SXSW: Finally seeing some bands

After arriving in Austin, getting to my hotel, getting downtown, picking up my badge and all that madness, I'm finally seeing what I came for: music.

I arrived at Paste Magazine's day party in time to catch The Civil Wars after missing a set by The Head and The Heart and deciding that I wasn't going to wait behind 1,000 other people to get into the Fader Fort.

Over at the Stage on Sixth Street (formerly the Radio Room) the musical duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White were just getting set up when I arrived.

Williams and White's music has been buzzing about for the last few weeks and today I found out why.

Quite simply, they're incredible. The band (which is just the two of them) plays a southern style of country/folk that's all about picking and singing harmonies. They seem to know how the other is going to sing. And it's mesmerizing.

If I were casting a movie, I'd put Jonny Depp and the Mynabirds' Laura Burhenn in the title roles, as those artists would match in both talent and looks (though Burhenn would have to dye her hair).

They played for about 45 minutes, which included two covers: Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and the Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm."

Watch a video of their version of "Disarm"