We’re very happy to report our sponsorship of the 4th Annual Mess With Texas Party during the SXSW music conference proved to be one of the most anticipated, best attended events of the weekend. *[Man, that was a long sentence, sorry].

FYF Fest Productions and Transmission Entertainment did it again. Located on a massive three-tiered vacant lot on the central east side of Austin, the festival offered two large stages and more than 40 performing artists, (including highlights Man Man, Frightened Rabbit, OFF!, Brazos, White Denim, Billy Bragg, YACHT, F*cked Up, Big Freedia, and The Soft Pack).

On Saturday night, the legendary, deeply disgusting GWAR closed out the festival in front of an audience of nearly 7,500 smiling, vaguely terrified people. Yes, GWAR. From F*cked Up’s hardcore anthems into AWK’s inspirational party jams into GWAR’s 2,000 gallons of fake blood, you really couldn’t ask for a better mess of talented weirdos to close out the festival.

Was the venue comfortable? Not so much. Just a whole lotta open space cluttered with very dirty dirt, sharp rocks, and dead grass. But it didn’t matter because there were loads of food & drink vendors, and an abundance of opulent porta-potties. Was the weather nice? Not at all. But again, it didn’t matter.

Despite sunburns on Wednesday, thunderstorms on Thursday, sideways rain on Friday, and bitter 30-degree temperatures all Sunday, the festival remained an inspired, upbeat, and often hilarious experience. From new lurkers like Avi Buffalo and Ume to beloved heroes like Billy Bragg and Andrew WK, MWTx showcased a huge variety of independent artists from across the musical spectrum.

Flanked by Progress Coffee across the street (THANK GOD!) and East Side Showroom one block north, as well as close to shows at Shangri-La, Miss Bea’s, and the No Age afterparty at 5th & Brushy, MWTx was ground zero for just about everything worth experiencing at this year’s conference.

As an official sponsor of this unofficial party, we were proud to help produce this year’s MWTx. It was a labor of love and friendship all the way. Thanks again to all of the staff, security, patrons and performers, we hope to see all of you again next year. Check the MWTX 4 Party photos on Flickr.