On Friday, Olivarez was hoping he could get off from work early so he could head down to Backspin Records for a techno and hip-hop party with free beer.
Olivarez, also a musician whose 1970s hard-rock cover band The VoSots was not performing at SXSW, doesn't see the need to pay to see the official events when he can see so many quality shows for free.
"I just go hang out, check out the scene," he said. "A lot of the stuff, wrist bands and all that, goes to out-of-towners."
When The Cush played at Jaime's on Red River on Thursday, Mick Jones, formerly of The Clash, was sighted in the restaurant's outdoor patio, where there was room for an audience of maybe two-dozen people. At a different venue on Wednesday night, bandmembers said they met Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.
"That kind of stuff doesn't happen in your home town," said vocalist Gabrielle Douglass who lives in Burlington, Vermont.
Austin musician Lauren Marie - stage name Miss Lauren Marie - said the festival is "very corporate." But festivalgoers, she said, tend to seek out the best music regardless of whether it's at a fancy venue or a hole-in-the-wall.
Her advice for people attending the festival for the first time: Wander around downtown Austin until you hear something that you like. As often as not, it won't be coming from an official venue.
"There's so much talent here," she said. "Hit the stuff that isn't South by Southwest and you're gonna see some good stuff."
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