a fan gets made

(in the middle of Scissors For Lefty @ The BMI Party, photo by David Weaver, The Stateman)
Isn't it some sort of rule that you sometimes have to travel at least 1000 miles to discover a gem from your own backyard? While I've met amazing folks from all over the world in my SXSW experience thus far, I had to laugh at the gravitational pull that found me at two different shows and a backyard barbecue with SF's Scissors for Lefty. I've heard plenty about them, they've been a local favorite for some time, but have been preoccupied with the songwriter scene rather than the indie pop bands in SF... Sunday found me at a Limewire party at Clube Deville in Austin, an SXSW-Interactive party. While the bands were hot (Golden Dogs, Scissors), the crowd wasn't packed (Tokyo Police Club was next door) and most were more interested in the free beer and continued business networking. And I was doing plenty of the latter but when Scissors came on and treated it like they were playing a sold out night at the Fillmore—jumping around, venturing into the crowd and generally rocking their asses off—I was taken, not only with the music but with their ability to raise the energy that much in the face of a tough crowd.
A day later, eating BBQ at the BMI party at Stubbs, checking out Kaki King's set and talking to a drummer from the LA band Naked (who just drove with his crew from California), who walks nearby but Scissors' Brian Garza! My good fortune for the day found me chatting with the band (two brothers, an uncle and their drummer), who were all complete sweethearts, and becoming 'honorary' enough to pose for a group photo when the press came by. True to form, they really got rocking to a full house at Emos later (they've got a slew of shows here all week)...which confirmed my fan status and inspired me that much more to do the Bay Area well at my solo acoustic spots today and Friday...which I've got to get running for so links, photos will come later.