Keep Austin Weird: Upon My Arrival AT SXSW

I've been in Austin, TX for less than 24 hours and I've managed to bump into R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe on the street, rock out to hyped act White Denim and the Minus 5 and catch a ride from coolest Apache Indian/cab driver ever. All this and I haven’t even picked up my badge for the thing. But the craziness that is SXSW and the weirdness that is Austin is only beginning...On my connecting flight to the "Live Music Capital of the World" I sat in front of the lyricist/guitarist of UK outfit, Furthest Drive Home. I’d never even heard of them either, but the eavesdropping I did from my seat in 12F actually turned my attention to the band. Joe, a lanky 6’4” bloke managed to talk the entire trip with the middle-aged hefty Texan next to him in 13E, explaining the world of MySpace and his love for his first Michael Jackson album HIStory, which proved he was just a yearling. There were a lot more young and fresh faces waiting for their luggage at the Austin airport baggage claim. It seems everyone at SXSW has some important connection in the music business. I managed to share a cab ride with someone from the live music site, Sonic Living, who upon mention of MOG's Lou Reed after-party got really excited. “I actually heard people talking about it at the baggage carousel and was gonna ask them about it.” Really? Am I surprised MOG is throwing one of the raddest parties ever? Not the least bit.I met up with fellow MOGgers indiepixie (whose amazing interview with Stipe cane be seen "here":http://mog.com/indiepixie/blog_post/149263) and David Hyman. We all hopped into the RADDEST CAB EVER. Rain the Apache Indian driver had transformed this thing into a blue love-mobile. The interior was as torqoiuse as the frogs he licks at his gatherings. Our Man, had feathers in his hair and even performed to us on his conch shell, christening my SXSW live music experience.After singing some Polish drinking songs with Rain (the first Apache/Indian I've met who spoke Polish)we were finally at out destination, Hole In The Wall, which is anything but. We waited to see the Minus Five, whose set was a way too disappointing four songs. Outside afterwards the gang bumped into Stipe again, shorter than the last I remember him. Over at Emo’s I got to catch the tail end of the White Denim set. The trio really caught my attention when they jammed psychedelic, but at times it almost felt like something was missing from their arrangement. I chatted up some dude, who also knew about our Lou Reed after-party. “I can’t go cause I got to work,” he said, but I RSVPed.Sucker.