Lisa's Lounge

I think I could see Bag100 every night and love it! Christine is a true rock star... and last night's show was FANTASTIC!

The AIA's (Austin Indie Alliance) anti SXSW showcase is happening again this year at the Dizzy Rooster on 6th Street. All the bands have been great! I can't even remember who all I've seen, but last night it was Bag100 and Caliche Dust, and I took some photos. Tonight I will get to see Goodwin, Stealing Silence, Nooner, Bright Shadow, and In Amorata. So, another full night of great music!

I call it the anti sxsw because there is no cover ever, and no wrist band required to attend all these great shows, all in one place. Big money sure has a way of complicating great ideas... which "South-by" used to be...

So, I am really a band widow this week (maybe you've heard of this little Austin gathering called South By Southwest? It's like a flesh eating disease....)... I'm doing stuff around the house, watering the brown lawn... and what the hell? There are June bugs attacking me! Now, I love my friend Joone Bug, but mid-March is a bit early to be showing up...

p.s. Elway is very gloomy and he misses his pops.

Bag100 held their CD release party at the Velvet Spade on Red River last night. They were joined by their friends in Freebleeder, Motionside, and a cool acoustic set by a couple of members of By Saturday. (see videos below) The Velvet Spade is a very large bar, with the "large" part being outside. The bar itself is just okay, (the inside doesn't flow very well), but the outdoor mutli-level patio area rocks. I suppose as it gets warmer it won't be as nice, but for March and maybe November, it's great! Anyhooo, the show was a blast. There was a good crowd, sold some merch, all is good. I love their music and Christine's singing style. A rocker with a tiny bit of lounge lizard thrown in. (She may not like that analogy but I mean it as a compliment!) I really enjoyed the whole evening...though the Browns, Lizard and Brown, Timothy, were very muchly missed. CONGRATS TO BAG100 (CHRISTINE, RYAN, DAVE, AND BEN) on a great show! All of your hard work definitely paid off last night.

My photos didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. I tried a couple of different things - and, um, it didn't work. So I hear you saying (as Ben made a point of mentioning) "Yeah, it's digital - couldn't you tell it wasn't working?" Well, to answer that smarty pants question, no, I couldn't. My view screen is about 2" x 2". When I reviewed the photos on there, they looked great and I was all excited! After the upload this morning - not so good. And I was D.D., so it wasn't the beer goggles. I don't know if using a camera with more manual modes will help... but it's going to be my excuse for purchasing a new camera! :-) a Nikon D50, I believe... photos

This weekend kicked off the South by Southwest Film & Music Festival (SXSW) which turns our already busy city into a madhouse. Yesterday we had SXSW, High School UIL junk, a UT baseball game*... all around the same time. And we basically have one way in and one way out of downtown. It is also a lot of fun! The AIA will host it's normal Spring Break showcase at the Dizzy Rooster on 6th Street starting on Wednesday. It's 4 solid days of great music.

* not a good day for baseball... they lost to the Long Beach State Dirtbags...

And for your viewing pleasure - (right click and save to your hard drive please...)

Nicole's absolute favorite By Saturday song: [edit: Nicole likes the song - she hates how it sticks in her head and won't go away...]

For Nicole

My Bengaroo!

Drummer Dude

March is a busy month around here – my birthday, The Mom’s birthday, Paulie’s birthday, Ben’s and my anniversary, SXSW, baseball, and on it goes. So, Ben and I decided to get away early since we won’t see much of each other the rest of this month. We spent the weekend in San Antonio and thoroughly enjoyed it. We relaxed. And walked on the Riverwalk early in the morning. And relaxed. Got massages. Ate sushi. Saw “Harry Potter” at the IMAX. We stayed at the Historic Menger Hotel, built in 1869. It’s right next to the Alamo, which was really interesting this weekend as Texas Independence Day was celebrated. (All 4 days of independence….)

And I had very nice birthday celebrations this year… Mike, Brenda, and Pat called. Kathy in California sent a beautiful card. Kathy in New Mexico sent her once per year email. And Kathee a/k/a The Mom called, too! Got "e" cards from Tante Lula and Wanda... A nice text message from the Mouse... And of course my family called. (My brother’s message at 7ish am on Saturday “Wake up! Old people get up early.” Click. Nice, huh?) The girls at the office gave me a gift certificate for the spa in the hotel where we stayed.. Paulie and Malier sent a really funny card & pretty bracelet. They will be heading to see the Queen soon – so I requested something cheesey from Harrod’s, preferably about Princess Diana. (Or some combination of that) And then the Cherry on top – had sushi and wine last night with my homies at Sushi Sake. (and received some coffee treats!) Taints ladeez!

Tonight I have to drive to Houston for a 2 day conference, which I hate. I don’t mind the information, I hate having to go down there for it. Not a fan of Houston. At all.

San Antonio photos

Okay, I'm a day late.... Happy Birthday Sis-in-law!