The Ides of March

We've been soaking in music vibes for a week now, but the real party started today as we are not setting the alarm clock for 5:00 a.m. anymore this week (as though I actually have to set it. I have a cat who's been making sure I got up to feed him every morning at 4:00. Luckily he does not observe Daylight Savings, so he's been allowing me to sleep until it's nearly time for the 5:00 alarm).

Let's see... last Tuesday was The Greencards' CD release at Waterloo Records. That was a great little show followed by a "real" show at Threadgill's on Saturday where it was sold out, with a big line of people waiting to get in. A great show! The following day we had the treat of going to Mandolin Mayhem, which was pretty crowded too but very laid-back. Here's Dennis Ludiker, Kym Warner, and that's young Sarah Jarosz playing behind her head! What a bunch of fantastic players. I never get enough mandolin music these days. Warren Hood also sat in for a few, and also Alex Rueb of the Grassy Knoll Boys (now if THAT's not a great bluegrass band name, I don't know what is).

Tonight (Tuesday) was our first night of SXSW. I do more extensive coverage later on when it's over. For now, I am keeping scratchy notes to help me remember all the people I see. In 5 hours we saw about 9 artists. Kara Grainger, Sonny Throckmorton and Brett Dennen are my highlights. Kara Grainger is a name to watch, I believe. She's an Aussie but she said she might move here!

Tomorrow we will start around 2:00 p.m. and maybe go until midnight (with kitty-cat-care breaks I'm sure). Off to bed now. More on this madness soon.

Tags: Music - Austin - Texas - SXSW