Rumors and Secrets Shows that weren't so secretive.

If you attended SXSW day in and day out or even just walked around town, you probably overheard people talking about Metallica and Kanye West "supposedly" playing SXSW. 

Others rumored to play secret shows were The Flaming Lips.

The Flaming Lips did not play SXSW, but Metallica and Kanye West most defiantly did.

Promoting their new Guitar Hero game Metallica played to a packed out Stubbs's crowd. I did not attend, however there is evidence below of Metallica's performance at SXSW.

Interview with Kirk Hammett of Metallica at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin.

Kanye West played to a wristband crowd only at The Fort along with Common.

Its good to see SXSW still has some tricks and surprises up its sleeve.

Did you hear about these shows? 

Day Four

Explosions in the Sky played Saturday to a packed out crowd at Auditorium Shores. There would be no better place to see this epic instrumental band, but in Austin, outside at Auditorium Shores. The weather was nice, the venue was great and the music was phenomenal. 

This band's music is so emotional and speaks more to the audience than most bands with the help of lyrics. 

Fireworks filled the sky with light and the air with energy as Explosions ended their set.

Nothing could have been a better ending for South By Southwest.

Did you have the chance to see Explosions In The Sky?

What do you think of Auditorium Shores?

Day Three Review

People came in masses to watch Third Eye Blind play the Austin Convention Center at 8:00 on Friday. This 90's pop band went through hits such as "Semi Charmed Life," "Jumper," "Crystal Baller" and "How's It Gonna Be." Third Eye Blind also played a handful of new material that the crowd obviously didn't take too much interest in. The band was enthusiastic on stage, but the performance came off weak. The band is forever wrote as a pop band from the 90's; this is unfortunate because I believe they still have some hits left in them. This event was filmed for Direct TV and you can pretty much YouTube the entire show if you couldn't make it on Friday.

Other notable bands that played Friday: DJ Shadow, Cursive, Silversun Pickups, and Dinosaur Jr. 

One of the biggest disappointments of SXSW for me was missing Cursive who I have been a fan of for quite some time. I would have loved to see how "The Recluse" played out live.

Did you go to this show? 

DJ Shadow. Those two words are enough said. DJ Shadow played an exclusive DJ set at Stubbs that was nothing but EPIC. This guy is phenomenal and one of the best DJs I have had the honor of hearing.

Who did you see on Friday?

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Follow theaccent on twitter

Explosions in the Sky

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I'm heading now to see Austin's own Explosions in the Sky at Auditorium Shores at 8:00pm. 

This could be my favorite of SXSW.

BE THERE!

Show review from last night coming soon.

Austin is the place to be!!

Here The Bronx is talking about SXSW

who wouldn't want to play South By Southwest?

Share your SXSW videos and pictures.

Day Two in Review

For those of you who have not heard of Bus Driver I high recommend checking this artist out.

myspace.com/busdriver

My day started at 2:00 pm at Birds Barbershop on the East Side.   http://www.birdsbarbershop.com/

Birds was celebrating the grand opening of their brand new shop at 1107 E. 6th Street. This was the place to be! Great music, free beer and merch. I would end up watching Bus Driver and King Khan and the Shrines. Usually i'm not much of a rap fan, but Bus Driver somehow does the trick for me. His on stage antics are unusual and often awkward, but the strange vibes he gives off during his set often adds energy to his set and makes the show much more exciting. Don't write off Bus Driver as just another rapper or hip hop artist; his raps are often political, thoughtful and intelligent. At one point in the show he even went off on AIG in a free flow. Not only would I watch Bus Driver at Birds Barbershop, but I also caught his show at The Independent on E. 6th (brand new venue, worth checking out). If you like intelligent beats and lyrics then I highly recommend checking him out (link at the top of the page). King Khan and the Shrines were also quite interesting performers. The lead singer wore a cape and helmet while a cheerleader was present throughout their set. The performance was well above par and would really outshine their musical capabilities. 

Another great show I caught was Elvis Perkins in Dearland and The Cold War Kids at Auditorium Shores. 

Auditorium Shores so far has been my favorite place to experience a show. Right on the south side of the lake by the Congress bridge, outdoors, soaking up the weather and atmosphere our city has to offer. Auditorium Shores is also completely free, but if you need to use the ATM to buy a hotdog or beer expect a 4.50 connivence charge.

Cold War Kids played for an hour and filled their set with crowd favorites such as "Hospital Beds" and "Hang Me Out To Dry." They sounded great live, but the crowd lacked a lot of energy. That is really the only trade off for attending shows at Auditorium Shores, attendees are usually more casual music fans. Overall, it was a great experience and I highly recommend checking out the Cold War Kids and seeing a show at Auditorium Shores!

Here is a fan video below of Cold War Kids at Auditorium Shores.

Who did you see on Day two?

Follow theaccent on twitter

Day one in Review

Day one was certainly a unusual experience. 

After getting my wristband I checked out several bands at the Radio Room Patio; which included What Laura Says. This Tempe band put on quite a good show and was definitely time well spent watching their set.  However, I quickly learned about the beauty of SXSW, which is all about discovering new music. You might not get to see all the bands you want to see, but in the process there is a plethora of new music at your disposal. So I took advantage of this new experience on day one and went where the night lead me. A good portion of the night I ended up at Paradise on 6th listening to some new music. After watching several new bands I decided to head over to Smokin Music to check out Billy Bob Thorton's new band. 

It was obvious the crowd was there for the celebrity and not the music. Billy Bob Thorton standed awkwardly on stage smoking cigarette after cigarette somehow knowing the music wasn't the pull. The band played well but the music in which they played was quite unimpressive. It was still entertaining to watch Billy Bob for ten minutes or so. And the band looked like they were having fun on stage, although I hope they didn't take themselves too seriously. 

Day one was quite a great experience overall, and I am starting to get a great feel for SXSW. There is music in literally every corner,park, parking lot and bar in the city. It is a glorious event for music fans and a site to see for all. 

More to come on day two.

How did you spend your first day?

Its almost here!

Wednesday will kick off the music portion of South by Southwest and there are some great bands worth checking out.

What Laura Says

This band from Tempe,AZ  will play the Radio Room Patio at 10:00pm. This Venue is All Ages.

The one show guaranteed to exceed your expectations for any new band.

Manchester Orchestra

Come check out this band before they get too big. Recently signed to Sony and ready to take over the world. They will also be playing the Radio Room Patio at 1:00am 

Echo And The Bunnymen

This band had hits throughout the 1980's such as "The Cutter," "Seven Seas," and "The Killing Moon."

Echo will play Emo's Main Room at 12:30 am.

The Decemberists 

This upbeat indie rock band from Portland will sure to put on nothing less than an entertaining performance. They will play Stubbs at 12:00am.

Recommended  for a good time.

Follow theaccent on twitter

Welcome to SXSW 2009

Welcome to the South By Southwest experience

Each Spring hundreds of performers from across the globe fill Downtown Austin in a collective effort known as South By Southwest. This internationally known festival helps crown our beloved city as "The Live Music Capital of the World." Not only is SXSW one of the most highly anticipated, most attended, and interactive music festivals in the world. But each year this festival brings out an impressively diverse and wide range of Artists. SXSW is the place to be to discover new music and talent. I look forward to discovering new music with you, and discussing favorites playing this week long festival.


First I will tell you a little about me. My name is Matt (as you probably already know) I absolutely love music, and it will certainly always have a special place in my life. Since I have been 16 I have played in multiple bands in the Dallas Metroplex, and have attended many, many local shows. I have been lucky enough to travel across Texas playing and attending shows while making life long friends in the process. Today I still play several instruments and attended shows as much as possible here in Austin. I have been to several music festivals such as Lollapalooza in Chicago, and Austin City Limits. However, this will be my first time attending South By Southwest. I am very excited to attend and share this experience with all of you.

The List
After looking over the very extensive list of bands playing this year, here is my tentative list of shows I look forward to attending. (This is subject to change due to the fact the lineup is not totally complete. And bands are often added and withdrawn from the SXSW lineup.)


Wednesday March 18th
What Laura Says (This indie/roots rock band from Tempe, AZ is relatively unknown, but puts on a must see live show. They will be here the 18-21st)

Echo and The Bunnymen (Not all 80's music was terrible. Go listen to one of my personal favorites "The Killing Moon" just incase you don't rememeber this alternative band from Liverpool.)

Thursday March 19th
Big Boi ( 1/2 of the rap group Outkast. Even though I'm not a huge rap fan, Stankonia by Outkast is one of my favorite albums. I'm curious to see what Big Boi will be like by himself.)

Gomez (This UK band just rules, period. Check out the song "How we Operate.")

The Cold War Kids (Soulful vocals and some serious grooves are not to be overlooked in such of their songs like the radio hit “Hang Me Up To Dry.” And you have to like any band that quotes Radiohead’s “Ok Computer” as a major influence.)


Friday March 20th
Devo (Whip It! Whats it like going to a Devo show? I guess I'll have to find out.)

Cursive (Cursive has been a band I have wanted to see live for a very long time. If you can't get into the album "The Ugly Organ" something must be wrong with you.)

Saturday March 21st

The Silversun Pickups (You've defiantly heard their hit song "Lazy Eye," they seem like a pretty cool indie band worth seeing live.)

Explosions In The Sky (Austin's own Explosions has been one of my favorite bands over the years, and I must say I am looking forward to seeing them the most. I saw this instrumental band at Lollapalooza this year, but have always wanted to see them in our hometown.)

Owen (A friend of mine got me into this band. Craig Owen is a genius and writes some great tunes.)

The Octopus Project (Not missing this one. This hypnotizing band will be on an amazing show guaranteed.)

Third Eye Blind (If you were coherent in the 90's surely you rememeber such hits as "Jumper," "Semi-Charmed Life," and "Motorcycle Drive By." Sometimes you just need pop rock.)

Also considering: The Crystal Method.


So thats the grand ol list. I also plan on attending many panels and parties and giving you guys the low down on those as well.

Now I want to hear from you!
Who are you looking forward to seeing?



-Matt