Couldn’t make it to South by Southwest? Not to worry — we’ve got reports from the year’s premiere music festival. Menomena’s Brent Knopf fills us in.

What’s the inconvenient truth about South by Southwest?

This is the second time we’ve played the festival. Both times we’ve arrived in Austin there’s been these strange, End Times rainstorms. When we came in two years ago, all of a sudden the clouds unleashed their fury. There was flooding in the streets! We were only here for a couple of hours. This time we get to hang out and enjoy, but sure enough, when we arrived, there was massive flooding.

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Photos: SXSW ‘07
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Couldn’t make it to South by Southwest? Not to worry — we’ve got reports from the frontlines of the year’s premiere music festival. Mute Math’s Paul Meany fills us in.

Caution: Rocking is Hazardous to Your Health
They need to start doing some sort of first aid tent. I’m hobbling right now. Of course a Mutemath show is a finely tuned ballet and I pride myself on that, but every now and then something goes wrong, and my God did I smash into something last night. Both my feet are throbbing. The roofs of my feet are killing me.

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Photos: SXSW ‘07

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Couldn’t make it to South By Southwest? Not to worry — we’ve got reports from the frontlines of the year’s premiere music festival. Stars of Track and Field’s drummer Dan Orvik fills us in.

It can get violent on stage…
We played five shows in 48 hours. It’s been f*cking crazy, we’re on our way to our sixth show right now. We’re borrowing a lot of gear — you have ten minute changeovers so you go with the house kit. Yesterday I played a show and we’re playing one of our big rock songs and there’s the kick drum pedal, it has a big felt beater on it, and right in the middle of the biggest part of the song it flew off. This is stuff that wouldn’t happen on my kit. I picked it up and threw it at [guitarist] Jason [Bell], because it’s important to me that he knew. I didn’t want to be a wet rag but it was my little way of trying to deal with it.

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Photos: SXSW ‘07

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Couldn’t make it to South By Southwest? Not to worry — we’ve got reports from the frontlines of the year’s premiere music festival. Jack’s Mannequin lead singer Andrew McMahon fills us in.

How To Do It "Austin-Style"…
We got in Wednesday at 5 pm and got right down to it, Austin-style — hitting the bar, eating food, having a good time. We rallied up the troops at Manuel’s. It’s our spot every year we come here.

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Couldn’t make it to South By Southwest? Not to worry — we’ve got reports from the frontlines of the year’s premiere music festival. Young Love’s singer Dan Keyes fills us in.

Talk about the frustration . . .

I don’t have a badge. I don’t have a bracelet. And I’m playing! It’s ridiculous. Last night, when I went to go see my friends play, I couldn’t even get in because I didn’t have a pass. So I was like, "All right, I’m going down to the east side." That’s where all the real parties are going down - in the warehouses and stuff.

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Couldn’t make it to South By Southwest? Not to worry — we’ve got reports from the frontlines of the year’s premiere music festival. Bassist Gordon Moakes fills us in.

Rock Stars and In-Laws…
We saw Amy from Stars, she was on the same flight from Phoenix, so that was nice. It was so late when we got in last night, and we were so hungry, we didn’t go into the fray. Almost certainly we’ll bump into people we know. Also I’ve got family here, in-laws.

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