I somehow managed to get right into the NPR Showcase at Stubb's despite a minor scare when security told me I couldn't bring in my camera and I had to put it in my car. After pleading with the men that my Canon is not a pro-grade and my car is in another time zone, I got in with no wait and just a bit of clever two-stepping. In fact, I was not the only one to be faulted by their camera size, which is how I met two new friends from the Interactive conference. We shared music fanaticism, blogging tactics, and the social network frontier. I realized that there are some brilliant and insightful people in Austin this week from Interactive along side the amazingly talented here for Music, but there may be no difference between the two.

Regarding the actual music of the show, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings stole my heart again Ms. Jones strutted out in her sequenced green cocktail dress in honor of St. Patrick's Day. The petite, 53-year-old powerhouse led her eight-piece Dap Kings through a rousing soul-revival and brought the wow factor to the night.  Hailing from Augusta, Georgia, the birth place of the legendary James Brown, Sharon Jones is continuing the lineage of R&B classics without a synth or tricked out guitar pedals.

The polar opposite to Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings is Broken Bells, who are a staple at both SXSW and The Get Down.  James Mercer and Brian Burton rest on the subtleties of their songs and deliver every arrangement just right so as to compliment but not be overbearing. It was strange to see Brian Burton appear like the average drummer holding down the rhythm as the rest of the six-piece band brought to life the studio vision of the duo  Broken Bells. In interviews, Burton and Mercer commented that they always had the intention of recreating these songs live and forming the band properly was crucial to succeeding on stage- not to worry, they did.

Spoon closed out the night with die-hards sticking around. They could clearly be picked out in the crowd for swaying, rocking and singing along to each song. As a passive Spoon listener, I only knew their single, The Underdog, and frankly they didn't win me over with their live performance. However, in Spoon's  nearly 15-year career, they developed almost a cult-like following similar to Deadheads (Spoonheads?), so I don't think they were necessarily vying for my approval.

Austin's 6th Street After Hours

Day One into Night One quickly turns into Morning Two, where I head to the early panels still riding the extreme caffeine consumption from the last 24-hour bender. Today I plan on seeing Rogue Wave's secret show, a Hood Internet panel interview and Dr. Dog at the Day Cafe in the Convention Center. I plan on it anyway, we'll see what Austin brings me.