I remember my first South by Southwest experience pretty well, considering the whole kid in a candy store / free music, free booze thing that happens in Austin TX every March. But the one thing I remember most was how much my feet hurt after the second day, and how happy I was when I visited the Riot Act Media party and found out that they were giving away free shoes. Saucony Jazz sneakers. I had brought nice-looking, but ill-fitting kicks with me, and once slipping into a pair of comfy shoes I was good to go for the rest of the week. It was like walking on the wings of sponge-angels. I podcasted something to that effect on the Synthesis radio site. In fact, since 2006, I’ve bought nothing but Sauconies (How’s that for good marketing, yo? You’re welcome for the free plug, thanks for the free shoes). Having saved my feet in 2006, David Lewis will forever be a saint to me.

This year, however, I failed to make it to a party featuring free shoes, and right now my brown Saucony Jazz sneakers, going on 6 months old, are in flattened shambles. It’s true, as outlined in my astute friend’s blog, musicismyboyfriend, there’s pretty much nowhere to sit at SXSW for more than a minute. You’re on the go from venue to venue to venue the entire time because, honestly, there’s just too much to see and so little time to see it. Sure, there are rickshaws (known in these parts as pedicabs), and I did use one after Chiodos‘ set on Friday night since La Zona Rosa is kind of a long walk from the main drag on 6th street. Otherwise I was on foot, and as of Sunday I’ve been developing the gnarliest athletes’ foot you’ve ever seen. If it gets any more personality I may have to give it a name. Updates as they come. In the meantime, Check out Video Matt being a drunk ass on a rickshaw. Hilarity! Snoochy Boochies!

The Cool Kids at the Red Bull Moontower:

Every year you have your SXSW moment - that one when you stumble on that thing you didn’t even know existed. Team Facelift at the Red Bull Moontower was that moment for me. I mean - the dude came out in a red onesie and goes by the name of “Fat Jew”. Plus according to their Myspace page they’re influenced by:

Our moms. Hasidic Jews. wizards. machine gun rap. getting drunk and alienating loved ones. shitting in bathtubs. trashing japanese motel rooms. cocaine buffets. box socials. wigs. fighting. watercolor still-lifes.

It’s like The Bloodhound Gang meets your mom.
Here’s the first of a few tracks I drunkenly recorded on SXSW 2008’s last night:

Dizzee Rascal played a Friday afternoon set to a packed house at the Bat Bar (which is actually inside the convention center - which also confused the hell out of me since I thought it was an actual bar). An expanded US release of Maths + English is coming out in April from Def Jux.

Just found this great list from Largehartedboy.com

Downloads & Streams:

A.A. Bondy: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Basia Bulat: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Billy Bragg: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Blitzen Trapper: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Bon Iver: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Carbon/Silicon: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Christine Fellows: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Cloud Cult: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Constantines: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Darondo & Nino Moschella: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Dead Confederate: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]

DeVotchka: 2008-03-13, Austin [mp3]
DeVotchka: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Dizzee Rascal: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Duffy: 2008-03-14, Austin [flac]*^
Duffy: 2008-03-14, Austin (Mercury private showcase) [flac]*
The Duke Spirit: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Grand Analog: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
The Heavy: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Hot Springs: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Jens Lekman: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Jesca Hoop: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Jim Noir: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

John Doe: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Johnathan Rice: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
Kaki King: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Kevin Barnes: 2008-03-15, Austin [mp3]
Liam Finn: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Lightspeed Champion: 2008-03-15, Austin [mp3]

Lightspeed Champion: All Songs Considered performance [streaming video]
Lightspeed Champion: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Meredith Bragg: 2008-03-13, Austin [flac]*^

Meredith Bragg: 2008-03-14, Austin [flac]*^
My Morning Jacket: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Nicole Atkins: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]

North Mississippi Allstars: 2008-03-13, Austin [flac]^
Papercranes: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
The Rascals: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

REM: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
REM: 2008-03-12, Austin [mp3]
Raveonettes: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Raveonettes: 2008-03-15, Austin [flac]*^
She & Him: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Shout Out Louds: 2008-03-13, Austin [mp3]

Shout Out Louds: 2008-03-13, Austin [flac]*^
Shout Out Louds: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
The Stills: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Sons and Daughters: 2008-03-12, Austin [flac]^*
Sons and Daughters: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Summerbirds in the Cellar: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
Tokyo Police Club: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Vampire Weekend: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Vampire Weekend: 2008-03-13, Austin [mp3]
Weakerthans: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Whigs: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Whigs: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
White Williams: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Wye Oak: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]

Yeasayer: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Yo La Tengo: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

*registration required
^bittorrent download

Enjoy.

I kept hearing about them during the first two days of SXSW - Cool Kids this… Cool Kids that - it really seemed like they were the buzz artist to see at this year’s SXSW. Once they went onstage at Emo’s I instantly knew why. Overall it was just an incredible lineup between Kid Sister, A-Trak & Clipse (photo’s from The Clipse portion of the show are here) taking over Emo’s main room and the Cool Kids fit right in and without question played an amazing set that the crowd was completely feeling. Cool Kids also played the Red Bull Moontower - video footage from that will be up pretty quick…