We got a bit of a later start than we have earlier this week, but that always tends to happen here by Saturday. Besides, Hellboy [1] was on TV — haha. We picked our friends up and headed to I-Hop [2] for some breakfast. That's a tradition as well down here for us. Usually it's a late night visit, but this was when we could go and we were all in the mood for it. We did not leave disappointed.

From there Jesse and I ducked into the Fader Lounge one more time for a quick Sparks. We ran into some more music directors from Berkeley and a fellow promoter from another company. We didn't have much time though as we wanted to catch Tokyo Police Club [3] at The Current [4] tent, where we got to see our friend Lindsay (former employee and current Current staffer). Sadly, their guitarist had a family emergency and had to head home but lead singer, Dave Monks, did a solo acoustic set that was great, though it was blazing hot standing outdoors in the direct Texas sun.

Since that set was cut short, we had a chance to see one of our favorite bands we've promoted recently play live for the first time. They are called LoveLikeFire [5]. We met them for a slice of pizza at CMJ's music festival in NYC last fall and adore them as people and musicians. Seeing them live only strengthened that assessment... certainly one of the musical highlights of the day for me. I don't have any idea why they aren't signed yet. They had to run off immediately for another set, so we didn't get a chance to say more than hello, but I'm so glad we caught them.

We thought it wise to check out a few other parties going on during the week, one being the Stereogum/Paste Party. No Age [8] was the band we caught. It wasn't my cup of tea, but I can see why other people might like them. I guess the most interesting fact about the setup there were their "blogger cages" on each side of the stage going up the stairs to the balcony, where, seemingly, bloggers could immediately post about the shows there in real time.

Jesse and I left the crew and made the long trek down 6^th to Molotov Lounge. There are a few great venues clear down the street, including La Zona Rosa [9] and Momo's [10], that we always seem to make our way to at some point duing SXSW, even though sometimes your feet ask you not to. But I'm glad we did. Reveille [11] was having their showcase, and we were able to catch the always-engaging Kid Dakota [12] and a crowd-pleasing Doomtree [13] set as well. Had a nice chat with Ben from Romantica [14] and also ran into Matt from The Current, Steve and Kyle from Reveille, and Scott Legere from IPR. You gotta give it up for the Minneapolis music scene... they support their own.

Dinner time was upon us, and Jesse and I met up with his friend Paula from Best Buy for a fantastic dinner at The Rio Grande. It's a new Mexican place where the Austin MTV Real World [15] House used to be, and the food was excellent. Spinach enchiladas wrapped in blue corn tortillas, strawberry margaritas, chips and salsa? Hello! Heaven, I tell you.

Next, Jesse and I made the looooong walk down to Saengerrunde Hall, where Diesel was holding their annual SXSW soiree. It's not near anything, but the enticement of a solid lineup and free booze always gets folks down there. We actually made the journey to meet a new label we are working with, since that was where they were camped out all night. It was my last business goal of the trip to meet them and put some faces with names and voices. We also caught The XYZ Affair [16] (great stuff) and The Features [17] before we walked back to 6^th. Once again, we ran into the Lindsay and Matt from The Current on our way. Austin is a great town to have a festival for this very reason. With everything (mainly) on 6^th Street, you are always running into to people you know. There is something really fun about being in a city you aren't from and constantly seeing people you know.

We popped back into the San Francisco @ SXSW Party to catch a band that had piqued Jesse's ears when he listened to MP3s of new bands to look for before we headed down to Austin. He was impressed by their show and made sure to chat with them afterwards.

Our night ended at Dirty Dog for the Saddle Creek Records showcase, where we joined Bryan and Christian. We caught just the tail end of Georgie James [18] and then took in Neva Dinova [19], Two Gallants [20], and a plugged in Tokyo Police Club [21] with their guitar tech filling in for their guitarist. It was a great night of music, and hearing "Your English Is Good" from Tokyo Police Club was a highlight for most of us.

We also had a chance to spend some time chatting with Ryan from Saddle Creek, Georgie James tour manager, another former MD who works at promo company now, and an MD and his predecessor from a station in Denver. I love getting a chance to talk more in depth with college age people who are so excited and passionate about getting their feet wet in the music industry. Things might not be ideal with regard to the financial state of the industry, but there is no less enthusiasm for the art of music and the people who want to promote it. The goal no one really seems to be able to figure out right now is how to keep making money doing it!

I'll give my overall impressions of the festival tomorrow when I've had time to reflect on it all.