I have been to several music festivals but this one has a flavour all it’s own.  The one thing that has completely stood out to me is the accessibility of the musicians and their genuine appreciation for being here.  Let’s start with yesterday where I ran into the Watson twins, met the band Muse and got a picture with them, and hung out with Wes Miles the lead singer of Ra Ra Riot after their amazing show at Club DeVille (who also posed for a pic).

Never have I seen musicians so excited to be playing for their audience.  One of the most unique experiences yesterday was watching Band of Horses play a beautiful set inside the Presbyterian church.  The setting and the music seemed to fit perfectly and they started the set by asking “So, what do you want to talk about?”  Maybe it was the bands I happened to watch but I felt all shows had a level of intimacy and authenticity that just left the audience with a feeling of euphoria after it was all over.  During Ra Ra Riot’s gig last night at the Club De Ville, Wes jumped into the crowd to finish off their final song and told the fans ”I need your high fives!” as he jumped around seemingly wanting to connect with everyone in the audience.

With this many bands, people, partying and line-ups you would think people would be frazzled and rowdy but everyone seems to thoroughly enjoy being here and respect their fellow festival goers as well as the craft of the musicians they are here to see.  I love it and am very excited to know where all the talent showcased here this week will end up in the next year before SXSW 2011!