I laid there turning green with envy, comfortable, if angry, in my bed about 45 minutes before the bus left from Memphis to head to the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, TX. On the bus, generously sponsored by the Memphis Music Foundation, was a collection of musicians that read like a who’s-who of Memphis music and its rich history. Names like The Bar-Kays, Harlan T. Bobo, Jack O. and the Tennessee Tearjerkers, River City Tanlines, Jump Back Jake, and Two Way Radio were loading their gear into the bus, many of them wide-eyed with the possibility of performing before an actively excited crowd of clamoring music fans. Some of those fans, as they were, would likely be booking agents, promoters, managers, record label executives, members of the media, and representatives of other entities big and small from around the globe.

I had been planning on going for months. However, when a work-related opportunity went by the wayside (which would have taken me to SXSW), I chose to sit on the sidelines, not to incur any further debt, and to stay home and do some work. I knew that if I went to SXSW, I wouldn’t really be able to afford to do it the way I normally would, that it would inevitably be a struggle to simply get around and see all the people I wanted to.

And with this picture in my mind, in spite of my insistence that I would not attend SXSW this year, I suddenly hopped up, packed my bag full of dirty laundry, put my laptop in a bag, got into my car and hauled ass downtown to catch the bus.

I’m glad I did, but not for the reasons which might at first seem obvious to you. This trip tested the mettle of relationships and friendships, demonstrated the true colors of people whom I have long considered friends, revealed the ugliness of other people’s self-involvement, tested certain of my physical limitations, and allowed me to see what SXSW Music has really become: formerly a festival geared to the industry, the conference is now aimed directly at certain kind of music consumer.

Now, it had been several years since my last SXSW, and I noticed immediately that the sheer volume of people pouring into Austin for the week had dramatically increased. Were we in a recession? Yes, but you wouldn’t know it to look around. Austin is not a terribly expensive place most of the time, but I could sense that the sharks were circling — maybe it was the $12.00 cab ride I took wherein I only traveled two miles. It’s not like I was going to the airport or anything, so I was very surprised to have paid such an extreme amount. To make matters worse, the cab driver cursed at me after giving me incorrect change twice and expecting a tip. So much for southern hospitality.

So my first lesson of SXSW was this: if you’re going to Austin, plan *far* in advance about where you’re going to stay, and know how you’re going to get around. If you don’t have tons of money to blow, you need to make effective plans about location and travel arrangement.

Furthermore, plan on either renting a bicycle or bringing one with you. Austin is a bike-friendly city. You can rent bicycles for something like $30 for the week (I am told), and it will save you tremendous numbers of headaches in getting around once you’re in the thick of things.

Another thing which SXSW has added since last I was there: SXSW Pedicabs. The Pedicab drivers work for tips, and you should expect to tip them in a reasonably generous fashion. There are standard pedicabs (not related to the festival), and clearly-marked SXSW pedicabs. They can get you between venues with ease.

Another important lesson learned: when it comes to what you’re going to see, try (as much as you can) to pick your battles and stick to them. I found myself getting dragged between shows quite often, mostly because I’d run into friends or acquaintances who wanted me to check things out. Some of the bands I got to see as a result were outstanding — Dave Allen from Pampelmoose, for example, got me to check out the very impressive Austin trio Ume. My friend Joe from Each Note Secure & WOXY got me downtown early to check out School of Seven Bells. A chance meet-up with friends got me to Antone’s where I saw The Duke Spirit, another of my favorite bands I saw this year at SXSW.

However, that being said, there were some dreadful moments, too, involving other friends with other choices.

Excellent online tools have been created for social scheduling: Do512 and Sched were the ones I found the most useful, allowing me to see what other visiting friends/acquaintances had on their calendars and plan effective ways to meet up with them at those events.

SXSW can work either way — for people who can plan effectively a course of action and stick to it, things tend to go well. Choosing a dedicated amount of time for each act you’re going to see and padding your travel time between venues will help make the experience much smoother. But if you’re a person of action and you like to throw caution to the wind, SXSW can provide you with a whirlwind music experience full of surprises.

Thank goodness for day parties: because there’s no way anyone could see everything in one trip, the trend towards more (and larger) day parties continues at SXSW. These are frequently parties to which you must be invited by someone and to which you must RSVP and have been the fashion at SXSW for many years now. The bonus for doing this is an opportunity to see bands who either do not have an official SXSW showcase or whom you would otherwise miss because of a scheduling conflict. The Memphis Music Foundation party this year offered attendees free BBQ, free beer and a free limited-edition vinyl featuring acts who played the party. The Hot Freaks party had tons of free beer, a chance to win a pair of Saucony Originals Shoes by playing “Pin The Tail on the Overused Band Name Animal”, and (of course) incredible music.

The After-After Party: Some folks, like Red Bull for exeample, have figured out that a day party just isn’t the only thing. The late night after party circuit at SXSW, always a bastion of interesting times, was alive and kicking in 2009. The Red Bull Moontower offered up a swarm of choice artistry, including Lady Sovereign, Kid Cudi + Plain Pat, Goldilocks, and Big Boi to name a few. I also had a chance to check out the Fools Gold Records late-nighter with A-Trak, Kid Sister, Treasure Fingers, Flosstradamus, and Diplo. On Saturday night, Mad Decent threw an extravaganza way out on South Congress that (from word of mouth) was clearly knocked the boots off of Austin in a way that they’ll be recovering from long afterwards.

One monkey wrench got thrown in the plans, though: at around 3 a.m., before either Cannabanoids feat. Erykah Badu or The Crystal Method could take the stage, the police shut down the Red Bull Moontower. This immediately elicited a series of untrue rumors from people who were in attendance. No official word was ever given as to why the moontower was shut down by the police on the very last night, but I’d like to think it was because people were having too much fun.

At a certain point on that Saturday night, it began to feel like a message was being sent by a vocal minority of members of the local community which made no sense: “Hope you enjoyed your stay in Austin. Now, get the fuck out.” But, I digress — more on that in Part Two.

I did it my way: From what I was able to glean, FADER Magazine and Levi’s teamed up once again to make their own city-within-a-city at SXSW. Just off of 5th street on the opposite side of the freeway, FADER/Levi’s Fort took up an entire city block, with lines of people in the hundreds waiting for wristbands. There was no charge for the fort, but it did require people to RSVP for ins — even if you had a badge from SXSW.

Not an official SXSW event, FADER and Levi’s made the smart decision of combining forces to capitalize on marketing their brands to the new target audience that SXSW attracts: lifestyle-branding music consumers who have been coming to SXSW in larger and larger numbers. Some of the biggest and best performances of the festival happened at FADER/Levi’s this year, including a G.O.O.D. Music Showcase (featuring a surprise appearance from Kanye West) and other notable performances from Kid Cudi, Janelle Monae, B.o.B., American Princes, and Jadakiss to name a few.

Late-night cabbing it up: So you’re with friends and you’re trying to get a cab in Austin during SXSW late at night? GOOD LUCK. Witnesse and I chased after cabs for 45 minutes one night, flying past people six and seven-deep on corners with their arms out. This frustrating situation could only be resolved in one way — going to a hotel and waiting in line at the taxi stand. One thing for certain is that taxis always pick up and drop off at hotels. The wait for a cab could have been ten minutes instead of a series of inebriated wing flappings which yielded naught.

COMING UP IN PART TWO: Bloggers I have known, Tex-Mex overload, “I’m with the band!”, Everyone’s a Twitter baby, Drops and Snapshots

That’s high praise coming from a city which was once fueled by the disco it helped to create. Enjoy this track, “Seventeen”, then go check them out at SXSW (where they have several appearances).

Casxio – Seventeen

_{Casxio will be appearing March 18, 19, 20 & 21st at SXSW. Check schedule for times/details.}

We’re all super excited around here for SXSW 2009. Five blissfully insane days in Austin, TX have the ‘softies all ready to pack our Aero Beds and laptops and head south. New bands are being added to the lineup on a regular basis, though rumors always fly about last-minute additions to the schedule. One thing is certain: there will be a strong Memphis contingent at the festival this year.

Want to see the latest list? Keep tabs over here at Do512 of both confirmed AND rumored acts appearing at SXSW. And if you’re on Twitter, you can always follow SXSW for their latest updates.