MATT DRISCOLL: MONOTONIX MAYHEM >>>

My liver aches and my eyes look like death.  My right arm is covered with welts and dark purple bruises.  I awoke this afternoon to find my hotel room covered with burned kernels of popcorn and cigarette ash.

For all intents and purposes last night was the big sticky climax of SXSW 2008, and judging the state I find myself and hotel room in, it seems I had fun.

Yesterday I had a solid plan.  I arrived in downtown Austin around 4 p.m., and bounced from bar to bar for a few hours searching for the strongest drinks and the best band I'd never see again. I stumbled into a joint called Side Bar, and an Athens, Georgia showcase. The Dumps, a heavily bearded, heavily testosterone driven metal band that look like the confederate Metallica were ripping up the small stage inside, while 20 or so metalheads pumped their fists in approval.  Athens is a long way from Tacoma, but if the Dumps ever make it to T-Town they're thunder will be appreciated.

After a $5 bratwurst on the street I found myself in Agave â€" a narrow little joint with atmospheric blue lighting behind the bar and a bartender who's only grabbed five hours of sleep since SXSW started. She was on top of her game though, and something tells me the money's been worth it.  I've spent a considerable amount of time during the festival trying to gather whether the locals in Austin enjoy the madness of SXSW, and while some are surely put off by the massive influx of Yankees, traffic, and street closures â€" if you work in the bar or service industry SXSW equals dollar signs.  Who doesn't like dollar signs?

Somewhat unexpectedly, the highlight of the night, and in fact the entire festival, happened at Bourbon Rocks at 8 p.m. Monotonix, a punk band from Tel Aviv, Israel, who performed at the Brotherhood Lounge not long ago, played outside â€" and anyone lucky enough to have been there will never forget it. I know I won't.

But I'll get to Monotonix later.

I spent the bulk of my night at Emo's, where Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, the Raveonettes, the Donnas, and X gathered for one of the most highly anticipated shows of the festival. Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong is, perhaps, the hottest indie band emanating from across the pond in England, and they' have the look and sound to prove it.  Though their set was short, their skinny pants indie pop is more than just hype. While there's no guarantee that being London's flavor of the month will equate to anything more than the momentary attention of American music writers and an increase interest from UK groupies, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong are a band to keep your eye on.

Rumor has it that Rolling Stone's David Fricke discovered the Raveonettes at the SPOT music festival in Denmark. He saw the band, raved about them in print, and before anyone knew it guitarist and vocalist Sune Rose Wagner and bassist and vocalist Sharin Foo were fielding offers from major labels. Since that's all history, and the Raveonettes have already been overly "discovered," there's no need for me to go on and on about their '50s style harmonies and arty guitar riffs.  The Raveonettes are a very sheik band, and they've got a well-developed strut to prove it.  Their performance at Emo's last night wrapped up a flurry of SXSW activity for the band that saw the Raveonettes play nearly 10 times over four days.

Surprisingly enough, the Donnas weren't lame.  There was a time, when I was much younger and easily swayed by the idea of sexy women playing rock music, that the Donnas were down my alley, but times have changed. I thought the Donnas were something I'd grown out of.

Supporting their latest record, Bitchin', the now grown up rock and roll foursome from Palo Alto came to play last night at Emo's. Maybe it was sharing a bill with X, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong and the Raveonettes, or maybe it was the fact that last night's show concluded a long tour for the band, but the Donnas proved, to me at least, that there's slightly more in their bag of tricks than adolescent sex appeal. That said, they've also gotten hotter with age. It was a win win.

X is who most people came to see, and their nostalgic performance didn't disappoint. John Doe, Exene, and Billy Zoom took the stage at 12:30 p.m. to a roar of appreciation.  Though the band is showing the wear and tear of years of rock and roll service, their sound doesn't seem to be. X was obviously having fun last night, and that fun carried over to the crowd. Amidst the sweat and Lone Star beer, X still had it â€" to the delight of many, including myself.

But as I said, the highlight of SXSW 2008 happened before any of this.  Monotonix is the BEST LIVE BAND EVER.  I swear to you.  I have the bruises to prove it.

Though the band played only a handful of "songs," they delivered more than most were probably ready for. Monotonix took the stage on Bourbon Rocks' patio, and quickly ditched it for the warmth of the gravel-floored pit.  First, the singer headed out into the crowd, inspiring patrons to dump full beers over him while he fanned the flames.  Next, the guitarist headed out, slamming into people and being covered with beer himself- never missing a note.  Next, perhaps lonely on stage, Monotonix's drummer, who looks something like Borat on amphetamines, dragged his kit into the fracas, leaving only dumbfounded security guards to watch from the now vacant stage.

It's hard for me to find words for what transpired next. Monotonix played their entire set from the center of the pit, and between snapping pictures and finding myself in shocked utter amazement, I looked around to see the crowd growing exponentially.  I felt sorry anyone who was missing it. Bands were playing in ever nook and cranny of Austin, but Monotonix was in the middle of putting on an epic show that should be part of the rock and roll history books.

Monotonix didn't just play in the middle of the crowd, they became part of the crowd, and the crowd became part of the band.  At one point the shirtless and crowd surfing lead singer fell on the back of my head while I was distracted and transfixed on the possessed drummer.  The singer is a small man, with thick curls of Middle Eastern chest hair, and I lifted him (with plenty of help) and pushed him on his way.  A hand from nowhere snatched the beer away from me and dumped it on the guitarist. A few moments later, the drummer's bass drum was being hosted above the crowd, while he carried on with the snare.  Four or five of us kept the bass drum beat with our fists.  I began to bleed but kept going.  I was in the moment. We all were.

As I prepare to head out for barbecue and a much needed, laid back closing evening, if I remember one thing about SXSW 2008 it'll be Monotonix. In fact, I'll never forget Monotonix's performance last night.  It'll be forever stored in my memory bank, as the most crazed rock and roll performance I've ever seen.  Something tells me it'll be a long time before someone matches it.  I've seen a lot of bands in my day, but never anything like Monotonix.