SXSW Wrap-UP!

Happy clovers and little green leprechaun day from Austin. Have some Guinness or brew of choice for me. I’ll be here in my Extended Stay of America drinking Smart Water and listening to Ghostland Observatory’s latest and previous (just purchased). Worry not though because, I’ve got a yee-pinch of green on and a lucky lickle 4-leaf clover tatted on my wrist. Yes, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

So, I feel like I’m on another planet. No longer do I totally, utterly, dislike Texas which means all the residents of this massive state can breathe a HUGE Texas size sigh-of-relief. You did it Austin! It’s all you! Austin is a very swell spot. I would say SXSW played a big part in all the groovy feelings I now have for Texas, but I did get out and about some for other work related reasons that allowed me to see the city. If all works out I’ll even go have a walk down by the river today before we leave tomorrow. What’s the name of that river? In short Austin appears to have the package deal: Good food (I have not even tipped the iceberg), Natural attractions/outdoor recreation, Good music and a pretty affordable housing market from what I hear. Yet, I don’t know that I could live in Texas off of Austin alone.

Let me tell you about the work week past and how much of SXSW I actually had the chance to enjoy. I have some highlights and I have some lowlights. My VzW street team partner, Germany and I worked with KLBJ at Maggie Mae’s Pub the entire time. From the moment we arrived we’d heard nothing, but great stuff about Maggie Mae’s and it almost lived up to them all. If you’re a visitor just coming to check out some of the daily performances then you should have no worries. If you’re working folks like us then you might have to watch for the sheep’s wool being pulled over your eyes. In a nutshell our event could have been better, but we made due with what we could and created memorable experiences for VzW. Our mission was to hand out premiums and SXSW/VzW related swag along with these really cool ScanDisk memory cards for cell phones. They were very much head-turners and great conversation starters.

Sorry, I should back track so that I don’t lose anyone. SXSW is one of the largest music festivals in the South Western U.S. and music lovers, bands, and fans travel from all across the world to be apart of it one way or another. It is a photographer’s dreamland if the type that likes to snap character shots. It is a place to nab a ton of free goodies from all sorts of brands dying to get their goods into your hands. (I.e. Dentyne, Protein Zone, Cha Cha and beyond) Ultimately it is a place to hear your favorite bands and discover new ones. A badge gets you into any concert, a wrist band gets you in if there is a capacity and God plus a cover can only get you into some of the hotter select spots after that. While I had a list of peeps I wanted to check in the beginning I learned that work would prohibit me from checking out the main one’s I wanted to see (J*Davey, Nouveau Riche, Ice Cube, and some others I am sure.) I did get a chance to see J*Davey in passing, but a live show would have certainly done the trick considering it has been about four years since I caught a show in D.C. (Where does the time go?) On the last night of the festival I went to see a reggae band called Rootz Underground at the Flamingo Cantina on 6th. I urge you to check them out. Like most participants I was able to get a lot of free music from upcoming artists on the streets and one really good one I have had the chance to listen to so far is Adam Chaki’s Snowcite. I encourage you to listen to that one as well. If all else fails or I have failed in providing you with a reasonable of list of music you should be downloading from this event or in general – I’m really not sorry for you.

Maybe you should try harder to be there next year. Find a job with one of those promo companies, recruit some of your friends and better: make some music of your own. I’ll be listening for you. If you were there and you happened to see the chicken or myself around 6th – please leave me a comment. The only real lowlight I have was seeing this dude’s massive tangle of pubic hair pushing up from behind the denim for the world to see. The world didn’t need to see it. I didn’t.
I exit listening to Snoop Dogg’s Ego Trippin’.

P.S. If in Austin, you can pass on dining at Cuba Libre. The food was edible at best, but nothing fantastic or closely related to Havana other than the plantains. I cashed in some of my frequent flyer miles with United to get a restaurant GC and used it at Cuba Libre. If I hadn’t had the free $25 dollars I would probably be one hot tamale. And that’s not Cuban either.