• Categories

  Select Category ACL  (26) Activities  (79) arts & crafts  (10) Austin, Texas  (164) Celebrities  (17) Chicago  (21) Clayton Christopher  (7) Cocktail Recipes  (11) Distribution  (2) earth day  (5) Epiphone Guitar  (7) Events  (138) Food & Beverage  (87) Guest Blogger  (10) Intern  (34) Live Music  (107) Lollapalooza  (37) Los Angeles  (5) Muddy Buddy  (3) Nestle Waters  (2) Organic  (15) recipes  (1) Relief Fund  (1) Social Media  (19) Sweet Bikes  (15) sweet birthdays  (1) Sweet Consumers  (42) Sweet Contests  (28) Sweet Leaf Dogs  (7) Sweet Leaf Tea Company News  (28) Sweet Leaf Tea Sightings  (8) Sweet Pets  (1) SXSW  (18) teasnacky  (9) Uncategorized  (123) Unwrapped  (2) Vacation  (7)

• Search

  Search for:

• Archives

  Select Month July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008

• Tag Cloud

  ACL-Fest Add new tag Austin Austin TX Bicycles BP-MS-150 Chicago Citrus Green Tea Clayton Christopher Cocktail Recipes consumers CONTEST dogs fixers Fun Fun Fun Fest Girl Talk granny green tea Holidays Home Slice Pizza Houston iced tea interns Knuckle Rumbler Live Music Lollapalooza Mint & Honey Green Tea Mint-and-Honey-Green-Tea mixers music Music Festival Phoenix Sweet Contests sweet leaf sweet Leaf blog Sweet Leaf Tea sweet stories Sweet Tea SXSW teasnacky Texas Tito's Vodka TX Whole Foods Market Yeah Yeah Yeahs

  WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.

Well here we are, folks.

The end of 2009 is finally upon us, even if it feels like just yesterday that we were celebrating it’s beginning.  This year has truly been an amazing year packed with festivals, traveling, and all-around good times, and since everyone else is doing it, I thought I would reminisce my top nine things/events/moments/trips of 2009 for anyone that’s bored enough to read it.

Here we go (in no particular order):

• Girl Talk at Rothbury Music Festival: Hands down my favorite festival moment of 2009. Before this year, I had never ventured to the land of Michigan, much less a camping-style music festival, and for both of those reasons, Rothbury was an amazing experience. The highlight of the entire weekend was seeing Girl Talk at the Sherwood Court stage at 2 in the morning. Every one of the thousands of people in the crowd was dancing big, but there was enough room not to bump into each other. The music and energy really sucked us in. ‘Til 5AM. It was nuts. My brain a-splode.
  

  Girl Talk making brains a-splode at Rothbury Music Fest

• Sonoma Wine Country: Another first for me. Before I visited and took a winery tour, I never truly appreciated wine. Learning the process up close and personal did that for me. And if you’ve never experienced the wine country, you need to. Its gorgeous.
  

  The vineyards at Ravenswood in Sonoma, CA

• City Museum in St. Louis, MO: Yet another maiden voyage for me this year. Other than Chicago (for Lollapalooza), I haven’t spend a great deal of time in the midwest, but work brought me to St. Louis for Life is Good Festival. I had a few hours to kill before hopping back on my flight back to Austin, so I chose to venture to the City Museum.  The best way to describe it is like a giant playground for all ages — tunnels, caves, slides, and other structures made from junk that are all seamlessly put together in the old 11-story International Shoe Company warehouse building. They have a freaking 10-story spiral slide made from the old package chute. Awesome.
  

  City Museum in St. Louis, MO

• Monolith Festival / Denver Trip: Back in September, a fairly sizable group of my Austin friends ventured to Denver to catch the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks, and despite the less-than-perfect weather (constant rain and cold), we had an amazing time. It was almost a religious experience to see some of my favorite bands (and some new favorites) at such a beautiful venue with the world’s best natural acoustics.
  

  Monolith Music Fest at Red Rocks Amphitheater

• Photography: I’ve always been a shutterbug, but this year is the first in which I’ve ever owned the proper equipment. Last winter, I got my hands on a Nikon D60 and haven’t been able to put the damn thing down. Since 1/1/09, I’ve taken over 16,000 photos, 5,500 of which were usable. Yeesh! It’s a time and resource suck, but its a hobby I’ve really come to enjoy.
• Music Music Music Music Music: 2009 was an awesome year for music. For me, it was more about new bands and sounds that I discovered either through events like SXSW or through recommendation of friends. Albums that were on repeat all year:
  • Matt & Kim - Grand
  • Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
  • Passion Pit – Manners
  • Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11
  • Thao with The Get Down Stay Down – Know Better Learn Faster
  • White Denim – Fits
  • T-Bird and the Breaks – Learn About It
  • Astronautalis – Pomegranate
• Twitter: The Twitterverse really took off this year.  I never thought I would allow myself to admit it, but, to be honest, Twitter has changed my life. True, I can admit that I’ve become somewhat of a social media whore, but I really believe that it has revolutionized the way people interact and exchange information. The kicker for me has been experiencing this medium translate social media in the online realm into in-real-life relationships, business-related and otherwise. This phenomenon leads me to the next item on my list…

• My friends (the #HTM): Never before have I met such an interrelated group of people who love life just as much as the next person. With a common interest in live music, we’re also all immersed in the world of marketing/promotion in some form or fashion. Looking forward to the future with these cats, and to think we all came into each other’s lives through some extension of social networking. That’s just silly.
• My Tea’m: Majority of this list wouldn’t have been possible without having worked for Sweet Leaf Tea. I know I sound like I’m just preaching the cool-aid, but I’m being serious. The people I work with are incredible, and I’m thankful every day that I get to promote a brand that I believe in. We’ve been through a lot of changes and faced some intense challenges, but its incredible to think about where we’ve come from and, even more so, where we’re going. The adventure continues!

So there it is: My Top 9 of 2009. Looking forward to another great year in 2010, even if I’m doubtful that I can ever get used to saying ‘twenty-ten’.

Happy New Year!

Alright, so this past weekend we got a chance to get out and about to one of the best music festivals on the west coast! Right off from San Francisco, located smack dab in the heart of the bay, the Treasure Island Music Fest was kind enough to grace us with VIP & a truly awesome lineup!  We had a chance to see performances by everyone from The Streets, to the Decemberists, Girl Talk, The Flaming Lips, MGMT and so many more talented artists.

PRE-DAY ONE: It’s unbelievable to see the sight I’d witnessed the day before the start of TIMF. As I drove through SF in the morning, I made my way back out to the East Bay to witness something truly epic. The pirates at Treasure Island were seriously up to something. I knew it when I first got onto the bay bridge, and it seemed like the clouds were surrounding Treasure Island. This was unlike any fog I’d ever seen. It really felt as we were driving through the clouds. The event was really set up under the perfect cover.

DAY ONE: As Mike and I made our way onto the island, we noticed traffic was really non-existent.  The music didn’t go on until 12, though we made it there shortly after the gates opened around 11am. The VIP lot was empty.  There may have been 20 cars in an enormous lot, which made it feel like a vast desert. Trub’s and I even came across a couple wrecked cars and I had to take a photo.  We did chill out a bit and meet a few friends in the lot before meandering our way over to the gates.

The music started, and we were right on time. As we approached the gates we witnessed the masses pouring off the shuttles onto the island. It actually took no time at all to get through the line and into the fest. Thankful for the Treasure Island Fest iPhone app, I knew exactly who was playing, and when to catch my favorite artists.  Truby and I decided to scout out the area and see where all the “cool” went down. We actually made it to a booth that was giving away free American Apparel shirts, and they were screen printing custom t-shirts. Well, the sign said free.  You just had to sacrifice about 2 hours of your time to stand in the line.. All in all, being the beginning of the first day, we felt it rather worth it. Besides, how often do you get to design your own shirt?!

While I was stoked to see MGMT, I’d seen them before. Hands down the best act was The Streets. They were phenomenal. If you have heard their albums, you know the originality they bring to their tunes. HIGHLY recommended live act. The albums are great, but their connection with the crowd in a live performance is what drew me in and kept me going! Enjoying their performance in ‘da VIP was rather epic.

DAY TWO: Stumbling in after a long night, we decided to spend more of our time exploring the various elements of the festival. Being 2 dudes, we skipped the ferris wheel. There were some really creative carny games and surprisingly enough they were quite fun! I really got into the hat toss, and easily walked outta there feelin’ like a champ. We spent a while over there and bounced back over to VIP. While $7 for a beer probably wasn’t in our best financial interest, it had to be done. Over the course of the 2 days, Mike and I must have made a few hundred new friends. Always with that question “what do you do?” out there, I heard rants and raves about Sweet Leaf Tea. So many people kept telling me how much more awesome TIMF would be with an awesome Sweet Leaf Tea presence. This is definitely an event to consider in coming years.

Music-wise, Girl Talk and The Flaming Lips KILLED it! They were phenomenal and completely had the whole place bumpin’! Girl Talk totally made it feel like one giant party! As the night came to a close, the sky was lit up with fireworks and confetti.  It was such an incredible sight to end the night with the San Francisco skyline..

Be sure to check us out in Golden Gate Park on this Sunday for West Fest! It should be quite a spectacle watching 3,000 guitarists jam to Stairway to Heaven at this FREE festival! Come get your SWEET LEAF TEA fix!!!

ACL is approaching quickly! So grab your sunscreen, tie-dye shirts, and an ice cold bottle of Sweet Leaf Tea, of course.  You may be asking yourself, “Hey, what bands am I going to see this year?” We’ll I’ma give you some insight to my top 5 bands of ACL that are MUST-SEE SHOW STOPPERS!

YEAH YEAH YEAHS!

Sounds like: Energetic and provocative. Shock and Awe.  Kinda like a Kamikaze Pilot.

Front women, Karen O, always brings her A-game.  At Lollapalooza, she showed up in an indian headdress.  Great Music, great show.  It’s what going to a concert should be like all the time.  It’s not just a concert…..it’s a theatrical performance.

What to bring to the show: Tap dancing shoes and a monocular

Exhibit A: Zero — Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Phoenix

Sounds like: Vampire Weekend in a pair of electronic dance pants.

This French Electro-Pop-Funk-Indie band hit the pinnacle with their fourth album, “Wolfgang Amadeus”. Synths floating around in a sea of tasteful bass, all while the drums beats splash splash around  in this fishbowl of an album. ITS GREAT!  My Favorite… “Lasso”.

Lasso — Phoenix

What to bring to the show: French Fries and a video camera to capture this show so you can send it to your roommate from your foreign exchange program.

The Ravonettes

Sounds like: 60’s Psychedelic–Retro, Rock

This Boy-Girl Duo will mesmerize you in the sea of people at the festival.  Everyone will be moving as one to the harmonies.

Love in a Trashcan — Ravonettes

What to bring to the show: Classic Black Rayban WayFarers and a vintage patterned shirt.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

Sounds like: Modern day James Brown.  Rocking the Blues and Soul NON-Stop

This Austin Band is a MUST SEE. They will have you, your momma, your sister, and Grandpappy rocking to the smooth bass riffs, blasting brass, and rolling sax melodies.  I have seen them several times….trust me they are good.

What to bring to the show: your old trumpet and a lounge chair to soak in these sweet notes.

Sugarfoot — Black Joe Lewis

Girl Talk

Sounds like: A DANCE PARTY IN A CLOSET.

Gregg Gillis knows how to move a crowd.  Mix-mashing mainstream songs into glorious pieces of dance art.  Full of life on stage, bouncing around in front of a laptop with the crowd on the stage dancing behind him.  At Rothbury he tossed a blown up raft into the crowd and surfed it to the edge of the festival. AWESOME.  SEE HIM….DO IT.

Girltalk Concert

What to bring to the show: Dance Shoes and GLOW STICKS!!!  I can’t stress the glow sticks enough.

I spent 8 days in an RV with three guys for the Rothbury Music Festival and I can still call them friends. Here’s a few tips in case you’re ever signed up for something similar.

1. Rule Number One- No Number Twos (in the RV). Enough said.

2. Be merry. Buy a box of wine like I did (so not ashamed to admit it)  or Bloody Mary mix, perhaps  tequila if you want to cut straight to the chase. After a long day you’ll need to unwind so have the supplies ready to go. You may need the help falling asleep.

3. Action! There will be incriminating moments so a camera is a must. You’ll learn more about your camp mates than you ever wanted to so be prepared. One might be signing the national anthem while another is reenacting a battle scene on top of the RV. Who knows? You’ll want evidence.

4. Just dance. What better way to bond than a dance party??!! A favorite of the Sweet Leaf Tea’m is music from  Girl Talk. Check it out and you’ll thank us later.

5. Big pimpin’. Make your RV the coolest on the block. Best way to do this? Put a cooler of ice cold Sweet Leaf  Tea outside your door for passers by. You can make more friends in 30 minutes than you have in the last year.

If someone were to ask me what I was doing at work last week, I would begin my tale with something like this…

Oh, you know…driving an RV across Michigan to camp out for 8 days, spread some homemade goodness in a bottle to 50,000+ people, and watch: The Dead, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Family, Girl Talk, The Cool Kids, The Hold Steady, String Cheese Incident, NAS and Damien Marley.

Jealous?

That is exactly what I did working for Sweet Leaf this last week. And all I got to say is:

Rothbury….WOW. What an experience. After attending this amazing event, I came up with Danny Wittes Top 4 of Rothbury Music Fest.

#4 – The Sweet Leaf RV aka “the Tea-Pee”

This 35 foot Winnebago was a house the Sweet re-Leaf Tea’m at Rothbury and served us well. Many tea parties went on here during the week.

#3 – Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan

These two singer/songwriters are music icons. Before you die you need to see them. Willie had a STRONG stage presence and while Bob was not the man he used to be, it was a great showing none the less.

#2 – Sherwood Forest

This forest was plagued with lights and inflatable thorns and flowers. It was a trippy experience. Hammocks were tied from tree to tree with strings of lights flashing like lighting bolts and smoke filled the forest. Almost a sleepy hollow feel, but with pine trees.

#1 – Girl Talk Show

Because I live in the Music Capital of the World (Austin, Texas) I have seen some pretty amazing shows in my life, but this one definitely took the cake. Girl Talk made my brain explode into a millions pieces….and I am still trying to recover them. The set was great, the stage presence rocked, and the mixed and mashed songs hit the spot to make this show one heck of a dance party. Then, at the end of his set, he threw an inflatable boat into the crowd, jumped in it and rode it to the crowd. What? Really? Yes….yes he did. Awesome. End-o-story.

If you were there, maybe you can remind me of one more event so I can consider making this a Top 5-er.