Don’t know how it happened, but I was going through my archives recently and found these index cards from Mirah‘s gig at Domy Books here in Austin during SXSW 2009. I had a lot of fun at that show, and a lot of fun drawing there. These drawings make me happy.
Here’s a fun example of selling your by-products: The Texas Observer ran one of my cartoons in a feature on The Minor Mishap Marching Band in their November ’09 issue.
I drew the band at the Austinist Local Music Is Sexy event and the writer (and band member) Michael May saw the drawings and T.O. bought one. (Thanks, Michael!)
My friend Marsha Riti has a photo in the feature as well.
Pardon the crummy iPhone shots…
10 good albums I listened to this year:
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At the moment, my favorite band. Saw these guys twice this year — once at Antone’s, once at The Mohawk. |
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2. bill callahan – sometimes i wish we were an eagle My favorite songwriter — at this point, he seems incapable of making a bad record. |
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3. the monks – black monk time A record from 1966 at #3? Yep. |
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4. the beatles – stereo box set Speaking of records from the 60s… The Beatles’ intentions be damned, skip the mono versions, and go for the stereo. They sound amazing. |
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I first heard McCombs’ “That’s That” on a White Denim radio show. I went out and bought all his records. This album is probably the best entry point to his stuff. |
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6. dirty projectors – bitte orca I blasted Rise Above during my bus rides last year, while I was making the book, and although that record is still my personal favorite, this one might be even better. |
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7. animal collective – merriweather post pavilion Yeah, this is as good as everyone says it is. |
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8. atlas sound – logos / megamixes / 7 inches Do yourself a favor: go subscribe to Bradford Cox‘s blog. Not only does he give us Deerhunter and Atlas Sound records, he’s constantly posting these amazing megamixes and free 7 inch singles. If only every musician was so generous. |
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9. phoenix – wolfgang amadeus phoenix Phoenix! What a cool pop band. Watch them tear up Letterman and try not to be impressed. This album isn’t perfect, but it’s great. |
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Her Austin City Limits taping was the best live show I saw this year. Amazing. |
10 songs I couldn’t stop playing
Take a listen on my Blip.FM playlist.
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My favorite sources for new tunes: Gorilla Vs. Bear, Pitchfork’s Best New Music list, or Twitter (mainly @woxy, @papertrail, & @fluxistrad).
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Favorite live shows:
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For more reading, see my live music sketches from this year and all my posts about music.
Let’s get something straight: I hate music festivals. I don’t dig on big crowds, standing around for extended periods of time, port-o-johns, and overpriced beer. All that said, Fun Fun Fun Fest is a pretty awesome time. I made it a record 6 hours yesterday, and even got inspired to doodle a few index cards here and there. Once it got dark, and I couldn’t see anymore, I headed home.
I won’t be going back today, because I have a ton to do, and I like my health and my sanity. (If next year, FFF Fest wants to provide me with a lawn chair and a good view, I’d be happy to doodle away all day.) Yes, I know I’m giving up the chance of a lifetime to draw Danzig. So it goes.
Death came out onstage in monk costumes:
Crazy-loud metal band, The Sword:
Friday night the Austinist folks had me out to draw their Local Music Is Sexy pre-party for Fun Fun Fun Fest. Music + cupcakes + booze = a magic formula. My favorite moment was TV Torso covering The Wipers’ “Over The Edge.” You can hear an MP3 of them doing it in the studio if you head over to Paige Maguire’s blog. (Thanks, Paige, for inviting me!)
Note: click any of the drawings to see them bigger.
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