Social Distortion Austin City Limits 2011

This year at ACL I decided to stick to my roots. Instead of leaving for the more trendy and hot band Empire of the Sun, I stayed close to the stage for Social D. Listening to Social D since high school (and seeing them a half a dozen times live), their set didn't dissappoint, playing mostly new tracks off of their new album like "Machine Gun Blues". Mike Ness and the group were very happy to be at the festival, and talked about how much they liked how nice the people are in Texas (hence the tail end of "Fuck those California Bitches" in the video). Great show, and a great choice, although it would have been nice to hear the "Story of My Life".

Skrillex Austin City Limits 2011

I didn't get Dubstep until I listened to Skrillex (great to listen to while you are working), and his show in concert translated well. I have to give credit to whomever was working the jumbotron, as the fast cuts and crowd shots made the set very energetic. This was one of those sets where the crew was large, the booze was flowing, and Skrillex was killing it. That little kid dancing on stage was cool too.

Kanye West Austin City Limits

No matter how annoying Kanye's ego is ("you've never heard this many hits on one stage") I enjoy his songs (more his beats than his lyrics). Kanye's set was a Black Swan ego trip that will never be seen again, and a fun way to end ACL on Friday.

Santigold - Austin City Limits 2011

Feels like Santigold's new CD has been held up for way too long, luckily we were able to hear 2 or 3 songs off of the new album on her first US tour date in some time. Looking forward to hearing the rest soon!

Manu Chao ACL 2011

Manu Chao is one of my all time favorite bands, but their live show is what sets this band apart from many. They have a charm to them that you feel at their shows, and you could see it as they were waving to the crowd before their set even began. I have about 20 minutes of footage from their set, and it was definitely one of the high points of ACL this year (as it was when they headlined awhile back). When they played La Primavera, as they chanted “que hora son, mi corazon” Manu Chao was pounding the microphone so hard against his chest that he started to bleed.... That's a heartbeat!

AWOLNATION - Not Your Fault

AWOLNATION is a band that I thought I wouldn't like based off of what the critics were saying, but it ended up being the total opposite. I have been listening to their CD non stop (almost daily) for quite some time, and with lead singer Aaron Bruno being an avid surfer it made me enjoy this high energy band even more---- and miss my CA roots and surfing even more (I have footage of him surfing on the crowd as well). Great show by AWOLNATION. More to come.



Here is "SAIL" performed live with lead singer of AWOLNATION Aaron Bruno on a surfboard surfing the crowd:

Summertime ATX

Keep my head in the clouds, I see a wave

Austin has pushed my limits this summer with a heatwave that matches what feels like Nevada to me, or at least my Bikram Yoga Studio. Being sealed in four air conditioned walls for about 90 days can drive anyone crazy. Yesterday Tropical Storm Lee came in and cleared out the high pressure system (and brought some fire too...) that has been holding us hostage, and I'm not sure if it is a cruel twist of fate that it occurred on the (symbolic) last day of summer. In Austin summer has not ended, and it will still be hot here for at least a month, so I'm getting some fresh cooler air while I can (90 is feeling like the new 70 these days). A couple of random thoughts:

• Everyone should read some Richard Brautigan. My Dad bought me some of his books and let me know that my Mom used to really love reading his books. I read a few of them over the summer, and couldn't help but imagine my mom reading his books years before me. His imagination and odd sense of humor that he finds in normal people through his characters is comforting and addicting. At first I couldn't even understand why anyone would want to read these books, but eventually I got it, and his ability to steer plot lines in directions that make absolutely no sense eventually end up making perfect wacky sense.
• I really like drinking Kombucha. I just hope it doesn't prove to be another airborne type product.
• This summer I looked at a lot of clouds in Austin. It reminds me of that one full moon night down in Mexico where we drank all night and stared at the shapes of the clouds.
• I've had a lot of good BBQ as of late (not sure if Coopers is better than the Salt Lick).
• Second tubing experience was better than the first.
• I'm looking forward to Surfrider's trip to Port A in three weeks (will I get to wear a hoodie?)
• I'm stoked to be making a difference with Surfrider, and overall am becoming a better person everyday (to the best of my ability).
• The reason I'm even thinking out loud is because I read my old blog from 2008 and I thought out loud a lot.... Less "article-y", more random.
• My google analytics are looking good!
• LIVE HAPPILY EVER NOW!

Down by the water

BBQ with friends

Custom cooler with speakers

Look at my cool beach towel!

Austin is burning

Wifey and me. I'm at my happiest in water