Publisher's Note: So many bands. So little time. Kristen Blanton, a newly minted Austin resident, spent most of her week going from concert to concert and interview to interview. She's exhausted, poor kid. So, I've taken the liberty of selecting some of the best new bands we saw there for this recap. The words are hers. The choices are mine. When the four Englishmen took stage, before lead singer Joe Newman could even say, “Hello, We’re Alt-J” the crowd had lost…

As Saturday arrived, we could feel tension of the end approaching. All the friends we’d made bouncing from showcase to showcase were about to go home - off to start recording, back to real jobs on Monday, back on the road. For six days, SXSW has bred one full family of music enthusiasts. It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been a treat. In the morning over on South Congress, people were jiving. The eclectic area was full of food trailers, vintage…

Everyone is sunburned. The streets of downtown Austin are congested. Yet bands are chatting with their fans, their fans meeting other fans, making friends, sharing beers, it’s a beautiful sight. SXSW perpetuates a synthesis of good music and good people. Here at South By, you really can’t have one without the other. Friday’s lineup of music has to be the most impressive to date. We made our was to Lamar and 6th Street where Austin’s iconic Waterloo Records had set…

As the sun began to set on Austin yesterday, a few things were made very clear: 1.     Beer was not running low 2.     Music was getting louder 3.     People were showing up in insurmountable proportions At times, it seemed a wonder even one more body could fit into any given venue, and yet when they play, the crowd will come. And while the names of Dave Grohl, Justin Timberlake and Wayne Coyne were floating around the streets in buzzed excitement,…