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Whiskey Tune

SXSW 2007 Music Primer

Written by Michael Lewis

Wednesday, 14 March 2007

It's SXSW time again and Austin is buzzing from the overload as the entertainment industry supplies a powerful current to the Austin film and music scene. Fortunately for me, Quirkee.com was granted a press pass to cover this year's music festival. I will do my best to give Quirkee.com readers the goods as my ears get pinned back with the collective decibel-based forces emitted from many different stages each night.

I couldn't possibly describe the excitement I possess heading into this year's festival. Many bands I thought I would never get to see (i.e. Thomas Dolby, Hoodoo Gurus) are going to be here. In addition to the many bands who will become far too popular, perhaps because of this year's festival, for me to ever see again (i.e. Lily Allen, Bloc Party). There is no better time to see them. During this week, the imaginary barrier between crowd and performer is removed. The venues for these artists are much more intimate than many of them are used to playing while touring the rest of the country the past year. It is commonplace to see the band members roaming the streets after their sets in search of their favorite bands. For an Austinite with a wristband, it is like there is a four day party in our backyard and the line up and guest list is from some magical musical omniscient being.

This being my third year attending the festival, I must admit I learned many lessons over the years. Most importantly, I am planning lots of alternate bands for each time slot since the festival seems to stay in-the-know on who the hot bands are. I also plan to eat early and often. Once I get in a desired venue, all of the talent I'm about to witness is enough to make me stay all night for fear of losing my place. Also, if I am afforded the opportunity to purchase a band I like a round of drinks, I will take it. They really seem to appreciate the gratitude and most of them aren't getting any free beverages from the bar staff. Besides, I may never get the chance to do this again.

As I embark into the sonic atmosphere this week, armed with a camera, a trusty tape recorder, and a ridiculously long list of the bands I hope to experience, I will attempt to capture what goes down each night at the venues I selected. My fingers are crossed this year that I will get to see some of the bands I wrote about in recent months in my Whiskey Tune articles (Youth Group, Menomena and Cold War Kids). If not, I am really looking forward to seeing some of the new discoveries I made leading up to the festival. If not, there are a ton of bands or artists I would love to see because of their musical influence in my life (this may be my last chance to see Hubert Sumlin and Pinetop Perkins, especially together). I will also try to sneak into some of the "private" parties during the day to get an extra dose of music pumped into my veins. As always, I am sure I will end the week tired, blown away, and broke from buying whiskey and CDs. And it will all be worth it.