Whether a new act hoping to generate a buzz or an established act hoping to get attention for a new project, the goal was the same at last week's South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas: To be heard.

As they do every year, more than 1,000 performers from around the world descended on dozens of clubs in the central city to showcase their talent. The city was awash in music, with the sounds seemingly emanating from every direction. Sixth Street, the city's main drag, was shut down like New Orleans' Bourbon Street each night.

In short, SXSW was a music lover's nirvana.

In the wake of the recent deadly club fire near Providence, R.I., authorities are cracking down on club safety all over the country. At SXSW, police and fire officials were out in force to enforce club capacity rules. That meant longer lines than usual for popular acts, and that even those holding SXSW badges--who are used to getting into any event they please--were often forced to wait.

Wednesday, March 12

Edmonton, Alta.'s Corb Lund Band played a spirited set of country standards and originals at BD Riley's. Frontman Lund is a fantastic showman, and his rhythm section--consisting of a stand-up bass and drums--is tight and versatile. The alt-country band's latest album, "Five Dollar Bill," was released last year.

Rap veterans Jungle Brothers, who were pushing their recent release "All That We Do," had the crowd in a frenzy at Emo's Main Room, playing a mix of classic and new. In this case, the party was just starting to roll when the group's 45 minutes were up. Jungle Brothers plan to tour later this year, and if this showcase was any indication, it'll be worth seeing.

Hometown and critical favorites … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead followed at Emo's, playing a well-received set that focused on the band's new album, "Source Tags & Codes."

Thursday, March 13

Playing a packed showcase at Antone's sponsored by the Americana Music Association, Rosie Flores and the Long Stems held the crowd's attention from the start. Flores--whose voice has long been one of alt-country's most compelling--played several songs from her new CD, "Speed of Sound." Johnny Cash may have been the most covered artist at SXSW this year; Flores did her part by tackling "Big River."

Brooklyn, N.Y.'s The Miracle of 86, which just released a new album titled "Every Famous Last Word," played a fun and energetic set at Tequila Rocks that included covers of Pavement's "Range Life" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run."

The Raveonettes, rockers from Copenhagen, Denmark who MTV is pushing as the next White Stripes, played a CMJ/MTV2 showcase at a packed temporary venue dubbed "SXSW Venue." The group opened with a slow cover of Buddy Holly's "Rave On"--chanted, rather than sung, over a wall of ear-shattering dissonance--before launching into their originals. In its biography, the band claims that all of the songs on its new album, "Whip It On," are written in the key of B minor, and that no more than three chords were used in any song. Perhaps that's why the songs quickly started to sound alike.

Los Angeles-based Irving, during the Eenie Meenie showcase at Privilege, played an entertaining brand of British Invasion rock that owes more than a little to the Kinks. The group released an album titled "Good Morning Beautiful" last year, and a new EP is due in May.

Friday, March 14

The Thorns--which combines the talented forces of Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins--played a beautiful, invitation-only acoustic set in a ballroom at the Driskill Hotel. Many in the industry-heavy crowd were so impressed by the sounds emanating from the stage that they stopped their conversations to listen, and even removed the ever-present cell phones from their ears. The trio--which clearly learned a trick or two about harmony from Crosby, Stills and Nash--releases its debut album on May 20.

It was Japan Night at the Mercury, where Tokyo-based Condor44 took the stage at 9 p.m. and proceeded to wow the crowd with its tight, Sonic Youth-inspired sound. Though the trio has a guitar-bass-drums lineup, the sound was full and compelling. Tokyo-based novelty act Petty Booka followed: two cute young women in hula skirts--their harmonies sound a bit like the Chipmunks--backed by stand-up bass, guitar and steel guitar. Among the songs they played were Hawaiian-style takes on "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Crazy."

Later at Austin Music Hall, Lucinda Williams [ tickets ] previewed several songs from her forthcoming album "World Without Tears." About a quarter of the crowd was enraptured by Williams, and the remainder of seemed to be waiting for Willie Nelson [ tickets ]'s set, which followed.

At least it seemed like the crowd was waiting for Nelson. When he took the stage at about 11:30 p.m., many in the audience were still more interested in their conversations than in hearing Nelson's performance. Ben Harper, who played a free set at Waterloo Records earlier in the day, was among the guests who joined Nelson on stage.

Saturday, March 15

One of the festival's most interesting scenes took place on Saturday afternoon: The Polyphonic Spree [ tickets ], all 20-plus members clad in flowing white gowns, ran onto Congress Avenue for a photo op just as a crowd of 7,000 anti-war protesters began their march from the state capitol through downtown. After a photo was snapped, the band led the march for a while. The peace march proceeded to downtown's Auditorium Shores stage.

Getting into popular SXSW showcases can be nearly impossible for Austin natives who aren't willing to pay for a SXSW Music Conference registration (which start at more than $300), pay more than $100 for a wristband, or wait in huge lines for tickets to individual shows. But the SXSW schedule at downtown's Auditorium Shores amphitheater was free, and thousands of locals--and SXSW registrants--took advantage.

Against the backdrop of the Austin skyline, the rootsy, dreamy rock of singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo proved the perfect accompaniment as the sun set on this cloudy day, during which rain threatened but never came. A new song titled "Deer Head on the Wall"--which Escovedo described as a "taxidermist love song"--was among the highlights, as was his driving rendition of "Everybody Loves Me."

The reconstituted Joe Jackson Band [ tickets ] followed, and proceeded to blow away the crowd with a tight, 45-minute set that included several songs from the group's new album, "Volume 4." Though he's got a reputation of being somewhat surly, Jackson--who wore a long green trench coat on his still impossibly skinny frame--gave every indication that he was thoroughly enjoying his group's revival. So did the audience, which bobbed its collective head appreciatively as Jackson and band trotted out their new-wave classics, which have aged very well.

Most fans hoping to see Athens, Ga., singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt [ tickets ]--who is backing a new album titled "Silver Lake"--came away disappointed. The venue--Cedar Street Courtyard--was completely packed, with the crowd spilling beyond the venue and into the street outside. Though I can't say that I saw the stage itself, it apparently didn't rise much above ground level. That's a problem compounded by the fact that Chesnutt is wheelchair bound, so only fans in the very front of the crowd had any chance of seeing him. Most fans could see only Chesnutt's drummer. Next time, let's hope Chesnutt is given a larger and more appropriate venue in which to perform.

Later, the Polyphonic Spree was back to play a well-received set at the Austin Music Hall. The band plays overblown anthems--mining ground somewhere between the Beatles and the Flaming Lips--with positive themes, and are so sincere about their craft that you can't help but smile.