Scott Andrew - lo-fi acoustic pop superhero!

The SXSW Music Festival is always a study in missed opportunities.

For example, at the beginning of this journal I wrote that I’d be very happy to run into someone from Rounder Records. It was a joke, but two days later, I found myself sitting next to some guy from Rounder in the Performance Anxiety Workshop session. Turns out he’s also a musicians’ wellness advocate. Now, the question is, how do I engage this guy in a conversation so that I’m not perceived as pimping my music, but results in me giving him a copy of my music anyway? Answer: I don’t. I couldn’t think of a thing to say to this guy. Oh, I thought of a thousand things to say after he left, of course. We could have talked about ergonomics, RSI, musician’s health insurance, whatever. And I wouldn’t have had to fake it, because I know something about those topics. Eventually he would’ve asked if I was a musician, and then I could have pulled out a CD.

But I didn’t do any of that. Instead, I went to the International House Of Pancakes. Ah well, we can’t always be winning friends and influencing people.

At the songwriter’s panel, Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens said to the crowd, “give me your CD this week and I’ll play it on my radio show.” That’s almost a verbatim quote. After the panel, there were several opportunities to give DiNizio my CD. But he was always talking to someone else, and I’m not one of those people who feels comfortable “hovering” around, waiting for someone to finish talking so I can step up and join the conversation. So even though I spotted DiNizio several times over the next three days, he’s flying back home without my CD.

I was planning on throwing a CD into the bin at the singer-songwriter demo listening panel. This is where a panel of “experts” pick a CD at random from a bin, listen to one song, and critique it in hopes that you’re receptive enough to constructive criticism to learn something. At the very worst they wouldn’t pick my CD and someone would take it home with them anyway, right? I missed the demo listening session.

Ran into singer-songwriter Jesse Malin at the Hard Rock Cafe. This guy’s starting to get major traction on the acoustic concert circuit. Didn’t give him a CD, either.

I still hold that going to SXSW without an agenda is the best way to go; it’s so much more relaxing and enjoyable when you’re not worried about finding a record deal or impressing the head of A & R of some label. But sometimes I wish I were a bit more — um, not “aggressive,” that’s the wrong word. Maybe “proactive?” — in promoting my music. I really do believe that my stuff is at least as good as anyone else’s, so maybe I just need to work on the whole casual-shmooze-via-common-interests thing. Jay told me you sometimes have to practice being an extrovert. Good idea.