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Ahh yes, It’s Wednesday and our whole office is fighting some kind of infection and are still trying to recuperate after our long, fun, hard-working weekend. Was it worth it? You better believe it!

Here’s a list of the shows I saw & loved:

Medeski Martin & Wood, The Wood Brothers, Bassnectar, Thievery Corporation, The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, STS9, Ghostland Observatory, the B-52′s and last but not least, part of the Dead Weather show.

I was very lucky that my “Credentials” blog won me a crew pass for Friday. What did this mean for me? I was able to see MMW, and Bassnectar from the front of the stage as well as getting to dance my ass off at the back of the stage. I also got to see Thievery Corp from up above them on the stage. It was a great view as they had many folks performing at one time and without the video screens, it would have been hard to see all that was going on.

Out of all of the bands I saw this past weekend,  there were 2 that absolutely blew me away: Bassnectar (Lorin doesn’t know it yet, but he’s my new boy friend) and Ghostland Observatory. I have seen Pink Floyd (Division Bell Tour) many Cure concerts (1990-2007), several raves, Phish a few times back in the 90′s, and Ghostland has now moved to my top 3 favorite shows EVER! Not only did their light show just about short circuit my brain, the showmanship that Aaron and Thomas bring to the stage is absolutely incredible. It’s really hard to fake that level of enthusiasm, so I have to assume that those two were enjoying their show as much as the crowd was. Because this was my first time to see them live, I had no idea, that my ABSOLUTE favorite song was a fave for lots of folks, “Silver City”. I kept thinking to myself, “oh, I guess it’s not popular enough for them to play live.” Can you imagine my surprise when they announced it and played the first note!??!?! I am getting chills sitting here just thinking about it. A space cleared where Wendy and I were standing and we were able to dance like maniacs, and it felt great!

Here’s a great review I found of their show.

What live shows have changed YOUR life?

Post by Jon Edwards; Intern/Balloon-Launching Bad-Ass.

Hey there Sweet Leaf readers!  It is now two days post ACL Fest 2009, and I think my body has finally recovered.  What a weekend!

Just getting everything ready for ACL was a job in itself, but I learned a lot.  I got to set up the booths and do some work in the VIP and artist lounges.  We were cruising around in the only yellow golf cart to make it happen!

It’s great to see how many local businesses and people love and support SLT.  I can’t even begin to guess how many people screamed out “Yeah! Sweet Leaf!” over the course of the weekend.  Keep on sporting those SLT bandannas and thanks to all the people that let us tattoo you!

“Impostor Granny” was a big hit.  Thanks to all you guys for rocking out and taking pics with me in my Granny costume.  It was a pretty close resemblance to the real Granny, besides my giant beard.  If you caught me at the rock band booth, you may have had a taste of Granny’s sweet Pearl Jam voice.  Not quite like Eddie Vedder but with just as much enthusiasm!

If any of you were there, you probably saw some of our balloon launches!  We launched giant balloons at about 15 different shows filled with confetti and glow sticks.  That was a lot of fun because I’d get to stick around for a few songs and hang out.  I got to see some of my favorites like Thievery Corporation, STS9, Girl Talk, Pearl Jam, and Ghostland Observatory.  I even got backstage for Phoenix!

It was great how the rain and mud didn’t slow people down but it was a shame about all that awesome new grass they planted in Zilker Park that got squished.  I am hopeful that they’ll re-sod it.  By the end the festival people were slip and sliding down hills and walking barefoot through the mud.

Thankfully, the festival went on rain or shine, just like they promised. For all of you that actually made it to the festival, congratulations on surviving!  For all the rest of you that wish you could have been there, check out the Sweet Leaf Tea website soon for picture updates.

Thanks for reading and check back soon!

I’m not talking about food here, although there are so many good choices out at Zilker that I’m sure I will have difficulties making a decision on what to order first. No, this time my heart is troubled with which band is going to whisk me away on Saturday night–Ghostland Observatory or Dave Matthews Band.

For some this may seem like a no brainer, but it really is a tough decision. It’s been years, I mean YEARS, since I last saw Dave Matthews. In fact, I think the last show I saw was at South Park Meadows. (I miss that place…before it was a shopping center!) It was a great show as many of you Austinites can probably second. Lots of dancing, lots of singing and lots of Dave’s great voice. But, I must be honest, I haven’t been keeping up with DMB music as of late. Which begs the question, do I go and hopefully fall in love again (I really do love his voice) or do I just save that moment for my own personal one-on-one time? Me and the ol’ ipod scenario.

Which brings us to the contender in the right corner, Ghostland Observatory. You know the more I think about it and the more I write, the more my vision for the evening becomes clear. I could tell you all about why I love Ghostland Observatory and why I think it’s going to a rockin’ good dancing time, but wouldn’t it be better if we all just experienced it together? I say yes. Now, we might not see each other. Or at least know we are seeing each other, but at least we know we will be there together in spirit. And we can always share our stories about it next week right here. (Let’s, shall we?)

BUT, if you do decide to hit up Dave, I have a request. Take good notes, take good pictures and write me a story so I can live vicariously.

Divide and conquer (just like at the grocery store with my husband).

Meet you back here next week.

This past weekend I spent cycling and gearing up mentally for the week that began today and won’t end until next Monday. What is happening in Austin this week, you ask? Austin City Limits Festival!!

This will be my first time to truly experience ACL. I was lucky enough to get to see The Raconteurs and Galactic last year on Sunday because I had some friends that went back to NYC and left their wrist bands loose, but it wasn’t the same as experiencing the whole three day extravaganza. The last actual festival I attended as a paying customer was  Lollapalooza in Dallas, 1994. The festival world has changed dramatically since the early 90′s. I was lucky enough to see Pearl Jam at Lolla in 1992 and it was a scene! They encouraged the fans to rush the stage and WE DID. I jumped and ran over so many rows of seats and ended up on the front row thrashing about with the best of them. I made the mistake of drinking a “smart drink” and between the drink, endorphins and the heat, I ended up throwing up on this girl’s combat boots that I went to high school with. It was a bit embarrassing but that was how crazy the scene was at the front of the stage. PJ busted out their version of Baba O’Riley and it blew me away. I fell in love with them at that moment. I look forward to at least hearing them while working my closing shift Sunday night.

This year I have some bands that I am really looking forward to seeing, as well as letting my future husband, Jack White, know who I am. I can’t begin to tell you how he rocks my world! The Dead Weather are  high on my list to see, but ironically enough, I’ll be slinging tea in the middle of their showcase and will begging, pleading, and bribing ALL of our volunteers to help a sister out!

Bands I will NOT miss:

Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9): If you have not seen these guys or even listened to them, back-up the bus, check yourself (yes, before you wreck yourself) because these guys will rock your face right off the bone. STS9 has a full band present on stage along with their computers, and they are literally up there playing their music and mixing/creating all at the same time. Watching the bass player play a riff and then hit a button on his computer and waiting to hear what he just created is mind-bending. Not going to ACL this year? Cool, hit them up at Stubb’s for a fantastic after-show. You won’t be able to stand by idling, you’ll be dancing!

Medeski Martin & Wood: I am not lying, (though music is subjective and opinion based) when I say that these three musicians are some of the most talented guys on the planet and I love that they found each other! John Medeski is a world-class pianist/organist and he can make those keys do things that most people didn’t even know was possible. Billy Martin can take a tiny, toy drum set and make it sound like 4 drum kits in 1! Chris Wood (also playing w/his brother as The Wood Brothers) is one bad-ass bass player-yes, as good as Les Claypool and that is a very high bar to reach! I have seen some of their shows where there were only the 3 of them onstage and I had to keep looking up, as I was sure they had like 10 people up there with them. Even if you’re not into free-jazz, I’d take sometime out and give them a listen. They are also playing at 9am Friday morn at Threadgills and yes, I will be there. I am not missing my chance to see them in such a small place. If anyone reading this knows of them playing any after-shows, please OH PLEASE, let me know!

Bassnectar/Thievery Corporation/Ghostland Observatory: I’ve never seen ANY of these bands play and I am stoked to see what they’ll bring to the table. Will it make me want to move my ass? I am sure of it. Will I walk away wanting more? Oh yeah!

Who are YOU the most excited to see this year?