Once again, MTV News has packed up the stick mics and headed down to Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, the gut-busting, eardrum-shattering celebration of bands, beer and BBQ (and gifting suites) that grabs the Longhorn State by the short hairs once a year and doesn't let go until it's good and ready.
Four days of near-continuous live music, peppered with brief, meat-filled interludes, the occasional open-bar, and parties that plow on into the early morning hours, SXSW is the music marathon to end all music marathons; it's part endurance test, part wild, unending bender ... the kind of thing you've got to experience at least once in your life, provided your ears (and liver) can handle it. Seriously, you have no idea how nuts things get down here.
Anyway, we arrived in town early Thursday morning, and when we got here, the folks at SXSW were nice enough to have two of Texas' favorite sons -- Paul Wall and Chamillionaire -- waiting on hand to welcome us. We'd like to think they do this for everybody, but we know better.
We spoke to the dynamic duo -- who had just reunited on stage the previous night at Austin's La Zona Rosa after spending much of the late '00s pursuing solo careers (with, it should be added, much success) -- about teaming up once again, memories of their earlier days spent hustling in Houston, and the status of their respective solo albums (after months of delay, we found out Cham's Venom will finally see the light of day on June 22, five days before another date that holds plenty of significance for any true fan of Houston's so-called "Screw Music" scene -- June 27 -- the title of an influential mixtape released by the late, great pioneer DJ Screw).
And while we'll get to all the news over the coming days, we figured we'd let these two Texas boys do what they do best: get on the mic, and welcome all of you to the party. After all, even the most gnarly of marathons must begin with a single step.
Check back throughout the week (and into the weekend) for more of MTV News' adventures at South by Southwest ... the biggest bands, the best interviews, the beefiest beef ribs ... it's all gonna be here.