Photos by Mary Sledd
Bars/Clubs Cowboy in a Mohawk Bar
I’m flayed out on a chartreuse vinyl couch in the lavish “green room” @ Mohawk being sized up by what appears to be a stuffed mounted grizzly bear bust on the wall above me. I don’t want to imply that there’s any question of his/her stuffedness, but I just want to provide full disclosure that I’m not a professionally trained zoologist, so please forgive if you show up and its a wombat. Woodsy seems the be a prevailing theme at this bar.
Music VersaEmerge on the Verge
Bands like VersaEmerge are one of the greatest parts about SXSW. The scrappy quintet of Florida pop punk rockers was unloading their own equipment when I caught up with them. They recently released an EP on the Fueled By Ramen, and are going to be one of the headlining acts on this year’s Warped Tour.
Music with a rebel YELLE!
Austin TX Gallery Music Datarock at the Speakeasy
Film Video Pulling John
“…a contest that will end in a glorious win… or a humiliating loss.”
You’ve probably seen the Sylvester Stallone sports film Over the Top. You saw Sly rise in the world of professional arm wrestling as he struggled to put away opponents in a battle of mind over muscle. And no one can make a sport look as exciting and visceral as Stallone, but what is it really like?
Music New Mayer, Old Soul
Mayer Hawthorne could easily be called a “throwback” to an earlier time, when the music was about soul and showmanship. Hawthorne is not simply a singer (or a performer). He is a multi-faceted soulful musician, who makes the music he feels. Whether dropping a verse on a Stones Throw label mate’s new track, or sitting in the studio with his band crafting his unique brand of funky modern soul, Mayer is doing Mayer all day long.
Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So Maybe No
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Music Never Shout Never!
I have a deep rooted fear to the 3rd power of CBS’s Chris Hansen, which is why I’m very nervous being in this small venue packed to the gills with pre-pubescent teenage girls laden in the latest Hanna Montana perfume. No, I’m not some creep; I’m just an old guy in the back of what appears to be a middle school dance uncomfortably awaiting the SXSW performance of NeverShoutNever!
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Music Maserati Rock The Record Store
Formed at the edge of the new millennium, Maserati is as sleek, sexy and sophisticated as the legendary Italian sports car it takes its name from. It is fitting, then, that the band has dragged the glory years of psychedelic arena rock kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, with the pomposity (and vocals) carefully removed. In its place are white hot flashes of light pulsing to an unstoppable rhythm that will make you want to punch air and drive really fast in a car with wings instead of doors.
Film Modern Love is Automatic
“…yummy boom-shooka-bow-bow actress Melodie Sisk is the appeal of watching Modern Love is Automatic.”
When a bored nurse named Lillian catches her boyfriend with another woman, she snaps out of her mundane life into something new… a life as a part-time dominatrix. Things get complicated when a new roommate with a desperate need for attention as a model enters the picture. Her neediness along with her horny boyfriend throw Lillian’s life into turmoil, or at least, a temporary nuisance with a dangerous solution.






















