My Four Days and Four Nights

SXSW is over. I'm a little sad but I'm happy with how this year has gone. I met this one girl Jessica through playing volleyball and we decided to be South By buddies (plus her cousin) and turned out we had a lot of similar taste in music. I am happy with the fact that I stayed disciplined and made good trades at work even though I did oversleep. Also happy to report that I did manage to not touch alcohol for the duration of SXSW and even St. Patty's Day on top of that. I don't know how I did it but concentrating on getting good pictures really helped take my mind off of it. To recap...

Yay for:

Lisa Hannigan - "The female Damien Rice" quickly emerges as in a tag line b/c of their previous working relationship, although I'm sure her talent will earn its own merit and people will start dropping the comparison to Damien soon. She also has probably the cutest smile in the world. Her cheeks perk up when she smiles, make me just want to run up and pinch them. I heard she temporarily relocated to Austin, maybe I can be her new BFF.

Nikon 70-200mm lens - I've been shopping for a new lens for a while now. Since this one's full retail price is about $2,100 I decided to rent it for a week instead for less than $200. For the most part I'm pretty impressed. I wouldn't mind it being even faster and possibly lighter but I've gotten some amazing photos this week because of it. I remember years ago wondering how people get these amazing concert photos for Rolling Stone and then actually attempting it and now finally have the confidence to say that I can produce photos almost just as good.

The Parish - We've been fortunate to be blessed with some amazing acts and having NPR host their day party there again. Meiko, Sara Bareilles, K'naan, Ra Ra Riot, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Okkervil River, Blitzen Trapper and having Jason Hammel from Mates of State to DJ for us in between sets. Although part of me felt that I hung out at the Parish way too much and wasted money on the wristband.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't heard them live until this week. I was gonna go to the new CD release party back in January I think but I didn't make it. They currently have dethroned Spoon as my favorite musical act from Austin.

Will Sheff and Okkervil River - You're talented. The ladies love you. I wish I could grow a beard like yours. 'Nuff said.

iPod Touch - I got a new iPod. My old one has served me bravely for many many years. It's happened before where it just freezes or the battery completely shuts down on me only to come back alive a few days later, perfectly fine as if nothing had happened. For this reason I started calling my iPod Meredith after Grey's Anatomy b/c of her revival after drowning in one of the seasons. My friend Brett works at Apple so he got me a 15% discount. This is just perfect for all the new music I discovered this week!

Losing 5 lbs - Most of that is probably water weight; some of it has to do w/ hauling the camera and walking all over town.

Meiko - I heart Meiko. I think we've established that. I actually ran into her randomly right before the alley behind Logan's. She was wearing a bright yellow green dress. Part of me wanted to follow her and see where she went and I'm glad Sensible Jason talked Stalker Jason out of it. She was probably just going somewhere to grab a bite to eat or her hotel room. I wish I had worn my Lacoste polo in the exact same color, then it definitely would be a sign. She worn white for her performance that night at The Parish though... that was a sign that I should propose I think. Sara Bareilles - I got a picture with her! She's gotten even more beautiful since last year if that's even humanly possible.

St. Vincent - aka Annie Clark. I got to meet her at the NPR party. I even shook her hand which is the equivalent of shaking magic since she does some amazing things with an guitar in her hands. She was in The Polyphonic Spree and toured with Sufjan Stevens and I'm pretty sure she can kick my ass in Guitar Hero.

Chrissie from New Orleans - randomly lady that I started talking to whiling listening to M. Ward's acoustic set at Halcyon. I basically was just using some Dale Carnegie principles and let her talk about herself. This lady was from New Orleans and she used to be a sommelier and her husband owns Hastings Entertainment (kind of like B&N?) and has over 10,000 vinyl records. She said when they moved they had dolly after dolly full of records. We talked about New Orleans, oysters, Top Chef, Mother's Restaurant, music, wine and just about everything. She gave me two mixed CD's and her contacts. I think I pretty much just won the "Free CDs 4 Life" prize.


Boo for:

Kanye West - I just don't care about him anymore. My patience is wearing thin for him and his ego. They had to send out multiple text messages through different sources to try to get people to come to the performance. I think some of the organizers got nervous when they didn't see a long line out the tent. If you want me to go further I'll even say that Kanye doesn't produce any real music. He obviously can't sing. He samples other people's music. When was the last time he produced anything original on his own? If you want me to go there I will, but I won't.

Perez Hilton - I'll give props to Perez for his taste in music especially with Meiko and thanks for stopping by the establishment but he's not even a real celebrity ok? Stop worshipping this guy like he's God. Real celebrities come to SXSW as real music fans and keep a low profile like Drew Barrymore (ran into her at The Parish Saturday night).

Not getting a press pass for the camera - I never had any real problems with it other than at Stubb's but this year almost every place was giving me crap about not having a tag for my camera. Maybe that's the downside of the big lens that it draws more attention. Even at The Parish the volunteers would give me problems so I basically just go in through the backdoor after that.

SXSW Volunteers - Look, I appreciate probably 98% of the volunteers. People that gave up their spring breaks or time off work to make this event possible. There are rules, many of them not popular rules, that you have to enforce in order to make SXSW go smoothly. Things change however when you go on a total power trip and thinking you're the Almighty Himself. Seriously, turn it down a notch. Why don't you go home and worry about your algebra homework more than if I have a shoelace dangling over the line?

Rachel Ray - How could you poop on Rachel Ray?! I know, right? Just watch a few episodes of Bourdain's show and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Hey great line up again this year Rachel (The Hold Steady, Ra Ra Riot, Bob Schneider, Semi-Precious Weapons) and heck of a party but that pussy husband of yours John Cusimano might want to get his balls reattached and not pimp you to promote his band. The Cringe? Funny that's exactly what I get when I hear their music. You have a lot of ways to go until the Nickelback level but still... you're pretty bad. At the very least, not good. It's a shame that you're sharing the spotlight with all these other awesome bands and not to mention your darling wife. Ok, so I guess this is really more pooping on John than Rachel.

Speaking of Nickelback... Jessica and I have determined that they're quite possibly the worst band ever and the worst export out of Canada so if you ever have to argue against NAFTA in your debate class, bring this up.
yes, I know music has nothing to do w/ NAFTA but have a sense of humor, ok?

My Monday

I've been waiting for this day for a while. It just so happen that a lot of things are happening on this day as well. Since I've decided to buy out a slice of ownership at The Parish I've been looking forward to this concert. Joshua Radin is going to play w/ Meiko and Jesse Harris. I don't even know how many times I've listened to Joshua's new album since it came out, probably more like 60. It's rare for me to be moved to tears by a song, and the last artist that was able to do that was Adele. If you know that I'm a Scrubs fan it's really not that surprising that I'm a fan of Joshua Radin as well. I like this album so much more... the last one is almost a little too depressing.

It just so happen tomorrow that I have to drive my parents to the airport in the morning and rush back to the office before market opens. I have an appointment to inspect my car at 4pm right after the close since I hit a pregnant lady and I have my Dale Carnegie sales class from 6 to 8:30pm. After that I got to rush downtown since I think Meiko is the opening act.

Funny story about Meiko and me, well... it's not really funny and it's not that big of a deal but I was at the Hotel Cafe Tour showcase last year for SXSW and she said she was a bit under the weather or whatever and her throat was hurting a little bit. She asked if anybody would buy her a shot. If I remember correctly she requested whiskey, Jack Daniel even, but my memory fails me right now. Well, I bought her one and just asked the crowd to send it up to the stage for her. A southern girl from Georgia who's a quarter Japanese, talented, and drinks Jack Daniel? I'll admit I was crushing on her so hard for about a month or ten. I wonder if I'll be able to get to meet her backstage. I wonder if she remembers the random act of kindness from a random person in the crowd.

My Musical

Bass Concert Hall re-opened back in late January after closed down for renovation for about an year and a half and I've been dying to go check it out for myself. So far John Legend and Broken Social Scene played, even Ghostland Observatory made a guest appearance for the UT Ensemble.

During the short time that I lived in New York, I used to see almost a show every week. A good chunk of my paycheck went to rent, taxes, and then Broadway. Since most of the shows touring through Austin I have already seen, it left me with Legally Blonde and Mama Mia. Given the fact that I wasn't really big fan of either movies, I was quite conflicted. But since it gives me a chance to spend some quality time with Cancer Girl I decided to go.

When I say I wasn't a big fan of the movie is a nice way to put it. I hated it. It is everything I hate about L.A. in cinematic form. Every time it is on TV it triggers my gag reflects and makes me want to throw up. It is against everything I stand for as a man. Yeah, there's a self-confidence message in there, but it is almost as real and believable as those size 38DD breasts you see on the beach. As for Mama Mia? Well, I have not been able to sit through the first 30 minutes of it yet. It was one of the in-flight movies while I was flying to and back from Spain. On multiple occasions I would start watching it and quickly get very nauseated and let's just say it's because of the turbulence. I've never been that big of an ABBA fan anyway.

I'll admit, the musical is different. At least I didn't throw up or start bleeding from the nose. It was fun, I liked it but far from loving it. There, I said it. I refused to say anything positive about the show for the longest time. Once I stop judging it by what I believe what a musical should be I was at least able to accept it other than some lame excuse to make women and homosexuals withdraw money from their bank accounts. When I think of musical I think of Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Chicago, and the likes. Of course, lately there's been more a trend toward trivial pop culture. There's just no talent like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim or Jonathan Laron anymore. I mean, c'mon... Seussical The Musical, The Wedding Singer, and of course now Legally Blonde? Even Spamalot, which I liked a lot was based on a Monty Python movie. Wicked was based on a novel that's a spin off from a classic. In both cases the musical component was lacking. The two biggest component of a musical is its story and its music. In this case, a double negative does not make it a positive for Legally Blonde.

There were some nice jokes in the show with brilliant setup and punch line combination. It's just sad that they were pretty much all gay, blonde, or fashion/shopping jokes and lacking a bit in originality and intelligence. Even if was fun the fact is we're watching bunch of under studies. If Laura Bell Bundy was playing Elle it would be a total different show. The lead for this tour was injured so we were watching the understudy of the understudy... basically it's like the third string quarterback trying to lead a mediocre team and let's face it, unless the tour director is Bill Belichick and the understudy is related to Tom Brady there's no way it can achieve greatness. At least Bundy played Glinda in Wicked and have the vocal chops. The girl that played Elle we saw was just too whiny, nasally and throaty. For a show about a blonde sorority girl, they totally let the men steal the show, like Emmett and the UPS Guy. Especially the UPS Guy.

I do have to compliment the staging though. First they had two vertical and one horizontal bars lit that would frame the stage. In different scene they would move the horizontal bar lower or one of the vertical bars in to shrink the frame. At first I thought there was some kind of wheel or pulley system but I later realized that they just had the two vertical behind the horizontal one to create the optical illusion that they were connected. Just subtle things like that adds a lot to the show. Like the fact for the song Ireland, the girl playing Paulette actually had on green shoes which you didn't realize before that blends in and accentuate w/ the rest of the set.

So there, it was entertaining and for $38 you get what you paid for, but I refuse to admit that I even remotely liked the show for that it's an insult to the magic of Broadway.

Santogold and Bud Light Lime

I don't know if anybody noticed this, but Santogold has been used into BOTH the new Bud Light Lime commercials. It's kind of weird but kudos to whomever the creative director is at Anheuser Busch. He or she must be a big Santogold fan like me. The song in the first ad is "Lights Out" and the second one is "Creator."

Does this make me want to buy the beer? Eh, a little bit more than I would normally, but I hate a lot of the domestic beers, especially Miller and Budweiser. They just taste like bland fizzy piss, so I imagine Bud Light Lime taste like sour fizzy piss. But if you offer it to me for free at a BBQ, maybe I won't turn it down now.

My Auditory Boner

I got to admit, I get bored of certain music very quickly so this first few weeks of June has been great for me because there are tons of new albums out that I love. If I dig an album at times I'll listen to it again and again until I'm absolutely sick of it and then I move on searching for the next hit. This kind of behavior seems to be similar to that of a drug addict.

The Ting Tings: If Yeah Yeah Yeah's and CSS had a baby, that's what The Ting Tings would sound like.

The Cool Kids: Bringing the old school beat box flavor back. Although they still rap about material things, it's more about sneakers and bikes rather than blings and Cristal.

Priscilla Anh: She just had a song featured on Grey's Anatomy. Blue Note is the same label that launched Norah Jones. Definitely worthy a listen. I saw her at SXSW w/ the Hotel Cafe Tour, which included other artists anointed by Grey's like Joshua Radin and Ingrid Michaelson. She's got a wacky fun personality. She performed a song with ukulele and kazoo in the middle of her set =)

Next week, look out for Coldplay's Viva la Vida and Katy Perry's One of the Boys.

Daft Punk working on new album

Everyone’s favorite robotic French dance duo is finally back in the recording studio. That’s right, Daft Punk, who has not released an album since 2005’s Human After All, is currently holed up in a Parisian studio according to longtime manager Busy P.

However, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo don’t seem to feel pressured to produce new music quickly. “They are slow, you know,” Busy P told In The Mix. “They are taking their time, and they have a right.”

Although you probably shouldn’t start holding your breath now for a new Daft Punk record any time soon, there are plenty of other ways to get your fix until the new album drops.

Since 2005, the duo has toured in support of Human After All, making appearances at last year’s Lollapalooza and Oxegen Festivals. The pair also released a silent movie, Electroma, which premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Last year, rapper Kanye West teamed up with Daft Punk, using “Harder Better Faster Stronger” in his track, “Stronger,” a major hit of 2007.

Yay, I'm so looking forward to this. Take all the time you need! I'll be patiently waiting.

Kids and That Damn Noise

Don't take me wrong, it's a good noise.

I came across this band while I was in Europe last summer and I heard this song called Through the Monsoon by this band called Tokio Hotel and I've been looking for them on the American music radar ever since. Finally they recently released their CD in the U.S. (even though it's been out in the U.K. for almost a year).

They're wrong Germany and the German MTV would play them non-stop while I was there. The lead vocal and guitar are twin brothers, they're young and they just plain rock.

This 2nd band, called Black Tide, I saw them during SXSW back in March. Well, saw them is stretching the truth slightly. I saw them interviewing with MTV in the street, and I only know it was MTV b/c I've been following John Norris' crew around to see what they're up to. They stay at the Omni every year I think.

Everybody in this band is under the age of 19. Yes, they're all teenagers. Yet, they are comparable to Metallica, or perhaps even technically better (I have not liked Metallica ever since the whole Naptster fiasco since I think my sophomore year in high school).

Happy downloading!

ACL Official Lineup

The lineup is... well, up. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of bands that I would love to see, it's just that after seeing the Lollapalooza lineup where they have Radiohead, Kanye West, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, the best ACL can do is.... Foo Fighters?

Let's focus on the positive. Here are some bad ass bands that will be coming that I'm excited about... if I don't end up selling my 3-day wristband and go to Oktoberfest instead.

Foo Fighters, Beck, The Mars Volta, Gnarls Barkley, N.E.R.D., Erykah Badu, Tegan & Sara, Iron & Wine, G.Love & The Special Sauce, Band of Horses, Silversun Pickups, Okkervil River, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Duff, Ingrid Michaelson, CSS, MGMT, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Jenny Lewis (whoo... not as Rilo Kiley this time!), Mason Jennings, Yeasayer, The Octopus Project, White Denim... and South Austin Jug Band (they've been playing at ACL ever since I started going... so that's like what, 6 yrs now?).

I'm slightly happier about the fact Vampire Weekend and White Denim is on the lineup b/c I missed them during SXSW. Who knows, given how ACL does their scheduling, I'll probably end up seeing only about 1/3 of the bands that I want to see.

Austin City Limits Mash-Up

I've pretty much made the decision NOT to go to Lollapalooza this year since I've already bought tickets to ACL and sometimes they're kind of similiar... Lollapalooza has already announced their lineup and ACL will as well on April 15th.

To tease us, ACL has posted this mash-up, of some of the artists that will be performing. So far, here's some of the best guesses:

Hot Chip
Okkervil River
The Raconteurs
Silversun Pickups
Gnarls Barkely
N.E.R.D.
Ingrid Michaelson
Asleep at the Wheel
Man Man
CSS
Jamie Lidell
Eli Reed
Neko Case
Kate Nash
The Octopus Project
Del the Funky Homosapien
Heartless Bastards
Robert Earl Keen
Sharon Jones
MGMT

Looks pretty good so far... I'm particular excited about MGMT, CSS, and Hot Chip. I've been in crave for electronic music lately. If you haven't heard of MGMT, you will very soon. Their music was recently used for the movie 21's soundtrack. MGMT as the next Ghostland??

My SXSW on a Budget

Wristband on Craigslist: $180
Platinum badge: $1050
Music badge: $650
Seeing all your favorite bands for free: PRICELESS

Ok, so the free part is not entirely true. I did spend $20 to get into The Parish last Thursday night for the Hotel Cafe Showcase where people like Kate Havnevik, Cary Brothers, Joshua Radin, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles played. Other than that, I didn't spend a dollar.

I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't get to see White Denim, Tokyo Police Club, and Scissors for Lefty. The whole waiting in line or commuting to a different venue makes it just impossible to see all the bands you want or they play at the same time as another band. The sooner you accept that fact the better. No matter where you go, you're going to hear about a certain set or party that was just off the hook.

It was very interesting to go to SXSW w/ my DSLR. A lot of people assume that I was working. Some would even give me their spot in the front, which usually is not necessary b/c I'm already up scoping out the good angles. Unfortunately the good angles, more so w/ smaller stages, are usually right by the speakers. I didn't have my ear plugs with me the first day and my ears hated me that night. Shooting concerts is so tricky man... if your shutter speed is not fast enough the image comes out blurry but if it's too fast you don't let in enough light. Cranking up the aperture and ISO doesn't really help sometimes. And if you choose to use flash sometimes the light comes out really harsh and you lose the background lighting and the environment of the whole show.

I snuck out of the office on Thursday to see The Raveonettes, The Shout Out Louds and Sara Bareilles. When I came back everybody on my team is up at least a G, some up three G's. Apparently there's been something that keeps printing down and they just keep racking up $100 after another. It really makes me upset... On top of that I was out late but I forgot that I had a position open overnight. When I got a phone call the next morning I knew exactly what it was for... luckily I closed out the position even. I could easily come in the office up $500 or down $500. I also missed the entire BSC move on Friday... ARGH!

Can't Hardly Wait

Yeah Boy! Kanye is coming to Austin w/ N.E.R.D., Lupe, and Rihanna on April 30th. Can't wait!

SXSW 2008 Band List

This is from the Austin Chronicles website. I'm pretty excited, although I haven't fully made up my mind if I want to get a wristband or a badge yet. They're more expensive than last year (don't they always...), and this year I have to work, it's not like last year where I have the whole week off b/c of spring break. On top of that, I don't really have a wingman this year =( There are so many bands!! Granted a good percentage of them should've stayed in their garage instead of trying to boost their egos and score w/ chicks, but there are some hidden jems out there. I don't know how I'll get through the list, maybe I'll just random go through it and see if there are any names I've vaguely heard of before or see if any names or where they're from catches my attention. For some reason bands with too weird of a name or with exclaimation point or cuss words usually aren't that good...

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/sxsw_bands_2008

I'm particularly excited about: Cary Brothers, DeVotchKa, Digitalism, Diplo, Fastball, guy Forsyth, Freezepop, Tommy Guerrero, Halifax, Hanson (yes, I know... don't judge me), Kate Havnevik, The Heilio Sequence, Holy Fuck, Junkie XL, Let's Go Sailing, Madlib, MGMT, Moby, MSTRKRFT, Nada Surf, Jim Noir, N.E.R.D., Oh No! Oh My!, Okkervil River, Peter and the Wolf, Play-N-Skillz, Joshua Radin, R.E.M., Reykjavik, Shout Out Louds, Sia, Simian Mobile Disco, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Tech N9ne, Tokyo Polic Club, The Toxic Avenger, The Vines, White Denim, Yo La Tengo,