Happy’s Top 9 of 2009
By Happy on Dec 30 Filed In Activities, Events, Live Music, Social Media, Uncategorized, Vacation 2 Comments
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!
ACL Musings by a Granny Impersonator
By Guest on Oct 6 Filed In Intern, Live Music, Uncategorized Add a Comment
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!
ACL, mud, legs, Sweet Leaf Tea branding.
“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!
Jon sharing some gool ole Granny love w/SLT Fans!
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!
Balloon drop during Passion Pit at ACL Sunday.
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!
Live Music Capital of the World
By Emily on Oct 1 Filed In ACL, Austin, Texas, Events, Live Music, Uncategorized Add a Comment
“Live music capital of the world,” Austin, TX – Host to one of the largest music festivals in the world, Austin City Limits, enables Austin to live up to its name. I was never much of a music buff until moving here 7 years ago but Austin is the place that turns bands into house-hold names. Over the last few ACL’s, I have watched artists like Ghostland, Kings of Leon, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, and Arcade Fire, to name a few, grow to be appreciated by music fans across the country and play for sold out crowds. I love that ACL exposes Austinites and other out-of-towners to up and coming bands before they go “mainstream.” The opportunity to listen to their music in intimate crowds is priceless. To that point, you can also find them playing at the after-ACL parties. Pick up a glass of Sweet Leaf Tea and Tito’s to make the shows even more enjoyable.
By the way, I’ve made some sacrifices to see these bands. A few years ago, I was working the Sweet Leaf Tea booth as a cashier. I was taking orders, collecting cash, calling out the flavor I needed so that the people working at the back of the booth could toss me a bottle to give to the customer. Well, what sounds like an easy train of events was not the case. I looked down to put the money in the cash box, to find myself being drilled in the eye with a glass bottle of Original Sweet Tea. I had to take a knee after that one. Who would have thought working as the cashier would result in a worker’s comp claim. (Just kidding). If you didn’t know what happened, you’d think I got hit by a baseball bat. My eye was bleeding, I was dizzy and still attempting to take orders until the customers started raising an eyebrow as soon as they saw me. I could tell I didn’t look so good. Despite my war wounds, I walked zig-zagged over to see Ghostland. Talk about a loyal fan.
In case you were wondering, I’m also looking forward to Dr. Dog, Blitzen Trapper, and Phoenix. Let’s see how long it takes for my New York friends to figure out who they are…
Ghostland concert
Danny’s ACL Picks
By Danny on Sep 28 Filed In ACL, Activities, Austin, Texas, Food & Beverage, Uncategorized 1 Comment
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.
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.
What to bring to the show: Dance Shoes and GLOW STICKS!!! I can’t stress the glow sticks enough.
