Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea @ Anton’s.
It turns out, once the music portion of the SXSW festival starts, you have exactly two options when it comes to what you’re doing at any given point in the day. You are either watching live music, or you’re eating. No exceptions. This, in theory, sounds incredible — two of my favorite things, all day long, for five days in a row? HELL YEAH. And yet, in practice? Let’s just say, it’s only day two, and I’m having trouble standing up for long periods of time. Also, I need to eat an apple. Some greens. Really, anything but a taco, or a variation thereof. Let’s look into how I got to this state.
When you’re running around Austin at breakneck pace all day long, you get hungry. Duh. And the easiest food to grab on the go comes to you from an endless variety of trucks, parked on Austin’s sidewalks and in her parking lots. Some of the finer fare I’ve sampled from these mealhouses on wheels has included the tasty Argentinian empanadas from mmmpanada (they also make an asparagus and proscuitto empanada that may be on the menu for tonight), and a divine “pork chop bun” from an asian fusion cart on Austin’s 4th street, called Whazabi. When I ordered this little guy, I had no idea what to expect, and what I got was a lightly fried pork chop, served with lemongrass and asian-style barbeque sauce. Worth flying to Austin for.
I also managed to sit down for one or two meals. At Frank, the famed hot dog and sausage outlet, I went in for a Chicago dog that has convinced me never to eat a hot dog without a pickle on it again.
In between eating, I have actually managed to see some amazing live music.
Choosing which bands and showcases you are going to see at SXSW is an absolutely maddening process. There are an infinite number of acts to see each night, and no matter what you eventually decide on, it is conflicting with something else you are absolutely dying to see. Also, no matter how many thing you know, and how much you are on the ball, there is something cool happening that you couldn’t possibly anticipate. The Foo Fighters are playing unexpectedly in honor of an album launch. Jack White just shows up at hot dog haven, Frank, to end a band’s set before sticking around to launch his mobile record store, Third Man Records, in the parking lot. You cannot keep track of it all. I’m pretty sure the lord almighty himself missed the secret Radiohead show the other night.
What’s comforting about all of this is that no matter where you land, something exciting is bound to be happening. Walk into any bar, and music is playing. Not your speed? Walk next door. Check out your awesome SXSW iPhone app and see who’s up next at the bars across town. One thing that has become hyper-apparent in my days at this festival is that from here on in, without technology, we are a lost society. We have totally forgotten how to plan in advance. There is no longer such thing as printing out directions. And the future richest man/woman in the world will be the person who invents a phone and/or computer battery that lasts for an entire day of festival-going research, texting, tweeting and other activity.
That said, I have managed to combine enough light planning and on-the-fly decision-making to land at some pretty incredible shows. I have blogging about almost all of what I’ve seen over at IFC.com, and you can click on the links below to read in detail about each experience.
The Civil Wars @ The IFC Crossroads House.
More coverage of culinary adventures and musical exploits to come, so stay tuned. Until next time…
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