Austin or bust

Featuring something like 120,000 bands this year (actual figure may vary), the 20th annual South By Southwest Music festival kicks off tomorrow in Austin. You've probably already seen the SXSW feature this week on the 'Fork, but I also recommend checking out a post that Brooklyn Vegan pointed to earlier this week from a Blog called "Crackers United." In addition to the usual barrage of showcase balancing tips, the site also links to some other essential on-line SXSW resources like SXSW Baby!, Showlist Austin and See You in the Pit. Click here for the complete article, but first, let me echo what are probably the two most important rules of SXSW: • Catch as many free day shows and parties as you can (preferably ones that offer free beer + bbq + swag). • Drink Shiner beer, not Lone Star.