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Austinist and Gothamist's second annual SXSW day party (co-hosted this year with Gorilla Vs Bear) was a resounding success, drawing a capacity crowd by the early afternoon. Austin Mayor Will Wynn made a surprise visit during Earl Greyhound's set, articulating the importance of cornerstone venues like The Mohawk on our city's live music scene and suggesting that Austin musicians need better access to healthcare. His speech garnered tremendous applause from the audience, which consisted equally of SXSW Music Festival goers and Austinites.

Austinist would like to thank everyone who came out to this kickoff party, as well as the folks who made this possible:

• Sponsors BMI, Yaris, TuneCore, and The Musebox
• The Mohawk staff
• Emcee Laurie Gallardo of KUT
• DJ Markus Diffee
• Mayor Will Wynn, Rich Bailey, and Thelma Barraza
• Rudy's BBQ and Tamale House
• Stage manager Aaron
• Izze Beverage Company and Red Bull
• Miller Pro Audio
• Rosa Madriz of Green Potato Ventures
• And, most importantly, the bands: Architecture in Helsinki, Headlights, Nicole Atkins, Peter and the Wolf, Tom Brosseau, Apes and Androids, The Shivers, Hello Stranger, The Forms, Sparrow House, Teitur, Earl Greyhound, Stars of Track and Field, Loney Dear, The Hourly Radio, and Loxsly

Enjoy the rest of SXSW, folks, and we'll see you out there!

More: Austin360's The A-List photo and blog coverage