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SXSW Night Four

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This is where the going gets tricky my friends. With the music portion of – I forgot to tell you we refer to this as ‘Southby’ – in full force, we are doing things like, ugh, waiting in lines. It was a whole new scene last night.

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We started the night at our first ‘your name has to be on the list’ party, at a big warehouse, put on by Fader and Stereogum. We were on the list. Woo. We got to see this really great band called Lo Fi Fnk, which was three very, very young boys which I am relatively sure were from Sweden, maybe? They had all kinds of fun musical electronic equipment. As a direct contrast, right afterwards the Meat Puppets performed. I didn’t know I knew them, but recognized some songs. It was decent. They did have more (free!) drinks, but that didn’t tempt me. It was early. Aren’t these young guys cute?

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When they shut a party down, it closes in 30 seconds, so they ran everyone out. Perhaps in the time it took us to get to our car, and make our foray over to east Austin to make a run at the iheartcomix party, everyone else must’ve flown. It was a little bit crowded. As in, we could stand in line with no promise of getting in, or we could find another party. What would you do? So we found another party. I can’t tell you how I got in, where we were, or whether or not we were technically supposed to be…but maybe this looks familiar.

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White tent, red lights, could it be…*gasp*

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Right. So, that was the band Illinois. Here’s a better picture, that guy was pretty cute:
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Rounding out the night we heard The Annuals, which I’m not sure if their ability to play 800 instruments makes up for their odd comments and dull tunes, but they’re pretty popular so what do I know. Also there was Holy F**k, which was more of a DJ set even though it was all instruments, pretty cool.

Well, that about wraps it up, and I have to admit, although I’m only posting about Southby this week all in order, no interruptions, I’m working on much much more, and – I can’t lie…

watching basketball.

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SXSW Night Three

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Well folks, there was the good the bad and the pink haired last night. Starting with the good: complimentary drop off from the KD’s sister, a new bar, hearing a little of the Toadies playing at Stubb’s. The bad: beer = not free. The pink haired: was that not self explanatory?

We got free plastic cups, like we were at Rudy’s, I was excited. Until go home time, and some Austin law that does not allow me to take my souvenir cup with. Unless I have a duffel bag.

I am wondering many things today, like why my head hurts, where a couple bruises came from, and if it’s ever going to get old for all of us to meet up and say things like “We need to go out and drink more often” “How’ve you been? It’s been so long” “I hope we see each other again soon”. I sure hope not.

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We saw music: Zykos, Lomita, Glass Family, The Public… I really can’t recall who was who but I liked all of it. I’m not sure why they liked red lights so much:

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I don’t remember this guy’s name, but he liked the veracity of our poses and wanted to take a picture too:

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And how about one for JC, although I was going to leave it out, since it is completely unexplainable what I am doing:

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SXSW Night Two

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It’s Tuesday. We’ve got at least 4 more days of this. It’s not going to be easy. I get the prize for being the lamest – I just woke up. My co-conspirators have to work. The parties are just going to keep getting better, and my feet are just going to have to deal with it.

Last night started totally different than Sunday night, there was a line to get in the bar and we were there an hour earlier. I’d never been to Side Bar before, but it’s bigger outside than it is inside so that’s where we headed. We successfully grabbed a (free!) round and got busy people watching. I was mainly watching LC’s friends that we met there, since I’m an old married lady that doesn’t get to meet too many nice boys these days. LC watched a young man that was swaying dangerously behind me with a giant kite in his giant ‘man bag/satchel’. We made the mistake of thinking that he’d be normal, and asked what the kite was for, since the Kite Festival was last week. He immediately launches in to a defensive tirade of being able to carry what he wants and LC should just quit hitting on him. Yikes. LC has more successes later in the night, talking to the tallest man ever, and other friendly normal people.

JC – my current favorite person – walked up and said, “Everyone in line was annoying. They were all talking about their blogs. (looks at me) No offense.” As a matter of fact, he was right. Everyone around us was either blogging, reading a blog on their phone, or talking about a blog, or asp, or something technical – except the two guys I overheard debating Diane Lane and Bettie Page’s better features. (?) Made me look like I just bought my first computer.

I made the mistake of inviting one person I knew who’d been at the Toadies concert that night, and brought a dozen already tanked friends, who collectively staged the first “Drama at the Bathroom Line” saga I’ve ever seen. Ugh. They got a little better when I met the band they were with, some nice guys who shared their (free!) beer with me so I didn’t have to wait in line again.

It sprinkled just enough for me to not melt, and to clear out some people. Shortly thereafter, the bar tab ended, and many more took off. We finished up our last (free!) drinks and decided to stop over at Club DeVille. There was a nice couple minutes of talking in the middle of the road on the way, watching the end of the Borat movie, and another drink and another new friend before we headed home. We need our beauty sleep!

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At the various requests of numerous people, here’s the picture, but I’ll allow the computer people to stay and hang out with us…

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SXSW Night One

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There is too much going on to talk about! There was the talking about the Interactive panels, the Twitter phenomenon, the blogging for money, for a career, a worthwhile discussion to be had by anyone. There was a King of the Hill conversation I missed but threw Homies in there anyway. I’ve made it D-elebrity status after talking LC and JA to wear ponchos with my name on them if the rain keeps up. And of course there was the music!!

The rain did not let up. We took that as a challenge. Unfortunately, it made us late and we missed the band that I really wanted to see, Quiet Company. Fortunately, it was a small crowd, so later on we got to meet the band, score the EP, and visit about topics from blogging to tambourine resumes. Which I may soon have one of – to try and get in a band of course – woohoo.

I also talked to Tony Pierce about the panel, the blog world, and everything I missed by not being smart enough to score the badge and browse the panels. I was a little concerned that he’d have better things to do, but he was the coolest for fielding my questions and doling out tips. XXOO.

We forgot our camera, which was completely inexcusable and will not happen again! Promise you’ll get to see first hand all the fun we’re having!

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Well

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UT fought so hard, and almost made a big upset happen. There was a consensus that Kansas wasn’t going to move either way, according to the Selection Show, so it’s fine. Like I said, one guy can’t do everything. They can save it for the tourney, but after watching Bracketolgy, they aren’t going too far. Good thing I have those SXSW parties, I need something to take my mind off the games. So, for the next few days, I’ll be working on my scoring, my brackets, trying to figure out who I think is going to win. It’s almost a lost cause, here’s hoping I get lucky this year.


www.dordt.edu
But for now, I’m on my way to the gym, then hopefully to SXSW party #1, if the weather clears up a little. I’ll keep you ‘posted’!

🙂

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Wii-eally Funny

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Check out

this video

that I found on one of my favorite blogs, Pop Candy. It’s a bunch of ‘elderly’ people at a retirement home that are addicted to the Wii bowling. It’s adorable. They get pretty into it. I’m gonna be like that when I grow up and end up in a home…

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SXSW = Dangerous

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South By Southwest is the craziest thing to descend upon Austin annually. There are people everywhere, all the hotels are full, the bars go nuts. I worked downtown last year and got to see so many secret shows going on and all that cool stuff you only see if you’re lucky, but of course I was working 70 hour weeks and didn’t go to much. I’ve only total been to about one or two shows a year during SXSW. I usually find someone who knows about the good stuff that you can get in without a wristband. Those shows = free alcohol.

I’ve been so good lately about staying away from all that bars and drinking, in particular it was getting old, but more than that, it was empty weight. Now here it is, free for the taking, and less lame because it’s going out to see a show. How can you say no? So, some very awesome people – one in particular who included me – have the skills of trolling the internet for these free parties, held by the likes of Gawker and the LAist and Yahoo. Not only do I like free drinks, the shows are usually great. Last year’s Diesel Party I went to had the Editors, the one band I really wanted to see. This time around, if you remember this very old post that I wrote about BPM Magazine, well I’ve extended my musical knowledge, and will know a ton of the bands I’m seeing, and that’s cool.

So, I have potential plans for this Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, then Friday and Saturday. I really don’t want to not fit into the size three pants when all is said and done, so I’ll be fighting temptation for a week!

sxsw logo
www.2007.sxsw.com

Here’s a link to a neat playlist that has compiled some SXSW musicians. Check it out!

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The Shins At The Backyard

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This is a tough post. I want to tell you all about the music. But first, here’s the play by play of getting to see the music.

So you’re driving, for those of you non-Austinites, out to what used to be the furthest you would go to see a concert. 20 miles or something. But now, it’s surrounded by a strip mall. A big one. So you’re driving, and it’s like ‘is this where we turn in?’ ‘do you see a sign anywhere?’ ‘that lady in the Suburban is going to hit us.’

You pull in. You go through the strip mall. For a mile. You go in a gated back lot of dirt, and see people walking in the dirt you’re kicking up. ‘do we have to walk in this?’ You park at the far far back of the lot. And start walking. It is a death march. ‘this is killing my buzz’. You climb over the river, through the woods, through the Best Buy parking lot, through some metal gates that look like what you need to herd cows and zig zag back and forth. ‘what is this all about, we could have just walked straight‘. You get through a security checkpoint. ‘they didn’t even look in my bag’. You walk some more, through The Glenn ‘apparently this is someone’s way to have a concert stage at another concert stage’. You arrive at the Backyard. Just in time. And a little tired of walking. You get a drink, and the show starts.

Now we can talk about the music.

The Shins think it’s funny. Somehow, they know what you just went through.

One dude: “Thanks for coming to the show! We love Austin Texas!”

Other dude: “This isn’t Austin.”

First dude: “Huh?”

Other dude: (cracking up) “This is Bee Cave. We are outside of Austin.”

The Shins started out playing with Cibo Mato and American Analog Set, which I did not know when I first heard of them, when the Garden State Soundtrack came out, which I admit that I got to hear “Such Great Heights”. On their own, they never really ‘broke out’, scoring at #80-something on Billboard. Everyone thinks this is their big CD. It was great. They put on an exciting to watch show, even if they play mellow music. Sounded to me a lot like Sunny Day Real Estate, whatever you put behind a unique voice like that is going to sound good. After all the hits, new and old, they wrapped up with a little Pink Floyd tribute that sounded exactly like Pink Floyd, and played their Garden State song and first popular one. I suck and do not recall all the names, but hey this is my blog, not Rolling Stone. Deal with it.

The concert rocked. That is all. It was worth the walk, the company was great, and even though we almost lost the car, we made it home and lived to talk about it.

🙂

the shins

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Size! 3! Pants!

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How you KNOW your workouts are paying off, of course, is going down sizes in clothes. As of yesterday, I am the very very very very proud owner, of, you guessed it, SIZE 3 PANTS!!!

And not even from a fat people’s clothing store – everyone’s an extra small at Old Navy – or anything like that. These are bona fide skinny people pants.

I’m ecstatic. Next ten times you see me, don’t be surprised if I’m in the same pants. I mean, I could go buy more and more of them, but that’d just be bragging. 😉 Just to be sure, for those doubters out there, I tried on many pairs of size three pants, to assure everyone that it was no fluke. I just bought the cutest pair. I may save all my money, and only buy size three pants for ever and ever. Hmmm. It’s going to be tough staying away from the beer during March Madness (see previous post) but nothing motivates me like skinny pants!!!!

skinny pants
www.images.amazon.com