03.03.08
SXSW
For the week of SXSW I’ll be recommending shows and events, reviewing concerts and albums, to help those of you fortunate enough to attend to maximize your time and enabling those of you who aren’t to live vicariously through an appreciative and Austin-obsessed audiophile. If you have any questions or want to respond post a comment or email me at alix@onetimesone.com. Hopefully I’ll see some of you out and about. Good luck and god speed.
Touted as the “Music City Capital of the World,” Austin births, stimulates, attracts, and hosts enough live acts to make it capable of supporting the systemic influx of industry and artist for the annual South By Southwest festival. The city clocks in at a shade under a million in the metro area and sprawl tops the pop at 1.5 million, 48,000 of which attend University of Texas on the Guadalupe stretch of town.
Boasting an eclectic mix of yuppie, hippie, techie, hipster, and longhorn, the city and its natives have created, produced, and danced to an ever-expanding variety of music throughout the last half a century. The famous Armadillo World Head Quarters helped forge the city’s modern music scene by encouraging a melding of genres and audiences that typically stayed far away from each other. The legendary hotspot and nexus of hippies, cowboys, and businessmen hosted artists from AC/DC to Ray Charles, facilitated creativity, allowed marijuana use, and sold more Lone Star than any other venue at the time but the Houston Astrodome. The Headquarters helped to cement Austin at the cultural crossroads and hybridization of the Texas music scene and that tradition continues with South By Southwest.
“…The Armadillo is more than just a local symbol. It is the center of the music industry in Texas, the premiere showcase for the rest of the nation to look at Texas talent and the spot where Texas audiences get to see national acts at their best… In the vision of Texas we want to communicate, the nine-banded Armadillo is more important than John Connally or the oil industry. It’s a vision the rest of the country hasn’t seen yet.” (Anonymous quote from AWHQ website: www.awhq.com)
These words aptly describe the Armadillo’s role as focal point of the music scene, but they can also be used for Austin as a whole and are eerily appropriate for SXSW. In 1987, a mere seven years after AWHQ shut down, Austin’s Battle of the Bands morphed into a national showcase and over the next decade developed into one of the largest music festivals in the country and a mass-marketing machine and powerful generator of indie buzz. The entire city of Austin gears into the scene opening its doors to more tourists, and more revenue, than any other annual event. Because of its size, the city becomes the venue and the streets a playground for audiophiles, musicians, and industry scouts hunting down the next big act.
Austin for Austinites: You can look around the web for things to do in Austin, but for SXSW week getting a seat anywhere can be difficult. I have included a few out of the way restaurants and a few swimming holes if you want to get away from crowds or cool off from a hot night of dancing. Swimming is the best hangover cure.
Where to eat:
SXSW engulfs the city, and the service industry with so many people that the downtown area can get choked up and finding a good meal can be tough. To get out of the congestion and hit a good tex mex hole in the wall here a few suggestions.
Juan in a Million
For a break from the South Austin madhouse, head east on Cesar Chavez for a cheap but filling and authentic TexMex extravaganza.
El Chile Cafe y Cantina, 1809 Manor Road
I’ll let Texas Monthly break this one down for you.
Austin’s Tamale House. 5003 Airport Blvd
If it was in a shack it couldn’t be any more like taco shack dining. Fast food, great hot sauces, and true blue, pretty much everything.
Where to Swim:
The forecast is predicting heat. And when its hot in Austin the only way to really cool down is to hit up one of dozens of natural swimming holes and falls that dot the city. You just have to know where to look.
In true Austin fashion, some of the best natural swimming spots are located off of the highway. Like no other city can, Austin manages to merge its urban life with the preserved and respected forested areas that circle the city. Bull Creek is home to several holes and falls and is perfect for those interested in some light hiking a relaxing dip.
Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls
This hole is tricky to get to, but worth the drive. Here are some details on how to get there and what other natural fun you can have in the area.
Barton Springs
This one is hard to miss. At the corner of Robert E. Lee Road and Barton Springs Road is access to this man manipulated natural swimming pool. In the summers it’s the place to be and for a few dollars you can swim all you like and still stay close to downtown. When its really hot parking may be impossible so get those dancing legs walking.
