Northwest From SXSW

I’ve only been to SXSW once, but it made me believe that there was an actual reason to go to Texas. And it is true what they say. “Don’t mess with Texas.” That’s not a clever bumper sticker. It’s a word to the wise.

We got the university to set us college radio kids up in a fairly swanky hotel for a few days. I saw a bunch of shows around the downtown area of Austin. It was like discovering rock and roll all over again. All sorts of great venues, people with a true love for live music, and easy going crowds. It’s where I saw Shiner twice in one day. They Might Be Giants, Clinic, Lo Fidelity All-Stars, Girls Against Boys, and one of the last performances by The Promise Ring, just to name a few.

Now SXSW is turning into something even greater than just a music and film festival. It’s attaching all this fun technology, geek stuff that seems to be growing year by year. I’ve moved to an amazing city with everything SXSW has to offer on a day to day basis, but there is just something about Austin that makes me want to go there again and again.

Next year, man. Next year.