www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfBlUQguvyw

I have no idea what it means, nor do I need to (all though I do want to).  I was literally speechless after watching this amazing video.  Give it a few seconds and I am sure you will feel the same way.

[via Why, That's Delightful!]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H57pWC5rvk

Okay, its technically three-man act, but a one-man band.  The mutli-part one man YouTube video meme is getting a little stale, but this one is damn impressive.  Rock out baby!

[Read via Bob Nickolopoulos]

So, apparently hipsters are 1983 thugs from the “Beat It” video. Amazing but true. Check out around 2:30 in the video to revel in the pre-hipster-hipster fashion.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK_EOXda4cM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo

[via Adam]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6H0i1RAdHk

[via Adam (w/ an official seal of approval from the list)]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xscOOhHmGC0

With the growth of control and interactivity available via video games, the world of Machinima is really taking off.  Games like Little Big Planet are designed with user content generation in mind and its amazing to see how it is being adapted and expanded by the user community.

Machinima, as defined via Wikipedia:

Machinima (pronounced /məˈʃiːnɨmə/ or /məˈʃɪnɨmə/) is the use of real-time three-dimensional (3-D) graphics rendering engines to generate computer animation. The term also refers to works that incorporate this animation technique. Machinima-based artists, sometimes called machinimists or machinimators, often use graphics engines from video games, a practice that arose from the animated software introductions of the 1980s demoscene, Disney Interactive Studios‘ 1992 computer game Stunt Island, and 1990s recordings of gameplay in first-person shooter (FPS) video games, such as id Software’s Doom and Quake.

[via @mesh]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU8utjD_vZg

The word on the blog is that Michel Gondry directed this… which makes a lot of sense.

[via Donewaiting]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nj66eOhIls

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh0aF3h455Y

For years I was a huge D’n'B head, eating up all things Jungle and Drum and Bass.  Over the years I have caught some of the best producers and djs from around the world laying down sick beats and lines.  I have lost touch of this world over the last few years and seeing KJ Sawka has brought me back into the fold.  What is amazing is that this guy is doing it all on a kit with no bass lines… just drums.  He uses samplers, triggers and other gear for his live shows, but as you can see he can bolt it down tight with just a simple kit.  Its just mind blowing. Seriously.

[Via Loganotron]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQIEuugmarY

Its music week here at Awesomecon… yet to help dilute the SXSW overload check out rapper P.O.S. rock the hell out of Pearl Jam’s “Why Go Home”.  Dope.

Read [via donewaiting]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKowSm8EKoc

There is something about St. Vincent that makes her almost the perfect musician;  cute, oozing talent both as a singer and guitarist and she composes just amazing hooks and songs.  I have seen her three times now, Niki has seen her more.  Her first album Marry Me (go buy it NOW!) was put on replay over and over and over.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oDEgj6cp-0

Her new album, Actor (go pre-order it NOW!), comes out May 5th and she was at SXSW to start the promotional tour.  This is typical of most acts at SXSW, they either have an album that just came out or is about to come out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LszldjGx8X8

St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) played a handful of new tracks off the upcoming album and it was amazing to hear her new stuff.  The Strangers had been leaked/released to assorted MP3 / Music Blogs for a while now and it was a taste of what is to come. Niki and I noticed that she is constructing her songs in a more traditional manner (verse/chorus/verse/chorus) yet making the melodies more exotic.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRYdWtjFJn8

She has a great article over at Pitchfork that talks about how she sat down to watch movies with the audio muted and wrote soundtracks to the films.  This process really shows with the film score like tracks.  Great, Great stuff.  Make sure to click on the videos to see the HD versions!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuFUd7zwLKI

The Mae Shi are an LA based band that is just insanely fun to watch and listen to.  This video starts just as the band threw a parachute into the audience.  I had an instant flashbacks to being in elementary school PE (I was probably 6 years old then) and the joy of playing with a parachute. Holding it up, rippling it with my hands and just having a great time with all my friends.  24 years later I find myself once again in the same joyful moment with music blaring and just having way too much fun.  God I love SXSW.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm3D1vCzJQw

note: The above video has an HD version, so make sure to choose it!

One of the best parts of the SXSW experience is finding new great music.  I had never heard of Little Boots until her name floated by on a SXSW rumor/announcement blog.  When I have time, I like to peep some of the random bands that come across these blogs to help augment my “acts I want to see” list.  I saw her live video of “Meddle” on the BBC and was floored.  From that point on, she became high on my must see list.

She did not disappoint.  We saw her at the Pitchfork Party in a small venue called Emo’s Jr.  This is probably the first and last time I will get to see her in a small venue because you can tell she can put on a big show.  Her voice is like Deborah Harry meets Goldfrapp and she is just fun to watch and listen to.  I really enjoyed the set and can’t wait for her full album.

• Joey and Veronica arrived in the AM and we packed up to head over to the Pitchfork Party.
• We rolled into Emo’s Jr. to catch the back half of the Girls set.  Honestly, I can’t recall if I liked them or not, because it was a) the first band which mean you tend to be settling in and not really focus b) I knew nothing about them.  Its tough to grok a new band when you first roll in.  I know that I did not not like them.
• We headed over to Emo’s (Sr.) to catch the Mae Shi.  They rocked the house so hard.  At one point they threw a parachute into the audience and we all held it up as the singer stood in the middle of it for the song.  Really fun set.
• I bailed a little early on the Mae Shi (sorry guys) to get a good up front spot for Little Boots.  She totally reminds me of a Deborah Harry meets Goldfrapp.  So much fun and she really has a great voice / stage presence.
• After Little Boots, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart set up and played a solid set.  They are a blend of East Coast Post Punk meets shoegazer.  Niki loves them, and they are growing on me.
• We left the Pitchfork party to grab the car and head down to Gueros on South Congress.  We got there in time to grab a quick snack and then saw Superdrag play their first set of the day.  The sound was aweful, but the guys threw down a good opener set.
• We had an official lunch at Gueros (killer tex-mex) and then headed out to east Austin to some ones house for the After The Jump House Party.  They had set up a stage for the bands in the front yard and had free Red Stripe for most of the afternoon.
• The first band we caught was Super 400, a hard core country fried rock band.  The three piece was amazing, especially the bassist.  For the last song they had Jody Stevens, of Big Star, sit in for a song.  Very, very cool.
• A Brooklyn band, Cause Co-Motion was next up.  Honestly, I really did not like this band.  It was a typical East Coast Post Punk band with just no soul.  They had a lot of energy and the bouncy douchey trust fund neon wearing 80’s wannabe hipsters loved them, but after a band like Super 400, it just didn’t stand up.  Not every band can blow your mind I guess…
• The Pains of Being Pure At Heart played a second set and this time I was more into them.  I can see how they can grow on you and I need to check out their album.
• Superdrag was the last band we caught at ATJ and their second set was really fun.  Being that close to them with a small group of fans really is exciting and you could tell they had a ton of fun playing.
• We then headed back to the hotel, dumped my video and pics (coming sooner or later) to the laptop and then we headed out to try and catch Silversun Pickups at Stubbs.  Unfortunetly, Silversun was playing the super-secret Metallica show and the badge line was 200+ deep and it was going NO WHERE.  We bailed and headed over to Pangea to set up camp.
• We grabbed Veronica and was able to buy her way into the venue to catch the 3rd Superdrag show.  They sounded amazing on the sound system (with a proper sound engineer) and blew the place up.
• For the last set of the night we caught St. Vincent at Anotnes.  Once again Annie blew our doors off.  So good and I grabbed what appears to be some awesome video.  I can’t wait to verify the quality and post it.

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.