3.27.09

Farewell to the Capitol City

So it turns out Austin is a much more pleasant place to visit, post-South by Southwest. The festival was certainly fun but the true esence of the city cannot be so easily experienced with all the SXSW distraction and hustle. I will have to schedule two yearly visits to Austin because I no longer believe I could be satisfied with the festival alone. In fact, I may scratch it out all together, because there is just as much, if not more fun to be had elsewhere. Austin is home to some of the most eclectic and bizarre small businesses I've ever encountered. There are certainly much more interesting attractions than the overblown SXSW. And probably more moving taco stands than Jillburt has houses.

Here's a quick list of "must visits" if you're ever in the neighborhood.

• Homeslice Pizza (decent pizza but more like one of those "just gotta do it" things)
  
• Trudys (I once thought Tex-Mex was a joke)
  
• Alamo Drafthouse (unique movie theater, like showing the Maltease Falcon and requiring you to smoke cigarettes.)
  
• New Bohemia (every vintage cowboy shirt you could ever want)
  
• Magnolia Cafe (24 hours, great menu, easy people)
  
• Emo's (probably one of the premier places to see a live show)
  
• Jackalope (great if you just want to sit down and have a damn drink)
  
• Casino El Camino (best hamburger in Austin)
  
• Flamingo Cantina (a tiki-hut for a bar and bleacher seating. great place to take the kids)
  
• Bouldin Creek Coffee House (organic coffee, vegan friendly, 5 stars for uniqueness and comfort.)
  

And so so so so much more. I'm leaving out huge amounts, and the above list is a microscopic scratch on the surface of the more common stuff. But Austin is a place where you can really dig deep and discover your own. And that makes it great.

I'm beginning to feeling quite comfortable here. Navigating the city has become less of a challenge and more like second nature. It's actually pretty easy going as far as traffic and getting around goes. Aww, shit.. The people are pretty easy going too.
I could happily make this my home. However that sense of comfort is exactly what will send me packin and off to new destinations. I'm glad I've gotten to know Austin a bit better, but I set out on this adventure to explore new areas and provide myself with new challenges. Too much comfort is the reason I left my home in the first place, and finding comfort in Austin won't help guide me along any path I've sought out. I don't wish to be uncomfortable, I'm just trying to lead a slightly different life than the predictable one I left back in Illinois. But let's not beat a dead horse here.

I came to find out that Austin has been under the worst drought since 1938.
And yesterday, I got caught in one of the most powerful downpours I've seen since my days on the flat farmland of rural Illinois. This storm brought hail and "cracklin" thunder (as I like to imagine the locals call it). The kind of downpour that rouses slight moments of fear and turns your shelter under the canopy of a building into a pointless one. Austin needed some rain and it got it. Maybe not all the rain that it needed, but a good start. I quickly drew a metaphor between this and my own status and decided, "maybe it was time I was on my way." "Maybe I haven't got all that I need yet...but a good start." It seemed this cleansing of rain was saying, "The time seems right."

I began to notice every street sign and how the names were prompting random memories within me. Streets named after people and places. People I know or have known. Places I've seen or desire to see. It all reminded me too much that there is a bigger world out there with a bigger network of people. And those people and places will not be experienced until I step outside of my comfort zone for a moment and get my feet wet.

I've been welcomed and sent off with utmost hospitality here in Austin. I will certainly return one day to the friendly faces, but for now must ride off further into the west.
Next stop, Lubbock.

6 million bats fly out of the Congress bridge nightly

3.25.09

a SXSW video mess


My week at SXSW. This video compilation pretty accurately sums it up. Enjoy! And in case you're wondering, the song is "Beach Demon" by Wavves. Recorded live at Emo's in Austin.
All other footage also shot in Austin, TX 2009.

3.23.09

South by Southwest and Austin Overload
Okay, Okay. I know I've delayed this post for several days, but I've been completely submerged by the beautiful city of Austin and fully brainwashed by it's uber-extravagant "South by Southwest" (music and film festival.) It has been a "go, go, go" sort of situation with somewhat overwhelming and certainly exhausting dosages of music, pop culture and information. So much happenings that I spent three days struggling to decide on a topic. There is a lot to absorb and a lot to talk about. To get the full SXSW experience you must spend the entire day on your feet racing between 1000 venues in attempt to see an impossible number of performances, meanwhile consuming all the free drinks that people want to poor down your throat and then buying drinks when the free one's are no longer available, while also being corralled through the city with 10'000 other hot drunk people and excepting every flyer and free sticker that will only end up in the trash and sampling every new energy bar and vitamin water on the market... There are a lot of pro's and cons... and yes, it's exhausting. However, there is a lot to be said and shared from enduring that exhaustion, like witnessing some of the most magical performances you've ever seen in your life and meeting some really fantastic people. It's quite a cruel scheme but it work's.

ponytail

Let's be straight, Austin is probably of one the raddest places on earth, and the SXSW music festival is probably the festival of all festivals, but it's not all hunky dory...
I've started recapping the highlights and shortcomings of this years SXSW, and it's becoming a bigger list than I can even write about. So allow me to attempt a generalized rundown of Austin's South by Southwest.

Highlights

• The weather = Sunny, Dry and 70's - 80's. To a somewhat hairy man, this is a real bonus, no uncomfortable sticking of the male members( the boys will know what I mean) Humidity is hell.
  

• The locals... Yep for the most part, they're really friendly some of the most friendly people. Not like those damn Arkansans.

• '09 Bands: Wavves, Ponytail, Crystal Stilts, PRE, Crystal Antlers, Delta Spirit, The King Khan & BBQ show, Tittsworth, King Kahn & The Shines, HEALTH, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Vivian Girls, The Pack A.D. visit my last fm page page for detailed listening.

• The incredibly gorgeous bartender at "The Library." The one who smiles so genuinely sweet, it causes you to think there might be a connection until you notice that she treats all the patrons that way. I'll go back to see her but I won't dare say a thing. Is that creepy?

• Best Wurst (bratwurst vendor) A guy stands in a little cart that is barely big enough for one person and somehow turns out record Bratwurst sales night after night. I mean this guy can hardly get a break. But the truth is, they're that damn good.

• 3:2 ratio, girls over guy's. This is nice for visual sake but because there's so much focus on the music, the testosterone levels don't even exist. Which is great because one of the worst things in the world is a bunch of narley dudes trying to compete for girls who aren't even interested anyways.

• Randomly stumbling into one of the finest shows of your life and being completely blown away. I ran into few really good surprises this year. (Ponytail, The Pack A.D., and Crystal Antlers, and Des Ark)
  

des ark

Shortcomings

• Somehow I seem to arrive in Austin, TX the same way every year; dagerously awake behind the wheel after consuming an unhealthy amount of commercial stimulants. And completely without sleep. Then crashing for the entire day.
  

• I hate to stereotype but...Hipsters. You've seen them, you might even be one. (sure I may be riding the line, but oh so mildly.) These kids are the "end all", the coolest specimens on the entire planet, the most inward, selfish and over-privileged kids. If only they could understand how typical they all are. Like who really scoffs at a kid who says "excuse me" when cutting through a crowd. this happened to me. I don't scoff at your Ray Ban, V-neck, fedora combo. C'mon!

• Long Lines. I'm fucking over it. The only way I'll stand in a round-the-block line is if Celiene Dion decides to start an 80's goth band.

• Rudeness. I know your hot and drunk and there are a thousand people swarming around, but seriously, have a few manners. Just one or two. I know you can do it!

• The waste. (i.e. paper flyer litter, plastic bottles and mass commerce.) There is an overload of worthless products manufactured for the purpose of advertising. These things end up on the street only a few paces after they're received. And ultimately end up in the trash of course. It's just extremely irresponsible. These company's may as well mass produce these items at the factory on a long conveyor that leads directly to a large dumpster.

So you decide for yourself.
Fortunately for my financial wealth and personal health, it came to end today. I now have the time to organize my thoughts and share with you all the new photo's. I'm also working on a new compilation video coming very soon

I've continuously heard the suggestion that one needs to experience Austin when SXSW is NOT happening. So I've decided to stay for a few more days and see how this town operates when all the hype, excitement, and people has dissipated.

3.17.09

Welcome To Jillburt

Today I left my home to travel across America for an undetermined amount of time. I plan to venture out to unfamiliar places and experience life on the road with few possessions. The purpose of this? To get out there and do something. To experience life. that's simply it. If that's not enough, you can read a little further into detail at The Midwest Kid.
So while I'm just getting on the road, let me tell you a little about where I come from.

What can I say about Jillburt?
Someone once called it the "blink-of-the-eye sort of town" and that's not completely inaccurate. At first glance, Jillburt might appear a bit plain and unstimulating, but on the contrary and regardless of first appearances, Jillburt is an friendly place that breeds adventurous spirits and inquiring minds.


In relationship to it's size and population, Jillburt offers few creative outlets and offers very little on the forefront of social recreation. (aside from community-backed sports... but that's not for everyone.) C'mon, we're talking about a town with a single stoplight, sunk amidst cornfields, what do you expect?


Let's just say the town demands a little extra creative effort for those who want to express it. Personally speaking, I was required to make innovative use of my surrounding resources, which are very few. But that's okay, it ignited a wealth imagination and curiosity in me that has ultimately led to my craving for the exploration of bigger things. I'm not sure I could possess this same ethic and outlook had I been raised in the busy hustle of a City.

I don't want to be misunderstood, Jillburt dosen't acquire all the resources I desire, but I'm pleased with my upbringing. It has been a gratifying experience and I will return to the lonely Midwest now and again and continue to happily call it my home.
However, for the time being, I must venture out and see this world first-hand.

See you out there.

Watch this informative tourism video to learn more about Jillburt, Illinois.





If you would like to view all the photos of Jillburt, Please visit the Flickr account.