This is the FOURTH Austin SXSW I am not reporting from since starting rock nyc.
2009 – I was still in the process of inventing the sucker and, of course, was nowhere near Austin.
2010 – Didn't write much more than a couple of out and out attacks on the entire institution. Oh, yeah, and this was the year somebody at a club saying "No Blacks, No Dogs, No Bloggers"… I think that's right.
2011 – Woody Fuller was there, tour manager for Shinobi Ninja, and he had a blast. I was still sniping from nyc.
2012 – Another year and here I am, still not in Austin, still hating organizations, crowds, like minded get together.
I wonder what it would be like to spend four days getting barred from all the cool show, watching big time rock stars pal around at the outer limits of rock and , it says here, 400 local bands.
I'm sure lots of bands broke out of Austin and I looked it up and found this list off Spinner:
Johnny Cash
Amy Winehouse
Spoon
Janelle Monae
Best Coast
White Stripes
Old 97s
Norah Jones
The Darkness
Veruca Salt
Franz Ferdinand
Impressive, though I kinda doubt Austin discovered Johnny Cash. Or even created a buzz for that matter.
If I was dead, I would trip right down to Austin and go from one show to another and sit on the stage, or dance, depends upon the band, and have the musicians move through my invisible ethereal body.
Actually, I got an email inviting me to a private party with Nas. My bet is that there is more to that then meets the eye…