Short for
South by Southwest, the
500 pound gorilla of
music festivals. Sure,
Lollapalooza was big,
Woodstock '99 had
fires and
riots and
white male Americans running rampant, but
South by Southwest beats these
two by sheer
size.
South by Southwest takes place in Austin, Texas, the self-styled Live Music Capital of the World. They pay almost 1000 bands a paltry $175 each to come play a short one-hour set (twenty minutes of that spent setting up) in a small cramped club somewhere near downtown Austin. Why do bands sign up? Because SXSW is a playground for major labels, and this may be the best chance for a band to get thrown into the great Money Machine. Visit the website (www.sxsw.com) and you'll see about a million band bios all stating the same phrase - 'seeking a major label contract'.
Luckily, there's more to it than just mixed bizness. There's also the chance to stand in long lines to see insanely-hyped artists, only to enter just as an amp breaks and the entire set is cancelled. There's the chance to see incredibly talented bands reduced to playing a small record store just to break even for the trip to Austin. There's a chance that you'll cross paths with a long-time local with a chip on his shoulder - fake a Texan accent and walk away calmly, or prepare to get your ass beat, 'cause the locals are none too friendly when the rest of the world invades their haven. There's a chance you'll see your tenth keg tapped in a day - during the afternoon. And, finally, there's a chance to stumble onto some great music, night after night after night.