Next to the plight of refugees fleeing war zones and repressive regimes, it's hard to get worked up about the plight of an ITALIAN rock band trying to play a few free shows in the US. But then again, if US immigration authorities are handcuffing, jailing and deporting Italian rock bands, what exactly, one wonders, are they doing to everybody else? The saga of postpunk trio SOVIET SOVIET's failed attempt to get to SXSW comes at an obviously fraught time for anyone trying to travel to the US, and at a particularly delicate moment in the relationship between SXSW and international bands. The band was traveling under the US visa waiver program, which traditionally has been used by bands playing unpaid gigs at festivals like SXSW, but immigration attorneys BRIAN TAYLOR GOLDSTEIN and ROBYN GUILLIAMS are telling bands that may not work anymore. And AUSTIN360 notes what most stories on the Soviet Soviet saga missed: that the band had booked a couple extra club shows outside of SXSW, at clubs that were charging for tickets. While the band claims it wasn't getting paid for any shows, that could have complicated matters at the border. But did it complicate matters enough to require handcuffs and jail? And is this who AMERICAN voters want to crack down on in 2017? (Wait. I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question)... Here's NPR's annual downloadable playlist of 100 artists playing SXSW MUSIC this week—about a third of whom will have to go through passport control to get there... The most interesting show at SXSW may be Friday's CONTRABANNED showcase, co-produced by immigration lawyer MATTHEW COVEY and featuring eight artists from countries affected by PRESIDENT TRUMP's executive order on immigration... Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the release of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO. Friend of REDEF MARK SATLOF, an exec at SHORE FIRE MEDIA, really really really loves this album. He owns "an estimated 1 percent of all copies manufactured in the U.S. before March 1969." (He did not, as far as I know, get a single one of them by taking the subway to LEXINGTON and 125th with 26 dollars in his hand)... The biggest BIGGIE fan in LA sits 10 feet away from me and signs my paychecks. In our newest REDEF MusicSET, JASON HIRSCHHORN collects stories new and old to show why "Biggie Smalls Was the Illest"... ALEX TREBEK may be the illest game-show host on TV. JEOPARDY head writer BRIAN WISSE on his boss's newfound hip-hop skills... PEARL JAM have invited all the ex-drummers overlooked by the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME to join them at next month's induction ceremony, and "wish H.R. and PERRY FARRELL were gonna be there too"... RIP JONI SLEDGE, one quarter of the great Sister Sledge.