None So Vile: Bonded by Blood

During the dubiously titled “Bloggers Are Now in Charge” panel at South by Southwest last week, an audience member uncorked a lengthy diatribe about how music bloggers “only write about artists that they like.” In a follow-up rant on his own blog, this self-proclaimed “extreme social media” expert (seminar coming soon to KC!) derided the panelists as “underemployed versions of traditional journalists or music critics – without the ‘critical’ part.” I wasn’t in Austin last week, an absence that rendered me unable to participate in this discussion or, more importantly, witness some awesome metal bands. But I’ll use this column to a) address the blog issue, and b) tout the acts I would’ve seen.