2 years ago
Catching Up To The Future
It’s been a long time.
Of course, if you’re like me, you’ve just read those words and are now thinking I shouldn’t have left you, without a strong rhyme to step to.
Where was I?
Oh, right. I haven’t posted here since September. What happened to me?
Last year I was laid off from my job of twelve years, began a committed relationship, started working in an office, covered multiple film & music festivals for Austinist or as a freelance staffer, and slowly burned through every dollar that I had in a fairly meager savings account in order to stay afloat.
Anybody who spent time as a listener or staff member at WOXY knows just how special of a place it was. From my early years working in the FM studios up in Oxford to our Longworth Hall digs in Downtown Cincinnati all the way to our final journey, 1200+ miles away from home when we moved to Austin, it was quite an adventure.
Over the past year, I harbored a lot of resentment and anger over what happened in March 2010. The abrupt shutdown of our beloved station was a shock to all of us on the ground in Austin, mostly blissfully unaware of just how off the rails things actually were at the Future Sounds offices out in Los Angeles.
I still don’t understand why everything had to happen the way that it did, but I’m oddly thankful. Not only am I still standing (a small miracle), but I’m happier than I’ve been in years. I am in love (with my partner and my city) and I could never have found this path in life if everything wouldn’t have gone down just so.
To top it all off, I’m now involved in a project that is the first thing I was approached for over the last twelve months that genuinely made me excited. Anybody who has been out of work before knows how degrading and soul-crushing the interview process can be. I went after so many jobs that I wasn’t even excited about because I just wanted to be back to work.
With Music Impacts, I have had the opportunity to get involved on the ground level with a site that I believe will become a groundbreaking and thought-provoking community where music fans can share their stories of how they connect with music. My own passion for music can be traced to my mother putting headphones on her stomach while I was in utero, so I was literally born into the target audience that the site will be looking for as users.
The team of people behind this site are top-notch and I am outrageously thankful that I am a part of the team. I never gave up thinking that I would find the right fit, a job that could sustain me and challenge me in the wake of WOXY. Music Impacts is still being shaped and part of the excitement in that is not knowing where it could take me. As it grows, the outreach/charity aspects we are discussing for the site could become more fulfilling than a lifetime of playing records on the radio. I don’t intend to compare the two experiences, but one definitely led me to the other.
For now, I look to the future with an open heart and an open mind.
2 years ago
KUT names Cactus Cafe Manager «
I had applied for this job and was very pleased that, out of almost 120 applicants, I made it to the interview round. Ultimately, I didn’t have quite enough experience for the job (and I sort of knew that going into it), even though I was definitely willing to dive in and do whatever it took.
It looks to me like they’ve made a solid decision here. I know that there will be people up in arms over Griff not retaining his job, but I think it’s time for a reinvention and that means shaking things up a bit. For me, even though I knew I could handle it, I think I’m pretty glad that I don’t have to be the one to face the scrutiny that this new guy is going to be under. He’s sort of damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. I wish Matt and the KUT staff the best of luck in their efforts. If things go well, the Cactus will continue to be around for many years to come.
2 years ago
What a difference a year makes
One year ago today, I was finishing up the cleaning of my old apartment in Florence, KY. On August 31st, 2009, I climbed into my car and began a trek of almost 1200 miles to move to Austin, TX (stopping for the night in Little Rock, AK). I arrived at my new apartment in South Austin on the afternoon of September 1st and all of my belongings arrived the following day.
I moved to Austin with such incredible excitement for what was about to happen. WOXY was about to begin the next chapter of its bizarre history, but all signs pointed to great success. I try not to dwell too much on the monumental failure that happened instead, because it was out of my hands.
What happened to WOXY was sad, what happened to all of us as employees was, quite frankly, unforgivable. Against all odds, I am still standing. On many levels, it’s been a very difficult few months. On other levels, it’s been one of the best periods of my life. I’ve fallen in love with Austin and also with an amazing guy named Ben. My situation is not going to fully improve until I find the next perfect job, but I’m hoping that the universe is about to make this right.
A year ago tomorrow, I was driving across the country.
Tomorrow, I’ll be having a meeting that could lead to my next job.
Wish me luck.
2 years ago
Austin’s Fall Concert Lineup
For anybody who asks why I want to stay living here in Austin, I present this listing of live shows that I’m planning to go to over the next two months. This doesn’t even include the 2 nights that the Pixies play at Austin Music Hall because I can’t afford tickets and I’m still pissed at Kim Deal so I wouldn’t go anyway. But THAT’s a story for another day…
A few of these are going to be sacrificed due to exhaustion or inability to get guestlisted. Shows I am definitely attending are in bold.
AUG 28th - Dead Confederate/Ume @ Mohawk
SEPT 3rd - The Mynabirds/Crooked Fingers @ Mohawk
SEPT 6th - El Ten Eleven/Baths @ Mohawk
SEPT 9th - Autolux @ Emo’s
SEPT 14th - Love Language @ Emo’s
SEPT 16th - Designer Drugs @ Republic Live
SEPT 18th - Dungen @ Mohawk
SEPT 23rd - Film School/TV Torso @ The Parish
SEPT 24th - Jukebox The Ghost/Via Audio @ ND
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings @ La Zona Rosa
Jamie Lidell @ Antones
SEPT 27th - Atari Teenage Riot @ Red 7 (SIX bands on this bill for a Monday night? WTF)
SEPT 28th - Pavement @ Stubb’s
SEPT 29th - Jenny and Johnny @ Emo’s
OCT 1st - Admiral Radley @ Mohawk
[ACL FESTIVAL + multiple aftershows]
OCT 8th - Amanda Blank @ The Scoot Inn
OCT 12th - The Futureheads @ Emo’s
OCT 20th - Bettie Serveert (inside Stubb’s)
Frightened Rabbit/Bad Veins/Plants & Animals (outside Stubb’s)
OCT 22nd - Built To Spill @ Emo’s
OCT 23rd — Los Campesinos! @ La Zona Rosa
The Thermals/Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Red 7
OCT 26th - Ra Ra Riot @ Emo’s
Oct 23rd presents a difficult decision. Cymbals Eat Guitars is one of my favorite bands and also filled with some of my very favorite people on the planet. I also want to marry Hutch Harris from The Thermals, so I was ALL SET to go to this show until Los Campesinos! were announced today. And even though I am not a fan of La Zona Rosa, I have never seen LC play live and I love them dearly. It would be much, much easier if these shows were both taking place on Red River. #whitepeopleproblems
