Wednesday, March 18, 2009

In The Beginning...


Registration opened at 10 this morning and the lines moved quickly and efficiantly.  I was able to pick up my badge in just over 20 minutes.  After badge pick-up, comes the "Big Bag."  (Big canvas bag filled to the top with tons and tons of freebies.) It has everything from gum to sampler CD's.

Since starting this post, the line has grown well past the escalator  into waiting areas 1 and 2.  The tradeshow opens in just a couple of minutes now at noon, so I'm off for now.

-Drew

here at last

I finally made it to Austin.  Smooth flight, for the most part.  From LGA to Chicago I had a whole two seats to myself but the flight to austin was packed...with people going to SXSW.  As I was waiting to get my ticket scanned, a flight attendant, looking very puzzled, came out of the door and said to the desk attendant, "my goodness, there are so many guitars on this flight, i just don't know how we'll be able to fit all of the rollers [bags]." I smiled and laughed to myself.
On the second flight I sat next to a girl who does PR for MTV's Rockband.  For those of you who don't know what Rockband is, its a video game where you and three other people play drums, guitar, bass, and vocals to good rock and pop songs.  Since people listen to MP3 players like the Ipod all the time, listening to music has become less of a communal activity.  The idea behind Rockband as she put it, creates a music listening community, you and your friends are playing a video game and listening to music at the same time.  At a party, there is even more sense of community. 

I walked down 6th street tonight, wow, what a blast.  Everyone was wearing some sort of green and there was awesome music coming from every restaurant, pub, club and bar.  I am looking very forward to tomorrow!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Drew

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

T-Minus Three hours

I have three hours now until I'm on the plane to Austin, Tx, current home of country music star Jerry Jeff Walker who grew up in Oneonta.  Walker is best known for writing an american pop standard, "Mr. Bojangles."