SXSW 2011

Why yes, Mel. Attending SXSW is exactly like eating Batman ice cream.
In other words, AWESOME.

I'll be the first one to admit it: this year, I did SXSW all wrong.

Instead of seeking out all the bands I wanted to learn to love, I saw mostly all bands I already knew I loved.

Do I care? Not really. Because I saw some damn good shows, with a few new bands mixed in, all of which added up to a weekend that left me musically satisfied and completely exhausted.

Best of all? This year I didn't get frostbite!

Quiet Company: Live at Studio 6A

The only thing better than going to see your favorite band is getting to see your favorite band at home.

No, I’m not talking house show – although, at this point where Quiet Company is concerned, it’s a safe bet that I’d empty the Good-Groupie-needs-a-new-car fund to pay for a QC house show. Nope, I’m talking concert DVD. I was lucky enough to get my hands on Quiet Company’s brand new “Live from Studio 6A” DVD this past Saturday at their final SXSW show – partly because I was desperate to get my hands on an mp3 of “Preaching to the Choir Invisible Part 1,” and partly because I think Paul was sick of hearing me ask about it.

The first thing I did when I got home from Austin was pop it in as I unpacked, and let me say for all you holding a golden ticket for this Sunday’s official DVD release party, you are in for a treat. (Despite Twitter advertisements, by treat I don’t mean Tommy feeding you popcorn…)

A (Good) Groupie Grows Up...

I was on my lunch break, waiting in line at Target to pay for SXSW necessities when I delved into my e-mail on my BlackBerry. A quick scroll through my blog Gmail account showed me one new e-mail with "Interview request" in the subject.

Oh yay, more accidental South by PR, I thought. That's what you get for listing your affiliation as 'blog' to all these parties. But I clicked to open it and see what bands thought they wanted an interview.

What I read instead left me stunned.

The Good Groupie: One Year Later

weheartit.com

It was about one year ago this week that The Good Groupie officially came to existence.

For awhile, I had been casually mentioning to my close friends and thinking at length about starting a music blog. Only, I didn't want to be on the cutting edge, telling everyone what was good, bad and in between - you can decide that for yourselves. I didn't particularly want to go the review route, either, (though I stray there sometimes) because they're a dime a dozen.

Instead, as I sat bored at work reading this article on AltPress.com, I decided I would chronicle my musical adventures - and misadventures - as I made my way through the year, attending shows, making trips and generally living up to the lifestyle of a "good groupie" - there for the music, first, foremost and always.

I scrambled to grab up every social media, e-mail and blog handle I could, and a week later, I officially introduced The Good Groupie to the world.

So get (out of) the city as fast as you can...

Headed to Dallas from OKC for a show, October 2007.
Taken by @YesterdaysNewss

One of my favorite places to hang out with my friends is a bit unconventional. It's cramped, sometimes in the summer the AC sucks and it's usually loud.

Ah, the comforts of our cars.

If I'm with friends in a car for any extended period of time, it's usually because we're driving somewhere for a show. And that's always been part of the fun of out-of-town shows for me. I love the iPod sing-alongs (esp. when we're driving back at 2 a.m., roll down the windows and sing at the top of our lungs because no one will hear us in the Middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma), the inside jokes made from random road signs (any type of inn is permanently ruined for me, thanks K), the crazy things you see in the back of a car...

It's a place where I've created a lot of memories with some of the best people I know.

I'm a lil' bit country...

As a born Texan who grew up in Houston, I have a deep dark secret I don't usually tell anyone.

I've only been to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo three times in my life.

(I'll wait as any native Houstonian readers gather themselves from the shock.)

Because it gets worse: two of those three times have been for pop groups. Yup - embarrassingly enough, 98 Degrees during my hardcore boy band phase in junior high/early high school, Maroon 5 a couple years ago (seats were cheap and I'd only seen them once before) and Reba McEntire.

Houston, if you kick me out I will understand. We're not really that great of friends anyway...