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!

Dance, Thrash in a Pit and Have Fun Fun Fun at the Fest!

By April on Nov 5     Filed In Austin, Texas, Food & Beverage, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Live Music     2 Comments

This week is exciting! It’s time for Fun Fun Fun Fest! Do you know what that means kids? For me, it means that I will go another weekend without much sleep in the name of discovering new bands, seeing bands that I’ve started digging because of my Pandora and LastFM stations, and seeing some awesome, old-school stuff that will help make me feel like 15 year old April again. You know what I say to people who ask if I ever sleep? “You can sleep when you DIE!”

Yup. that’s right.

But seriously, how many festivals out there offer you a chance to have a dance party at one stage, laugh at another and then get thrown into a sweaty pit of moshing bodies at a different one? Not many and that’s one of the reasons I dig this festival so much. Before working for Sweet Leaf Tea, I was pretty anti- hipster dufus music, but I have learned to embrace it and realized that as I stated last year, it all comes full circle and that needs to be cultivated, respected and revered. No matter what you’re into.

Wondering who I have on my list to see this year?

FRIDAY 7:45 PM: Dude, it’s Weird Al! Yes, really! I’ve never seen him before, but I’ve been a fan since elementary school and I can’t wait to catch his set. I expect to be laughing through the whole thing. I mean, can YOU listen to “Another one bites the dust” and NOT sing, “Another one rides the bus” instead? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Don’t miss him, it’s insanely awesome that he’s playing a special opening night for FFF Fest!

SATURDAY

Hopefully you get some sleep after that amazing set, OR you hit up some awesome after-parties and you wake up hungry and craving some tasty trailer food. On your way to Waterloo Park for the fest, stop at Auditorium Shores from 11am-8pm for the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival! I can’t go to a festival all day without some very important nourishment and my buddies at Gourdoughs Big Fat Donuts and lots of other fine, foodie folks will be there sampling their treats and eats at a cool and affordable $3 or LESS! Nom-Nom your way across Auditorium Shores, say hi to people like the fabulous Jodi Bart and then get over to Waterloo Park so you don’t miss the first band you’re hoping to catch.

Hope to catch: The Antlers (2:45 Orange) I don’t know what is up with all of the new-fangled animal-inspired bands, but their music is pretty nifty and dream poppy, which I tend to dig. Let’s go see them!, Slick Rick (3:50 Turquoise) This dude is old-skool personified and probably shouldn’t be missed, so bust out your gold grill and be ready! The Vandals (7:00 Grey) You can’t beat this old punk band from the OC. Do yourself a favor and bounce into the evening with these guys! Dirty Projectors (7:50 Orange) These guys play some really fun music that gets pretty funky and weird. Dig ‘em! Bad Religion (8:45 Grey) While I’m probably dancing myself into a sweaty tizzy over at the Turquoise stage, my buddy will be reliving the glory days with these guys. Tell me the truth. Is there anything better than grey-haired punk rockers? I think not. Ok maybe, if they are also wearing glasses….but I digress…

Bad Religion proving my point

Not gonna miss: The Wavves (3:30 Organge) I like the music that gets played on both the LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture stations which is how I came to discover The Wavves and Delorean. See both of these bands during the Fest and get your dance on with me late Saturday night for the Delorean DJ set over at the Beauty Bar. Delorean (6:40 Turquoise), G.W.A.R. (7:50 Grey) This set is at the same time as the Dirty Projectors and trust me when I say that musically they are as different as pickles and stew but man, have YOU seen a G.W.A.R. show before? It’s a.must.see. <Easily offended? Maybe skip these guys..> RJD2 (8:45 Turquoise) I had to miss this guy when he came through town the last time and I will NOT miss this set, though it’s a conflict since it’s at the same time as punk rock icons Bad Religion and current hipster kings, MGMT. Looking for me? I’ll be the one getting my groove on during during the RJD2 set. Yup. That’s how you’ll know it’s me!

SUNDAY

Hope to catch:  Mother Falcon (12:15 Orange) If I can get myself out of bed in a timely fashion, then you will be able to catch me seeing these guys. They were so much fun at Zoe Cordes Selbin’s (the coolest person I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet) birthday party that they might just be a MUST SEE and not a “try to see”. Deakin (2:10 Orange) This guy does some pretty kooky, experimental noisy stuff with Animal Collective so it could be worth a listen! YELLE (7:40 Turquoise) They seem pretty fun and are super-upbeat. Why not? The Hold Steady (7:45 Orange) Still not sure how I feel about these guys, so I might stop by and see if they sway me once I hear them live.

Not gonna miss: Best Coast (5:10 Orange) Yup, I agree with most of @SweetLeafDanny’s choices and since he introduced me to this band, every time I’ve heard them, I’ve dug it. So come find me listening to some boy-crazy 1960’s psychedelic-beach music. Deerhunter (6:50 Orange) Again with the animal names. These guys are dreamy but heavy on the distortion and I like that. Suicidal Tendencies (7:50 Grey) Man, I have some great memories of listening to these guys with all of my skater-punk friends back in the day. When I saw that they were playing the fest I KNEW that I had to see them. I will wear my nicest flannel shirt, buttoned only at the top and a Sweet Leaf bandanna low over my forehead and eyes, yo. Tie for last show: Mastodon (8:45 Grey) & The Decendents (8:45 Orange). I missed Mastodon when they came for the Dethklok Tour. I am no metal maven by any stretch of the imagination but since Dethklok is one of the best cartoons ever created, I think catching at least a part of their set will be mandatory. The Decendents deserve our attention and as bummed as I am to be missing Devo (AGAIN!), I can’t wait to see these guys for the first time. Again, (LEGENDARY) punk rock guys with some grey hair and glasses, equals awesometown to me!

Knowing our readers have great taste in music, we wanna know who YOU plan on seeing at this years FFF Fest. Holla-back on our comments, yo!

Don’t Miss Mother Falcon!

By Guest on Aug 18     Filed In Austin, Texas, Guest Blogger, Live Music     2 Comments

Hello Lovers of Sweet Leaf Tea!

I’m writing you as a fellow fan of Sweet Leaf. My name is Zoe, and I am friends with the tea goddess April. Thanks to April, I’m doing a guest post (and writing while sippin on a SLT Half-n-Half; my personal second favorite SLT) and I wanted to write to ya’ll about a show goin’ down tomorrow at The Parish.

The show is an end-of-summer bash with orchestral indie rockers Mother Falcon. If their name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen them gigging around town, or perhaps you saw them on the cover of the Austin Chronicle a few weeks ago. I don’t like to hype bands much—no one will know what the future brings—but I feel pretty confident making the prediction that these guys will be the Austin breakout band of the year. The buzz they are getting is well deserved; if the phrase orchestral indie rock boggles the mind, then give them a listen. With gorgeous melodies and full, lush, arrangements, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the rhythm and float away on a cloud of musical bliss. Not to say the openers aren’t equally fantastic; Battle Bend and Little Lo are opening for Mother Falcon and both are along the same beautiful lines, although slightly more stripped down. Little Lo is sonically reminiscent of a perfect, lazy Austin afternoon—yea, I’m not entirely sure what that means either, but that’s what I think of when I listen to them—see if our ideas of perfect afternoons are the same. Battle Bend is folky rocky fun; it’s come and gone as many different groups and ideas, but always anchored by fantastic songwriter Andrew Stevens.

So, you may be wondering, how is this show relevant to your tea-sippin lifestyle? Well, Sweet Leaf does happen to have the rockin-est fans around—so it seems natural ya’ll might wanna check this out. And I have it on good authority that Mother Falcon are big fans of Sweet Leaf Peach Tea, so you’ll be among fellow fans. I’m hoping to see some of you at the show; it’s tomorrow night (Aug. 19th) at The Parish, doors are at 7 and Little Lo kicks it off at 8. The cover is $8, and money made from the show will go to help record a Mother Falcon full length! Now that’s sweet (leaf)!

Your comrade in SLT arms,

Zoe

MOTHER FALCON: Marigold (Live at the Mohawk) from mutuallymade on Vimeo.

Happy’s Survival Guide to (un)SXSW – Part 1: RSVP Madness

By Happy on Mar 11     Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas, Events, Live Music, SXSW, Uncategorized     2 Comments

ATTENTION FELLOW MUSIC LOVERS & FREE-DRINK ENTHUSIASTS: PLEASE, PUT YOUR PARTY PANTS ON AND BUCKLE YOUR SAFETY BELTS. THIS COULD GET BUMPY.

SXSW: The thought either makes you shudder or gets you all giddy. Or both. It’s okay — that’s natural. Whether you’re a SXSW noob or a vet, there’s plenty to learn about surviving the craziest week that essentially kicks off festival season every year. I’m not even going to attempt to school you on everything there is to know (some things you have to learn for yourself), but I’d be glad to share with you some tips and picks.

I’ll kick things off with a slew of RSVP madness, some of my personal unofficial event picks for the week. Of course, you’ll definitely want to check out the ones at the top (hint hint, they’re sponsored in part by Sweet Leaf Tea), but I’ve also included a few other parties going on that are cool in their own right…

SWEET LEAF TEA SANCTIONED PARTIES THAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS OUT ON:

  • EASTBOUND & FOUND (presented by Ziegenbock, Dos Lunas Tequila, and Sweet Leaf Tea)
    Featuring GZA, Delorean, Here We Go Magic, Maluca, and many more
    WHERE: 1001 E 6th St (Corner of San Marcos & 6th)
    WHEN: Thursday, 3/18 from noon to 9pm
    RSVP / LINEUP / INFO: http://sweetleaftea.com/eastbound
  • MESS WITH TEXAS PARTY
    Featuring Man Man, Billy Bragg, Frightened Rabbit, GWAR, Neon Indian, and so many more
    WHERE: 1001 E 6th St (Corner of San Marcos & 6th)
    WHEN: Friday & Sunday, 3/18-19 from noon to 9pm
    RSVP / LINEUP / INFO: http://mwtxparty.com/
  • THE RUMBLER LOUNGE
    Featuring The Hood Internet, Glitch Mob, Cool Kids, Rye Rye, and many more
    Four day parties with impressive lineups! Plus our good friends from Knuckle Rumbler are responsible for all this fun.
    WHERE: Peckerheads (402 E 6th St)
    WHEN: Wednesday thru Saturday, 3/17 – 18, Noon to 8pm daily
    RSVP / LINEUPS / INFO: http://knucklerumbler.com/category/therumblerlounge/

OTHER NON-SLT SPONSORED PARTIES WORTH CHECKING OUT:

MUSIC

INTERACTIVE / OTHER EVENTS

  • FLATSTOCK 24
    Probably my favorite event throughout all of SXSW.
    “Co-presented by the American Poster Institute (API) and SXSW, Flatstock 24 will display the works of more than 100 artists from across North America and the globe. Posters representing decades of styles, colors and techniques will be on display and for sale as well as additional merchandise. Show up early and be ready to be overwhelmed with amazing posters. (You might want to bring some dough since you won’t want to leave empty handed!) The exhibition is free and open to the public.”
    WHERE: Austin Convention Center Level 1, Exhibit Hall 1
    WHEN: Thurs. 3/18 1 – 6pm & Fri. 3/19 – Sat. 3/20 10am – 6pm
    MORE INFO: http://sxsw.com/music/collectors/flatstock
  • AMERICAN APPAREL FLEA MARKET
    “Tens of thousands of your favorite garments to choose from. Up to 85% off, with prices starting at $1. Inventory will be constantly replenished throughout the weekend. RSVP on this event page to receive updates, tips, and be the first to know when new inventory arrives!”
     WHERE: Mexican-American Cultural Center (600 River Street, Austin, TX 78701)
    WHEN: THURS – SAT (3/18-20) 12:00pm – 10:00pm daily
    MORE INFO: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=363185902145&index=1
  • BIKE HUGGER MOBILE SOCIALS
    “Bike Hugger’s Mobile Social is a Texas-sized bike culture event. We’ll ride around Austin arriving at Mellow Johnnys for a BBQ and Variety Show.”
     WHEN: March 13, 2010, 2pm-6pm
    WHERE: Brush Square Park >> Mellow Johnny’s
    Who: SXSW Attendees, Austin Locals, cyclists
    RSVP now at     Upcoming or Facebook
  • GOWALLA PRESENTS THE TIKI ROOM FEATURING DIPLO
    This year, it’s all about location-based social networking, and Gowalla is leading the pack. You won’t want to miss this, but you’ll have to earn your way in if you don’t have an official badge.
    WHERE: The Belmont (305 W 6th St)
    WHEN: Monday, 3/15 9-11pm
    COMPLETE INFO: http://gowalla.com/sxsw

RESOURCES FOR OTHER PARTIES & RSVP’S (YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, KID):

Godspeed, everyone. You’ve been warned!

Eastbound & Found presented by Ziegenbock + Dos Lunas Tequila + Sweet Leaf Tea

By Happy on Mar 9     Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas, Events, Food & Beverage, Live Music, SXSW, Social Media, Sweet Contests     39 Comments

Fear not, friends, for this is the one day party you won’t want to miss. In partnership with some of our good friends, we’ve been hard at work putting together a kick-awesome showcase/party, and we’re finally ready to share it with everyone!

Eastbound & Found

Benefitting Drink Pink to Save The Tatas

WHERE:

1001 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78702
(corner of E. 6th St. & San Marcos St., walking distance from all the downtown madness, precariously close to some kinda fort)

WHEN:

Thursday, March 18th, 2010
Noon to 9PM

THE LINEUP:

Stage One
12:15-12:50 Ragen Fykes
1:10-1:45 Freelance Whales
2:05-2:40 Ume
3:00-3:35 Warpaint
3:55-4:30 Morning Benders
4:50-5:25 Here We Go Magic
5:45-6:20 Maluca
7:00- 8:00 GZA

Stage Two
12:30-1:05 Burnt Ones
1:25 – 2:00 Diamond Rings
2:20-2:55 Kid Sister
3:15-3:50 Slow Club
4:10-4:45 Danielson
5:05-5:40 Delorean
6:00 – 7:00 White Denim

*Follow us on Twitter and add us on Facebook for updates.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Two bars and food available on-site along with other fun stuff from our friends at Harley Davidson, screen printing by Southside Sanctuary, and photobooth by GreenShoeLace.com.

RSVP:

This event is FREE, open to the public (no badges required!), ALL-ages, and capacity HUGE (no waiting in wrap-around lines or cramming into a tiny room!). Hassle-free fun. However, please RSVP by doing the following:

  1. RSVP on our Facebook event page
  2. Friend us on Facebook for updates
  3. Follow us on Twitter for updates
  4. Tell your friends via Facebook  / Twitter / email

GET HERE:

Ride your bike. Hitch a ride. Use your converse. Carpool. Fly. Our goal is to minimize the impact on the neighborhood and environment in terms of parking, traffic, and sound – thanks for helping out with that. You can park your car in all available public and private spaces near the event, and we also have access to parking at 917 East Sixth Street and pay parking lots at 900 Trinity and 406 East Seventh Street.

If you plan to ride your bike (recommended), there will be plenty of bike racks on site for you to use.

FEELIN’ LUCKY?

For a chance to win VIP passes to Eastbound & Found, click here!




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