ACL = the "new" (bad part of) SXSW

last night was weirdddd. First of all I didn't even really realize it was Friday, because I skipped work on Tuesday and I've got a lot of shit I am doing this weekend (football games, granny's birthday, etc) so it just didn't feel like Friday. Secondly, I didn't even realize it was ACL this weekend. I knew it was coming up or whatever, which is to say it was on my radar in the vaguest sense, but it just basically didn't occur to me that this free Cool Kids/Voxtrot/Belaire show sponsored by Rolling Stone and (apparently) Sprint had something to do with that fact. Anyways, I wasn't in party mode and I didn't really feel like drinking, but Shane got me a beer, I got him one back and things sort of took off.

When I am at the Mohawk I really like to go around the place and see the band from a lot of different angles. There is a spot on the side of the stage you can get to, and also the 2 balconies. I went to go up to the top balcony only to discover that it was a VIP area and I wasn't on the list. Hmm...that was interesting and slightly annoying. I went to check out the other balcony. That area was unfortunately roped off to allow Rolling Stone and Sprint to have an area for their recording cameras and the giant lights projecting their logos. The little side nook was also roped off. So no dice at all, a complete strike out.

Last night's show was also my first night seeing a show at Mohawk next to the Berlin Wall. It was...interesting. I think it created some serious bass nodes, and I hope they figure out a way to make it sound good out there again, or else this whole noise ordinance bit might have the completely unlikely effect of once again making Emo's Outside the premier Austin venue of its size for sound quality. I'm still not exactly sure what constitutes "irony" (for such a college boy, too...i know right?) but something tells me you could dig it out of that situation.

So, what happened? Well, I caved to my neurotic tendency to get into a VIP area I didn't really want to be in and had no business in. It was cute when sneaking in meant waiting for 2 hours in a portapotty at Stubbs (in August!) to get into the 2nd of 2 sold out White Stripes shows after having already seen them in the afternoon, but when its "get to the magic patio where none of your friends are" its just this enslaving compulsion. I decided to try and get up the back way, just because I was curious if they even had anyone at the stairs. They did but it just so happened that when I waltzed up he was deep in conversation with a girl telling her why she couldn't go up there. It was a walk-straight-up situation, but i wasn't out of the woods yet. I got to the top, only to discover i was in the SUPER VIP area, not just the regular one. I talked to this guy I sort of recognized who was either from Mohawk or Transmission and would have almost immediately made an ass out of myself for being there except I had watched the debates so after pleasantries we had something to talk about. That went on a while in a civilized manner but eventually I was just sort of stuck there. I was just trying to get to the patio, but the door was closed (to separate the VIPs from the Super VIPs), and rather than ask to leave that way, I just blew it off and went back down the stairs.

One thing about the whole after party mini-SXSW extraveganza is it kills all the regular fun that happens on a weekend in Austin (we will see...Theatre Fire show tonight @ RanchO). The glut of SXSW tends to trickle down to the little guy in a way that you could go see awesome bands at house parties that are actually house parties, which is cool. The "party" everyone was going to last night was a Hot Chip House Party thing off Caesar Chavez (existential DIY question...is it still a "house party" if it costs $7 to get in, and capacity is limited?) No one I know got in, and I didn't even make it over there because as I was getting on my bike and heading down there I ran into Jess who was taking photos at another "house party" on the other side of Club Deville. Some of my friends were there and she got me in. There was free booze and a long line for it. I'm sorry but I don't understand this one particular aspect of party dynamics. People seem to prefer this scenario to a keg as far as what constitutes "a place to be" for the evening, and yet there is usually considerably more waiting in line. Drinks are free in both situations, but only in one is there this bizarre social pressure to drink of "dude, an open bar!" I don't know, i sort of understand it, I just dislike it. There was a major highlight to the party, which was a Gibby Haynes DJ set. I said about 2 words to him, and I know its probably the worst person in the world to choose as a role model of any kind, but just knowing that guy exists, is tall as fuck and also from Texas is inspirational to me on a personal level. There was also a major lowlight. More VIP access only shit (and not like, don't go there...thats my bedroom). Confronted with this now essentially 4 drinks I didn't want in, and surrounded by neon yellow t-shirt wearing Los Angelites, I managed to mistake DJ Mel -- guy who I've never had a conversation with, is busy running the whole operation, and also talking to a girl -- for DJ Mel, fellow Austinite/guy I recognize and person who I should ask to get me a beer because I'm too lazy to wait in line outside like everyone else. I'm sure at this point he's a party pro and knows how to handle a drunk guy, but in hindsight when I realized how fucking rude that is I felt really bad about it and wrote him an apology. Luckily, I was dumb enough not to realize what a braying jackass I had made of myself for another couple hours into the night, so I was still able to have some measure of fun for a while. Ended up meeting some people at the Peacock and then went over to Dann's, listened to a record, and went home. The end. Another "Friday" growing up in the city...

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Let's Get This Party Started Right

SXSW Report Day One -
Wednesday


Awake and head to Peacock for the giant Gorilla vs. Bear showcase. Line is a mile long. Andrew and I wait it out just long enough to get our heads in the door for White Williams's first song, and then we decide to bounce to Backspin.

The showcase at the Peacock represents SXSW pretty well. Blog-curated event with a list of bands stretching across a few genres (White Williams, Ghosthustler, Holy Fuck!, Cool Kids), bands with a shit ton of hype and only a handful of actual releases. Although Peacock is one of my favorite places, the people who planned this event either:

1) Had no idea how big of a draw it would be.
2) Wanted to create a sense of exclusivity by using such a small venue.
3) Didn't really check out the venue before booking it.

This caused a mile about 100 meters long.

So after falling for this blog-trap of a day show, Andrew and I decided we'd fare better at Backspin Records. Hip-hop legend Percee P was supposed to perform followed by local DJ Bird Peterson and D.C. club producer Tittsworth. Browse browse browse, wait for Percee P to arive a half hour late...

Percee P arrived and stood at the front of Backspin Records addressing the crowd of about 12 people. He started to rattle off a list of emcees that he has worked with throughout the years. People he helped get started in the game, people who guided him, etc. He lists about half of hip-hop while simultaneously plugging his new record, produced by Madlib, a fact which he notes every two minutes for the duration of the hour or so he stands behind a pair of turntables.

Unfortunately, all he did was stand behind those turntables and trigger tracks on a portable CD player. They were the tracks from his latest album which he was trying to sell. He did not rap, but rather opted to nod his head to the album versions of his songs. It was pretty disappointing and I think everyone in the store was awkwardly surprised by this rapper's decision not to rap at all.

Tittsworth was scheduled to play next, but Bird Peterson did instead. He currently lives in Austin and his remixes have become pretty popular, selling well on Turntable Lab and generating a bunch of blog-jizz. I think they're pretty shitty. Not very creative, fun, or dance-floor motivating. So I didn't really stick around for his set.

Next I made my way to the KVRX show at Clementine. Rainbow Arabia I believe they were called, sounded great.

Then it was time to rest my foot. I got in the middle of a nasty little dispute between two cock-fighting trainers a few days earlier in Monterrey. The foot caused me to have to take a period of rest mid to late day every day of SXSW. Which probably saved me from sickness/exhaustion.

After the rest, I headed to the Presbyterian Church downtown to see Peter and the Wolf. This was one of the highlights of my week. The acoustics were revelatory and Red was joined by some special guests who happen to write for this here blog. It was a great show, the additional band members helped with song choral and auxillary percussion to give things a real Paul Simon-y vibe at points.

After this show I ate a vegetarian hot dog. Then I rode my bike to campus. Mid-way between downtown and campus I stopped at a gas station and drank a red Gatorade. It was delicious and drinking it while riding made me feel very powerful.

Once arriving at UT, I parked my bike and readied myself for an all-acoustic jamboree of sorts, organized by Todd P a dude from Brooklyn who apparently you should know about. Ethan helped him get a permit for the show so now he thinks he's a hot-shit promoter. It's cool, he probably won't read this far into the blog entry.

Harharhar okay, so the idea for this event was each band/musician plays two songs and then a new band/musician plays. No setting up time, just quick set after quick set. Things started out great, with a small band of 50 or 60 people seated and the musicians projecting their voices loudly.

Hot-shit promoter played two songs, one including a nice reference to an evening of partying a few weeks ago where I discovered a pair of scene kids fucking in the bushes behind the house. HSP also notes a subsequent trip to Whataburger in his song. The crowd eats it up.

As more people arrive, the crowd noise grows louded and in some backwards-ass response, the musicians stop projecting their voices well. The longer I was there the less I enjoyed the music and left around 2:30 or 3:00.

The midnight jamboree on campus represents a lot of what I love about SXSW. An independent promoter using his musician connections to set up an incredibly intimate show in a bizarre location. There was no corporate sponsorship, which meant no free booze/food/promo items. However, it also meant no lines, waiting, or crowd that was only viewing the event as a free chance to get fucked up. People came to the event because they wanted to hear music, plain and simple.

So that's Wednesday.

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Hillarious Red Rocket/ Rad Racket myspace message #2

in what i gather to be an ongoing series...

Mar 18, 2008 3:49 PM
Subject: Closing Ceremonies: RAD RACKET passes torch to Red Rocket-NY
Body: Greetings friends!

Some have questioned whether or not our class-action lawsuit/public brawl in Austin was in fact a true American experience, or an elaborate embellished hoax...and while, for our own sanity, we must not dwell on the antics of the past, all I can say is that those people definitely choose to employ logic and reason in their daily interactions.

In any case, we actually were approached not all that long ago by a teenage band in the Bronx called Red Rocket, who undoubtedly urged us to change our then-name of red rocket - the same that we shared we countless others spanning the globe from Australia to Ireland - because they were obviously hellbent on shattering the competition, and maximizing their future!

And while we've always defended our generic title roots, and immediately dismissed these youngsters as yet another bullshit RR hatin' on our non-bullshit ways... we couldn't help but admire that passion and youthful fire.

It reminded us of our own teenage happy days, when we were bullshit too, and we started this here band as a complete joke, and appropriately named ourselves as such:)

...So far be it from us to burst the bubble for them, or any other exuberant youths looking to giggle their way out of mediocrity! We've had all the laughs we need, and it really wasn't that funny either to tell the truth - it's kind of like giving your nephew the first season of MASH or something...

Nevertheless, we're not gonna go out of our way to change for anyone goddamnit. 2 vowels is all you get.

So many best wishes from all of us here at RAD RACKET to all the Red Rockets in he world, especially our passionate nubiles in the Bronx.

For the record, we are totally down for a participating in the idea of a conglomerate big band.. Maybe we could even set the record for the world's most mediocre supergroup, knocking off Audioslave!

See you in the prefuture, friends!

- xoxo, radracket

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