Los Angeles International Airport... en route to SXSW... I sit on the floor of the terminal, waiting to board, hoodie pulled over my eyes to avoid the wait-at-the-gate small talk, when over the loud speaker comes the nasal whine of an airport attendant, "Last boarding call for passenger Vince Vaughn... Vince Vaughn this is your last boarding call for flight [redacted] [redacted] departing to [redacted] [redacted]..." I peer up through a tangle of my hair to catch Vince Vaughn himself, within seconds, come barreling out of a bar... hauling ass down the walkway towards his gate. And I think he has the right idea; I should be in that bar, preparing for this monster music festival that is going to hit me like a tsunami the minute I land in Austin, Texas.

But that was three weeks ago now, and the SXSW 2008 Music Festival has wrapped and left town. Packed into four non-stop days were 1,580 bands, hundreds of panel discussions, and what felt like a million bloggers scouring the city and leaving no beer-stained flyer unturned. What started in 1987 as a who's who of up and coming artists has transformed into perhaps the largest, annual music festival and media gathering this side of Rick Rubin's living room.

Ahem, so let's get started. This year I decided to liven things up a bit and forgo the pen and notepad for something with more of a pulse, per se. So, armed with a video camera and handy SG mic that doubled as a baton if needed, I took to the guitar pick-strewn streets to chat up some talent. There were the bands that stole my heart, and the bands that stole my cabs. There were SGs I couldn't wait to meet, ex-lovers I couldn't wait to avoid and, by the end of each night, a hotel bed I couldn't wait to throw myself in. My partner in crime, Hunter, filled you all in last week with her recap of the week's events, so now some SGTV video footage to round out this year's music week coverage.



First up, Hunter landed a curbside interview outside of Spiro's with metal band Black Tide to chat about SXSW babes, their debut album Light From Above and what it was like getting kicked off Ozzfest for being underage.



That night, I made camp at the Definitive Jux showcase at the Scoot Inn and talked with label head and hip-hop artist EL-P about signing Dizzee Rascal and Del the Funky Homosapien. I also sat down with Del himself to chat about his new album, The 11th Hour, and being one of what he calls, "the nephews of funk."



Later, Hunter covered some distance as she talked to UK imports British Sea Power, new Austin local Ladyfingers and LA's Barrio Tiger about SXSW survival tips.



I also tracked down John Reis (Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu) to talk about his new band, The Night Marchers, before they took the stage at a Vice party.



On our last night in Austin, we partied with SuicideGirls Selket, Illyria, Zak and Sheila at the Indie 103.1 FM showcase (home of SG Radio) at the Cedar St. Courtyard, where the station had been broadcasting live all week.



Zak and Sheila talked to band Io Echo and got the scoop on their upcoming collaboration with She Wants Revenge, while Selket met up with The Airborne Toxic Event backstage to talk about their recent success and playing SXSW for the first time.