Our first 24 hours (ever) at South by Southwest (SXSW) have been a whirlwind. After flying in on Tuesday, we hustled to pick up our badges, set up our booth and get settled. We got a few hours of sleep in and then the work and fun began Wednesday morning. We’ve been scurrying around downtown Austin non-stop ever since, but we wanted to share some highlights of the trip so far: (click here to see the full photo gallery)

Our home base has been our booth in Gear Alley, where we’ve been selling a ton of courses to event attendees, many of whom are already TrueFire members!

TrueFire SXSW Booth

The first music act we were able to catch was what is called a “Speed Set,” which is basically about 5 or 6 bands playing on the same stage over the course of an hour. We caught Streets On Fire, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Kinch, The Black, and Birds & Batteries.

After the Speed Sets, we closed up shop at our booth and hit the streets to discover the eccentricities of SXSW. We were not disappointed.

While there are over 2,000 bands playing in various venues throughout Austin over the weekend, there are hundreds more that have taken to the street to get their name out there. And yes, we tipped!

It’s not just about the music here, though, as there’s plenty more to see… and eat.

The night time is the right time at SXSW, as that is when the major acts hit the stage and the crowds pack the houses. We’ll have photos and performance videos up soon.

Check back soon for more coverage! We have tons and tons of great shots and videos that we will share with you as soon as it’s all ready!