0. Chronicles from Austin

What makes five groups of Portuguese musicians to fly more than 8.000 kilometers (about 5.000 miles), crossing the Atlantic to the city of Austin in the United States, to join around 2.000 bands from all over the world, a few thousands of people linked to the music industry and music fans, to participate in the festival South by Southwest - SXSW'09?

Is it the chance of having their name promoted at a large scale and to attract the attention of some Major Record Label? Could it be the knowledge acquired in numerous conferences, workshops and many other events related to the music industry included in the festival? Would it be for the connections gathered, and that in a near future may allow the presentation of their work to a broader audience? Can it be the frenetic environment felt in the city during the festival?

Since 2007, when David Fonseca performed for the first time in Austin, many Portuguese including me, discovered the South by Southwest festival through his web episodes or by the coverage of radio stations like Antena 3 or Radar Lisboa in Portugal.

This year the Portuguese bands/artists that will embark on this journey and go to Texas from 18th to 22nd of March are, in addition to David Fonseca, Clã, the Legendary Tiger Man, Buraka Som Sistema and Rita Redshoes, each with their own expectations and ambitions.

With my curiosity sparked by the questions mentioned above, I will try to share over the next weeks, with those who come to visit these "Chronicles from Austin", the preparation of the journey and the presence of some of the best Portuguese acts in Texas, by writing, photographing, filming, sharing links to articles about this event, or by any other ways that I can find.

Surely, this is not an easy task and all the help, tips, suggestions and support that I can get is welcome, whether in comments to each post or through my e-mail.

I finish today by thanking you all and invite you to return tomorrow and the following days to follow the developments of these stories of the Portuguese artists at the South by Southwest festival, in Austin - Texas.