Tue - April 12, 2005
Dust to Glory
I just got back from seeing Dust to Glory,
the new documentary from Dana Brown. With the same eye he turned on
surfing in Step Into Liquid he captured the mayhem,
excitement and lunacy that is the Baja 1000. Officially called the Tecate SCORE
Baja 1000, it's the mother of all desert endurance races. The Paris Dakar/Dakar
Rallye may cover more ground, but the Baja 1000 is the longest point to point
non-stop race on earth.
It's also the most democratic. If you can come up
with the entry fee and pass the mild tech/safety inspection, there's a Baja
class for you to race in. There are unlimited open class buggys and 850 HP
trophy trucks running the same course as Class 11 VW bugs with no suspension or
engine mods (the old bugs, not the new, modern
ones.)
About 200,000 spectators line the course (and sometimes are ON the course), and nobody has to buy a ticket. The course isn't closed, so racers must contend with traffic, pedestrians and livestock, in addition to the rugged terrain and wicked silt and dust.
The race footage in this movie is incredible and really drives home what maniacs these racers are.
One of the quotes from the movie (I think by Parnelli Jones) calls the race "a 24 hour plane wreck" and another guy compares it to trying to keep an explosion under control for a day.
They got all the racing luminaries to appear on camera or in archival footage: Mario Andretti, Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, Walker Evans, Robby Gordon, JN Roberts, Malcolm Smith, Mike "Mouse" McCoy, Steve McQueen and about a hundred other legends.
For a film with no special effects or CGI, it's an adrenaline rush. It's in limited release, so it might be hard to find, but it's definitely worth it.
About 200,000 spectators line the course (and sometimes are ON the course), and nobody has to buy a ticket. The course isn't closed, so racers must contend with traffic, pedestrians and livestock, in addition to the rugged terrain and wicked silt and dust.
The race footage in this movie is incredible and really drives home what maniacs these racers are.
One of the quotes from the movie (I think by Parnelli Jones) calls the race "a 24 hour plane wreck" and another guy compares it to trying to keep an explosion under control for a day.
They got all the racing luminaries to appear on camera or in archival footage: Mario Andretti, Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, Walker Evans, Robby Gordon, JN Roberts, Malcolm Smith, Mike "Mouse" McCoy, Steve McQueen and about a hundred other legends.
For a film with no special effects or CGI, it's an adrenaline rush. It's in limited release, so it might be hard to find, but it's definitely worth it.
Posted at 11:25 PM |
Sun - April 10, 2005
Vegas and Kingpin Recall
Saw that NHTSA has issued a recall for Victory's Ness Signature version of the Kingpin and Vegas
bikes.
I'm a big fan of Arlen & Cory Ness (probably at least in part because I went to high school with Cory and the future Mrs. Ness.)
I'm a big fan of Arlen & Cory Ness (probably at least in part because I went to high school with Cory and the future Mrs. Ness.)
He and his Pop's custom bikes never fail to blow
me away every time I see them. Before they moved to Dublin, the shop with the
simple 'ARLEN' sign on East 14th street in San Leandro was a fixture for gear
heads.
Anyway, looks like a pretty straightforward recall and fix. Doesn't appear that the standard versions of the bikes are affected, just the Ness Signature versions. Hope this doesn't affect Victory's bottom line too much. It's nice to have a choice in American motorcycles and with Indian gone (again) there are fewer and fewer.
Anyway, looks like a pretty straightforward recall and fix. Doesn't appear that the standard versions of the bikes are affected, just the Ness Signature versions. Hope this doesn't affect Victory's bottom line too much. It's nice to have a choice in American motorcycles and with Indian gone (again) there are fewer and fewer.
Posted at 01:10 PM |
Fri - April 8, 2005
Friday's Alive at Bay Meadows
Another season of Friday's Alive kicks off
tonight at Bay
Meadows (one of the SF Bay Area horse
tracks.)
$1 admission and $1 beers, hot dogs and sodas. As usual, there's a band playing between races.
$1 admission and $1 beers, hot dogs and sodas. As usual, there's a band playing between races.
Tonight it's Big Fun, a Rock
coverband from NorCal.
This season, the ponies are gonna pay me! (yeah, right...I think the last horse I bet on is still running.)
This season, the ponies are gonna pay me! (yeah, right...I think the last horse I bet on is still running.)
Posted at 12:39 AM |
Dead West - a Zombie Western
Rick Spears and Rob G, the creators of the wildly
popular Teenagers
from Mars are teaming up again to release a new graphic novel, Dead
West, this June (or September according to other
reports).
From the
preview:
Dead West combines the best of two genres, zombie horror movies and westerns, to create an all-new manga adventure. During America's westward expansion, a small Indian village was wiped out to make way for the town of Lazarus. Only one Indian, a child, survived, and years later he returns to Lazarus to claim revenge, placing a curse on the town. Soon, the dead have risen from their graves and a mob of zombies is ransacking Lazarus. While the sheriff and cowboys fight the undead, a bounty hunter slips into town looking for a fugitive. Instead, he comes upon a pregnant whore and reluctantly becomes her protector against the zombie onslaught. The bounty hunter is a dangerous man and the sheriff and cowboys are armed to the teeth, but it may not be enough to stop the Indian's curse. Featuring beautiful illustrations and sharp prose by the award-nominated duo of Rick Spears and Rob G. Dead West delivers high-impact heart-throbbing action.
There are five preview pages up at newsarama.
Dead West combines the best of two genres, zombie horror movies and westerns, to create an all-new manga adventure. During America's westward expansion, a small Indian village was wiped out to make way for the town of Lazarus. Only one Indian, a child, survived, and years later he returns to Lazarus to claim revenge, placing a curse on the town. Soon, the dead have risen from their graves and a mob of zombies is ransacking Lazarus. While the sheriff and cowboys fight the undead, a bounty hunter slips into town looking for a fugitive. Instead, he comes upon a pregnant whore and reluctantly becomes her protector against the zombie onslaught. The bounty hunter is a dangerous man and the sheriff and cowboys are armed to the teeth, but it may not be enough to stop the Indian's curse. Featuring beautiful illustrations and sharp prose by the award-nominated duo of Rick Spears and Rob G. Dead West delivers high-impact heart-throbbing action.
There are five preview pages up at newsarama.
Posted at 12:26 AM |
Wed - April 6, 2005
Texas to allow lane splitting for motorcycles
If this draft is any indication, HB 1522 will allow
motorcyclists in Texas the luxury that we've long enjoyed in
California.
From the introduced bill
text:
(e) The operator of a motorcycle may operate the motorcycle
for a safe distance between lanes of traffic moving in the same
direction during periods of traffic congestion if the operator:
(1) is at least 21 years old;
(2) has successfully completed a motorcycle operator
training and safety course under Chapter 662;
(3) is covered by a health insurance plan providing
the operator with at least $10,000 in medical benefits for injuries
incurred as a result of an accident while operating a motorcycle;
and
(4) operates the motorcycle:
(A) at a speed not more than five miles per hour
over the speed of the other traffic;
(B) in traffic that is moving at a speed of 20
miles per hour or less; and
(C) in a location other than a school crossing
zone or other than a location where the posted speed limit is 20
miles per hour or less.
If passed, this is scheduled to go into effect September 1, 2005.
(e) The operator of a motorcycle may operate the motorcycle
for a safe distance between lanes of traffic moving in the same
direction during periods of traffic congestion if the operator:
(1) is at least 21 years old;
(2) has successfully completed a motorcycle operator
training and safety course under Chapter 662;
(3) is covered by a health insurance plan providing
the operator with at least $10,000 in medical benefits for injuries
incurred as a result of an accident while operating a motorcycle;
and
(4) operates the motorcycle:
(A) at a speed not more than five miles per hour
over the speed of the other traffic;
(B) in traffic that is moving at a speed of 20
miles per hour or less; and
(C) in a location other than a school crossing
zone or other than a location where the posted speed limit is 20
miles per hour or less.
If passed, this is scheduled to go into effect September 1, 2005.
Posted at 12:24 AM |
Tue - April 5, 2005
2005 MotoGP Opener This Weekend
The MotoGP season opens April 10th in Jerez,
Spain. This season will be the longest (17 races) and arguably the hardest (5
back-to-back race weekends). At one point, the MotoGP circus will have a
'triple' moving from Japan (Motegi) to Malaysia (Sepang) to Qatar (Losail) over
consecutive weekends. After a week off, they'll then have another back-to-back
week starting in Australia (Phillip Island) and ending in Istanbul, Turkey.
Some of the big 'offseason'
changes:
Valentino Rossi has a new teammate at Yamaha: Colin Edwards
Max Biaggi moved from Camel Honda to Honda's factory team (Repsol)
Aprilia withdrew from the series entirely
Repsol Honda dropped Alex Barros but he was picked up by Camel Honda
Troy Bayliss was dropped by Ducati but got also got a ride with Camel Honda
Kenny Roberts team is now using KTM engines
Carlos Checa's with Ducati
Marco Melandri is now with Telefonica Movistar Honda
Makoto Tamada is riding for the new fourth Honda team, Konica/Minolta
So the teams (as of April 5, 2005, anyway) are:
Honda
Nicky Hayden USA Honda Repsol Honda
Valentino Rossi has a new teammate at Yamaha: Colin Edwards
Max Biaggi moved from Camel Honda to Honda's factory team (Repsol)
Aprilia withdrew from the series entirely
Repsol Honda dropped Alex Barros but he was picked up by Camel Honda
Troy Bayliss was dropped by Ducati but got also got a ride with Camel Honda
Kenny Roberts team is now using KTM engines
Carlos Checa's with Ducati
Marco Melandri is now with Telefonica Movistar Honda
Makoto Tamada is riding for the new fourth Honda team, Konica/Minolta
So the teams (as of April 5, 2005, anyway) are:
Honda
Nicky Hayden USA Honda Repsol Honda
Max
Biaggi ITA Honda Repsol Honda
Sete
Gibernau SPA Honda Telefonica Movistar
Honda
Marco
Melandri ITA Honda Telefonica Movistar
Honda
Alex Barros
BRA Camel Pramac Honda Pons
Troy Bayliss
AUS Camel Pramac Honda Pons
Makoto
Tamada JPN Honda Konica Minolta (JiR - Japan
Italy Racing)
Yamaha
Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Gauloises Factory Team ** 2004 MotoGP CHAMPION **
Colin
Edwards
USA
Yamaha Gauloises Factory Team
Toni
Elias SPA Fortuna Yamaha
*** MotoGP debut ***
Ruben
Xaus SPA Fortuna Yamaha
Ducati
Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Ducati Marlboro Team
Carlos Checa
SPA Ducati Ducati Marlboro Team
Roberto Rolfo
ITA Ducati D'Antin, Dunlop tyres
Suzuki
Kenny
Roberts (USA) Suzuki, Team Suzuki
John
Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, Team Suzuki
MotoGP
Kawasaki
Shinya
Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, Kawasaki Racing
Team
Alex
Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki, Kawasaki Racing
Team
WCM
Franco
Battaini (ITA) Blata, Blata WCM
James
Ellison (UK) Blata Blata WCM
Kenny Roberts KTM
Shane
Byrne
(UK)
There were also some changes to the rain rules about switching bikes under white flag instead of making teams change tires/brakes, etc., but couldn't find the details online anywhere.
Of course, living in California, the race I'm waiting for is on July 10th, when MotoGP returns to the US with the Red Bull US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Already have the tickets (now I just need to find a place to stay. Apparently Monterey and the surrounding area is book solid that weekend.)
There were also some changes to the rain rules about switching bikes under white flag instead of making teams change tires/brakes, etc., but couldn't find the details online anywhere.
Of course, living in California, the race I'm waiting for is on July 10th, when MotoGP returns to the US with the Red Bull US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Already have the tickets (now I just need to find a place to stay. Apparently Monterey and the surrounding area is book solid that weekend.)
Posted at 06:38 PM |
Ride Europe's Famous Circuits
The Bikers' Days organizers have made deals with
some of the most famous circuits in racing. If you're lucky enough to be in
Europe and have access to a motorcycle, you can ride on the same tracks as the
big boys.
Through them, you'll have access
to:
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Dijon-Prenois, France
Magny-Cours, France
Nurburgring, Germany,
Catalunya, Spain,
Mugello, Italy
Almeria, Spain
Of special interest to you track whores, they've got approval for the bikes to run open exhaust and racing slicks.
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Dijon-Prenois, France
Magny-Cours, France
Nurburgring, Germany,
Catalunya, Spain,
Mugello, Italy
Almeria, Spain
Of special interest to you track whores, they've got approval for the bikes to run open exhaust and racing slicks.
Posted at 12:56 AM |
Mon - April 4, 2005
Hard Luggage for the VFR800
Finally got around to putting on the hard bags I
ordered for the VFR. I got the Hondaline (made by GIVI) saddlebags. I didn't get
the top case, just the sides.
It's nice to have some weather-proof, locking
storage on the bike. The bags are 35 liters each, so I can fit a full-face
helmet in either or both.
The bags come on and off easily, but seem secure when attached. They do stick out a little more than I'd thought they would, so it'll take me a while to get used to splitting traffic again (with visions of splintered red plastic in my mind.) I'm used to the mirrors on my motorcycles being the widest points. With these bags, I'll have to allow another 4 or 5 inches on each side past the mirrors.
That said, I think they look pretty nice. The reason I went with the Honda brand was mostly because of the fit and finish and these match the paint perfectly.
Installing the racks for the bags meant putting back a few of the pieces that the previous owner had removed. I had to reattach the passenger footpegs and the passenger handgrips and put the license plate support back in its original position.
While the bike definitely looked cleaner before:
the tradeoff is worth it for the added convenience.
The bags come on and off easily, but seem secure when attached. They do stick out a little more than I'd thought they would, so it'll take me a while to get used to splitting traffic again (with visions of splintered red plastic in my mind.) I'm used to the mirrors on my motorcycles being the widest points. With these bags, I'll have to allow another 4 or 5 inches on each side past the mirrors.
That said, I think they look pretty nice. The reason I went with the Honda brand was mostly because of the fit and finish and these match the paint perfectly.
Installing the racks for the bags meant putting back a few of the pieces that the previous owner had removed. I had to reattach the passenger footpegs and the passenger handgrips and put the license plate support back in its original position.
While the bike definitely looked cleaner before:
the tradeoff is worth it for the added convenience.
Posted at 12:14 AM |
Fri - April 1, 2005
Gmail - another gig of storage?
Announced on April Fool's day last year, Gmail turns one year
old today.
To celebrate, it looks like they're giving
everyone another gigabyte of
storage:
G is for growth
Storage is an important part of email, but that doesn't mean you should have to worry about it. To celebrate our one-year birthday, we're giving everyone one more gigabyte. But why stop the party there? Our plan is to continue growing your storage beyond 2GBs by giving you more space as we are able. We know that email will only become more important in people's lives, and we want Gmail to keep up with our users and their needs. From Gmail, you can expect more.
G is for growth
Storage is an important part of email, but that doesn't mean you should have to worry about it. To celebrate our one-year birthday, we're giving everyone one more gigabyte. But why stop the party there? Our plan is to continue growing your storage beyond 2GBs by giving you more space as we are able. We know that email will only become more important in people's lives, and we want Gmail to keep up with our users and their needs. From Gmail, you can expect more.
Posted at 01:06 AM |
Thu - March 31, 2005
Sin City Opens Friday
Frank Miller's Noir graphic novel series comes
to life on the big screen this Friday and I can't
wait!
Jessica Alba as Nancy
Robert Rodriguez says he pretty much used Frank Miller's books as his storyboard. He even gave Miller a Co-director's credit on the movie (and had to resign his membership in the Director's Guild of America because of it.)
Jessica Alba as Nancy
Robert Rodriguez says he pretty much used Frank Miller's books as his storyboard. He even gave Miller a Co-director's credit on the movie (and had to resign his membership in the Director's Guild of America because of it.)
If the trailers are any indication, it's pretty much a
shot for shot rendition. Following in the footsteps of Sky
Captain, it's shot entirely on green screen sets with the stylized
comic book backgrounds added in post
production.
In preparation, I've been re-reading the Sin City books.
While Rodriquez says he hopes to eventually shoot all of the Sin City stories, these three books make up the movie:
Sin City (the second printing is called 'The Hard Good-Bye')
The Big Fat Kill
That Yellow Bastard
and the opening short is from The Babe Wore Red collection of shorts
The really cool thing about these books is that while they're all standalone stories, the scenes and characters overlap throughout. Dialog from one story will be overheard, out of context, in another story that happens to intersect (usually at the strip club, go figure...)
I'll probably try to catch this one on opening day. (The guy who owns the comic book store that feeds my addiction is going to see it early at a midnight Thursday night showing.)
In preparation, I've been re-reading the Sin City books.
While Rodriquez says he hopes to eventually shoot all of the Sin City stories, these three books make up the movie:
Sin City (the second printing is called 'The Hard Good-Bye')
The Big Fat Kill
That Yellow Bastard
and the opening short is from The Babe Wore Red collection of shorts
The really cool thing about these books is that while they're all standalone stories, the scenes and characters overlap throughout. Dialog from one story will be overheard, out of context, in another story that happens to intersect (usually at the strip club, go figure...)
I'll probably try to catch this one on opening day. (The guy who owns the comic book store that feeds my addiction is going to see it early at a midnight Thursday night showing.)
Posted at 11:58 PM |
Mon - March 21, 2005
South by Southwest (SXSW) - The Wrap Up
For Sunday, there was only one 'official' SXSW
showcase happening. It was at Beerland on Red
River.
Instead of making the trek all the way back down there, we opted (along with a couple hundred other attendees apparently) to go to Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress. When we were at the Continental Club, one of the friendly locals that we met had pointed it out and said it was a great place for breakfast. It was also our first non-music celebrity sighting. While we were waiting for a seat, Steve Wozniak strolled up, apparently he also heard it was a great breakfast place.
Instead of making the trek all the way back down there, we opted (along with a couple hundred other attendees apparently) to go to Guero's Taco Bar on South Congress. When we were at the Continental Club, one of the friendly locals that we met had pointed it out and said it was a great place for breakfast. It was also our first non-music celebrity sighting. While we were waiting for a seat, Steve Wozniak strolled up, apparently he also heard it was a great breakfast place.
Of course, this being Austin, there was a full
line up of bands playing in their courtyard. Guero's called it their SXSCongress
Showcase. We caught these two while we were waiting to get seated:
3 Balls of Fire
Downliners
After more of the addictive Austin Migas for breakfast, we hit a couple of the record stores, Waterloo and Cheapo Discs. I was looking for a Flametrick Subs live album, but didn't have any luck.
There was an in-store performance finishing up at Cheapo, but I didn't catch who it was.
That was pretty much the end of the live music portion of our visit to Austin/SXSW. Really nice, low-key day to wind down and prepare for the trip home.
All in all, it was a pretty fantastic experience. I probably saw more live music in the past five days than I've seen in the past year before. I don't really remember any bad sets, although there were a couple we didn't stick around for the entire time.
One disappointment was missing out on Flatstock. I just forgot about it on Friday and then on Saturday we were booked pretty solid.
If I am able to come back for another SXSW, I can only hope it will be as much fun. We heard great music, ate great food and met some of the nicest folks. I didn't see any fights or aggro behavior (except for StickyC tackling that Cartoon Character.) Probably the only thing I'd do differently next time is book a hotel closer to downtown. We did lose a lot of time trying to get cabs back and forth and probably spent $20-30/day that we could have used for CDs, T-Shirts, Beer and Food.
3 Balls of Fire
Downliners
After more of the addictive Austin Migas for breakfast, we hit a couple of the record stores, Waterloo and Cheapo Discs. I was looking for a Flametrick Subs live album, but didn't have any luck.
There was an in-store performance finishing up at Cheapo, but I didn't catch who it was.
That was pretty much the end of the live music portion of our visit to Austin/SXSW. Really nice, low-key day to wind down and prepare for the trip home.
All in all, it was a pretty fantastic experience. I probably saw more live music in the past five days than I've seen in the past year before. I don't really remember any bad sets, although there were a couple we didn't stick around for the entire time.
One disappointment was missing out on Flatstock. I just forgot about it on Friday and then on Saturday we were booked pretty solid.
If I am able to come back for another SXSW, I can only hope it will be as much fun. We heard great music, ate great food and met some of the nicest folks. I didn't see any fights or aggro behavior (except for StickyC tackling that Cartoon Character.) Probably the only thing I'd do differently next time is book a hotel closer to downtown. We did lose a lot of time trying to get cabs back and forth and probably spent $20-30/day that we could have used for CDs, T-Shirts, Beer and Food.
Posted at 12:08 AM |
Sun - March 20, 2005
South by Southwest (SXSW) - The Fourth Day
Saturday at SXSW means just one thing -- It's
Roller Derby Time!
We checked out the Nashville Pussy/Peter Pan Speed Rock/Texas Roller Girls shindig at the Austin Music Hall.
Hard Rock, Cold Beer, Tough Women - it's what made Texas great!
We checked out the Nashville Pussy/Peter Pan Speed Rock/Texas Roller Girls shindig at the Austin Music Hall.
Hard Rock, Cold Beer, Tough Women - it's what made Texas great!
They roughed out a scaled down version of a
roller derby track right in front of the stage. Peter Pan Speed Rock warmed up
the crowd while the Roller Girls skated their own warmups.
After that, it was time for the main event(s). There were two bouts, the Hell Mary's v. the Honkytonk Heart Breakers and the Hustlers v. the Hot Rod Honeys.
Went to a Fight and Roller Derby broke out
After the carnage that is the Texas Roller Girls, Nashville Pussy roared into action. They rocked the rafters until 4pm. And I mean exactly 4pm. They were in the middle of their last song and at 4pm the Austin Music Hall cut the PA. The singer went ballistic and threw his mic stand across the stage and stormed the sound guys yelling something you didn't really need a mic to understand.
The bass player just left the stage, but the guitarist kept at it, coaxing all the feedback she could out of the dying soundsystem. After she demolished a couple of amps with her guitar, she busted all the strings and started thrashing around on the stage. Suddenly, stage right, a roller girl came out a tackled her ass. Pretty much the best concert ending ever!
After the shock and awe wore off, we made our way to the legendary Continental Club.
Mojo Nixon was hosting an all day 'Mayhem with Mojo' party at the Continental. We got there just in time to see Commander Cody's Bill Kirchen take the stage. As if scripted by Hollywood, when he launched into his signature song "Hot Rod Lincoln" the skies opened up and a full blown Texas Thunderstorm rolled in. The harder the storm raged, the harder Kirchen rocked.
The highlight of his set was the medley where the 'Master of the Telecaster' showed off his guitar impressions of, among others, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, Buck Owens, Jimi Hendrix, Dick Dale and BB King.
Next up, Mojo introduced Roy 'Treat Her Right' Head, another legend. Somewhere along the way, the chorus of his big hit got changed from 'Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!' to 'Roy Head, Roy Head!' Most amazing was that Mojo actually came out of retirement and joined Roy onstage for 'Got my mojo workin'.
After feedin' our ears, we headed over to Maria's Taco X-press to feed our bellies. Of course, this being Austin, there was also a band playing. We watched the Doo-Dad's for a while while we wolfed down our migas and tacos.
Next stop for the evening was to catch Alternative Tentacles's showcase at our favorite venue, the Jackalope. Jello Biafra himself hosted the showcase and even came out and did a number with Dash Rip Rock.
While at the Jackalope, we ran in to another Texas Roller Girl, Cheap Trixie aka Clautille Bonvillian. Luckily for us, no Californians were injured during this encounter, unlike last time.
Texas Roller Girl Cheap Trixie stopped by the Jackalope to get her medication
Alas, there's no barbecue report in this entry. After yesterday's trek to the Salt Lick, we were afraid anywhere else would disappoint. We did hit Las Manitas Avenue Cafe for some migas especiales con hongos for brekkie.
While on the subject of food. I should plug our favorite late night support team, the fine folks at the Best Wurst trailer on 6th. In a 4x5 trailer, these hard working guys crank out more/better food than a bunch of other brick and mortar places in town. The secret of their success (other than being open when the bars close) is the Curry Ketchup they use on all the brauts and sausages. If it wasn't for them, we never would have made it through SXSW.
StickyC chowing down
After that, it was time for the main event(s). There were two bouts, the Hell Mary's v. the Honkytonk Heart Breakers and the Hustlers v. the Hot Rod Honeys.
Went to a Fight and Roller Derby broke out
After the carnage that is the Texas Roller Girls, Nashville Pussy roared into action. They rocked the rafters until 4pm. And I mean exactly 4pm. They were in the middle of their last song and at 4pm the Austin Music Hall cut the PA. The singer went ballistic and threw his mic stand across the stage and stormed the sound guys yelling something you didn't really need a mic to understand.
The bass player just left the stage, but the guitarist kept at it, coaxing all the feedback she could out of the dying soundsystem. After she demolished a couple of amps with her guitar, she busted all the strings and started thrashing around on the stage. Suddenly, stage right, a roller girl came out a tackled her ass. Pretty much the best concert ending ever!
After the shock and awe wore off, we made our way to the legendary Continental Club.
Mojo Nixon was hosting an all day 'Mayhem with Mojo' party at the Continental. We got there just in time to see Commander Cody's Bill Kirchen take the stage. As if scripted by Hollywood, when he launched into his signature song "Hot Rod Lincoln" the skies opened up and a full blown Texas Thunderstorm rolled in. The harder the storm raged, the harder Kirchen rocked.
The highlight of his set was the medley where the 'Master of the Telecaster' showed off his guitar impressions of, among others, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, Buck Owens, Jimi Hendrix, Dick Dale and BB King.
Next up, Mojo introduced Roy 'Treat Her Right' Head, another legend. Somewhere along the way, the chorus of his big hit got changed from 'Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!' to 'Roy Head, Roy Head!' Most amazing was that Mojo actually came out of retirement and joined Roy onstage for 'Got my mojo workin'.
After feedin' our ears, we headed over to Maria's Taco X-press to feed our bellies. Of course, this being Austin, there was also a band playing. We watched the Doo-Dad's for a while while we wolfed down our migas and tacos.
Next stop for the evening was to catch Alternative Tentacles's showcase at our favorite venue, the Jackalope. Jello Biafra himself hosted the showcase and even came out and did a number with Dash Rip Rock.
While at the Jackalope, we ran in to another Texas Roller Girl, Cheap Trixie aka Clautille Bonvillian. Luckily for us, no Californians were injured during this encounter, unlike last time.
Texas Roller Girl Cheap Trixie stopped by the Jackalope to get her medication
Alas, there's no barbecue report in this entry. After yesterday's trek to the Salt Lick, we were afraid anywhere else would disappoint. We did hit Las Manitas Avenue Cafe for some migas especiales con hongos for brekkie.
While on the subject of food. I should plug our favorite late night support team, the fine folks at the Best Wurst trailer on 6th. In a 4x5 trailer, these hard working guys crank out more/better food than a bunch of other brick and mortar places in town. The secret of their success (other than being open when the bars close) is the Curry Ketchup they use on all the brauts and sausages. If it wasn't for them, we never would have made it through SXSW.
StickyC chowing down
Posted at 12:06 PM |
Sat - March 19, 2005
South by Southwest (SXSW) - The Third Day
Friday at SXSW was packed! It definitely took a
little longer to get into some of the more popular venues. Wristbands or badges
were required at some of the more popular showcases and even with those, you
still had a wait a bit to get in.
We set out to see the Japanese Music showcase at Caribbean Lights and that's where we spent most of the night.
We set out to see the Japanese Music showcase at Caribbean Lights and that's where we spent most of the night.
We got there just in time to see Titan Go
Kings start their set.
"We are enjoy to be here. Are you enjoy?"
Titan Go King's Pop Punk show was my favorite of the night. Between every song they'd spend about 2 minutes thanking the crowd and telling us how happy they were to be here.
At one point, the lead singer asked, "Do you love me?" <crowd roar> "I love McDonalds!"
We also caught i-dep, Noodles and The Pillows at this showcase, but the three pocket sized P-Punks were the highlight for me.
In the middle of the showcase, we wandered around the corner to Elysian and caught the end of Wreckless Eric's set and the beginning of New Model Army. We also saw The Silos at Soho Lounge, but in the end we had to go back to the Japanese Music show because it was so different than what was going on everywhere else.
Friday's barbecue excursion earlier that day had us making the 20 mile trek to the Austin area's barbecue Mecca, The Salt Lick. Pretty much every local we asked had The Salt Lick on the top of their best barbecue list. Even the doorman at Stubbs said it was the best.
Located in Driftwood, TX, it's an institution that's been there about thirty years. GQ mag called it the finest dining in Texas.
We had the Family Style combo where they just keep bringing you all the pork ribs, brisket, sausage and sides you can handle, then they bring some more!
All that for about $10! Once they've made you cry uncle, the evil b@stards tempt you with blackberry cobbler ala mode, just to make sure you're totally incapacitated for hours after you leave.
I think I might have shed a tear or two of joy during my visit. It was probably the best barbecue I've ever had.
"We are enjoy to be here. Are you enjoy?"
Titan Go King's Pop Punk show was my favorite of the night. Between every song they'd spend about 2 minutes thanking the crowd and telling us how happy they were to be here.
At one point, the lead singer asked, "Do you love me?" <crowd roar> "I love McDonalds!"
We also caught i-dep, Noodles and The Pillows at this showcase, but the three pocket sized P-Punks were the highlight for me.
In the middle of the showcase, we wandered around the corner to Elysian and caught the end of Wreckless Eric's set and the beginning of New Model Army. We also saw The Silos at Soho Lounge, but in the end we had to go back to the Japanese Music show because it was so different than what was going on everywhere else.
Friday's barbecue excursion earlier that day had us making the 20 mile trek to the Austin area's barbecue Mecca, The Salt Lick. Pretty much every local we asked had The Salt Lick on the top of their best barbecue list. Even the doorman at Stubbs said it was the best.
Located in Driftwood, TX, it's an institution that's been there about thirty years. GQ mag called it the finest dining in Texas.
We had the Family Style combo where they just keep bringing you all the pork ribs, brisket, sausage and sides you can handle, then they bring some more!
All that for about $10! Once they've made you cry uncle, the evil b@stards tempt you with blackberry cobbler ala mode, just to make sure you're totally incapacitated for hours after you leave.
I think I might have shed a tear or two of joy during my visit. It was probably the best barbecue I've ever had.
Posted at 08:03 AM |
Fri - March 18, 2005
South by Southwest (SXSW) - The Second Day
Well, it was more of the same: BBQ, Bands,
Bock!
We started out (in our St. Paddy's Day green, of course) with a little Texas barbecue for lunch. Today, that meant Stubbs.
Who was glad to be there? This guy:
We started out (in our St. Paddy's Day green, of course) with a little Texas barbecue for lunch. Today, that meant Stubbs.
Who was glad to be there? This guy:
After the religious experience that is Stubbs'
sauce, we headed out for more
music.
Once again I lost count of the bands we saw, but some of the highlights of the day/evening were probably:
Los Abandoned at Ethereal
and the Irish Street Party Fado's threw
There was also this cool Zippo car on the main drag:
but the show of the evening, for me anyway, was the Flametrick Subs w/Satan's Cheerleaders (sqaud 666, I believe) at Jakalopes.
They tore the place up! I swear the lead signer was channelling Country Dick Montana while the rest of the band (as they put it) didn't fall very far from the Cramps tree.
Add the half dozen or so vinyl-covered devil girls dancing on the bar and you're talking a REALLY good time.
If Friday and Saturday are even half this good, I think I'll explode!
Once again I lost count of the bands we saw, but some of the highlights of the day/evening were probably:
Los Abandoned at Ethereal
and the Irish Street Party Fado's threw
There was also this cool Zippo car on the main drag:
but the show of the evening, for me anyway, was the Flametrick Subs w/Satan's Cheerleaders (sqaud 666, I believe) at Jakalopes.
They tore the place up! I swear the lead signer was channelling Country Dick Montana while the rest of the band (as they put it) didn't fall very far from the Cramps tree.
Add the half dozen or so vinyl-covered devil girls dancing on the bar and you're talking a REALLY good time.
If Friday and Saturday are even half this good, I think I'll explode!
Posted at 11:25 AM |
Thu - March 17, 2005
South by Southwest - Finally Here!
Well, I made it to Austin late Tuesday night.
After waking up to this in Amarillo on Tuesday morning, I wasn't sure if I was
going to get down here at all:
One of the biggest storms of the season hit the
Amarillo area Monday night. Some of the Inter-states in the area were closed
down. I had to follow a snowplow down a partially closed highway for about 75
miles on the way out of town. It was pretty
ugly.
But, once I got past the storm, it was smooth sailing to Austin.
Wednesday we got up at the crack of noon, got our SXSW wristbands for entry to all the shows and headed downtown.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating, I think the Texas BBQ is as big a draw as the music this week. Accordingly, our first stop was at the venerable Ironworks BBQ.
Also on the list of BBQ joints to hit this week are Sam's, Stubbs, Ruby's, Rudy's, the Salt Lick and the County Line.
Anyway, after getting our fill of brisket and Shiner Bock, we staggered up to East 6th and dove in to all of the free parties going on. I don't know how many bands we saw on the first day of SXSW. I lost count at about ten. StickyC has been keeping track, so hopefully he'll post a list on his site.
Some of the highlights from day one;
Hitch at BD Rileys
Future Ex Wives at Darwin's Pub
Watching StickyC almost get lynched for tackling one of the Aqua Teen Hunger force characters (I believe it was Frylock)
Best bar name down here so far: Chuggin' Monkey
Jackie at The Vibe
So far we've meet some really great folks here. Lots of locals willing to help show us a great time. It's great to be around a bunch of like-minded people that just want to see some great bands and have a good time.
Whiskey L'Amour of the Texas Rollergirls (Roller Derby) showed me the patented 'Welcome to Austin' rollergirl move (I'm not sure that's a legal move)
Whiskey L'Amour demonstrates 'The Nutcracker'
We'll be checking out the Texas Rollergirls on Saturday at the Austin Music Hall where they'll be putting on bouts between sets by Nashville Pussy and Peter Pan Speed Rock.
Bottom line for the first day at SXSW; my feet are killing me, my ears are ringing, and I'm hungover -- I'm having the time of my life.
But, once I got past the storm, it was smooth sailing to Austin.
Wednesday we got up at the crack of noon, got our SXSW wristbands for entry to all the shows and headed downtown.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating, I think the Texas BBQ is as big a draw as the music this week. Accordingly, our first stop was at the venerable Ironworks BBQ.
Also on the list of BBQ joints to hit this week are Sam's, Stubbs, Ruby's, Rudy's, the Salt Lick and the County Line.
Anyway, after getting our fill of brisket and Shiner Bock, we staggered up to East 6th and dove in to all of the free parties going on. I don't know how many bands we saw on the first day of SXSW. I lost count at about ten. StickyC has been keeping track, so hopefully he'll post a list on his site.
Some of the highlights from day one;
Hitch at BD Rileys
Future Ex Wives at Darwin's Pub
Watching StickyC almost get lynched for tackling one of the Aqua Teen Hunger force characters (I believe it was Frylock)
Best bar name down here so far: Chuggin' Monkey
Jackie at The Vibe
So far we've meet some really great folks here. Lots of locals willing to help show us a great time. It's great to be around a bunch of like-minded people that just want to see some great bands and have a good time.
Whiskey L'Amour of the Texas Rollergirls (Roller Derby) showed me the patented 'Welcome to Austin' rollergirl move (I'm not sure that's a legal move)
Whiskey L'Amour demonstrates 'The Nutcracker'
We'll be checking out the Texas Rollergirls on Saturday at the Austin Music Hall where they'll be putting on bouts between sets by Nashville Pussy and Peter Pan Speed Rock.
Bottom line for the first day at SXSW; my feet are killing me, my ears are ringing, and I'm hungover -- I'm having the time of my life.
Posted at 10:17 AM |
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Published On: Apr 12, 2005 11:44 PM
Published On: Apr 12, 2005 11:44 PM