SXSW 2011: WTF.

I generally have a good time during SXSW. It really is a lot of fun meeting people from all over who come just for this festival. Unfortunately, I felt that this year was kinda a let down. I went to a few shows that I thought were worth while but all in all I really felt like the most fun that I had was in my living room, surrounded by musicians I already know and having fried egg sandwiches at 2:30am. I guess there had to have been some fun that led up to that. On the other hand, there were some great moments. While hanging out at the Annie Street Art Collective, I had the pleasure of getting to see Spirits of the Red City, a band that claims origin from Minneapolis, New York, Chicago and Alaska. Their songs are magic. The melodies are playful, intelligent, and almost take on an erie feel occasionally accompanied by angelic harmony. Their music is real and highly recommended.


I also made my way over to Once Over Coffee Bar where not only can you get one of the best cups of coffee in town, but also during SXSW you can check out some great music. They always have a good lineup. This year I caught Dan Grissom and then The Bluegrass Outfit. Dan Grissom is a wordsmith. If you have yet to check out his band Some Say Leland, do yourself a favor. Check them out. Do it!


Trevs friends came to stay with us a week or two before SXSW and I finally was able to catch some of their music over at Flipnotics Coffee Space. Mark Growden began his set by playing bicycle handle bars. I would have never thought to make any sort of music come out of handlebars. But, Mark was able to make beautiful music with them. From there, the banjo, guitar, fiddle trio took over the crowd there on the porch. Everyone was listening intently and enjoying every minute of it. It was really awesome to see.

Maybe it was just it being my first year to live in Austin during SXSW, but I really was ready to see the crowds die off and go home, the tents come down, and the trash get picked up off the streets. But after all that, I still try to remember, what an amazing opportunity I have to live in a town where musicians from all over the world come to me and all I have to do is ride my bike around the east side, drink free beer and listen.