Port A Camping Trip

One of my favorite things to do in Texas is enjoy the beach (surfing and horseshoes come to mind), the only bad thing is I live in Austin and this is not a day trip under most circumstances. Luckily for me my birthday lines up on the same weekend as the GLO's first Adopt-A-Beach cleanup, so I can make it a weekend camping trip and give back to help protect the beaches that I love so much. We had a great crew that consisted of family, friends, fellow members from the Surfrider Foundation Central Texas Chapter (made some new friends as well), and of course my dog Sadie. Here are some pictures from the trip taken on my birthday present the GoPro2, and on a side note keep an eye on your keys when you are drinking whiskey on the beach, you never know where they may end up...

Surfrider Central Texas Chapter Lady Bird Lake Cleanup

This Saturday we will be holding our second Lady Bird Lake cleanup of 2012 with Keep Austin Beautiful. Considering the weather will be about 45 degrees warmer than our last cleanup in January, we are anticipating another great turnout! If you ever have thought about volunteering I highly encourage it, it is a great way to connect with other like minded people while helping to protect our wonderful city for future generations. For more information check out our website, and you can always touch base with me if you have any questions.

Braving the cold in January

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:

2012

Dear 2012,

It seems as if my other websites and blogs have stolen the thunder from my once priority "blog". I have to say, 2012 has hurt a little, but isn't it nice to know, that the lining is silver?  BTW, reggae and remixes are two of my favorite things. Here is Miike Snow (who we saw at ACL and will be at SXSW) being remixed by Mark Ronson. Live Happily Ever Now.