Nick and Kevin check in from SXSW to give an update on their musical adventures. This week’s episode of Signs of Life features tunes by artists who graced the stage at Tuesday’s Paste day party over in Austin. The artists from Paste’s Tuesday line up include John Vanderslice, Rural Alberta Advantage, J Mascis, Oryx and Crake, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., and the Submarines. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes of Signs of Life to hear a full report of Paste’s SXSW stories and discoveries!

Nick and Kevin are looking forward to their version of Spring Break: the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Paste is hosting two day parties in their eighth year of SXSW day party-throwing, and they have a great lineup of artists performing on their stage this year. Today’s episode of Signs of Life is a sneak peak of the Paste bashes, featuring tunes by artists you can catch playing at Paste’s SXSW day parties. These musicians include Sondre Lerche, the Kopecky Family Band, Matthew and the Atlas, Lost in the Trees, and The Civil Wars. Does “Music Nerds Gone Wild” sound right up your alley, too? Check out http://www.pastemagazine.com/ for more info on Paste’s SXSW parties.

March is looking like a good month for music, and four days in, there are already some great releases out there. On this episode of Signs of Life, Josh, Nick, and Kevin share their list of ten March 2011 albums worth checking out. Folksy staple Lucinda Williams, Swedish singer Lykke Li, The Dodos, The Strokes, and Middle Brother, a band with lots of preemptive SXSW buzz, are among those with shining March releases. This show opens with “Na Na Na,” a track by Rachel Goodrich, and closes with the Civil Wars’ Live at Paste recording of the Smashing Pumpkins’ classic “Disarm.”

How ‘bout them… bands? Nick and Josh spin tunes from some of the best acts out of the college town home to UGA, as featured on their website’s list of 30 great Athens bands. The Athens playlist gets started with Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” to honor Jeff Mangum’s return to making music and playing shows. Of course the Paste guys pay tribute to the B-52s and Pylon, two bands that touted Athens pride from the dawning of the town’s music scene. More Athens acts featured on this episode of Signs of Life include Olivia Tremor Control, Modern Skirts, Dreams So Real, Of Montreal, and Futurebirds. Check out Paste Magazine’s website for the full list of 30 great Athens bands and lots of other great lists.

Nick and Josh reminisce about the music of the 2000’s as they dedicate this episode of Signs of Life to ten musical acts that emerged and also reached their conclusions during the previous decade. The short-lived acts of the 2000’s that the Paste guys think should be making music again include LCD Soundsystem,( awarded Paste’s 2010 album of the year,) The Duchess and the Duke, Desaparecidos, Daughters, The Postal Service, Mika Miko, and more. This episode of Signs of Life closes with a Live at Paste track that fits the theme of 2000’s musical ventures that are no longer: The Everybodyfields performing “City Noise.” The opening track from this episode, “Shake it to the Ground” by Rye Rye, can be found on Paste Sampler 67 at http:// www.pastemagazine.com/.

Paste has a lot to celebrate this February. The much-missed Paste sampler CD returns this month, and features the episode’s opening song “Rise to Me” from the Decemberists’ recent album. In addition to the Paste sampler, the music world is anticipating a whole slew of great new releases this February, so Nick and Kevin (Josh’s substitute today) share tunes from ten February albums worth checking out. Artists with noteworthy February albums include the “thrilling and exhausting” The Go! Team, the North Mississippi Allstars, Nicole Atkins, Tristen, Bright Eyes, and a band with lots of Paste buzz around them, The Civil Wars. This episode of Signs of Life closes with a live at Paste recording by Lucinda Black Bear.