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 vendors and folks of every age gabbing, dancing and playing their banjos in true Austin fashion. Hotel San Jose’s stacked afternoon lineup consisted of two of our favorite South By performances, the Allah-Las and Lucius, so we decided to catch the opening act by the precarious moniker Shakey Graves. Best decision ever.

Shakey Graves is the brainchild of Texan Alejandro Rose-Garcia. As he began the 45-minute set it was apparent to everyone in attendance that Rose-Garcia is a talented man. He has soul. He has longevity. His lo-fi folk tunes are composed of lyrical expression. While standing solo in front of a sizeable crowd under the blazing sun, he occupied the entire space with every pick and pluck of his strings. The poignant set included ballads “Unlucky Skin,” “Georgia Moon” and the danceable “Business Lunch.” The crowd begged the Austin native to keep playing as he wrapped his vocals around his final lyric.

Over at Stages on 6^th, we caught two more outstanding performances. Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd make music enriched by their native Southland under the name Great Peacock. For a surge of traditional folklore infused with pop melodies, the Nashville duo brings bountiful musicality. As “Take Me to the Mountain” rang out, it became apparent these two share an unbreakable musical bond. Their stage presence is captivating and made us want to jump in the back of a pickup truck, head south and not look back.

When Seattle natives Ivan and Alyosha joined the outside stage on E. 6^th Street they were met by a swarming crowd. Wasting not even a moment, they dived headfirst into their grass roots anthems. The most notable characteristic of this emerging band is their stage show. Their live performance was joyous and punching with high-energy from start to finish. Tracks “Glorify” and “Fathers Be Kind” captured the warmth and intimacy of what it means to be on a journey, the essence of faith and how music can build a deep sense of purpose in life. Ivan and Alyosha are certainly a band we will be hearing of for a long time.

When midnight rolled around, we found ourselves catching another glimpse of The Weeks, which again, proved to be a non-stop dance off between the Mississippi longhairs and their crowd (it was madness and we loved it) down on Rainy St at the Bungalow.

At 1:00 am The Lonely Wild came on and changed the pace with their ethereal showcase. A true display of creativity and passion emerged when the quintet played tracks from debut LP The Sun As It Comes. It appears this band has come out of nowhere but will have lasting life. The performance merged beauty, sensuality and a desolate desire to please. The Lonely Wild sang out, “I will be your heart if you will be mine” under rich orchestrations and everyone fell silent.

New bands on top of new bands – to Austin we say, thank you. We searched your congested streets for them and we found them. Until next year, see y’all.