Ballroom Dancing

Artists Give Advice

Austin Convention Center, Friday, March 18

For those of us who've gazed up at posters of rock stars in times of uncertainty, pleading for advice, Friday's panel was like group therapy. The panel was moderated by Jenny Toomey (founder of the Future of Music Coalition) and featured the ubiquitous Robyn Hitchcock, folk singer Todd Snider, Mekon/Waco Brother Jon Langford, Austin guitarist Eric Johnson, R&B singer Nona Hendryx, and singer-songwriter (and 10th anniversary SXSW busker) Mary Lou Lord. Toomey doled out a handful of questions and covered a variety of topics, from the value of a cover song ("It starts with being a fan," said Lord) to perfecting their craft ("The process of practice, practice, practice is good, but you've also got to have the balls to do it," Hendryx remarked) to humor and politics in music ("There was a time when I felt a bit dodgy about getting my politics from rock musicians," Hitchcock mused) to having other hobbies besides music (Hitchcock posited that "if songwriting is Denver, then writing a book is Boulder … painting is near Denver"). Hitchcock and Hendryx imparted particularly opinionated words of wisdom to the crowd, yet it was the visibly nervous Lord who summed up the panel. In response to an audience member's question about their final piece of advice, she replied, "Keep the same passion as when you were 12 and heard that song that made you want to be a musician."