Austin Rock City!
If there was one bad thing about the 17th annual South By Southwest Music Festival - held in Austin, Texas, March 12 through 17 - it had to be how unbelievably overwhelming the choices were for determining what bands you wanted to see.

The festival drew throngs of music fans to watch 1,000 bands perform at 40 venues across the capital city, mostly in its downtown area. Not only was it a whopping audio experience, but it was a definitive source of information for industry insiders, music media and music fans just interested in learning more through its four days of courses at Austin's Convention Center. There, workshops were held discussing topics including touring and booking, merchandising, music in games and interviews and panels and speeches given by/with/about the cornerstones of the music business.

The music festival is the last of three segments that includes the Interactive, featuring new music technology, from March 7 through 11, and the Film, featuring independent movies, running from March 7 through 15, both in their 10th year. And if you think that because it is nestled in the heart of Texas the only music you could hear was country, guess again. There was everything from hip-hop to indie rock to metal to Japanese rock and everything in between.

Given such a variety, the choices for a night's entertainment are about as daunting as deciding what Texas barbecue joint you want to hit for lunch. Do you go see the psychobilly sounds of Austin-based The Flametrick Subs, in all their glory with Satan's Cheerleaders - a quartet of dancers who look like they would steal your wallet, break your heart and send you to the free clinic - backing them up at Fox & Hound? Or do you check out Hockey Night - a band that sounds like synth-enhanced booty rock at times and Weezer performing while someone has a seizure behind a keyboard loaded with sound effects at others - at Friends? What about honoring Hall of Fame inductee Billy Joe Shaver at the Austin Music Awards or catching his set the next night at Antone's? Or how about taking a chance at one of the scores of unknown bands that made the trip hoping to be discovered? In other words, there was more talent than time at the audio gorge festival.

Sometimes, it's better just to forego decisions and wander the streets with your ears open. On the streets is where the unofficial SXSW takes place in the form of in-store performances, shows at dives like Joe's Generic Bar - a place that has never heard nor cares to hear the word "renovation" - and random concerts behind clothing stores ... all by bands that couldn't fit into SXSW or wanted to play more than once. There, in bars along the streets, you might run into Lafayette's Frigg A-Go-Go playing an afternoon set with a handful of other undiscovered bands. Or, if you wander the halls of the Convention Center, you might just catch Scott H. Biram - a Lafayette regular out of Kingsbury, Texas - ripping through a set of his Leadbelly-influenced hillbilly blues amid the trade show. Biram would also play a raucous set defiant of time limits and venue-imposed censorship at Opal Divine's the next night - a show that one Biram follower said was his best to date.

As far as Lafayette talent goes, Frigg wasn't the only band to make the six-hour run to Austin. SXSW might have been slightly underrepresented when it came to South Louisiana talent, but it was definitely not underclassed. Established area stars making an appearance included C.C. Adcock and Sonny Landreth, both of whom received a positive mention in the definitive SXSW coverage, The Austin Chronicle - the city's alternative weekly deemed the bible of the Austin scene by one Austin resident. There was also a performance by Acadiana's own Schel Reaux at the Pecan St. Ale House. Also, in what would appear to be a clear violation of child labor laws, La Bande Feufollet seemed to be all over town, holding down a couple of smaller gigs during the days and a slot at Louisiana Red Hot's showcase at Scholz Beer Garden on Saturday night. Sharing the bill with them was another Lafayette Cajun band, the Bluerunners.

Speaking of Cajun flavor, the Gourds, a Cajun-tinged band from Austin with surprising authenticity, commanded a flock of fans during their free show at Auditorium Shores. The crowd seemed to enjoy their sound, unlike the small crowd they drew when they played Grant Street Dancehall a few months ago. If you want to hear Austin's take on Cajun sounds, stay tuned ... they're rumored to play again soon in Lafayette, but not at Grant Street.

The festival was not without nationally known acts. If the massive line was any indication, a plethora of festival-goers came to town to see Willie Nelson & Family close out The Lost Highway showcase at Austin Music Hall on Friday night. Folks who arrived early enough also caught sets by Lucinda Williams and The Jayhawks. Other performers you might have heard of before included The Yardbirds, with Slash of Guns 'N' Roses fame sitting in, the Presidents of the United States, Concrete Blonde and Nashville Pussy, who brought their whiskey-soaked, hard Southern rock that sounds like a cross between Motsrhead and Lynryd Skynyrd to the outdoor stage at Red Eyed Fly.

Surprisingly enough, two of Red Eyed Fly's opening bands - both from New Orleans- drew a large crowd and tremendous response from the knowledgeable Austin crowd. The Suplecs, who have been known to pull a gig in Lafayette, had the audience in a frenzy and even singing along with its hard, guitar-driven thrash. Unlike some heavy bands, these three can play. Following their set was one by a straight-up hard rock band without the need of many modifiers - a rarity in today's music - called Supagroup, which also had a loyal Austin fan base.

All in all, the festival was a tremendous showing of talent. Where else can you see so many bands in so many great venues in such a short span? And, as revealed in a conference titled "What Determines Ticket Pricing?," the recent club fire in Rhode Island that sent owners into a frenzy for sprinklers and insurance rates jumping, combined with the cost of gasoline only expected to rise, it might be a while before music fans can afford tickets to see this much talent.

Encore!

A list of bands our writer saw for the first time at SXSW that he wants to see more of.

White Cowbell Oklahoma - A surprising band from Canada that had a tremendous stage presence and a loud, country rock sound as fat as you would expect from a 10-piece band. Their show started off with the band being introduced as a vile lot of outlaws, including the only man to survive the electric chair, by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Man. They were later joined onstage by a cowgirl stripper sporting a denim thong. After a little fire breathing and an exorcism of the lead singer and an appearance by Satan at the request of his Mississippi soul singer and babies' mama, the set was capped off by a failed attempt to mutilate a Hello Kitty pi–ata with a chainsaw. When it failed to crank, the singer improvised with a mic stand.

Bionic - Another Canadian band that rocked the stage with loud, heavy and wild rock, only paralleled by its musicians' wild antics on stage, sometimes convulsing in fits. At some points, their lead singer's lyrics would break down into a yell, and other times he would do more singing than most bands that heavy.

Honky - While they may look like a tattooed version of ZZ Top, they sounded like a heavy, guitar- and drum-driven rock band with Texas tinges. Throughout their set, there was a smell of Southern rock in the air. The suspicion was confirmed with their closing rendition of "Simple Man."

Cedell Davis - Despite being joined on stage by members of R.E.M., this blues master was the real deal, throwing down an awesome set of the real, down-home hurtin' blues. Davis has the right to sing the blues, as he is confined to a wheelchair and one hand was crippled by polio as a child. Overcoming his disabilities, Davis plays the guitar with the non-business end of a butter knife. His songs are about being done wrong, especially when it comes to money-minded members of the fairer sex.

The Meat Purveyors - Perhaps you have heard this band play at Chelsea's in Baton Rouge. If not, be sure to catch this traditional-sounding bluegrass band with less-than-traditional lyrics whenever you can. Fronted by what could possibly be the Janis Joplin of bluegrass, their songs are about drinking, loving and being more man than you will ever be and more woman than you will ever get. Not a bad performance for a band that also covers Madonna.

The Waco Brothers - A hellfire-charged rockabilly band from Chicago, of all places, that ripped through a Johnny Cash cover and a crowd-pleasing "I Fought the Law and the Law Won," before encoring twice.

The Real Heroes - I couldn't determine if this band was a modern band rewound to the sounds of 1970s Rolling Stones or if they were a band from the '70s that traveled through time to be with us today. Either way, they put on a helluva rock show, complete with a young Mick Jagger lookalike for a front man and a strong hometown following.

The Legendary Shack Shakers - A wild rockabilly band with touches of roadhouse blues and a front man who has been compared to Iggy Pop. Their music reeks of intensity similar to punk rock and a good dose of noise. All in all, one of the best shows I caught. Toward the end of their set, they were joined on stage by a man who needs no introduction in SXSW circles, Beatle Bob. Beatle Bob - who can often be seen near the front of a SXSW crowd - is a gent sporting a mod haircut, vintage sport coat and doing a strange dance that appears to be a cross between the California Raisins and someone taking part in a tug of war. According to veteran SXSW fans, if you see Beatle Bob at a show, you know you made the right choice.

- NP