I don't care what the schedule says; the music at SXSW lasts a hell of a lot longer than five days. The proof is in the scores of free, fringe 'mini-fests' going on all across town since last weekend, and continuing into next week after the officially sanctioned shows end. It's also in my blown-out, still-ringing ears from the show I witnessed yesterday at Trailer Space Records. Put on by Austin radio show and record label Depleted Resource, the record store hosted the no-frills floor-show for free, tossing in a few kegs to sweeten the deal.


Denton noise-punk outfit Mass Sterilization began the night on a particularly gruff note, heightening the room's hysteria with every flailing attack. The band's loose, vicious mix of noise, punk and early hardcore is a revelatory punch to the gut live -- almost too much to take in. You can almost certainly thank Mass Sterilization's bass-driven, careening song structure for that. Tunes like "Clutter" built on raspy howls, whiplash speed and frenetic drumming, while Teenage Cool Kids guitarist/vocalist Daniel Ziegler barely controlled his feral, Fugazi-ish guitar riffs.


Next up, Austin power-violence quartet Chest Pain delivered a punishing blow with its set of brash punk head-bangers. The band's energetic, cathartic blasts were impressive, but failed to reach too far beyond the dynamic of rapid-fire guitar and pummeling backbeats; fun, but a little redundant.


Phoenix's Pigeon Religion followed, delivering what was easily the most bizarre performance of the night. Basing its sound around terrifying wastelands of noise -- tribal drums, schizophrenic, weirdo licks and canyon-echo cries -- Pigeon Religion's songs were so loud they killed brain cells. Turning the lights out, chasing every wandering, brutal whim; the set almost felt more like performance art than a concert. An excuse for feedback, a chance to shove an audience down a dark alleyway. Harrowing, no doubt. Especially during the finale, when the group took an electric saw to a piece of degraded metal, shooting sparks into the crowd, scaring out a few squatter punks' dogs and many in the crowd.


Baltimore's Surroundings took the stage last for what was, for me, the most anticipated set of the evening. I saw the band play 1919 Hemphill two years ago -- its last tour through Texas -- and I'm still reeling from it. You might think hardcore punk has moved you; heard guitars so cutting and scummy, their prowess scared you. Surroundings play it dirtier, faster, and -- hell, if the music suggests anything, they'd probably pull a switchblade on them too.


As the band shot through the cuts from its recently released debut, self-tiled LP, the unsuspecting crowd stood with eyes wide, heads bobbing, hardly knowing what just hit them. Songs like "Static Mind" and "Harvesting Dirt" built punk monoliths only to destroy them; contrasting fearless, speed-addled hardcore, with churning molasses-thick stoner metal. The notes are so sharp and menacing, it feels as though they've been engraved in your eardrums. It's what Converge might sound like if the band played twice as fast, and wanted to be more like a hardcore version of Iron Lung.

An aspiring Dallas singing talent will get a chance to shine in the national spotlight today. Taronica, a Lancaster resident, will perform her new single "Bad B" today during a live contest on BET's 106 & Park "Wild Out Wednesday" television show at 5:00 pm CST.

The 24-year old Taronica (myspace.com/taronica) is an upcoming R&B artist with a style influenced by the club bopping tracks heard coming from most rap-tuned speakers. This R&B-rap fusion is the style displayed on her "Bad B" single, a sassy independent ladies anthem with an uptempo club-ready bounce. The single, which has a growing buzz, was produced by Recka who has also worked with Dorrough ("Ice Cream Paint Job"), Tum Tum and other Dallas artists. While the "Bad B" track leans towards the hip hop vibe she told us "I'm using that style as an avenue to get into venues that dont normally play R&B type music." This method is apparently working after a local tastemaker saw her perform and recommended her to the BET music show.

"I'm definitely excited but not nervous - yet", Taronica told us a few days before her big moment on national television. "I'm hoping to gain a larger fanbase and increase exposure other DFW artists who don't rap" she added when asked what she hopes to gain from the experience. "Once people get a chance to feel my music they will also get to hear more of my tradionational R&B songs" she explained. Taronica plans on releasing her first project "The Definition of a Bad B" in mid-April so we expect to hear even more from her soon. Listen to Taronica at taronicaismusic.com

Watch Taronica's live performance today at 5:00 pm CST on BET's 106 & Park "Wild Out Wednesdays" TV show.

Vote for her performance at BET.com or viewers can mobile text their votes: A, B, or C to 79922. (Taronica is "C")

Virtually every local venue that serves beer will have some sort of St. Patrick's Day special today. Here are a few options for some green day fun.

Blackfriar Pub: Irish food specials include shepherd's pie and corned beef and cabbage. Music by RTB2 at 4 p.m., bagpipe music from 5 to 7 p.m. 2621 McKinney Ave. 214-953-0599. blackfriarpub.com.

Ginger Man: "Keep the Guinness Glass" specials and music from After Five. Doors at 11 a.m. 2718 Boll St. No cover. 214-754-8771. dallas.gingermanpub.com.

Ginger Man (Plano): Beer specials and music from cover band Soylent Blue from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. 7205 Bishop Road, Suite E1, Plano. No cover. 469-814-8299. plano.gingermanpub.com.

Idle Rich Pub: Irish food from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bagpipe music from 5 to 7 p.m., the Killdares perform at 6:30 p.m., Irish dancing at 7 p.m. 2614 McKinney Ave. 214-965-9926. idlerichpub.com.

The Old Monk: Food specials include Guinness beef stew and shepherd's pie. Homespun Remedies performs at 5 p.m., bagpipe music at 7:30 p.m., RTB2 performs at 9 p.m. 2847 N. Henderson Ave. 214-821-1880. oldmonkdallas.com.

The Quarter Bar: Free happy hour buffet. 4 to 7 p.m. 3301 McKinney Ave. 214-754-4940. breadwinnerscafe.com.

Sherlock's Baker St. Pub: Green beer and music from Chasing Highways and "digital dance band" the Video Stars. 9 p.m. 9100 N. Central Expressway. 214-692-1111. sherlockspubco.com.

The Shops at Legacy: Ringo's Pub hosts an outdoor festival featuring Irish food and drink, and music from tribute bands American Outlaw, Petty Theft and Glass Apple. 10 a.m. to midnight. $5 cover after 6 p.m. 5865 Kincaid Road, Plano. 469-229-9103. ringospub.net.

Trees: The Reverend Horton Heat plays a free show with Descender and Spector 45. 7 p.m. 2709 Elm St. 214-741-1122. treesdallas.com.

Trinity Hall: Sing-along with the Irish Rogues from 3 to 7 p.m. Seamus Stout performs at 9:30 p.m. 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane. 214-887-3600. trinityhall.tv.

West End Pub: Music from Scott Stephans. 8 p.m. to midnight. 1801 N. Lamar St., Suite 100. 214-748-5711. westendpubdallas.net.

Whether or not you are heading to Austin tomorrow morning for the music portion of South by Southwest, you might be interested in our preview pieces. We're giving them to you early, before the issue hits stands.

-- We've got a piece on the local bands traveling to Austin. We spotlight Telegraph Canyon (above) and its sweet-ass RV. Click it.

-- Then there's our look at the 20 nonlocal acts we're dying to see at the fest. Broken Bells probably tops the list. Or Nneka. Click it.

-- And finally, Quick Editor Rob Clark gives us his annual list of the craziest and silliest band names on the SXSW roster. Clickity-click it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pack and print out invites and get supplies and double check hotel info and ...

"Idol Records is proud to announce the signing of Dallas-based band Charming Gardeners.

Featuring:
Amy Curnow - Vocals
Marc Solomon - Gtr, Vocals
Wade Cofer - Bass, Vocals
Gerald Iragorri - Drums


Idol will release a self titled EP in April. Check out the bands songs new at http://www.myspace.com/charminggardeners.


Upcoming Charming Gardeners Shows:
Mar 19 Dallas Museum of Art
Mar 27 Sue Ellen's
Apr 24 La Grange
May 1 Life In Deep Ellum
May 17 Highland Park High School"

All photos by Jason Janik. Follow tweets here.

I know everyone's required to say the Flaming Lips concert is the most anticipated event of NX35, but for me the highlight was seeing musician/producer Steve Albini speak at Hailey's.


Never mind that Albini has recorded some of the biggest and best records in the last 25 years (The Jesus Lizard's Liar and Goat, The Pixies' Surfer Rosa, Nirvana's In Utero). His humor is as dry as the cheapest bottle of Andre and the guy is an open-book of punk history. Luckily, the format was casual, allowing Albini to touch on an array of topics. Record Hop guitarist Scott Porter -- whose band recorded its self-titled album with Albini -- led the discussion like an old friend, ceding control of the talk to Albini. From first-hand accounts of playing in landmark noise-rock bands like Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac to mocking the self-importance of studio producers, the event felt more like a spontaneous hangout than a serious panel.


Like his music, Albini kept things concise and direct. He extolled the virtues of removing the producer from as much of the recording process as possible; just letting a band be itself. Giving advice to budding musicians and engineers alike, Albini stressed simplicity in all aspects of life -- especially when dealing with record companies. None of his bands sign contracts, everything is handled with a handshake. "The only times I've signed something since 1986 are when I bought a house and when I get in trouble with the police," said Albini.


Later, I was happy to spend the whole evening at Hailey's for one of the most-hyped shows of NX35. And after show-hopping Thursday night, the concert was a refreshing change from dealing with shows running late and disparate set-times across town.


Denton's Final Club opened the concert triumphantly, playing to an initially light, but receptive crowd, which continued to flow in during their set. The band ran through the cuts from its recently released debut Hot Gaze EP competently with guitarist/vocalist Brendon Avalos giddily playing every solo like it might be his last. Songs like "Tragic World" and the corrosive closer "Wizard Wells" highlighting the group's thundering rhythm section, with tom-heavy drum fills reminiscent of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Most impressive of all though was the disorienting interplay between guitars. Avalos's shoegazing, high-end fret-work feverishly works overtime in stark contrast to the psychedelic, delayed finger-tapping of guitarist Austin Swann. At its best, the effect is mesmerizing, the notes lingering; sticking in the air as they trickle from the strings.


After Final Club's rousing set, Austin's Pure Ecstasy earned its namesake. I get it now -- you've got to be on something to get this live. Before the psychedelic pop trio played, I'd only heard a handful of songs. But the band's limber, stoned doo-wop on the 7-inch single "Easy" wooed me into checking them out. The dynamic is simple: guitar, drums, vocals, bass -- all float in an ocean of reverb and effects. When it works, Pure Ecstasy's enchanting. But the band spent most of the set regurgitating the same melodies, masking its straightforward, languid slow dances in drugged out effects. Pure Ecstasy make blissful, relaxed sweet-nothings, but the formula seems better suited for sunny afternoon drives than concerts.


Denton's Fergus & Geronimo easily redeemed the bill when it hit the stage next. Currently one of the most buzzed about bands in the D-FW, the band played an ecstatic, grooving set, throwing in a few curve-ball new tracks to shake things up. The group's slick mix of Motown, R&B, and Nuggets-era rock is a revelation live, distilling the immediacy of 60s rock 'n' roll bands like The Sonics. Band's whose sound thrived on emphatic energy and demanded righteous hip-shakin'. In songs like "Harder Than Its Ever Been" -- when Fergus & Geronimo combines its influences -- they're untouchable. Look for the band's debut EP this summer, coming out on indie stalwart Woodsist from Brooklyn.


Austin's Woven Bones brought the show to an anti-climactic close with its one-dimensional, brooding psychedelic garage stomp. Another band relying on effects to cloak its reductive approach, the trio took a fairly uniform approach to every song. Most were dark drives; soaking in the black smoke of noiser, more atmospheric tracks of bands like San Francisco's Thee Oh Sees. The set laboriously dragged on, scaring away any notions the bill suggested of Austin's primacy over Denton's as the hub of innovative music, and the remaining audience members.

Bands were added and subtracted from bills at the last minute. Shows started, and ran late across town. For a conferette only in its second year, NX35 played out like a seasoned fest last night.


In typical form, just like my experiences at many other festivals, my plans changed as the evening wore on. With most bands playing later than advertised, hopping around from concert to concert became an increasingly difficult task. However, venue proximity around the square allowed for some moments of utter serendipity.


I began the night running into Subservient Experiment's Cory Graves while grabbing a slice at J&J's. From there we moved down the street to The Hydrant to watch Roy Robertson perform. I'm not sure if it was the lack of alcohol, or just because of Robertson's early set, but the crowd barely edged above 20. Although, playing with his backing band for the first time, the crowd seemed to be the least of Robertson's worries.


The group is clearly still figuring out how to translate his personality to a full-band setting. The drumming was capable, but at times unwieldy. Everyone seems to still be feeling out each other's styles, and tightening their grip over the material. But for a 'first-show', that's all far from uncommon.


What really struck me was the intense scope of Robertson's ambition. The new fleshed-out song arrangements are rough, but compelling. The set was diverse and revealed a prog-rock influence not immediately obvious in his solo recordings. But aside from a few sections of Mars Volta antics, the sound mostly found its way into Robertson's acid guitar tone and fanciful wandering, and was never overpowering. And his limber wordplay did wonders for tracks like "Book Burner" and "Appled Mouth".


Next, I'd planned on seeing Parata at J&J's, but instead I headed across the street to see another singer-songwriter at Banter. Har Herrar is the solo-project of Grapevine-native Justin Spike. Last night was a rare live appearance for Spike as he spends most of the year traveling across the country and working manual labor jobs like planting trees and harvesting corn.


Spike's set of outlaw old school, country folk ballads and spry punk waltzes quickly energized the unsuspecting audience. His talent for world-weary story-telling and inventive arrangements -- playing with tempo change, but never losing the steady, driving melodies -- was affecting and kept things constantly surprising. Backing his acoustic strumming with old friend Adam Neese on bass and Mount Righteous' Joey Kendall on drums, Spike's sly smile let on he was enjoying genuine fun with every song.


Following Spike's set, I went to the Boiler Room in search of a change in pace. As Austin math-rock/noise duo Zorch began its set, just how much of a change this would be hit me immediately like five drops of acid. And judging from the crowd's response, I wasn't alone.


Zorch played an incredibly varied, vibrant, harrowing set that -- at times -- was nothing short of astonishing. The band's dynamic of contrasting keyboardist Zac Trager's electronic flourishes with Shmu's Herculean drumming was what initially drew me to the show, but it was Zorch's bold new direction that really demanded attention. When the group unleashed a new song, played live for the first time last night, no one blinked for six minutes. Rather than indulging in noise, the song's syrupy synths and chirpy drums bounced around like Peter Gabriel embarking on a sparkling, epic journey through a Nintendo fantasia. As Shmu wailed in his elated hypnotic falsetto, the band embodied a different sound with each hairpin turn: drone, dance, club, hip-hop, r&b, Afro-pop. The songs devilishly shifted so much it was impossible to place where the group fits on the experimental/psychedelic spectrum. But with some tunes burrowing in Health art-noise and others exploring ornate arrangements like the Dirty Projectors, the duo still seems to still be deciding that itself.


By the end, everyone was exhausted. The set ran late, and during the disarming chaos I missed New Science Projects at Andy's. But my misfortune quickly turned into luck when I found out Denton institution Snarky Puppy was playing next. The group's erudite mix of funk and jam band jazz-fusion packed the room with flowing hair, dreadlocks and those caressing said dreadlocks. It felt like the last official step in a Denton right of passage ceremony. And I'm fairly sure I spotted the reincarnated Vincent Van Gogh twirling his cinnamon stache amongst the grooving. So, not all's a loss.

I think it's safe to label the first day of NX35 a success. Last night's showcases brought impressive crowds to most of the venues around the Square -- I read a tweet from @NX35 that said five of the eight venues were at capacity at one point. A big improvement over last year's inaugural fest, where I attended more than one showcase with only a handful of audience members.


Program in hand after the relatively painless check-in (you pick up wristbands in the same place as the Bucks Burnett 8-Track exhibit, so there's no reason not to check that out), I felt a little too restless to stay in one place for long, so I ended up hopping around a lot.


Had dinner with a friend to the sounds of singer-songwriter Glen Farris at Sweetwater. He's an excellent if a little subdued performer, so the moments he shined were the ones in which folks in the back weren't yapping too loudly. He ended his set with a veh nice cover of Nico's "These Days," dedicated to his roommate. We're glad she could make it.


Next up was singer Jenn Gooch at the Hydrant, a coffee shop that feels more like the loft of that friend that you hate because he always stumbles on the best real estate. Gooch played her banjo and performed a raw but compelling brand of bluegrass. She was a little like an unrehearsed Alison Krauss. I liked it. I also liked that the Hydrant had $1 coffee.


Managed to pop into J&J's basement for a few minutes of Burywood, a band that had been moved from its original venue, the unexpectedly shut down Texas 8 Ball. Didn't matta -- J&Js' healthy crowd ate up the band's rock-ier tunes.


Couldn't even get in the door at Jupiter House, which was at capacity for the Sabra Laval show. Her dulcet tones, set to a full band, could be heard quite clearly out front, though.


Had more luck getting into Dan's Silverleaf, which soon after became just as packed. Why? RTB2 was playing, close to a year after its rapturous performance at the fest last year. And the duo had several copies of the recording of that show to give away last night. I'd imagine they weren't left with any copies, considering the enthusiastic reactions from the crowd to "When Hammer Hits Stone" and "Wire to the Walls." As usual, singer Ryan Thomas Becker had an abundance of energy. He kept moving too quickly and losing his guitar strap, finally tossing the entire guitar onto the stage floor with a laugh. Thank God he picked it back up.


Ended my night back at the Hydrant, where Daniel Folmer had some fun with his band members by forcing them to choose which songs to play. They picked a few upbeat (or upbeat for Folmer, at least) ones to match the sound-activated disco lights turned on for the show. We had to laugh when Folmer sarcastically thanked NX35 for providing a sound guy (there was none, so he relied on the sound advice of a few audience members when tweaking the knobs).


That was Thursday. See you up there tonight, yes? If not, feel free to follow me tweets.


P.S. -- Find photos and more recaps over at the Denton Record-Chronicle's No Fold blog. They're covering the fest like gangbusters.

Friday morning, I had the chance to tour the ginormous new Whole Foods Market in the Park Lane development. Click on the photo above to take a stroll through the store.