Austin360 blogs > Almost Urban > Archives > 2007 > March > 14 > Entry
SXSW: Searching for hip-hop day parties on day 1
This is my first year on the street at SXSW. I’ll be out and about today, Friday and Saturday, and I’ll provide a blow-by-blow account of my adventures throughout the Fest.
3:15 p.m. In an attempt to catch some afternoon hip-hop, I drop by the Raw Word day party at the Creekside Lounge to catch Las Krudas, the Cuban female hip-hop trio who have recently taken up residence here in Austin. I’ve heard good things about these chicas and have been looking forward to seeing them perform. Unfortunately, the show was supposed to go down on the club’s expansive patio, but it was short-circuited by the rain. Instead I find myself punking out with the Applicators.
I like these girls. They’re feisty, loud and mad sexy. It’s a good look, but punk rock has never been my scene, and in the cramped space of the Creekside, the distortion is a little much for me.
3:40 p.m. I slip across the street to the Beauty Bar where DJ Cat NYC is dropping a hipster-friendly blend of ’80s and house music while a bunch of indie-looking white dudes lounge around in the club’s trademark hairdryer chairs. The crowd is sparse in the actual club, but before I can move along to the livelier party on the back patio, the lovely Donie from Joie De Vie spa offers me a free arm massage.
Never the type to turn down a free rubdown, I happily indulge, and the rich pear-scented lotion is luxurious indeed. Incidentally, this is the first time I’ve engaged in actual beauty-related activity at the Beauty Bar. As soon as I get up from my massage, one of the indie dudes slips into the chair. I wonder if he’ll choose lavender, cucumber honeydew or pear like me for his massage lotion.
4:45 p.m. I exit the scene at the Beauty Bar to continue my search for afternoon hip-hop, I head over to the Fader/Levi’s ‘Fort.’ The ‘Fort’ is an impressive complex. They’ve taken over the American Youthworks space on Fourth Street and turned it into a colorful, graffiti-decked grown-up playground. There’s an Adult Swim video lounge, a blogger room, a huge outdoor stage and an onsite Levi’s shop. Urban and almost-urban industry types of all varieties roamed the halls. The music is still a little more dance club than what I was looking for, but I’ll definitely be back on Friday night for Amy Winehouse’s set and on Saturday when Redman is supposed to rock the spot.
5:15 p.m. Downtown is a mess. I head out on foot to my man’s work to avoid relinquishing the stellar parking space I managed to grab this afternoon. Heading off to grab a bite to eat, then I’ll be back in the mix.
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