Not all party goers can say that. I saw quite a few people who had more than their share of fun. I'd like to remind those people that free drinks aren't always free - sometimes they will cost you your dignity & maybe more. I found the crowd at SXSW this year to be a touch more debaucherous than normal.
Note: if debaucherous isn't a real word it should be
I spent the week bouncing around from venue to venue either delivering Vice SXSW Music guides or getting a earful of music from all over the globe. AND not being ridiculously intoxicated. See people - it can be done.
It was quite an adventure & I met some real characters. One of which will live on in my memory forever & I didn't even catch his name. He was a young squatter kid who helped me carry some stuff to Beauty bar through a pretty rambunctious crowd. When we arrived at our destination I thanked him & paid him $5 for his trouble he then said, & I quote, "You are beautiful, I love you!" & threw his fist in the air!! This was definitely a high point.
*blushing*
I also met Aaron from Red Fang (pictured on the right) who helped me deliver the rest of my SXSW goodies. In return for his kindness Austin & I let him & the rest of Red Fang camp out at our house for the remainder of the festival. Let me tell you - those boys can get down. There are no words - just check this out and you will understand.
So, Thanks Aaron for being a total doll! You & the rest of the fang are always welcome here!
I had a super long list of people I wanted to see this year, which turned out to be a little too ambitious. Most of what I saw was amazing though. Lions played 3 times and they brought it every. single. time! The Subpop showcase was fantastic as well. A building full of beards and two stages filled with the labels latest and greatest. I really enjoyed The Baptist Generals set, they played on the floor & the crowd sat indian style around them, swooning & singing along. Obits played after the generals. I'd never seen them before and I'm thrilled I got the chance. I highly recommend you pick up their most recent release I Blame You.
I also saw a band I've blogged about before, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers. Shilpa was uh.mazing and her hookers were indeed happy. My socks were blown off. She played the Brooklyn Vegan showcase @ Club Deville. Come to think of it, the two greatest shows I saw all week were on this stage. Ponytail performed there on Saturday night.
Not familiar with the catastrophically euphoric wonderment that is Ponytail? Well run, don't walk if they are playing in a town near you. Seriously. They are so bright & yet alarming - they will thrill you. Well, if you like the unusual that is. Another highlight was the photo booth @ the Vice Saves Texas party. We walked in to find that they were serving free Hornitos (danger! danger!) and shortly after we located the photo booth. Before we climbed in we noticed there was a disclaimer on the booth, it read "Hornitos is not responsible for any guilty regrets, broken hearts, failed relationships, or bite marks, that may have been caused due to the use of this photo booth." We threw caution to the wind & proceeded to LIVE in there! So much fun! Oh & did I mention that the photos were free? Because they totally were. Thank you Vice for coming to save us and lavish our southern asses with free tequila & photo booth fantastic-ness. To see more photos visit my flickr page.
It wasn't all fun & games though. There was one pretty big disappointment. The last show we went to was a total bust. Austin & I hoofed it over to the Central Presbyterian Church around 1am to see Marnie Stern (who I love). There weren't many people attending, we felt like we were going to witness SXSW magic! We sit down in a pew all a titter, ready to be blown away. She comes out looking adorable & yells "Vagina!" we all laugh. She then tells a story about her drummer getting in a cab earlier that day with no intentions of coming back for their showcase. So, she got members of Trail of Dead & Crystal Antlers to fill in. Now we were really excited! A SXSW show off the beaten path with an unlikely line-up! I figured I'd get to rub this experience in everyone's face for years to come... Unfortunately - They did. not. deliver. It was a train wreck & I just couldn't watch. I think she was just having a bad day, so when she returns to the great state of Texas, I will be there. Ready to wipe away the memory of the Presbyterian Church forever.
And now we are up to date. I am tired, my feet are blistered & have no desire to drink anything with anyone anywhere. Me & the mister have had a quite night at home, we made a big pot of healthy & delicious pho to help nurse our wounds. Speaking of my mister, I'm going to go see what he's doing. I'll leave you now with some photos of a SXSW Treasure Chest and other random goodness. Nite Nite!
xo!
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