My SXSW Initiation, Vol. 1

Having only recently taken up the editorial reigns at PasteMagazine.com, I had never made the much-talked-about trip to SXSW. For my first year, I was honestly not too excited until we got on the plane and flew to Houston. There was just too much to do. But after piling out of the plane and into the state where everything is supposedly bigger, then climbing into our rental van (dubbed “Little Miss SXSW” by Paste contributor Tim Basham), it all started to sink in. And once we checked into our hotel (where a woman’s introductory words to me were, “Are you in a band?"), found a parking spot and registered for the conference, I came to find out a few things. SXSW is girls in hot pants and karate outfits, rollerskating along the sidewalk and over bumpy, cobblestone roads. SXSW is Bootsy Collins wannabes (complete with awesome star-lensed sunglasses) playing badass bass solos for anyone who will listen. SXSW is going to Hut’s for a delicious buffalo burger known as The Alley Oop, and combining its perfect flavor with onion rings the size of a small child. SXSW is all this and more.

Oh yeah, and there are bands too. Tons of them. I caught a few yesterday with my pals in KNATE, and for the sake of brevity in this post (not to mention for the sake of time, as I need to take a shower and get to the New West party), here are a couple highlights:

White Rabbits - These Missouri expats who now call Brooklyn home have honed their suits-and-guitars indie rock sound in a way that now includes multiple drummers and vocalists on most songs. Although they still sound like they’re trying to be The Walkmen just a little too much, the talent is there, the songwriting is maturing and the potential is huge. With a full-length on the way soon, it will be time to see if these variables pay off.

Cody ChesnuTT - The genius who brought us The Headphone Masterpiece in 2002 was promoting something new last night. Tentatively known as The Live Release and set to drop later this year, ChesnuTT’s latest project is one long composition, featuring his talents on guitar and vocals, a friend on trumpet and maybe more. Unfortunately, and despite the fact that it sounded intriguing to say the least, after a long day of traveling, this was too low key for me. From what I hear though, we should have someone blogging more about it later on today.

For now, the new day beckons. Other Paste staffers will be checking in later today and this evening, so stay tuned for further updates. It’s back into the fray for this guy…