Thursday, December 1, 2011

SXSW 2012: Bruce Springsteen Announced as Keynote

The title of the post pretty much says it all. SXSW 2012 has its Boss.  The SXSW official press release reminds folks:
In the tradition of legendary artists delivering the main event at SXSW, Springsteen joins notable keynote alumni including Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Smokey Robinson and Neil Young. Join us in March for a memorable keynote with Bruce Springsteen.  The Bruce Springsteen keynote will be open to Music and Platinum registrants and registered showcasing artists.
Here's Bruce and E playing one of my favorites, Rosalita (R.I.P. Big Man):


Monday, November 28, 2011

Yaktoberfest 2012: Still Far Off But Already on Our Minds

We're only a month past Yaktoberfest 2011, but we don't think it's too early to start thinking of 2012.  2011 was a big success compared to 2009.  We intend to keep the momentum moving upward and are starting to think of ways to up the ante.  More brewers (and beers) and higher donations are obvious goals, but I'm confident we'll come up with a few fun twists as well.

Speaking of 2011, the Grand Yak, Steve, posted a picture of his trip out to Crowe's Nest Farm to deliver half of our collections.  Hope he doesn't mind us reposting it here.

Dave (left) of Crowe's Nest Farm collecting proceeds from Steve (right)

As for 2012, Steve's also started up a Yaktoberfest 2012 Facebook page.  We're starting to experiment with a few new recipes too, like a version of the much-lauded AHS Double Chocolate Stout, which we cooked up on Sunday.

AHS Double Chocolate Stout

Specialty malts: Crystal 40L, chocolate malt, black roasted barley, Black Patent 
Featured hops: Galena 
Other additives: malto dextrin, Belgian cocoa 

O.G. = 1.056 
F.G. = 1.012 
Approximately 5.8% ABV 
Approximately 187 Cal / 12 oz

Primary fermentation is well along and starting to wane.  This thing is a deep, dark brown.  It basically looks like something made from chocolate.  AHS says it is a bit like the Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which is excellent (they usually have it on tap at the Draught House Pub).  The many comments are very positive.  I'm excited to taste it, but it apparently will benefit from a month or so of bottle aging, which I'm willing to give it.  If it's a winner, you'll likely find out because it will probably be at Yaktoberfest 2012.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday, Weird Austin Style: Austin Holiday Shopping Guide

Thanksgiving has passed and Black Friday is upon us.  Not sure what makes it "black," but I do know one thing:  There's nothing I can think of that would make me go within 200 yards of any shopping mall, outlet center or big box store today.  Not even a discounted television set that will still be on sale tomorrow.

Then again, it isn't really my style to shop at the big box stores anyway.  The vibrant independent retail scene here in Austin makes that easy to do.  So go ahead and keep your Black Friday, and keep your Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target.  I'm gonna go shop at the places below.  If you don't like it, well, watch some Steely Dan.  That's about all the "Black Friday" I can stand this weekend.


Austin Independent Shopping - General Help

Austin is loaded with great small shops.  If you want to wing it, just head to South Congress Ave., 2nd Street, or some of the smaller enclaves like North Loop, the UT campus area or spots on South 1st St.  If you'd rather do some research first, take a look below.  We're focusing on smaller places that are locally owned (sorry Half Price Books and Cheapo Discs).  Since there are too many good stores and products for us to list, let's start off with a few good sites and posts that provide some good, general Austin shopping help.

- FromBostonToAustin's prior posts: 
- From around the web
  • IBuyAustin.com: Home of the Austin Independent Business Alliance.
  • Keep Austin Weird: Did you know -- Austin's popular slogan goes back to an early local effort to support independent retailers.
  • Do512: Blog post from Austin scenesters on indie retailers here in town.

Books
  • Book People: One of my favorite indie bookstores in the world.  Excellent selection -- not too big, not too small -- and lots of recommendations.  Also good for greeting cards, magazines, cool little gifts.
  • Recycled Reads: Small selection of books and even smaller selection of CDs and LPs, but prices are cheap and money goes to the Austin Public Library.  Good stop on a lazy day to go hunting for a lucky find.
  • South Congress Books: Cool, fairly new place with used books and lots of first and other special editions.
CDs/LPs
  • Antone's Records: A small place near UT with some history.  Focus is on blues, R&B, etc., but there's a bit of everything.
  • End of an Ear: Another small shop but lots of vinyl, used and new.  Fun place to stop in at on Record Store Day.
  • Waterloo Records: Austin's most popular music store.  Great selection of new and used CDs and LPs, plus DVDs, lots of t-shirts and other doodads.  Also sells tickets to lots of shows around town for less of a fee than you'd pay on-line.
Clothes
  • Allens Boots: Not just a big selection of brand-name cowboy boots, but also some cool shirts and hats, plus killer belt buckles.
  • Hatbox: Deeply stocked hat store with a helpful staff.  Just took my father there and he walked away with a nice Kangol flat cap (as did I).
  • Lovely Austin Boutique: Trendy duds for the ladies, near lots of other cool boutiques on South Congress.
  • Parts + Labour: Great t-shirts, accessories, tchotchkes and the like.  Also on South Congress.
  • Service Menswear: Another of the aforementioned boutiques on South Congress, specializing in (yes) menswear.

Edibles/Drinkables

If you're local, here are a few ideas.  Some of these will ship pretty well too.
  • Antonelli's Cheese Shop: Austin's best cheese shop has a selection of the finest cheeses and cured meats from throughout the land.  Big beer bottles too.  Huzzah!
  • Austin Cake Ball: Little balls of cake in a variety of delicious (and beautiful) flavors. Great to bring along to a party.
  • The Austin Wine Merchant: My favorite wine shop, right downtown, specializing in wines from Burgundy but stocking a great selection of bottles from everywhere in a smallish space.  You can find almost any spirit here too, from sotol to white port.
  • Big Top Candy Shop: From Abba Zaba to Zagnut, this spot has you covered.  Put together a cool, vintage candy basket for a sweet-toothed friend.
  • Chameleon Cold-Brew: Local maker of smooth, cold-brewed bottled coffee ships all over.
  • If you're looking for a hands-on experience and you're not too squeamish, both Dai Due and Kocurek Family Charcuterie offer classes on processing meat and using every last bit.
  • Tears of Joy: Hot sauces galore, including some of their own, which are really good.  The tequila lime hot sauce is a fave.
Furniture/Home/Garden
  • Aviary: Small furniture and decor boutique that doubles as a wine bar/lounge as well.  I've bought bags, wallets and place mats there in the past.
  • The Khazana: Cool home furnishings with an Indian/Middle Eastern/North African bent.  Also has a warehouse that has occasional sales with some great deals.  Beautiful textiles available as well as some traditional Indian clothing.
  • Miguel's Imports: Ceramics, mainly from south of the border, with lots of planters from small to huge.

Games/Toys
  • Game Over Videogames: Nerd? Like Nintendo's "Duck Hunt" but don't know where to pick up a new lazer gun? Is your lucky number 2600? I think you get the point.
  • Terra Toys: Not too many independent toy stores left.  This is a good one.  Not a huge selection, but the stuff they have is groovy.  My go-to place for kids' gifts.
  • Toy Joy: An even smaller joint, but a good alternative to Terra.

Miscellaneous Gifts
  • Tesoros Trading Company: Mexican- and Latin-inspired gifts, with Day of the Dead, Frida Kahlo and lucha libre well represented.
  • Uncommon Objects: Antique thingamabobs of every variety.  Seriously, go in and you can spend an hour just looking around and laughing.
  • Wanderland: Cute little gift shop not too far from the UT campus with a lot of items made from recycled material.

Other Gift Ideas
  • Austin Homebrew Supply: Excellent shop for the homebrewer can hook up the beginner who wants to make his/her own beer, wine, soda or even cheese.
  • Hill Country Weavers: If you know anyone who knits or crochets, this place is yarn heaven.
  • Salt Lick BBQ: Send the gift a meateater will never forget.  Brisket, sausage, ribs, or for the less adventurous, a tasty, mustard-based BBQ sauce.
  • Yoga Yoga: One of the biggest yoga studios in the area and our favorite.  Know a yogi?  Give someone a gift card or send him/her to a workshop.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanks Austin - 2011: Live Music Props

We've been blogging our Austin experiences now for about four years, but some of our traditions are new.  Last year around this time we posted a "Thanks Austin" blog post about how lucky we felt to have found a place like this to call our home.  This year, we thought we'd make it an annual Thanksgiving tradition.

One thing we're definitely grateful to Austin for is that the city truly lives up to its nickname of "Live Music Capital of the World."  Coming off a week in which we saw The Jayhawks for the first time and a week before we go see Wilco play at the new Moody Theater that the Austin City Limits television show folks built, it seems like a perfect time to shine a light on the great variety of live music experiences available here in Austin.

Our first ACL Music Festival was back in 2005 -- two years before we moved here.  Throw in ACL 2006 and 2007, on top of every show we've been to here since moving here at the end of that year, and the number of different acts we've caught live in this town is astonishing.  Acts starting with every letter of the alphabet, right on up to Z-Trip, and even !!!.  Several we've seen multiple times -- when we see Wilco next week, that will be the fifth time we've seen them here in Austin.  We've seen The Walkmen five times as well, but those two are still behind local heroes Spoon, who we've caught on half a dozen different occasions, most recently at the Fun Fun Fun Fest just a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks, Austin, for the great music venues.  We've been to a pretty wide range of places to catch a show here: Stubbs, Emo's, The Mohawk, Parish, La Zona Rosa, Antone's, Austin Music Hall, Threadgill's, The Backyard, East Side Drive-In, Paramount Theater, Moody Theater, Long Center, plus Zilker Park, Auditorium Shores, Waterloo Park, French Legation, Caesar Chavez Ave. (for Art City Austin), Lustre Pearl (Dickies party at SXSW).  Thanks to them all and any place else we've left off.

So we came up with a complete list, at least as far as we can remember, of every artist that Austin has given us the opportunity to see perform.  Some of these were opening acts, some headliners, and some were just festival sets, but we've seen them all. If we've caught them multiple times, it's noted in parentheses.  The list is long and diverse: iconic acts and no-names, bands that we saw on a reunion tour and bands that have since broken up, plenty of local acts and a few from exotic places.  As long as we live here, we're pretty confident this list will continue to grow and grow.


!!!
… And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Abe Vigoda (2)
Active Child
Antibalas
Arcade Fire
Arctic Monkeys
Erykah Badu
The B-52s
Devendra Banhart & the Grogs
Beau Soleil
Beck
Big Boi
Andrew Bird (2)
Bishop Allen
Björk
The Black Keys (2)
The Black and White Years
Blitzen Trapper
Bloc Party (2)
Blonde Redhead
Blues Traveler
Broken Social Scene
Budos Band
Henry Butler
David Byrne
Cali Zack
Camper van Beethoven
Car Stereo (Wars)
Neko Case (2)
Cat Power
Centro-Matic
Manu Chao
Gary Clark, Jr.
Cold War Kids
Coldplay
Common
Cracker
Sally Crewe and the Sudden Moves
The Cribs
Crowded House
Cymbals Eat Guitars
Deadmau5
Death
Death Cab for Cutie
Del the Funkee Homosapien (2)
Dengue Fever
The Depreciation Guild
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
The Dodos
The Donkeys
Daniel Francis Doyle
Kurt Easley
Fitz & the Tantrums
Flaming Lips
Franz Ferdinand
Liam Finn
Four Tet
The Fratellis
Fuck Buttons
Ghostland Observatory
Gipsy Kings
Girls
Gnarls Barkley
Adam Green
Cee Lo Green
Grizzly Bear
Grupo Fantasma
Guided By Voices
Buddy Guy
Ben Harper
The Head and the Heart
Heartless Bastards
Here We Go Magic
Jolie Holland
Iron & Wine
Islands (3)
Wanda Jackson
The Jayhawks
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
The Joy Formidable
Kaiser Chiefs (2)
Keane
Kings of Leon
The Knux
Ben Kweller (2)
Joe Lally
LCD Soundsystem
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (3)
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears (3)
Lykke Li
The Little Ones
G. Love & Special Sauce
Lyle Lovett and his Big Band
Lucero
Magnolia Electric Company
Aimee Mann
Damian Marley
Stephen Marley
Massive Attack
Mates of State
Matisyahu
Medeski Martin & Wood
M.I.A.
Mission of Burma
The Mohahans (2)
The Morning Benders
Van Morrison
Bob Mould
The Mountain Goats
My Bloody Valentine
The National (2)
Willie Nelson
New Pornographers (2)
No Age
Peter Bjorn & John
New Pornographers
Oasis
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band
Ogre You Asshole
Oh No Oh My
Okkervil River
One Wolf
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Pavement
Josh T. Pearson
Tom Petty
Phoenix
Phranchyze
Pixies
The Pogues
Public Enemy
Quasi
The Raconteurs (3)
Bruce Robison
Rockwell Knuckles
Raphael Saddiq
Bob Schneider
School of Seven Bells
Screaming Females
Martin Sexton (2)
The Shins
Shonen Knife
Silversun Pickups
Sonic Youth
Omar Souleyman
Regina Spektor
Spoon (6)
Steel Phantoms
Sufjan Stevens
The Strokes
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Telegraph Canyon
The Thermals (2)
Thievery Corporation (2)
Those Darlins
Times New Viking (3)
Tinariwen
tUnE-yArDs
The Ugly Beats
Ume
Vampire Weekend (2)
Vivan Girls
The Walkmen (5)
M. Ward (3)
Warpaint
Wavves
What Made Milwaukee Famous (2)
White Lies
Wilco (4)
Lucinda Williams
Wolf Parade (2)
Stevie Wonder
Wye Oak
The xx (2)
Yeasayer (2)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yo La Tengo
Z-Trip

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fun Fun Fun 2011 Wrap: Ted Leo is my (and many other persons') new hero

Fun Fun Fun 2011 was, well, fun fun fun.  We were there for portions of all three days, then high-tailed it out of town for a much needed vacation out on the West Coast. So -- apologies for the delay -- here's our wrap-up from the 2011 Fun Fun Fun Fest, in my opinion the best festival in terms of the musical experience that Austin has to offer: Excellent and diverse line-up, few breaks, good sound with little bleeding between stages and a chance to get up close without a struggle and to hear the bands rather than having to listen to chit-chat. (Yeah, ACL fanboys, I'm talking about the big group of stoner, half-assed fans that inevitably plop down next to you right at the start of a set you want to see and carry on a series of very loud conversations about important things like mustaches and Cheetos.)

2011 MVD: The Most Valuable Danzig Award

This years nominees for MVD are Glenn Danzig, Ted Leo and Flavor Flav.

Glenn Danzig

Glenn Danzig's 2011 MVD campaign goes something like this:  Come to town, whine, act wimpy in the face of a little sniffle, pout, threaten festival organizer for shits and giggles over things that no other act complained about, piss off your fans, whine a bit more, flip bird to town and fest organizers, leave, get upstaged by a hard-working, veteran, real punk-rocker from his home state.

Ted Leo

Ted plays shows.  Lots of them.  He probably rides in a van with his band and a few others.  He sets up his own gear and takes it down at the end of his show.  I've seen Ted play about a half dozen times.  He always brings it.  Even when he's sick.  Like he was at Fun Fun Fun this year.  Like Glenn Danzig purported to be.  How did Ted respond?  Playing on Sunday, after the Danzig debacle, Ted came out coughing and sounding pretty horse.  Most of Ted's songs demand that he sing with high intensity.  Ted apologized for not sounding his best, then let loose and shouted his songs the best he could, coughing between tracks.  Then he did a little something for the Danzig fans.  Taking a swig of Jameson's and donning a special wig for the occasion, Ted & co. ripped through a mini-set of Misfits tunes.  Crowd went wild.  Band nailed it.  Ted gained many new fans.

Flavor Flav

He's cold lampin' anyhow.

And the MVD goes to ... do we even need to say?



Other Highlights

Ted did put in a great performance, but he was only one of over a dozen acts we caught over the three days.  Not a single one we saw was disappointing.  That said, there were a few undeniable highlights.

  • Public Enemy pissing on the concept of a "musical prime" and bringing it as strongly as they did twenty years ago.  For me, it also meant crossing a big name off my concert "bucket list."  Loved watching kids in front of my bouncing up and down who weren't even born when my friends and I wore out Yo! Bum Rush the Show in high school. I was smiling the whole time, but Chuck turned it up a notch when he broke out a verse from "Timebomb."
  • Tinariwen coming out on a hot, windy and dusty day in their desert attire and looking totally unfazed as they funked out hard and won over lots of attendees who were unfamiliar with them beforehand.
  • tUnE-yArDs' excellent performance of "Bizness," maybe the song of the year.
We were happy to see Okkervil River and The Thermals again, both of whom sounded great, and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears didn't show poorly for the hometowners.  Just an excellent weekend of music.  Look out for Fun Fun Fun Fest 2012, because if the trajectory holds, it should be, um, fun.

FBtA's Fun Fun Fun Photos: [Day 1][Day 2 ]


Sunday, November 6, 2011

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 Day 2 Photos: Joe Lally, Tinariwen, tUnE-yArDs

No time for a long post -- off to go see Ted Leo on day three of the 2011 Fun Fun Fun fest.  Meanwhile, here are a few pix of day two.  Tinariwen was incredibly tight and got people going.  tUnE-yArDs kept the dance party rolling.  Spoon (not pictured) played a powerful set of hits.  Great day.  Pix feature Joe Lally, Tinariwen and tUnE-yArDs, plus a few shots from around the fest.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 Day 1 Photos: Omar Souleyman, Heartless Bastards, Thermals, Black Joe Lewis, Okkervil River, Four Tet, Public Enemy

Day one of the 2011 Fun Fun Fun Fest was a blast.  Weather was nice and cool.  New home on Auditorium Shores was unfortunately as dusty as the infamous 2005 ACL "dustbowl," but otherwise the location was spread out and roomy with no bleeding of sound between stages.  Food vendors this year are excellent -- big shout outs to the Austin Daily Press for making a mean meatball sandwich and my man Beef over at Handshakes for making the pancake shake dream come alive.

Music-wise, the day was a big success too.  Omar Souleyman got the crowd clapping early.  The Thermals were 100% energy.  Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears made Austin proud and the made the crowd git funky.  Okkervil River sounded powerful.  Public Enemy brought the noise as strongly as they did back in 1988.

Hope to give a full rundown when I have time, but I'm off for day two.  In the meantime, enjoy the day one pictures:

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011: Can't Make It? Tune it to Pitchfork's Webcast


Fun Fun Fun Fest starts tomorrow!  Although tickets are still on sale, chances are you've already decided if you're going or not.  If the answer is "not," you might want to check out Pitchfork's webcast of the festival.  According to the announcement on the website, "This is the first time in its six year history that the festival has been livestreamed. All four stages will be available for viewing right here on Pitchfork."  While the announcement's subtitle does list a handful of the artists playing, it sounds like they might be showing the whole fest.  Best consult the schedule for set times -- festival runs Friday, November 4 through Sunday, November 6.  In case you're wondering who Pitchfork singled out, that would be Spoon, Lykke Li, M83, Girls, Odd Future, Hot Snakes, Major Lazer, Public Enemy, tUnE-yArDs, Slayer, Flying Lotus.

We'll be there all three days, camera in tow, so check back for updates and photos.

Fun Fun Fun 2008 Wrap

Fun Fun Fun 2009 Wrap


Monday, October 24, 2011

Yaktoberfest 2011 Wrap: 10 Beers + Fundraising Success = Great Party


Perfect weather was the first clue that Yaktoberfest 2011, which took place on a dead end street near Hancock Drive in Austin last Saturday, was going to be a good success.  Two years ago when we held the first edition, we ran into unlikely bad weather.  This time though, the skies were mostly blue and the air warm but not too hot.  The party was underway on schedule at 2:00, and by 2:15 all of the homebrewer contributors had set up shop.  Steve, the Grand Yak, had four different beers, and with my three, plus three more from other brewers, we managed to hit double digits:
  • Steve the Grand Yak offered up one of his signature beers, the Barton Creek Greebelt Pale Ale, along with an Irish Red Ale and two more unusual offerings: a Whiskey Barrel Porter (fermented with whiskey barrel chips and spiked with a touch of whiskey) and a Ginger Lemongrass Ale.  The porter was a great sipper, although you had to be careful not to drink too much, especially if you planned on tasting a lot of different brews.
  • Sammy, with help from Steve and the absent Nick, produced a replica of Russian River Brewing's "Pliny the Elder" American Double IPA.  Seriously hoppy, the IPA lovers tended to pick this one as their favorite of the day.
  • Steve No. 2 was a late addition and brought a replica of a Deschutes Pale Ale.
  • Brandon, another brewer who chose a replica this year, made his version of local brewery Rogness' Double IPA, high in hops (and alcohol).
  • Finally, my three beers were a Texas Red Ale, the return of the Baltic Porter (which appeared at Yaktoberfest 2009), and a last-minute Kölsch, which I was worried would be under-carbonated but turned out to be fine, and because it was about the lightest thing on the menu, the people who like lighter beers were big fans.
We also offered up two things that made our table a popular one: four cheeses selected by Shawn at Antonelli's Cheese Shop in Hyde Park, and my mate (and good sport) Fabian, who brought a sprinkle of real Oktoberfest with him by donning his lederhosen.  Many people commented on how delicious the cheeses were.  And Fabian, a veteran of many Bavarian Oktoberfests, made everything feel a bit more authentic.

Ready for bier

Our grub wasn't the only draw though, and neither was the beer.  A couple of young whippersnappers from the neighborhood put together a pretty solid magic show, which entertained kids of all ages, especially Steve (in the hat).

One of these things just doesn't belong ...

We also managed to raise over $1,000 for our two charities, Heifer International and Crowe's Nest Farm.  Everyone associated with the event was excited, and every guest looked like they had lots of fun.  Beer does that.  So two days later, we've already picked a date for Yaktoberfest 2012: October 13.  Mark it down!

Here's the full slide show from the day.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Natas or Rodney?

Let's say it's the late '80s and you have to pick just one: Rodney Mullen or Natas Kaupas.  How do you decide?

Just askin' ...



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Yaktoberfest 2011 Update: Kölsch bottled just in time; party this Saturday!


Yaktoberfest -- the little fundraising party my brewing colleagues and I are throwing -- is this Saturday.  Per my last report, I decided at the last second to brew a lighter beer, which turned out to be a Kölsch (more of a Springtime beer with roots in the Cologne area of Germany).  I figured if I started about 16 days prior to the party, I could get the beer into bottles with enough time to allow it to carbonate.  Tuesday was my deadline, but on Monday I still didn't have enough empty bottles.  Sheesh! Thankfully, co-host Steve, who kegs his beer, had some empty Topo Chico bottles and dropped them off early Tuesday night.  A few hours later, everything was bottled.


The Yaktoberfest glasses that Steve ordered have arrived.  The small tasting glasses look pretty sweet I think.


Saturday we go live.  Wish us luck, and may we fund many, many yaks.

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011: Schedule Out, Conflicts Identified (and Aftershows Too!)


The schedule for the 2011 Fun Fun Fun Fest has been released.  Austin's "other" big festival introduces a couple of new features this year.  First, the festival runs three days rather than two.  Second, due to the temporary closure of former home Waterloo Park, this year's festival moves downtown to the larger confines of Auditorium Shores.  Fun Fun Fun takes place November 4 through November 6.  Tickets are still on sale: $55/day or $135 for all three.  Find the full three-day lineup HERE.

Fun Fun Fun has also announced that this year's festival days will extend into "Fun Fun Fun Nites" -- a series of shows at clubs around Austin.  Good news:  If you have a three-day wristband, you can get in for free!  There are some pretty good shows in here, although the names aren't necessarily the biggies.  Great nites await at the Parish, Mohawk, Continental Club, Club DeVille, Red 7 and others.  So be prepared to rock-n-roll all day and night.  That's how we do things here in the Live Music Capital.

As for the actual festival, the conflicts really aren't that bad, thanks to the festival organizers generally grouping similar types of acts on the same stage.  If you have a broad taste in music though, you might find yourself choosing between Passion Pit and Public Enemy on Friday night (as someone who purchased the first PE album on cassette back in 1987 but still has never seen the group live, you know where I'll be).  Or maybe it's Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears vs. Thee Oh Sees that's giving you heartburn.  Or Lykke Li vs. Neon Indian, M83 vs. Rakim, or Diplo vs. The Black Lips vs Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest.  Point is, despite their best efforts, you'll still probably end up having to pick and choose a little bit.  On the bright side, that just means the lineup is really good.

Below is the full Fun Fun Fun schedule, thanks to indierockreviews.com.


Friday
Orange stage:
Passion Pit 8:30-9:45
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 7:25-8:25
Okkervil River 6:30-7:20
Black Joe Lewis 5:35-6:25
The Thermals 4:45-5:30
Heartless Bastards 3:55-4:40
Ocote Soul Sound 3:05-3:50
Cloud Nothings 2:20-3:00
Jim Ward (Sparta/ATDI) 1:40-2:15
Canon Blue 1:05-1:35
TV Torso 12:30-1:00
Black stage:
Danzig Legacy 8:15-9:45
Murder City Devils 7:20-8:10
Russian Circles 6:30-7:15
Thee Oh Sees 5:45-6:25
Ty Segall 5:00-5:40
D Generation 4:10-4:55
Bane 3:25-4:05
From Ashes Rise 2:45-3:20
Doomriders 2:05-2:40
Mindspiders 1:30-2:00
Total Control 12:55-1:25
Defeater 12:20-12:50
Blue stage:
Public Enemy 8:30-9:45
Four Tet 7:35-8:25
Spank Rock 6:45-7:30
Big Freedia 6:05-6:45
Franki Chan 5:30-6:05
Picture Plane 5:00-5:30
YACHT 4:15-5:00
Omar Souleyman 3:30-4:10
Black Milk 2:45-3:25
Autobody 2:00-2:40
Car Stereo Wars 1:15-1:55
Fat Tony 12:40-1:10
DJ iPod Ammo 12:20-12:40
Yellow stage:
Reggie Watts 7:15-8:00
Brett Gelman 6:55-7:15
Matt Bearden 6:35-6:55
Upright Citizens Brigade 5:00-6:30
FFF Dating Game 4:10-4:55
Altercation Comedy Hr 3:05-4:05
Anarchy Championship Wrestling 2:20-3:00
Adira Amiran 1:45-2:20
Jake Flores 1:25-1:40
Best Fwends 12:50-1:20
Maggie May 12:30-12:45
Saturday
Orange stage:
Spoon 8:30-9:45
Lykke Li 7:25-8:25
Girls 6:30-7:20
M83 5:35-6:25
Ra Ra Riot 4:45-5:30
Tune-Yards 4:00-4:40
The Joy Formidable 3:15-3:55
Tinarewin 2:30-3:10
Joe Lally (Fugazi) -1:55-2:25
Future Islands 1:20-1:50
Keep Shelly In Athens 12:45-1:15
Manejo Beto 12:10-12:40
Black stage:
The Damned 8:45-9:45
Hot Snakes 7:50-8:40
Cave In 6:55-7:40
Negative Approach 6:05-6:50
Paint It Black 5:20-6:00
Youth Brigade 4:35-5:15
Dead Horse 3:50-4:30
Trash Talk 3:15-3:45
World Inferno Friendship Society 2:30-3:10
Deathgrips 1:55-2:25
Touche Amore 1:20-1:50
Shapes Have Fangs 12:45-1:15
Thieves 12:15-12:40
Blue stage:
Major Lazer 8:45-9:45
Neon Indian 7:50-8:40
Childish Gambino 7:00-7:45
Rakim 6:10-6:55
Cold Cave 5:20-6:05
Dan Deacon 4:30-5:15
Wugazi 3:45-4:25
Cecil Otter 3:20-3:40
Brandt Brauer Fricke 2:40-3:15
T-bird and the Breaks 2:05-2:35
Purity Ring 1:30-2:00
Blackie 1:05-1:25
tba dj 12:30-1
Yellow stage:
Wham City sketch comedy 6:15-8:15
Neal Brennan 5:45-6:10
Johnny Pemberton 5:20-5:40
Turquoise Jeep 4:45-5:15
Donald Glover 4:10-4:40
Air Sex Contest 3:30-4:05
Anarchy Championship Wrestling 2:40-3:25
Captured By Robots 1:50-2:35
Louis Katz 1:25-1:45
Ali Wong 1:05-1:20
Cameron Buchholtz 12:45-1:05
Michael Priest 12:30-12:45
Sunday
Orange stage:
Slayer 8:15-9:45
Brian Posehn 7:40-8:10
Hum 6:45-7:35
Architecture in Helsinki 5:50-6:40
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists 5:00-5:45
Budos Band 4:10-4:55
Mates of State 3:20-4:05
We Were Promised Jetpacks 2:30-4:15
Asobi Seksu 1:55-2:25
Le Butcherettes 1:20-1:50
Lemuria 12:45-1:15
Crooks 12:15-12:40
Black stage:
Blonde Redhead 8:45-9:45
Black Lips 7:50-8:40
Boris 7:00-7:45
Cannibal Corpse 6:10-6:55
Kid Dynamite 5:20-6:05
Eyehategod 4:30-5:15
Zero Boys 3:40-4:25
No Bunny 2:55-3:35
Ceremony 2:20-2:50
Davilla 666 1:40-2:15
OBN III 1:05-1:35
Schmillion 12:30-1:00
Blue stage:
Odd Future 8:45-9:45
Diplo 7:50-8:40
Flying Lotus 6:55-7:45
Del the Funky Homosapien 6:00-6:50
BATHS 5:10-5:55
Austra 4:20-5:05
MNDR 3:35-4:15
Grimes 3-3:30
G-Side 2:25-2:55
Bird Peterson 1:40-2:20
Speak 1:05-1:35
Soul Khan 12:30-1
Yellow stage:
Henry Rollins 7:00-8:00
Master Pancake’s Video Jukebox 6:15-6:55
Veggie Hotdog Eating Contest 5:25-6:10
Brody Stevens 5:00-5:20
K-Strauss (Yo Yo Extravaganza) 4:35-5:00
Doug Mellard 4:15-4:35
Page and Stephen’s FFF Wedding 3:35-4:10
Anarchy Championship Wrestling 2:50-3:30
New Movement Sketch Comedy 2:15-2:50
Chris Trew 2:00-2:25
Nick Flanagan 1:40-2:00
Rap Battle Royale 1:05-1:40
What the Hell: Magic Stunt Show 12:45-1:05
Cody Hustak 12:30-12:45
OFFICIAL FFF NITES SCHEDULE 2011
THURSDAY 11/3
Mohawk (IN)
Underground Railroad to Candyland 12:45-?
Ghost Knife 11:45-12:30
TBA 11-11:30
(OUT)
Ty Segall 10:15-11
The Coathangers 9:15-10
The Young 8:30-9
Doors 7:30
Red 7
Toxic Holocaust 12:45-1:30
Hull 11:45-1230
The Fucking Wrath 10:45-11:30
Pushmen 10-10:30
Doors 9:30
Beauty Bar
Check Yo Ponytail Presents:
Franki Chan 12:30-2
Devlin and Darko of Spank Rock 11:30-12:30
Rusty Lazer 10:30-11:30
Doors 9:30
ND
Sleepercar (Jim Ward of Sparta/At the Drive In) 12:30-
Jesse Malin (of D Generation) 11:30-12:15
Cowboy and Indian 10:35-11:15
Lights Go Out 9:50-10:20
Doors 9
Learning Secrets & Transmission Presents:
Empire Automotive
Passion Pit DJ Set 12:30-End
Learning Secrets 11:30-12:30
Special Guest 10:45-11:30
Learning Secrets 10:15-10:45
Doors 9:30
FRIDAY 11/4
FYF Presents:
Mohawk (IN)
Big Freedia 1-1:30
BBF DJ 12:30-1:00
Fat Tony 12-12:30
Brandt Brauer Fricke DJ 11:00-12:00
(OUT)
Glass Candy 11:15-12
DJ 11-11:15
Cold Cave 10:30-11
DJ 10-10:30
Doors 9:30
Brooklyn Vegan & Transmission Ent. Presents:
Red 7 (IN)
Powertrip 12-12:45
Touche Amore 11-11:45
Pianos Become Teeth 10:15-10:45
Dead End Path 9:30-9:55
Miles Away 9-9:25
(OUT)
Doomriders 12:30-1:15
Inepsy 11:30-12:15
Mammoth Grinder 10:45-11:15
Mindless 10-10:30
Doors 9:30
Club de Ville
Dead Confederate 11-12
TBA 10-10:45
TBA 9:15-9:45
Doors 8:30
Beauty Bar
TBA DJ 1-2
Andre Williams 12-1
BJL Side Project 11-11:45
DJ sets between acts
Doors 10
Beerland
Cobra Skulls 12:45-1:30
Nothington 11:45-12:30
Broken Gold 10:45-11:30
The Anchor 10-10:30
Doors 9:30
ND
Special Guests
The Parish
Thermals 12:30-1:30
Lemuria 11:40-12:10
Ume 10:55-11:25
David Liebe Hart 10:10-10:40
Doors 9:30
Empire Automotive
Kool Keith 12:45-End
Death Grips 11:50-12:30
Blackie 11:25-11:45
Trash Talk 10:50-1120
TBA 10:05-10:35
Doors 9:30
SATURDAY 11/5
Mohawk (IN)
TBA 1:15-2
TBA 12:20-1
Pat Jordache 11:25-12:05
ANR 10:30-11:10
(OUT)
Felice Brothers 11:10-12:00
Gill Landry (Old Crowe Medicine Show) 10:15-10:55
Old Man Markley 9:30-10
Doors 9
Red 7 (IN)
Deafhaven 12-12:30
Eagle Claw 10:45-11:15
Watching the Moon 9:45-10:15
(OUT)
Russian Circles 1:15-2
Tera Melos 12:30-1
Boris 11:15-12:05
Ancient Vvisdom 10:15-10:45
Doors 9
Club de Ville
Budos Band 11-12
Hardproof Afrobeat 10:00-10:45
Doors 9
Beauty Bar
Industry & Artist DJ Sets 10-3
Doors 9
ND
DJ Thibault 1:30-3
Future Rock 12-1:30
DJ Thibault 11:15-12
American Royalty 10:15-11
Doors 10
The Parish
Mates of State 12:30-1:30
Generationals 11:40-12:10
Yellow Ostrich 10:55-11:25
Front Bottoms 10:10-10:40
Doors 9:30
Gorilla vs. Bear & Transmission Ent. Presents:
Empire Automotive
Neon Indian DJ set 1:15-3
Purity Ring 12:30-1:15
Memoryhouse 11:30-12:15
Keep Shelly in Athens 10:30-11:15
TBA DJ
Doors 9:30
SUNDAY 11/6
Mohawk (IN)
Zero Boys 12:15-1
Night Siege 11:15-12
Rituals (Ex You People) 10:30-11
Doors 9:30
Red 7
Dom 12:30-1:15
Royal Bangs 11:30-12:15
Pujol 10:45-11:15
Bearhands 10-10:30
Doors 9:30
Beauty Bar
Austra DJ Set 12:30-1:30
Dengue fever 11:30-12:30
Austra DJ set 10:30-1:30
Doors 9:30
Beerland
Thee Oh Sees 12:30-1:30
Total Control 11:30-12:10
Ch 24 10:45-11:15
David Liebe Hart (of Tim & Eric Awesome Show) 10-10:30
Doors 9:30
Empire Automotive
SYD THE KID (Odd Future) DJ set 12:30-2
G-Side 12-12:30
DJ Orion & Kid Slyce 11-12
TBA 10:30-11
DJ Set 10-10:30
Doors 9:30

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Yaktoberfest 2011 Update: Kölsch fermenting nicely

Thankfully, the last-minute Kölsch I brewed up Thursday is coming along nicely. It started fermenting about 20 hours after pitching the yeast. Now on day three it has started settling down a bit but still has a big kreusen (yeast foam) on top.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Yaktoberfest 2011 (and RIP Steve Jobs)

About a week ago, an iPad 2 arrived in the mail (my lucky wife's business card was picked out of a bowl). Oddly I suppose, this was the very first Apple product of any kind I've ever owned. Ironic, given the passage of Apple maverick-in-chief Steve Jobs just days later.  Anyhow, people all over the world are paying tribute to Jobs, so I thought I'd do so too in my own little way, by creating a post via iPad for the first time.  Installed the Blogger app on the incredibly slim and light tablet and voila, good to go.

So in need of a subject matter, I thought I'd post about the other thing I was doing at the moment -- brewing beer.  For the second time in three years, our friends in the area are throwing a homebrewing benefit, Yaktoberfest.  In 2009, several local brewers served our finest ales and stouts on a local cul-de-sac and asked people to donate a few bucks each, which we donated to Heifer International.  We bought one whole water buffalo and were proud of what we were able to put together quickly.

Last year we couldn't find a good weekend to hold Yaktoberfest, bet we vowed to try again in 2011.  And lo and behold, we're back at it.  Yaktoberfest 2011 is October 22, same cul-de-sac (you'll have to ask for the address, but if you're truly interested I can share it).  We're aiming to have about 10 different beers available this time, but maybe someone or something unexpected will show up.  We also went out and got tasting glasses and will ask people for a $10 minimum donation for glass.

I'm contributing at least 2 brews:  A "Texas Red," a very, very pretty red ale, and a Baltic Porter, which was a smash in 2009 due to its heft.  Today I thought I'd try to squeeze one more in, a kolsch.  It will be tought -- only 16 days to go, but I think if I rack in 5 days and bottle 5 days after that, I'll be good to go.  Let's hope we ferment quickly, as we usually do.

For people into beer or brewing, I tried a new type of yeast, the Wyeast Labs "punch pack."  Grains are barley and wheat; hops are Crystal (1 1/2 oz. bittering; 1 1/2 oz. flavor).

Here are a few pictures I took with the iPad.  The first shows the mash boiling.  The second shows the Baltic Porter in secondary fermentation (look carefully in the mirror and you'll see me and the 'pad).  Check back in a few weeks for a Yaktoberfest update.  Oh, and here's a great article about Steve Jobs and how he really had his fingers on the pulse of American (world?) culture as much as any politician.


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective: An Interlude About Chi-Ali

Since August, From Boston to Austin has been reflecting on the somewhat enigmatic legacy of the Native Tongues hip-hop collective from the late 1980s into the '90s. We've made it through three parts.  But we're not quite done.

[Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4][Part 5]

While we work on what will probably be the final chapter, here's a short interlude about second-wave Native Tongue Chi-Ali.  As might be put by Slick Rick (ironically someone who can relate to Chi-Ali's story to a degree), "here's a little somethin' that needs to be heard."  You see, Chi-Ali Griffith's story is a bad case of potential wasted. He was rapping on Native Tongue singles in his early teens and had an album out at an age most folks were still dealing with trigonometry and phys ed. After that big start though, nothing really materialized, and before long, he was in deep trouble with the law.  We're talking "America's Most Wanted" trouble.

Here's a mini-doc on Chi-Ali, or prisoner no. 04A0267 at Sing Sing.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

ACL 2011 Video Wrap-Up: Stevie Wonder shreds a keytar, Cee-Lo and Nakia serenade the crowd, and more

Well, another year, another Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year everyone thought the date was too early, but the planners got lucky and the long run of brutally hot weather broke just in time for festival weekend. We made it down for Saturday only (after six years of three-day attendance), and put our energy into getting a good spot for Stevie Wonder's amazing closing set. That was a good move apparently, as weak sound toward the back marred the experience for some.

So until people start to speculate about whether Radiohead will be headlining in 2012, here are a few good videos I found of 2011. Most of these are courtesy of the official ACL website, with a few indie efforts tossed in. Enjoy!

Let's start with one that we actually witnessed. Stevie Wonder kills on the keytar with an intensity that would have made Jimi proud. I love that in the midst of his solo, Stevie has an ecstatic grin on his face that's just like the one he'd flash 48 years earlier during his "Fingertips" routine. This is a man who loves playing music for people. The people who he plays it for are lucky.

Here are a couple more we were there for. First, Fitz & the Tantrums trying to start a dance party. They eventually succeeded. Next, Cee-Lo invites TV-protégé Nakia on stage for signature song, "Fuck You."




The Walkmen closed out a powerful set with the soft-loud sonic boom of "In the New Year." Matt Barrick pounds the skins like nobody else.


Foster the People doing their best PBJ in front of one of the first big crowds of ACL on Friday afternoon.

One person's compilation that covers the whole weekend, giving you a small taste of the shuttles and a bikes and bigger taste of the massive crowds.


A final four-pack of performances from the ACL website.

Friday, September 16, 2011

ACL 2011: Not there? Catch the Webcast

 
ACL is here!  Day one is already halfway in the books.  Chances are if you aren't already in town for the festival, you aren't coming.  If you couldn't make it but dig the lineup, the folks as ACL are Webcasting the festival on the ACL Youtube channel.  Choose from two different feeds -- schedules are listed on the bottom of the page.  The quality is pretty good, so go check it on out.  If you're quick, you'll catch a bit of Foster the People's set!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

FBtA's Audio and Video History of the Native Tongue Collective - Part 3: Video Collection

For Part 3 of our Native Tongues retrospective, we're taking a short break from the chronological history.  Instead, here's a nice little selection of NT-related video footage, featuring lots of old television appearances and a bit of reminiscing and reflecting by the three Beastie Boys.  We did arrange the list by year, starting in 1989 and going forward.  Hope you enjoy.

[Part 1] [Part 2][Chi Ali Interlude][Part 4][Part 5]

This clip from 1989 is a great place to start.  According to the poster on Youtube, it is taken from a mini TV special (Super Channel-blue night) from 1989 about De La Soul's release of 3 Feet High and Rising.  The interviews with the band and Prince Paul provide an insightful look into their approach to sampling, which was such an important ingredient of early Native Tongues music.  There's also some footage of the release party in New York, including fellow Bambaataa disciple KRS-One talking about why he was digging De La.


This one's a bit strange:  The Jungle Brothers being somewhat rude and aloof on a low-budget Dutch TV show during a visit by them and Quest back in 1990.  They look like they might have stopped at a coffee shop for some Northern Light first.  It would be fun just for the history, but the live footage happens to be very cool. This is just what a show by one of the Native Tongue groups might have been in 1990 -- not too big of a venue yet, so the crowd is small and definitely into it.  The JBs might not be feeling the interview, but they still show the crowd respect and get on down come concert time.  No doubt that some of the Dutch audience doesn't understand the lyrics, but that doesn't stop the crowd from gettin' it.  Wish I was there!

Another old one:  Grainy VHS of A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad in a 1990 interview on some cheapo show.  A little history is revealed though, as Q-Tip discusses the early days.


One of the few places to find hip-hop on TV at all before 1990 was Yo! MTV Raps.  By 1991, the show was airing during the week with Dr. Dre (the East Coast version) and Ed Lover and on weekends with original host, old school hip-hop granddaddy Fab Five Freddie.  Here's a 1991 interview with Queen Latifah, Quest and MC Lyte, who were in the midst of a tour.


Who knew that the Native Tongues were so widely embraced in northern Europe?  This time, it's Finland that's lucky, with De La Soul performing "Say No Go" and getting the crowd going.  Love these videos of concert footage from the early days.  They all seem so passionate and into it.


This one brings back memories.  I think I saw this special the first time it aired on MTV in 1991:  A hip-hop episode of the popular Unplugged series that MTV billed as Yo! MTV Raps Unplugged.  LL Cool J was on, and I remember MC Lyte also.  This one shows Tribe doing just fine working outside the box.

De La Soul was on the same special doing "Ring Ring Ring" from De La Soul is Dead.  According to the Youtube poster, the backing band on these cuts is Pop's Cool Love, who I vaguely recall being a "hot" act in the very early '90s, when genre-mashing was very popular, but I believe they fizzled out shortly after this little peak.

Well, 1991 apparently was a kick-ass year for hip-hop on television.  A few years before, you just really couldn't find live hip-hop on mainstream TV.  Along with The Arsenio Hall Show, The Wayans' In Living Color was one of the few showcases for young hip-hop talent on the big channels at the time.  The show featured a young Shawn Wayans spinning hip-hop and new jack R&B during the cuts to and from commercial breaks, with the Rosie Perez-choreographed Fly Girls dancing along.  From time to time, episodes featured a musical guest, who'd perform a cut or two live for the studio audience, usually at the end of the show.  From '91, here's Leaders of the New School busting "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense!!"

Tribe is well represented in this post.  Here's "Check the Rhyme," from 1992, with Tip and co. on the Yo! MTV Raps set. Tip and Phife are on point (all the time).

One of my all-time favorite musical spots on The Arsenio Hall Show.  A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders of the New School team up in 1992 to bring some serious energy to the set with a raucous rendition of "Scenario."  Busta Rhymes once again looks so ready to break out that he just might jump through the TV screen. Charlie Brown meanwhile looks like he snorted a line or two right before the cameras started rolling. I love the look on Aresnio's face at 2:55.

More Quest from '92 as the Tribe do a cool live spot with The Brand New Heavies and others on a Yo! MTV Raps special.  Live instruments (vibes, horn section) spice up a sweet version of "Check the Rhyme."  Working with Quest helped inspire The Brand New Heavies to delve further into hip-hop, culminating with the 1992 collaboration LP Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1.

I think this might be the same special (Yo! MTV Raps Live - Spring Break 1992).  Black Sheep was hitting their brief pinnacle as the remix of "The Choice is Yours" became a surprise crossover hit. Some of the dance moves made me chuckle.

Moving on to 1994.  A Tribe Called Quest had their routine down by now, and it shows in this tight performance of "Oh My God!" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.  Tip and Phife's call-and-response bit sounds smooth and natural.  The group was about to start its decline but it hardly shows here.

Michael Rappaport, director of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, emcees an event called "The Heave Sound Presents Mind Body Soul - A Concert Event To Raise Awareness For Diabetes."  This took place back in January 2010 and in addition to A Tribe Called Quest reuniting for the occasion, the lineup was hot: A Tribe Called Quest + Jay Electronica + Consequence + Mos Def + Talib Kweli + Krs-One + Jeru Da Damaja + Greg Nice + Dres (Black Sheep) + Statik Selektah + Termanology + Mr. Cheeks + And Others.  Phife may not look as good but still likes his beats as hard as two-day old shit, and the twosome still can bust the "uhs" and the "ahs."

The Beastie Boys discuss the Native Tongues, their roots and their legacy.  Ad Rock points out that what made the Native Tongues interesting was that they really were involved in each other's projects at the time, and all three groups (Tribe, De La, JBs) had amazing, creative, now-classic albums out. It was a rare thing where the right people were in the right places at the right times for a run.  We may have had other collectives in hip-hop that followed who have also become legends, like Wu Tang, but nothing was quite like Native Tongues from '89 into the early '90s, with the samples, flow and some silly poetry coming together perfectly.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

ACL 2011 Bullets (9/6/11): Another Give-Away and a Few Band Profiles

Okay, we're getting seriously close folks.  Haven't been over to Zilker Park, but I suspect fences are being arranged and stages are being erected.  If you're going to ACL this year, you better be settling any big question marks out there, like who you're seeing when, what you're bringing, how you're planning to get around town, etc.  Information helps, right?  Here's our latest rundown of some news articles, blog posts and other murmurings about the upcoming festival.
  • Wanna go to ACL and also a guitar lover? The nice folks at ACL are giving away a pretty sweet package, and it has a tie-in to rising Austin blues-rock guitar-slinger Gary Clark Jr.: "Take home a music lovers prize package from Austin’s own Gary Clark Jr. to remind you of ACL’s 10th anniversary! Enter to win: (1) A pair of 3-Day Passes; (2) A signed Epiphone Acoustic Guitar; and (3) A meet-and-greet with guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr.  All you have to do is add Gary Clark Jr. to your ACL Festival Custom Schedule schedule by 11:59M Sunday, September 11, 2011."  Ten runners-up will receive a signed copy of his latest release, The Bright Lights EP.  Gary Clark Jr. - Friday 9/16, 6:30 @ BMI Stage.
  • Here's one from speaker company Bowers & Wilkins that's pretty cool, especially if you're a fan of Coldplay: "On September 16, 2011, three winners, each with one guest, will be among the first to listen to Coldplay’s upcoming album Mylo Xyloto (pronounced my-lo zy-letoe) and then attend their live performance at the Austin City Limits Festival. This exclusive sneak preview will allow winners to hear the album five weeks before the album’s official release in the U.S. on October 24, 2011. ...  Dying to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?  Register on the Bowers & Wilkins Facebook Page for the chance to win this VIP trip for two to Austin, Texas."  Coldplay - Sunday 9/18, 8:10 @ AMD Stage.
  • The official ACL website's Artist Discovery Series had a recent addition from Culture Map - Austin.  Caitlin Ryan profiles Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: "[W]hat you’ll find on their full length It’s a Corporate World are fantastic harmonies on “God Only Knows,” grunge guitars on “Morning Thought,” and philosophical talk on “Skeletons.” See? Surprising breadth for a “pop” band out of Detroit (who knew those two things went together). ... So if you want to have a lighthearted time and momentarily forget the woes of the world in its present state, check out the guys who were called one of the “best new bands” of 2010 from the likes of Stereogum, SPIN, Under the Radar, Real Detroit, The Metro Times and others. You’ll smile, you’ll sway, and you’ll appreciate the effort they put into making sure the crowd has a damn good time."  Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Sunday 9/18, 1:30 @ Honda Stage.
  • Lots of people want to know which up-and-comping, lesser known artists are worth checking out at ACL.  Going to see some of the "smaller" acts is often a good way to avoid crowds and the associated frustrations.  Here's Jeff Pollack of Huffington Post with three recommendations -- Foster the People, Young the Giant, and Empire of the Sun: "Empire of the Sun is a difficult band to describe if you've never experienced them. They are an electro-pop duo from Australia who hit it big Down Under with their first single, 'Walking On A Dream' in 2008. We were a little slower to catch on Stateside, but Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore have hit the festival circuit hard this year and with a fantastic stage show, they've definitely made their mark. For a better sense of Empire's mix of catchy electronic music and theatrics, look up a few of their music videos (I would recommend 'Walking On A Dream' and 'We Are The People') and see if you're not tempted to see what these Aussies are like live." Foster the People - Friday 9/16, 5:30 @ Google+ Stage.  Young the Giant - Saturday 9/17, 2:00 @ AMD Stage.  Empire of the Sun - Sunday 9/18, 7:30 @ Google+ Stage.
  • Ryan Lester of The Austinist interviews Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen, a band we've seen many times and always brings it.  Turns out Leithauser's worthy of consideration for honorary Austinite status: "I remember one year that I realized I’d spent something like 32 days in Austin, Texas. I couldn’t believe it because I’ve never lived there. We always end up there, and it’s really a major stop on the national tours. There’s a lot of stuff to do there for bands. We go there as much as any other much bigger city."  Catch The Walkman ACL Sunday, 2:30 at the AMD stage, and make sure to spend a bit of time watching dynamo drummer Matt Barrick.
  • Elizabeth Seward of Gadling with some general tips: "ACL is crowded, but it's fun. But keep the crowded thing in mind. Plan accordingly. If you have anxiety and think you may need to bring your medication, I suggest you do. It's also going to be hot. HOT. Very hot. Prepare for the heat and sun in every way you know how. I saw a girl passed out cold last year from what I bet was drug or alcohol related, but the heat certainly didn't help. Don't let that be you this year. Prepare."
  • Finally, a couple of new videos posted to the ACLfestival Youtube channel:

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Iconic Austin Film "Slacker" Gets 20-Year Salute as "Slacker 2011" Premiers Tonight

Everyone knows that Austin's a music town, but it's pretty well known that ATX has a nice little film industry as well.  Probably no single filmmaker/film combo epitomizes the Austin movie scene more than Richard Linklater and his celebration of the freedom in directionless teen-hood, "Slacker."  Hard to believe it, but 20 years has passed since the movie came out.  We watched it again recently, and it really revealed how much change the city has been through in the last two decades.  Almost nothing is recognizable.  The film still holds up, though, and I chuckled pretty hard again at S-T-E-V-E offering a ride in his van and the infamous tale of Madonna's pap smear.


Many people wouldn't want to "touch" a classic, but a bunch of Austin filmmakers decided to celebrate Slacker's big milestone birthday by collectively remaking the movie.  "Slacker 2011," the end result, premiers tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz downtown. And why not give "Slacker" another go?  Despite the physical changes to Austin's landscape, there's no doubt that the "keep Austin weird" vibes are still here in abundance.  The city's bigger and slicker, and sure there are lots of young go-getters and entrepreneurs here now.  But it is still a slacker town, and I don't see that changing any time soon.  I read somewhere that Linklater's cool with the remake too. So don't be a snobby fanboy.  Watch the trailer below, and if you're interested, go check out the flick when you can.  If you want a little more info, there's a great blog, Slackerwood, that has lots of stuff, including this profile of the 24 filmmakers involved in "Slacker 2011."