SXSW: Don't mess with Texas

Few times in my life have I wished that I lived in Texas.

(Never, in fact.)

But every time mid-March rolls around, I can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards those lucky Austin-ites, because their city is home to the largest music, film, and media conference in the world: South by Southwest.

Thousands of people flock to Austin every March for their yearly bash. Musically, SXSW stands apart from the nation's other festivals -- Coachella in California, Lollapalooza in Chicago -- because of its vast lineup. We're talking over 1,400 performers playing in more than 40 venues in downtown Austin over the span of two weeks. It's huge.

This year, you can see everyone from stadium bands (REM) filling the cavernous Austin Convention Center, to up-and-coming indie darlings (The Raveonettes) playing downtown bars and restaurants packed with the locals.


Among the (varied!) others: Nada Surf, The Kills, Augustana, Jakob Dylan, Hanson, The Lemonheads, Dolly Parton, N.E.R.D, Josh Radin, Tech N9ne, Kate Voegele, My Morning Jacket, The Von Blondies, The Black Keys. (Full list here.)

(And if the music isn't enough for you, there's a film festival screening over 100 upcoming major and independent releases. Plus, the multimedia portion of SXSW features keynote speeches and panels from the creators of Facebook and PostSecret. Not to mention the annual Bloggie awards!)
SXSW continues on through this Sunday.

And I'll stop now. Because I probably sound like an advertisement.

(PS: ...someone go with me in 2009!)