At least that's what the dogwoods tell me
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
SXSW Day Three
South by Southwest means different things to different people; publicity firms looking to expand business; bands looking to expand their fan base; record labels looking to expand their band roster; businesses looking to expand their publicity. Most people are looking to expand their experience, notoriety, and contacts. I just wanted to hear some music.
I was here a couple of years ago with the muckrakers; we had three shows, two of which went extremely well. It’s the contrasts that are standing out to me now, the much lower percentage of heavier bands and the larger numbers of electropop bands. There are more female led bands this year, more americana bands, and many more tight jeans.
Today began with the same gorgeous weather we’ve had the entire time here, and the short drive down 1st St. is one of peaceful anticipation, often accompanied by the Beastie Boys or AC/DC, which seems entirely appropriate. After a brief walk down 6th St., I arrived at the first show of the day, Wax Fang at the Troubadour, a typical enough venue for the area; a long shotgun style bar with just dingy enough to proclaim authenticity as a local institution. Wax Fang hails from Louisville, KY and got quite the boost opening for My Morning Jacket. This week they have devoted themselves to playing as much as possible, their sets ambitious, powerful, and loud. Wax Fang sounds like a frightening night spent hallucinating in a southern swamp. The crowd is intrigued and mesmerized. Singer Scott Carney plays guitar and theremin like a crazed conductor escaped from an asylum, while the band stays in the groove and rides the wave of the song. A nice spotlight on Louisville’s eccentricities.
A few blocks down the street, we manage to catch the Bitter Wigs, the latest creation of Josh Hawkins, Louisvillian by way of Chicago these days. This three piece doesn’t so much as play their songs as ignite a blowtorch and take it to your face. The Bitter Wigs land in that late 70’s, early 80’s era of punk and AC/DC, the Sex Pistols and Black Sabbath. Not for the faint of heart, this riff-oriented groove machine lets Hawkins wail his tenor with the best of them.
Finding our way down 6th to Red River St., we head in Mohawk and check out the bill. The next band to play is called Peelander-Z. Well, seriously, nobody wants to see a band called Peelander-Z, but we end up talking to some people we know when a Japanese band called Peelander-Z takes the stage, but may also go by the name Might Morphin Acid Trip, or at least that’s my impression since they are dressed in those costumes, with the singer having a shaved head except for his long pigtails that he has let grow and partially dyed blond over black hair. I’m just going to have to post pictures. Peelander-Z is basically an Absurdist Thrash Punk band, introducing songs through broken English and holding up the song title on poster board, which is also the chorus, which they get the crowd to chant at the appropriate times, which is really the only lyrics to the song. They played such hits as Mad Tiger, the ever-popular Ninja High School, and everyone’s sing-along favorite Steak: Medium Rare. They climb speakers, hang from the rafters, get on top of the tents, enter the crowd and jump rope, and generally entertain the pants of the crowd. Their final song, What The Health – SUPER HEALTH! has the band in a groovy thrash metal number as they invite a few members of the crowd onstage to take their instruments and continue the song while they put on Mexican wrestling masks, a bowling pin costume, a huge green afro wig, picking up the drums, taking them into the crowd, and handing out pots and pans for the crowd to bang until the whole thing falls apart like some steampunk ferris wheel. I’m honestly not sure what happened after that. I’m beginning to think it was all a dream. I’m really trying not to make a gonzo reference here, but I feel it pulling me in like a stifled tourette’s tic.
As the absurdist fog of Peelander-Z lifted, we made our way to the Austin Convention Center, where a thick line snaked its’ way all the way around the concourse. Looking for the will call window, we passed the 900 or so people standing there and went to claim our Rolling Stone tickets to see Echo & the Bunnymen. As the first ones in the doors, we walked to the front of the stage where the cameramen were as the crowd filled in behind us. This was not my doing, and I owe a great deal of thanks to Kyle Meredith for the tickets. It was an event that was being filmed for direct tv and was a 42 minute set of their most recognizable songs.
Afterward, we decided that a short walk and a drive through Austin would allow us to collect ourselves and find a relaxing dinner. This turned out to be at the Green Mesquite, a fantastic BBQ place near Auditorium Shores that served me some of the best turkey I’ve ever had, complemented by a fantastic meal with friends. This gave us just enough energy to make it back to 6th St., and the swarming masses of the streets throbbed with life and was motivating enough to make a few passes back and forth and pop in on whatever sounds caught our ears. At some point, we saw Brigid Kaelin sitting in with various musicians playing saw, later entertaining a group of comedians entertaining her by writing her into a television script. Rocky Top! they yelled. She complied and promptly trumped them with a Margaritaville yodel.
In the end, South by Southwest was exactly what I wanted it to be, full of friends and music and good times. I missed a couple of the bands I needed to see, I picked up a couple of Louisville bands that weren’t on my schedule, so maybe in the balance of things, I only have one foot on the lounge chair in the swimming pool. But I won’t miss the big fight either.
b
I was here a couple of years ago with the muckrakers; we had three shows, two of which went extremely well. It’s the contrasts that are standing out to me now, the much lower percentage of heavier bands and the larger numbers of electropop bands. There are more female led bands this year, more americana bands, and many more tight jeans.
Today began with the same gorgeous weather we’ve had the entire time here, and the short drive down 1st St. is one of peaceful anticipation, often accompanied by the Beastie Boys or AC/DC, which seems entirely appropriate. After a brief walk down 6th St., I arrived at the first show of the day, Wax Fang at the Troubadour, a typical enough venue for the area; a long shotgun style bar with just dingy enough to proclaim authenticity as a local institution. Wax Fang hails from Louisville, KY and got quite the boost opening for My Morning Jacket. This week they have devoted themselves to playing as much as possible, their sets ambitious, powerful, and loud. Wax Fang sounds like a frightening night spent hallucinating in a southern swamp. The crowd is intrigued and mesmerized. Singer Scott Carney plays guitar and theremin like a crazed conductor escaped from an asylum, while the band stays in the groove and rides the wave of the song. A nice spotlight on Louisville’s eccentricities.
A few blocks down the street, we manage to catch the Bitter Wigs, the latest creation of Josh Hawkins, Louisvillian by way of Chicago these days. This three piece doesn’t so much as play their songs as ignite a blowtorch and take it to your face. The Bitter Wigs land in that late 70’s, early 80’s era of punk and AC/DC, the Sex Pistols and Black Sabbath. Not for the faint of heart, this riff-oriented groove machine lets Hawkins wail his tenor with the best of them.
Finding our way down 6th to Red River St., we head in Mohawk and check out the bill. The next band to play is called Peelander-Z. Well, seriously, nobody wants to see a band called Peelander-Z, but we end up talking to some people we know when a Japanese band called Peelander-Z takes the stage, but may also go by the name Might Morphin Acid Trip, or at least that’s my impression since they are dressed in those costumes, with the singer having a shaved head except for his long pigtails that he has let grow and partially dyed blond over black hair. I’m just going to have to post pictures. Peelander-Z is basically an Absurdist Thrash Punk band, introducing songs through broken English and holding up the song title on poster board, which is also the chorus, which they get the crowd to chant at the appropriate times, which is really the only lyrics to the song. They played such hits as Mad Tiger, the ever-popular Ninja High School, and everyone’s sing-along favorite Steak: Medium Rare. They climb speakers, hang from the rafters, get on top of the tents, enter the crowd and jump rope, and generally entertain the pants of the crowd. Their final song, What The Health – SUPER HEALTH! has the band in a groovy thrash metal number as they invite a few members of the crowd onstage to take their instruments and continue the song while they put on Mexican wrestling masks, a bowling pin costume, a huge green afro wig, picking up the drums, taking them into the crowd, and handing out pots and pans for the crowd to bang until the whole thing falls apart like some steampunk ferris wheel. I’m honestly not sure what happened after that. I’m beginning to think it was all a dream. I’m really trying not to make a gonzo reference here, but I feel it pulling me in like a stifled tourette’s tic.
As the absurdist fog of Peelander-Z lifted, we made our way to the Austin Convention Center, where a thick line snaked its’ way all the way around the concourse. Looking for the will call window, we passed the 900 or so people standing there and went to claim our Rolling Stone tickets to see Echo & the Bunnymen. As the first ones in the doors, we walked to the front of the stage where the cameramen were as the crowd filled in behind us. This was not my doing, and I owe a great deal of thanks to Kyle Meredith for the tickets. It was an event that was being filmed for direct tv and was a 42 minute set of their most recognizable songs.
Afterward, we decided that a short walk and a drive through Austin would allow us to collect ourselves and find a relaxing dinner. This turned out to be at the Green Mesquite, a fantastic BBQ place near Auditorium Shores that served me some of the best turkey I’ve ever had, complemented by a fantastic meal with friends. This gave us just enough energy to make it back to 6th St., and the swarming masses of the streets throbbed with life and was motivating enough to make a few passes back and forth and pop in on whatever sounds caught our ears. At some point, we saw Brigid Kaelin sitting in with various musicians playing saw, later entertaining a group of comedians entertaining her by writing her into a television script. Rocky Top! they yelled. She complied and promptly trumped them with a Margaritaville yodel.
In the end, South by Southwest was exactly what I wanted it to be, full of friends and music and good times. I missed a couple of the bands I needed to see, I picked up a couple of Louisville bands that weren’t on my schedule, so maybe in the balance of things, I only have one foot on the lounge chair in the swimming pool. But I won’t miss the big fight either.
b
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Austin Convention Center
Pressed against the stage for Echo & the Bunnymen. Thanks to Rolling Stone for passing up the line of 900 and walking first through the door.
SXSW Day Two
When I was a senior in high school, I had an English teacher who included a movie in his class: When We Were Kings. It documents the famous Rumble in the Jungle boxing event in 1974 between the former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and the then current heavyweight champion George Foreman. The movie had an influence on me because it illustrated an amazing strategy with boxing (the now famous rope-a-dope) as well as showcasing the style of Muhammad Ali, also known as the Louisville Lip, and made me want to know more about my hometown. It wasn't until recently that Hunter S. Thompson stories became known to me as well, specifically one associated with the Rumble in the Jungle event that he was assigned to cover for Rolling Stone. I'm thinking of this because on the night of the fight, Thompson decided that the event would be a non-story, so he chose to stay nestled in a floating lounge chair at the hotel pool.
The kind, kind folks at LEO asked me to check out a few Louisville based bands here in Austin for SXSW: The Watson Twins had performances last weekend; Broadfield Marchers perform late tonight; Wax Fang perform today at 1 pm. I bring this up because I don't want to be the guy in the floating lounge chair at the hotel pool. I'm here with a few friends, and it was Brigid Kaelin who summed up the experience of this music festival the best: South by Southwest is all about riding the wave and seeing where it takes you. Hopefully today the wave will deliver.
Yesterday was a scorcher, the sun was beating down on my baseball hat. We headed in town and first landed at the Insound party. The day started off well with an impressive duo from Montreal performing their sweet brand of electropop, the Handsome Furs. They prefaced their opener with "This is a song Charles Manson stole from the beatles, we're stealing it back". Kyle got an interview with the singer, Dan, and I took pictures of kyle getting an interview with the singer, Dan. We popped in a few places down the street, stayed for a song, popped in a few more, and settled in to hear the Hold Steady. I have to say that so far, theirs is the most high intensity show I've seen, as well as the most crowded. Their singer, Craig Finn, transforms on stage into an exuberant kid in a candy store, a toddler who revels in all the people that have come to his birthday party to see him, basking in the glory of the crowd and delivering his lines with a playfully passionate intensity. Kyle and I headed down 6th for a brief rest at the Driskill, before rejoining the rest of the group down Congress, where we happened upon Guero's once again. And once again it blew my mind. Quite possibly the best mexican food I've ever had. And I got a picture of Kyle with the framed Death Proof photo montage on their wall I'll post later.
The rest of the evening belongs to Bob. We headed a bit further out to swing by the Saxon Pub to catch Bob Schneider, who is apparently king of Austin. I did not know this going into the night. However, Bob went out of his way to make this fact known. It was an interesting night because this first show was solo, just Bob and his classical acoustic guitar, his keyboard, his loop station. And it was amazing. He has these lines that occasionally knock you over the head, or are delivered so quietly at such low intensity as to be inaudible, only to set up the explosion. This room was packed, these people don't talk while Bob plays, these people eat from the palm of Bob's hand, and I see why. You don't want to miss a thing. It makes you sentimental for all the future treasured moments you will have. When his set was finished, he dropped his guitar, walked out the exit door and got in a car. His next set was a few miles away with a full band at an outdoor show, and elvis had left the building.
Threadgill's is located near Auditorium Shores, Austin's downtown waterfront park area, notable to me as the location where I saw spoon a couple of years ago. It seems an institution unto itself, with a fantastic large outdoor patio and stage setup that are perfect for fresh Spring Austin nights, like this one, that attracts all types, including Rachael Ray, who I can't see without thinking of Bourdain's reference to her freakish Joker-like grin. Schneider's full band tonight included an electric guitar player, drummer, the best female bass player I've ever seen, and the accordion/trumpet player, who provided some of the most amazing trumpet/dance combos/entertainment (often playing accordion as a disney robot animatron). It was about two hours of Bob Schneider pouring his charisma onto the even larger crowd, but this time they weren't quiet and hanging on his every word, he was their Pied Piper, their David Lee Roth circa 1984 (go ahead and jump). He had a couple of songs breaking the 12 minute mark, and on top of his amazing songwriting, he did something I've always wanted to do: end the show with Biz Markie's You Say He's Just a Friend. It's hard to imagine that Day Three can compare, but here's to trying.
b
The kind, kind folks at LEO asked me to check out a few Louisville based bands here in Austin for SXSW: The Watson Twins had performances last weekend; Broadfield Marchers perform late tonight; Wax Fang perform today at 1 pm. I bring this up because I don't want to be the guy in the floating lounge chair at the hotel pool. I'm here with a few friends, and it was Brigid Kaelin who summed up the experience of this music festival the best: South by Southwest is all about riding the wave and seeing where it takes you. Hopefully today the wave will deliver.
Yesterday was a scorcher, the sun was beating down on my baseball hat. We headed in town and first landed at the Insound party. The day started off well with an impressive duo from Montreal performing their sweet brand of electropop, the Handsome Furs. They prefaced their opener with "This is a song Charles Manson stole from the beatles, we're stealing it back". Kyle got an interview with the singer, Dan, and I took pictures of kyle getting an interview with the singer, Dan. We popped in a few places down the street, stayed for a song, popped in a few more, and settled in to hear the Hold Steady. I have to say that so far, theirs is the most high intensity show I've seen, as well as the most crowded. Their singer, Craig Finn, transforms on stage into an exuberant kid in a candy store, a toddler who revels in all the people that have come to his birthday party to see him, basking in the glory of the crowd and delivering his lines with a playfully passionate intensity. Kyle and I headed down 6th for a brief rest at the Driskill, before rejoining the rest of the group down Congress, where we happened upon Guero's once again. And once again it blew my mind. Quite possibly the best mexican food I've ever had. And I got a picture of Kyle with the framed Death Proof photo montage on their wall I'll post later.
The rest of the evening belongs to Bob. We headed a bit further out to swing by the Saxon Pub to catch Bob Schneider, who is apparently king of Austin. I did not know this going into the night. However, Bob went out of his way to make this fact known. It was an interesting night because this first show was solo, just Bob and his classical acoustic guitar, his keyboard, his loop station. And it was amazing. He has these lines that occasionally knock you over the head, or are delivered so quietly at such low intensity as to be inaudible, only to set up the explosion. This room was packed, these people don't talk while Bob plays, these people eat from the palm of Bob's hand, and I see why. You don't want to miss a thing. It makes you sentimental for all the future treasured moments you will have. When his set was finished, he dropped his guitar, walked out the exit door and got in a car. His next set was a few miles away with a full band at an outdoor show, and elvis had left the building.
Threadgill's is located near Auditorium Shores, Austin's downtown waterfront park area, notable to me as the location where I saw spoon a couple of years ago. It seems an institution unto itself, with a fantastic large outdoor patio and stage setup that are perfect for fresh Spring Austin nights, like this one, that attracts all types, including Rachael Ray, who I can't see without thinking of Bourdain's reference to her freakish Joker-like grin. Schneider's full band tonight included an electric guitar player, drummer, the best female bass player I've ever seen, and the accordion/trumpet player, who provided some of the most amazing trumpet/dance combos/entertainment (often playing accordion as a disney robot animatron). It was about two hours of Bob Schneider pouring his charisma onto the even larger crowd, but this time they weren't quiet and hanging on his every word, he was their Pied Piper, their David Lee Roth circa 1984 (go ahead and jump). He had a couple of songs breaking the 12 minute mark, and on top of his amazing songwriting, he did something I've always wanted to do: end the show with Biz Markie's You Say He's Just a Friend. It's hard to imagine that Day Three can compare, but here's to trying.
b
Apologies
I'm looking at my notes for the day and there's no way I'm going to try to put them in any sort of narrative form tonight. It's been a great long day, lots to report. Tomorrow.
b
b
Friday, March 20, 2009
SXSW Day One
For the record, fifteen hours in a car is just too long, no matter what. Discomfort turns into exhaustion, which turns into delirium, which turns into hallucinations. Long story short: We Arrived.
I've been in the music industry for a while now, and in many ways I am jaded. I am not, however, jaded enough to not fall under the spell of Austin. It's a fantastic place that is best described as eccentric; it still retains its own identity in the midst of the very large and loaded-with-preconceived-notions state of Texas. During the music festival known as South by Southwest, every available room, space, vestibule, or cubicle is taken over by organizations (record labels, booking agencies, magazines, radio stations) and packed from open until close with bands from all parts of the world, usually in blocks of 45 minutes. Spring has sprung here, and it's absolutely fantastic weather. We arrived last night 4:30-ish, caught a few hours sleep and headed downtown: streets are closed, everybody's out and about as music bleeds from one venue into the next. We found our way to the New West Party at Club de Ville and really enjoyed Tim Easton's set. To make this even better, they had a great set up providing small plates of cooked chicken tortillas (pictures provided). Corb Lund followed, and had the fantastic and notable line "Good Copenhagen is better than bad cocaine". We took off for a bit and walked down 6th St., making our way through the crowds, dodging the music bleed, and noting the lengthy lines to get into the more popular places, not unlike the long lines at an amusement park that you decide can't possibly be worth waiting in. Took a break in the Driskell Hotel before heading out again to catch the Gary Louris / Mark Olsen set. It's been a long time since I've seen the Jayhawks in any formation, and it was great to hear them.
A few blocks away we were trying to check out the Hold Steady show, but not only was the club packed wall to wall, there was a line around the block waiting. Headed to the Alternative Press party at 5th & Congress, which turned out to be a DJ party on the roof of a building. While beautiful and full to capacity and definitely a hip an happening place, it was chest-thumping-ly and ear splitting-ly loud. On the sidewalk outside, we found a few options down Congress across the river. After walking 17 blocks or so, we ended up in front of Guero's, and the answer presented itself.
The goal of the night at this point was to make it to Stubb's to see http://www.gomeztheband.com/. As we got in line, security informed us and everyone behind us that they were sold out and that we would not be able to get in. Unless we wanted to wait a bit, then maybe we could. Well, ok. We hung out a bit in line, moved forward and they eventually let us and a few of those behind us in, and it was definitely the payoff of the night. Stubbs was packed and gomez was fantastic (if you are unfamiliar, start with How We Operate) and I'm really looking forward to their new album coming out at the end of this month.
Being on our feet all day has finally taken its toll, so to rest we go. Tomorrow will be another fun filled day. Unfortunately, the wireless networks are severly taxed down here and I am for the most part unable to do any kind of serious writing or updating during the day, apart from the twitter type status updates. With that in mind, you will be able to find out what's going on with us throughout the day in 140 characters or less at twitter.com/bsm1
b
I've been in the music industry for a while now, and in many ways I am jaded. I am not, however, jaded enough to not fall under the spell of Austin. It's a fantastic place that is best described as eccentric; it still retains its own identity in the midst of the very large and loaded-with-preconceived-notions state of Texas. During the music festival known as South by Southwest, every available room, space, vestibule, or cubicle is taken over by organizations (record labels, booking agencies, magazines, radio stations) and packed from open until close with bands from all parts of the world, usually in blocks of 45 minutes. Spring has sprung here, and it's absolutely fantastic weather. We arrived last night 4:30-ish, caught a few hours sleep and headed downtown: streets are closed, everybody's out and about as music bleeds from one venue into the next. We found our way to the New West Party at Club de Ville and really enjoyed Tim Easton's set. To make this even better, they had a great set up providing small plates of cooked chicken tortillas (pictures provided). Corb Lund followed, and had the fantastic and notable line "Good Copenhagen is better than bad cocaine". We took off for a bit and walked down 6th St., making our way through the crowds, dodging the music bleed, and noting the lengthy lines to get into the more popular places, not unlike the long lines at an amusement park that you decide can't possibly be worth waiting in. Took a break in the Driskell Hotel before heading out again to catch the Gary Louris / Mark Olsen set. It's been a long time since I've seen the Jayhawks in any formation, and it was great to hear them.
A few blocks away we were trying to check out the Hold Steady show, but not only was the club packed wall to wall, there was a line around the block waiting. Headed to the Alternative Press party at 5th & Congress, which turned out to be a DJ party on the roof of a building. While beautiful and full to capacity and definitely a hip an happening place, it was chest-thumping-ly and ear splitting-ly loud. On the sidewalk outside, we found a few options down Congress across the river. After walking 17 blocks or so, we ended up in front of Guero's, and the answer presented itself.
The goal of the night at this point was to make it to Stubb's to see http://www.gomeztheband.com/. As we got in line, security informed us and everyone behind us that they were sold out and that we would not be able to get in. Unless we wanted to wait a bit, then maybe we could. Well, ok. We hung out a bit in line, moved forward and they eventually let us and a few of those behind us in, and it was definitely the payoff of the night. Stubbs was packed and gomez was fantastic (if you are unfamiliar, start with How We Operate) and I'm really looking forward to their new album coming out at the end of this month.
Being on our feet all day has finally taken its toll, so to rest we go. Tomorrow will be another fun filled day. Unfortunately, the wireless networks are severly taxed down here and I am for the most part unable to do any kind of serious writing or updating during the day, apart from the twitter type status updates. With that in mind, you will be able to find out what's going on with us throughout the day in 140 characters or less at twitter.com/bsm1
b
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Way to Eat in Austin
First stop of the day, New West party, enjoyed the Tim Easton set, and thoroughly enjoyed the guys prepping the incredible food. Hoping to catch the Mark Olsen/Gary Louris set at 4
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Hours in a Car
I'm estimating 14 hours will be the final travel time from Louisville to Austin. We are currently 9 hrs in, passing through Little Rock. 4 guys in a car, music, talk, reading, talk, music. Listened to License to Ill, Mitch Hedberg, Kyle was dj for a bit, rem now. It's going to be a long and late night.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Whiplash
That whole thing about the spring in my step, well, I take it back. This city is famous for its' whiplash weather, its' neck breaking, wardrobe testing, inducing-weathermen-to-a-fever-pitch, capable of jumping or dropping thirty degrees in a single evening weather. And sometimes, it's just too much. I mean seriously, like when you didn't even know it, but you're ready for spring, and then spring comes (Tuesday) and then it's gone (Wednesday), and it drives you mad. Now, let me gather some perspective. I like Louisville, I like that we get to experience all four seasons here, and they are each gorgeous. The change in the smell of the air from winter to spring, from summer to fall is enough for me to get through the dog days of summer and the power failures and incompetent drivers of winter. I realized Tuesday night that I welcomed spring with open arms, to sit outside on a deck and feel the breeze and see the moon and smell the smells of spring and growth. And when I woke up Wednesday morning, I felt robbed. You see, one of the best things for me about winter is pockets. I love wearing jackets and long pants and having pockets full of all the things that you might need; wallets, phones, swiss army knives, money, earphones, flashlights, gloves, toboggans. The massive head fake of letting this go and moving to a jacketless, shorts driven climate and then jumping back is enough to induce grandma "spells". You know, "I'm just having one of my spells". Yeah, me too.
I'm hoping for good weather in Austin this upcoming week, but I can't check it yet because if it's less than stellar, I don't know if I could handle that right now. I've been listening to the sxsw music player to get a feel for and find some standouts that I want to make a priority. There are a few Louisville bands I need to check out: Broadfield Marchers, Watson Twins, & Wax Fang, as well as an old friend of mine Josh Hawkins from Chicago will be there. Kyle's radio show has been interesting because most of what he's been playing are inadvertently bands that will be at sxsw. As for today, it's a day that lacks motivation, or more accurately, sucks the motivation out of you and makes you either clean the house or watch dvd's. And today, I had forgotten how great season 2 of Alias was (thanks rob).
b
I'm hoping for good weather in Austin this upcoming week, but I can't check it yet because if it's less than stellar, I don't know if I could handle that right now. I've been listening to the sxsw music player to get a feel for and find some standouts that I want to make a priority. There are a few Louisville bands I need to check out: Broadfield Marchers, Watson Twins, & Wax Fang, as well as an old friend of mine Josh Hawkins from Chicago will be there. Kyle's radio show has been interesting because most of what he's been playing are inadvertently bands that will be at sxsw. As for today, it's a day that lacks motivation, or more accurately, sucks the motivation out of you and makes you either clean the house or watch dvd's. And today, I had forgotten how great season 2 of Alias was (thanks rob).
b
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Spring Drive
I woke up today with a spring in my step. Maybe that overstates. Not like Gene Kelly. More like Groucho Marx. But his was more of a squatted slide. Ok, so today I woke up with a spring in my squatted slide. I had to be out early this morning, and maybe it was the atmosphere, or the sun, or the fresh air, or maybe it was the way WFPK was firing on all cylinders and rocked my 20 minute drive, but it was a great optimistic, full of potential kind of morning. This is possibly only because of the contrast with the first two days of daylight savings. Maybe it takes two days to get over the change.
I'm starting to think more about South by Southwest. I'll be going to Austin TX next week, mainly because I'm feeling like that dry sponge for new music and Austin is a big soapy bucket during the festival. I'm looking forward to going with a few friends, like Kyle (who is doing a fantastic job on the weekly feed at WFPK) and Aaron, mainly because it's been a while since we've had a road trip. That's about 2070 total miles, and Kyle and Aaron have proven to be excellent traveling companions. We'll also be there with Brigid Kaelin, and I look forward to keeping a fairly clean schedule to see what we chance upon. Austin is a fairly small city, and just like you can drive anywhere in Louisville in twenty minutes, in Austin you can walk there in that amount of time. I'll also be covering the festival for the LEO, or they will be linking to the site, or copying to their site or something of that sort. I think what I do will be a combination of twitter-like updates throughout the day along with longer blog type posts. And pictures of meals at Guero's.
b
I'm starting to think more about South by Southwest. I'll be going to Austin TX next week, mainly because I'm feeling like that dry sponge for new music and Austin is a big soapy bucket during the festival. I'm looking forward to going with a few friends, like Kyle (who is doing a fantastic job on the weekly feed at WFPK) and Aaron, mainly because it's been a while since we've had a road trip. That's about 2070 total miles, and Kyle and Aaron have proven to be excellent traveling companions. We'll also be there with Brigid Kaelin, and I look forward to keeping a fairly clean schedule to see what we chance upon. Austin is a fairly small city, and just like you can drive anywhere in Louisville in twenty minutes, in Austin you can walk there in that amount of time. I'll also be covering the festival for the LEO, or they will be linking to the site, or copying to their site or something of that sort. I think what I do will be a combination of twitter-like updates throughout the day along with longer blog type posts. And pictures of meals at Guero's.
b
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