The Hero's Homecoming

Dearest Tilly,

I am home, I am home, I am home: what a wonderful thing to say. A magnificent thing to say. The best thing a person can say. Yes, there were points when I struggled during my time in The District and I even became frustrated with the prospects of returning home. But Hell, I made it Tilly. And it is great to be back.

After leaving your good company in The New Yorke, I arrived safely in Austin by aeroplane. As soon as I set foot off the vessel I heard cheering Tilly, cheering. All of the inhabitants of this great city were there to greet me with accolades and ‘hurrahs’ and warm loving embraces. It was a homecoming fit for a queen. It was the hero’s homecoming.

The crowd engulfed me as I got off the landing strip and into a motorcade; I was driven past the hill country, past Zilker Park, past Auditorium Shores; I was driven into the heart of the city, straight down Congress Avenue. A marching band proceeded ahead of me and tickertape fell from the sky. We surged ahead to the Capitol, and it was there that I met the Mayor. Wearing his top hat, monocle, and unwavering pride on his shoulder, he grasped my hand and placed something in my palm. It was a key, and not just any key, but a key to the city itself!

And then, a dirigible flew overhead and fireworks shot through the air. It was grand Tilly, absolutely grand; there is nothing in the world as beautiful as this city of ours. I celebrated in the streets with the inhabitants from dawn until dusk and right as the sun was going to bed, who should serenade me but those lovable ragamuffins and precious scamps - Weezer. They knew I had arrived and played a fanfare, a selected group of their songs and the entirety of the Pinkerton phonograph record.



Stay strong Tilly, for it is only a matter of time before you escape those cowardly Yankees and join me in Austin. I look forward to your return; Austin looks forward to your return.

As always, give your mother my regards.

Sincerely,
-Thomas

SXSW absurdity

I will be taking pictures for SXSW this week. Last night I helped out with the SXSW bag stuffing, an event required for all volunteers. The process was a fascinating experience, a social experiment waiting to happen. I would grab a tote bag, then walk down a long row of about fifty people whose job it was to put various materials into the bag, a human assembly line. I met hundreds of people in a matter of minutes for a duration too short to create awkward small talk, but too long to not say anything at all.

Throughout all of this a DJ serenaded us with a variety of tunes from Love Shack to Reach for the Sky. In a room with over a thousand people working monotonously, it was weird to see people randomly dancing as they sorted iTunes gift cards or placed condoms in the tote bags.

After we finished stuffing 27,000 bags the room erupted into applause. There's nothing that unites a group of a thousand strangers more than completing a highly repetitive and inane task. It was amazing.

I have decided, fellow readers, that besides covering my required assignments for SXSW I will try to show you the underbelly of the SXSW beast through the unbiased lens of my camera. Yes, it is an efficient commercialism machine which floods the streets of Austin. And yes, it is a seemingly endless stream of drunkness and meaningless parties (which sadly I am not old enough to enjoy until next year).

Over the next several days on this blog I will try to capture the essence of South By South West, forever searching for the wealth of creativity and artistry that lies at its core. Or so I hope.

"Photograph" - Weezer
"I Turn My Camera On" - Spoon
"The Film Did Not Go 'Round" - Nada Surf

*there's a new SXSW poll btw!

Top 10 bass lines

Hello! Tilly here. I just wanted to get the word out there about the awesomeness that is the bass. Have you ever heard a song with a rockin' bass line that wasn't also a rockin' song? No. Bass is like the super power of a band...if they use it well, it leads to wonderful results. If they use it badly or not at all, thousands upon thousands of kittens are stuck in trees and the old ladies who own them cry for days. Who wants that?



It's not that a song is automatically bad if the base just melds quietly into the background, keeping the song going. But a song with a creative, interesting base line has so much more depth and coolness. Thankfully, there are quite a few bands out there who truly value their bassist. For reference, I provide a few exemplary songs of bands like this. Take a listen, and when you do, really listen to the bass. Oh yes. Sweet sweet bass.

Just for fun, these are in order of what I consider top 10 base lines. Social experiment! Leave a comment re-ordering them or adding new songs with fab bass.

10."Gamma Ray" - Beck
9."Faberge Falls for Shuggie" - Of Montreal
8."Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above" - CSS
7."A Million Ways" - OK GO
6."Stalemate" - Nada Surf
5."Black History Month" - Death From Above 1979 (who consist of only a bassist and a drummer!! Rad.)
4."Evil" - Interpol
3."Saint John" - Cold War Kids
2."The Lovecats" - The Cure
1."Only In Dreams" - Weezer (this is the true seven minutes in heaven, kids.)