Diatribes by Joah

Part 1 of However Many it Takes You to Know Why Austin is the Best City in America

“What we have going for us that nobody else has is we have Austin, Texas.” - Charlie Jones, one of the  producers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

What's that saying? Oh yeah, "never has a truer word been spoken."

Austin is a lot like this cloud-covered sun. Sure, George Bush has made you think negatively about Texans. And sure cities like New York and San Francisco get all the limelight. But eventually, no matter what you do, the sun comes out and shows you what you've been missing. Only in Austin's case, it's not just 90+ degree days that come along with it.

Case in point, I've been to more than 100 concerts, but only one music festival. I consider myself lucky that Austin City Limits is that one. And I've done it a few times now. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to check out Lollapalooza and Coachella sometime, but I'm almost positive neither will quite match up to ACL exactly because of what Charlie said. We have Austin.

The New York Times article titled, "Hitting the Radar: A Festival Soars in Texas," only goes to show that ACL has reached the pinnacle of music festival lore. Move over Glastonbury (though I would've loved to see Jay-Z cut Noel Gallagher a new one this year) and Bonnaroo...there's a new sheriff in town. And he just so happens to be none other than a Texan.

Funny thing is ACL Festival started off as an afterthought, more or less riding the coattails of the PBS show that has fans all over the country as a way to draw attention back to the show. Plus, ACL was more or less created to deliver a big show to a city that bills itself at the "Live Music Capital of the World." Well let's just say it worked.

In 2002, Wilco, Ryan Adams and Texas country favorite Pat Green led the two-day festival. Very quickly a third day was added to accommodate the growing number of bands and fans, upwards to 125 and 65,000 a day, respectively.

Just five years after its debut, ACL headliners had grown to include legends like Tom Petty, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan; multi-platinum acts like the Foo Fighters, Beck, John Mayer, Coldplay and Sheryl Crow; and indie/alternative favorites like Manu Chao, Ben Harper, R.E.M., Jack Johnson, The Killers and Bjork. And The Roots, Common, Gnarls Barkley, N.E.R.D., Erykah Badu and Zap Mama even made new fans by taking to the Zilker Park stages.

People that go to ACL go for the music, but they also go for a unique Austin experience. For years now, people from all over the country - or world if you go to the University of Texas - have been drawn to Austin after hearing about its youthful, green-friendly, liberal-minded, lake-loving, football-frenzied, Sixth Street boozing culture. Austin, Texas, really isn't all that far away from just being Austin.

When you go to ACL - and this next part is especially true for the tens of thousands that come from San Fransisco and Chicago and New York and other places that have great music scenes to brag about themselves - you go to see what this place called Austin is all about.

You may have heard it called the "blueberry in the middle of tomato soup," but you have to taste it yourself. You may have heard it called the "Live Music Capital of the World," but you have to hear it yourself. You may have heard Austin has one of the best bar scenes in the U.S. of A., but you have to enjoy it yourself.

And when you get there, you realize - sure there's much weirder places than Austin freakin' Texas - but you've never had a better tasting blueberry in your life! Of course, it's not just the blueberries either. I'm talking about the queso that makes you fuller than a sirloin steak, the margaritas that make you drunker than a frat boy on a Saturday night, the barbeque that makes your fingers damn near edible and the Shiner Bock beer that has you asking your neighborhood liquor store if they carry it when you get back to Portland or Cleveland or wherever the hell you came from.

Long story short, when you go to ACL you get just a glimpse of what makes Austin the best city in America. You heard me. And as Barack Obama once said, I'm willing to debate anytime anywhere on the issues.

Speaking of issues, rather editions, consider this part one of my attempt to show you exactly why Austin is the best city in America.

Check back tomorrow for my full, real ACL recap. Trust me, it's worth it.

 

Pics from ACL

I'll have an ACL recap/readout up here shortly...in the meantime here are a few pics to show you the great weather, great people and great music. N.E.R.D. and Gnarls Barkley were f*-in' awesome!

Bob Lefsetz: Rick Rubin brings you back to your musical roots

From my favorite music blogger Bob Lefsetz:

How come your favorite artist can’t make another album like the one you lost your virginity to, that saved your soul after the breakup, after your mom died?

When you start off, your goal is to open the door.  You knock so hard.  At first no one is paying attention.  If you persevere, and have talent, eventually people notice and the door opens.  You pass through, THEN WHAT?

You’ve got so much to say, so much to prove.  If you can just plead your case in front of the masses, if you can just get acclaim, your life will work.  But it doesn’t.  You  may make some dough.  If you’re smart, you may still have some of it.  But, you’ve got relationship problems. Your kids are no better behaved than those of your high school classmates.  And, when you release new material, no one cares.  If you play live, people only want to hear the hits.  You can’t get on Top Forty radio, classic rock plays your past hits, but wants nothing to do with you now.  If not exactly depressed, you’re defeated. And you’ve earned the right to take no shit, no direction from anyone.

That’s where Rick Rubin comes in.  He tries to get you back to the garden. Back to the space you were in when you cut those great hits of yore. He’s not a sycophant, he’s a trusted ear, telling you to keep writing because what you’ve come up with so far…just isn’t good enough.

You’ll listen to Rick because of his rep.  Because of your raw desire to have an impact again.  You’ve lost your way, and you want to get back on track.

There was context in the old days.  A game that you understood how to play.  Now, you might have a board, but the rules have evaporated and even though you’ve still got a few game pieces, you don’t know what to do with them.  Rick gives you context.

Rick reminded Metallica how great those pre Black Album records were.  Told them to forget about the casual fan, to make a record for the hard core.  The results have been universally accepted, even revered, as a return to form.  But the process was hell on the musicians.  Sometimes torture.  But they did it, because they wanted to feel they still had something to say, were vital, they wanted to be back on top.

Your favorites are lost.  They know how to do it.  Round up all their buddies and turn on the computer and lay something down.  But, since they’re not living four to a room on ramen, there’s no urgency. They believe good is good enough.  And good enough was NEVER good enough.

I’m not talking about Clive Davis programming.  Telling you you suck and that you need to work with the usual suspects and record the music of hack songwriters.  I’m talking about a coach.  A manager, who tears you down and then inspires you.

Every great athlete has a coach. Some of the best football coaches are hated.  They play mind games. In order to get their charges to deliver their best work.  This is what we need in the music business.

Rick did it with Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond and now Metallica.  He brings them back to the garden. He talks music, tells them how much he loves their classic work.  And then implores them to make more.

It’s not repeating yourself.  It’s being INSPIRED in the same way.  So you can recapture the essence.

It’s true.  Most people are not waiting for the albums of aged acts.  So, it’s hard to get psyched up.  But first and foremost you’re a musician, not a star.  Deep down inside you want to do your best work.  Not crap like Rod Stewart, doing it solely for the money and fame, but something that truly resonates with your audience, that you’re proud of.

Rick Rubin has been able to put a spell on old artists, do such a mindfuck on them that they dig down deep and prove how great they are to him. We need more Rick Rubins.

It's got the bloggers going crazy

True, Sarah Palin has bloggers going crazy. But so does Microsoft! Their new ads are all the talk on technology blogs these days. Some people love 'em, some people hate 'em. Very common sentiment for guys like Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, I'm sure. Some are calling it the worst ad ever. Others, like myself, like the simple, yet quirky 90 second spots like the one below. Not that it's going to convince me to ditch my Mac for something with Vista anytime soon, but I don't mind the ads.

It's okay, 'The Wire' doesn't need your trophy

First Kanye gets snubbed for the Best Album at this year's Grammys and now The Wire gets snubbed at last night's Emmys.

Slate.com editor Jacob Weisberg said it best, ”It’s like them never giving a Nobel Prize to Tolstoy. It doesn’t make Tolstoy look bad, it makes the Nobel Prize look bad.”

At least Kanye gets another chance at next year's Grammys since he's putting out his next album, 808's & Heartbreak, on Dec. 16. The Wire will have no second chance at much-deserved recognition. It's up to us to preserve its legacy as the greatest drama in TV history. If you don't know, you better ask somebody.

Check me out at Tom Joyner's site

How Quiet is Too Quiet? Thoughts on Dating from a 20-something

Being 25 means I'm not yet old enough to be an expert on dating and relationships, but I'm also not young enough be naive. And here's one thing I've learned over the years: the more we communicate with our dating partners/significant others, the better off we'll be. And this is true for all men, not just Black men in their 20s...

Read on at: Black America Web.