When we found out that local band Pimpbot was going to be performing at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas one of the world's biggest annual music events, we knew the guys had to be beside themselves with anticipation.

Joining Pimpbot in representing Hawai'i at the fest are John Cruz, David Tamaoka, Anuhea and One Right Turn.

Pimbot has been gigging and making records for eight years, but they're still waiting for that big break. That at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time event that will catapult their music into the big time. We're not jumping to any conclusions here, but it seems like playing the same gig as acts like The Hold Steady, The Black Lips, Cold War Kids and The Decemberists is a pretty good way to make things happen.

Instead of just asking the members of Pimpbot to answer our questions about what performing at SXSW means for their future, we decided to get someone better for the job. Someone who can relate to how the guys might be feeling right about now. Because no one knows the struggles and triumphs of a local band better than another local band. Here, Eric White, saxophonist for local ska band Go Jimmy Go takes the helm as interviewer:

Eric White of Go Jimmy Go: Are we ready? Are we recording? Yes? OK. Go Jimmy Go's fifth album is coming out ... oh wait that's Go Jimmy Go.

Fernando Pacheco, lead singer, trombonist and Pimpbot founder:

(Laughs) Go Jimmy Go? I've heard of those guys. They've been around a loooong time.

White: OK. Seriously. So, do you guys have a new album coming out? No? Oh! Strike one!

Eric Lagrimas, drummer for Pimpbot: (Laughs) We're still riding on the mad success of our second release, "Admit One." We're actually getting ready for the first U.S. tour supporting this album.

White: Right on. So let's talk about how you guys got the South by Southwest gig.

Lagrimas: I actually attended an info session with the regional representative for the festival. I told him what we were about, had a few beers with the guy, and it went from there.

Pacheco: When Eric told us that he'd met with the guy, I was like, yeah 'OK, that's cool. Whatever.' At the time, we wanted to tour the Mainland too, but we weren't sure yet how it was going to work out, and South by Southwest was just a maybe. So we thought we'd just do the East Coast and I put SXSW on the back burner for a long time, but in December we got a soft yes from the festival.

White: OK. What I'm really looking for is how much green you gave the guy to let you in.

Pacheco: (laughs) Let's see. I've putting money aside every year, and we had to buy the guy drinks.

White: That's it? Man, I could do that! Rylan, what are your thoughts on playing the festival?

Rylan Yee, bass player for Pimpbot: I'm so stoked right now. I actually didn't really know too much about the festival, but I looked at all the bands we'll be playing with ... man, it's such an honor to be able to go to Texas and play with all those people.

White: Tom, what are you looking forward to about the festival?

Tom Coleman, guitarist for Pimpbot: It's going to be a great opportunity to hear great music. It's great to be a part of it.

Pacheco: I'm actually mostly looking forward to that night — the night we play. Not only are we playing, but there are a number of other ska bands from around the world that will also be playing that night, and I'm looking forward to seeing them.

White: Are there any other bands from Hawai'i going up?

Lagrimas: Yes. There's John Cruz, Anuhea ...

White: Those aren't bands. Those are individual people.

Lagrimas: (Laughs) I was getting to that. David Tamaoka and One Right Turn are going, too. But we are the only rock band out of the Hawai'i contingency. The other Hawai'i artists will be playing a Hawaiian music showcase together, but we'll be performing separately at a venue better suited to our style.

White: So, what kind of vehicle are we touring in?

Pacheco: We used to rent from Go Jimmy Go, but they sold their van, so we rented a van and hired a driver. Believe it or not, there's a Pimpbot fan in South Dakota. We hired him.

White: Do you have anything special planned for the SXSW show?

Pacheco: We're just going to make sure that we play a set that really represents who Pimpbot is. We've come a long way musically.

White: There are four of you guys? And four plus four is ... what? Eight? And who do we appreciate? You guys. OK, back to the interview. You guys have two gigs at the festival, and how many more during the tour?

Pacheco: Five, for right now, We're also playing two other festivals: the Neon Reverb Festival in Las Vegas and the Big Spill Festival in San Antonio. And we'll also play some other ska and punk shows in California and Texas.

White: Any funny tour stories?

Lagrimas: Nothing we can say on tape.