Often, smaller South By Southwest events can get overshadowed by their bigger, crazier peers. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of these more intimate events, here are our critics’ picks of the most under-hyped SXSW events.

WHAT: East Side Tone Unofficial Day + Night Parties
WHEN: March 15-17, 2 p.m.-12 a.m.
WHERE: East Side Tone, 301 E. Chicon St.

A new East Austin studio, East Side Tone, will host live recording sessions and day and night parties. The lineup boasts indie acts such as Yukon Blonde, the Ettes and Acorn Bcorn as well as plenty of local favorites like Corduroi, The White White Lights, Shakey Graves and Dana Falconberry. There is very limited capacity at the venue, so get there early.

— Elyana Barrera

WHAT: A Recipe for Success: A Blog, A Brand, A Business
WHEN: Tuesday, March 13 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Driskill Hotel Ballroom

Emily Schuman’s blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere, is a staple bookmark on the browsers of fashion-crazed girls all over the world. On her blog, Schuman posts a surplus of photos where she poses in self-styled ensembles comprised of high and low end brands from Fendi to Forever 21. She often trades off fashion blog posts for recipe posts with photo tutorials for specialty desserts and cocktails. Even if fashion isn’t your thing, Schuman’s panel will be still be more than worth the walk over to The Driskill. As a blogging maven, she’s mastered social media, makes her fans feel like her friends, and has created a business out of her passion for fashion and food.

— Anjli Mehta

WHAT: KVRXplosion
WHEN: March 14, 12:30 p.m.–2 a.m.
WHERE: Spider House Cafe, 2908 Fruth St.
All ages, badge not required.

Even during the hustle and bustle of SXSW there is a way to support fellow Longhorns. UT’s student-run radio station, KVRX, will host its annual SXSW showcase, KVRXplosion, featuring over 20 bands. Headliners include electro duo Javelin and instrumental trip-hop duo Blue Sky Black Death.

The lineup will also showcase psych-rock band Young Prisms, electro noise punk collective Ava Luna, shoegaze group Candy Claws and hip-hoppers Ninjasonic. The showcase is accessible to student festival-goers since the venue is close to campus, the shows are free and the event is all ages.

— Elizabeth Hinojos

WHAT: gdgt Live
WHEN: March 12, 7 p.m.
WHERE: The Austin Music Hall, 208 Nueces St.

For the techies out there, gdgt Live promises to be an exciting event with gadgets galore, full of new hardware that will not only give you a glimpse into the very near future, but let you play with it, too. And, if the gizmos and toys aren’t enough to motivate you to check out gdgt live, the free booze, free swag and, oh yes, free admission should be enough to put this at the very top of your “must attend” events list for SXSW this year.

— Robert Starr

Printed on Friday, March 9, 2012 as: Low-key events rouse excitement