Alex, originally uploaded by good_on_paper.

For the last three years of SXSW, I've volunteered on the Press & Publicity crew. Though it required taking a week off of work and 40+ hours of the phrase, "May I see your badge? Oh, sorry, this room is for Press only," being rewarded with an almost-all-access pass to any music show we wanted was worth it. While volunteering last year, we oogled Paul Rudd, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Chris Kattan, and Tom from MySpace (Yes, he is real).

I couldn't afford to take off so much work this year, so I chose to leave my friends in the P&P crew. However, Amiee alerted me to an opening in the volunteer Photography Crew and I was so there.

I borrowed my friend's digital camera and have been practicing shooting with flash in different lighting situations. Dustin's band had a show on Thursday, so I brought it with me for a trial run.

I won't have as much creative control with the pictures I take for SXSW, but I do like these images and I can't wait to get my band list (hopefully tonight!)

D left this morning at 7am for a two-week tour with Ringo Deathstarr. He's never been out of Texas for this long before, so if they play in your city, could you please give the drummer a cheeseburger?

Feb 22 @ Brillo Box w/ Used to be Women and Dirty Faces ::Pittsburg, PA
Feb 23 @ The Tank w/ Dead Leaf Echo & Virgo Loves Cancer ::New York, NY
Feb 24 @ Pianos w/ Usvs ::New York, NY
Feb 25 @ Abbey Lounge w/ Quixote, Action Verbs, and Or Nothing ::Boston/Cambridge, MA
Feb 26 @ Glasslands w/ Soundpool & Dinowalrus, Presented by Molten Sounds ::Brooklyn, NY
Feb 27 @ Wonderland Ballroom w/ Ra Ra Rasputin ::Washington DC
Feb 28 @ Drunken Unicorn w/ Slow Motion Crash and Siberia My Sweet ::Atlanta, GA

Some bigwigs are supposed to be at their show in NY, so here's to hoping he comes back with more than credit card debt and a bag of smelly t-shirts.