I decided at the beginning of this year that it was time I immerse myself in some really great undiscovered music, and go to South By Southwest (SXSW). I was able to find a like-minded music lover – a co-worker of mine – and we started making the necessary plans. We booked flights, hotels and bought the badge that gets us access to all of the music events taking place that week. The whole thing is costing a small fortune, but man, what a great week it will be!
Once you’ve registered, there are tons of resources available to you to help plan the week. Events calendar, Twitter-like message board, profiles of other attendees and integration to social networks like Facebook. The main thing I noticed looking through all of the other Canadian attendees was that there were very few people going that were just music fans. It turns out that SXSW is not only a great place to see up and coming bands, in 80 different venues, but it’s also a music industry trade show – attended by record labels, radio stations and producers!
So, I’m new to the event and didn’t know certain things but really, who cares! The list of showcasing bands is incredible and I think I’ll love every minute of it. Here are some highlights of our very busy schedule: M. Ward, The Decemberists, Mother Mother, Blind Pilot, Grizzly Bear, The High Dials, Andrew Bird
I know that list has some of the more popular acts listed, but don’t worry, there are certainly some lesser known bands on the agenda. NPR’s All Songs Considered usually does quite a bit of work in trying to determine the best bands to see. This week’s episode will likely give us a really nice sneak peak at some of the best bands to see.
Be sure to stay tuned for more of my SXSW experiences!