From the local weather report: “There was little relief from the Ragweed today. Levels remained very high again today. More than 200 grains were counted under the microscope. Fall Elm dropped slightly to below 100 grains. Molds were unchanged with high levels.”
I think almost everyone I know is suffering right now. And I am officially that old person in the grocery store nodding emphatically as someone says, “You know what it is, it’s the FALL ELM.”
And that’s bullshit. For many reasons. But also, fall elm sounds like it’s going to be something nice, but I’m miserable, and I wish I was dead.
About a year ago, Austinist threw a party at the Mohawk bar here in Austin the night before ACL. We do it every year, celebrating local bands not playing in the festival, as our way of saying ‘we love you’ to the scene, the musicians, artists and go-getters who keep it going, and to our readers. The shows are always free, and sponsored by wonderful local and out of town merchants and individuals who support us year-round. Last year, our party was happening the night before Mohawk opened to the general public.
In the afternoon, we went by to scope things out. There had been a lot of construction happening, a stage was being built outside as well as inside, there were inspectors, and everything was generally insane. Around 4 p.m., there were nails on the ground, no doors on the women’s restrooms, and I was slightly panicked. A guy I had just met, who came to be known to me as Moody, patted me on the back and said, in a slight Southern drawl, “Don’t worry, this is going to be fine.”
Despite the sweat on his brow and his partner Vince’s visible stress level, I felt better. When you’re asking a venue to help you throw a party that has no cover, dozens of sponsors and 8 or so bands, you feel generally awful tapping your foot. Yet, as the afternoon came to a close, I sped away from my statistics class and quickly changed clothes to head over, finding the rest of my friends and peers smiling happily as I walked onto the patio. We did it.
“We” being a relative term, of course. The story behind this place is incredible, and the people who made it become what it is are incredible. Every day I learn a little more about how much has gone into the success of this place, and how hard these folks work to make sure that the rest of us enjoy it. I don’t mean “so the rest of us can go drink.” What I mean is that these people do what they do, endlessly, tirelessly, in a million different ways, so the rest of us can create, build, play, perform, support each other and generally exist as creatives happily, together.
This year, we had our pre-ACL party at Mohawk again, (see the photo in the middle for an idea of the crowd, I’m not sure that even reveals how packed the place was — the inside was full, as well as two decks and an upstairs bar), and again the afternoon was a stressful (but fun) dance with nails, inspectors and general last minute details. The new deck was almost done, the stage was getting a boost, and tons of things were coming together just hours before the party was set to begin. At one point in the afternoon, the owners were helping nail the stage, Austinists were helping move furniture back into place, the film crew from Super!Alright! was wiping off counters and cleaning up extension cords, and the sound guys were helping move two by fours that weren’t in use. This time, we toasted each other and celebrated the Mohawk’s birthday. Not surprisingly, things went off without a hitch.
It’s only partially because I love these people so dearly that I’m excited about their new Web site. It’s mostly because just like everything else they do, it’s done well. Having to go to venue sites constantly for research and writing, I’ve noticed a trend in terms of style: most are utility only, and don’t even do a good job with that aspect. The Mohawk’s site is beautiful, easy to navigate, has heart, a story and includes the rest of the community just like everything else they do. It’s actually useful and fun to visit. It’s my favorite place for exactly this reason … I can go in on a Tuesday and be one of four customers, or I could be one of a thousand, and I get the exact same treatment. So does everyone else. They’re true blue, Ethel.
For Austinites, they’re special people. For those visiting, performing or new to town, they’re a must-experience place. Check out their new site, say hello. Below is a video that Super!Alright! smartypants Erik Horn made of footage from our party, with Corto Maltese providing the awesome tune. They’re one to watch, you heard it here.
More reasons to try to understand the human mind (via):
A 25-year-old schizophrenic man shoved a 14.5-cm-long ballpoint pen through his eye socket, all the way to his cerebellum (in the rear of the brain). Hospital staff found him lying in a pool of blood, and the man told doctors he ‘had torn his eyes because it tickled and that 10 years earlier he had shot himself in one eye with an airgun rifle.’ His doctors were puzzled: the man slipped quickly into a coma, but there was no sign of serious trauma to the area other than a small hematoma. A CT scan (above) provided more baffling information, which the doctors initially interpreted as a bullet wound in the left parieto-occipital region. When the patient died 4 days after the injury, the ballpoint pen was discovered wedged deep into the brain. The blunt end of the pen, with cap, had been inserted first, with the cap lodged well into the right lobe of the cerebellum. This is one of the only known suicides on record from “low-velocity” penetrating objects.
Speaking of unfortunate re-brandings (scroll down for the aside I made about the Photoshop logo the other day), Wiseacre has given a nice list of several other examples of less-than-outstanding marketing moves by some big names.
They’ve shared stages with plenty of big-name acts, are Ed Droste’s (Grizzly Bear) “favorite new band”, and were just signed to Dim Mak, and yet I see surprisingly little about them in the so-called blogosphere. Foreign Born are poised to be huge, and if it doesn’t happen yet in 2007, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in higher-profile positions in 2008.
The band’s first proper full-length, On the Wing Now, features tightly woven rock’n'roll pieces that, while sticking pretty closely to indie-rock standards, reveals a dedication to detail that makes each song unique. Guitarist Lewis Pesacov’s degree in Composition probably aided that to a certain extent and his founding partner Matt Popieluch’s voice lends a healthy dose of breadth to the songs: his vocals are encompassing, and his range is impressive. At times, his voice reminds me of the more rocking Echo & The Bunnymen songs: soaring, epic and memorable. You can check out more songs over at their MySpace.
I’m really excited that there are a few straight-up rock bands surfacing this year that have me this excited.
Preview of Daniel Ekeroth’s SWEDISH DEATH METAL book The ultimate blow-by-blow account of Sweden’s legendary death metal underground, based on exclusive interviews with members of Nihilist/ Entombed, In Flames, At the Gates, Dismember, Grave ...
Man Saves Drowning Bear Afraid the bear would drown, Warwick kept one arm underneath the animal, grabbed the scruff of his neck and dragged him to shore, where he was put in the bucket of a tractor and later released in Osceola National Forest.
Mats Gustafsson & Cor Fuhler Split LP While the explorations of these two musicians take them to very different musical and emotional terrain, the unrelenting sense of experiment is what connects them on this LP.
Lexington | The politics of hip-hop Mr McWhorter, a fellow of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think-tank, is a hip-hop fan. He likens the group OutKast to Stravinsky.
From the local weather report: “There was little relief from the Ragweed today. Levels remained very high again today. More than 200 grains were counted under the microscope. Fall Elm dropped slightly to below 100 grains. Molds were unchanged with high levels.”
They’ve shared stages with plenty of big-name acts, are Ed Droste’s (Grizzly Bear) “favorite new band”, and were just signed to 
