These last few weeks I’ve been an occasional blogger, and by “occasional” I mean mostly not at all. That had a lot to do with an annual writing deadline.
Every year I come back from the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin happy, inspired, discombobulated, and beat, but usually I’ve written up my daily reviews and thoughts for Music Dish on the fly, day by day. There was limited access to computers in the Press Suite this year, and so I decided to write up my coverage once I came back home. And that’s where I’ve been since then.
The SXSW 2005 articles are finally up and published: huzzah. I’ve written five pieces, one for each main day of the festivities. They’re all on the Music Dish front page for now (left-hand column), and for future reference here are the direct links.
- Tuesday, March 15: We arrive. Charlie Robison at the BMI dinner, and the 10th annual Swollen Circus at Hole in the Wall with The Silos, Steve Wynn and the Miracle Three, Spottiswoode and his Enemies, and Paul the Girl.
- Wednesday, March 16: Everyone else arrives, so we go have lunch. Hitchhike, Nizlopi, Housewife; the amazing Pilots have a hissy at the sound guy, and Willard Grant Conspiracy does not. Tift Merritt is cute but doesn’t move me. Elvis Costello is not so cute, but damn.
- Thursday, March 17: Robert Plant, Mavis Staples, Roky Erickson in the day session. It’s just weird. The Austin Theremonic Orchestra, Slaid Cleaves, Jorane, Joy Zipper, Tracy Bonham, and the glorious Kathleen Edwards by night.
- Friday, March 18: Shawn Fanning, who was once nicknamed “Napster,” talks tech. Andy Hersey, Ericson Holt, and Tegan & Sara liven up the afternoon; when dark falls we have Trish Murphy, Eileen Rose, Halestorm, and The Lascivious Biddies. I have crushes great and small on several band members here. Don’t tell.
- Saturday, March 19: Erykah Badu is super in her interview. Before and after a pouring afternoon rain we squeeze in Ann Vriend, The Grip Weeds, Amy Rigby (plus Hazel), and an elemental song by Steve Wynn. To close things out it’s Tina Schlieske (of Tina & the B-Sides), Stephen Clair, Dash Rip Rock, Edith Frost, Pure Reason Revolution, and very favorites Cruiserweight, who put the old saw that “it’s only fun until someone gets hurt” to the test. As it turns out, it’s also fun after someone gets hurt. Just messier, is all.
