The Austin360 Amphitheater feels a little bit like a nice bottle of wine. High quality, but very expensive – the kind of thing you save for a special occasion. There is a place for it in Austin to be sure, but probably not a regular stop for most concert goers. First off, the folks that think Emo’s and Antone’s on Riverside are now “far away” certainly aren’t going to be excited about going to Elroy. And even in an increasingly expensive Austin, the prices are through the roof. $25 to park? Gulp. You may feel like you need a drink after paying that, but then you’ll find out it’s $9 for a domestic beer. Ouch. Apart from the price and distance – here’s why we’ll go:

Sound is pretty darn good. I’d put it on par with the ACL Moody, which is clearly the best live music sound system in town. Walking around, the sound is consistently good from the different seating areas and vantage points.

Good Bands. Face it – this is where the rubber meets the road. If a venue books your favorite act – you’ll drive a bit and shell out a few bucks. If not, The Backyard would have gone out of business years ago. The A360 will fill the gap of bands too big for Stubb’s, but still looking for an Austin tour date.

There are a ton of places in town that have great audio and affordable prices and will continue to be the bread and butter of the Austin music scene. They will book original bands and hold down our place as the “Live Music Capital of the World”. When that special band comes through that you’ve been waiting to see for months – you’ll hit the ATM Machine, turn on the GPS, and find your way to Elroy.

What a week.  Monday started with news of the attack during the Boston Marathon.  Then on Wednesday – the earth literally shook again with a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.   By the weekend, the people responsible for the bombings in Boston were off the streets and the flames in West had subsided.   Two things stand out in retrospect.

The human spirit is amazingly resilient.  It’s almost cliche to talk about brave citizens and first responders running directly into danger, but it never becomes less amazing to watch.   In the Boston videos – you can clearly see streams of people running toward the explosion – even as another was going off behind them and the area was anything but safe.  The need to help their fellow mankind – often complete strangers – outweighed their own safety.  Similarly, many of the casualties in West were those first responders who regularly put themselves at risk to make their neighbors safer.

Social media is overtaking the mainstream news in both speed and accuracy.  The speed may not be surprising, but the accuracy is more interesting.  In both instances – news was happening rapidly and the national outlets got as much wrong as they did right.  Social media is not error free for sure, but the “crowdsourcing” aspect serves as a cadre of editors and fact checkers – in most cases quickly able to separate fact from rumor.  We are also conditioned to take a skeptical approach to social media and often monitor multiple sources simultaneously to make our own decisions.  The democratization of information is in full effect.

So for next week – I’m hoping Twitter is full of nothing but pictures of kittens and sushi, but I’ll be glad to know there are a few million reporters and heroes out there ready to swing into action when we need them again.

A bit delayed, but a look at my SXSW 2013.  If memory serves, last year was the first year with an expanded Tuesday schedule and it wasn’t a great start for me.  This year, Tuesday ended up being perhaps the highlight night of the whole week.   As always, lots of up and coming names were pleasantly surprising.  For the big names, Green Day and Vampire Weekend did not disappoint and I was glad to see both.

Tuesday – MTV/VH1/CMT – Live in Austin:  Ashley Monroe, Elle King, ZZ Ward, Youngblood Hawke.

Wednesday – Kitten (The Belmont), Ra Ra Riot, Atlas Genius (Haven)

Thursday Day – Fader Fort – Chvrches, IAMSU!, Swim Deep, Katie Got Bandz

Thursday Night – Air Dubai (Maggie Mae’s), Nikki Yanofsky (Quincy Jones Presents @ Esther’s Follies, Robert DeLong, Capital Cities (Empire Automotive)

Friday Day – Spin House, Rolling Stone Day Party – Eric Burdon

Friday Night – Stickup Kids, Green Day (ACL@Moody), Ginger Man

Saturday Day – Rooftop on Sixth, Sony City (Hanger) – Kat Dahlia

Saturday Night – Wheeler Brothers (ACL@Moody), Charli XCX, Capital Cities (Austin Music Hall), Red Baraat, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Ozomatli (Stage on Sixth), Haim, Vampire Weekend (Stubb’s)

I was reminded last week during the rainy days that Austin is an outdoor city at its heart.  Even during the scorching heat of summer, we tend to gather in outdoor spaces – whether for concerts, sporting events, meals, or the occasional birthday party for an imaginary donkey.

Since I’m hopeful that we’ll see a few more rainy days this spring, here are five ways I might spent the next one:

Waterloo – I don’t go as often as I used to, but still one of my favorite spots to pass time.  It’s easy to get lost in the rows of CD’s – stumbling across old favorites or finding something new.   As a bonus, you can make this one a trifecta by walking across the street to Book People and including a lunch stop at Whole Foods.

Blanton – okay it might not be The Met, but it’s ours and a nice quiet spot to glimpse back in time.

Alamo Draft House – movies, beer, & food all under one roof – enough said.

Go to a library – I’m guilty of not having done this in a long time, but it’s on my list to reintroduce and a rainy day seems like the perfect time.  Kindles and IPads are great, but there is still something about turning the pages of actual book that can’t be beat.

Play in the rain at Zilker Park – I don’t know what it is about the drought, but I’ve rediscovered a childlike joy of being outside in the rain.   And what better place to do it than on Austin’s Great Lawn?  So grab that pair of shoes that you set aside for rainy ACL days and go have fun!

Happy New Year!

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions.  The way I see it – why would you wait for a date on the calendar to fix something you wanted to change?   Having said that – I still have goals every year – and in the past I’ve documented some of them for myself.  Which leads me to – as Colombo used to say….”Just one more thing…..”

For this year, I had the idea of trying to find one new thing every month.  Whether that’s a new band, new restaurant, or something more far-reaching (literally) like a new place to visit.

I’ll come back here and tell you all about it.  Until then…..cheers.

Let’s get this out of the way first….I have zero authority to judge food – BBQ or otherwise.   And there has also been plenty written about whose BBQ is best and why.  It’s probably folly to even step into the debate.   BBQ is a Texas tradition though – so a while back I made a short list of “must do” places that I thought would represent some of the best.  It not exhaustive or scientific – just my attempt to get out and experience some good food.

Here are my top 5 in order of preference.

1 – Franklin (Austin) – I alternate between whether the line is entertainment or maddening.  It’s a mix of both really, but at the end of it typically stands a smiling Aaron Franklin.  Knife in hand and some amazing BBQ at the ready.

2 – City Market (Luling)

3 – Kruez Market (Lockhart)

4 – Louie Mueller (Taylor)

5 (tie)- Smitty’s & Black’s (Lockhart)

The rest – Salt Lick and Rudy’s both make good food.  They are consistent and nearby – something that makes them more practical than the hours long commitment of driving and/or standing in line.

It seems like the first few days after ACL every year – I swear it’s going to be my last.  My feet hurt, clothes are dirty, there is inevitably some sort of weather event – dust, rain, sweltering heat etc., and the crowds are tedious.  Then the next ticket sale will be announced.  Blinded by the fear that *this* will be the year with every show I want to see – I jump in wholeheartedly and start the process again.  I must be adjusting my expectations – or maybe just broken down – but either way I’m already looking forward to next year.  In the meantime – here is a summary of the 2012 version.  Bands in order of schedule and highlighted the ones I’d go see again given the chance. “/” for two bands overlapping where I caught part of each.

Friday – First Aid Kit, LP, Esperanza Spalding/Ben Howard, (break from the heat and a swirl at Chuy’s), A-Track, Weezer, Thievery Corporation, M. Ward, AVICII

Saturday – Sonambulo, Metric/Michael Kiwanuka, (food), Shins, Gotye, Jack White/Neil Young

Sunday – Gary Clark Jr., Polica/Tennis, Two Door Cinema Club, The Weekend/Ruthie Foster, (food), Avett Brothers, Childish Gambino, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Among the highlights – Two Door Cinema Club, Avett Brothers, David Bull and Tim Love bringing their talent to the already tasty food court.

Disappointment – Gotye.  Even Kimbra couldn’t save this one.

And now for something completely different – A-Track, AVICII

See you next year ACLFest!

Living in Austin is a blessing and a curse.  There is so much going on, I always feel like I’m missing something.  Here are five nights of fun things that I probably won’t get around to doing, but hey…you never know.

Mon – Lagunitas Pairing Dinner or Ben Folds Five  Lagunitas makes good beer and 24 Diner has great food.  What’s not to like?  Ben Folds Five – I’m not normally a big fan of band reunions, but this one might be fun and I love just about every show I ever see at Stubb’s.

Tues – Trailer Food Tuesday
I haven’t been to one yet   Looks like a fun time and the weather should be nice.

Wed – The Tito’s Five Course at the Driskill Hotel  Okay – this one is even more of a longshot than the others.  Very doubtful I’d spend $65 per person for a vodka dinner, but seems cool in a Gatsby kind of way.

Friday/Saturday – Utopiafest  Technically not in Austin.  But close enough for an easy weekend campout and a great lineup.  Austin bands are well represented.

Basically for my own reference, but fresh off a week of SXSW – a list of upcoming shows that are of interest.

Stubb’s

• Cold War Kids – April 1 (Sold Out)
• Pete Yorn & Ben Kweller – April 16
• Flogging Molly – April 27

La Zona Rosa

• Fitz and the Tantrums – April 19
• Old 97’s – June 10

Emo’s

• An Horse – May 24
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – May 28