Sammy Hagar has been confirmed as a featured speaker at this year's South By Southwest (SXSW) Conference, currently taking place in Austin, Texas. Hagar will speak on Thursday, March 16th, at 2 PM.

Prior to his appearance in the Lone Star State, Hagar spoke with Gary Graff of Billboard.com; an excerpt follows:

"To be honest with you, I want to get re-inspired. I want to get my finger back on the pulse. I'm a smart enough guy where if I saw something great I could identify it." Hagar may even go beyond that. "I may want to grab one of these young bands and say, 'Hey, I want to sponsor you. I want to help you out. I'm not your manager, but I'll be your sponsor. I'll give you enough money to make it.'" Hagar says that scenario could very well play out, as once he has an idea he takes action. He admits he may even take things a step further than simply sponsoring a band. "Hell, may start a record company!" he says. "I may go, 'You guys aren't signed? Here, let me start a record company and I'll sign you!' I'm that crazy. It doesn't take much to get me with my sleeves rolled up."

Aside from hypotheticals, Hagar will definitely be doing work down in Austin. For Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar, he'll take a crew to the city's streets to film for a future episode. "I'm going to be putting some microphones in people's faces, some younger artists, asking them what they think about the event and if they think they're going to get anywhere from it," Hagar says. He's also scheduled an interview with Darryl "DMC" McDaniel, to discuss a new collaboration of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way".

To read more, including Hagar's latest thoughts on the possibility of a Van Halen reunion, visit this location.

Catch Sammy Hagar & The Circle live in concert:

June
2 - WinStar World Casino and Resort - Thackerville, OK
3 - Rockfest 2017 - Kansas City, KS
5 - Rose Music Center - Huber Heights, OH
10 - Downstream Casino Resort - Quapaw, OK
21 - Fallsview Casino Resort - Niagara Falls, ON
22 - Fallsview Casino Resort - Niagara Falls, ON
24 - Hard Rock Rocksino - Northfield, OH
29 - Tulalip Amphitheatre - Tulalip, WA

July
2 - Harrah's & Harveys - Lake Tahoe, NV