A QUICK FIX: Short but true stories from the SXSW Music Festival.

Nothing gives you the chills, inspires or sticks to your brain quicker than a pop song. Three minutes is all it takes to suck you into the world, the atmosphere and the story of a track. And the second it’s over it becomes part of your story too.

Here is a selection of tunes and tales I brought back from the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX. I was there covering the event for Indie Rock TV Show and Web Portal: www.programaaltofalante.com.br.

#1 No name - Dan Deacon a capela + 30 college kids.

3 A.M at a random plaza on Texas University grounds. About 30 college kids plus me and my team were there waiting for a secret show by electronic eccentric Dan Deacon.

After 3 local attractions, he arrives and summons all the kids to sit around him. Looking more like a new wave messiah he asks everyone to accompany him in a series of odd vocal experimentations that when sung in the right tone formed this crazy a capela beat.

When the song was over, he stood up and told a story about crystals spawned from the urine of a nazi policeman, Gandalf and Spiderman’s genitals and a hash smoking squid. Since I was a workaholic early on in my life, I never had many memorable times on my college campus, little did I know that years later this would make up for all of it.

#2 Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed + Moby.

Lou Reed tribute: Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Moby and others paying their respects to one of the greatest composers of our time. Me and my team were there right by the stage witnessing it all. We look to the side and almost like an apparition Lou Reed himself is standing there to make sure no one is screwing up his work and taking pictures of it all. That’s when he spotted us and for some random reason started taking pictures. Lucky for us we were able to capture that exact moment of dual admiration. The fan and the legend were finally on the same plateau. An hour or so later he gets up on stage and performs Walk on the Wilde Side with a little guitar help from Moby, not that he really needs any assistance to play this song. At the end, he grabs the mic and decides to share his emotions with everyone: “I Love Punk. And I was the first one.”

#3 Rollercoaster – Kimya Dawson

“My rollercoaster got the biggest ups and downs as long as it keeps going it’s unbelievable.” That’s the verse that ends one of Dawson’s sweetest songs. And it also explains much of the dynamic of this festival. The unexpected prevailed in these 5 days of musical madness. On the third or fourth day we were sitting down drinking some delicious grapefruit juice and ordering our daily 4 PM breakfast when Kimya sat at the table to our right with her daughter. We start talking about the menu, the dreamy grapefruit and about her daughter Panda. The conversation had that vibe and friendliness you only get to experience when you live in small towns. She then invited us to watch her last show, that was also in a secret location in the middle of this beautiful meadow. It’s comforting to learn when an artist can be as lovely as the music she writes.

#4 My Banners - Tree Wave

This song in itself is not that important when compared to the 8 Bit scene as a whole. The Bitpeoples showcase at SXSW gave us a good glimpse into the world of musicians obsessed in transforming gameboys, commodores and even printers into magical beat machines. The lines between man and machine blur so naturally in this genre, which is quite impressive. But what stuck to me the most was the honesty and true passion these artists have for their trade. They’re not here for the record deals or the groupies or even to up their myspace popularity. They’re here for the thrill they get from transforming videogame sound bits into yummy ridiculous beats.

#5 Highway to Hell - Wing.

First go to www.wingtunes.com then read the story.

Myself and my good friend Vince Montelongo were already fans of this Chinese/New Zealander singer for quite a while now. And he said something to me during the show that hit me strong: “These people watching the show think it’s all a joke, they think it’s ironic and silly, but the jokes is on them because they’ll never understand or learn how to appreciate a true outsider musician.” That rang like a heavy church bell in my brain and when I was watching her sing ACDC’s Highway to Hell I noticed how she unintentionally deconstructs all the myths built around rock n’ roll, her high pitched voice shatters all the overrated hype to pieces. Wing’s tunes ground us in reality and making music something for everyone.

Now every time I hear one of these five songs these are the memories that will forever be with them.

D.