SXSW 2006 in a nutshell

The long overdue commentary:

At this point it seems almost irrelevant to be blogging about SXSW, but it was such an incredible time I can't let it go unspoken about! It was serious rejuvenation and major refueling for my over-studied mind!

I flew to Austin on Wednesday, getting into town early enough to catch most of that night's fun. I still remember seeing 6th street for the first time- a complete whirlwind of excitement; there was a palpable buzz in the air, felt by the music industry people and music lovers alike. We tried to get in to see Jose Gonzalez, to no avail, so we hit up Emo's and saw Field Music, Serena Manesh, and Of Montreal, then we zipped over to Parish and finished out the night with Art Brut (who just played tonight at the 7th Street Entry, which I was unfortunately unable to go to!) Poured ourselves into bed around 3 am.

Thursday came all too quickly. We rose and were off seeking beverage and entertainment, which we found at our hometown radio station's gig on the 18th floor of the Capital Place hotel. In a nondescript conference room Mary Lucia was broadcasting live for all you back home to get in on the fun. We saw live "in studio" performances by Nicolai Dunger and one of this year's "buzz bands" Editors. She even asked front man Tom Smith about his mum's scrapbooking. Now that girl has balls to make the boy blush live on air! Gotta love her. Most cool of all was running into Eddie from Art Brut on a random street corner on our way to the next bit of fun. Very cool guy, told him we really enjoyed the show, made some small talk. Love it when the musicians are nice, normal people, not all bratty and full of themselves.

That evening's official SXSW shows were a raucous good time. We started off the night with a little alt country in the stylings of Carolyn Mark at Nuno's upstairs, then took a slow walk through downtown over to our next venue so we could catch Gomez and Nickle Creek. Before they went on we caught the end of Fiery Furnaces and Dresden Dolls. Never had so much fun at a concert as I did seeing Gomez and NC. Awesome performances, right up front feeling the music. Once again bedtime was very late.

Day three, Friday. Daytime extravaganza was killer. We dragged ourselves out of bed to make it to a 10:30 performance by Jose Gonzalez since we'd missed him on Wednesday night; it was definitely worth the lost sleep. After breakfast we hit the Pitchfork mag party for goodies and free beer and busted our guts laughing to the comedian hosting the event, Patton O. And what do you know, good ole Jose is playing there too! This guy just doesn't stop! Even better, I got him to call a girlfriend who wasn't able to make it and had really wanted to see him. She loved that voicemail! We found another party at the Mean-Eyed Cat where we celebrated St. Patty's day with free beer and bbq and the tunes of Dirty Pretty Things among others.

Friday night official performances were a bit disappointing. Tried to get in to see Editors, but all the buzz made that impossible; lines were down the block. So, we headed out to La Zona Rosa for the other buzz band, the Arctic Monkeys. I got in, only to be disappointed, so much so that I left halfway through and reunited with my group at the Pecan Street Ale House. We finished out the night with a fun performance by the London-based Irish band Neck.

The final day of SXSW came and we embraced it. It had been an overwhelming three nights, but we were determined to make the best of the last day and night. After loading up the PT cruiser for the long drive home, we headed into town. On the advice we'd received from fellow music lovers and SXSW attendees, we sought out the Yard Dog record store for (more!) free beer and lunch, and performances by Chantam County Line, Tres Chicas and Billy Bragg. Gotta love that! We chilled for a bit in this fun neighborhood known as South Congress, then hung out at the Spider House coffee shop where we were entertained with a performance by the Minneapolis-based band Birthday Suits. After some dinner, it was back downtown for one final night, sigh….

We kicked off the evening at Stubb's BBQ with a local Austin band called What Made Milwaukee Famous, who definitely know what they're doing. Might check them out this summer when they tour the Midwest. Following WMMF, we had the awesome (and incredibly sexy!) Rhett Miller of the Old 97's. What an experience that was, I finally know why people like to be feet away from the stage! After Rhett, we headed over to the Blender Bar to catch the Norwegian band, The Jessica Fletchers. And, finally, we finished out the experience at Exodus with a performance by Nine Black Alps.

After a quick stop at Whataburger, we hit the road for the l….o…..n…..g…. drive home back to Mpls.

Overall, it was a truly unique experienced. I got a crash course in indie rock, I met musicians, industry folk, and music lovers of all kinds, and had one of the best spring breaks of my life. Click here to read more...

packin' my bags...

In less than 24 hours I will be in Austin TX, brew in hand, listening to what will be only the beginning of some very kick-ass tunes at SXSW. What a week it has been, I'll spare you the details, but this little getaway is a long-awaited reprieve.... stay tuned for what promises to be a raucous good time!
Click here to read more...