Austin, TX

I had the opportunity to see Nine Inch Nails in Dallas last night at the American Airlines Center. This was the second time I’ve seen a concert at this venue and I quite like it. According the Dallas newspaper there were over 7000 people in attendance and I have to say that the place didn’t feel the least bit crowded. The concert started at 7:30 and we got there at about 6:45. We were smart and purchased platinum tickets with platinum parking. It cost an additional $20 for the parking but it’s so nice to pull in, park and just walk across the street to the venue. You also exit faster.

Photo by CapitalM on Flickr

The last time I was at the American Airlines Center I was there to see Tool. It was a great concert but I learned that being 4′11 is not conducive to seeing a show where everyone stands. I got smart this time and phoned in my reservations. I asked for seats in the front row right up against the glass so that no one could stand in front of me. We were on the second floor with a magnificent view!

We stood in line for t-shirts. The line was unorganized and annoying but we got there in the end and took home great t-shirts. They would do well to get some theater style roping to make the line wind around instead of the haphazard mess that it was.

Because the show fell right at dinner time, we ended up eating there. Don’t make this mistake, they will rob you blind. For chicken tenders, one order of fries, one hot dog and two regular drinks, we paid $22. Ouch. So, be smart and eat before arriving!

All that aside, the concert itself was fantastic. Trent Reznor puts on one hell of a show. They had these curtains that were see-through that hung down around the band that were made up of LED monitors. This allowed them to project an amazing array of images surrounding the band. The images ranged from a desert with clouds moving overhead to rain falling all around the band. There were times when it appeared as if the band were erasing the rain, or turning squares from red to white and back again. The light show was visually stunning. The sound every bit as wonderful as you’d expect from Mr. Reznor.

Photo by Capital Mon Flickr

If you have the opportunity to see this band, do it!

Austin has had a wet summer. A very wet summer. With the rain came the crickets. Lots of crickets. So many crickets that I had to play dodge, jumping around them as they crunched under the wheels of my tote as I left my upholstery class. They would fly up ramming into your legs in the dark passageways between the buildings. Normally I don’t mind crickets. Not when there are one or two of them, anyway, but when you have so many of them that they leave a crushed pathway of dead bodies in the entryway to shops, then you’ve hit my tolerance level. Ick.

Brightly lit buildings are apparently attractive to crickets. With that in mind, the University of Texas has made the decision to go dark. Starting Friday, August 3rd, the UT Tower will be lights out for two days until August 5th. UT Officials assure us that this is only a temporary measure to help control the cricket population and clean up the current mess. I’m sure that UT students are also tired of dodging crickets. Lets hope it helps!

crickets, Austin, UT Tower

Last week I spoke about the upcoming National Poetry Slam. This week I’d like to tell you about a local band, the Asylum Street Spankers. How are these two things related?

The Asylum Street Spankers began in 1994 with the serendipitous meeting of Christina Marrs, Guy Forsyth and Wammo. Wammo is well known in the Austin slam poetry scene. He ought to be, he practically started the revolution! What happened when these three talented people got together? Music, baby!

Amazingly, Christina Marrs played no instruments when the band first started. She now plays five. Five! Not only that, but she writes songs, acts as the bands musical director and produces their shows. Can you say overachiever? Christina’s got it going on! The band is chock-a-block with talented musicians. Their instruments range from guitars to ukuleles to washboards and more.

Part soulful, part parody, part sexy, part controversial their music ranges from swing to blues to uproarious songs about beer and boogers. Whatever they’re singing it’s bound to be unexpected and delightful. It’s no wonder that one of my friends refers to them as “God’s favorite band”.

Here is a little sample of them at their finest (warning, may not be appropriate for work/children):