Keeping the engine running at SXSW

I’m remembering the whirlwind that was SXSW in Austin.  You have to tackle a conference and festival such as SXSW with plans A to F.  You have to be ready to walk a lot if you start around 11 am and go to the late nighttime hours.  My schedule included interviews meeting artists, publicists and managers on Thursday and Friday which also means that you are missing something because something is always happening at SXSW.  I was also sick with a cold the entire time that I was in Austin which meant you also have to keep your energy up through attending day time scenes such as the MTV Woodie Awards to catch rising blues star Gary Clark Jr. and juggle your time to see latin alternative darlings Ximena Sarinana, Natalie LaFourcade and Javina Mena jam with Mexico’s Torreblanca.  In between you make the time to catch a bit of Springsteen’s keynote address before running to meet up with Bomba Estereo at the Omni Hotel six blocks away.  Then shoot back to the Austin Convention Center to pick up the ticket for the Boss’s show. I had to eat a bite at the Sounds of Spain party where I could take a breather to enjoy a little dish of paella, chorizo and ensalada and savoring a glass of Marques De Caceres.  I’m just talking about a few hours into Thursday.  Let alone the night time gigs where there were showcases in every part of downtown Austin.