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IN THE BAG Drunk by noon and laden with gift bags, some SXSW attendees have a hard time tuning into the actual music by Dave Chamberlain AUSTIN--Just in case anyone down here in Austin thought they were cool, the nice folks running SXSW had an idea to bring them down a notch: When registrants get to the Austin Convention Center to score their maps, directories, etc., they're loaded up with a big bag of shit. A really big bag. So big and so full of magazines, books, CDs, flyers and even some stuff that actually applies to the conference, that carrying it for more than ten minutes is a spine-crushing experience. Think baby bag, with fifty pounds of Pampers. Of course, you have to ditch the bag, because baby bags ain't cool at parties. And that's really what it's all about here in Texas--parties. Really big parties. On Thursday there was the Schubas party (a venue in Chicago), which was really just an excuse to give away beer and see the Mekons. (Though it's worth noting that when Chicago's high-energy Latin band Casolando played, all the cool people--those who ditched the bag--actually moved towards the front of the stage and watched.) Later in the evening as the temperature cruelly dropped, the 6th and Congress intersection was abuzz with cool people being active. In fact, a one-block tour of the area can tell you the music climate of America; punk rock lives alongside dreadlocked hip-hoppers; Stetson-wearing cowboy music addicts mingle with sorority party chicks. The big deal of the night for the punks was at Emo's, where an entire lineup of bands on the Estrus label strutted the loud rock. Nobody early on the bill--Mooney Suzuki, Fireballs of Freedom, The Gimmicks--seemed to impress the clearly jaded crowd, but folks actually got amped for Sugar Shack, a Houston band which, according to a nice skinhead near the front of the stage, has been playing for thirteen years; problem is, they never leave Texas. In fact, of all the bands playing, none outside Sugar Shack are a rarity if you live in any city bigger than Boise. And if you're at home, wishing you were here, keep this in mind: no new bands are being discovered; if the next big thing is playing, everyone's already heard about it. And if the next big thing were playing, no one would ever know it. They're all too drunk. By noon. For complete Newcity.com coverage of SXSW 2000, click here.