It's almost time for the Second Annual Six Degrees of Memphis SXSW Day Party and Official Showcase - and YOU'RE invited!

Last year I began producing a specialty internet radio show for Breakthruradio.com focusing on Memphis musicians. The show, called "10 Degrees of Memphis," set out to link 10 songs together via the contemporary musical history of the city. Sometimes the songs were chosen by my guests, sometimes by me - and a lot of fun was had analyzing and connecting the dots. Shortly after the show began airing in February 2007, I came up with the idea to drag many of the musicians prominently featured on the show to SXSW to perform during a day party simply called "6 Degrees of Memphis." The name of the party, just as the radio show, comes from the popular theory that everyone on earth is separated by only 6 people (6 degrees of separation), my theory being that every musician in Memphis is separated by less than 6 people, but what's even more likely is that every musician in the world is connected to Memphis in less than 6 steps...

The show was so much fun for everyone involved, half of the city will be following us to Austin for our second SXSW show coming up on March 14th, and this year we have been invited to participate in an official showcase. If you were around last year you might remember the Stax showcase being the toast of the festival, we hope to keep the momentum going with the stellar line-up we have planned.

The radio show has now reached a listenership in the millions, and so this year we've decided to bring twice as many musicians, all with their own unique sound.

Holly Cole - 12:15 PM - She's not the jazz singer, you guys! She's the sweet siren of Memphis where she mixes folk, country and rock to sing of love and nostalgia. Cole exudes a mysterious sexuality from the stage, but her beauty is easily matched by her talent - the total package indeed!

Two Way Radio - 1:15 PM- "The band's sound is lush and layered both in the studio and on stage, and their songs are dense, often whimsical, and, in a tradition that runs from the Beach Boys through Neutral Milk Hotel, often structured like minisymphonies." - Commercial Appeal

Blair Combest - 2:15 PM - "Blair Combest is one of Memphis’s most gifted songwriters and one that you will, hopefully, get to know more about as time goes on. The Dylan comparison is obvious and you can’t ignore it, but it’s really not intentional on Blair’s part — that is his natural singing voice. But you know, if you’re a singer who, even accidentally, is going to sound like the greatest songwriter of the 20th century, you’d better be as good of a songwriter as Blair Combest is." - Loudersoft

Antenna Shoes - 3:15 PM - Tim Regan's versatile workmanship and songwriting skills take center stage under the aegis of his new bag, Antenna Shoes. Songs culled from new inspirations, old dreams and ancient sagas form the backbone of Antenna Shoes' Generous Gambler. (You might know Tim from his other projects) - he's the keyboardist and co-lead singer in the Memphis-based neo-psychedelic outfit Snowglobe and a member of Austin's chipper twee popsters Oh No! Oh My!. - Brad Bailey

Giant Bear - 4:15 PM - "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention reincarnated as a modern day folk pop powerhouse." Cincinnati City Beat

Jump Back Jake - 5:15 - "At a glance, Jake Rabinbach doesn't exactly make you think of Memphis soul. With his scruffy beard and curled locks, he conjures the image of a young Bruce Springsteen or a midperiod Bob Dylan rather than Otis Redding or Al Green. But Rabinbach's overriding passion for Memphis' musical traditions brought him from the East Coast to the Mid-South...Rabinbach's voice, although certainly inspired by a legion of legendary R&B crooners, possesses its own unique charm." - Commercial Appeal

Are you still movin' and groovin'? GREAT! You're ready to head to the night time show!