The Coolest Mom’s (aka sweetleafgigi) ACL Picks!

By Gigi on Sep 14     Filed In ACL, Celebrities, Lollapalooza     Add a Comment

Where do I begin…it’s been a long hot summer, but we survived the heat wave and the deluge of Lollapollaza. It took a minute for me to recognize what that stuff was falling out of the sky.

Now, it’s time once again for ACL and the continued musical education of my children.  This year, boys and girls… the Coolest Mom Ever is going to tell you a story about Lil Stevie and me.

My first memory of hearing Stevie Wonder is the summer of 1976. My parents had this amazing stereo system with these giantic headphones. I sat at the desk singing “Love’s in Need of Love Today” at the top of my lungs  (I know…so not like me) not knowing I had an audience. Apparently, my father had been listening to my rendition of the Stevie song. All the while, smiling as I did my best Diva impression tethered to the stereo. Once I finally realized that my concert had ended and the internal applause quieted down,  my dad told me how great it sounded. I imagine if he had the vocal talent of his daughter…he would have busted out in the chorus of “Isn’t She Lovely”.

Ashley’s SXSW Picks

By Smashley on Mar 15     Filed In Austin, Texas, Celebrities, Events, Live Music, SXSW, arts & crafts     Add a Comment

This week, the social frenzy that is SXSW really gains momentum, as the music portion of the fest kicks off on the heels of film and interactive. Don’t get me wrong- it’s been fun up until now, but SX-music takes it to another level. Put on your party pants (skinny jeans if you want to fit in), call in sick (j/k), and get ready for a great week in Austin. Here are some of my picks:

Paste Party in Austin: 508 E 6th (Thurs, Fri)

















For the eighth year in a row, Paste will host day parties during SXSW, bringing some of their favorite new artists (and a few veterans) to the stage. They’re showcasing some great bands, some familiar- Eisley, TV Torso, Sarah Jaffe, and Sondre Lerche, as well as some new bands that I’m definitely going to check out: The Kopecky Family Band and David Wax Museum. More info here.

Music By The Slice: Home Slice Pizza (Thurs, Fri, Sat)
Another event I hit up every year is “Music By The Slice” at Home Slice Pizza. I love this venue- not only because it’s my favorite pie in town, but also because it has a beautiful back patio/ beer garden, complete with a great outdoor stage.

One of my favorite SXSW encounters of all time was at Home Slice. I decided to scoot down there for lunch, and as I sat down outside to enjoy my slice and Mexican Coke, noticed that some guys were wheat pasting a mural on the wall across from where I was sitting.

I studied this stuff in art school, so was immediately interested. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the rogue artists were none other than Shepard Fairey and the Obey posse, major forces in visual culture. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen their work. I was psyched to stumble upon the actual people whose blogs and careers I had been following for years. And I got to offer them some Sweet Leaf Tea (Diet Peach was their fave)! Definitely a great SX memory. Maybe a repeat performance this year?

Dickies @ SXSW: Lustre Pearl (Thurs, Fri, Sat)

Lustre Pearl is one of my favorite local haunts, so I was thrilled to see that Fader and Dickies are putting on some great shows there. I’m psyched about The Givers, DeVotchKa, Cold War Kids, and Gayngs, to name a few, and love the idea of sitting outside under the trees, sipping on a (Sweet Leaf Tea) and hearing some great new music from those bands.

There’s certainly no lack of great music this week, just wish I could be in two places at once!

Get out there and have yourself a great time.

And a Sweet Leaf Tea, of course!

Megan’s [ACL] Sweet Beats & Eats!

By Danny on Sep 29     Filed In ACL, Austin, Texas, Celebrities, Events, Food & Beverage, Live Music     2 Comments

Sweet Beats!

Hi Sweet Leaf Friends!  Innovation Manager Megan here.  So for my A.C.L. pick, I think it’s only appropriate to recognize a very innovative artist set to hit the stage in Zilker this year:  British/Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A.

If you don’t know M.I.A. well, you may recognize her as:

A)    The female rapper whose did that song with the gun shots in Slumdog Millionaire. (a.k.a. “Paper Planes”)

B)   That pregnant woman in the ladybug outfit rapping with Kanye, Lil Wayne, and Jay Z at the Grammy’s.  Oh yes, she’s got Bjork-like fashion chutzpah.

Here’s what’s instore for you at her show:  a danceable mix of hip-hop, electronic, various kinds of world music, rock, and whatever she happens to be into at the moment…AND a deep undercurrent of political messages focusing on war-torn communities and third-world issues.  M.I.A. grew up during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which paid a heavy toll on her family and has influenced her as a musician, activist, and philanthropist.  (Read more here.)  Don’t miss her high-energy, thumping show at 8:30-9:30pm on Saturday at the AMD stage.

Sweet Eats!

After the show, head over to G’Raj Mahal, one of the many popular eateries in the Austin trailer movement that’s sweeping the city.  Great Indian food, with a focus on organic and local sourcing, and open until 3am on Saturdays.  Pop next door for a drink at Lustre Pearl, a funky old house turned bar with a great back yard.  Make sure to take a few spins on the hula hoops!

Gigi’s Sweet Beat and Eats!

By Gigi on Jul 14     Filed In Austin, Texas, Celebrities, Chicago, Food & Beverage, Live Music, Lollapalooza, Uncategorized     3 Comments

Sweet Beats

The drama of life circa 1995. We (my husband and I) only had 3 young boys at the time and finally made it back to the Motherland - South Austin, 78748. I had just discovered Erykah Badu or Miss Badu as I like to call her. Her song “Tyrone” became my theme song that summer. You see, I had become accustom to my small little family, relaxing at home watching the fireflies in the backyard. As the news of our return spread throughout the zip code, the hordes of family and friends began to descend upon us. To quote the song – Jim, James, Paul and Tyrone became regular additions to our household. I just wanted it to be like it used to be. No extras, no moochers, NO MORE.

One lovely spring day and one too many of my man’s friends at the house, my exotic blood reached the boiling point and my combination of Spanglish I told him to call Tyrone. It was time for him to go – Ms. Gigi was THRU! and NO you can’t use my phone! Needless to say, I love him to much to put him out on the street, so I let him keep his $*%! and we keep going “On and On”.

Sweet Eats

My first visit to Chi-town was in 2000 with my husband. Yes, the same guy.  We had the opportunity to spend the whole summer there and fell in love with every part of the city, especially the food. I have some friends that suggested La Scarola on Grand Avenue. First, let me tell you that this place is a step back in time. The waitstaff out number the guests, which is maximum 50 people (elbow to elbow). It was intimate and divine. Start with the Bruschetta - fresh tomatoes and basil will awaken you taste buds. The entree must be the Bistecca alla Zorich -  the combination of perfectly seared Filet Mignon with herbs and vegetables will send you into a state of euphoria. Lastly, you must have the Tiramisu. What Italian dinner would be complete without this lovely combination of cookies, coffee, aperitif and marscapone? UMMM…heaven! Don’t forget to make a reservation. See you there!



Also, follow me on twitter for Sweet Leaf updates! – @SweetLeafGigi

KEYE, Kinky and Snackies, Oh My!

By Marketing Intern on Jun 21     Filed In Celebrities, Intern     3 Comments

Ah, the unpredictable job that is the Sweet Leaf Internship. We never know quite what’s in store for us when we walk into the Austin Sweet Leaf Headquarters, but that’s one of the things that makes this job so exciting.
Take last week for instance. Did you know that last Thursday was National Iced Tea Day? I sure didn’t–not until that day, at least. Anyway, KEYE, the local CBS station, called us that day and asked if we could do a quick spot for their show, “We Are Austin Live.” The marketing team decided to bring with them one of the Tea Snacky recipes, dishes that are made with Sweet Leaf Tea. They wanted us to tag along to film the behind the scenes action and help out, so we all piled into the Sweet Leaf Van and set sail to the studio. Everyone at KEYE was really nice, and because there was about forty minutes before they were ready to film the spot, they led us into a swank conference room to wait. However there was already someone in the conference room–someone with a big cowboy hat, black, pearl studded shirt and a cigar. Did our eyes deceive us? No! It was musician, author and former Texas governor candidate Kinky Friedman!
We learned that he was also supposed to be on the show and was waiting for his spot, just like us. After taking pictures with him, we gave him some of our new Citrus flavor tea to try and in return he gave us some pretty awesome stories. Some were interesting, some were funny, and some were probably too inappropriate to repeat on this blog. After a good conversation with Kinky, KEYE was ready, and someone led us to the filming studio where Sweet Leaf April and Sweet Leaf Charla led a terrific three-minute cooking segment. Check out the behind-the-scenes video of the shoot we took below or the official video here.

Sweet Leaf April, Sweet Leaf Ashley and Sweet Leaf Charla with Kinky Friedman!

When we finished, we packed up, said our goodbyes to Kinky, who was still waiting for his spot, and hit the road back to Sweet Leaf Headquarters.

It was only my third day on the job, and I helped out with a news segment, rode in the awesome Sweet Leaf van and met a Texas celebrity. I learned an important lesson that day: You never know what to expect here at Sweet Leaf.

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