Kevin Bronson on March 23rd, 2009

1

South by Southwest is over? Say it ain’t so.

I was impressed, and I didn’t even make it into the food line at Rachael Ray’s party [above].

By the numbers

1,000: Number of times, give or take, I heard the word “amazing.”
100: Number of times during the week I wished I had a bicycle.
60 (or so): Number of business cards exchanged.
41: Number of bands I checked out during the week.
40: Number of bands, give or take, that I really regret missing, based on word of mouth and recommendations from people I trust. Among them: The Whip, Crocodiles, Young Galaxy, the Temper Trap. (And the Temper Trap plays tonight at Spaceland.)
27: Number of CDs/samplers I brought home from Austin.
10-15: Approximate number of minutes it took a text message to arrive on Friday and Saturday, the festival’s busiest days.
5: Number of L.A. bands I heard “industry people” speaking especially glowingly of – Local Natives, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Afternoons, the Happy Hollows and the Crash Kings.
4: Number of songs the Local Natives soldiered through at the Buzz Bands party without the benefit of vocal monitors – performed while several label honchos, U.K. booking agents and reps from BBC Radio were present.
3: Number of memorable Texas BBQ meals.
2: Number of excruciatingly sore calf muscles.
2: Number of times I thanked aloud my comfy Skechers for rendering my feet blisterless all week.
1: Number of sets I witnessed by L.A. bands.
1: Number of times I saw the Silversun Pickups.
Countless: Friends who helped me manage my first SXSW. Thanks for the tutorials, the bottles of water and the hugs.