South Park Meadows is a very grassy, dirt-road kind of a venue, the type referred to as a dust bowl. It all feels so very makeshift, as if the whole place has been rolled in just for the day - everything's in tents and trailers, including the showers. It's particularly muggy here today, and we hear that we may be in for a nasty rain storm later on.

The press conference was going slowly, so I got up and asked a couple of questions. Trish Murphy talked about her new album and the fact that she has graduated this year from the Village stage to the B-stage. The other artists each took their turns relating their experiences on the tour- the Lilith veterans comparing this year from last two years, while the new, developing artists spoke about how their time so far has lived up to their expectations. It ended up being a interesting press conference as every artist on the panel participated and had something engaging to say.

The village stage kicked off with the band Kitty Gordon, the local talent search winners playing to a large, attentive audience while rockin' the house. Nina, the lead singer, is very tiny and looked even more so, strapped under her large, mint green guitar. Her slight size didn't keep her from exuding a strong stage presence and she capitivated the audience's attention throughout the set.

Time to head over to the Kitty Gordon dressing room to do an interview. They're a nice bunch of folks from Austin who are having a great time so far. Nina can't wait to get on stage at the end of the night to participate in the finale, but fears she'll be so startstruck, she might faint from disbelief . Look for their album to come out in September with a strange name that doesn't make sense. That's all I can divulge at this time...

Kacy Crowley, another Austing artist and returning Lilith perfomring, begins her set on the B-Stage, sitting on a stool with her guitar. She's a tiny woman, but she has a powerful, crunchy voice that delivers her amusing yet emotionally wrenching lyrics directly and sincerely.

Trish Murphy takes to the B-Stage with her band to play her first show on this year's Lilith Fair in Austin. She's a local artist, and the crowd is very familiar with her music. She seems more confident this time around, and her new songs are much more punchy, with a fuller sound. By the end of her set, she looks ver satisfied with her performance, as the crowd gives up a raucous round of applause.

After a short rain shower, Shawn Colvin begins her first performance on the mainstage - she lives in Austin and will just be on joining us today and tomorrow. This time, she's on her own, playing a solo acoustic set. This set up is unusual for a mainstage act, but Shawn is a Lilith crowd favourite, and the audience remains attentive and hushed during her performance, except to show their boisterous appreciation between songs. She plays old and newer material, including her big hit "Sunny Came Home." In the middle of her set, the clouds dissipate, the sun returns and a stunning rainbow appears over the venue, which Shawn points out to the audience so they don't miss it.

Time for the finale, and we get another surprise guest tonight - the lead singer from Sister 7 joins everyone onstage, finding a spot beside Sarah at the center microphone. Also an Austin-based band, Sister 7 played last year's Lilith and was a favourite both with the crowds and with the other artists on the bill. She has a surprisingly forceful, passionate voice and she deftly uses it to sing a verse in the most soulful, bluesy vocal style we've ever been witness to during the nightly finale. She receives an impressive roar of approval from the audience before all the artists join in together again to finish up the sing-along with a joint effort on the chorus of "Put A Little Love in Your Heart."