Gotta Get My South By On

Compared to this time last year, I haven’t been doing many SXSW-related posts. That’s partially because I did a bunch of SXSW stuff for this week's Chron, including a healthy number of Picks and Sleepers for Wednesday as well as reviews of recent albums from the Gris Gris and Irving.

Doing the same sort of thing here would get mind-numbingly redundant. You can only write so many 65-word artist descriptions before the whole thing becomes a big blur. When people ask me what to see, I have to tell them to read what I wrote because I can't keep all the bands straight in my head. Having 1,600+ bands in town will do that to you.

In addition, there are several good blogs out there devoted to SXSW, such as See You In the Pit, Done Waiting and SXSW Baby. Between those and the official SXSW site, scouting bands has never been easier. Be sure to check the Austin Show List for a fairly comprehensive rundown of day parties, in-stores and other non-SXSW events you don’t need a wristband or badge for.

All that said, SXSW is probably all you'll be hearing about from me through at least Sunday - barring tornadoes, wildfires, suicide bombers, bird flu and the crabs.