Surfer Blood performing at the East Side Drive In as part of the Mess With Texas (MWTX) festival at SXSW 2011.

After a quick visit to the hotel I hopped on my bike and headed out to Mess With Texas, a festival unto itself that coincides with SXSW. With two stages and nearly two dozen bands, this fest would’ve been reason enough to go to Texas. And it was free. 100% free. And it was an all ages party. With room for over 4,000 people and a huge lineup it was insane. Even though I showed up pretty late, barely in time to catch the end of Surfer Blood’s set, I was able to get a good angle on things, including the spontaneous circle pit (?!) during the end of their set.