There’s a clearing by the river in downtown Paysandu. It’s called Plaza Artigas and it’s not actually too much more than a big open piece of ground with bricks over the top of it. It makes for great skating real estate, if you aren’t too big, otherwise there’s not much room across the open swath to get a good head of steam before you have to turn.

But folks do like to gather there.

There’s all sorts of families with the kids, older people watching everyone else’s kids (and probably taking bets as to who is going to wipe it next on the skateboard or tricycle).

Small food counters of various sorts operate on the perimeter of Plaza Artigas, keeping the crowd milling into its general vicinity.

And once in a while someone will up and play some music there for everybody. Folks will show up early and set up a stage. In a while the sound guys file in and set up enough speakers to make sure everyone across the whole big patch of open space will be able to hear. Then come around dusk when the stage finally needs a little help with illumination, it will be time for somebody to step up to the microphone and entertain the neighbors in this little river town.

People often say that Buenos Aires, Argentina is like another Paris. Well … you don’t travel far out of town to lose the whole Frenchy thing altogether.
Paysandu? … think more along the lines of “another Columbus, Mississippi.” You’re smack dab in the middle of the Riverlands.

This place is a spot on the river in Uruguay’s western farming country. Its 76,000 residents are generally hard at work in the different industries that keep this town running. But every once and while there’s time to take a siesta with the family down at the local promenade. While you’re there, it’s generally nice if someone happens to be singing that night.

And one of the folks who almost certainly entertained the hometown crowd at some point in time was Ana Prada, who is traveling from her home city of Paysandu, Uruguay to perform in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival as part of a “Sounds of Uruguay” contingent performing on March 12 at Speakeasy.

Austin should be a comfortable town for someone from Paysandu to visit and perform in. And coming with Prada for the ride is fellow Uruguayan songstress Rossana Taddei, With Taddei’s obvious folksy flair, playing in Janis Joplin’s old stomping grounds should be an experience.

The lineup also features the bluesy-inspired trio La Triple Nelson, who made their name known back home in Uruguay in the “Probandas 2000” television competition. Through a few personnel changes the band is continuing to groove and will be bringing it to the Lone Star State’s premiere musical showcase.

Hablan Por La Espalda emerged from the 90s hardcore scene and set to work merging their youthful angst with the influences of Candombe and old school heavy rock. The journey has taken them across Europe and five albums worth of material.

 “Electro-acoustic pop artist” Daniel Drexler offers up a simplified form of songwriting that has filled the song space in five albums since 1998.

Cuatro Pesos de Propina definitely musters up some “Manu Chao-esque” runs in their arsenal of tunes. This band made a name for itself playing the beaches of Rocha while assembling a career that is in its fourth CD release.

That equals six acts coming from the small, mostly rural country of Uruguay to play some tunes and be a part of the eclectic mix of Weird that is SXSW. If you happen to be around Speakeasy on March 12, remember the show begins at 8 p.m.