South by Southwest Music Festival
Monster week ... and Vampire Weekend
AUSTIN, TEXAS -- It started out 21 years ago as a way to showcase some regional talent and sell some beer and margaritas during a college town's spring break. By the time the South by Southwest Music Conference (SXSW) wound down Sunday morning, after four pandemonium-filled and sun-baked days, it had become a monster out of control -- in good and bad ways.
A picturesque town that prides itself on being green and clean, Austin looked something like the wrecked site of the Woodstock '99 festival by the fourth and final day. Remember: That's the Woodstock that was so overcrowded and trashed that fans eventually lit the place on fire.
About 1,700 invited bands -- plus maybe an equal amount of uninvited ones -- were hoping to ignite a buzz at the world's biggest music convention. Most played two or three showcases apiece, on up to the nine that Kimya Dawson offered.
"This thing has gotten so big that one show's not enough anymore," the "Juno" soundtrack star said before the third of her gigs.
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SXSW: Friday was meet the contenders day
One of them sounded like a grungier Derek & the Dominos. Another had the bouncy reggae-pop sound of Squeeze. And one not only recalled the Clash and Generation X, it actually featured members of those legendary British punk groups.
Blog: Pop Life
South by Southwest: The daily dispatches
Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider spent a week in Austin at the annual South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, where he dutifully reported up-to-the-minute updates on the action. Read all of his daily dispatches here.
PHOTO: My Brightest Diamond
Related content
• Photo Gallery: Images from South by Southwest 2008
• Special project: South by Southwest Music Festival coverage
More from this series:
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Photo gallery:
SXSW
The Austin Texas music showcase runs through Sunday. -
SXSW: The fest heard around the world
Bands from R.E.M. to locals Cloud Cult and Bon Iver took advantage of SXSW's new broadcast mania. -
SXSW: The music rush begins
The South by Southwest Music Conference had only just begun, and Bryan Garza already sounded winded.