which is actually done, and set for a June 8 release. Playing earlier in the night and backed by his Gym Class Heroes bandmate Matt McGinley on drums, McCoy was confident and spot on, even though his DJ missed a flight and couldn't make the gig.

"Dr. Feelgood," which features Cee-Lo on the album version, was the night's most polished cut, a funky number that instantly conjured thoughts of soul band Hall & Oates, whom McCoy unabashedly adores, and whose names are tattooed on his arm. But "Superbad" was totally stunning, with thick, brooding, bass-heavy verses that unfolded into a head-banger of a chorus -- think Linkin Park, but in the best way possible. "Billionaire," which was released as a single earlier this month, also impressed.

In between these two bigger names came the New Politics, a Danish trio with abundant energy -- and a genre-bending approach where anything and everything is fair game for inclusion in a song. On "Dignity," guitarist-singer Søren H played a thinly veiled ripoff of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind," then hollered all punk rock style over it, sounding like Ted Leo covering an AFI song. Søren's rock chops are counterbalanced by David Boyd's goofball rap-sung vocals, through which he recalls skate-punk era Beastie Boys -- and that dude from EMF. You know, "You're unbelievable."

Later, the trio stormed through their single "Yeah Yeah Yeah," and even when bookended by the solid, radio-ready songs from Travie and the stumbling debut from Patrick Stump, its instantly hummable hook was the night's most lasting take-away.

BEST WARM AND FUZZY FEELINGS: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
"Good luck, America," BSS frontman Kevin Drew told a late-night crowd at Stubb's, "I believe in you through all this shit, I really do." Tell you what, Mr. Drew, with an attitude like that -- and songs like your sextet played -- SXSW believes in you, too. On Thursday night, the Canadian collective gave a giddy crowd a taste of the songs from their forthcoming Forgiveness Rock Record, due May 4, and a few big gulps of all-around optimism. A cameo four-piece horn section beefed up one sprawling jam, and Metric's Emily Haines guested on the lovely "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl." -- KEVIN BRONSON

BEST GET UR FREAK ON: ESTELLE
The saucy U.K. vet sure knows how to throw a wicked nasty dance party. Between rapping about motherf**ckin' cheating boyfriends, grinding against a hunky dude from the audience, giving her female fans tips on straying without getting caught, and repeatedly warning everyone to get their hands up in the air cuz she's watching (and she was), Estelle also managed to sing a breathtaking soul version of Smokey Robinson's "Get Ready," do a call-and-response take on her hit "American Boy," cover Coldplay, and bring Gym Class Heroes leader Travis McCoy onstage to rap. Whew! Girl packs a lot into 45 slim minutes. -- MARK BAUTZ

Emily Haines / Photo: Matt Kiser
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Nicole Atkins / Photo: Kyle Dean Reinford
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BEST FLANNEL-CLAD CROWD-PLEASERS: BAND OF HORSES
From the moment Ben Bridwell and bandmates hit the first notes of the echoing, hypnotic "Is There a Ghost," the South Carolina stars had the capacity crowd at Stubb's in the pocket of their flannel shirts. Even between songs Bridwell was nothing less than buoyant, joking of his trip to Austin, "They gotta start abbreviating South by Southwest to just By Southwest." Meanwhile, the band's 45 minutes of lightly psychedelic Southern-fried roots-rock -- highlighted by a grand singalong on "The Great Salt Lake" -- included three songs from their forthcoming album Infinite Arms, out May 18, including a scorching finisher filled out with some rapturous guitar solos. -- KB

BEST FEMME FATALE: NICOLE ATKINS
Currently working on the full-length follow-up to 2007's Neptune City, Nicole Atkins' sexy early evening set at La Zona Rosa had me checking for the album's release date (there isn't one yet -- dammit) as tough and twangy tearjerkers like the new "Civil War" mixed moody keyb-and-guitar interplay with dusky vocals. Every lovesick song Atkins sang (with a special nod to the languidly rocking, cheekily titled "Oh Canada") made it sound as if she'd spent roughly equal time breaking hearts and being burned. The noirish music almost made me want to go order a Scotch on the rocks and call an old girlfriend just to tell her a lie about love. Almost. -- DAVID MARCHESE

BEST NOT SO VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER: MIDLAKE
The Courage of Others, the most recent album from Denton, Texas' Midlake, is a cryptic collection of songs that sound as if designed to accompany druids dancing the quadrille -- it's also a bit of a slog. But live, when the drums hit heavy, the guitars crackle, and the bass rattles in your chest, the eight-piece band becomes an altogether woollier and more impressive beast. (And they still hit all their intricate, spooky harmonies with uncanny accuracy.) Midlake would absolutely kill at Stonehenge. Someone make it happen. -- DM

BEST BID AT THE BIG TIME: POMEGRANATES
Few feelings are as awesome as seeing a band you like live for the first time, and leaving liking 'em even more. Such was the case with this Cincinnati, OH, quartet, who've refined their sound since first popping on SPIN's radar in 2008. They've added a glossy polish to their art-pop and punk with reverb-y, anthemic yet meandering guitar lines that'd raise the eyebrows of both Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock and Coldplay's Chris Martin. On their set-closer, "Cakin," a demo for their next album, thrift store boys Joey Cook and Isaac Karns -- who split guitar and keyboard duties -- traded vocals, Cook's a low mutter and Karns' a high-pitched squawk, and created the kind of electrifying melodic charge that might be enough to push this band out of obscurity. -- WILLIAM GOODMAN

BEST DRESSED: A CLASSIC EDUCATON
While these Italians don't hail from the boutique-clogged streets of Milan, they certainly know how to fill out a suit. Jammed into the front window of 6th Street gin mill Friends, the sextet looked far classier than the club's regular clientele -- flat-screen TVs on the walls cycled through photos of buxom beauties in low-cut tops -- and had chops to match. The tightly wound, mandolin-led "What My Life Could Have Been" closed the set with panache, a spazzy college rock romp (think SXSW 2009 breakout band Pains of Being Pure at Heart) adorned with Old World orchestral touches. -- PETER GASTON 

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BEST UNDERCARD DISCOVERY: RADAR BROS.
SXSW so often seems about foaming at the mouth over the next big thing that the subtleties of an artist's career arc can get swallowed faster than a dollar shot. It'd be optimistic to think that many among the She & Him faithful at the Merge Records showcase had more than a passing knowledge of Radar Bros., the L.A. quintet whose sixth album, The Illustrated Garden, comes out next week. At 42, songwriter Jim Putnam, now surrounded by a young new cast of bandmates, may look like your eccentric uncle, but he crafts pop songs with the childlike wonderment of someone half his age. It took some doing, but his captive audience was eventually similarly smitten. -- KB

BEST OUT OF THE SHADOWS SET: THE CANDLES
Josh Lattanzi has done well for himself as a sideman, acting as hotshot guitarist for folks like the Lemonheads, Ben Kweller, and Albert Hammond Jr. But if his sparkling, carefully laidback performance fronting New York City folk-rockers the Candles was any indication, he might do even better in the spotlight. Singing sweet melodies in three-part harmony over ambling rhythms and laconic guitar, Lattanzi and his band crafted a sound heavily indebted to the golden charms of '70s singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Harvest-era Neil Young. It's a vibe we've heard resurrected before, but when executed with Lattanzi's emotional precision and sure sense of craft it still holds the power to be as moving as watching the sun set over Topanga Canyon. -- DM

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BEST ROCK'N'ROLL REVIVAL: THE JIM JONES REVUE
These high energy Londoners put on a show that's one part history of rock from Little Richard to the Ramones and one part fire-and-brimstone sermon. They are so tight and loud, so insistent on their retro sound, and so sharp in their dandy outfits, that it almost reads like parody. Which it is -- I think. Frontman Jim Jones mugs for the crowd, gets down on his knees and wails, then pushes to the edge of the stage as if possessed. Luckily, his evangelism has found a faithful flock. Even Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye, watching from the tiny club's bar, seemed transported. -- MB

BEST RETURNING INDIE VETS: QUASI
It's not every day a group of indie rock's most lauded vets play a dusty parking lot for free, which made Quasi's slot at the Kill Rock Stars showcase even more awesome. Formed in '93, members of the Portland, Oregon, trio are friends and ex-bandmates of Elliot Smith and have played in Heatmister, Sleater-Kinney, and Stephen Malkmus's the Jicks. They brought their melodic, high energy guitar rock -- including "Repulsion" and others from their eighth album American Gong, out last month -- to Cheer Up Charlie's, SXSWs 6th Street DIY home base. A mix of middle-aged hipsters and underage faces rocked out in bliss. -- JENN PELLY

BEST BREVITY: PEASANT
For many bands, SXSW is a test of logistical efficiency: Can they set up, quickly line check, and play a quality set within the space of a slim timeslot? For Pennsylvania-based solo performer Peasant, a.k.a. Damien DeRose, who performs simply with his tearjerking soprano and an acoustic guitar, there was no hurry whatsoever. "Do I have time for two more songs?" he asked the sound man. "You've got 30 more minutes," the sound man replied. DeRose considered the situation for a moment, then addressed the crowd: "No, it's okay. Just two more. It's what I planned for." And that was just fine. He cooed a stirring, heart-melting song called "We're Good," and proved that quality triumphs over quantity, even at SXSW. -- PG

NOT BEST, NOT WORST -- MOST MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD SET: THE MOONDOGGIES
This Seattle roots-rock quartet ride the line between loping Southern and the Fleet Foxes' nouveau, harmony-rich folk. Unfortunately, they also blur another boundary: the one between bland and boring and comfy and familiar. Their gritty guitar lines, straight drum beats, and gothic electric Rhodes piano parts would be great background music for a camping trip but there's absolutely nothing exceptional about them. They don't demand anything of the listener and, in turn, get nothing in return. At least not from me. -- WG

BEST USE OF NON-HUMAN BANDMATES: DAN BLACK
The London-bred, Paris-based electropop artist Dan Black is making waves by having broken through to rock radio with his single "Symphonies," which appropriates Jack Nitzsche's sweeping theme to the 1984 movie "Starman." At the SXSW Throwdown day party, Black delivered something in the way of a disco afternoon, performing with a bassist, guitarist, and a pair of glowing touchscreens he uses to control his samplers. Not only do the controllers look sci-fi cool, they make for great bandmates. "I never have to worry about them bringing groupies to the back of the bus," admitted Black from the stage. -- KB

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BEST HIDDEN SHOW:
Take Chelsea Girl-era Nico and inject equal doses of Bjork's oddball energy and late downtown New York icon Arthur Russell's experimental pop and you get Brooklyn quintet Twin Sister -- tiny, tattoo-covered frontgirl Andrea Estella, whose dreamy pipes lead four dudes jamming on guitars, bass, and keys. Their hazy, alluring "I Want A House" -- a recent blogosphere hit -- sounded particularly appropriate at a sunny (and unofficial SXSW) set in the yard of an East Austin house; the fuzzy ode to domesticity offered a reprieve from the chaos on 6th street, while doubling as a testament to the show's home-y locale. -- JP

BEST AFTER HOUSE SHOW: THEE OH SEES' BRIDGE GIG
Despite a steady stream of Tweeted "secret show" confirmations and cancellations, around 100 hopeful fans headed to the Lamar Boulevard Bridge at 2:30 A.M. for a mind-blowingly high energy set from San Francisco outfit Thee Oh Sees. Fans huddled around the band, crowd-surfing and thrashing, shaking the bridge as the three-piece blew through their frenetic repertoire of garage rock and noise pop. The backdrop to the late-night spectacle -- which also included a set from New Jersey garage punks Home Blitz -- was the glowing downtown Austin skyline. Bliss. -- JP

Avi Buffalo / Photo: Kathryn Yu
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The xx / Photo: Kathryn Yu
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She & Him / Photo: Misha Vladimirskiy
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COMPLETE SXSW GUIDE
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BEST WUNDERKIND GUITARIST: AVI BUFFALO
His name is Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, and at 19 he plays as if he's been struck by a lightning bolt launched by a great unknown blues guitarist from decades past. Three-quarters of his Long Beach, Calif., quartet Avi Buffalo are still teenagers, but they were snapped up last year by Sub Pop, which will release their self-titled debut on April 27. At two shows on Thursday, Zahner-Isenberg wielded his falsetto and his axe to fantastic effect -- tender and painterly one minute and fast and furious the next, like on the hurricane that closes "Remember Last Time." -- KB

BEST SPAZZOUTS: CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
It's quite possible that Cymbals Eat Guitars frontman Joseph D'Agostino will someday write the hyper-emotional pitching-and-yawing spastic indie guitar jam that renders all others unnecessary. There's enough power in the feedbacking crescendos and coarsely charming melodies of songs like ". . . And the Hazy Sea" to make one hopeful, anyway. Right now, as the band's sometimes thrilling, sometimes painful set showed, the Staten Islanders spend the softer parts of their songs like they're bracing for a punch. When they learn better how to disguise the ones they're about to throw -- watch out. -- DM

WORST SENSE OF THE MOMENT: THE xx
The hipster nation's favorite lowercase minimalists (sorry, jj) might as well be wax figures onstage. Their purposefully undercooked hybrid of electro, pop, and soul relies on slow-building grooves and sparse beats, demanding that the listener fill in the blanks -- which meant that the Londoners' post-midnight set asked a lot of the audience at the Mohawk. Were the natives getting restless? Possibly. Would a light show have helped? Probably. Did I want to shout "giddyup?" You bet. -- KB

WORST CROWD: THE BLABBERMOUTHS AT THE OLOF ARNALDS SHOW
A bunch of folks sat cross-legged on the floor in silent wonder while listening to Iceland's Olof Arnalds play a hushed set of gorgeous folk in the opulent Victorian Room at the Driskill Hotel. But given that Arnalds, accompanied by the gentle sounds of her own warm fingerpicking and that of a second guitarist, sings like she's telling secrets, the few dozen people who stood by the bar yakking about "hydration" were loud enough to spoil the vibe. Annoying ambience aside, Arnalds delivered a subtly stirring set, her high, pure voice unwrapping gnomic melodies over drifting acoustic settings. -- DM

WORST ON-STAGE ENERGY: SHE & HIM
"Is this our old setlist?" Zooey Deschanel asked collaborator M. Ward near the end of She & Him's gig at the Merge Records showcase at the Cedar Street Courtyard. That was one of several discomfiting moments in a performance that could only be described as rote, despite a crack band that included the luminescent Chapin Sisters on backup vocals. Photographer control seemed to be a distracting concern (the band requested no photos be taken -- fat chance). It ultimately didn't matter, as the duo's lackadaisical folk-pop provided no Polaroid moments. -- KB

IN BRIEF:
Twitter was in a titter over news that Bill Murray was in town, as starstruck SXSWers traded sightings of the sad-eyed comedian. -- D.M.

Early arrivals rewarded: The special guest from "ShutUp, AK," billed in the early slot at the Merge Records showcase at Cedar Street Courtyard was none other than Superchunk, who did a rousing 20 minutes. -- KB

Even if you're a journo, it's easy to get caught up in the SXSW spirit. After Miles Kurosky asked for volunteers from the crowd to join him onstage to help sing a Beulah song, Jeff Miller, the editor of Thrillist Los Angeles, found himself onstage providing vocals on "Popular Mechanics." -- KB

U.K. quartet Banjo Or Freakout has to the band most unlike its name; there's no banjoing in its fuzzy, ambient pop, and not a lot of freaking out either. -- K.B.

Maybe he was calling mom or reconciling with his former Panic! at the Disco bandmates, but Young Veins ringleader Ryan Ross sat on a 6th street curb in his Beatle boots, drainpipe jeans, and white Oxford button up, surrounded by drunkards, jabbering on his cell and sending texts for well over an hour. -- WG 

T-shirt of the day: "Kiss Me. No, really." -- KB

Austin, it might be weird weather out there but there should be nothing stopping you from hitting the best Saturday ever, AKA OUR SPOT RIGHT HERE. We’re extremely excited about our line-up and surprises and not-surprises and chill zones under the tent tonight. We’re also excited to hang with you, since it’s technically our last [...]

We’ve been trying to hold it all the way down over at twitter.com/levisfaderfort. But as posse’d up as we are, we still can’t be everywhere and experiencing everything at once. That’s where you come in: you guys are tweeting maniacs, and we love you for it, so we compiled some of our favorite tweets of [...]

As Morticia Addams, Bebe Neuwirth is hoping for a perfect fit.

Michael Feinstein didnt stand a chance against Dame Edna. Stephen Sondheim doesnt do so well, either.

Looped gets glib laughs and kitsch value from Tallulah Bankheads outsize life, and not much more.

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Malick Sidibé's black and white portraits capture scenes from youth culture in 1960's Mali and convey the atmosphere and vitality of the times.

Jason Fields of iPhone app review blog app.itize.us, explores the best analytics applications.

Play is a short film which looks into a future where video games and reality are almost indistinguishable.

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White people can do powerful things with their eyes: casting judgment, indicating scorn, and obnoxiously rolling them when someone says something they don’t agree with. Yet in spite of these powers, they are not immune to the dangers of the sun. So white people must wear sunglasses. But what may surprise you is that [...]

BBC:

The administrator of Crystal Palace has said he would “welcome an approach” by rap star P-Diddy.

The music mogul’s publicist confirmed to BBC London that he is thinking of moving into the football business.

Brendan Guilfoyle, administrator of the bankrupt Championship side, said he “would willingly fly to New York to meet him to discuss a purchase”.

P-Diddy, reportedly worth £360m, held talks over investing in the club during a visit to the UK earlier this month.

Mr Guilfoyle, of The P&A Partnership financial firm, said he was “a big hip-hop fan” and would be “delighted if P-Diddy wanted to buy Crystal Palace”.

Read and comment. From news.bbc.co.uk.

Commercial Appeal:

After consulting with Chilton’s wife and festival organizers, surviving Big Star members Jody Stephens, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow confirmed that the panel and performance would go on as scheduled, effectively serving as memorials for Chilton.

“It felt like we had to pay tribute in some form,” said Auer. “In a strange way, it’s amazing that it happened around something like South by Southwest. So many people there are hyper-aware of Chilton and understand what he means musically, so it seems like the perfect place to do something like this.”

The Saturday night Big Star set is shaping up to be an all-star tribute. Though the lineup is still coming together, a variety of artists including X’s John Doe, R.E.M.‘s Mike Mills, indie-folk singer M. Ward, the dB’s Chris Stamey, Green on Red veteran Chuck Prophet and Chilton’s longtime New Orleans collaborators Doug Garrison and René Coman are among those expected to appear.

NME:

The band’s current bassist Ken Stringfellow confirmed that they are hoping to recruit REM‘s Mike Mills and members of Cheap Trick for the gig. The show is likely to take place at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas tomorrow (March 20), reports Spinner. Big Star were due to perform at SXSW with Chilton tomorrow night.

“We’ve decided to still put on some kind of performance in tribute to Alex,” Stringfellow, bassist for Big Star since 1993, told NME‘s sister publication Uncut. “There’s already a lot of people stepping forward, interested in augmenting the band and singing some of Alex’s songs. We drew up a shortlist of people we knew were playing at SXSW who might be interested, but I’m not sure exactly who can actually do it yet.

“Jon [Auer, guitarist for Big Star and the Posies] has already spoken to M Ward, John Doe and Chuck Prophet.

Read and comment. From thedailyswarm.com.

Fusari takes credit for convincing her “to abandon rock riffs and add dance beats. He demonstrated how the sound of a drum machine would not hurt the integrity of her music.”

The suit claims Fusari created her stage name by accident. A text message intended to read “Radio Ga Ga,” named after the Queen song, was changed by spell check on his cell phone to “Lady Ga Ga,” it said. “Germanotta loved it and ‘Lady Gaga’ was born.”

Read and comment. From cnn.com.

BELMONT, NH—"It's not anybody’s fault, honestly," said 28-year-old Megan Slota, standing in her kitchen and holding a mug of tea with both hands. "Sometimes I just get like this where it's like I'm not, I guess, whatever. We don’t have to get into it right now."

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Not content with tweaking Marvel for their Avengers teases, Image Comics flirted with copyright law by teasing Harry Potter as a member of their Guardians Of The Globe series, right before writer Robert Kirkman explained all. More »

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If you’re a fan of either one of these artists, it should warm your soul a little to see the title of this post. Any DJ Quik diehard will tell you their favorite permed-out producer/rapper is better with his one-time protege Suga Free than without, and vice versa. It’s in the ...

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The Lockerbie bomber is at the center of a fresh row after it emerged he is taking a cancer drug that could keep him alive for five more years, The Sun reported on Monday.

Kidnappers released a 5-year-old British boy unharmed Tuesday almost two weeks after abducting him from his grandparents' house in central Pakistan, British and Pakistani officials said.

Pope Benedict XVI's former diocese says it has suspended a priest convicted in 1986 of sexually abusing minors and accepted the resignation of his superior.

The four large U.S. cities that have made it through the Great Recession with the smallest increases in unemployment, Minneapolis, ...

The Federal Reserve must reveal documents identifying financial companies that received Fed loans to survive the financial crisis, ...

Regulators have shut down a small bank in Ohio, boosting to 31 the number of bank failures in the U.S. so far this year.

Depositors who banked with alleged fraudster Allen Stanford should start seeing some of their money in a year.

Here are four strategies ETF investors should use to protect their capital during a downturn.

The asset-management firm posted worse-than-expected Q3 earnings amid the credit crisis.

Reaction to our story on cellphone use behind the wheel.

You're likely to save on these items, many of which will be discounted this season.

Many of the country's most lavish properties have dropped in price to lure buyers.

Saint Mary's frustrates No. 2 seed Villanova in upset win.

No. 13 seed Murray State made a buzzer beater to win in the first round. Can they keep their Cinderella run going against Butler? Follow the action live.

NASCAR's feuding pair met face-to-face, along with a few familiar faces.

3/17/10 - Joey Kinder succeeded in sending his most recent project, Flight of the Conchords, which sits in a 300-foot cave near Kinder's home in Hurricane, Utah.

3/3/10 - The first ascent of a huge north face in northern China, completed last summer by Americans Jed Brown and Kyle Dempster, with Scottish climber Bruce Normand, is one of five nominees for this year’s Piolets d’Or.

2/23/10 - On February 12, the full session of the International Olympic Committee formally recognized the International Federation of Sport Climbing, two years after the ISCF was granted provisional recognition.

One defining bank shot by the Gaels pushed the second-seeded Wildcats out of the tournament.

Evan Turner has blossomed from a cautious, wiry freshman to the Buckeyes’ most important player.

Garrett Jones seemed to be stuck in the minors, but at age 28 he hit 21 homers in 82 games for the Pirates.

The manager's 24-year-old son, Oney, "resigned" from the White Sox video department because of his rogue Twitter account, but his mom cleared it all up with the GM. It's gonna be a good year on the South Side. [FoxSports/Sun-Times/Yahoo; Pic] More »

Every week, I'll excerpt a handful of stories — old and new, sports and otherwise, relevant and merely sublime — that I urge you to read for one reason or another. Send any suggestions to craggs@deadspin.com. More »

We get a massive amount of tips in our inbox each week. Some are pretty interesting, but don't get published for one reason or another. More »

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A new owner, helped by Web sleuths, investigates which famous course architect really designed Long Island's North Shore Country Club course.

The Sweet 16 has its first team -- and its first Cinderella. No. 10 seed St. Mary's overwhelmed No. 2 Villanova inside to stun the Wildcats 75-68 and continue the tourney's run of upsets.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Soccer and its players called a joint news conference for Saturday and were near agreement on a five-year contract that would avoid a strike scheduled for next week, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

PITTSBURGH(AP) Jamie McBain scored his first NHL goal on a slap shot from above the circles with less than a second remaining in overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied from a late deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Saturday.