With the official start of the weekend Friday (3/14) came many more music fans pounding the pavement at SXSW, taking advantage of all the showcase options.

My initial plan was to catch one of the festival's biggest buzz bands, Vampire Weekend [ tickets ], and their set at the legendary Antone's. Evidently I was not the only one with this New York-based band on my long list of acts to see. The badge-only line circled the venue and was easily four people thick. The near mob scene had the door staff chaotically fending off questions, angry comments and attempted bribes while many fans chose to congregate right outside the door to hear and/or see whatever they could. Note to SXSW staff: Next year, schedule the season's most successful groups in larger capacity venues.

Only slightly disappointed, I headed over Buffalo Billiards to catch the last few minutes of Earlimart [ tickets ]. Having seen them several months ago when they dropped by Austin's Mohawk on tour supporting their most recent album, "Mentor Tormentor," I knew I'd be checking out a worthwhile ac,t and thankfully, I wasn't let down. Although the venue didn't suit the LA group's more intimate vibe, frontman Aaron Espinoza led his indie rock trio, including focused keyboardist/occasional singer Ariana Murray, through a handful of tracks from their forthcoming album, "Hymn and Her," slated for a July 1 release. Sadly, I did miss the majority of Earlimart's 40-minute performance, but it beat waiting in an impatient pool of disappointed Vampire Weekend fans.