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fuzuoko/flickrSouth by Southwest, Day 1
With over 1700 bands, 80 stages, and 10,000 participants, South by Southwest is the largest music conference in the country. In the first of two special live broadcasts from Austin, Texas, Soundcheck takes a look inside this annual music industry blitz. Later: Austin-based, lo-fi folk group Peter and the Wolf performs in abandoned buses and Salvation Army outlets. Leader Red Hunter joins us to tell his unusual story, and Peter and the Wolf performs live in the studios of our host station, Classical 89.5 KMFA.
Follow John Schaefer and the Soundcheck staff on our festival blog, Soundcheck on Site: SXSW

Why Mess With Texas?
Twenty-two years after its humble beginnings, the South by Southwest conference is the music industry's premier schmoozefest. But labels, bands and fans alike are tangled up in retail woes and soul-searching over the future of music. We hear what SXSW has to offer guitarist Peter Buck of R.E.M., a group that is debuting its new album at the festival. We get three different takes on the value of SXSW from Will Sheff, singer and songwriter from Austin band Okkervil River (pictured at right), Amy Phillips, news editor of the online news site Pitchfork and John Kunz, president of Austin's Waterloo Records and Video.

Peter and the Wolf
The lo-fi folk outfit Peter and the Wolf is led by songwriter and indie label honcho Red Hunter. He’s known for performing in unusual venues like a Salvation Army outlet, an abandoned bus, and beneath a highway overpass. Today, Peter and the Wolf opts for a more traditional live performance setting: Soundcheck’s temporary Austin studio.
Find out more about our host station, Classical 89.5 KMFA
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