Autumn Souvenir

, a photo by Autumn Souvenir on Flickr.

No one tops these two fellas:

The fight for the democracy throughout so many parts of the Middle East is breathtaking. This is courage rarely seen. To the people of Libya.....

I have found the promised land.

With so many friends heading to Austin this weekend and early this week, I can't help but think of the amazing times I've had at South By Southwest over the years. I've been six times, and here's just a glimpse at some of the memories: --Slobberbone at Club de Ville. Twelve years later, this remains the greatest set of rock n' roll I've ever witnessed. In a vicious downpour, Slobberbone, joined at times by Jimmy Smith of The Gourds, taught me that yes, rock n' roll can change your life. --Rushing from The Original Harmony Creek Dippers across town to catch Elliott Smith's encore. --All those damn Centro-matic shows. --Sneaking into The Jayhawks' private set at Stubb's. --Late night Richmond Fontaine set with Afterschool Special. --Kevn Kinney playing a backyard bbq that started somewhere around 5am. --Public Enemy in the park. They weren't that great, but I was finally seeing Public Enemy. --Bottle Rockets, Joe Henry and The Meat Puppets at L

Compiling a one-CD Townes Van Zandt mix is about as difficult as doing so for Springsteen or Dylan. Promise someone a sampling of Townes and, well, you really just want to buy them every record. There are very few Townes songs that I don't love. For a few months I was glued to his self-titled, but recently it's been Our Mother the Mountain over-and-over. Prior to the re-issues (and perhaps still) Townes was one of those artists that seemed to fall into the "just get his best of (i.e., High, Low and In Between ) and you'll be fine" camp. I couldn't disagree more. Sure, he didn't produce much new material following 1978's Flyin' Shoes , but everything prior is outstanding. Chuck in 2002's A Gentle Evening... and you're starting to round out a pretty comprehensive take on Townes' work. When considering all the music I go on about ad nauseum, it's the songs that Townes produced that hover somewhere around a spiritual experience. If the

I will not be making the haul this year, but based on a quick review of the lineup, I'd argue that this just might be the best lineup since 2000. If I were going, I'd try and see.... The Bangles The Baseball Project The Black Angels The Black Lips Caitlin Cary & The Small Ponds Damien Jurado David Dondero DeVotchKa Dolorean EPMD Emmylou Harris Freedy Johnston Hot Tub (just because they're called Hot Tub) Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Josh Ritter Leeroy Stagger Liz Phair Low Lucinda Williams Meat Puppets w Roky Erickson Middle Brother Okkervil River Old 97's Ron Sexsmith Shinyribs The Strokes Surprise Me Mr. Davis Thao with the Get Down Stay Down Thee Oh Sees Vetiver Waco Brothers World Party Yellowbirds