SXSW BLOG #1:     17 March 2009    13:45

All aboard! My inaugural trip to SXSW 2009 is underway and so far, things are going swimmingly. At the moment, I'm enjoying all the luxuries of flying coach on United airlines--absurdly chipper flight attendents, coffee that's not too bad but not too good, a fellow passenger reading Tori Spelling's autobiography (really??)--you know how it is.

In a few minutes we'll touch down in Denver and I've already lined up my first interview--Little Miss Higgins is a two-piece hailing from Saskatoon. I met them earlier in the customs line and we'll be chatting over St. Paddy's Day pints during our absurdly long layover.

Until then, it's back to my delightfully trashy reading material, in which Space Marshal Jym and barely legal psychic sidekick are in search of the dark powers behind the insidious Chaos Weapon. Tawdrytastic! And as far as tunes are concerned, is it any surprise that even with an MP3 player full of countless SXSW fare, I can't stop listening to the Super Furry Animals' just-digitially-released Dark Days/Light Years? No, it is not a surprise.

SXSW BLOG #2:     17 March 2009    

In Denver, I did what one does at airports--mixing excellent conversation with mediocre food. My interlocutors were the members of Nokomis SK-based Little Miss Higgins, Jolene Higgins and Foy Taylor whose "secret identity is extremely well-guarded."

As I picked my way through the world's worst BLT (currently giving me the world's worst gas), Foy and Jolene walked me through the trials and tribulations leading up to their first SXSW. Apparently the business of getting into the US to play shows hasn't gotten any easier and even small bands receiving no cash for their performances--and carrying documentation to that effect--get hassled at the border. Had I know this morning how nervous they were about crossing, I probably wouldn't have struck up a chat in the customs line! In any case, they made it through unscathed and now they're keyed up for a week of music and booze. But their first love?

"I'm going for the BBQ," says Jolene. "We just had our first BBQ of the year back. I had to dig it out from under all the snow and we didn't know if it was going to light! We had these really nice prime rib cut steaks--no marinade, just straight up with a bit of Saskatchewan spice--but it was minus 20, so when it actually lit... [BBQ noises...]"

Considering the balmy weather in Austin, getting the food charbroiled is hardly going to be a problem, so we shifted the conversation to more pressing concerns. Namely, how does Little Miss Higgins make sure her first trip to SXSW isn't the last.

"I'm going to sing a new song, and it's called Bargain! Shop Panties," explains the humble vocalist, who has been knownn to stand on chair and play her guitar with a beer bottle at more lively gigs. "You can't get your skivvies in Nokomis, so I have to go to Wattress, where there's a litttle Bargain shop and that's what inspired the song."

Truly, how many Canadians haven't set foot in a small town shop with the word "BARGAIN" in its name? Hopefully our national institution plays well to the international crowd gathered this week in Texas.

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After dinner, we headed to another watering hole for one last pre-flight ale. While watching Martin Brodeur notch the NHL record for most goalie wins of all time, we crossed paths with yet another duo of prairie musicians, the Saskatoon tandem of Jen Lane and John Antoniuk, a.k.a. Smokekiller, who recently bagged the songwriting prize at Canadian Music Week in Toronto. These savvy veterans are headed to SXSW for the second time, shacking with a billet who last year gave them a key to his place and told them not to mind his gigantic great dane. What keeps bringing us back?

"They keep letting us in!" says John. "I think the objective is to have as much fun as possible. If you're having a good time, you'll rub shoulders with the right people, who are also having a good time and that goes a long way. Last year I hooked up with Leroy Stagger and spent the night going to different bars, hanging out and talking, and that's when the idea came up that we should tour in the summer. And it did come to fruition!"

And while there's no question it's all about the networking, these lot--along with a vast majority of musicians being showcased--have a few shows in mind that they'd hate to miss. For John and Jen, this week's extra-special event is a rare small-room performance from Tori Amos on Thursday: "We'll line up at 1PM if we have to..."

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Last but not least, while I was standing around waiting for my flight to board, trying to assess whether I had imbibed to the point of "charm one's way into business class" levels, I spotted Julie Doiron and Fred Squire lining up for the very same flight! In a starstruck haze, I neglected to record any of our conversation, but we spent a good five minutes chatting about airline travel woes, the joys of early-morning showcases at SXSW, and their brand spanking new album "I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day." Needless to say, I will be making an effort to see the duo play at some point this week, although probably not tomorrow morning at 10AM! Spying Julie's Chad Van Gaalen button, I concluded on the spot that I will probably still be "Clinicly Dead" around that time...

Just a couple more hours until I hit the streets in Austin and try to hustle my way into the night's hottest parties sans official badge (registration doesn't re-open until tomorrow morning... maybe that will drag me out of bed.) Hopefully I'll find a way to post these before then!