Every year Austin music is represented at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin by about 30 to 40 local North Texas bands that manage to score official showcases at the event. There are 37 acts this year from Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton and all points in between that were approved by the discerning folks at SXSW. There will also be scores of local bands that didn't make it into the show but will still be heading down to Austin to play a bevy of unofficial showcases.

This guarantees that there will be a distinct Austin and North Texas flavor at the festival. One of the Texas talents that will on display will be Josh T. Pearson, who has been performing in Europe for several years. He found inspiration there and has returned to the States with some impressive folk songs that have caught the ear of the influential UK label Mute Records, which will release his first solo album Last of the Country Gentlemen later this month.