A look back at SXSW 2007

Now that the streets have been emptied of the thousands of South by Southwest bands and attendees and refilled with students, my ears are functioning again, and the hangover has worn off, it's time to take a look back on this year's SXSW Music Festival.

Things kicked off on Wednesday, March 14 all across the city. From the Drag well past Sixth Street, artists unloaded their gear and cranked their amps, beginning the five day event.

At Cheapo's, Washington D.C. band Benjy Ferree got things started off right. A Neil Young look-a-like singer, with a harmonica to boot, and an electric cello, Benjy Ferree has a distinct bluegrass feel and their sound falls somewhere between My Morning Jacket and Wilco.

The crowd, scattered at first, slowly crept its way to the back corner of the store as the band settled into their set with a sound that well represented D.C.'s diverse music scene.

ACC student Melissa Garcia was fortunate enough to find a way in to see Austin's Ghostland Observatory at the Austin City Limits Studios, one of the more popular kickoff shows.

"They were kickass as usual," said Garcia, "the place was packed to the brim and even though we were all in chairs, we still found a way to dance."

Right across the street, clothing stores Urban Outfitters and Cream Vintage opened up their doors to more than just people looking to buy overpriced pants. Packed as well, the stores gave lesser known bands like New York City's Snowden and Denver's The Apples in Stereo a shot a picking up some fans and selling CD's.

Since its inception, the attraction of SXSW has spread not only across the country, but across the globe as well.

At Cream Vintage, I spoke with Berlin based band Two Dollar Bash who had a Saturday gig. "We've been playing together for about fifteen years, but this is only our second time here for the festival," said guitar player and singer Tony Rose in a thick Scottish accent.

"We love coming to the States, and at stuff like this, it's a little funny, 'cause you'll see people and bands you know from back home," Rose said. Though most of the venues were booked with international bands like Two Dollar Bash, and thousands of national acts, much deserving Austin bands got some stage time as well.

Seth Grueneberg, guitarist and singer for local band Consider the Source, featured in May's issue of Alternative Press as one of the top unsigned bands in the U.S., said they had the opportunity to play quite a bit.

"We played at Plush, Creekside Lounge, Snake Eyes Vinyl, and the Texas Roller Derby," said Grueneberg. "This year we definitely played more shows than any other."

At Plush, the band had the opportunity to share the stage with Jonah Matranga, former frontman of the popular band Far.

"We covered a Far song and he did the vocals for us," said the humbled Grueneberg. "Getting to play with Jonah was the best. The place was full. It was awesome."

The Mess With Texas party also gave Austin artists the opportunity to showcase their sound. Bands Best Fwends and Finally Punk drew a large crowd to Red 7 for the party.

Though a stroll down Sixth Street, alleys cluttered with stages, might have told the common observer otherwise, the most crowded place of all during the festival was along the banks of Town Lake at Auditorium Shores. Hawthorne Heights and Public Enemy headlined the Thursday and Friday shows, but the hype seemed to be all about Mastodon who headlined the show on the stage's final night, following Against Me! and Riverboat Gamblers.

Student David Hodson was one of thousands of people there to see the bands that day, including Mastadon.

"All the bands were really into it," said Hodson, "the sound was great and the stage, with the Austin skyline behind it, was a really cool thing to see."

"Mastodon stole the show though," continued Hodson, "they're one of the best metal bands out there right now and it was for sure my favorite performance at SXSW this year."

When the sun rose Sunday morning, bands started packing up and heading back out on the road. SXSW 2007 had come to a close in what may have been the best year yet. Yes, there's no doubt this year's festival brought in more money from around the world than ever before, but what it also brought were more bands from overseas than ever before. It is clearly becoming more of an international event and drawing more international attention. The future looks bright for SXSW 2008.

A completely subjective list of 2007's Best's:

Best Show: Home Slice Pizza SXSW Day Party featuring Aqueduct and The Lemurs

Best Local Band Performance: Consider the Source at Plush

Best National Band: The Broken West at Urban Outfitters

Best Small Venue: The Parlor

Best Large Capacity Venue: Emo's

Best Swag: The John Lennon Imagine Tour swag bag

Best Randomly Handed CD: The Bother