The Hanks

Every year before South by Southwest, I take time out to sit down and sort through all the bands I have befriended on MySpace, visit various websites such as www.showlistaustin.com and Red Gorilla Festival, and make a calendar of all the free shows I want to see.

This normally follows with me printing out this list so that I have a schedule of where I need to be during the week, but of course, when the week finally rolls around, this schedule ends up staying in my bag.

While I did catch some bands that were originally on this schedule, the majority of bands I saw this year were discovered as I was walking down Sixth Street and was intrigued by what I heard. So, without further ado, here is a list of bands not on my schedule, but that I was fortunate enough to see.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.

I first came across The Hanks during South by Southwest in 2007. Drummer Shane Mayo skated over to me in confidence that I would like his band and had me listen to an MP3 player loaded with their then-released album, "Your New Attraction." He was right.

I was then handed a handwritten flyer with the upcoming shows they were playing that week and a complimentary comic strip. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see them play, but I did enjoy the CD I was given.

Click here to read the rest at Accent.