Ben Kweller, far right, and his band perform at the Austin Convention Center.

Full disclosure: I really like Ben Kweller. I started listening to him when I was in high school and he released “Sha Sha.” Recently, I’ve caught him several times in Omaha and met him a bunch of times. He even signed a poster for me (“Rawk! – Ben K.” it reads) at Maha a few years ago, which I have framed and hung on my wall along with a ton of other gig posters.

Now that my geekery is done with, I should tell you about his set.

I was excited to hear  that Kweller would be playing at SXSW especially because he has a new album, “Go Fly a Kite,” that just came out. During his short set at the Austin Convention Center, he played five songs from the new record: “Mean to Me,” “Gossip,” “Out the Door,” “Full Circle” and “Jealous Girl.”

The new tunes are a lot like his older stuff: soul rock by a veteran rocker  that makes you want to bob your head and dance around.

The cardigan-wearing, wild-haired singer/guitarist also performed a few other tunes, and some of my favorites: “Falling,” “The Rules” and closing song “Penny On the Train Track.”

I’m looking forward to when he goes on tour this year.