"Keep Austin Weird." That's the mantra that has maintained this bastion of free thinking in a state that's home to "thinkers" like President Bush. And this month, as musicians, movie makers, and techno-geeks descend upon Austin for the South By Southwest Conferences and Festival (March 7 through 16), the weirdness continues. If you plan on checking out SXSW—and I recommend you do—here are just a few ways for you to spend your time.
AVI BUFFALO [SUB POP]
With the Shins seemingly out of commission, it was only a matter of time before someone came to reclaim the band’s indie pop crown. And who better than Avi Buffalo? Featuring plenty of soaring harmonies and tasteful guitar flourishes, Avi Buffalo is an impressive debut full-length that Pitchfork aficionados will drool over. In addition to the album’s requisite pop hooks, there are also plenty of surprises, such as the Johnny Marr-aping guitar line on the seven-minute-long “Remember Last Time” and tasteful soloing on “What’s In It For?” This improvisation not only gives Avi Buffalo their own identity, but also keeps the band’s songs from falling back on indie rock’s sometimes formulaic constraints.
After getting tangled up in the limelight and being roped in with other teenyboppers, Avril Lavigne is ready to break away.
Baba Austin has a lot of tattoo stories to tell, enough to fill an encyclopedia on the art...
No brand is more American nor, over the long haul, more successful than Harley-Davidson. So it's not surprising that the massive passion for big noisy bikes and wild open spaces has been translated into a prolific all-American palette of tattoo art. And while the most popular Harley ink incorporates traditional themes like swooping eagles and shields of stars and stripes, a survey of the newest Harley-Davidson lineup makes it clear that the next thing to turn up in Harley-inspired tats should be flowing lines, flexing contours, and the color black.
While painting your face and holding up a sign might have passed for fan obsession in years past, there's a new level of fan in the stands today. Face paint comes off after the last whistle blows, but the ink on these fans is going to be there long after the season goes down the tubes.
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