The options for SXSW 2009 were quite overwhelming as usual. Here are some of the great bands I’ve been cheking out this year:

Deer Tick – An excellent band from Brooklyn that is difficult to pigeon hole. Great singing and songwriting upholding my observation that all indie bands with “deer” in their name are good.

Pete & The Pirates – A very fun British punk/pop band that has a great live presence.

Easy-Star Allstars – The best Pink Floyd / Radiohead cover band you will ever experience live!

The Hold Steady No strangers to SXSW or Austin, The Hold Steady has got to be one of the best live rock bands touring today.

Heartless Bastards – An indie jewel from Ohio that played four shows at SXSW 2009. I can’t wait to hear all the great records these guys put out over the next few years.

Dead Confederate – An excellent hard rock act from Athens, Georgia.

Ume – A very fun three piece rock group from Austin.

I love this video. What a great place the Topanga Roadhouse to see somebody like Ryan Bingham play. (via muzzle of bees)

He’ll be playing Shady Grove on April 30 and Texas Union Ballroom on June 4.

I’m leaving the vinyl giveaway of Already Free open a while longer. I will close the giveaway tomorrow night and select a winner. So drop a comment people!

Thanks to Will at Corner Stone Production for making this giveaway happen!

Like The Derek Trucks Band? Dig vinyl? Drop a comment below and I’ll randomly select one of you for a giveaway of a 180 gram vinyl copy of the new Derek Trucks Band album Already Free. I’ll select a winner on March 11. Thanks to Will at Corner Stone Promotion for making this happen!

Also, if you’re a musician and you want to jam with Derek Trucks, he is running a contest on Indaba Music to find the best collaborator for his song Get What You Deserve. Derek and Doyle Bramhall II will select the winners who will be featured on derektrucks.com and myspace page, get backstage passes to meet the band, an Epiphone G-400 and tons of other prizes! Submissions are due by March 12. Check out the details on the contest page.

And remember to go see The Derek Trucks Band blow the roof off of La Zona Rosa tomorrow night!

Get What You Deserve (live at The Pageant 2/24/2009)

North Mississippi Allstars made their annual stop in Austin to play Antone’s on January 17. The show was amazing! I can’t get over Hear My Train A Comin’ and Love the One You’re With Don’t take my word for it though. Stream or download the mp3 here. I’ll seed the lossless torrent as long as I can. Grab it on bt.etree as well as the show they played on the 16th. Thanks so much to Lee Hart for taping!

North Mississippi Allstars
2009-01-17
Antone’s
Austin, TX

Disc 1

01 Goin’ Down South
02 Poor Boy
03 Keep The Devil Down
04 Ship
05 Write Me A Few Lines
06 Drop Down Mama
07 Sugartown
08 Freedom Highway
09 Po Black Maddie
10 Skinny Woman
11 Shake ‘Em On Down

Disc 2

01 Meet Me In The City
02 Mutha
03 Mississippi Bollweevil
04 Love the One You’re With
05 Boomer’s Story
06 ML
07 -encore-
08 Soldier
09 Hear My Train A Comin’
10 Horseshoe