Getting the Groove of Austin
Last night, for the first time since March, I felt comfortable in Austin. I was no longer the new girl, trying desperately to make friends and business contacs, but a welcome friend and colleague.
On Monday, it became official. I became a paid employee of DeMaris Entertainment-- a booking and management company here in Austin. In these past couple of months, I've been working casually for Brandon, helping out with menial things when I can. In return, Brandon buys me burritos and we chat about business, music, and Austin.
During our occasional burrito consumption this past Monday, Brandon explained that he was proposing to his girlfriend, Melody, and he wanted me to be part of the whole elaborate scheme that he had cooked up. Last night, after some finagling of my Starbucks schedule, I gathered under a bridge with his and her families, friends from church, and the musicians that we represent armed with pots and pans and fireworks and flares and foghorns; all of us waiting for a flashing red light.
He had taken her up to an overlook on the side of a huge hill to pop the question. At their signal, we banged pots and pans, screamed at the top of our lungs, lit fireworks and jumped around.
We all caravaned over to the Gibson Guitar Showroom, ate barbeque, and drank beer and wine. Rick Diamond, our pastor and wonderful human being, said to me, "I guess you're used to being in these musiciany type places? Smokey, bar-types with stages and guitars on the walls?" Maybe that was it.
Maybe it was finally meeting porterdavis, our "A" band. Most of our efforts go toward supporting and scheduling these guys, making daily sheets, submitting them to festivals and colleges, and I hadn't yet met them. Dan, the front man of the band, bantered with me, chatted about bad movies-- his reccomendation was Ishtar-- and told me that he was glad that I'm not a stranger to snark. Mike, the more shy drummer, chatted mostly with Lauren in which time she discovered that he's not only a musician, but a magician and hypnotist. And Simon. Simon, the obvious heartthrob of the band, the British harmonica player embraced me several times and invited me to the next band meeting.
And Brandon's family, all had heard of me (surprisingly to me), and acted as if they'd known me forever. And as I stood there sipping wine, eating BBQ, surrounded by beautiful Gibson Guitars, discussing art with good and new friends, and jamming to awesome music, I felt like I finally owned a piece of Austin. I'm finally getting comfortable in my new Austinite skin.
On Monday, it became official. I became a paid employee of DeMaris Entertainment-- a booking and management company here in Austin. In these past couple of months, I've been working casually for Brandon, helping out with menial things when I can. In return, Brandon buys me burritos and we chat about business, music, and Austin.
During our occasional burrito consumption this past Monday, Brandon explained that he was proposing to his girlfriend, Melody, and he wanted me to be part of the whole elaborate scheme that he had cooked up. Last night, after some finagling of my Starbucks schedule, I gathered under a bridge with his and her families, friends from church, and the musicians that we represent armed with pots and pans and fireworks and flares and foghorns; all of us waiting for a flashing red light.
He had taken her up to an overlook on the side of a huge hill to pop the question. At their signal, we banged pots and pans, screamed at the top of our lungs, lit fireworks and jumped around.
We all caravaned over to the Gibson Guitar Showroom, ate barbeque, and drank beer and wine. Rick Diamond, our pastor and wonderful human being, said to me, "I guess you're used to being in these musiciany type places? Smokey, bar-types with stages and guitars on the walls?" Maybe that was it.
Maybe it was finally meeting porterdavis, our "A" band. Most of our efforts go toward supporting and scheduling these guys, making daily sheets, submitting them to festivals and colleges, and I hadn't yet met them. Dan, the front man of the band, bantered with me, chatted about bad movies-- his reccomendation was Ishtar-- and told me that he was glad that I'm not a stranger to snark. Mike, the more shy drummer, chatted mostly with Lauren in which time she discovered that he's not only a musician, but a magician and hypnotist. And Simon. Simon, the obvious heartthrob of the band, the British harmonica player embraced me several times and invited me to the next band meeting.
And Brandon's family, all had heard of me (surprisingly to me), and acted as if they'd known me forever. And as I stood there sipping wine, eating BBQ, surrounded by beautiful Gibson Guitars, discussing art with good and new friends, and jamming to awesome music, I felt like I finally owned a piece of Austin. I'm finally getting comfortable in my new Austinite skin.