The 17th

I couldn’t sleep anymore so I began getting ready for the day. Once Rob was up I got to see the city of Austin besides E. 6th Street. We tried to get in line for a wrist band to Pure Volume but couldn’t find it. Instead we grabbed coffee and made our way to Fader. Here we stood in line for a little over an hour just to get a bracelet. BUT, this bracelet is the like the golden ticket.

So, as far as I understand there are hundreds of bands performing between Wednesday and Sunday. Any bar or area that has room for a stage puts up one or two. Some venues are much larger and more popular so you need to RSVP. Once you RSVP there is then a certain time a day where you can go and wait in line for a wrist band or card. Without that you can’t get in to the popular places. Besides a one or two places in Austin everything is free. Many places also offer free alcohol and food! So, it’s great. Many come for the music, others for the experience.

We spent many hours while at Fader seeing many different bands, drinking and people watching. What people wear astounds me. It is refreshing to see so many individuals and such confidence in their clothing and hear. I love people watching. I met some cool people Rob knew but chose to stay at Fader with Rob and Chris.

We made our way to some old school bus converted into a grill for a huge burger. The burger was good but needed some more to it. Many places, and when I say places I mean food trucks, have simplified their menu for SXSW. The food trucks are awesome!!! Some are so gourmet, others cheap, others fun, and all pretty damn good. I guess it’s an Austin thing.

After some yummyness we waited in line for our card at Pure Volumn. We then hailed a cab to recharge for a bit but once home I lost the boys to sleep. I did want to experience more nightlife but not wanting to walk anymore I decided to blog.

I had a great a really good conversation with Marcus about race and racism in the south. Austin is not like the rest of Texas and any Texan will tell you that. I’m still not sure how I feel about the South and I am damn glad I had that convo with Marcus as well as seeing the realness.