bluegrass to lonestar

A belated post to recap SXSW 2010. We ate lots of free food and drank loads of free booze. The best had to be the pancake, nacho, deschutes party.

Wednesday
Bands
Brazos
Inlets
The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!
Titus Andronicus killed it as always
Torche
Fucked Up followed.

Thursday
Bands
Turbo Fruits
Surfer Blood
Small Black
Vivian Girls.
Kid Sister
Walkmen

Friday
Bands
Holiday Shores
Fergus & Geronimo
Inlets
Young Buffalo
Thoepholis London
Cool Kids
Frightened Rabbit
Man Man

Saturday
Bands
Sharon Van Etten
Garotas Sueccas
Slaraffenland
Natural Child
Andrew WK
Gwar
Beach Fossils

We biked over to the Draughthouse Saturday night to have a few pints. The place is a German style brew tavern, all dark wood and authentic paraphenalia on the walls. They brew their own beers and offer a ton of other drafts to try.  I sampled their Saison made with rye and Lauren got a 512 Pecan Porter. The pints are actual 16oz pours which is a bit annoying. I’m used to pubs offering 20 oz imperial pints so I can’t help but feel a bit ripped off.  All-in-all it’s a nice little place.  I really like the cozy and mellow atmosphere inside.

They also offer free bratwurst and knackwurst on Saturday nights.  They had my favorite mustard on hand, so we’ll definitely have to go back another time for a free dinner.

After Black Lips finished up their set we walked over to Beauty Bar for Bike Prom. We arrived too late for the photos and trick comp but just in time for the Queen cover band “Magnifico”. They were awesome right down to the singer clad only in a leotard. Of course “Bicycle” brought the house down. It was fun as hell and nice ending to an eventful night.

Every second sunday of the month, Shangri-La hosts the Second Sunday Sock Hop or SSSH. After hearing raves about it from our friends we finally got around to checking it out. We met up with everyone in backyard beforehand, a raised space of lights and picnic tables that catches a breeze over the eastside roofs. The sock hop playlist includes tracks from the 50’s-70’s and in honor of Mother’s Day the 10-foot-tall DJ spun only girl groups. The dancefloor was incredibly hot, so we had to take periodic breaks outside. Aside from Lauren’s flat gin and tonic, it was a good time.

Saturday night we headed to Longbranch. It was packed. After a couple drinks we decided to check out Shangri-La, another east side joint.  The host an acclaimed sock hop on the second Sunday of each month, but I haven’t made it to that yet.  They have a nice patio area, pretty much a staple in Austin. It was too cold to enjoy so we headed inside.  There are a couple pool tables, a row of old school arcade games, and an odd seating area in the corner.  A cursory glance at the juke box looked fairly promising. The bathroom doors are marked with a rooster and a cat (clever).  They have a couple decent beers on tap and prices seem pretty cheap.  It was also very busy and some strange dude started to hit on my companions so we left.

We walked a bit further east to Rio Ritas.  This place is the total opposite of Shangri-La.  It was well lit and had lots of seating.  This is most likely because they are a coffee shop during the day.  The bar is tiny and oddly placed.  The line bascially runs right through the middle of the place.  Lauren knew the bartender from Bloomington, a pleasant surprise.  Drinks in hand we grabbed a couch by the door.  The vibe is nicely relaxed.  They serve slice of East Side Pies if your hungry and I hear they make the best bloody mary in Austin.  I need to investigate this claim soon.