This past week I was in Austin, Texas during the music portion of South by Southwest.  Although I find it a bit small, and slightly difficult to take Austin seriously as a major city (I guess I’d be what you’d consider a jaded New Yorker), the overall location and festival was delightful.  I, along with a few of my friends, spent our days in the sun listening to live music, and our nights surrounded by thousands of other music lovers, partying, drinking, singing, and having a good time.  Though there were some performances I could have done without, there were a couple notable bands whose music I have not stopped listening to.

The first is a band called the Click Clack Boom.  I saw them live at Lipstick 24, and instantly fell in love.  Their music is mellow, yet upbeat, and they sound just as good live as they do recorded.  Currently residing and playing in NYC, you can be sure I will attend one of their shows again very soon.  Below is one of my personal favorites of theirs, but do yourself a favor and check out more of their stuff.

the Click Clack Boom | “Open Hands”

The second band worth mentioning is a band called Lost in the Trees.  I saw them at the Muzzle of Bees even, hosted by a friend of mine.  The band features a 3-part string section, which was an immediate draw for me.  Here’s my favorite song of theirs.

Lost in the Trees | “Time Taunts Me”

All in all, Austin is a lovely city, and SXSW was an amazing event to have attended.  Hopefully I will be back next year, not only as a spectator, but with any luck, as a performer.