South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual music, film and interactive conference and festival in Austin, Texas, and they've just launched a robust YouTube channel that offers a peek into the panels, screenings and music showcases that define the 10-day event. To celebrate, we're teaming up with these Texans to present highlights from this year's festival on our home page today, including exclusive live music performances filmed just a few days ago at places like the Beauty Bar Backyard and the Mohawk. In these jam-packed clubs, we co-presented several music showcases with the help of indie labels Asthmatic Kitty, K Records, Tomlab, Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar and Dead Oceans. Highlights included newcomers Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band, Rafter and South Africa's BLK JKS: For those of you who couldn't make it to Austin this year, we hope YouTube helps you discover a few things that were captured deep in the heart of Texas. With a Twang, Michele Flannery YouTube Music