If by some chance you had not heard yet, Mercy Lounge has teamed up with BMI and Bonnaroo to present a series of 8 Off 8th shows where one band from each show will play a stage at the 2009 Bonnaroo Festival. Even if the band ends up playing a side stage at an absolutely horrendous timeslot they still will, potentially, be playing to a larger crowd than they could ever imagine at a local venue. Not to mention the resume building power of it all!

Tonight’s lineup (as well as the next two) is unsurprisingly packed with loads of the bigger names in town. If ever there was a show recommendation to make, this is it.

Addendum: Apparently the overall winner of the contest (most total votes?) will also win a free pressing of three hundred 7″ viny from United Record Pressing and 1,000 digital download cards. The deal keeps getting sweeter I suppose.

The Features start their onslaught on SXSW tonight at 7:30pm for a KEXP live performance. From there, they play a number of showcases – both free day shows and official night showcases. I’m told that throughout this Austin trek there will be fullsize cutouts of the band placed in various locations with updates placed on WhereAreTheFeatures.com. Only time will tell if this plan is enacted upon but it’s worth a peek or two for the next few days to find out.