SXSW Day Three: videos and the Bay Area represents

As promised, here are some videos of live SXSW 2009 performances. My personal favorite so far has got to be LovelikeFire from San Francisco. They have everything: energy, charisma, talent, a strikingly beautiful lead female singer and a sound that rivals the biggest acts out there.

Interviews with musicians proved a bit difficult, as the general controlled chaos of each event dictates that bands have to rush to set up, blast through their performance, then scramble to pack up and locate their next venue, only to repeat the process. During Vetiver's last song, lead singer Andy Cabic said they somehow had to pack up all their stuff and make it over to the University of Houston campus in 30 minutes to perform live on the radio. I presume they were horribly late.

At any rate, the festival is an amazing experience. It's rare that hipsters, freaks, musicians, weirdos, rockers and the like are ever given free reign over a downtown populous, yet here we are, packing the streets and bars with bright, colorful creativity. During the five days I've been here, the economy has never come up in conversation. And for good reason: the people here know that whatever happens outside this epicenter of weirdness, we will still be able to sustain ourselves on good music, friendly people and plenty free beer and barbecue.

The Thermals performing "I Let It Go" at the Historic French Legion park




The Thermals performing "Returning to the Fold" at the Historic French Legion park.




Cursive performing live at the Historic French Legion park.




Cursive performing "Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand" at the Historic French Legion park.

SFxSXSW: Bay Area bands gather at The Wave nightclub on Sixth St.



The Stone Foxes




Vetiver on the rooftop.




LovelikeFire




Or, the Whale