Yesterday was the pinnacle of typical Austin sightings. On the bus ride from South Congress to downtown, a musician in his mid thirties, wearing tight black jeans, old-school Nike pumps, a worn jean jacket and black leather gloves, was writing notes on fresh music sheets. He used his local grocery store frequent shopping card to keep his focus on the lines.
Musicians of all ages and talents fill the streets day and night in preparation for the city’s most anticipated weekend of the year.
The presence of vintage shops in this town is equivalent to the number of McDonalds we passed on the drive down here. They are extremely overpriced, but in typical Austin fashion, also extremely cool.
Like every other city in the country last night, St. Patrick’s Day festivities were present at every bar and restaurant we passed. Downtown Austin had a hint of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras flavor. At one point we witnessed a woman sitting on a cooler in the middle of the street waving green light sabers in the air. Our friend Mike Baker summed up the evening accurately and succinctly: hipsters and leprechauns.
Today’s agenda begins with The Seedy Seeds first show of SXSW at 7 p.m. at BD Riley’s. The band drove in yesterday afternoon and already member Mike Ingram has the best bathroom story of the trip. Details later.
