Thumbing through some old photos the other day, I came across some snapshots of the blazing-hot Austin City Limits festival in 2008. One that caught my eye was an image of my father smiling ear-to-ear, clutching his Lone Star tallboy as Conor Oberst rocked the stage in a purple mariachi suit behind him.

I chuckled at the picture and sighed, 'too bad I'll never see Conor play live again.'

Then I began to question my thought process. Why did I know that I'll never see that band play another show? They're still alive, still writing music, and still touring. Then, it came to me: The world is stricken with southern prejudice.

My musical tastes range from the seldom-heard-of to the ultra-megastars, however it seems like I've only gotten to see the latter live. It's almost as if bands that haven't won a Grammy or two will never make it to my town, which is strange because I live in the fourth largest city in the US. Bands from the midwest, the east or west coast all cruise straight through the center of the island - hitting Denver, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh - the obligatory New York City and Los Angeles. No one seems to venture through Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi - it's like we're the armpit of America. 

It's a shame that we have to wait around for big festivals like ACL or Voodoo to come around to catch some of our favorite bands. So now, I'm asking you, bands! What gives? I'm sure just as many people in my state listen to your music than in Utah. It's not like we're in Montana or something (no offense to our Montanan readers, of course). We're all clamoring to hear your answers, and so we open our comments section to you!