Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/10329
hat started out in 1987 as a not-so-humble attempt to draw national attention to Austin’s local music scene has ballooned into an annual ten-day music, media and film extravaganza that draws international eyes and ears to the Texas Capital City. It’s South by Southwest (SXSW), and this past March 200,000 people poured into Austin (pop. 757,688) to hear tomorrow’s music today. Bands were everywhere—not just in the performance venues, but the whole damn place, including the coffee houses, the barbershops, backyards and rooftops and on nearly every corner along Sixth Street between Congress Avenue and I-35. (I caught a three-piece band warming up in my bathroom one morning, and after three or four songs I had to throw ‘em out. Nature was calling.) Already known as the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin tripled or probably quadrupled its musical output during SXSW. These days, the film festival and new media portions appropriate nearly as many headlines and blog posts as the music showcases. With such an anything-goes ambiance to the near-fortnight of festivities, it should shock no one that other industries try to capitalize on the attention. When it comes to innovation, perhaps no one knows how to get the word out like Karl Wente, the fifth-generation winemaker of Wente Vineyards. Even in a crowd, Karl’s hard to miss: He stands about 8-feet-10, has sideburns like surfboards and almost never wears closed-toed shoes. With his guitar slung over his shoulder like a battle-ax, he looks a lot like Samson . . . except for the buzz-cut. Karl’s “Discover the Wine, Discover the Music” bus has been a one-of-a-kind fixture at SXSW for three years. This time out, the bus stopped at Whole Foods Market, Cork & Co. and Jovita’s; at each gig, Karl poured his family’s wines for the crowds gathered to hear the handpicked bands. Also this year, Karl utilized ViewTopia (on Justin.tv) to broadcast the music live all over the Internet. It was possibly the first SXSW live-stream initiative from a major beverage retailer. Karl, a part-time musician, told me that he loves the bus trip, and that he’d even written a couple quick songs with one of this year’s bands, the Furious Few. Next year, he promised, he’d even hit the stage himself for a few numbers. So does the Wente family disapprove of this rock-star life? “No. Back home, I’m just another guy sitting around the boardroom table,” Karl said with a rock-star grin before the bus rolled on to its next stop. Other beverage companies hosted pre-parties, super-secret W after-parties and post-party-parties all over town. Belvedere vodka lit up the Light Bar, Shiner beer (from Texas’s own Spoetzl Brewery) got folks together at The Compound, Stranahan’s Colorado whiskey hosted a day show at Habana Calle 6 and The Macallan and Miller Lite hoisted a party tent in Brush Square Park. At some point I found myself at the Four Seasons, but after seeing Los Lonely Boys, I had lost track of why I was supposed to be there. I do know, however, why I was in the Jimm Hogg Room of the Driskill Hotel: 901 Tequila. Bill Neff, 901’s Director of Sales in the West, told me that with so many eyes focused on Austin, SXSW was the perfect opportunity to launch its triple-distilled silver in Texas. “This is my first SXSW, and I love this,” Neff said. “I told [the President of 901] to lock us in for five more years. The brand’s exposure is incredible with all this going on.” Food guress Rachel Ray and husband, John Cusimano of The Cringe, at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin. But everyone it seemed was waiting for Mr & Mrs T’s and Rachael Ray’s Feedback Party at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q. The event was free and open to the public, and the line to get in stretched nearly to Houston. Inside, more than a dozen bands performed, including Jakob Dylan, Neko Case and Justin Townes Earle. The crowds surged from one stage to the next while a Tex-Mex menu of pulled pork tortitas and queso fundido taquitos was served, all washed down with Bloody Marys and Bloody Marias. Although I saw neither Mr. nor Mrs. T, I was immediately impressed with Ms. Ray. Moments before our interview, she overheard a random person in the crowd ask for the way to the bathroom, and she stated: “Inside, downstairs, in the back, to the right.” Impressive. “We’ve been throwing a party at Stubb’s for three years,” Ray explained without missing a beat, “but I’ve been coming to Austin for over a decade. Other than New York, where I make my living, Austin is my favorite city. Music is a huge part of my life, and Stubb’s allowed us to give the party that we wanted to give.” At that point, she locked lips with her husband, John Cusimano of The Cringe, which had just finished playing a set. She then disappeared to schmooze with her adoring fans, and I left to figure out where the next party was being thrown. may 2010 / the tasting panel / 85