It?s almost time to party at SXSW

As we announced a couple of weeks back, the Internet Explorer team is headed to SXSW 2011. And we?re going to throw a party.

On Monday, March 14th during SXSW Interactive, we?ll be celebrating the developers and designers who make a beautiful web a reality. We?ll have free drinks and live music from Yeasayer, the Head and the Heart, and Fences at Austin City Limits Live. We?re excited to have such a great lineup booked in a city known for incredible live music.

So just who are the bands? And how can you skip the lines to get right in? More on that last part in a bit.

The headliner, Yeasayer, was named the most blogged band of 2010 by Hype Magazine. They first broke out at SXSW 2007, and we?re excited to have them back with their unique blend of experimental rock. Take a listen to them here.

Since we?re flying in from the Pacific Northwest, it only made sense to feature a couple of acts from Seattle ? The Head and the Heart, and Fences. Both were recently named to the 2011 list of top new bands from Seattle: Fences at #6, and The Head and the Heart at #1.

Recently signed by Sub Pop records, The Head and the Heart are all over the US right now, and are about to hit up Europe after SXSW.

And Fences, a.k.a. Chris Mansfield, made Spin Magazine?s list of the ten-best albums you may have missed in 2010.

With such a killer lineup, it?s going to be quite a celebration. So if you?re coming to SXSW, how do you not get shut out? Fast Lane passes.

We?re going to have a limited quantity of Fast Lane passes we?ll be giving out on the ground in Austin. Anyone attending SXSW can come to the party ? but these passes let you skip the line and walk right in. Here?s how to get them:

� Follow us @IE on Twitter, and keep an eye on the #IE9party hashtag. We?ll post clues each day on how to come find us and get passes.

� Friend us on Foursquare and/or Gowalla. We?ll be checking-in around Austin, and there might be a clue or two there as well.

11 days to go!

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