Keep Austin Wired? Chameleon Cold-Brew is Here to Help

For a city that seems to give off mellow, laid-back vibes, Austin does a great job keeping its citizenry amply juiced on caffeine. This city is loaded with great indie coffee shops. We've mentioned a few here before. Thunderbird, Flight Path, Epoch, Mozart's and Juan Pelota are just our favorites.

Another great coffee spot is Bennu, located over by UT at 2001 E. MLK Blvd. Bennu's open 24/7, so they're really, really helping to keep the town wired. The good French pressed coffee and solid assortment of tasty bits from some familiar local purveyors also help.

But apparently Bennu owner Steve Williams wasn't satisfied having a perpetually available, centrally-located den for caffeine addicts. In his mission to keep us wired around the clock, Williams has teamed up with Chris Campbell to bring us Chameleon Cold-Brew, a delicious bottled cold-brewed coffee. The drink is made by steeping the ground coffee in cold water for several hours. They use 00% organic, fair trade Arabica beans. The result? Rich, earthy coffee with noticeably (in a good way) low acidity. This stuff is insanely drinkable. It comes in a couple of sizes and is bottled concentrated, so one bottle goes further than it looks. I've had it both neat and on the rocks and like both. And it's just as good hot. I'll have to see what sorts of things I could do with Chameleon in the mixed drink and recipe department -- I'm thinking some sort of BBQ sauce right off the bat.

Chameleon launched recently. According to this article from Relish Austin: "The cold-brew coffee ($4-$5 for 16-ounce bottle and about $9 for 32-ounce) is available at Whip In, Fresh Plus Market on West Lynn, Thom’s Market, Hyde Park Grocery, Bennu Coffee, the Corner Market at the Domain and several Royal Blue Grocery stores." Campbell and Williams hope to increase availability soon. There were only two bottles left at Royal Blue the other night, so that's a sign it might be catching on.

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"Old Austin" Feel: 29th and Guadalupe

Old Austin is alive and well, you just have to look a little harder and ignore the pockets of ugly developments, commercial sprawl and chain stores and restaurants. Trust me, you're never too far from either Denny's or Waffle House. Austin is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the U.S., but it isn't really a big city and doesn't have that metropolitan air that the bigger, more densely populated cities have. What it does have is lots of great, distinctive neighborhoods and a few excellent commercial strips like Burnet Road, Guadalupe, East Sixth, South First and South Congress.

Apart from the bigger strips, Austin also has some small pockets of cool, independent small businesses. A few that come to mind are north on 6th on Lamar (Cheapo Discs!) and the eastern portion of North Loop (see Vintage Austin post from December 2007 -- the first few places we went to were there). The area around Guadalupe and 29th is another good one. We started going there to visit Ruby's BBQ, the place we ate at our first ever night in Austin back during our first visit in 2005. We'd also been next door to the United States Art Authority, where we saw the Art on Deck exhibit (see Art on Deck: Skateboard Art post from February 2008).

This past weekend, we stopped by Ruby's again, then took a stroll around to check out a few other places. After a great pair of sandwiches -- chopped beef on one, smoked turkey on the other -- we went around the corner to the other side of the United States Art Authority to grab a cup of coffee from the Spider House. The Spider House is one of Austin's older cafes, and has always attracted an interesting mix of people, including a healthy number of collegians from nearby UT. Maybe they're attracted to the huge, shady patio area. If that's not big enough, Adams Park is across the street. Maybe you don't want coffee? Spider House has a full bar with popular happy hours. Everybody loves the Spider House. Pretty good coffee too, by the way. I've even heard rumors that Leslie Cochran likes to hang here sometimes!

If you head back in the direction you came from, past Milto's Mediterranean Cafe (which we haven't tried yet), across Guadalupe is an odd looking toy store called Toy Joy. Judging by the bizarre mix of old school and new doo-dads in the window, we'll have to check it out some time. Back on the other side, up from Milto's, is I Luv Video, an interesting independent video store which looks like one of the best alternatives to Netflix. We zeroed in on Antone's Records, founded by the same Clifford Antone who started the eponymous club (yeah, go see Spring = Music post from June 2008). Lots of great vinyl -- and even cassettes if you're into lo-fi old school -- in addition to a small but great mix of new and used CDs, including a generous amount of blues and Texas artists. Finally picked up a copy of Television's Marquee Moon, which I for years had been determined to find at a used CD store but had consistently struck out.

There are more great places nestled around the corner of 29th Street and Guadalupe. We still haven't been to Ken's Doughnuts & Pastries, although we've tasted the excellent blueberry doughnut holes they sell at Emerald City Press. Texas French Bread is said to make good bread (but only average sandwiches). Don't forget Chango's Taco's. If you want a grown-up slice of 60s-style Austin, there's Oat Willie's smoke shop. Onward through the fog!


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Thanks Austin

Three years? We must be having fun then, because that time has flown by. As we approach the third anniversary of our move to Austin, on Thanksgiving weekend 2010, it seems like a good time to reflect on all of the things about our hometown that I am thankful for.

First of all, thanks Austin for sunny 80 degree days in November. It's because of days like this that I can overlook the streaks of triple-digit brain-melting Summer days. Summer can be pretty tough, but the swing months make it all worthwhile.

Thanks for weathering the economic recession as well as anyplace. Leading in job growth during the last few years is something to be proud of. Consistent strong rankings in measures of economic health are reflective of the forward, green-friendly thinking and entrepreneurial spirit that keep Austin a top destination for the aspiring young and upwardly mobile. Spend time here and you won't find it surprising that Austin ends up at the top of the Milken Institute's Best-Performing Cities index, on Forbes' most affordable cities and best cities for young professionals lists, Kiplinger's list of best cities for the next decade, etc.

Thanks for the great social atmosphere. No matter how fringe or obscure your interest might be, if there's another person in Austin who shares it, chances are there's some sort of club, meetup, or Yelp group catering to your needs. Not to mention an annual festival celebrating it. So keep your eyes open for the next meeting of the Austin Left-Handed Ventriloquist Coonhound Owners' Meetup coming to a park near you.

Thanks for making sure I'm never more than a few steps from a great, authentic, inexpensive taco. Not to mention being located in the middle of the "BBQ Triangle." Having Louie Mueller nearby makes me not mind working out in Taylor so much. And thanks for having a million excellent indie burger places and coffee joints. Who needs Starbucks (overrated, bitter, chalky coffee) and McDonalds? Head to Thunderbird, Flight Path, Epoch, Mozart's or Juan Pelota for a cuppa, or go get your beef patty on at Billy's, Black Sheep, Counter Cafe -- or if you really need it thin-style, P. Terry's, Hill-Bert's or Top Notch. Oh, and thanks for accommodating an incredibly vibrant mobile food cart scene. Shout out to Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, La Boite Cafe, Franklin Barbecue, G'Raj Mahal and Kebabilicious, 'cuz you are all too delicious.

Thanks for Independence Bootlegger Brown, (512) IPA, Live Oak HefeWeizen, Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye Ale, and all the great places to drink these and other great local brews.

Thanks for being a nugget of blue in a sea of red.

Thanks for the green space. Maybe Austin isn't the prettiest, but those parks are something. Zilker and Barton Springs are just the tip of the iceberg. Greenbelts are everywhere you look. Go get outside.

Thanks for the music scene. Local bands with a variety of styles and talents, record stores like they used to make them, a few good radio stations, and great clubs and festivals. Just this year, Rachel and I have seen The Cribs, Adam Green, Yo La Tengo, Times New Viking (twice), Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Screaming Females, Sally Crewe and the Sudden Moves, Vampire Weekend, Abe Vigoda, Islands, Active Child, Steel Phantoms, New Pornographers, Ben Kweller, Pixies, Pavement, Guided By Voices, Vonegutt, Those Darlins, The Mountain Goats, Girls, The Black Keys, Spoon, The Strokes, The xx, LCD Soundsystem, The Morning Benders, Yeasayer, Martin Sexton, Sonic Youth, Warpaint and Sufjan Stevens. At least that's what I can remember.

Thanks for being welcoming. Maybe it comes from being a college town where students want to stay after they graduate? Who knows? But as all of my visitors can attest to, the factor that really makes this place great is the people here. All of the aforementioned gives Austinites many reasons to smile, kick back and relax. That makes it an easy city to be yourself in. Just ask Leslie or Thong Man

SXSW 2012 Bullets (3/21/12): Best of the Best and the Worst

South By Southwest is over, but the assessments continue to roll in.  One popular format we keep coming across are the inevitable "best of" and "worst of" lists.  So here's a rundown of some of the best best-of and worst-of lists, and the best bests and best worsts on those lists.  Not to be confused with Best Wurst, Austin's favorite cure for a drunken hunger, and itself a SXSW fixture.

Pitchfork:  The Best (and Worst) of SXSW 2012 - From Fiona Apple to Jack White to the latest in gross-out fast-food technology

• Best Best: "Best 'Living in the moment' = Jack White and Skrillex found common ground this SXSW by making their anti-cellphone-concert-video views clear during simultaneous gigs on Friday night. White's Third Man showcase prohibited all photography and video, while Skrillex said to the crowd, 'Put your fucking cameras down for a minute!' Even if we like watching live YouTubes every now and then, the stance is admirable. --RD"
• Best Worst: "Worst 'Increasingly slow, complex band setups' = Whenever I wander away from metal, punk, or hardcore shows at festivals, I'm amazed at how long it takes bands to set up. I'm guessing this is because, these days, artists are often big enough for festivals before they've ever actually gone on a real tour and learned how to speed this shit up and/or trim the fat. --BS"

Austin360:  All the best of the SXSW Music festival - Old favorites remind why they still rock; new acts blow away crowds

• Best Best: "Nancy Flores: GZA featuring Grupo Fantasma and Brownout. Who was the genius who thought of this perfect combination? Grupo's horn section brought GZA's beats to life, creating a funky new hybrid act. GZA even told the enthusiastic crowd at the Haven, 'The chemistry is lovely.' Saturday's performance was a testament to what happens when artists take risks. It was a prime way to bid farewell to SXSW. Some magic was created with this collaboration, and GZA promised future shows together"

Washington Post: SXSW: 5 rock ‘n’ roll moments

• Best Best: "4. A fan noshing on a hamburger throws hunks of his lunch into a ceiling fan overhead. The spinning blades bat pieces of bread and beef across the room."

Vulture:  The Thirteen Best, Weirdest, and Most Memorable Moments From SXSW

• Best Best: "9. Best conversation I’ll overhear all year: 'Is he looking at me because he thinks I’m weird, or because he thinks I’m cute?' 'Sweetie, you are barely even one of those things.'

Indiewire:  Indiewire's 12 Favorite Moments from SXSW 2012

• Best Best: "Standing in line for coffee at the convention center. Place my order, give him my debit card. Sign the slip. The Jo's Coffee cashier looks at the receipt, then at me, and says: 'Wow. You have a seriously awesome signature. It really looks like you're having a good time.' This has nothing to do w/ how I write but the fact that despite the endless hordes at the convention center, a guy ringing up coffees for minimum wage can still be that positive and generous. That is definitive SXSW/Austin and one of the reasons that people usually leave here happier than when they arrived -- something you can't always say about Sundance, Toronto or Cannes. [Dana Harris]"

SF Weekly's All Shook Down Blog:  The Worst Moments from SXSW 2012

• Best Worst:  "Worst Spontaneous tattoo at the S.O. Terik / Filter showcase.  On Friday, Samantha Urbani from Brooklyn indie band Friends did something to a fan he might forever regret. At the S.O.Terik-Filter showcase, beneath a blazing sun, she tattooed him using a safety pin and a lighter. The ink -- a crude-looking planet with a ring around it on his right bicep -- was modeled after one Urbani has herself on her left middle finger. When pressed, Urbani declined to identify it as a specific planet, despite its similarities to Saturn. 'It's just a planet,' she said. 'My own private planet!' She seems annoyed, perhaps because she'd been asked this question many times before. As for her smitten devotee, he can look forward to a lifetime of explaining that he got a shitty tattoo from a member of a early-teens buzz band that he briefly liked with a song called 'Friend Crush.' - Ben Westhoff / LA Weekly"

Indiewire:  The Critics Break Down SXSW 2012

• Best Worst: "'The worst movie I saw was 'Nature Calls.' The worst *thing* I saw was 6th Street.' -- Eric D. Snider, Film.com"

Dallas Observer's DC9 at Night Blog:  A.Dd+'s Top Eight Moments of SXSW

• Best Best: "​Dallas own' A.Dd+ had quite the spin during SXSW 2012, playing roughly half a dozen showcases and day parties before getting right back on tour with Black Milk on Saturday. ... So we thought we'd ask what some of their highlights were. Here is the duo and DJ Sober's top moments from the fest. 1. Seeing Chance from Burning Hotels in the middle of the street screaming 'A.Dd+ Muthafuckaaaa' to passing cars, while almost getting ran over by one, Leslie Chow-style."

Calgary Herald:  Best and worst at Austin South by Southwest fest

• Best Best: "Best vice-presidential intellectual beating: Al Gore on Sean Parker.  The two were having a discussion, but it's clear who was the intellectual and who is wearing cool glasses. Not that I hate Parker, because, when it comes to under-standing the kids, he's got it down. But during the discussion, it was Gore's house."
• Best Worst: "Worst takedown: Billy Corgan vs. Kids These Days.  Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was all set to make a couple of solid points on the state of the music industry, but a well-meaning discussion soon became a chance for Corgan to rail against the death of alternative music and how kids these days just don't care about music like they used to."

SXSW 2012 Bullets (3/11/12): Interactive and Film in NOW Mode; Music in PREVIEW Mode

South By Southwest is all over the news.  A Google News search netted nearly 5,000 articles posted over just the last 24 hours.  Interactive and Film, which in full swing, are getting lots of coverage, but Music is picking up steam, with a a lot writers sharing their "top picks."

Interactive

• Austin the new mobile software hub?  The Austin American-Statesman’s Lori Hawkins and Kirk Ladendorf write: "[E]ntrepreneurs have generated a wave of startups that are helping establish Austin as a hub for mobile Internet. … [T]he vast majority of Austin players are in their infancy. They include eight-person CanWe Studios, whose founder, Brooke Braswell, raised $1.5 million from private investors and moved from Indianapolis to Austin this year to create a smartphone app for business networking.  … 'Austin is like an approachable Silicon Valley. People are open to having coffee and talking about their own business and helping you connect,' Braswell said. 'Even though everyone is fighting for the same talent and in some cases the same customers, there's a genuine desire for you to succeed.'"
• What SXSW Interactive stories are currently trending on Google News?  Unfortunately, the story about "Homeless Hotspots" isn't really a positive one.  (It isn't just me, right?  The subject title "Homeless Hotspots" just reeks of questionable taste, no?)  Slate's Rachael Levy: "[T]he homeless individuals hawking the service were recruited from a local shelter and are walking around carrying MiFi devices (techspeak for mobile WiFi hotpots) and wearing t-shirts with this: 'I’M [FIRST NAME], A 4G HOTSPOT, SMS HH [FIRST NAME], TO 25827 FOR ACCESS, www.homelesshotspots.org' Those who wish to connect to the 4G network offer a donation that goes directly to the homeless person. BBH Labs recommends a $2 donation per 15 minutes of use—which can be paid through PayPal—but leaves the ultimate payment up to each Internet user."  Naw, that's not bad taste!  Yeah ... neither was bum fights.
• The New York Times' bloggers appear to be immersing themselves in all that SXSW has to offer. In this update from SXSW Interactive, the Times touches on the important side activities of brunch and partying, but also offers up this story which to me is so very "Austin": "The folks behind the Austin-based start-up Mifft didn’t feel like shelling out thousands of dollars for a mere table in the South by Southwest exhibit hall. So they spent $3,000 on an ancient schoolbus and turned it into a mobile briefing room and taxi service."  There's also a 22-minute video.  Go check it out.

Credit: bits.blogs.nytimes.com/

• Is blogging a girl-thing?  Austin360 food blogger extraordinaire Addie Broyles went to a panel on just that, and had a few "takeaways" to report back, including this theory: "Women traditionally have been storytellers, and blogs are just another way for them to tell stories. (We’re good at social media for this reason, too.) It’s in a public space, so sometimes this makes them think twice about exactly what they blog, but in general, telling stories in an open space should be the same as in a closed space. Be heartfelt and honest."
• Rock gods and movie stars aren't the only celebrities in town for SouthBy.  Green policy biggie and former VP Al Gore was in town, and he thinks our "democracy has been hacked" in describing the trouble with special interest money and bipartisanship.  ABC News' Jake Coyle sums it up like this: "To fix what he called a no-longer functional U.S. government, Gore urged the audience to begin a new 'Occupy Democracy' movement. He pushed for the creation and implementation of digital tools and social media to 'change the democratic conversation.'"
  

Film

• Switching over to SXSW Film, Austin360 put out its picks for the film fest last week.  They narrow down the many panel and movie offerings to 35.  Flick picks are grouped into features, docs, Texas-related, and music, including one event we were really excited about but sold out for non-badge holders quickly, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (Work-in-Progress): "Never-before-seen footage, in-depth interviews and musical performances by bands they inspired help round out director Drew DeNicola's portrait of power pop pioneers Big Star. An all-star cast — including Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, Mike Mills and Peter Buck of R.E.M., Chris Stamey of the dBs — will perform Big Star's legendary, enigmatic album Third (aka Sister Lovers) after the screening. Austin's Tosca String Quartet will also participate."  If you're lucky enough to be going, or you think you can sass your way in the doors, its March 15 at 7 p.m. March 15, at the Paramount Theater.  If not?  Well it isn't much, but below is Big Star's "Blue Moon" from the aforementioned Third/Sister Lover.  And here's the Austin360 preview of the Big Star documentary.

• The Austin American-Stateman’s Farzad Mashhood: "13-year-old Justus Williams … is an expert chess player and one of the stars of Brooklyn Castle, a documentary about New York Intermediate School 318's chess team that premiered Sunday at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Throughout his nearly three hours of play at Brush Square Park downtown following the film's screening, he held a calm, almost expressionless demeanor. … Ethan Schaffer, 11, a sixth-grader at St. Stephen's Episcopal School, came to face one of the world's best scholastic chess players in Justus and watch a film about one of his hobbies.  'Any thoughts any person had about winning were extinguished within 10 minutes,' Ethan said. 'He had me picked apart in minutes.'"
• Here's a pretty cool one from SXSW news.  Per the vote of the masses, tugg.com is presenting re-screenings of seven films that were deemed to be giving off the "buzz" thing: Charles Bradley: Soul of America; TCHOUPITOULAS; King Kelly; WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines; Electrick Children; God Bless America; and Beauty is Embarrassing.  Special screenings start tomorrow and run through Thursday.

Music

• As noted above, Austin360's just released its picks for SXSW Music.  Various staff members list their picks by day, along with "who they could share the bill with" to give the unfamiliar an idea of what the artist is like.  Joe Gross includes one of my favorites, Screaming Females: "The key to this, one of the best punk rock trios currently active, is, of course, singer/guitarist Marissa Paternoster, whose shredding, shrieking and soloing can raise the dead. A fifth album, Ugly, is due in April (Could share a bill with: Wild Flag, Ted Leo/Pharmacists)."

• Todd Martens of the LA Times' Pop & Hiss blog presents his music stories to watch, including one potential break-out that I agree with: "Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar may be a SXSW veteran, but look for the forthright youngster -- and Dr. Dre protege -- to come home from this year's Austin shindig with a few more fans. He has three official showcases, and he'll also speak at a Thursday afternoon panel on the importance of branding."

• I felt obligated to post this one -- SXSW: Boston bound for Austin lists one Bostonian's music hit list. "Showing some hometown love, I'll also be keeping tabs on bands with local ties, including Debo Band, Quilt, and Providence's Brown Bird. I'll drop by Berklee College of Music's day party on Saturday. And in keeping with our city's pride, both The Dig and local music blogger Ryan Spaulding's Outlaw Roadshow will be hosting their showcases on St. Patrick's Day. You can take the Bostonian out of Boston, but...."
• Before skinny jeans and indie rock took over a good chunk of the scene, Austin (so I'm told) was something of a country rock town. For people still looking for that thing, the twang might be harder to find than in the past, but it's still lurking. CMT News has ten SXSW country music ideas, among them the local trio The Carper Family, whose members sometimes join in with a small bluegrass combo at the Austin Downtown Farmers Market: "The Carper Family are quite intriguing, although its members aren't actually related. These three gals mix old country, old-time, bluegrass and swing tunes into their original catalog. Their harmonious blend recalls a simpler time, yet one of their numbers is titled 'Who R U Textin 2nite.' Get dialed into their sound on Saturday at 11 p.m. at Stephen F's."

The Carper Family doing "Together Baby" in a music store

ACL 2010 Bullets (9/21/10): Apps, Tips and More Ticket Giveaways

• The official ACL festival website just released iPhone and Android apps. "Plan your Custom Schedule (or sync with your saved schedule on our website), check out bios & videos from this year’s artists, navigate the park with the Festival Map, update your peeps on Facebook and Twitter, and much more." Free too. Details on the ACL website.
• More interested in music? The ACL website has also been profiling this year's performers in its weekly "Discover" series of posts. This week both Sonic Youth and The Temper Trap are featured. Sonic Youth has been, the profile reminds, "consistent without becoming complacent or annoyingly self-referencing for almost thirty years now." Lydia Simmons, meanwhile, makes a convincing case that Australia's The Temper Trap is more than a one-hit wonder (“Sweet Disposition” has been featured in movie (500) Days of Summer and on TV in both shows and ads from some pretty big companies).
• In other news from the big guys, the Austin American Statesman's Austin360.com came out with its ACL Fest 2010 staff picks yesterday. There's a split opinion on the debate between The Soft Pack and Those Darlins. Regarding The Soft Pack, Joe Gross calls the band's music "Anthemic" and "perfect for jumping up and down before it gets too hot (or too wet)." On the other hand, Michael Corcoran casts his vote for Those Darlins, warning that the stage banter may be a matter of taste, but "when they kick in with their country garage rock it's magic." Check it the whole set of picks in slide show format.
• Yet one more way to get into this year's festival. Another Statesman product, All Ablog Austin, reports that the Statesman is giving away a pair of 3-day passes. Just "like" the Statesman Facebook page, then comment or "like" some piece(s) of content. Shazam! You're entered in a drawing. Bonus for active participants: Each time you provide feedback constitutes a separate entry. Share your opinion and increase your chances of winning! Deadline for entries is midnight 10/3. Full Rules.
• I have already chimed in that Friday is the most loaded day. Want help for Saturday? Austin Girl Music Guide tells you what bands to see, starting at 11:20 AM with Balmorhea. Too early? C'mon, make like an Austinite and grab a breakfast taco and a cup of good coffee, brush off last night and head to Zilker.
• If you think you can't come to ACL if you have kids, think again. Not only should you be doing your required duty as a good parent and introducing your children to the joys of good music and concertgoing early, but there are lots of ways to have fun with your kids at ACL. As long as you're willing to sip the fight for real estate close to the big stages, there's plenty of room to spread out and picnic. There are a few spots here and there that are comfortably big enough for frisbee and the like. Most importantly, there's Austin Kiddie Limits, ACL's stage that always has the young set first in mind. This year, kids music blog Zooglobble plans to be there to document the fun.
• Similar to my "matchup" posts of the past, Austin Town Hall has its view on some "ACL Battles." Read now about a tough four-way battle: LCD Soundsystem/Gogol Bordello/Monsters of Folk/David Bazan.
• Finally for today, Covert Curiosity shines the spotlight on one of the artists I'm planning to catch, Deadmau5. Check out the post for audio, video and a short bio on the mouse-helmeted electro-wizard.

My SXSW 2014: Another Low Key Year, But Barrence Whitfield and Radkey Rocked

Better get this posted before South by Southwest 2014 becomes a memory and people start tweeting about SXSW 2015.  Well, it's only 50 weeks away!  I'm probably already too late.

But anyhow, like last year, my 2014 SouthBy experience was pretty limited in scope, but I still had a great time.  At first, I doubted I would make a single event.  Busy at work, busy at life.  Meanwhile, hundreds and hundreds of talented musicians were gigging in Austin this week.  (Even the buskers were great -- I guess they figure thousands of industry VIPs are in town, and just one of them needs to dig their stuff.)  So finally, at the end of the week I decided I had to take Friday afternoon off work to see a little live music.

Knowing that the areas where the clubs are thickly clustered like Red River St. would be packed, my friend Jeff and I decided to check out a few free unofficial side parties on South Congress Avenue. I got to South Congress early afternoon, and things were indeed mellow by SouthBy standards.  Still, several parties were underway over a stretch of about ten blocks.  Enough people were milling around to make people-watching interesting.  I grabbed a great bowl of veggie chili at a food trailer called Fat Cactus on Gibson St. and a cup of coffee and the buzzy Toms, which had just opened its Austin store two days earlier.  Then to kill a bit of time while waiting for my friend to arrive, I ducked into a couple of small parties happening in parking lots right on Sought Congress to survey the scene.

I didn't bring my camera but just my small handheld HD video recorder.  It was a practical decision, since the camcorder is a quarter the size and weight.  I just got the thing and thought it would be fun to shoot a few scenes and maybe a band or two.

Sorry for the barely-audible narration.  Obviously have some kinks to work out.

Jeff arrived mid-afternoon.  We had an hour or two to kill before hitting our target shows: Lydia Loveless followed by Barrence Whitfield & the Savages at the Bloodshot Records party in the alley behind the buildings on the west side of South Congress.  I was particularly excited to see Barrence, an old Boston garage rock legend who used to play regularly around where I went to college, and I first (and last) saw live almost 25 years ago.

Back page of the Sept. 6, 1990 issue of the Tufts Daily

We ducked into a half dozen or so small parties up and down South Congress.  We saw a few decent bands we'd never heard of, and one or two clunkers.  These guys, the Soft White Sixties from the Bay Area, were pretty good I thought:

Finally, a bit before Lydia Loveless hit the stage, we worked our way to the Bloodshot party.  Lydia played a solid set of American rock music, veering from pure power pop a la Fleetwood Mac to more country and bluesy material.  But Barrence really stole the day.  He might be a bit older than he was back in the 80s, but the lungs are still there.  The Savages, especially the impressive Peter Greenberg on guitar, flashed more than a bit of punk snarl as they tore through a set of mostly blues rock romps with a ballad or two thrown in.  And Barrence himself?  I love this portion of his website bio, which is an apt description of his performance at the Bloodshot party: "Whitfield is a performer so consumed with satisfying his audiences that he has been called ‘crazed, frenetic and completely unhinged.’ Barrence, the singer made up of equal parts Arthur Alexander, Nolan Porter and James Carr this mofo burns."

And of course, the battery on my camcorder died when I left the thing shooting without knowing it for, well, long enough the kill the battery.  So I snapped a quick, meh shot on my phone.

Barrence Whitfield satisfying his audience at the Bloodshot Records party, SXSW 2014

Inspired by the fun day on South Congress, I checked some of the schedules for the many Saturday parties and decided to run down to Waterloo Records in the early afternoon to check out Radkey.  This band of three young brothers from Missouri caught my attention recently when a local DJ played a tune and talked them up.  I saw a few videos of the band and had a hunch they'd be a fun act.  Turns out I was right.  Lead guitarist and singer Dee has an impressive voice that I've heard more than one critic say evokes Glenn Danzig, and shreds on guitar (if you're into that).  Isaiah on bass plays hard throughout and provides strong backing vocals, plus he acts as the emcee during shows and is rather amusing.  Solomon, the youngest brother, holds his own on drums.  I filmed 20 minutes of the show, and its been getting a fair number of views since I uploaded it.

That's it.  Told you my SouthBy wasn't epic.  But I think quality beat quantity any day, and I'm more than satisfied with the music I got to see this year, free no less.  As long as the festival is back next year, I suspect I'll be dipping in the waters at some point to catch a concert, film or some other event.

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.

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

Fun Fun Fun and Eat Eat Eat 2009

Last year in early November, my sister Melissa and her husband Chris visited for a weekend. We ate a lot and went to the Fun Fun Fun Festival in Waterloo Park. Blogged it. Highlights were the double-BBQ lunch in Lockhart and some good live music highlighted by The National, Bishop Allen, Centro-Matic and Dengue Fever. Sound familiar, or does it just blend in with the rest of our posts about eating high-protein grub and attending music-related events?

They picked that weekend because of a four-day weekend where my sister works. She got the same break this year, so they came down again. Sure enough, the festival was going on again. And of course, we ate a lot this time, too. Straight from the airport more or less, we hit Green Mesquite to satisfy whatever barbecue cravings there were. We also chowed down at La Cocina de Consuelo, where we got our Mexican on, including some queso; had excellent banh mi at Tam Deli & Cafe; very good burgers at neighborhood hangout Billy's on Burnet after the festival on Saturday; and a hefty brunch at Hoover's Cooking where we had biscuits, sausage and gravy, a hoe cake, a sweet potato pancake, eggs, migas, bacon, cheddar-garlic grits, and -- just to make it "balanced" -- fruit salad on the table.

Of course, we didn't just eat. We strolled some of the lower part of South Congress, hitting up a few of the area's newer shops, plus some old ones. Blackmail, I think a pretty new one, has some funky duds and other items, mainly in black. Neighbor Creatures Boutique is a bit more conventional (but no less funky). Click on that link and shop online. Parts & Labour, which used to be further up the hill where the more established shopping area is, has some great, quirky t-shirts and other things. Melissa bought a handbag. And since we were walking right by, we couldn't skip coffee at Jo's.

We also hit up the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, featuring the works of UT faculty member and famous sculptor Charles Umlauf. Here's the museum's website description of Umlauf:

Charles Umlauf, a prolific and internationally known sculptor, created works ranging in style from realistic and abstract expressionism to lyrical abstraction during his career. In 1985 he and his wife, Angeline Allen Umlauf, gave their home and studio with sculptures, drawings and paintings to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum.

Learn more about the museum here. If you're in town and walking around the University of Texas campus, keep your eye out for Umlauf's sculptures there. Here's one.

And, of course, there was the Fun Fun Fun Festival. We made our way down there on a lovely Saturday afternoon. After checking out the grounds and the scene -- people-watching at Fun Fun Fun is top shelf, better than ACL even -- we made our way over to the center of the four stages.

As planned, the first set we caught was Times New Viking's lo-fi hard rock. The guitar-drums-keys trio was good for 45 solid minutes of short, loud, hooky tunes. Not much more than that. The band seemed like they were going through the motions at times. Maybe for a band like that a later slot in a club is a better milieu? But the show was still fun if you like that sort of thing. Rachel and I just recently heard them for the first time and were quickly drawn in. We'll be seeing them again in a few weeks.

Next up was the classic Japanese power pop of Shonen Knife. Been rocking the act since 1981 and they're still adorable (actually, only one of the three members is an original, but still). Can you imagine a cuter rendition of the heavy metal salute than these three? Musically, Shonen Knife's set was full of winks to late 70s punk like the Clash, Ramones and Buzzcocks, who they evoked during the peppy "Devil House." Songs from old and new albums all blended together well. Hard to leave that set without a smile on.

After a short walk to buy some cool freshly-screened t-shirts and check out things like the graffiti exhibit and the mechanical bull, where we got to watch a poor chubby guy pay like ten bucks for the privilege of being jerked around and tossed off a machine while his friends laughed at him and took pictures, we roamed over to a small stage and caught the end of James Husband's set. Better known as Of Montreal's multi-instrumentalist James Huggins, although the twangy material we heard he and his band play didn't sound all that much like Of Montreal.

After that, we returned to where we started, where we remained for the next few bands. No Age, an L.A. duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen Spunt, performed with some of the energy that Times New Viking only flashed. They thrashed through a high-octane punk set. "You're a Target" was about as good as anything we saw that day (scroll down and see for yourself).

No Age performing "You're a Target" at the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Festival

Next up was the band behind one of the great music stories of the year, Death. This band -- three brothers from Detroit in the mid-70s -- were punk before punk was punk. They made a few singles, almost broke out, then were forgotten for decades. The brothers moved to rural Vermont and started a reggae band called Lambsbread. I actually saw them play at a reggae festival in the late 80s. But as far as their previous incarnation, before the first death of Death, that was a moment in time that seemed destined to be lost forever. One brother, David, died of cancer in 2000. But you can't kill Death. Some 30 years after they pressed a few hundred copies of their handful of singles, one of the brothers' sons, himself a musician, recognized one of his dad's long-lost band's songs being played at a party in San Francisco. When son told pops that the people at the party went crazy over the song and that the record was a collector's item due to its scarcity, pops dug the master tapes out of storage. The music made its way to Drag City Records, who reissued the songs. The resulting raw music caught on. Think Hendrix-esque vocals over raw, guitar-driven hard rock like the Stooges or sometimes even Thin Lizzy, but with more of a punk accent, foreshadowing bands like Bad Brains. The reissue even made some "best of" lists at the end of the year.

So the idea of seeing Death play live is itself pretty cool. Because of that, I was willing to give them a pass for coming out a bit late. Once they emerged in their Robes of Death and got warmed up, I thought they sounded pretty good for a band that had until recently been on mothballs. It doesn't hurt that the trio -- two remaining brothers Dannis and Bobby and guitarist Bobbie Duncan -- all play in Lambsbread together. But the songs were new to them. At times it showed, but that didn't stop them from putting on a raw, energetic show, right up to the closing, anthemic "Politicians In My Eyes."

Food. Glorious Food - Update 2011: Austin Farmers Markets in Full Splendor

We moved from New England down to toasty Austin for a number of reasons. I wouldn't say food was on the list, but turns out Austin is a much better food city than we had anticipated. The restaurant scene isn't going to be a threat to New York, Chicago or NoCal any time soon, but there's much more to offer than the customary 'cue, Tex-Mex and chicken-fried foodstuffs. Even better is the fresh food here. I'm talking local farms, great stores and bustling farmers markets that have something fresh to sell all year round.

We go to the Austin Farmers Market Downtown nearly every Saturday morning. The market has been growing slowly since we first started going, and now, during the peak season (which we're just finishing up), there's an amazing variety of fresh goods for sale.

During the hotter part of the summer, things slow down. In August, you might see little more than okra, squash, herbs and a few odd peppers. From May to June, though, you can find an amazing assortment of vegetables: Collards, different varieties of kale, chard and every other green; squash in an assortment of shapes; fresh, juicy garlic, onions and shallots; beautiful beets, carrots, turnips and other root veggies; plus, more exotic things such as opo, pea tendrils, squash blossoms and the like.

There are tons of good vegetable vendors there. Who you prefer will depend on what you're looking for. We usually check them all out once, then go back around a second time and buy the best stuff we see. For variety, Tecolote and Johnson's Backyard Garden are two safe bets. For some good deals, Ottmer's and some of the smaller farms are worth investigating.

Good late-Spring offering at the Austin Farmer's Market Downtown (clockwise from far left): Rainbow chard, two types of summer squash, purple carrots, radicchio, tomatoes, lacinato kale, red potatoes, peaches, small green plums, cukes sprinkled about.

The farmers market has gotten serious about meat as well. One guy there sells amazing, farm-raised fowl: chicken, duck and drake, guinea hen, sometimes pigeon if he has enough to harvest a few. We're landlocked here, but there's still a very good fish purveyor who buys on the Gulf Coast early, puts his stuff on ice and high-tails it to ATX. There are multiple options for great lamb and beef. And two different vendors are offering sausage, charcuterie and condiments of astonishing quality: Kocurek Family Charcuterie and Dai Due, run by local hero chef Jesse Griffiths (lots of prior posts about Dai Due -- mmmm).

Prepared foods are not the focus of the farmer's market, but there are still a smattering of good options for breakfast, lunch or a snack. Jesse from Dai Due cranks out amazing breakfasts and lunches alongside his to-go offerings. Grandma's Hummus is the best retail hummus I've ever tasted, hands down. I haven't tried one, but I've heard reliable good buzz about Bola Pizza, especially the breakfast pizza. Coffee, crazy-good hot chocolate, ice pops, Thai, Brazilian, baked items, and vegan food are among the other quality choices. And you can't go wrong with a breakfast taco from Sam at Taocdeli, which are some of the best in town.

Sam!

As the vegetable variety wanes, fruit offerings pick up. Right now is about as good as it gets: peaches, plums, figs, berries, pears and melons are everywhere. Last week, I got some great flat, white-fleshed "donut" peaches, which I've never seen outside a good supermarket's produce department.

Local white peaches. These things are seriously delicious.

I bought way too many plums meanwhile. Some of them are pretty tart, almost like a gooseberry. Perfect for a dessert of some kind, so I whipped up a couple of small rustic tarts, one with those tart plums (and a healthy dose of sugar), the other with fresh blackberries I picked up.

Pre-cooked tarts: plum (rear) and blackberry (front)

There are lots of similar recipes out there, but I actually like this one that my stepfather shared with me, from (shhh) Martha. There's even a pretty helpful video if you want to see some of it done. This will make one large tart or two smaller ones like the ones I made.

Rustic Plum Tart

• Prep Time40 minutes
• Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
• YieldServes 6

Ingredients

• For The Crust

  • 1 cup all purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
  • 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• For The Filling

  • 1 1/2 pounds red plums, quartered, pitted, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg yolk, mixed with 1 teaspoon water (egg wash)

  Directions

  1. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt several times to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. (If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Do not overmix.
  2. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead once or twice. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Flour a large (about 16 inches long) piece of parchment paper. Place dough on paper. Using your knuckles, press edges of dough so it doesn't crack during rolling. Lightly flour top of dough to prevent sticking; roll out to a 14-inch round. Transfer dough (still on parchment) to prepared baking sheet.
  4. Make the filling and bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together plums, sugar, and flour. Mound plum mixture in center of prepared crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold border over fruit in a pleated pattern. Brush dough with egg wash.
  5. Bake tart until crust is brown and filling is bubbling (see note), about 45 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a rack; let cool 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

If you can't make it downtown on Saturday, you're not shut out. There are other options here in Austin. Heck, just on Saturday morning there's another huge market down at the Barton Creek Square Mall, plus the Sunset Valley market, which is run by the same folks who put on the downtown market. On Sundays, there's the HOPE Farmers Market, a funky little collection of food and art vendors in the hip confines of East Austin. The Triangle farmer's market, up north, means you can find fresh veggies on Wednesdays too. Want more? Lookie here. No excuses then. Unless you're growing your own, get out there and take advantage of our local produce, and even if you do grow, go check out what Larry Kocurek, Jesse Griffiths and some of the other great local food artisans are doing.