SXSW: More bands than you could shake a stick at

Everything’s bigger in Texas (that’s why you don’t mess with it). Well, somehow they’ve managed to squeeze a grand total of 1,594 bands into Austin’s 5-day SXSW music festival this March. That’s an average of 318.8 bands a day. From Brooklyn’s A-Alikes to Austin’s own Zykos, this year’s line-up offers everything from the big names (perhaps you’ve heard of this band from Georgia called R.E.M.) to the lesser known (such as the very interestingly and aptly named Psychedelic Horseshit from Columbus, OH, or $hit and $hine from London) and all points in between.

If you’re lucky enough to be there, you’re going to need to plan your itinerary carefully. Other notable names include Ice Cube (apparently taking a break from family-friendly movies to get back in touch with his gangsta roots), Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and the one and only Billy Bragg.

Not only that, but it appears that Tia Carrera is also turning in a set. Fortunately it’s not the Wayne’s World actress trying to make music, not that that wouldn’t have its own inherent comedic value.

By the way, I just did the math, and if they only had one stage to let 1,594 acts perform in a span of only 5 days, each band would only get 4 minutes and 31 seconds. Also, just in case you’re curious, the spell checker in the Google Toolbar thinks “gangsta” is a perfectly legitimate word. Very forward thinking indeed.