Kevin Bronson on March 21st, 2010

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My assignment for SPIN.com kept me tied up at the SPIN 25 party at Stubb’s all afternoon for nonstop music capped by Hole’s first North American concert in more than a decade. The highlight of the support bands that day was the indoors set from Harlem [above], whose crackling garage rock made me wish I could just stay in the small rooms for all of SXSW.

Later in the evening:

‣ Admiral Radley – the new quartet marrying members of Grandaddy and Earlimart – gave a great show at the Galaxy Room. It’s part of the SPIN’s Best & Worst of Day 3 here.

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And even later in the evening, after eating my first proper meal of the festival (no kidding), I had a nightcap at the Victorian Room at the historic Driskill Hotel, a perfect setting for the vintage Americana of Audra Mae. The Oklahoma-reared, L.A.-based songstress channels some of the greats – and playing to crowd mostly seated on the room’s carpeted floor, she was more than a little bit Dolly Parton.

I mean, what other 25-year-old songstress can get away with a lyric like: “I’ve been wondering what you’ve got behind those eyes / And, jeepers, where’d you get them anyway.” Her debut album “The Happiest Lamb” will be out May 18 on SideOneDummy Records. Jeepers.