Sorry for the sporadic blogging of late, I have managed to develop a lovely sinus infection which has had me curled up in bed for a few days now. Beginning to kick it so back to the blog! I leave at the end of the next week for SXSW Interactive and am staying through the end of SXSW Music. I will be thoroughly impressed if I make it back alive. This trip might seriously break me.

It’s two weeks until the kickoff of SXSW Music. The only natural thing to be doing is RSVPing to every decent party you find, figure out which of your friends are staying at the same hotel as you are, who will have a rental car and study up on the bands you may not know yet that may be worth catching. Here are links to two torrents that will give you about 5GB(!) worth of mp3s from artists playing this year’s SXSW. One track per artist. Don’t hurt yourself.

I downloaded these finally last week and just got around to importing them today. My strategy is to hit shuffle and stick any bands that grab my attention in their own little playlist for reference. (I’m easy like that.) I’m about 20 tracks in and only one has caught my attention so far — Magic Wands. Magic Wands are Nashville-based duo Chris and Dexy Valentine. They deliver instantly memorable poppy hooks and melodies, backed by huge washes of distorted guitars and immense drums machine rhythms and bass lines. They’re on the road supporting The Kills and breaking to hit SXSW:

March 20 – 9:30PM – The Mohawk

[mp3] Magic Wands – Black Magic