SXSW: The week that bands, musos and fankids are drawn to Austin like moths to a flame. Burning out, running out of money or appearing uncool are all to be avoided. We asked Canadian garage ladies and SXSW aficionados The Pack A.D., otherwise known as Maya and Becky, for their tips on surviving a week in rock and roll mecca…

Photos by Justine Warrington

THE PACK A.D.’S CHEAP ASS GUIDE TO DRINKING AND EATING YOUR WAY THROUGH SXSW ON SOMEONE ELSE’S DIME

aka Flowers in Rain: A Young Girl’s Journey

Alright, so you’re a band. For the sake of this page – you’re us. You’re hot, young and fucking broke. Nobody knows you. They should know you. But they sure as hell don’t. Bastards, all of them. This is something very true in music -it’s chock full of despicable people and, like, two good ones. This is not being bitter. This is just being honest.

So, we’re playing SXSW again. I cannot possibly give you a guide on what will happen this year (what do I look like, a fucking genie?), but I can give you a guide based on last year.

You - which is to mean us - arrive in an extremely hectic traffic situation in which you turn in to oncoming traffic to find your hotel and… no one honks at you. Go figure.

Step one: Check into your hotel, which will end up being covered by a tour grant courtesy of our fine country, Canada.

Step two: Split a meal at Denny’s to save money and be served by a very charming transvestite.

Then, in no particular order:

Eat Texas shaped waffles and purloin non-perishable food items for later consumption. Drink all the hotel’s crappy complimentary coffee.

Register at the Convention Center. Get free bag of crap and then sort through ‘discard’ tables to get more free crap that other people deemed too crappy even though it’s free (sort’ve like when people download the free iTunes ‘single of the week’ and then have the balls to complain about it).

Play show. Drink everything you can get. Ignore the free BBQ. Instead, go to your label’s hotel room and order room service and charge it to their room. Regale all with obnoxious stories that only you and your bandmate think are funny, and then leave.

Stumble up and down 6^th Street, randomly popping into venues to watch five minute sets by bands you’ve never heard of, while looking for more complimentary drinks. Take flyers from everyone – especially hardcore Korean bands that are cute.

If you need to puke, use the empty cooler in the van instead of a toilet. Get your bandmate to wash it out.

It’s all about saving the planet, one pile of vomit at a time.

 Signed,

The Pack A.D.

Check out the new issue of ROTR zine, online and on paper from March 14th, for a full interview with The Pack A.D plus their illustrated guide to tour snacks… rockin’.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 2:17 pm and is filed under ROTR, SXSW 09. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.