Concert Notes: Fiona Apple at SXSW (Video), SXSW Podcasts, The Shins & More On Sale

Fiona Apple performs "Anything We Want" last night in this fan-filmed video. 

There's lots of current concert news, and not all of it's related to South by Southwest. In fact, there are a number of interesting concerts coming up in the New York area that are going on sale tomorrow. Here's what's up:

* If you missed last night's late concerts from Stubb's at SXSW on NPR Music, they're up now for streaming or podcast download. See these links for sets Sharon Van Etten, Dan Deacon, Alabama Shakes, and Andrew Bird.

* Fiona Apple's return to the stage had people talking, and you can see videos of two new songs by her ("Every Single Night" and "Anything We Want") at the Village Voice's wrap-up of Day 1 at SXSW.

As for those NYC-area concerts (all of which go on sale tomorrow, March 16th, at 12 Noon, except for the first show):

* Chip Taylor, writer of "Wild Thing" and "Angel of the Morning," is having a record-release show March 22nd at Hill Country for his new album, "F*ck All the Perfect People." Tickets are on sale now.

* Fresh off their appearance on "Saturday Night Live," The Shins are on the road and will play three nights at New York's Terminal 5, April 29th and 30th, and May 1st.

* Like The Shins, Garbage is making a return from a number of years off with a new album and tour. Garbage plays Webster Hall on May 22nd.

* Another returning act, That Dog, has added a second show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 25th. The original show on the 24th is sold out.

* Beach House plays a SummerStage benefit concert on June 23rd.

* Bonnie Raitt plays the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ (with Mavis Staples) on June 19th.

* Jonathan Richman plays two shows at Bowery Ballroom, June 12th and 13th.

Spooky Spanish Tunes for Day of the Dead

The radio show Alt.Latino has put together a playlist of scary Spanish tunes.

UPDATE, Oct. 31st, 2017: For some non-Spanish tunes, check out this Spotify Halloween playlist from NorthJersey.com that includes classic (though overplayed) songs such as Monster Mash, Thriller, etc. If you want some less conventional Halloween music, see "10 Songs that Actually Give Us Chills" from San Francisco radio station KQED.

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UPDATE, Oct. 31st, 2014: L.A. radio station KCRW has put together a Dia de los Muertos/Halloween Playlist that you can stream on Spotify or listen to on YouTube. It includes spooky tracks from Kinky, Ozomatli, Los Carniceros Del Norte, and more. Enjoy!

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A few years back I did a post pointing out a great podcast of spooky Spanish-language pop songs appropriate for Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) parties or commemorations. That podcast was an episode of Ritmo Latino, the great show of Spanish-language music that, sadly, later came to a close.

However, the public radio show Alt.Latino has an article this week with videos for 11 scary Spanish songs for Day of the Dead (and descriptions of some spooky stories from Spanish-speaking countries). The article is called "¡Que Miedo! Terrifying Tales And Scary Songs From Latin America."

Granted, clicking on each video to see it isn't as easy as just playing the continuous music of a podcast. But you can always create a playlist on YouTube (or Spotify, Rdio, or other streaming service) of these songs. (You can also stream or download the show's podcast, which includes clips of each of the songs as well as introductions and discussions of the songs, at the link above.)

Here are the songs in Alt.Latino's playlist of spooky Spanish tunes for Day of the Dead (which is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd):

"La Bruja" by Tien-Huicani
"Witch" by Dani Shivers
"El Fantasma" by Tijuana No
"Tango de Pecado" by Calle 13
"Diablo" by Davila 666
"Lobo Hombre en Paris" by La Union
"Diablo" by Gobia
"Monster" by Guarco
"Calaveras y Diablitos" by Fabulosos Cadillacs
"Llorona" by Chavela Vargas
"Yo Soy la Muerte" by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

Some videos are spooky, others are funny or silly, but they should help set the mood for your Halloween, All Saints Day, or Day of the Dead commemorations.

Free Music Downloads & Streaming: Live Sets by The Wailin' Jennys, Adele, & More

It's no secret that I like female singer-songwriters and female-fronted bands, so I was happy to find live sets by a number of artists I admire. The downside is that only a couple run more than a half hour.

* The Wailin' Jennys - one-hour concert at McDougall United Church in Edmonton, Alberta, from CBC Radio 2 (listen online or download podcast). (The Wailin' Jennys have a new album, "Bright Morning Stars," coming out on Feb. 8th)

* Adele - the young British singer performs for Philadelphia's World Cafe, 31-minute set (listen online)

* Stars (featuring singer Amy Millan) - 10-minute live set in NPR offices, Washington (watch above, listen online, or download podcast)

* Joan Osborne - live set at WNYC's studios, New York - (listen online or download podcast). Osborne talked about her career and performed a few songs from her latest work, the song cycle "Love and Hate," which she played for the "American Songbook" series at Lincoln Center's Allen Room on Feb. 4th.

Free Music Podcasts: Live Folk-Pop from Antje Duvekot, Coeur de Pirate, Basia Bulat

Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat brings her autoharp, and her band, to the NPR studios. Photo: John Benson

If you're looking for some good singer-songwriter music to listen to, here are a few recent episodes of free podcasts featuring live sets that are worth checking out. All three are female, and all work in the folk-pop genre, but with very different backgrounds and styles.

* Antje Duvekot performs a live set at Acoustic Long Island. The German-born, Boston-based Duvekot is a captivating acoustic singer-songwriter I only heard of a couple of months ago, but she won the Kerrville Folk Festival "Best New Folk Award" one year and has gotten lots of acclaim from some well-known folk artists. Hear Antje Duvekot in a 38-minute performance.

* The Francophone singer who goes by the name Coeur de Pirate is another relatively recent group to me. I've heard a few songs by her now and then on the CBC Radio 3 podcast; now here's a one-hour CBC 2 concert to get a food feel for her. Coeur de Pirate has a sweet sound that's a pleasure to listen to, even if you don't understand the French lyrics. Download the Coeur de Pirate live set here.

* Another artist I discovered through CBC Radio 3, Basia Bulat brought the autoharp back into pop music with her catchy single "In the Night" a few years back. You can hear her play that song and three others in a 15-minute set in the NPR offices (watch the Basia Bulat video here, or stream or download the audio).

New Music Podcasts: Favorite Cover Tunes, Elvis Costello Live, Gospel Christmas Tunes, & More

Check out the free music podcasts below for holiday and non-holiday music for your Christmas travels. Photo: SteveStrummer 

Since lots of folks are traveling around Christmastime, how about some downloading some music podcasts to listen to to occupy the time? Here are a bunch of them, enough (we hope) to drown about the all loud cellphone conversations of the people around you at the airport or on the train. And the more raucus holiday arguments at the dinner table.

* Over at Coverville, you'll find a stocking full of recent podcasts. First off, there are the first two parts of the podcast's annual countdown show of listeners' 40 favorite cover tunes. Included is recent NBC "Sing-Off" contestant On the Rocks performing their a cappella rendition of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance."

Also on Coverville is the two-part tribute to the Talking Heads, performed by the podcast's listeners. As you'd expect, the quality and styles vary widely, but Coverville clearly has some very talented listeners.

And finally, Coverville offers its Christmas Cover Show 2010, with new versions of not-your-average holiday tunes, including remakes of "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses and "Last Christmas" by Wham.

* The CBC Radio 3 podcast presents Home for the Holidays, a show in which listeners from all over the world make long-distance requests of their favorite songs by Canadian artists to send out to their loved ones.

* If your taste in Christmas music runs to the sacred side, download the podcast of the annual Christmas Eve Gospel Music program on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show. It includes tunes like Mahalia Jackson singing "Silent Night" and the Swan Silvertones doing "Great Day in December."

Also, the Lopate show today rebroadcast (and reposted the podcast of) a live set by Elvis Costello and band at WNYC from back in November. He plays tunes from his latest album, produced by T-Bone Burnett, which shows the country/bluegrass side of the British rocker.

* KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic has a new in-studio live set with Jamie Lidell, the British producer who, the station says, can be found "sliding into neo-soul songs as easily as he slices through spacey folk-blues." For some reason recent MBE podcasts don't show up on their webpage, bou can download the podcast through iTunes (and probably other podcast download programs as well).

Merry Christmas!

Free Music: Mellow Music Podcasts for Thanksgiving Weekend

Sixteen-year-old Canadian singer Nikki Yanofsky is featured in a live concert podcast from CBC Radio 2. Photo: Florian Kragulj

Since many of us here in the U.S. (including me) are still recovering from Thanksgiving dinner and are in a groggy turkey coma, here's a selection of mellow music podcasts for free download, much of it recorded live in concert. And interestingly, much of it is from Canada (where they celebrate Thanksgiving in October).

The Acoustic Long Island podcast has three new episodes in the last month with live performances by singer-songwriter Kat Mulvaney and the folk-blues duo Nini and Ben.

The Canada Live podcast from CBC Radio 2 has several good recent podcasts with singer-songwriters from up north:
* the Great Canadian Song Quest 2010 concert;
* the Rootstock concert featuring Sarah Slean, Joel Plaskett, Steven Page, Hawksley Workman, and others; and
* a concert from 16-year-old singing phenom Nikki Yanofsky, who wowed viewers around the world with her rendition of "O Canada" during the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics earlier this year.

I'd never heard of the Canadian singer-songwriter Al Tuck, but apparently he's one of those individuals who is much-loved by his fellow musicians but is underappreciated by the masses. CBC Radio 3 devoted a recent podcast to Al Tuck, with songs by Tuck himself and covers of his tunes by a variety of Canadian artists, who also talk about what he has meant to them and their music.

Free Music: KCRW Live Streaming Sets from School of Seven Bells, Pete Yorn, Best Coast, & More

KCRW's great in-studio performance program Morning Becomes Eclectic has a new podcast up of a live set with School of Seven Bells, the project that features Benjamin Curtis of Secret Machines with the twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza.

I first heard of them in their previous visit to Morning Becomes Eclectic, but while the music in that performance was more electronic and dance-oriented, this latest appearance has a more stripped-down, acoustic sound. The band plays tunes from its latest album, "Disconnect from Desire," which came out this summer. You can download the School of Seven Bells live set here, or through iTunes.

School of Seven Bells will be playing live in New York at the Zero Film Festival in Brooklyn on Sat., Nov. 20th and at Terminal 5 on Thurs., Dec. 2nd (supporting The Walkmen).

Other recent MBE performances that you can stream (but not download) include: Pete Yorn (from Nov. 19th), Best Coast, Clinic, and KT Tunstall.

Hear Daniel Lanois Play Guest DJ (& Listen to Black Dub Album Online)

Daniel Lanois has been an in-demand producer for many years, and what's amazing is the wide range of genres and styles in which he's proficient. His most recent projects include albums like "Le Noise," the raw new effort from Neil Young, and the album by the new band Black Dub (which features Trixie Whitley, daughter of the late Chris Whitley). (Listen to the Black Dub album free online). But Lanois has also been involved in many of U2's albums and has also worked with Peter Gabriel and folk-pop-country legend Emmylou Harris.

Daniel Lanois recently played guest DJ for NPR Music, and you can listen online or download the podcast. Among his choices: Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and his frequent collaborator Brian Eno.

You can view a four-song live set by Black Dub performing in the NPR offices above (also available as an audio-only podcast through iTunes).

New Music Podcasts: Basia Bulat Live, Tom Petty & Nick Cave Covers, Nick Lowe Live Set

There are some notable new episodes of music podcasts out now; here are a few things worth checking out:

* CBC Radio 3 has a live set with folky singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Basia Bulat

* Nick Lowe performs a brief live set (13-minute) in the intimate confines of the NPR Music offices (you can view the video online, or download the audio-only podcast)

* The Coverville podcast shines the spotlight on recent birthday boy Tom Petty (60 years old!) and on Nick Cave, with covers of (and sometimes by) each artist

Free Music Downloads: Live Sets by Sonic Youth, Tom Tom Club, More; Cover Versions of Janis Joplin and John Lennon Songs

Some good free music podcasts have been put online recently, including a number of live shows. Here's the rundown:

NPR Music has several new live concerts up:

* a full-length show The Tallest Man on Earth, the stage name of Swedish singer Kristian Matsson. 

* several sets from bands at All Tomorrow's Parties, including Sonic Youth, Explosions in the Sky, Girls, and Kurt Vile.

* a short live set by Tom Tom Club, who scored a big hit in the 1980s with "Genius of Love." The band, which included Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of the Talking Heads, did a 16-minute acoustic set in the radio network's office. 

The Coverville podcast has two new episodes dedicated to great artists who died too young: one featuring Janis Joplin cover tunes, and the third edition of its John Lennnon cover songs podcast.

Arcade Fire Return with New Songs, Interview; Album to Come

After making a big splash with its first two albums, "Funeral" and "Neon Bible," Montreal band Arcade Fire is preparing for the release of its third album, "The Suburbs." Two songs from it, the title track and "Month of May," have been previewed online since their release last week and digital versions can be bought online from the Arcade Fire website.

The album "The Suburbs" will be released on August 3rd in the U.S. and Canada. It's available for pre-order now in a variety of formats from the band's website.

You can listen to the two new Arcade Fire songs free on NPR Music, and also hear a chat they did with Arcade Fire's Win and Will Butler. (You can stream the chat online or download it.)

You can learn more about the album at www.mergerecords.com/thesuburbs, and find the latest Arcade Fire tour dates as well (not many so far; a bunch in Europe, a couple in Canada, and Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 8th).

Free Song Downloads and Webcasts from the 2010 SXSW Music Fest

If you can't be in Austin, Texas for the 2010 SXSW music fest, you can download or stream plenty of free music to get the feel for the hundreds of bands that will be playing there. The music event runs from March 17th to the 21st.

* SXSW offers 5.43 gigabytes of free music downloads from SXSW showcasing bands. You can download the free songs from the official SXSW Web site, or go to the unofficial SXSW torrents site.

* For music videos, check out the SXSW music Youtube Channel and the SXSW Videos and Podcasts page. 

* NPR Music offers plenty of podcasts, streaming audio, and concert Webcasts from SXSW. Check out their SXSW preview show and their listing of free live streaming SXSW concerts (most of which will be archived for streaming or podcast download).

Enjoy!

Free Irish Music Podcasts for St. Patrick's Day

It's coming up on St. Patrick's Day again, so that means lots of people are looking for some music to get in the mood, or to play at parties, celebrations, etc. Below is an updated version of a post on free Irish music podcasts that I wrote a few years ago. Happily, three of the four podcasts I wrote about are still going strong. If you know of any others, let me know about them in the comments!

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Irish music is a natural part of any St. Patrick's Day party or celebration. And thanks to podcasting, you can get plenty of Irish and Celtic music for free on the Internet, from traditional to contemporary, New Age to Irish rock. Here are a few choice podcasts that play full-length tunes of Irish music. All are available through iTunes and other podcast programs, or at the Web sites linked to below.

Cleveland Celtic Podcast: You wouldn't necessarily associate Cleveland, Ohio with Celtic music, but there's an active music community there, as this podcast attests. The podcast plays Celtic rock and Celtic contemporary music from all over the world, including points far beyond Ohio.

Irish and Celtic Music Podcast: Hosted by a musician who specializes in Irish and Renaissance music, this podcast features interviews and songs covering different types of Irish and Celtic influenced music. There's an emphasis on independent artists, with ballads and uptempo rock-influenced tunes, and Scottish folk songs (and a bit of bagpipes). And you're sure to find some drinking songs in the mix.

Pub Song Podcast: If you want to head straight for the drinking songs, this is the place to go. Brought to you by the host of the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, it features pub songs from Irish, Celtic, and non-Celtic traditions. The songs are lively and fun, and sometimes just reading the titles will give you a chuckle. The podcast may also include some poetry and news on folk songs.

Free MP3 Album of New Latin Music: Aterciopelados, Juana Molina, and More

If you're a fan of rock en Espanol or any kind of new Latin music, you'll want to get this new free sampler from Nacional Records. For a limited time, Amazon.com is offering "Nacional Records Sampler 2009: The New Sounds Of Latin Music". It features 21 tracks by some of the foremost new Latin artists, including some of my favorites such as Aterciopelados and Hello Seahorse! Also on the album are Mexican Institute of Sound, Juana Molina (who has gotten a lot of media attention in the U.S. in 2009), Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Señor Coconut, Manu Chao, and others.

Track listing:
1. CJ by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
2. Bandera by Aterciopelados
3. Yo Digo Baila by Mexican Institute of Sound
4. If You Want It by Pacha Massive
5. Brooklyn Cumbia by Uproot Andy
6. Shake It Up by Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich+Fussible
7. Cosita Rica by Bomba Estereo
8. Help Me Feat. Francisca Valenzuela by Latin Bitman
9. Trocintro (Extended Version) by King Coya
10. Puerta De Oro (Con Pablo Lescano) by Fidel Nadal
11. Mate by Todos Tus Muertos
12. Happy Everywhere by The Pinker Tones
13. Bestia (Julieta Venegas Remix) by Hello Seahorse!
14. Amar Y Vivir by Tonino Carotone
15. La Vida Es Llena De Cables by Señor Coconut
16. Llama by Monareta
17. Chicken Wing Ft. The Demigodz [Explicit] by Eric Bobo
18. Encadenado by Gonzalo Yañez
19. Insensible by Juana Molina
20. Esta Vez (Album Version) by Sara Valenzuela
21. Clandestino by Manu Chao

It's a nice collection that reminds me of one of my favorite podcasts, Ritmo Latino, which close up shop earlier this year. (Fortunately, the podcast's creator and host Neil Hohmann has a Ritmo Latino Facebook page that offers news and updates on Latin music, including live performances, new albums, and details on freebies (such as this sampler)).

Amazon.com doesn't say how long the Nacional Records sampler will be available for free, but I downloaded it more than a week ago and it's still free as of Saturday, November 28th.

CMJ Wrapup: What Were the Highlights of CMJ 2009?

The five days of frenzy known as CMJ 2009 have ended in New York, and the music critics and bloggers are weighing in on what what notable about this year's indie rock fest.

(Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to any CMJ events this year. Oh well, sometimes the timing just doesn't work out.)

The New York Times says there was no one standout at this year's CMJ, as there was when R.E.M. and Arcade Fire made their names. But the paper gave a lot of ink to Florida's Surfer Blood, and also liked New York bands Cymbals Eat Guitars and The Antlers, among other bands.

Alisa Ali of The Alternate Side, the fine alt/indie channel of Fordham University's radio station WFUV, liked The Shackeltons as well as Drink Up Buttercup, Real Estate, Apache Beat, and Local Natives. Her article has videos from the latter two.

The latest edition of NPR Music's All Songs Considered features several live songs from CMJ, as well the entire show performed by Patrick Watson. Show host Bob Boilen raved about Watson, as I wrote on the Canadian music blog North by East West (www.nxew.ca), calling him "hands down the best performer all week. His band was stellar."

Fortunately, Patrick Watson's show was recorded and is now available as a free podcast download (it can also be streamed online). To download the concert, you may have to use iTunes or a similar program.

2009 CMJ Music Marathon is Here: Prepare for Overload

Tomorrow begins the annual festival of wall-to-wall musical overload, otherwise known as the CMJ Music Marathon (though it includes film as well). From October 20th to 24th, dozens and dozens of bands from all over the world will descend upon NYC and environs to play gigs, and folks in the music biz will attend panels on subjects ranging from reimbursement in a digital world to the future of intellectual property.

For me, it's all about the music. You can find an alphabetical listing of all the CMJ bands here (though in a non-user-friendly format). Another option is to look at the showcases by day page or, to scan the massive a day-by-day listing of all CMJ showcase events at all venues.

To make it easier to manage all this, several pages on the CMJ Web site give you the opportunity to create your own custom schedule of events you want to attend.

A few of the better known (to me) acts include Au Revoir Simone, The Black Hollies, The Bongos, Clare and the Reasons, Dawn Landes, Deer Tick, The Fleshtones, Immaculate Machine, Japandroids, Ted Leo + The Pharmacists, and even Busta Rhymes (playing a gig at B.B. King's).

There's also an act called Dangerous, an "all-metal tribute to Michael Jackson." Not sure what to make of that one.

CMJ is offering a free 15-song sampler of songs from bands playing the marathon, and InSound is offering its own 15-song free music sampler as well.

Rest up tonight, for tomorrow the CMJ extravaganza begins!

F*cked Up Wins 2009 Polaris Prize

Toronto punk band F*cked Up won the Polaris Music Prize last night in a ceremony held in its hometown. Each of the 10 nominees performed live and then the winner was announced late in the evening, with the critically acclaimed rockers with the radio-unfriendly name chosen to receive the $20,000 prize for its album "The Chemistry of Common Life."

As has become a Polaris tradition, the winner of the prize was less known than some other nominees on the short list. The Polaris Prize was modeled after England's Mercury Prize, with the intention of honoring the album with the best artistic merit regardless of sales or other commercial factors.

You can hear music from F*cked Up and the other nominees at the CBC Radio 3 Web site, www.cbcradio3.com. Their podcast with highlights from last night's award ceremony is now available; you can listen to it on the Web site or download it there or from iTunes and other podcast programs. Besides the awards ceremony, CBC Radio 3 has also done podcasts dedicated to the short list artists and those on the original, longer list.

Congrats to F*cked Up!

New Podcast Episodes: Frank Black, Newport Folk Concerts, The Clash Covers

The FrankBlack.net Podcast is out with an episode on Grand Duchy.

Some good new episodes are out this week in a number of long-running podcasts. Here are a few highlights.

The FrankBlack.net Podcast has been coming out sporadically this year, but they've got a new episode out devoted to Grand Duchy, the band featuring Black and his wife Violet. The band is currently on its first tour, and I caught of few songs during its set at Coney Island's Siren Festival.

If you didn't manage to hear any of NPR's live Webcasts from the Newport Folk Festival, you can still catch them... and keep them, in many cases. NPR Music has started to put up free podcast downloads of Newport Folk concerts, including Joan Baez, Gillian Welch, Fleet Foxes, Neko Case, Mavis Staples, and more.

If you'd prefer a sampling of the Newport Folk concerts, NPR also has a free podcast download up that covers day 1 of the festival, and there will probably be more to come.

And over at Coverville, the all-cover-songs podcast, you'll find a diverse range of covered artists, as usual. Episode 600 is devoted to covers of KISS, while number 599 tackles Cat Stevens and 598 features cover versions of The Clash's iconic album, "London Calling." And all three of those Coverville podcasts have come just since July 30th!

Enjoy...

2009 Webby Awards Announced

The winners of the 2009 Webby Awards were announced today, and the honors are going to a diverse range of online properties, from old media learning new tricks (The New York Times, National Public Radio) to online-only sites like Mint.com and YouTube LIVE.

As the Webbys organizers noted, "Winners receiving the prestigious title of the best of the Web have been selected in over 100 Website, Interactive Advertising, Mobile and Film & Video categories." And the categories range from best typography to best use of video, and include specialties including a wide variety of topics from fan/celebrity sites to automotive, and everything in between.

National Public Radio (NPR) proudly noted that it won the most awards overall, seven, with The New York Times coming in second with six. I'm a fan of NPR's extensive offerings in live music streaming and podcasting, and it's no surprise that NPR snagged Webbys for best radio site and best music site, among other things, as well as People's Voice for best radio site, best music site, and best podcasts.

(You can find the Webbys press release here.)

The Webby Special Achievement Award Winners were also announced today, recognizing "a pioneering group of entertainers who have utilized the Internet in creative, thought-provoking and cutting-edge ways." TV host Jimmy Fallon took The Webby Person of the Year Award, Sarah Silverman won for Best Actress, Trent Reznor of the Nine Inch Nails was named Webby Artist of the Year.

Microblogging site Twitter was named Breakout of The Year; Lisa Kudrow was selected for Outstanding Comedic Performance in "Web Therapy;" and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane was tabbed as Webby Film & Video Person of the Year.

The Webby awards will be presented in a ceremony in New York on June 8th. In keeping with Webbys tradition, acceptance speeches will be limited to five words.

South by Southwest 2009 (SXSW) - Free Downloads, Music Player, and More

It's almost time for the 2009 edition of South by Southwest, the Austin festival of sensory overload. I'll concentrate here on the SXSW music festival (there are also film and interactive festivals), which runs from March 18th to 22th. In that short span there will be hundreds of bands playing on more than 80 stages. Here's some help in listening to what'll be featured at SXSW 2009, including some free downloads and other ways to sample the music.

At the SXSW music page there's a Music Player link, which will open a stream of continuous music from bands playing at the festival. In the past SXSW has offered free MP3 downloads of dozens of songs, but I don't see that option listed this time around. (UPDATE: Apparently there are SXSW downloads available, but they're being offering through BitTorrent, not through the SXSW site. An article on TorrentFreak says there is a full 6GB of songs from SXSW 2009 artists available for free download, featuring more than 1,200 tunes.)

Howver, NPR Music is offering a free 10-song sampler of tunes by SXSW 2009 artists that you can download from iTunes. Check their SXSW page for details on live concerts they'll be Webcasting from the festival, including The Decemberists on March 18th and Blitzen Trapper on March 19th.

For info straight from South by Southwest ground zero, head for the SXSW Web page of Austin radio station KUT. Check their page for their schedule of live performance broadcasts, breaking news from the festival, and more.

And if you're interested in what Canadian bands are playing the festival, you'll want to listen to the CBC Radio 3 podcast SXSW Survival Guide 2009.