The Limousines were one of the few bands from the South Bay to perform at SXSW last week in Austin. We talked with singer Eric Victorino about his trip to Texas and survival tips for bands hoping to attend next year.

How many shows did do at SXSW?

We had four scheduled at SXSW and a one-off at an arena in Laredo supporting Kinky. We cancelled one of the official SXSW shows, so only three total in Austin. A couple of years ago we played something like 9 shows in 5 days. That was awful.

What was the highlight of your trip?

I think the best part was the night when we canceled our show and just went out drinking with some fans and friends instead. The sound system at the club we were supposed to play at was terrible. We would rather someone be let down because they didn’t get to see us than to be unimpressed with our show.

ALSO READ: Highlights and Bands to Watch from SXSW

What was most difficult about the trip?

Just being at SXSW is exhausting. Other than the constant walking and the hangovers, everything’s fun.

What was the best show you watched?

Being at Diplo’s set at the MySpace party was so great; the energy in the room was dope. Then we saw a band called Diarrhea Planet and the guitar players were soloing on top of the stage scaffolds like 20 feet up. That shit was crazy.

Do you have any tips for musicians thinking about going next year?

Don’t feel like you have to do anything you don’t want to do just because it’s SXSW. There are a thousand bands competing for attention in a couple square miles every day for like a week, nothing about it is as make-or-break as it used to be back in the day. Just go play, have fun, take the opportunity to meet people and hang out.

PHOTOS: Check Out the Metro SXSW Photo Gallery.

Why do you think more San Jose and South Bay bands are not represented at the festival?

Because bands from all over the world are there. We went and Drop City Yacht Club, K.Flay, Wallpaper. and the Soft White Sixties were there. I’m sure the Bay was probably reppin’ a lot harder than most places.

Will you be back next year?

I kinda like the idea of playing it every other year.

What’s next for you?

Heading home to finish recording our album.

With thousands of acts filling every possible venue in Austin for SXSW, there was no shortage of photos opportunities at the music festival this year. Metro photographer Jennifer Anderson hit the streets for five days to capture some of the best shows at the fest, including Iggy Pop, Snoop Dogg, the Flaming Lips and more.

All photos by Jennifer Anderson.

The latest edition of SXSW closed Sunday in Austin, leaving behind massive mounds of Lone Star empties, sleepless nights for thousands of music fans, chance encounters with greatness and missed opportunities.

It’s a festival that’s a blessing and curse. There’s no other place in the world where you can find as many people involved with music in one place—from icons to no-name bands camping out in their van just for a chance to perform—but it’s also impossible for one person to see every act on their wish list. There is just too much going on and too many people trying to get into venues much to small for the talent inside.

PHOTOS: View the complete Metro photo gallery from SXSW.

A short list of the numerous icons to touch down in Austin over the weekend: Prince played for about 300 people to close the festival, Depeche Mode debuted new songs and Iggy Pop nearly had to be pulled from the stage after his set with the Stooges. Rap superstars Snoop Dogg, T.I., 50 Cent, P. Diddy and Kendrick Lamar also performed. A rumored Daft Punk show never materialized, but DeadMau5, Flying Lotus, Baauer and Skream were among the many electronic artists.

Below are highlights from the big-ticket acts we caught and bands we’re looking out for in 2013 and beyond:

Sound City Players
After delivering an 11 a.m. keynote speech (early morning in SXSW hours) Dave Grohl kept the party going late into the night at Stubb’s with his own little music festival featuring a cast of characters mostly from his new Sound City documentary. It was essentially a soundtrack that you might hear at a dive bar on any given night, but only played live in front of a few thousand fans. Stevie Nicks started the all-star lineup, followed by Lee Ving of Fear and Rick Springfield with Grohl and the Foo Fighters backing.

Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen made an appearance with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor belting out “Surrender.” The set ended with Bay Area icon John Fogerty running through Creedence Clearwater Revival, including “Born on the Bayou” and “Proud Mary,” before closing with Grohl swapping versus on “Fortunate Son.”

T.I. at Fader Fort during SXSW. Photo by Matt Crawford.

T.I., Usher and the Afghan Whigs
With stylists giving out free mohawks and an open bar with Whiskey-laced lemonade and beer, Fader Fort drew huge crowds and a 100-yard line of hopefuls looking for access to the party. The pop-up venue lived up to its reputation for surprises on Friday starting with an unannounced performance by Houston rapper Trae The Truth. The venue was packed early with mostly Texas locals rapping with him word-for-word before the place went nuts with a surprise appearance by T.I., who plowed through a few of his hits with Pharrell and B.o.B among the performers crowding the stage.

After more than two hours of hip hop (Future performed after Trae), the scene flipped to the opposite side of the musical spectrum with indie rock vets the Afghan Whigs. The band played tracks of their own before working into a verse of Usher’s Diplo-produced track “Climax.” The crowd erupted again as the R&B vocalist stepped out from backstage to finish the song and the rest of the set with the band. Brooklyn artist Sinkane also made a cameo and traded vocals with Usher on his afrobeat-influenced track “Runnin’.”

Scarface of the Geto Boys at SXSW. Photo by Matt Crawford.

Geto Boys
Legendary Houston rap crew the Geto Boys brought a night of twisted hip hop nostalgia to a few hundred people lucky enough to get into an exclusive show hosted by Red Bull. The gangsta rap OGs came out of semi-retirement and brought classics to the stage like “Mind Playing Tricks Me” and “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta” along with deeper tracks from their catalog. Potential good news for Bay Area fans: At the end of the show Willie D announced the group will go on tour later this year.

George Clinton at the Finding the Funk Panel at SXSW. Photo by Matt Crawford.

Finding the Funk Panel
With live shows going from noon into the early-morning hours every day during SXSW, it’s easy to overlook some of the panel discussions and performances planned at Austin’s convention center. We caught what is probably the funkiest panel in SXSW history with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell discussing the origins of funk and their music, along with VH1 producer Nelson George, Soul Rebels drummer Lumar LeBlanc and Sly Stone’s daughter Novena Carmel.

The exchange between Clinton and Collins during a Q&A session that ended the panel was full of laughs as the two cracked jokes with each other and shared war stories about taking acid, groupie love and buying the Mothership (it’s now parked at the Smithsonian) for the Mothership Connection tour in the 1970s.

Never short on one-liners, Collins offered this nugget when asked about what he thinks about modern funk musicians: “Every generation will have their own angle on the dangle.” Will Clinton, Collins and Worrell share the stage again for a show? “I’m horny for that,” Clinton replied.

Bands to Watch this year:

John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees at SXSW. Photo by Matt Crawford.

Thee Oh Sees
It’s already been a big year for Thee Oh Sees, the San Francisco band with the most momentum going into SXSW. They’ve mastered the art of throwing a blazing rock ’n’ roll party, and the crowd that arrived in Austin to see them clogged the bar patio and stage area where they played a late afternoon set on Saturday. Fans closest to the action onstage were covered in sweat, beer and crowd surfers while the band worked through its set with few pauses. Thee Oh Sees are off to Coachella next before heading to Europe.

Thurston Moore with Chelsea Light Moving at SXSW. Photo by Jennifer Anderson.

Chelsea Light Moving
With Sonic Youth on indefinite hiatus after his marital split with bandmate Kim Gordon in 2011, Thurston Moore introduced his new band, Chelsea Light Moving, at SXSW to a few hundred people at Thrasher’s Texas Style Death Match party. Sonic Youth probably won’t get back together anytime soon, but this is the closest of the group’s various solo projects to the Sonic Youth sound—heavy riffs from Moore that channel the early punk energy of the band with references to mellower more recent releases.

Eric Victorino of the Limousines at SXSW. Photo by Jennifer Anderson.

The Limousines
The Limousines always draw big crowds in San Jose, but it was also great to see a large following show up for their final show in Austin this year. After a break from SXSW last year, they were back with three shows and finished with a short Saturday night set that forced a line outside to stretch down the street from the full venue. It should also be a big year for the South Bay favorites, who left their label and are working independently on a new album due out this summer after raising $75,000 on Kickstarter. Expect darker undertones on the new release and enhanced production visuals at the band’s next Bay Area shows.

Metro Executive Editor Dan Pulcrano contributed to this report.