Music, music, music: SXSW 2009

Local Austin industrial band Tungsten Coil peforms at SXSW 2009

You don’t have to be a music snob to appreciate and enjoy the city-wide madness that is Austin’s annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival (though it helps if you live outside the city). Revered and reviled by locals and tourists alike, SXSW brings over two thousand performers to the city for a four-day orgy of fresh faces and new talent in mid-March. Though the festival started out with countless local and unsigned acts, these days a large number of well-known performers turn up as well. The shows are spread between over seventy venues, with dozens of concerts happening simultaneously all over the city. Various venues are set up to highlight particular segments of the musical landscape, with nights devoted to Japanese, Spanish and hip-hop bands, among other themed nights. As if that wasn’t enough to keep you occupied, the SXSW Music Festival takes place in conjunction with the SXSW Film Festival and the SXSW Interactive Festival, which is aimed at “digital creatives” and “visionary technological entrepreneurs” and highlights cutting edge online and other technologies. The level of activity in the city during SXSW verges on the ridiculous; the streets are alive with music, food, alcohol, flash mobs and free hugs.

This year’s SXSW music festival included something for just about every music taste, from the modern ragtime of the White Ghost Shivers to a special appearance by heavy metal legend Metallica. Crowded venues and shifting schedules mean that SXSW can be difficult to navigate at times, and it’s best to get a schedule and determine who you want to see so you can plan ahead. Big-name acts will play relatively small venues, resulting in over-capacity shows, and the sets are short and lean. Think of SXSW as a musical sampler buffet, rather than a full meal. We took a relaxed pace and still managed to see no fewer than twelve bands in our four days attending the shows.

Amanda Palmer organized a flash-mob pillow fight on Sixth Street, and Lexie was there!

Getting in to hobnob with the elite and see the performers is a complicated process. An elaborate system of wristbands and badges provides access to various parts of the festival and is recommended, as attempting to pick and choose by paying the cover charges for only the bands you want to see tends to put you at the back of a long line. Wristbands allow access to as many events as you can stomach, and cost $165 to $180. SXSW badges offer a wider range of admission, as well as a higher spot in the pecking order (which can mean the difference between getting into a crowded venue and being stuck outside), and are available with varying levels of access from $300 to $1145 (all prices are for the 2009 event. For 2010 details, check out http://www.sxsw.com).

We have no idea what this girl was doing, but she looked cool doing it.

If you want to forego the expensive badges and wristbands and avoid fighting the crowds, SXSW is also rife with free stuff. Simply walking the streets of downtown Austin during the festival, you’ll be able to hear many of the performers as the music spills out of Sixth Street’s many bars and clubs. Street performers abound, and more than a few of the headlining bands are all too happy to show up for impromptu sidewalk performances as well. SXSW provides an opportunity for up-and-coming bands to connect with new fans and music industry insiders alike.

Japanese glam-rockers Quaff filming a music video on Sixth Street.

A few insiders’ tips: Parking, which is difficult in downtown Austin at the best of times, will be virtually non-existent during SXSW. The meters don’t need to be paid after 5:30pm, but finding a street-parking spot becomes nigh-impossible much earlier than that, even if you’re willing to walk twenty blocks. Street-parked cars are also susceptible to break-ins; Austin is a hip town, but it’s also still a big city with its share of miscreants, so be sure to hide your valuables. Surface lots and garages are open, with rates at twice what they’ll cost on a normal night. Parking outside of downtown is possible, as Austin’s Capital Metro buses, independent taxis and human-powered pedicabs compete for riders and space on the crowded streets.  And if the stress of SXSW is too much for you, there are always the free hugs.