There are two lessons I learned today from my time spent at SXSW.

1) Don’t forget to bring a phone charger.

2) Be prepared to walk.

March 11th is the first official day for music at SXSW. Our day was spent getting our wristbands, tags for cameras and figuring out our plan of action for the day. This started in the Austin Convention Center off of E. Cesar Chavez St. The center acted as the main headquarters for registration and press.

Once we had our plan, we decided that we needed a quick bite to eat. During SXSW there are tons of food trucks in various places around the downtown area. We ate at “Ms. P’s Electric Cock Fried Chicken.” For the price of $7, one could get a drumstick, a wing, a thigh and a family size order of Mac & Cheese. Delicious fried chicken along with equally delicious Mac & Cheese, “Ms. P’s” did not disappoint our taste buds.

After we ate, our journey down 6th street began. Throughout the streets of downtown Austin, various companies set up tents or rest areas for SXSW attendees to cool off from the heat, charge their phone and other activities. During the day, we also caught many street performers on just about every street corner. A magic show, a puppet master and many musical acts on the old Austin streets entertained the SXSW attendees while also making a small profit.

When the sun began to go down, we decided to eat again before things started to pick up downtown. This time we settled for pizza at Roppolo’s Pizzeria right in the middle of 6th Street. This pizzeria offers a slice of pizza and a drink for $5 and two floors of space so you don’t have to eat your pizza on the go. The pizza was great and the place also provided us some rest before we started attending shows.

The first show we attended was a Korean pop showcase at “Elysium.” There we caught Korean pop/rock group NELL. This band put on a fantastic show that everyone in the crowd enjoyed. Early fans were given the chance to take a seat right in front of the stage so they could be comfortable throughout the entire show.

The next showcase we caught was intended to be Chance the Rapper at “Red 7” on E. 7th St., but due to the time his performance was scheduled, we both decided to skip his performance. Not all was lost through! At our time spent at the venue, we caught The Autumn Defense, a Chicago native indie rock band whose dance like music had every person in the venue moving to the rhythm.

After the showcase at the “Red 7,” we decided to use our wristbands to check out one more showcase at “The Main 2.” When we entered the venue, The Bright Light Social Hour was just setting up to play. With a few minor technical difficulties at the beginning, their late start just made everybody attending even more anxious. This Austin based psychedelic rock band truly amazed every person in the venue. From driving guitar solos, spot on drum fills and perfect harmonized vocals, this band had it all.

After this showcase, we decided we had enough of SXSW for the day. We made our plans to meet back up the following day and dive right into the action once again. We know what to expect and are prepared to do out rights as journalist to take whatever SXSW throws at us to bring you the latest news.

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