I'm relaxing here at Austin Java, my favorite coffee shop in Austin, Texas, on this gorgeous sunny day--perfect weather for South By Southwest this year. I've been in Austin all week, taking in live performances by the best bands in Americana/Texas music. So far, my favorites include Dale Watson at the Continental Club and Adrian and the Sickness on the big outdoor stage down Congress Avenue just beyond the Continental Club. I've also really enjoyed the unique opportunity to see a variety of artists recording live and up-close in the Motel Time series hosted by radio personality "Big Kev" Ploghoft and Americana Music Association Board Member Fred Boenig, both of WXLV Radio in Pennsylvania. So far, some of their most interesting guests have included Chuck Meade of BR549, Gurf Morlix, who may be best recognized for his work with Lucinda Williams, Seth Walker, who's one of the hottest new acts in the Texas Blues scene, and Al Moss, who is not an entertainer but is the most established radio promoter in Americana music today. Al's interview, along with videos of the Motel Time artists, will be posted at http://www.thealternateroot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=100 And I'll be recording a set for Motel Time, too! Tomorrow (Friday, March 20) from about 3-3:30 p.m., I'm playing an acoustic set at historic Threadgill's on Riverside, right in the middle of all the SXSW mayhem. I'll be included in a line-up of acts sponsored by my distributor, Burnside Distribution Corporation, in Portland, Oregon, and then I'll be heading back home Sunday to film an appearance at South By Due East, Houston's alternative to Austin's South By Southwest. (Houston is "due east" of Austin on Interstate 10, thus the name of the festival.) I've heard really good things about this well-established and well-organized event, spearheaded by Guy Schwartz of The New Jack Hippies fame. Last year, Billy Block came in from Nashville and played drums with some of the bands! No doubt, there will be good music and a GREAT time to be had by all at one of Houston's landmark music venues, Dan Electro's Guitar Bar, where Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) has been known to show up and jam, along with a few other "big names" through the years, including Kevin Costner and Blues legend, Little Joe Washington. So much music, so little time . . . Y'all come!