It's weird. I've seen just a few of the m a n y films at sxsx but it turns out some of them were winners:

SXSW/Chicken & Egg Emergent Woman Award: Made in China
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award: 45365
Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award: Made in China
Reel Shorts Winner: Thompson

So, I did stick to my plan and moved on to music this afternoon. I saw a bunch of good bands for free:

- Pete and the Pirates Their sound is not unlike Vampire Weekend but I guess more British; they seem really young in the same way too. They were my favorite of the afternoon--really good live.
- FOUND They were my second favorite band of the afternoon, I'm judging only on live performance here. Experimental pop is the title they give themselves. Compared to Pete and the Pirates and Casiokids, these guys have a bit more evolved, mature sound, though more erratic/dissonant and not as smooth though very danceable.
- Casiokids The room definitely swelled when they came on stage. There was a lot of keyboard all afternoon and so too with them. Pretty sounding, pop, dance music. Very fun to dance to.

- Anni Rossi She has a very unique presence. She's a small girl and was performing on a suitcase that had a microphone inside it. For percussion she stomps her feet on the suitcase as she plucks away, sort of violently, on her violin.

- The Proclaimers Yes. The same Proclaimers that would walk 500 miles.
- The Phenomenal Handclap Band They had a ton of people on stage. I counted 8 (from the list of band members on their website I think we only saw 10% of the band). Two girls were singing accompanying vocals and playing tambourine in high-waisted, tight, seventies jeans. Again, there was some fun keyboard (I think they actually had two on stage). The lead singer also had a seventies thing really going on with a handle bar mustache, clear aviator glasses, red suede cowboy boots. White pants pearl snap buttons and long wavy blond hair
- Golden Filter Not sure what to say about these guys. There were a lot of effects on the main vocals. They weren't that great, though they played last and were the presumable headliner. It seems like I hear a lot of hard and loud electronic/intelligent dance music but these guys have a softer sound going on which is a nice way to do it.