SXSW (South By Southwest if you're saying it out loud, but usually just referred to as "South By") is upon us again. For those of you reading this who might not be familiar with it, it's basically a massive ten day event that's held in Austin every March. It's split into three main components - SXSW Interactive, SXSW Film and SXSW Music. Roughly a gazillion people descend on Austin for the festival and the town remains in utter chaos for the duration.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to be selected to be part of the SXSW photography crew as a music photographer. This year I've been selected again, the lucky bugger that I am.

SXSW started out as a small music festival for industry insiders. It was where bands would go to hopefully get discovered by record labels. Whenever I hear criticism aimed at SXSW, it's usually that it's an "industry event" and not really for music fans. While this may have been true at one point, I would argue that it's definitely not the case anymore. The atmosphere downtown is absolutely electric while the music festival is going on. Every bar and restaurant is packed to the rafters, there are street performers on every corner, and even if you don't have a wristband or badge you can catch a free show at any time of the day. You could have a fantastic time during SXSW without spending a single penny.

I got assigned to some really cool showcases last year and got some great shots, a few of which I've already included in my music gallery on this site. When I wasn't covering a performance, though, I'd wander around town for hours, soaking up the ambiance and snapping a few pictures here and there. I'd thought I'd share some of my favorites...