(Approximation of Gordon Lamb’s press badger)
It happens every year. I’m here in Athens and a good 50% of my friends and co-conspirators are off in Austin, TX gettin’ their drank on and gorging themselves on bbq and music. I used to get pretty upset about never being able to just take off a week and drop a few hundred dollars on this incredible music festival. But as the years have worn on, I’ve gotten used to it. Comes with the turf and somebody has to look after Athens while they’re gone, right?
The scheduling around here always gets really weird because last week was UGA’s Spring Break, aka no audience. Now it’s SXSW, aka no bands. Ok, there are bands around playing but just one glance at some of the Austin parties reveals a very large shipment of Athens tuneage to Texas. But I get some sick, twisted glee outta following my friends’ escapades through sleepless nights and consistently bad cell phone service. Seeing them turn up the week after with blurry eyes and able to only half-recall the bands they saw amuses me.
If you want the whole experience though, here’s what you do: get three hours of sleep a night; walk around town for four hours toting a backpack that includes your laptop, a bunch of maps and directions, your camera equipment, and some snacks; stare into the sun while standing in front of a heater; try to fit yourself into the smallest hole you can find that reeks of weed and beer; and watch these videos. Myself? I’ll just go take a nap.
athensmusicjunkie.com 