Here’s what I want to do –  I want to remember this trip forever. I’m going to give it my all (of as much all is left) and give you my in detail play-by-play, and also some thoughts on the SXSW Music Festival over all. I couldn’t have met better people, seen better shows, and enjoyed thinking about the past years and how the event – and my experience of it – has evolved.

PS – as always you can click on pictures to enlarge.

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Wandering into downtown Austin was a blast Thursday morning. My VIP accommodations provide me a bus stop that takes me right into the heart of the event. I hadn’t been down there during the day yet. It was also St. Patrick’s which is some fun and some extra pain – I feel like the holiday crowd (local…) gets more crazy (wasted…) than the music crowd.

I wandered into the NPR showcase at the Parish and heard Colin Stetson – holy continuous breathing – and tUnE yArDs. It was two completely different things and two things I might not normally have seen, and I enjoyed it. I got a free tote and beers too! I was able to be a bit more objective when I’m alone just thinking about what I think about the music and not when I’m wondering if everyone else is having fun etc.

I wandered around the Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, and insound parties with JC and friends. I have no idea who I saw other than the last band at insound at Club Deville – Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Rural Alberta Advantage

Pains of Being Pure at Heart

After a delicious lunch at Brick Oven, KD and I checked out Mohawk and then the big party at Stubbs. Noah and the Whale and Portugal the Man were not grabbing my attention enough to make me stay all night to see TV on the Radio.

Portugal the Man at Stubbs

I actually am not a big fan of a big venue. No one at Stubbs was paying freaking attention. I get that everyone talks and visits, so do I. But it got really annoying that NO ONE was listening. I am not 21 and going to stand in the front with shrieking girls, but I did go to see MUSIC.

So we left and checked out Kids of 88 at a venue that I’m going to remember as #Tigerblood, which was great after a small sound snafu. Wish they’d had more time. Like all night.

Kids of 88

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP6O5_iTCe8

From there we rode the high of loud fun music and followed a friend to the Lose Control party, which was funny mostly due to its location (Vice) and the fact that half the crowd was there looking for something completely different. It was fun to end the night with a big dance party!

Something Mustard 🙂

BEST OF TIMES: A day in the sun with JC and friends at Deville, and Kids of 88.

WORST OF TIMES: Not keeping track of what I saw.

Tweet(s) from that day:

Comments: I really chickened out this year about Tweeting and live blogging everything I was doing, because:

• I didn’t want to be that guy.
• Everyone else was doing it.
• Most of the people that care that I’m at SXSW are standing right next to me.
• My hands were frequently too full of beer.
• Needed my phone battery to check basketball scores.