Lake Austin, March 15, 2012
South By Southwest
Austin seems like the perfect city in some ways, and the only thing better would be if it were on the water. Well, it is, sort of. Lake Austin, a man-made reservoir sits just to the west of downtown, and there is a marina, a coffee bar and a couple of restaurants, including the Hula Hut, a rather bizarre Mexican/Hawaiian fusion restaurant. The sun setting over the lake makes for a lovely dinner setting.
The Texas Music Museum has worlds of memorabilia, instruments, photos and recordings that pertain to Texas blues, jazz and soul artists, including a number of musicians from East Austin.
Riders Against the Storm closes out the EXNE stage at the Texas Music Museum, March 15, 2012
The Scoot Inn is always a popular SXSW venue, East Austin, March 15, 2012
Texas Coffee Traders on East 4th Street in Austin will fool you. It will look closed from the street even though it’s open. It will look like a warehouse when it’s really a retail store and a coffee bar. And it has some of the very best coffee in Austin, as well as every conceivable kind of coffee machine and coffee equipment.
The Yellow Jacket Social Club is a secluded venue down in a “cut” on an alley-like stretch of East 5th in East Austin, across the railroad tracks from the graffiti wall. March 15, 2012
This graffiti wall on East Austin’s 5th Street is a well-known neighborhood landmark, SXSW, March 15, 2012
East Austin, SXSW, Thursday, March 15, 2012
Founded on the perception that SXSW did little to include the unique African-American music styles of East Austin, East By Northeast (EXNE) was a free mini-festival of legendary East Austin musical acts that took place on the parking lot behind the Texas Music Museum on East 11th. Attendees got to hear blues legends like the Texas Eastside Kings and gospel groups like the Bells of Joy.