what i learned at sxsw - last day

Saturday was by far the most productive. well as productive as one could get on the fourth day in a row of being outside under the texas sun. we met katie at the rachel ray party but alas for the second year in a row, the party was a bust. the line was just too long for us to get in.

no worries though. there's tons of other stuff going on, right? we head to the convention center for a slightly underwhelming flatstock poster event. a lot of the same wonderful artists i love were there but just not very much that i thought was new...maybe i'm going to less shows too and therefore might be recognizing less. oh well. there was definitely less "plain" art but its cool.

after flatstock we headed to 7th and lavaca for our last delicious kebab at the kebab truck that is parked in the pay lot. this kebab truck saved us on many hot afternoons when we drank too many free lone stars and needed something filling but not heavy or greasy.

we said goodbye to downtown and headed just north of the university to a great little (mostly) outdoor cafe called spider house. i think it's safe to call this place an institution for many college students. i know it was a place that i could find solace, what i thought back then was a good cup of coffee and a cigarette. spider house has expanded quite a bit and now hosts sxsw day shows not too mention that they now have their greasy little fingers on a liquor license so a full bar is now available.

at spider house, we sat outside and saw homosexuals, crystal stilts, and a seattle band called the intelligence. although i didn’t know much about homosexuals (i do know they are somewhat legendary) i really loved the intelligence. i would describe it as a bit like surf-esque tunes...not the cheese beach boys versions of surf rock but really cool and a tad post punk. the crystal stilts were super awesome too and were really 60's in a reverby sort of velvet underground way. good thing i never wrote music reviews. only news...i like facts.

the intelligence - seattle, wa


crystal stilts - brooklyn, ny

i can't wait for next year's festival. thanks to brett & vera and katie & derrick for letting us crash at their homes. oh and of course to my awesome buddies for always showing us a good time.

what i learned at sxsw - day 3

okay, I promise to finish the rest of the sxsw vacation

friday – we spent most of the day with dan and vanessa. brian and I headed out to the fader fort party to pick-up wristbands. we walked across the train tracks to a rad bookstore called, domy books. behind the bookstore was a large tent setup for music, here we saw mirah and another nw(?) band called weird weeds. brian really dug weird weeds…something like sonic youth I feel is what he said. there was a cute little diy setup with free beer and vegan whatever food. you know…


brian and I headed back to fader fort party for women and the pains of being pure at heart. this party was by far the best thing we hit up other than free bloody marys at little radio day party. free beer, liquor, water, and sunscreen. awesome! the days before seeing pains kept coming out to being a bust because the band kept rescheduling or canceling shows. I think brian said they had something like 12 sets to play during the 4 day period. that’s pretty intense. seeing both bands was worth the wait. pains of being pure at heart was ultimately the best set I saw at sxsw. the summer weather reminded me of driving around corpus christi in my car with the windows rolled down…I could blast this music on any warm day. it felt young and fresh.

the pains of being pure at heart & women

after that we headed to french ligation for the garden party. there wasn’t a band we wanted to check out in particular so we just followed libby and derrick over there and took small naps in the grass for relaxation.

what i learned at sxsw - day 2

1. little radio bloody mary party is real -
we arrived before the doors even opened. a line quickly formed outside so dan, vanessa, brian and i hopped in. we were served two drinks at a time. amazing for something that is free. the weather has been beautiful the last couple of days. not too hot and barely working a sweat.

2. daniel johnston at paste magazine party -
this dude is crazy. we all saw the devil and daniel johnston. he was running late for his set because he was playing a show for kexp(?). either way it was great. although i don't know his music well i enjoyed the goofy singer songwriter lyrics. apparently he has a backing band now and the consensus is that they are a bit unnecessary. too strong and drown him out.


3. dont order the "family meal" at the salt lick -
it's too much food! we were so happy to take dan and vanessa on their first salt lick meal. food coma set in instantly. but damn its good.


4. east austin is very similiar to the shadiest parts of the central district -
so sketch. we really wanted to check out the crystal stilts and vivian girls at a night show but when we all drove down to the eastside after 11pm we wondered what the hell we were doing, what all the people on the corner were doing, and if they were out to have a "honest, goodtime". we voted and the answer was get the h out of there. so we did and got beers at a bar on south congress instead.

good day all in all and we had way more energy than the day before. here's to friday!

what i learned at sxsw - day 1

1. j tillman (fleet foxes drummer) at mowawk -
sounds almost exactly like early songs:ohia. think axxes and aces or ghost tropic. the show was great but just how and could've been better had there not been a metal show playing on the outside stage. just picture everytime the door to the outside stage, swinging open, and drowning out j tillman. every single time. oh well. his music is good but i'm not going crazy yet.


2. vetiver at mohawk -
oh i love vetiver. this band's music was the soundtrack to mine and brian's roadtrip through oregon and northern california. they played many songs from the new record and from to find me gone.


3. if you want the free stuff, you have to show up early -
i know i learned this lesson from year's past but i always forget. it's 10am in texas right now so i'm definitely on a good start today. hopefully we will head out soon and grab those free bloody marys and pbr at the little radio day party.

4. texas weather is best in march -
not so humid and not too hot. we ate breakfast outside with brett when we arrived. when we got back to the house from day show festivities and brought some wine, meats, and cheese. vera was home so we all sat outside again and ate our yummy appetizers. the mosquitos are barely noticeable maybe that's because it hasnt rained in quite some time but that doesn't bother a visitor like myself.


okay...here's to another day! dan and vanessa are in town now so we are off to meet them. cheers!

these days have been really great. i just read on pitchfork that wilco's new album drops in june and the field has a new record in may. "this is so exci-ting!" that's my chant when i go to target or something really fun is happening. i stayed in yesterday and did a lot of sxsw research and rsvp'ing. i can't wait to check out some new music. this band is playing and although i don't know much about them, i think they will be a great band to see in austin. that's kind of what sxsw is all about, checking out the small bands now a year before they blow-up and of course free booze and food.

some my favorite sxsw moments are

2003 broken social scene in a crowded bar with 80 other people
2003 iron and wine at an instore in urban outfitters
2003 spoon at emos
2003 magnolia electric co. at tower records
2003 yo la tengo and oh, cat power at a matador showcase - full set before she gave up booze
2007 menomena
2008 fleet foxes at emos annex with 30 or so people watching
2008 atlas sound at emos inside
2008 alternative press day party - good dj and lots of free shit

cat power @ matador showcase 2003 - stubbs bbq