Steel Pulse! (Taken with instagram)

If you’re around any of these cities, you should check this out and see if you can find my sketchbook! Love the idea of a traveling library. However I won’t get to see my work again until September when it rolls through Austin.

Should’ve made scans for myself but maybe next project. Yup, next project.

daughtersofdilla:

Going!

Last week was really hard and so this is the last time I really complain so I can get over it and have a great new week. Because March is awesome and I don’t feel like being down about it:

I missed one of my favorite bands, The Velvet Teen, three times in one week. Don’t ask me how that happened especially since one of their shows was actually held in San Antonio. Like right downtown, which is a 10 minute bike ride from my house. Nothing went as planned.

I even tried SXSW which I’ve attended once before and forgot that I don’t enjoy it at all. Austin is not a fun city anymore. It used to be the place I wanted to live and then something about its spirit died down. Not completely lost, mind you, but I know I’m better for not choosing that as my home after my time in Denver. In fact, Austin might be better for it considering what true Austinites want you to know, Visit Austin, Don’t Move Here. Sorry Austin but your condos have already been built and also SXSW featured a giant Doritos vending machine. So yeah.

Of course, this is inevitable progress and so I feel like the commercial aspect of it doesn’t make me completely upset. Sell it if you got it. But the people attending. Well, an obvious fashion show. Had to be seen and not see the bands. Look up from your phones, young people! The marching bands and buskers made the 5 hours I spent there much more bearable and the taxi drivers are nice. Especially if they know you’re from San Antonio. It makes you less tourist-y I guess. And I sat outside a packed venue to listen to Dev Hynes for a little bit. He sounded good but there was no way I was waiting in that line. I’ve done music festivals before and have enjoyed them thoroughly. However, SXSW doesn’t seem to be a music festival. It’s missing that feeling of a transient community most music festivals have to offer. Walk around, get stupid, look good while doing it and try not to pass out in the street. And if you happen to catch a new band who’s name you won’t remember tomorrow, well SUCCESS.

I was also sick for half of the week. The first 3 days I kept waking up a 5AM even though I go to sleep at 10:30. And the rest of the week I was just tired. I don’t know what’s wrong with my body but hopefully I’ll feel a 100% this week. There have been other depressing feelings but I’ll leave it at that.

To make up for what seemed like a lot of difficulties last week, I’ll share, above, the best twitter convo ever with Matthew Izen of TVT. I saw him and Casey Dietz after the show I missed and though I talked to them briefly, they were really nice, asked my name, and shook my hand. Genuine hearts. He had hoped I could go to their Flowerbooking showcase the next day which was not happening. But I thanked them via Twitter anyway and got this sweet reply. It means a lot and kind of gives me hope I’ll see them maybe sometime this year. And hopefully soon. I’ve never seen them live and all the missed chances were really upsetting. It made me feel like I’ll never see them. Now I have a little hope things will go better.

I also downloaded Santigold’s “Disparate Youth” and it made me feel better about a lot of things. I put it on repeat and let it move me. The lyrics are probably going on that list of most important ones in my life:

And then the dog had puppies. We’ve counted 4 so far but since she decided to go underneath the house to have them we can’t really tell. It’s really beautiful even if they are all slimy and slightly pink.

And so I feel good today. Not really good, but good and I’ll take that. I’m just going to try and enjoy the rest of the month and not get stressed out. I’m going to plan better (which may help me not fail so much as “not planning” is what ruined things), if I want something badly I’m going to take it but first, I’m going to take care of business. We don’t tell ourselves enough that everything will be OK. You think back at past difficulties and realize you made it through it. So why you trippin’ now? Everything will be OK, it’s not that big of a deal, and it won’t matter. Nothing matters but faith and love. So here goes the rest of March.

fuckyeahthevelvetteen:

After the Minus the Bear tour, our band of plucky adventurers took some time off to replenish their stamina and level up… but now they’re back for the boss fight a mini-tour in March:

• MARCH 8: The Independent (w/ The Twilight Sad) - San Francisco, CA
• MARCH 9: The Satellite - LA, CA
• MARCH 10: Soda Bar - San Diego, CA
• MARCH 11: Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ
• MARCH 13: The Korova Basement - San Antonio, TX
• MARCH 17: Red 7 - Austin, TX
• MARCH 18: Dan’s Silver Leaf (w/ Justin Stein) - Denton, TX
• MARCH 20: Santa Fe Sol Live (w/ As In We) - Santa Fe, NM
• MARCH 21: Club Congress (w/ Coathangers, White Mystery) - Tucson, AZ
• MARCH 23: Cellar Door (w/ Young Prisms) - Cisalia, CA
• MARCH 24: The Partisan (w/ Young Prisms) - Merced, CA

For a bountiful wealth of more info and also tickets, check out the Tour page.

(Thoroughly adorable show poster by Eric Stafford)

Ah cheese and crackers, they’ll be in both SA and Austin! This is like I dream come true! I could possible cry. Ok, maybe I will.

fuckyeahthevelvetteen:

THE VELVET TEEN ON THE SXSW INTERNET SITE OF WEBS!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Sometimes the Current actually writes super good articles and this one is about how good our music scene could be. It sucks being in Austin’s shadows. It sucks that you have to drive an hour away to see a show by a larger act. SA has a great local music scene that continues to grow but as far as city promoters reaching out to bands, we need to get on it. We’re also a really large city so it baffles me that we can’t get those shows. This article explains this and much more of what our problem has been.

Last year, We Are Scientists played for the first time here and it was a fantastic show. They actually had a really good turn-out for our city and I hope they had fun. The article quotes a bunch of other artists who have come here and actually enjoyed the scene here. On Labor Day, I hung out with my friend Tash and she talked about how San Antonio has (or had) a very distinct punk scene and sometimes a bad reputation. The fact is we used to be known for live music. We need to get that back!

EDIT: more personal stories from the SA music scene that I’d like to share. Being that the WAS show was the last big show in San Antonio that I’ve seen (most have been in Austin since), the best example of how SA reacts to shows is this: My bud Tash, who I hung with on Labor Day and went to the WAS show with me, (along with my friend Christine, Chelly and lovely Renee) went outside to have a smoke and preceded to say this to Keith Murray & Chris Cain - “So are you guys here for the show?” To which they said, “We are the show!” San Antonio is a really relaxed atmosphere for shows. I hardly go to events where people line up for gigs. Most fans are there for the shows, not for who the people are. I respect that about San Antonio and I have to say this is the experience I’ve had with most SA shows. Is San Antonio too ‘lax for big acts or are we the best example of being over the celebrity and just appreciating the music? I don’t know. All I know is that we’re unique and maybe that’s the kind of bands we need to attract here. (such as We Are Scientists!)

(via After decades of neglect, could San Antonio become a live-music capital again? - Music - San Antonio Current)

A toast to Keith Murray on his birthday! 34, that’s um…still young!

So I took several quizzes and helper-outers in figuring out where I would like to live come September if I don’t remain in San Antonio.

Of course, NYC came up a million times but not for the reasons most people think. Lots of those sites say it’s good for someone who’s a little more introverted. Plus, I LOVE museums and I think I punched that in a lot of these things. But as much as I want to be in New York, I feel like I’m just not ready. And NYC is such a big step, I think I would want to explore and live in other regions of the US before I head to a place that could be sort of permanent for me.

Other cities that I got frequently: Nashville, TN. Athens, GA. San Francisco, CA (which ranked least, surprisingly, despite my love for the city). Austin, TX. AND DRUMROLL PLEASE:

San FRICKIN’ Antonio. Yup, my own hometown is pleading with me to stay. And I guess a part of me would not like to move either. But I think it would be nice to get away for a few months at a time. It’d be nice to call SF home for a little bit or a town in the Southeast and then come back home to San Antonio. Too many decisions. The future is so complicated.