Excellent commentary by suspense master Stephen King:

This is a sad story about how good you can be in America and still not be quite good enough to make it. It's about an alt-country band called Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Truckers .…

[H]ow did a band this good, this tight, fail to make the big time (or even the middle time) in a country where a no-talent, off-key screamer like William Hung could sell hundreds of thousands of records? …

All I know is that talent is a lightning rod and America is a thunderstorm. You go running around like crazy, you get soaked, your arm gets tired holding that damn thing up...and still, lightning, all too often, strikes half a block over, electrifying someone else.

Read the full story — "Mistakes Were Made" — from Entertainment Weekly.

From Waterloo Records:

SXSW 2006 wristbands will be on sale, Thursday, February 23rd when Waterloo opens at 10am. The first 2000 will be priced at $130 (maximum two per person; cash or credit card only) at Waterloo Records ONLY. When the first 2000 sell out, the price for the next 2000 will change to $150 (maximum two per person; cash or credit card only) available at Waterloo Records ONLY.

After the first 4000 wristbands are sold, SXSW will wait until March 9 to determine how many additional wristbands can be put on sale - if any - based on the pre-registration numbers for SXSW Music and Media Conference. If additional wristbands are put on sale, they will be priced at $175.

Please be aware that SXSW registration numbers are running well ahead of previous years. It's likely that at most SXSW will only be able to release a very limited number of additional wristbands.

Seems like most everyone is focused on next month's SXSW happenings, but another great festival is also drawing near — the 19th annual Old Settler's Music Festival, April 20-23.

The just-announced lineup for this family-friendly festival includes:

• Thursday (for campers only)
• Peter Rowan's Skydancer Trio
• Grassy Knoll Boys
• Lonestar Bluegrass Band
• Texas Swing Kings
• Abigail Washburn
• Friday
• Keller Williams
• The Waybacks
• New Monsoon
• Uncle Earl
• Chris Stuart and Backcountry
• Marley's Ghost
• Megan Beninson
• Saturday
• Todd Snider
• Vassar Clements tribute featuring Heybale with Erik Hokkanen and Alvin Crow
• Eddie from Ohio
• Terri Hendrix
• Susan Gibson
• Sarah Jarosz
• Flounders without Eyes
• Megan Beninson
• Sunday (for campers only)
• Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez
• Slim Richey & Kat's Meow
• Grassy Knoll Boys
• Bluegrass gospel with Chris Stuart and Backcountry

Advance ticket sales run through April 1.

Austin's Barton Hills Elementary School is hosting a benefit concert this spring to raise funds for music, art, and physical education in public schools. Music in the Park for the Arts is set for Sunday, April 9 at the school grounds.

Barton Hills mom Sara Hickman is the official spokesperson, and will perform along with Carrie Rodriguez, Trish Murphy, Darden Smith, and Natural Causes.

Organizers are putting together a booklet featuring quotes from artists, musicians, athletes, and others on what art, music, and P.E. meant to them in school and how it has affected their lives.

This is a beautiful way for anyone to help by donating words to the project. Anyone interested in participating can contact me.

Podbop mashes concert data from Eventful with MP3s from artist sites and Blogdigger to present a sneak peek at upcoming shows.

The service was released just this week, so data is limited. For example, a search for events in Austin returns few results. A Dallas search proves slightly more fruitful.

Podbop also offers city-specific RSS feeds to alert you of upcoming shows, with relevant MP3s included in the feeds. And you can help build the database for your favorite artists or venues.

Thanks to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch for the heads-up on Podbop.

Thousands of musicians, promoters, and afficionados have turned the downtown Hilton into a high-rise headquarters for all things folk. Guitarists and fiddlers roam the lobby, idly plucking their strings for the sheer sake of the song. Hallways teem with all varieties of music, and each cracked doorway gives vent to raw musical ambition and truly global rhythms.

Jeff Black and the South Austin Jug Band helped launch the Folk Alliance conference on Friday. The kickoff party, hosted by BMI, spawned numerous conversation pods — and even interested a few people in the performances.

Networking is as much a part of the weekend as is the music, and Black intimated that he didn't mind the turned backs and constant chatter. "I always love the Folk Alliance conference," he quipped. "It's like a family reunion. You always run into people you haven't seen in a long time, and you can't remember their names." Now in its 18th year, the conference reunites old friends and helps newcomers find likeminded souls.

The Hilton is hosting more than 2,000 official and unofficial showcases, plus dozens of workshop sessions and conference panels. Main Performance Alley rooms are named after Austin music meccas of today (e.g. the Cactus Cafe room) and yesterday (the Liberty Lunch room).

Most performances and affiliated events are limited to badged conference attendees, but a few are open to the public. One public event on Saturday featured 11 children's music performers. Local favorites Joe McDermott and Sara Hickman opened the showcase with their energy-burning, interactive performances.

Massachusetts-based Guy Mendilow later stole the show, leading the audience in a call-and-response song of parental love while captivating the kids with his Brazilian berimbau (described on his site as "a home-made musical bow and arrow, struck with a stick and a stone") and bird-like overtone singing.

The conference continues through Monday, culminating in a New Orleans benefit led by Arlo Guthrie, Cyril Neville, and friends. Monday night showcases are open to the public, with a $25 cover granting admission to more than 70 showcases.

A Grupo Fantasma update from publicist Lori Lopez at Propaganda Media Group:

After fifteen years playing music together, five of which were with Grupo, the band has split with lead vocalist Brian Ramos. The split is amicable and Ramos is happy to have more time as he is involved in soundtrack projects and community service projects. The band and Brian wish each other the best. Percussionist Jose Galeano, a native of Nicaragua and primary songwriter, has stepped up to take lead. They are auditioning new singers and are touring constantly.

Ramos' past projects have included short films with Estebandido Productions and theater work with the Nushank Theater Collective.

Grupo Fantasma has upcoming shows in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and other points around the state before heading to the upper Midwest and Canada for a summer tour.