DAY 1 – My Arrival in Austin, TX after a night of fun in New Orleans, LA for 311 DAY!
Well, I’ve been waiting for this week to come for about 5 months, ever since I found out we were coming to SXSW. If we get technical, I’ve been waiting for this week for 2 years, ever since the last 311 Day (I’m sorta obsessed with the band)…
It FIGURES that I would wake up Sunday morning (the day before heading to New Orleans for 311 Day) unable to muster the motivation to get out of bed to pack due to the FLU! Grosssssss!
My trip to New Orleans was the worst! I was up the night before with the chills, and though I had broken my fever I still felt lightheaded and couldn’t get to sleep. I got about one good hour in before I had to get up at 4am to make my flight. I departed from Jacksonville and then it was on to Miami before connecting to New Orleans.
Seriously, during the entire trip to New Orleans I just wanted to give up. I wanted to curl in ball in the corner and cry, and though I almost did (on numerous occasions), I toughed it out. When I finally arrived in New Orleans around 12pm, I could not have been happier or felt more victorious.
Upon my arrival at the hotel I was accosted by rabid 311 fans pounding me with questions; “are you here for the show?”, “where are you from?”, “have you seen them before?” This outpouring of friendliness certainly did wonders for my mood, and though I would have loved to continue with them onto Bourbon Street, I unfortunately was still pretty much feeling like death, so I hightailed it to my room for some sleep.
NINE HOURS LATER, I regained conciousness. I still felt like complete and utter shit, but my friends rallied the troops and convinced me to at least go out for dinner. So, I pounded some medicine and off we went. It was my first time on Bourbon Street and it was crazy packed. Just about every bar was blaring different 311 music and there were hordes of fans outside dancing and singing at the top of their lungs.
311 Fans Celebrating and Singing on Bourbon Street
My friends had 32 ounce margaritas and 64 oz “Huge Ass Beers”, but unfortunately I was unable to partake in those festivities. We finally found a place to eat and had some surprisingly good chicken phillys and quesidillas. We made some more rounds on Bourbon Street chatting with 311 fans from Ohio, Maryland, South Dakota, JAPAN, and just about every other US State and foreign country you could think of! I couldn’t believe how packed the streets were… I can’t even imagine what it’s like for Mardi Gras!
Though our evening was rather entertaining, I was even convinced to have ONE BEER (haha). My friends kept the party going but I went back to the hotel to prepare for the real festivities the next day. I got a great night’s sleep and felt sooo much better the next morning, which was actually more like lunch time. We headed out for some real New Orleans food. I had Crawfish for the first time and a delicious shrimp po-boy. Then, even though I still wasn’t feeling 100% I had my first encounter with the infamous “Huge Ass Beer” sold right on Bourbon Street. Basically they fill a giant plastic Miller Light bottle with the draft beer of your choosing – 64oz of fun.
My new friend (the beer) as well as the old friends I’d came with, and myself then high-tailed it over to the arena for the pre-show festivities outside. We hung out with so many cool fans and everyone was taking pictures with everyone else. I even met pro football player Keith O’Neil (formerly of the Indianapolis Colts and recently traded to the New York Giants). We became friends and then I noticed his massive Superbowl Ring, he then informed me as to who he was and even let me sport the ring for a while! It’s like all of the 311 fans were at a family reunion! We all sang 311 songs together and talked about which songs we hoped they’d play. Two years ago in Memphis the band played for 5 1/2 hours… we were hoping this show would be even longer.
Part of the 311 Family- me, Keith O’neil and his awesome Superbowl Ring!
When we went inside the show kicked off around 7:30pm and went until just about 12:30am. WOW, it was incredible and though not as long as the set 2 years ago, still very impressive for one band (especially one with the energy that 311 exudes on stage) was able to keep it up for such an extended period. The rocked it through crowd favorite such as “Do You Right”, “Down”, and “Who’s Got The Herb?” One of the highlights of the night was a cover of The Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker”.
It was the highest attended 311 Day in the history of the event and the energy of the crowd literally pulsated through my body. Although, my cough and runny nose reminded me that I was still sick, the crowds energy literally surged in my arms and legs as I danced along to every song.
When the night came to an end no one wanted it to be through. They didn’t even play “Unity”, one of my favorite tracks. But, alas… I guess they can’t play every song in their roster, if they did we’d be there well into the next day. The masses walked in a huge mob down to Bourbon Street. The mile long trek seemed to only take a few minutes as the united fans sang 311 songs and chatted about the nights events.
I would have loved to keep the party going with my 1500 or so friends but I still was under the weather and knew I had much in store, I was headed to the airport for Austin, TX and SXSW at 6am.
So, I headed back to my hotel and had some trouble getting to sleep due to the energy that was still pulsating through my body. I ended up just laying there and never falling asleep. It was another rough travel day and by the time I ended up in Austin, I was a delirious mess. Not to mention the airplane really did a number on my ears, which don’t hurt quite as much right now but are still completely stuffed, and crackle every so often, releasing some of the pressure.
I ended up taking some medicine and passing out. Which is really what I needed because aside from the ears, a bit of a cough, and a runny nose… I’m doing 100% better and I’m ready to take on the streets of Austin!
DAY 2 – MUSIC, BBQ, and Fun in Austin, TX
Wow, so I had the craziest day yesterday… in a good way! DJ Latola, DJ Annie, and myself headed down to the main festival area at SXSW and I believe my quote was something along the lines of “I’m feeling much better today but I’m not going to push it. I’m not going to drink alcohol or whatever, just going to make it through the day”.
A few minutes later we were shuffled into a wine tasting and I couldn’t help buy partake!
Mumpsy LIVE at Pangea
The good news is that I feel much, much better. Especially after seeing so many rocking shows yesterday. Briefly, I saw Jukebox The Ghost, Mumpsy, Clock Hands Strangle, The Whigs, Yo La Tengo, and a few others which I’m sure are slipping my mind right now.
Plus, as you walk down 6th street you get snippets of music coming from every direction and it all sounds incredible. What an amazing experience. I love the setup here in Austin where everything is in the same area, one venue after another.
Also, I was able to eat at the WORLD FAMOUS Stubb’s BBQ! It lived up to and surpassed every expectation I had for it. The second I bit into my delicious rib I was in awe… LITERALLY IN AWE that anything could taste so damn good!
Today is a new day, It’s currently 12pm here in Austin and I feel like I’m getting a late start since all the festivities kick off right around this time. I decided to meander down there a bit later today so that I could make it a little later tonight. Walking around for 12 hours yesterday, watching music, and exerting so much energy had me worn out! Especially, considering I’m not completely over being ill.
I’ll keep you posted on new endeavors and if you’re around town please say hello. I met a really cool fan of my show here yesterday. After studying my badge for a minute she told me how much she loved BTR. Also, that we had basically the same taste in music. She got a picture of us together and then we chatted about music for some time. I love meeting fans of BTR and music in general. It’s fun to connect with people that share the same interests! So, if you see me on the streets… hit me up!
DAY 3 – More Food, More Music, Each Day Is Getting Better and Better
So, SXSW is pretty rad. I was able to procure some delicious and free tex-mex yesterday and I’ve got to say that music aside, I would move to Austin, TX just for the yummy food.
Yesterday was another busy day and I still feel like I didn’t get to accomplish all I set out to do. The highlight of the day for me was seeing Jason Collett. Check out the review section here on the BTR main page for a mini-review of his set. I truly enjoyed every second of the show at Mohawk.
Jason Collett at Mohawk
Also, playing at Mohawk but on the outdoor stage was British Sea Power. I dipped out of Collett’s set when it wrapped up and dashed from the indoor setup to the outdoor one a few songs into British Sea Power’s set. They were rocking it out and I could tell they were playing a stellar set but I was a little disappointed in the sound (which wasn’t their fault)! It sounded OK during more melodic pieces but as soon as they rocked a little harder everything seemed to come through the speakers in one loud blob. It got fixed a bit as the show went on but I was a little perturbed by it.
That seems to be an issue I’ve heard from quite a few people here at SXSW, both fans and artists saying that the sound wasn’t too great. And, it makes sense if you think about it. Each venue is pounding through set after set without much time in between. It’s gotta be near impossible to get the sound right for every act. It seems like the first act of the day and of course the headliner have the most hope for an impeccable sound.
Yesterday, I also walked in (by accident) on the last song from a country singer that was quite popular back in the day. The song was “Strawberry Wine” and the artist was Deanna Carter. The song was a huge hit when I was in middle school and though I was never a big fan, I have to admit I sang along. lol
Another highlight was seeing the legend Daniel Lanois. The guy has mad skill on the guitar and his drummer was pretty badass as well.
There is so much more to talk about but unfortunately I’ve gotta run to catch all the exciting festivities on today’s docket.
DAY 4 – SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST!!
Saturday at SXSW was fantastic. I no longer have a voice and I’m bruised all over from moshing! Yeah, that’s right, little 5′3″ DJ Emily went all nutso and starting pushing people around during Colourmusic’s song “Yes!” which they closed their set with.
Me with Colourmuic after their rocking set!
However, Colourmusic wasn’t the only energy packed show I saw. I rocked out to The Ettes as well. I saw The Ettes just a week or so ago but the show at SXSW put the one in Gainesville to shame. Before the set began I heard rumblings from the people around me. Comments like, “have you heard of them?”, “Have you seen them before?”, “I heard they were good”. As soon as the set ended those same people that seemed to not know much about the group were saying “that was awesome”, “I’m going to buy the album”, and “wow”.
The amazing White Shoes & The Couples Company
Another fantastic show that I will cherish forever was White Shoes & The Couples Company. Since the group is from Jakarta, Indonesia I feel like this was a very special and wonderful opportunity to catch them live at SXSW. I danced my ass off at White Shoes & The Couples Company and you’ll have to hit up the BTR site this Friday for a full report from the White Shoes’ show, I’ll be doing a review and since they are from Jakarta, Indonesia it might be wise to check it out because I don’t know how often any of us will get to see them live; I feel extremely privileged I was afforded the opportunity.
Guess what else…I MET RACHAEL RAY! More importantly, I ate some of her delicious recipes which included 7 Layer Sliders, delicious ribs and some tex-mex mac-n-cheese. She also had a pretty badass showcase the highlight of which was The Raveonettes who put on a really fun show. Their set was WAY TOO SHORT but one of the best I saw at SXSW.
Rachael Ray’s Delicious 7 Layer Sliders
Another highlight of the day was Tally Hall playing an acoustic set which was their impromptu solution to the setup of their show at a vintage clothing store (read more in the review section here on the site).
Now though, I am so wiped out. We were out all day yesterday from 11am til’ 3am and the Texas heat has seriously taken its toll. However, it was all worth it! Every show I saw today went above and beyond my expectations and of course meeting Rachael Ray (I’m a big fan) was a highlight as well.
Me and Rach (yeah, we’re tight like that!) lol