AWESOMECON

Its day four but I am looking back at day two to write this recap.  I am coming to the realization that SXSW Music is a marathon.  Something you need to train for and commit to.  Once started you push yourself and your body to archive the end, enjoying the music, the experience but as the days go on your body begins to ache, your feet scream from standing on concrete slabs for hours on end and ears ring from deafening volumes.  At the end, you are truly exhausted and ready to collapse.  In hindsight, you loved every minute of it and as the aches fade and the pain becomes just an afterthought, you are ready for the next year.

At the moment, we are a fourth of the way there, knowing today is the last day and I am looking forward to the next 12 hours, but knowing that relief and the end is nearly here, but yet far away.  In this state, I am trying to look through the haze of the days to recall exactly what happened on our second day, let’s hope I get the details straight:

• For the first time in four years, Niki and I decide to check out the SXSW Music panels.  SXSW is known for its live performances and showcases, but it is actually a for real conference targeted at music professionals.  This includes panels, keynotes, presentations, showroom floor, etc.  Niki caught the panel “Bloggers Are Now In Charge” and felt the topic was handled at a very high level and pointed out the obvious.
• We then queued up for the keynote presentation by the legendary producer, musician, composer and visionary: Quincy Jones.  His presentation was a rambling retrospective of his life and the music industry.  He has some fascinating insights about how the world is changing, yet his scheduled hour presentation went nearly two and a half hours long.  An extra hour and a half is a lot to lay on people that usually are scrambling from show to show.  Unfortunately, we had to bail ourselves to catch a Superdrag interview.
• We hit the tradeshow floor to catch Superdrag, at first we thought it was going to be a performance but it was a 15 minute SXSW TV interview.
• Niki chatted up John Davis, the frontman from Superdrag, they have met and gotten to know each other over the years at shows and other performances.
• We bailed on the conference center and headed over to the Speakeasy to meet my friend Jeff and to get into the Alternative Press party for free music, food and drink.  The line was stupid long and after waiting 30 minutes we decided it would be better to just move on.
• Next up was the Dizzy Rooster, where Niki’s drummer Josh, in their band Fate Lions, was playing with Josh’s other band Sunward.
• Tim and Patsy met up with us and we headed over to the Mohawk to catch Richard Swift.  Amazingly, we got to the venue early enough so that Tim and Patsy, who did not have badges, where able to pay cover and get it. Richard Swift rocked the joint and got the night off with a great start.
• Bishop Allen took the stage and played a fun set. Apparently, they are the band featured in the move Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
• Niki and I left Mohawk to head over to Stubb’s to catch Gomez and Andrew Bird.  Gomez played a bunch of new tracks off their upcoming album and then Andrew Bird took the stage.  Unfortunately, the venue was having a lot of technical difficulties, such as no monitors for the band so they had to struggle through the set.  They still sounded amazing, but it is frustrating to watch a great band not able to perform at the level they usually achieve.
• Back at Mohawk, the last band was marked as “special guest”.  By this point enough tweets had flown around to state that Dinosaur Jr. was in fact the special guest.  When Niki and I got back to the venue they had set up four Marshall full stacks, ensuring that Dinosaur Jr. was playing.  No one else would have that many amps for a venue as little as Mohawk’s outside stage.  As expected, Dinosaur Jr. owned the stage and the crowd.
• I have a friend of a friend in the band Harlem Shakes so we headed over there to check them out.  They are deeply rooted in the new post-punk east coast sound.  Their sound is similar to the Vampire Weekend tip, but in my opinion way, way better.