sxsw-mardi gras?

(Limewire party w/Mark Wallace, photo by David Weaver, The Statemen)
It's simply been a glut of riches here in Austin and March 12 goes down among one of the best sweetest days of recent memory, the town filling up with music crazed fans as the bulk of the interactive team left town. If you are a music lover and /or a musician there is simply no excuse for not having a good time here during SXSW ( if you're reasonably fit and healthy that is). And I'm not even talking about the copious beer flowing (I'm surely one the few people in town who hasn't had a beer in the past week). My early afternoon gig at Agave was fun, and that much more enjoyable for the last minute addition of guitarist Aaron Williams from Chicago. Good times! Then it was getting into audience mode. The rest of the day featured day shows starring Chikita Violenta, Jason Collett, Sean Hayes, The Yacht, The Ravonettes. I was one of the doubly fortunate to get into the Van Morrison showcase at La Zona Rosa which was sublimely great. He strolled on stage promptly at the scheduled 7pm with a sax (!) and opened with "Love of Mine." That could have been enough really, but the night was young, and REM, my college heroes, were playing at Stubb's at midnight. We decided to go there early to make sure we got in, even if I had no interest in the PaperCranes or Dead Confederates (though truth be told the latter rocked so hard I couldn't help but get into the heavy bass of it all). Plus I had a chance to meet and talk to Curtis of the Summerbirds, who played early in the evening, a sweet guitarist and a hilarious interview opp....REM was smashing-the new songs holding up nicely against the 20 year old material, Stipe energetic, & politically convincing when it came to the new 'protest/outrage" music, Mr. Buck cool as ever and I appreciated anew Mike Mills' vocal ...and we walked back humming "Man on The Moon." I'm not going to realize until I get home how truly sleep deprived I am getting....