Yesterday, David Safar and I arrived in Austin, Texas, for the South by Southwest Music Conference and we hit the ground running.

Among the bands I saw yesterday, female-fronted acts were the best I saw. Wolf Alice — they were the "OMG" band for me. Courtney Barnett was so good, I saw her twice! And we actually couldn't get in to see Alvvays — the line was too long! But we waited in line outside the Mohawk and listened to the entire set, and it was deliriously strong.

Beyond female-led acts, we also saw Viet Cong — who RAWKED despite a drummer with a broken arm (hints of Def Leppard, anyone??). The very first band we saw when we arrived in Austin was appropriately weird: The Wet Secrets were at the Canada Blast site, and that band featured players in marching band costumes, including sorta burlesque-dancer background singers … that was interesting.

We also kept running into the Rhymesayers posse — at the airport, on the streets of Austin — and they have a big showcase Friday.

And buzz for Laura Marling is indeed large, as is the buzz for Natalie Prass and for Kate Tempest, who is coming to Minneapolis in May. We saw Natalie on the street here in Austin, and David introduced himself to her, which was fun.

Be sure to tune in to The Current on Friday, March 20, to hear our live broadcasts from the Public Radio day stage at the Austin Convention Center. Here's what we've got planned:

12 p.m. Twin Shadow
1 p.m. Gang Of Four
2 p.m. Ryan Bingham
3 p.m. Best Coast
4 p.m. Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear
5 p.m. Courtney Barnett

You can also follow me (@jmcgnn) and David Safar (@stpmpls) on Twitter for live updates.

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• South by Southwest