Be sure to check out Tony Nelson’s SXSW photos from yesterday here: http://www.startribune.com/galleries/16615651.html 

On to today…

Kimya Dawson could probably go ahead and be crowned the queen of SXSW ‘08. The former Moldy Peaches partner has about eight gigs in town this week, and everywhere she goes people recognize her thanks to her moppy hair. When she sat down with me — and her adorable 2-year-old daughter – for an interview in Brush Square Park across from the convention center, several people shouted out her name from cars passing by (although one was the young daughter in the Trachtenberg Family Sideshow Players, Dawson’s old friends).

Of course, even Barbara Walters knows who Dawson is these days thanks to the “Juno” soundtrack (laden with her songs). Kimya laughed off Walters’ recent comments that she “didn’t get” her and the Peaches during an interview with “Juno” star Ellen Page: “I don’t really get her either.” She did say Walters was nice on the set of “The View.” She said, “She was giving us all this business advice, and we were like, ‘No. No. No.’ She probably figured we were a bunch of unambitious slackers.” 

One of Kimya’s gigs is tonight to promote the upcoming “Body of War” anti-war CD/documentary. She’ll be on stage with Tom Morello, Billy Bragg and Serj Tankian. Her short but perfect response when I asked about the project: “Hell yeah!”

I’m off to the first few day gigs already… I’m hoping to catch Jens Lekman, Tapes ‘N Tapes and the Noisettes by 3 pm.

For complete SXSW coverage, and tons of photos, go here.

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