So now I see why M. Ward comes to South by Southwest almost every year: He rents a sweet little house in a quiet and picturesque corner of South Austin, where I interviewed him Thursday morning. This year is his biggest yet, and he said he’s having a blast so far. After not touring for a while, and then touring just for a little with She & Him, Ward said, “I have sort of rediscovered the joys of performing again.” One of the ways he keeps it enjoyable, he said, is by mixing solo shows with full-band sets. The latter is what he played Thursday night on Auditorium Shores downtown, where shows are free and open to everyone. Thus, probably 7,000-8,000 people were there. And Ward wasn’t just going through the motions when he said, “Austin, Texas, how’s it going?” because there really were a lot of Austinites there (you can tell them by the fact that they don’t think they’re too cool to wear shorts on an 80-degree day). With the openers “Chinese Translation,” “Requiem” and “To Save Me,” the band showed off a punchy, rollicking, “Highway 61 Revisited” charm that was irresistable. Minnesotans can see Ward and the band April 25 at First Avenue (and look for my interview to run that weekend).

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