Dateline: Austin.
The sun is out, but I’m still indoors.
After a cold and overcast start, the South by Southwest music conference is finally greeted by a clear blue sky, which is a piece of luck, since this afternoon Linus and I shall enjoy the hospitality of the ASCAP boat ride on the Colorado River (not that Colorado, the other one), courtesy of course of all those underpaid songwriters who frame their $4.13 royalty checks rather than bothering to cash them. Rock on!
Last night, Elvis Costello closed the first full day of festivities with a rousing two-hour performance at La Zona Rosa, of which you’ll hear much more later from Linus who was taking feverish notes. This is just a quick picture -gotta love digital cameras- resized and saved with a program I’m not familiar with: I only use the PowerBook on trips, and this is the first time a digital camera was involved. It’s all about learning. And barbecue, of course. Never forget the barbecue.
Only other band I’ll mention from last night, the Willard Grant Conspiracy had a hard time at The Vibe, a covered shed kind of a place, rather chilly in the night air and plagued by sound problems that caused serious delays and forced the band to curtail their set. A good show nevertheless, but not nearly one of their best.
OK, time to get out and let room service do their thing.