Let’s face it: navigating South By Southwest can be pretty overwhelming. There’s an unending list of bands that we want to see, and we know there’s not enough time in the day to catch them all. My reaction to the SXSW crunch is to pretty much not plan ahead. Sure, it’s kind of a stupid way of going through the day, but I find that I get along fine by figuring out in the morning where I want to stop first and then consulting my lists as the day goes on.

With that said, for my initial post here for Agit Reader’s SXSW coverage, I offer a personal Top Ten Picks for SXSW 2009. While a lot of my plans are up in the air, these are the bands, venues, and food options that I’m most leaning toward checking out.

1) Devo: Maybe it’s lame to be excited about one of the week’s “headliners,” who are playing at the Austin Music Hall Friday night. Akron, Ohio’s native sons have been a favorite of mine forever, though, and I’ve never gotten the chance to see them live. Most reports indicate that the band still delivers the goods.

2) Sound on Sound Records: One of Austin’s better record shops has a number of top-notch bands performing in-store Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. It’s a bit away from the main action, but you will not go wrong spending an afternoon here.

3) XYX: There’s plenty of opportunity to check out this band (one of Mexico’s best) all week. They get some comparisons to S-S Records labelmates Los Llamarada, but XYX follows a markedly different, though equally rewarding, trip.

4) Whataburger: For my money, Whataburger’s the number one option for the post-show meal. All of the chain’s restaurants are a long way from Ohio, so I relish every opportunity I get to grab some of these cheeseburgers.

5) Terrible Twos: A blistering set by Detroit’s Terrible Twos at last year’s SXSW cemented these hard-nosed punks’ status as one of my favorites. They’re also playing a ton of shows. Here’s hoping they survive them all.

6) The Typewriter Museum: One of the truly unique venues in Austin, the Typewriter Museum plays host to shows throughout the week. The name pretty much says it all, although most of the action occurs in the dirt backyard. Bands of all sizes and shapes will be here, so there’s bound to be something for everyone.

7) The Homosexuals: I missed these legendary British punks’ recent stop in Columbus. Part of the magic of SXSW is that I get to totally make up for it this week.

8) Sweet Rot/X! Records day show: There’s a lot going on Saturday afternoon, but for my money this is one of the best two or three things happening that day. It’s at the venerable Beerland and features a bunch of great Detroit bands, plus Blank Dogs and the Pets.

9) Mess With Texas: Speaking of Saturday, the third Mess With Texas event is once again at Waterloo Park that day. If it happens to be nice outside, there’s nothing like chilling in the park for an hour and catching a couple of bands on the two stages.

10) Roppolo’s Pizzeria: Reviews are decidedly mixed concerning the pizza at Roppolo’s, but they’ve never done me wrong and their sidewalk window is smack in the middle of the action on Sixth Street. During multiple trips to Austin, there have been days where slices from Roppolo’s provided me my sole sustenance.