Housing: 2202 Garden Unit B Austin, TX 78702

Every so often, meaning whenever we can’t find anything else interesting, we will be showcasing a home that is for sale or rent in East Austin. We can’t afford a house like this (can we borrow $300K?) but some of you might. We aren’t ashamed to tell people that we like new, modern and shiny homes, but we will have a mix of styles on display here.

Up first will be 2202 Garden Unit B. It’s sleek, stylish and oh so sexy. It has a huge deck that makes it very desirable for us. See below for more information, straight from Habitat Modern. Hit up the link for a slide show. My girlfriend would kill each and every one of you for this kitchen.

Offered at: $299,900

Ultra Modern New Construction * 4 Star Green Condo in Prime Holly Street Neighborhood 2 Blocks to Hike & Bike Trail – Blocks to Town Lake – Minutes to Downtown

1042 Square Foot 2 Story Modern Detached Home with High Ceilings, Stained Concrete and Bamboo Floors, and a Gourmet Chef’s Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances. Home offers gorgeous tree coverage, expansive decks, modern amenities and winter city lights views!

The Details:

• 1042 Square Feet – 2 bedroom/1.5 bathrooms plus HUGE 650 Sq ft second floor deck with amazing winter city lights views
• Great Open Floor plan – Spacious Living Room opens to Huge Gourmet Chef’s Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances including Dishwasher, Gas Range, Microwave, Refrigerator and Built-In Wine Cooler
• Stainless Steel Island Range Hood
• Eco-Friendly Diamond Surface Countertops
• Dining Area with French doors to Wood Deck
• Energy efficient Double Paned Windows Throughout Strategically Placed to Invite Natural Light but Offer Privacy
• Variable Speed Central Heat & Air
• Second floor Master Bedroom  has French Doors leading to Huge Slate Tiled Deck with Built-In Wet bar and Mini-fridge
• Upstairs Bath has Jacuzzi tub with Danze fixtures, square vessel sink, dark wood cabinetry and Italian Porcelain Tile Throughout
• Recessed Lighting
• Wired for Surround Sound and Flat Screen TV
• Front Loading Washer and Dryer in Laundry Closet
• Bamboo Hardwood Floors Upstairs – Stained Hi-Gloss Concrete Floors Downstairs
• Habitat Modern Custom Wood Fence
• 2 Secured Garage Covered Parking Spaces plus 1 uncovered space all with with Alley Access

The Neighborhood:

• 2 Blocks to Town Lake and The Hike and Bike Trail
• East Austin – Holly St. neighborhood
• Less than 1 mile from Downtown
• Walk to Mr. Natural, Waterstreet Lofts, Juan In A Million, Progress, 2124 Condos,
  Perdanales Lofts, The Peacock, and more.
• Tons of new construction and remodeled homes in the area
• Other Homes selling for $570,000 just down the street.

To schedule a showing , please call Matt 512.482.9189

Sounds: Peachcake Tonight at Emo’s

Peachcake will be bringing their Make Mixes, Not War tour to Austin’s Emo’s tonight. Formed in Arizona a few years ago, it was meant to be a joke project so that they can experiment with electronic music, but it turned into much much more. There isn’t much to be said that you can’t just read from their Myspace page. So we are just going to put it up below along with a video. The video was actually created for their live shows. Visuals are a big part of their tour so check it out.

Mission Statement

Peachcake is something that was created in hopes of making the world a safer, better, happier place for all the creatures inhabiting it. We team up with various individuals from time to time, who help further our quest, enhance our ideologies/enablement of creative endeavors, and see eye to eye on our desire to help people and improve the earth’s homeostasis. We do this by creating a fun, upbeat, positive message and environment through which our sonorous sounds, live application of our antics and music can be correctly conveyed and seen in a lighthearted, personable, and interactive way to thus see people smile, laugh, dance, and just plain…feel good! It’s all about spreading the understanding, acceptance, and greatness of vibes!

We love and listen to you for who you are, and encourage that you share that with the world to the greatest extent. May your innate, fundamental core of creativity shine and shout to the vast peaks and underground valley’s upon every inch of this earth with the most shimmering, loud light and sonic amplitude!

Greatness abound my friends…Spread the great vibes from the greatmorning, to the greatnight that encompasses our lives…

Biography

“…Peachcake are going to take over the world.” – The Jersey Beat

Stefan Pruett and John O’Keefe are Peachcake, a couple of shape-shifting vigilantes who use their mutant-based powers to protect the World from audio-terrorism. After their creation in Carefree/Cave Creek, Arizona, the duo’s quest to do something positive lead them to their current headquarters in the Phoenix Art District. With the help of an all-star team, Peachcake consistantly travels to many states and territories throughout North America… while moving outward and beyond, with the message of love!

Peachcake has ventured alongside Ambulance LTD, Autolux, Be Your Own Pet, Elf Power, Explosions In The Sky, Freezepop, The Go! Team, Grand Buffet, Greeley Estates, IMA Robot, Jimmy Eat World, Junior Senior, Koufax, Limbeck, Metric, Minus the Bear, Mouse On Mars, Octopus Project, Of Montreal, Ratatat, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Rx Bandits, Tilly and the Wall, Waking Ashland, VHS Or Beta and many more. As if that’s not enough, they have been featured on tour dates with Aloha, Boys Like Girls, Brandtson, Cute Is What We Aim For, Foxy Shazam, Hellogoodbye, New Years Day, Ozma, Polysics, Punchline, Spitalfield, Steel Train, Umbrellas and Valencia and have participated in some of the greatest musical congregations of all time including Vans Warped Tour, Edgefest, SXSW, CMJ, NXNE, NEMO and Burning Man!

The terrific twosome has been featured on the cover of The Phoenix New Times and on Jones Soda Co. bottles nation wide. The Toronto Independent Music Awards, The Phoenix New Times, Arizona Infusion of Music and Arizona Ska-Punk Awards have all honored the dynamic-duo for their endeavors! Peachcake has been sponsored by Jones Soda Co. and Glamour Kills Clothing, and has been licensed by companies, including MTV and UPN, throughout the World!

In spite of the high risks taken, they are happy to have sacrificed any hopes for a normal life in order to rid the World of audio-terrorism. Peachcake will not rest until everyone is safe!

Quotes from da Starrrrz:

“…You guys are the Salvador Dali of Music.” – MC Lars

“These guys are some of the nicest people I know making music. Their live show makes ours look like MTV’s Unplugged.” – Forrest Kline (Hellogoodbye).

Hot Mama’s Espresso Bar to Host Stranger Stories

Dail A Stranger will be presenting Strager Stories tonight at Hot  Mama’s Espresso Bar. The theme for tonight will be childhood memories, so we might be in for a few laughs. It’s going to start at 8:00 pm so be sure to make it there on time.

We might be making it out… better yet we might be reading. Hope to see you guys there.

Photo Block: Chickens and Frogs

We are going to be trying something new this week. We busted out the trusty Canon last weekend and went about town to capture East Austin. We will be posting these up at least weekly, but might be putting up a couple a week if we get the chance. Hopefully you guys will enjoy these.

L-R: Air conditioner across Cisco’s, East Poultry on 6th street, At Matrix on Cesar Chavez, Frog on 5th street residence.

Conjunctured: Austins First Coworking Space

Just down the street from us you can find a group of freelancers, telecommuters and independent entrepreneurs working away in a giant house called Conjunctured. They are pretty much living everyone’s dream… to be able to choose your coworkers. We all have one of those guys we avoid in the hall way. The one guy who keeps telling you the same story about the first time he landed a huge account. What about that creepy guy who keeps asking you to go to lunch with him… though everyone warns you to keep your distance. Sometimes coworkers can be a deal breaker when it comes to having a good working environment and we have all had our share. Now you can decide who you work with by looking into coworking spaces.

Conjunctured has recently opened its doors and with all of the amenities, it’s no wonder people are flocking to it. One of the best parts about it is that the community has a wish list of amenities. How awesome would it be to  get a dart board in your office? If you’re interested in joining a community of coworkers you may actually like, then check out their rates and give them a shout.

Road Trip: Bike Polo Tonight at 7:00pm

If you’re either into bikes or into polo, you may want to head over to the Gateway complex on W. 6th street tonight for… bike polo. If you aren’t sure what it is, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Polo on bikes. Check out the YouTube video to see bike polo in action and this link to txfixed.com for more information.

Faces: Joe and Pops

We decided to get back on our bikes for a cruise around the East side. We brought along our trusty Canon in hopes of capturing some of East Austin on a lazy Saturday.

Joe greeted me as I rode my bike down the street. He was outside of his house, the very one he was born and raised in, with his life-long friend Pops. I asked if I could take their picture and Joe joked that he was wanted by the FBI. I guess it’s not very often a guy roles by on his bike wanting to take a picture of two old guys chatting it up. I told him it was for an East Austin blog and he started to tell me about how much this area has changed in the last few years. He pointed out that they have set the stakes for more construction across the street from him. He faces the rear of the enemy… two of the new condos that have sprung up on East 6th street. The Este who is about to open its doors soon and the Pedernales, which was one of the first on the scene. There is a giant plot of land between them and they told me how that used to be their park. I said ” I didn’t know there used to be a park there” and he said “no… it wasn’t a park. It was OUR park. We made it our park.” He then pointed out where they used to play football, baseball and soccer when they were kids. “Now this is probably going to be more condos for more people” he said. He told me how his property taxes have increased to five times what it used to be and that he can’t do anything about it.

These guys have been here a long time… probably more then some of us transplants put together. They have seen it change from a place where soldiers riding the trains would throw them liters of soda pop as they rode by on their way to the train depot that used to be down the street from them, to a place where the only people coming through on a train are downtown business people riding the light rail from the suburbs. For what I can tell… these guys aren’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

I guess in a way we are part of the “gentrification” movement that is changing this part of town, and, in many cases, driving up those taxes and maybe pushinig out residents like Joe and Pops. We have a lot of mixed feelings about it. We like a lot of the old East Austin, but, admitedly, we also like a lot of the new East Austin. We’re not politicians or urban planners, so we don’t really know what the solution is that could strike some sort of balance between the two, and we know some people out there don’t think there should be a balance at all — that old East Austin should just stay the way it has always been.  What we do know is that part of the reason we decided to move to this area in the first place is because it reminded us a bit of home — the “old” East Austin reminds us of the neighborhoods we grew up in — and then grew out of. But whatever happens in the coming years, we hope that at the very least, we can all remember where we came from and preserve as much of that history and culture that East Austin has been known for as we can. Change is inevitable, but planning, consideration, and respect can channel that change into something positive, which is what we hope will happen to our neighborhood.

Yelp: Nouveau Yuppie Does The Scoot Inn

We have been kind of addicted to Yelp since we ran into another person who claims that this is the greatest place on earth, and it actully might be. So reading this review of the Scoot Inn on Yelp made me really laugh out loud. We just attended our first Second Sunday Sock Hop and we didn’t get asked for drugs so we are assuming that we are totally uncool. I guess they realized that we have an entire closet for recycling and that our cats eat better than us too. Maybe next time.

Chewy C. on Yelp writes:

You know, I’ve known for a while that I’ve slowly been turning into a nouveau yuppie. I shop at Whole Foods. My boyfriend and I have a cute house on the east side. Our dogs eat better than most of the free world.

Ya, we’re totally trying to play it cool, but yuppiedom is hurtling toward us at the speed of light.

I mean, we’re trying to be “good” yuppies, though. You know, we’re converting our diesel Scout to run on veggie oil. We never use plastic bags. Fuck, we just ordered a second recycling bin–that should count for something!!

But, as much as we’ve been struggling with this blissful domestic path to Yuppieville, nothing could have prepared us for the all-out assault on our sense of cool that happened at the Scoot Inn about two weeks ago.

It was the Second Sunday Sock Hop. Our friends were visiting from NYC for SXSW and we’re twisting the night away on the outdoor patio.

Some cute little hipster gal dancing next to me points to her wrist and asks me, “Excuse me, do you have a dime?”

Huh? Do I have a dime? “No, sorry, I don’t have any change,” I say,
confusedly patting my pockets.

No, no, she says, “Do you have a dime?” again, pointing at her wrist.

Huh? No, sorry. Do you want the time? I pull out my pretentious
iPhone, “see, look, it’s 1:07 AM.”

Growing aggravated, she repeats, “NO!! DO YOU HAVE A DIME?!”

Huh? What? At this point, my boyfriend chimes in and we’re both
like, “No, sorry! We promise we don’t have any change!”

Looking at us like we’re the daftest people on earth, she practically
yells, “No! It has a DIFFERENT meaning!”

Ohhhh!!! You’re talking about drugs! Oh!! Duh! My boyfriend and I fumble. Shit! Drugs?! Do we have any drugs?

Remember those drugs we used to have? Like, ten years ago? Ya, THAT’S what she’s talking about!

Finally, we figure things out and manage to tell her, no, in fact, we do not have any drugs although we’re pretty sure she’s figured that shit out by now.

God. We suck. We’re so uncool. We slink away and despair “WTF happened to us?!”

We console ourselves by saying that at least we still look cool enough to do drugs. We dance. We tell our friends. They laugh themselves silly.

But, we’re still feeling unsettled. I mean, Jesus, we used to do MOUNTAINS of drugs! Tugboats filled with drugs! More drugs than is healthy! Between the two of us, we want to tell her we’ve probably done more drugs than everyone here!

We try to let it go. We dance. We laugh. We drink. But all I really wanted to do was go up to that hipster and be like, “WHO THE FUCK BUYS A DIME OF DRUGS ANYWAY?!?!”

We decide next time we’re just going to pull out a pair of handcuffs from my purse and pretend that we’re undercover agents:

“I GOT YOUR DIMEBAG RIGHT HERE, LADY!!!”

Holy Crap… We Can Feed You Now!

We finally figured out this whole RSS thing that everyone is talking about. Supposedly this is the latest thing… kinda like that Iphone thing that everyone is buzzing about. Anyway, if you look on the right, below the catergories you will see the RSS button. We are so proud of ourselves for learning how to use the internetz.

Random: I Will Cut You

So it has zero to do with East Austin… but it’s hilarious.

Images: Frankenbike

Last Saturday I stopped by the Frankenbike event at Hot Mama’s Espresso Bar. The swap meet was great. A lot of people where there digging through all of the stuff, and even I came out with something. Now I can swap out my Deda drops for some MTB bars… new grips are on the way. I took a few shots, and I hope you enjoy.

click on image for slide show

Sounds: Many Birthdays at The Beauty Bar

Nothing can make up for a long Monday at work like a night of good music. Tonight Many Birthdays will be playing a set at The Beauty Bar. One of the most interesting things about this group is that they have lyrics in both English and Japanese. John Dixon and Sarah Luce lived near Osaka, Japan a few years ago. Apparently they drew inspiration from their experiences in the city’s live show venues. They will be releasing a new album this summer so check them out and you might get a sneak peak at some of their new tracks. By the way, these guys are from none other than our very own East Austin… so show your love.

Afterparty Tonight at The Music Gym

Another East End Fourth Friday Tonight

 

We had a blast at last months East End Fourth Friday and luck has it that tonight happens to be the fourth Friday in July. Head out to 11th street tonight to catch all the action. Here is a breakdown of whats to come… especially interesting if you happen to have kiddos in tow.

July 25 2008
Live Music

Matthew Robinson & The Texas Blues Band
Kenny Dorham Youth Jazz Workshop Jam
Hayes McMillan Band

East End Kids Corner
Group art project – paint a panel with a local artist to be shown in our gallery. Paints donated by Jerry’s Artarama
Free Pizza – while it lasts
Free Children’s Books – donated by Half-Price Books.
Craft Table- color and draw, make a work of art!
Moonwalk- Bounce for free!

Sounds: Wolf Parade Tonight at La Zona Rosa

Technically on the west side of Congress, La Zona Rosa isn’t really in our jurisdiction. But we have to be honest… we absolutely adore Wold Parade and must make an exception. We have seen them a couple of times before and their shows may have been our favorite shows EVVARR. They just released a new album, At Mount Zoomer, and we must say… we are a little disappointed. We can’t seem to wrap our brains around any of these new tracks like we did with their debut album, Apologies to the Queen Mary. Nevertheless, these guys deliver when it comes to playing a great live show. We are going to leave you with our favorite track from their debut album, I’ll Believe in Anything… oh so good.

FrankenBike Saturday at Hot Mama’s Espresso Bar

We haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Hot Mama’s Espresso Bar yet, but we did get to attend a FrankenBike event a couple of months ago. If you are a total bike head, you should really show up early to get your hands on some of the parts that will be up for grabs. FrankenBike is basically just a bike swap meet… but more than that, it’s a chance to get to hang out with other bike heads. Where better to hang out with these guys if not at Hot Mama’s Espresso Bar? Here is some more information about FrankenBike straight from their Myspace page.  

FrankenBike (n) – A free bike swap meet held once a month in Austin, Texas that is open to anyone who wants to buy, sell or trade bicycles and bicycle related gear or parts.

FrankenBike (n) – Any working bike that has been built up using parts from other bikes.

Finish building the FrankenBike you’re working on or turn your spare parts, bikes or gear into cash.

Everyone is welcome to bring bikes, parts, gear, a cooler, chairs, a table etc… just remember to dress for the weather and bring plenty of water. As far as what to expect… a lot of people with bikes, parts and gear spread out over the grounds, hanging out, making deals or just looking around or asking for advice.

Expect to have lot’s of fun, score some cool stuff for your bike or sell what you bring with you.

KaiserCartel at The Beauty Bar Tonight

So we are back… thank you Jebus! It was hot and hotter back in New York, but the best part of coming back is being able to catch Kaiser Cartel tonight. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, this duo has been showing up on the music scene radar recently. Their latest album was released this last June on MRI Associated Labels and was recorded in only eight days in Los Angeles. One of their tracks will be making a cameo during a break up scene on Gossip Girl later this year. Ok, so we aren’t fans of Gossip Girl, but apparently they have good taste in music.

These guys are cuter than a baby in a Batman costume… so be sure to make your way to The Beauty Bar tonight.

Discussions: The Music Gym

We spoke to Ryan McVinney, President and Founder of The Music Gym. As discussed briefly last week, The Music Gym will be opening their doors for good at some point in the near future. They are still hosting sick parties as we speak, but they are waiting for the city of Austin to get their stuff straight. See what he has to say about the making of The Music Gym and what they have in store for us.

This is a real good idea, when did you come up with it?

I came up with the idea in 1999-2000 while living in Manhattan. At that time I was running an hourly rehearsal studio on F.I.T. campus near Madison Square Garden with my friend Behrang, lead guitarist for the well known NYC band Goodfinger. The place was called 701 Studios, and we were charging hourly for practicing. A ton of people were coming because they couldn’t afford to rent a room. I got the idea that we should start a monthly club for them, like a “gym club”. It just made sense.

I returned to Boston and started the first Music Gym (which is still open) in Boston’s Allston neighborhood, nick-named “Allston Rock City”. Me and my business partner Rob built a digital recording studio in the basement of an old circuit board building factory and had 5 music practice rooms, along with a funky art studio and lounge. We had a great community there, started a small record label (Get Nice Records), and people loved the idea so much, we decided to try and make it a chain — hoping to apply the American concept of corporate chains to a creative and co-operative type of facility and service. Another imitator learned of the idea, and began a similar company near ours, with a similar business model, calling themselves “Jamspot” (http://www.jamspot.com ).

Anyways, after scouting out a few cities for a second location (including L.A., San Francisco, NYC, and others) I sold out my percentage in that location in the summer of 2006, to go on tour with my band (The Second Hand – http://www.myspace.com/thesecondhandband ) and to try to find a spot for a second location.

So why did you decide to open up a location in Austin?

I chose Austin because it claims to  be the “Live Music Capital of the World”, and because real estate and cost of living here was cheap. We explored New York City for about a year, particularly the Williamsburg area where there are a lot of lofts and warehouses, but the cost was simply too much for us at the time. Austin had more of our type of small-business vibe, and the type of neighborhood we thought our community oriented music co-op and venue could succeed. Tons of people have told us we think it is perfect for Austin.

I arrived in Austin in the Fall of 2006 with my band in our mobile recording studio and RV. We lived in the RV park Shady Grove/Pecan Grove on Barton Springs for a few months, and eventually moved into a house next door to the Austin band Octopus Project. I searched the City for buildings for the second Music Gym, struggled to obtain a few, then finally found our location on 6th Street, which we purchase d in February of 2007 and have been renovating it since. We won in a bid against Avis Car Rental and Starbuck’s. The woman who owned the building was an older hippy who wanted to see a local business succeed there, and liked our idea. Also, the City of Austin rejected Starbuck’s plan for a drive-through coffee shop. Score one for the City of Austin, though they have later gone on to be a serious thorn in our  side in terms of planning, permitting, zoning, and inspections!

Do you feel like you have a large customer base here in Austin, the live music capital of the world?

We feel we have a HUGE customer base here in Austin, both in terms of musicians to belong to the co-op, and patrons who will enjoy the performances, the outdoor patio, indoor lounge, and our eventual roof deck. We think people will enjoy the vibe here.

Who do you feel is your target customer base?

For musicians and co-op members, the targeted customer base is practicing musicians in and around downtown Austin who may not want to rent a monthly room in a warehouse, and who want to be a part of a community and a venue where they can perform once a month. Also, those who will appreciate having professionally maintained equipment, and access to ProTools recording stations and on-hand audio experts. We will also rent and sell music equipment to gigging musicians on 6th Street, which is sorely needed in that area.

In terms of patrons, we will offer an alternative environment from the rest of the college, frat/sorority type of bars and clubs on 6th. Our environment will be more of an art studio/music hall vibe, and our planned patio and roof deck will be more akin to a place like Spider House than to a modern dance club like Pure. We think this is Austin’s natural local personality and that a lot more people would head down to 6th to hang out and listen to music at a place like this, than say, another Blind Pig. We will also hold open art shows, community classes, and movie screenings, among other events.

When will it be open for use?

This is up to the City, but it should be within the next 2 months. They have finally approved most of our plans. We still are seeking a parking variance for our patio build out and permanent outdoor stage, as well as a conditional hearing for a change of use for our lounge from “Indoor Entertainment” to “Cocktail Lounge”, something the City requires, but the TABC does not.

Will you be having some sort of grand opening party?

Definitely. In fact, we are already having parties.

Website Link / Myspace Link

We Need Your Help!

If you feel like you would like to contribute to East Austinite in some form or fashion, please email us! We are looking for people who are into taking pictures of events going  on in and around East Austin. On top of that, anyone who would like to blog about food and shopping in the neighborhood will be welcomed as well. We hope to hear from some of you guys so we can learn a thing or two from some of our neighbors.

Thanks!

Screen Printing Workshop in East Austin

We found this on Craigslist.org and though that some of you aspiring designers might find this interesting. Enjoy!

Silkscreen Printing Workshop with Beatrice Thomas (Austin, Texas)

Reply to: comm-735441492@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-28, 12:51AM CDT

Date/Time: Saturday, July 19th 2008 12:00 – 4:00pm
Location: Flatbed Press 2830 East MLK Junior Blvd Austin, Texas 78702
Cost: $80.00 for members of Women Printmakers of Austin
$100.00 for Non-members

Screen printing is a great way to make multiple prints. It is a fun, more immediate, and simpler type of printmaking. This class will explore a variety of simple screen printing techniques, and methods of creating stencils for image production. From paper stencils to mono-printing. No need for computers or light sensitive chemicals. So come on and add a new skill to your creative bag of tricks. Instructor Beatrice Thomas has been teaching screen printing around Austin for 2 years. She is a partner in a textile design studio which creates beautifully screen printed and hand-embroidered home textiles.

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Tilly and the Wall Tonight at Emo’s

As you may have read in one of our previous post, we are on vacation in New York for the week. But that doesn’t mean that we couldn’t show you guys what’s on tap for tonight. Tilly and the Wall is a fun group hailing from Omaha, Nebraska. Bit’s and pieces of their music, mainly the track Pot Kettle Black, sounds a little like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with an 80’s kick to us. Obviously that is a good thing, but they also bring their own unique sound to the stage. Their shtick is that on top of a traditional drummer they make due with a tap dancer by the name of Jamie Pressnall (according to their wiki page). We haven’t seen them live and in person but we think that this will probably be something worth seeing. They will most likely be playing some of tracks from their recently released album, O, which just hit the streets this last June.

Poetry Slam Tonight at The Scoot Inn

poetry slam

n.

A spoken-word poetry competition.

If you have never been to one… you’re in luck. The Austin Poetry Slam gets down at The Scoot Inn right here in East Austin every Wednesday night. It starts at 8:00, but if you are feeling brave, get there at 7:30 to sign up and participate. Still not sure what a poetry slam is? Let the APS describe it to you below.

What is Poetry Slam? It’s a group of poets competing, usually for cash, with three-minute performances of their works. Judges score Olympic-style, with decimals, so a neo-Wasteland thrillingly intoned gets a 9.8, and the latest Hallmark drivel, muttered into the microphone, gets a 5 or a 6. In individual cities, from Tallahassee to Portland, there’s a slam season (roughly September to May) which culminates in a final showdown, which necessitates selection of a four-person slam team to represent the locals at a nationwide tournament.It is a competition that pits poem against poem, poet against poet. Poems are judged on a scale of one to ten, fractions encouraged, by a panel of judges picked from the audience. Equal parts poetry, performance, delivery and verve. And, occasionally, theater, stand-up comedy and strip tease.There is an excellent description of the slam and its origins in this article: To SLAM, to DUNK, Perchance to RHYME by Shilanda L. Woolridge of the Austin-American Statesman.

We’re On Vacation!

Everyone needs a vaction… and tomorrow we will be going back home for a week of pure bliss. Nothing is better than a week in New York City and on top of that, not having to wake up for work. So what we ask from you guys is to check back with us next week, and if you guys have something that you think others in East Austin should know about, please email us and we can put something up fairly quickly in whatever down time we have. We have a few post scheduled so you will be seeing some new content… but not as much as you guys are used to.

Thanks for reading, and we hope we will see you guys when we get back.

 

Midnight Ridazz Tonight

THE OOGA BOOGA RIDE…(aka the caveman ride) bring your loincloths and caveman clubs and celebrate the great invention of the wheel by riding with us tuesday july 15th!! donns depot 9pm

 

Thanks to Les for the heads up.

SSSH, The Day After

We had a great time last night at the Second Sunday Beach Hop being held at the Scoot Inn. We arrived pretty early around 10:00 pm and were surprised to find a lot of people there. The word on the street was that the party really didn’t get started until midnight or so but it was alive and kicking at that point. It did however pick up later as promised and we had an awesome time watching all of the party goers. People were on the dance floor dancing away while others where showing of their hula hooping skills…and they have skills y’all. 

We will be back at next months shindig for sure and we hope you guys can join us. Unfortunately we haven’t yet mastered our new Canon S5 IS cameras settings, so we are without any high quality pictures, but never fear, we found a great little article that includes a video about the Sock Hops at That Other Paper.