SXSW Is Here!

Well, almost.  It officially starts tomorrow, and that's when I'm heading to Austin.  Amanda and I are going to be leading a session called "Improv For Everyone" on Tuesday 3/15 at 3:30 PM.  It's about how the lessons of improvised comedy can actually help you (yes, even you!) get more out life.  But that's not what this blog is about.  This blog is about music, so let's talk about that.

My awesome wife gave me an upgrade to SXSW Music, and I have spent the past week trying to decide which of the 400 or so bands that are playing I want to try and see.  Every time I've gone to SXSW in the past, we've been leaving Austin just as all the bands arrive, and I've always wanted to stay for the music portion of the festival.  Now that I have that option, I'm overwhelmed.  There's tons of bands, and all the bands I like are playing at the same time, and there's so many bands I've never heard of that I can't possibly get myself up to speed on all of them in time to make an informed decision.  So what's a music fan to do?

One thing I can do (and so can you) is check out All Songs Considered's SXSW Preview, featuring a playlist of some of the bands that they think are great and that most people probably aren't already familiar with.  During the festival, you can also stay tuned to NPR's SXSW page, where they will be live-streaming many of the shows.  If you want to dive deeper, check out the "Unofficial" SXSW Torrents Page, which features collections of songs from nearly every band that's playing SXSW this year, as well as archives going back to 2005.

And of course, keep your dial right here, because I will be posting about any shows I see, and all the music panels I'm able to get to.  It should be a great week.