The Shins SXSW 2012

The Shins put on a solid set at the Google Parking lot (the afternoon is a good time for The Shins), and being a fan of James Mercer and Garden State both made this a great show for me. Also enjoyed the great ambiance with the Capitol building as the backdrop.

Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (SXSW 2012)

I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed after Mos Def backed out of the Google Parking Lot gig leaving Blackstar incomplete, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Pharoahe Monch up on stage with Talib Kweli performing "Simon Says". This song brings me back to the Boiler Room days, so go ahead rub on your _______________.

The Dirty Heads - Spread Too Thin (SXSW 2012)

The Dirty Heads at Wahoo's

After planning for 6 or 7 showcases on Saturday night, I was thrown a SXSW curveball when Wahoo's Fish Taco decided to reveal their four day secret show lineup that included The Dirty Heads on Saturday night. This cancelled my previous planning, as I am a huge fan of The Dirty Heads and Wahoo's.

It was pretty cool to see such a great lineup at Wahoo's where we normally are holding our Surfrider Central Texas Chapter monthly meetings. If you are interested in giving back to our beautiful city and coast (Texas has 367 miles of coastline), I strongly encourage you to attend one of our Chapter meetings, where we discuss upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Also, I couldn't be more stoked on Jeff and the entire crew at Wahoo's for bringing in such great bands for SXSW, and for always being so hospitable to Surfrider and yours truly during all of our events and meetings throughout the year.

Spread Too Thin

Me, Neil and my "little" bro Walt

Going on our 4th day of SXSW festivities (all day, all night), Wahoo's kept the momentum going with a free keg of Dos Equis flowing when we arrived. Mix that in with a couple of their margaritas (maybe a bulldog or two) and it was good time with lots of good people at this event. The Dirty Heads played 4 or 5 songs off of their upcoming album, including the new single "Spread Too Thin". They had the whole place rocking with their customary lead off song "Neighborhood", along with a solid mix of songs off of their first album Any Port In a Storm, including one of my personal favorites "Check The Level". It was a great setlist, and am looking forward to their new album coming out later this year. I managed to take some Flip footage, and big thanks to Wahoo's and The Dirty Heads for an awesome conclusion to SXSW!

The Dirty Heads - Spread Too Thin (SXSW at Wahoo's Fish Taco)

Tanlines All Of Me SXSW 2012

This is why SXSW is so amazing, not to see bands like Eminem or Bruce Springsteen (although I like both), but discovering new bands from Brooklyn that you had no idea existed (I'm not that hip). I knew that I would like Tanlines when I first heard their almost island style electro-pop style, and Tanlines were one of the highlights of the festival. Here is "All of Me", and I highly recommend that you check out Tanlines.

Santigold SXSW 2012

Santigold has been a personal favorite for quite some time, and we were super stoked to start off South By Southwest with Santigold! Although it was mostly the same set as her ACL performance (donkey/horse thing routine included), the free booze courtesy of the Fader Fort, and energy of SXSW brought this set to a whole other level. Here is the second single from her new album Master of My Make Believe, out May 1st:

SXSW 2011 Recap and Review

 SXSW in 2011 turned into a whole different animal for me this year. I remember several years back it felt way different, or maybe my version of reality is changing. When I first started it was less about RSVPs, and more about just choosing your own adventure, ending up at some cool spots, seeing really obscure and up and coming bands, getting drunk, and way less organized. Now I feel like this is not the case. Some takeaways from my third SXSW:

• I saw only a handful of bands (much less than in year's past).
• I didn't go to The Fader Fort .
• I bought a battery case for my iPhone, and was on Twitter pretty much all day.
• I Avoided lines.
• Hung out with Hanson at an invite only party.
• Was amazed by how many rappers I liked in the 90's were here for SXSW.
• Talked about MTV with my friend Neil who was visiting from SF all week (he works there).
• Was not amazed with all the non local mainstream sponsors.
• Was impressed with the guys in front of me who had their knives taken from them by security when they were patted down at the Snoop Dogg concert.
• Was really stoked to see The Sounds three times.
• Was not stoked to see The Bangles and be escorted out by security at the Cedar St.Courtyard.
• Enjoyed supporting Boobs and Keep A Breast.
• Thought Micheal Cera was just okay at bass.
• Did not get into the Zynga party after waiting 25 minutes.
• That was the longest line I waited in.
• Regretted wearing sandals at the Pure Volume House's flooded bathroom.
• Really enjoyed discovering The Naked and Famous and Beats Antique.
• Neon Trees were not a factor.
• Was glad to see Halos again.
• Can't believe my riot video for Death From Above 1979 received over 30,000 hits in 3 days.



Line Fail

• Warren G "Regulate" was a good non typical SXSW moment for me.
• Enjoy Zion I and The Grouch and Oakland in general.
• Liked meeting nerds during interactive at the Ginger Man.
•  Here are some unorganized or lined up photos.



Feet after Pure Volume House and Conflict of Interest






Mister Heavenly



Reminds me of old SXSW



Dude passed out on iPhone and Macbook at The Hilton






Charity makes me feel good!



The Naked and Famous



Zion I and The Grouch






The Sounds first day






Beats Antique



Snood Do Double G



Halos Acoustic



The Sounds at Cedar St.



Neon



Me and my boo!

Who doesn't!

What I don't like....

Lookout Death From Above 1979!

Wifey

 

 

The Dodos - SXSW - "Sleep"

Beats Antique SXSW With Oakland Marching Band

Beats Antique with Oakland marching band, probably one of my favorite shows at SXSW 2011.

Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Regulate SXSW

Some of my favorite Rapper's in the 90's were Warren G and Snoop Dogg. Almost 20 years later I got to see them at SXSW. Cheers!

Death From Above 1979 - SXSW Riot at Beauty Bar

At The Beauty Bar in Austin Texas, Death From Above 1979 played their first show in years on Saturday night. What started with dozens of fans climbing the roof and tent (fans who were climbing the fence had drinks and ice thrown at them, along with staff inside kicking the fence to try to knock them off the fence), led to one person climbing the main fence and doing a back flip down onto the concrete inside the venue. From there the fence ended up being ripped down, and the outside alley now was moshing on the fence closer to the band.

The band did not stop, and even welcomed the extended alleyway into the party! After about 10 minutes of moshing (with the now extended venue), the mounted police department came charging through the mosh pit. After the first pass, they turned back around, and attempted a second pass. Fans did not clear out, and one fan was beaten with a nightstick (who we later saw crying while getting his eyes flushed out with fluid). We also saw pepper spray used sparingly, but nothing beyond that. There were 12-20 cops on bikes, squad cars at both ends, and the mounted police (seen in video).While the scene was chaotic, it was never full on out of control. Before the cops arrived when a fan tried to climb on a car parked by the fence, we all told him to get off, and he did. The band took a 10 minute break to help calm the scene down, and ultimately ended up closing the night out with several songs as the police dispersed. Pretty awesome way to close out SXSW. Here is the footage I took on my Flip Cam:

The Naked and Famous - Punching In A Dream

The Naked and Famous, "Punching In a Dream" at SXSW 2011 New Zealand Showcase.

The Sounds - Conflict of Interest - Pure Volume House

I love all things Sweden, and one of my favorite bands from Sweden The Sounds played Tuesday night. Great show, full recap later!

SOJA - SXSW Night 1 at The Parish

SOJA at The Parish - SxSW 2011

I have been a fan of SOJA since I caught them on tour with my boys Rebelution last year. The vocals and horns are very unique, and have a sound that is very soothing and distinct. This was a show that I have been looking forward to for awhile now, and a great way to start off SXSW 2011!

SOJA will always hold a special place in my heart due to the extent that we listened to them on our honeymoon last year in Europe (video here). I made one mix cd for Italy (I wasn't expecting no Ipod hook ups in the rental car), and with well over 15-20 hours spent in the car traveling with some our best friends Magnus and Sofia (who were amazing hosts that live in Sweden), we listened to that mix cd until it was haunting us in our sleep, and ingrained into our memory. The wonderful thing about this is now anytime the four of us hear any song off of that cd we will think about Italy and our wonderful trip throughout Europe.

Track 7 on Mankie Mix Europe: SOJA - Decide You're Gone




Track 1 on Mankie Mix Europe: SOJA - I don't Wanna Wait



Live Happily Ever Now!

SxSW 2011: Pre-Game

Glitch Mob via Knuckle Rumbler

This will be my third SxSW, and it's looking like it is shaping to be a week long booze binge with some pretty good acts coming through (would I expect anything else). My wife is a volunteer photographer this year, and will have a platinum badge, so there will be a broken home feel to the week... I am exhausted thinking about it, and am having flashbacks to 2010 already (click here to see what I mean). My good friend Neil is coming in, along with an extended crew from the brothers Henry, so it should be quite the showdown. I've bought an I-Phone built in case charger thing that weighs about five pounds, but I'm sure I will need it, and am willing to have a case that is the equivalent of a European Man Bag... (because my phone will die). Cheers to a great week, and Live Happily Ever Now!

Day 4 SxSW

Day 4: 3 months later.

Leyla and I were wiped and our wristbands were getting itchy....

We went to the fader fort for more free booze and salt lick. Then, the chick from the O.C. decided to cut in front of me in line for a beer. She used to be really hot, and Leyla and I both cried when Marissa died on the O.C. But this was no longer the case, as she is no longer famous, and not hot at all. I was the one crying now... We saw some cool bands like Sleigh Bells, then ended it with Bone Thugs (and no suprise guest). SxSW 2010 is over!

Day 3 (Friday)

We started off with a couple of drinks at the Pure Volume House, but needed drink tickets, which was frustrating in a world of unlimited free booze, so we decided to head over to a rooftop bar to see Andrew W. K. where my good friend Chris Little made it up on stage.

We then decided to go meet up with Ingrid, who works at the Houston Zoo. She was watch The Hood Internet and The Glitch Mob play.

The Glitch Mob got their I-Pads early, not fair!

After that, we made our way over to meet Bella from twighlight at La Zona Rosa for Murder by Death, Alphabeat, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. We all were wearing our finest kicks:

Happy Couple

I just want to have sex with you bumper sticker.

Don't get stuck behind this tall guy:

Day 3 (Thursday)

Day 3

We started the day at the Fort, saw some good bands like the Morning Benders, and strange bands liked Fucked Up. Overall, the SoCO and Budweiser got the day started right.

Free booze!
And Rocking Chairs

We headed back downtown to meet up with our good friend Chris Little. One of his friends was playing at a bar that charged $5 for a miller light, so we headed there right away. The band was not the best, but we were informed that Travis Barker was playing next door. Leyla loves him, and had a damn near life changing moment when she realized she could see him. Leyla and I left the pack to go wait in line to attend this event. It was worth the wait!

Travis Barker and A-Trak

Probably one of the best musical events of Leyla's life. She was on cloud 9 all night.

My favorite no name white rapper Paul Wall, I gave him a fist bump and toasted to grillz on the way to the bathroom.

After that it we all met up at the car, and headed home:

SxSW 2010 Day 2 (Wednesday)

Day 2:

The plan, start drinking at 3 (Wednesday), and don't stop until Saturday Night (we are too old for this btw). Then we realized that we were already drinking on Tuesday, so this was going to be a long weekend.

I picked up a lovely chocolate flavored Vodka that is locally made on the way downtown. It is named after my work too, sort of.... this could have been day 1 too, I really am not sure at this point.

After dinner at the Chupa Cabra, and soaking in the Hipsters downtown (aka Kings of Leon), we proceed to a private party featuring Treachery of Others

They put on a great show, with a grand entrance and good music. Got to hang with Pop and Sharon too!

After the cops shut it down, we decided to head back downtown to dirty sixth for some dancing. Ended up seeing some random bands, then moving on to the side bar to shut the night down.

SxSW 2010 Day 1 (Tuesday)

Day 1 (Tuesday):

Zynga private party with Metric, the Constellations, and carnival games. Great way to start the week!

Here is Metric:

Cow Milking

The Crew