Whether you’re going to South by Southwest or not, all of the Seattle bands heading down there are worth checking out if you haven’t heard their music yet, and they’ve generously offered up a few free, downloadable mp3s for all the fans and curious bystanders. Hey Marseilles, New Faces, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Common Market, Blue Scholars, Dynah and Mt. St Helens Vietnam Band all contributed. Also, it seems like a fortuitous time to tell you all that I will be attending the South By Southwest festival in a strictly unofficial capacity– that is, I have no badge, no wristband, and no plans to purchase either unless it’s at a serious discount. And I’m driving there with two other lovely people who were kind enough to let me tag along. No, we are not totally insane for attempting this. I plan to take the bargain basement approach to SXSW, in which I plan to prove that it is entirely possible to go to Austin and enjoy this festival on the cheap. You know, without dropping 1,000+ on travel expenses. And you’ll get to read about it all week long on this blog, right here. We leave tomorrow.