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WIDE AWAKE Kicking off a looong weekend without sleep at the big party called SXSW by Joshua Klein Dressy Bessy gets messy photo: Alma Klein AUSTIN--Each year SXSW draws thousands of music fans like the call to Mecca. Of these teeming throngs who descend on the small state capitol--overflowing clubs past capacity, drying out bars, and ingesting enough meat to give PETA heartburn by proxy--many seem at least implicitly in search of the next new thing, something that's really setting off fireworks in the world of modern music. They may be looking in the wrong place. The cutting edge can be found several hundred miles southeast in Miami, where the annual Winter Music Conference features the best and brightest in hip-hop, dance music, and DJ culture. There's no question that music continues to move in a more electronic and eclectic direction, incorporating new technologies to create truly contemporary sounds. The problem is, electronic music is frequently better suited to the living room than the club. SXSW, on the other hand, is where the faithful actually go to be reassured that the traditional bass-drums-guitar axis is still holding solid. You want something different, something cutting-edge? Go someplace else. The people in Austin want to rock. Flying in the face of passing trends, SXSW remains an absolutely wonderful occasion to simply revel in the pleasures of music rather than ponder the future of pop culture. The hundreds of bands that play are tried and true in the best sense, people who love music playing for people who also love music. No blissed-out raves here: SXSW is one big party. Wednesday is the sleepiest day of a week where sleep is not a priority. That's when the journalists, artists, and music bizzers start filtering in from around the country (and world), getting their bearings and sniffing the air for buzz. This early in the festival the smell of barbecue is stronger than hype, but some names do seep out from small enclaves of loitering attendees. Choice live selections range from the obvious (Patti Smith with Austin staple Alejandro Escovedo opening) to the more obscure (the Athens, Georgia-based indie-rock act Macha), but part of the fun of the festival is stumbling upon pleasant surprises. With so much stimuli jammed into such a short span, it's best to take the first night easy before the panels and countless picnics begin. Austin's American Analog Set couldn't have been easier. The band's early set was so mellow that its pleasantly melodic drones nearly drifted through the thatched roof of Emo's. More invigorating were acts Kincaid and Dressy Bessy, both part of the adjoining Kindercore Records showcase and both heavily indebted to the Elephant 6 style of sloppy pop. As night one progressed the selections steadily got more interesting. While the Austin Music Awards boasted critical favorite Kelly Willis and a tribute to the late Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison (featuring his former bandmate John Cale as well as the ubiquitous Escovedo), Gunga Din was back at Emo's meshing the New York noise of the Velvets with the L.A. sleaze of The Doors. Part of the admittedly fun frustration of SXSW is picking and choosing sets from within a giant grid of crisscrossing schedules. Even as Gunga Din held its audience entranced, locals The Damnations TX were performing a spirited set right around the corner at Stubb's. And just as The Damnations' set ended (and just before fellow Austin favorites The Gourds started on the Stubb's stage), there was barely enough time to shuffle back to Emo's for Macha. Macha is certainly one of the more unique bands playing SXSW this year, or anywhere else for that matter. The group's sound is inspired by the indigenous music of Indonesia, where the band picked up various zithers, dulcimers, and other distinctive instruments that it then wove into its heady and hypnotic rock. Sounding like amateur ethnomusicologists embracing punk rock, Macha epitomizes everything a group should be: adventurous, accomplished, and always ready to move onto the next level. The band finished around 2am, yet it looked like much of Austin was just gearing up. But with a full schedule ahead and too many bands to choose from, it was best to call it an evening and get some rest. Too much of a good thing can be thoroughly exhausting, especially when you know that there's more on the way. For complete Newcity.com coverage of SXSW 2000, click here.