Odd List Entry – March 2024
14. Get Weird in Austin, TX
Music, BBQ, tacos, street art, BATS, and random weirdness – count me in!
I had the recent opportunity to fly to Austin, TX with my wife Jazzy to attend the 2024 SXSW Conference & Festival. It was an amazing time, rewarding both professionally and creatively. From the conference sessions on branding and storytelling, to some amazing performances from upcoming artists – attending SXSW was a bucket-list worthy experience that will serve as creative inspiration for some time to come.
Celebrity Sightings
The SXSW Film & TV Festival premiered big Hollywood movies daily, welcoming A-list celebrities seeing the likes of Anne Hathaway, Ryan Gosling, Jordan Peele, and even Cheech and Chong all premiering films during SXSW. The Paramount Theatre was home to these major premieres. The area was always bustling with crowds waiting for the next celebrity red-carpet sighting.
The artist, Mr. Doodle premiered his documentary The Trouble with Mr. Doodle at SXSW. I was excited to spot Mr. Doodle from across the street one morning in his black and white doodle-printed suit and red hair. During the week I also came across his Doodle Bus, and a couple of cool murals he drew up in Austin.
We also caught some of the early festivities for the premier of Sydney Sweeney’s horror film, Immaculate. We took a photo with some creepy nuns and hung out with the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of an A-lister. We didn’t stick around long enough to see Sydney or the cast, but we did spot what I suspect was a celebrity caravan of SUVs with heavy security parked in the alley behind the Paramount.
Comedy
On the funniest night at SXSW, we caught a comedy show that featured some great talent at The Creek and Cave. The lineup included Ashley Barnhill, Pete Lee, Dulce Sloan (The Daily Show), Orlando Leyba (America’s Got Talent), and Chris Gethard. The room rolled with laughter all night! Every act was hilarious!
Music
About a week before heading to Texas, I learned music artist MontyKong would be performing at SXSW. Monty used to live in my hometown of Lancaster, PA and coincidentally was a dishwasher at the restaurant my wife managed. He’s now chasing his dreams in California. Needless to say, we made it to his showcase to show a little East Coast love. I’m glad we got the chance to catch up In Austin, TX.
MontyKong was featured in the Collimation House showcase with Young Guru. Yes, Grammy award-winning, platinum producer, Young Guru was in attendance discussing his Collimation platform. After the discussion, Guru came back on stage to hit the turntables and start the artist showcase. The Hiphop nerd in me grinned ear to ear when Guru’s playlist included A Tribe Called Quest, and Gang Starr.
It was a great time in a fairly intimate setting. We got to kick it with and meet some great upcoming artists. From Minnesota, Nur-D and DJ Hayes brought a lot of energy and stage presence! I absolutely loved their set! Heather Victoria from North Carolina (Jamla Records), and Edi Callier from LA brought some soul to the showcase in unique ways. They were really dope! We were also honored with the opportunity to hear some unreleased music from MontyKong as he closed the night with the determination and stage presence to make his friends and fans from his old city proud.
It truly was an amazing night of good vibes and good music! Can’t wait to hear more from the artists at this showcase.
The Art Bus & Other Live Music
The dope thing about SXSW is that there was music everywhere! Every lounge and event had featured artists. Caught a couple of street corner rap cyphers, and countless street musicians. I loved soaking it all in being entertained in some unexpected ways. I met a Russian reggaeton artist, Dyce, whose fluent Spanish flow was both impressive and entertaining! But the most unexpected was being blown away by musicians on the ART Bus!
Walking out of the convention center after a marketing panel discussion, we were greeted by a European woman in clogs who invited us onto the Art Bus. Hesitant at first, but since we were getting weird in Austin, we got onboard. The bus featured an impressive sound system, a bar, and 35 seats. The woman who invited us aboard happened to be the singer for the next band performing, Fieh. They were amazing! Crammed onboard my favorite venue of the week, was a drummer, bass player, guitarist, keyboardist, and lead singer performing for a bus full of SXSW weirdos. It was one of the most memorable experiences of the entire week!
Our last night in Austin, we attended the Funk Factory Pourri party featuring Janelle Monae as DJ Johnny Jane. We were lucky to have had priority entry privileges to the biggest party of the night! The general admission line was long with no guarantee of getting in. Inside the venue, it was packed from wall to wall with people waiting to party with Janelle Monae. It was a fun night, but we had to call it early to prepare for our flight home the next day.
Brand Activations
Throughout the week, at various locations around the city were brand activations, or special promotional events hosted by some major brands. I attended activations by Porsche, Marshall Amplifiers, Smirnoff, and Pourri. These were a lot of fun and full of lots of freebies.
The Porsche activation featured some beautiful Porsche vehicles new and old. It was a pop-up Porsche museum of sorts. The space also featured some official SXSW discussions on the music industry and the Porsche rooftop lounge.
Marshall Amplifiers themed their brand activation as a funhouse. The Marshall Funhouse was a blast! They had carnival games, food, live music, and dancing mascots!
At the Pourri brand activation we were treated to free food, drinks, live music and free samples of Poo Pourri spray. The space also featured a giant inflatable 💩 and the nicest public bathrooms in the city.
With a little online luck, we found an unofficial SXSW event, the SXSFlex Secret Garden Party and were treated to free Franklin’s BBQ, live music, and good time! The party was sponsored by the finance app, Flex.
After my last conference day, I got word of a pickleball party a short walk away on Rainey St. We arrived and see a very loud and vibrant neon yellow, pink, and orange pickleball court and DJ booth. This was a very lively party sponsored by Smirnoff featuring pickleball, food trucks, and free Smirnoff Smash vodka soda.
With Gratitude
There was so much to do and see all over the city. We walked for miles each day, from venue to venue, session to session. Took in the sights of the city down Congress Ave., around the Convention Center, Rainey St., and 6th Street. And even with all the walking we still missed a lot. I hope to have the opportunity to return to Austin, TX to see more.
I went to Austin in search of creative inspiration and found just that. The passion and drive of every artist I met was contagious. It was comforting and uplifting to be among so many talented creatives pursuing their dreams. My experience in Austin is empowering me to be a more confident entrepreneur and artist.
It really was an awesome time with great music, good company, and self-reflection. I’m thankful to the Lancaster County Community Foundation and the Baldwin Leadership program for helping provide such an unforgettable experience!
