Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    I've lived in Austin since 1973 and have long been involved in the art and music community, so I remember the launch of South by Southwest. While I don't expect Austin to return to its Eighties' and Nineties' idyll, some growth can and should be managed. Originally, SXSW was a vehicle for unsigned bands (or bands seeking discovery or greater recognition) to showcase to industry scouts. Perhaps we could tone down the really, really big-name acts in favor of less well-known artists and re-emphasize innovation and discovery? The Film and Interactive portions both generate that kind of excitement and buzz. Why don't we save the Lady Gagas and other overexposed media stars for ACL? Or yet another festival of some kind, like Burned-Out Fest or Please Don't Move Here Festival? At some point, the creative class has to step up and insist on a viable aesthetic for these mass events. Please help.
   Thanks,

Dear Editor,
    I just wanted to thank Margaret Moser for the great piece on Derek O'Brien [“Chairman of the Board,” Music, April 25]. Derek remains an almost unknown institution in this town and elsewhere, which, on the one hand, seems odd because he is such an awesome practitioner of the blues. On the other hand, that phenomenon is easily explained by the fact that he is such a genuinely humble and self-effacing human being. Moser's interview deftly exposed that rare combination of qualities.
    Thanks Margaret, for the continued reminders of some of the little things that have always made Austin an oasis in the desert.