By Matt Harper
The 2010 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival began Friday (March 12) with the premiere of the heavily-anticipated comic book flick "Kick-Ass," but anyone familiar with Austin's famed annual festival knows that music takes center stage during this week-and-a-half. And in keeping with that spirit, Ustream held their own kick-off party and invited Gym Class Heroes and Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz to start the week off right.
Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy took to the stage in good spirits and kept the crowd dancing to the band's own unique brand of rock-infused hip-hop (or is it the other way around?). Friend and label mate Pete Wentz stood on a couch to get a better view of the band with a coy half-smile. Wentz wasn't the only celeb in the house though, as actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler watched enthusiastically from the VIP section and legendary rapper Bun B hung out with the crowd on the floor.
During Gym Class Heroes' set, Travis took a moment to talk about his upcoming solo album and assured the crowd that the band was about half way through a new Gym Class record. His solo project is just a chance for him to explore a new sound, he told the enthusiastic crowd. Travis told the room that we can expect The Papercut Chronicles 2 some time in the first quarter of next year.
After Gym Class Heroes wrapped up their set, Pete Wentz took to the club's turntables for a quick DJ session. All in all, it was a great way to kick off SXSW in Austin, and we're hoping more great things in the next 10 days.