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Ume on Spin.com!

Last year at SXSW we got a free subscription to SPIN. At first it was simply something to read here and there, but I've become hooked. I look forward to each issue and reading the whole thing. I don't know what it is that draws me to read everything, but for whatever reason, it is always really interesting to me. Needless to say, I'm totally pumped that Ume had blurb posted. I realize it is not much more than a sentence, but I can't help but be excited to be featured (no matter how small) on my favorite music magazines virtual pages. 

Eating in Austin

With SXSW coming up there is a flurry of people interested in good places to eat. While I'm far from an expert, I've got a few suggestions that might help folks walk away from Austin with a healthy apprecitiation of its local cuisine.

To begin, lets talk about Mexican food. Austin has tons of great tex-mex restaurants. The thing to remember is that Mexican food is often a personal preference. I've had Mexican food that tasted terrible, while others swore it was the best place in town. With that in mind here are some of my favorites.

Elsi's is a bit north of downtown on Burnet. They serve Mexican food with along with some savadorian dishes. They have some of the best migas and guacamole in town. The guacamole enchiladas are a definite favorite.

Mi Madre's is another great Mexican restaurant off of Manor. They are usually only open in the mornings (they close at 2 or so), which makes sense as they are known for their breakfast tacos. Again, the migas are amazing. If you can get up in time, it is quite a treat.

Down the street from Mi Madre's is El Chile. It is a little pricier and offers a more modern twist on Mexican food. Their roasted salsa is also pretty addictive. While I'm not really a fan of micheladas, if I'm going to have one it is here. For those that don't know, a Michelada is like a spicy beer cocktail. Think bloody mary with tecate.

On the south side of town there is always Chuy's. It feel a little more like Chili's, but it is local. Also, for a cheap meal, just get some beans, rice and tortillas (maybe a side of shredded cheese) and slap on the salsas. When we first were married we shared this meal quite a bit. The best salsa, or dip really, is their creamy jalapeno.

Along a similar vein is Guero's on South Congress. This is a relatively well known restaurant (it was in that Quenton Tarantino movie, Death Proof) is personally not my favorite. But, they have the best chicken tacos I've ever had.

A little further south on South 1st is Polvos. This is the one place in Austin that I know that makes you pay for chips and salsa, but considering they have a roasted salsa, pico de gallo, red salsa and marinated veggies, it is worth it. Polvos is a little more traditional Mexican food in that most dishes don't emphasize the spice. The service can be hit or miss, but it is definitely worth a try.

There are tons of other Mexican places. Some can be really bad, but in most cases, unless you've had a lot of Mexican food and developed a palette for it, there is a good chance it'll be OK. Also, it is usually alright to check out the sketchier looking joints around town. They often times have more traditional food and cheaper prices. Some may not be the cleanest places in town, but you just might be rewarded with the best burrito or torta you've ever had, so it seems like an wager worth taking.

In addition to Mexican food, Austin is known for BBQ. While there are tons of BBQ places in town, few are really top notch. I'm not going to say you won't enjoy a nice slap of brisket and sausage from most places, but if you want to get religious about your meat, you need to be picky. The best of the best is going to be outside Austin proper, so it is good to consider what your options when you arrive or are on your way out.

First off, assuming you're driving into town coming down I-35 south, you should pass through Belton, TX. In Belton is the home of Sheopfs. They have a serving pit outside where you pick your meats. The brisket is amazing and the sausage shouldn't be missed. The sauce is a vinegar based sauce, so it might not be for everyone at first, but give it a little time and you are hooked. The sides are also really good. Cheesy potatoes are often a favorite, but I'm actually partial to their pinto beans.

Within Austin proper there are a good set of options. Ruby's is one located on the drag (Guadalupe by the university). Generally, the meat is nothing too amazing but they do only serve grain fed cattle and I think it shows. Where I think Ruby's deserves a mention is for their sandwiches. Even though most places have a brisket sandwich, Ruby's pushes the genre by adding sausage and coleslaw. For whatever reason, Ruby's always seems a little healthier. I doubt it is, but I'm sticking with it as healthy option.

Probably my favorite Austin (in the city) BBQ is Rudy's. Rudy's is a chain due to its successes and I've never really found a bad location. The brisket has a peppery flavor and their sauce is made from scratch. They offer "extra moist" brisket, which really is the only way to go. The sausage is somewhat ho-hum, but I've eaten plenty of times and have no complaints. I'm also a fan of turkey if I'm feeling healthy. It can be a little intimidating your first time, so let them know and they'll give you samples. My side of choice is the red potatoes. They are cooked in a butter sauce that is pretty much like you'd have with lobster, so it is kind of like eating the lobster of red potatoes, if that even makes sense.

Downtown Austin (2nd and Guadelupe) is home to Lamberts. It is an upscale BBQ restaurant that provides an interesting twist on classic BBQ joints. Their meat is extra smokey. They serve the brisket as a series of slices all increasing with fat. The sausage is tasty, especially when you mix some mustard with their homemade sauce. The sides are essentially served family style and can be a meal all themselves. All of them have been outstanding with the cheese grits and collards standing out as classic southern cuisine.

Heading out of Austin there are two legendary BBQ restaurants for those serious about the craft. The first is the Salt Lick. This is located south west of Austin. Before going to Salt Lick, you should consider preparing a bit. They have a huge waiting patio, often with some acoustic act playing. Most people bring a cooler with some cold Lone Star and don't mind waiting 30 minutes for the chance to dine on some delectable meats. What makes Salt Lick is the combination of excellent meat along with great sauce. They include a slight mustard flavor to their sweet and smokey sauce that begs to slather the entire meal. They also have excellent bread for making sandwiches. Even though you may feel like you can't eat another bite, go ahead and get some cobbler for desert. You'll think you can't, but you can and you will.

The second legend of BBQ to check out is also a little south of Austin in the BBQ capital of the world, Lockhart. I'm not sure what qualifies this claim, but Kreutz could easily be reason enough. Kreutz is an interesting place. It is something of a black sheep within the world of BBQ. They have a "no sauce" policy. They state that the cooking process is a mere hour (instead of the hours and hours others boast). There is a guy with crazy sideburns that cuts meat and generally rules. It is an amazing place. I've had nothing bad there, so try it all. They also give you saltines instead of break, which is actually pretty amazing. As for sides, prepare for more meat. They have sauerkraut that is really more of a brisket and sauerkraut mix. And yes, it is awesome. As a sauce kind of guy, I didn't miss it. Sure, I did consider bringing my own from Salt Lick or Rudy's but that just seems rude. I'm somewhat torn as to what is better, Salt Lick or Kreutz. I have no qualms heading back to each as much as possible trying to decide.

There are other places in town for BBQ that really aren't bad. The Green Mesquite, Stubbs, Iron Works, etc. all offer smokey meat, but non push the limits. If you want to find what the big deal is about, you need to visit Salt Lick and Kreutz's. It is that simple.

One last genre of restaurant that is popular in Austin is found in trailers. There are a wealth of small eateries around town that work solely out of a trailer of some sort and provide a taste of what Austin is really about. Lulu Bs is one example down on South Lamar that offers excellent Vietnamese sandwiches. Another, is Flip Happy Crepes, which was recently featured on the Food Network. My favorite (so far) at Flip Happy is the Cuban Crepe, a pork, cheddar, tabasco and pickle crepe that is crisp, savory and generally mind blowing with flavor. For desert there is Hey Cupcake down on South Congress, but personally I'm a fan of Sugar Mommas, which is a little farther south on 1st street.

So there you have it. Hopefully this little overview might help to find some winners when visiting Austin.

Eating in Austin - Downtown

I saw a tweet today mentioning that my list of restaurants was not very downtown friendly. It seemed like a good idea to give a quick overview of a few downtown locales that are worth checking out. These are in no particular order.

Serranos on Red River is a Mexican restaurant with a really great patio. It is close enough to downtown that you can walk, yet it still feels somewhat insulated from traffic and urban noise. I usually split some fajitas with a friend and enjoy their Margaritas.

Stubbs is a BBQ joint that is very well known during SXSW for its food and as a venue. As far as BBQ goes, the connoisseur in me gives it a par. But, when I want a hot and quick sit down meal before a show it is tough to beat. The sides can be a meal in themselves if you want something light. Their coffee is also pretty darn tasty if you need a boost to get an evening started.

Jaime's on Red River is another Mexican restaurant that used to be famous for its breast feeding friendly signage out front. I've never actually eaten there, but friends I know have, which leads me to believe it's safe.

There are a ton of small pizza places downtown for those needing some grease to premptively attack the morning dregs. Rappolos is all over the place with both an actual building on 6th and trailers everywhere else. Nothing too amazing. The Jackelope also has a pizza place built in. I've never been, but it seems pretty run of the mill. I think Houcks (heavy metal pizza) is still around somewhere, but honestly I've lost track as its moved so often recently. Hoboken Pies on Red River is actually a pretty decent place and would really be the only one I might "recommend".

Another staple of the downtown diet is the multitude of carts. Many of them serve the same purpose as the pizza places, while offering more interesting options. Personally, I've stuck to basics and tended toward sausage related endeavors. The best is The Best Wurst. They give you real deal Elgin sausage with saurkrout and mustard on a small hoagie roll. It's Texas and it's amazing. The Jackalope (in addition to its own food) also has a hot stand called Beelzebubs that is pretty decent if you want a real hot dog. They have a "cuban" that throws a twist with pull pork, pickles and some sauce. It is pretty good stuff. There is also the Hot Dog King on Red River. I've never been there, but friends say it is pretty good, but kind of pricey considering it is just a hot dog. There is a Mexican place that sets up in front of Emos that is not bad for a quick taco. Usually on the weekends there is a BBQ trailer hanging around that I've failed to convince my significant other I needed to check out. They have turkey legs though, so if you are feeling the need to act and look like a barbarian, I'd say give it a try.

There are a whole slew of sit down restaurants on 6th, but I haven't been most of them. Most, from what I can tell, are OK, but I don't think many reflect real local fresh cuisine. For example, I've been Roux (below the Parish) for a quick meal. The gumbo was pretty good, but some fried something or others we had were obviously frozen. If others have suggestions that are worthwhile please comment.

One downtown restaurant that is relatively new is Parkside. They serve some raw fish dishes that are pretty amazing. A friend of mine who worked there said the chef came from Uchi, which is a good sign. Just to give an example, I had a raw salmon dish served on a pear slice, drizzled with a peach sauce and small circlets of jalapeno. Amazing and tasty. It is kind of pricey, but it is worth checking out.

Another pricier downtown locale is Chez Nous. It is a pretty standard Frech restaurant. The food is good, although the atmosphere is pretty ho-hum. I wouldn't say it is a place to make time for, but if you're hungary and want to spend a little time enjoying a meal it certainly works.

One of my favorites east side places that recently opened is The Good Knight. It is just down the street from Rio Rita and owned by the same folks. It is a dark upscale dive with a gourmet bar menu. Everything I've eaten is good. The service can be kind of sketchy, but traditionally everyone is pretty nice. Rio Rita also serves some really good sandwiches in addition to their legendary bloody marys. They have a black forest ham with asparagus croissant that really works. You can also grab a slice of pizza from East Side Pies if that is more to your liking. Generally, Rio Rita is a great coffee shop/bar at all hours.

Lastly, Cafe de Sol (I think that is the name) just moved in next to Emos. This is a Mexican place that was on south congress. I haven't had a chance to go yet, so hopefully during SXSW I'll have my chance.

I'm sure I missed quite a bit, so please feel free to fill in the gaps in the comments.

The Death of Genre

With the eve of SXSW being upon the entire city of Austin and much of the music industry, I've noticed that in paying attention to modern music there is a obvious lack of genre. This is not a bad thing of course, but it does present questions what musical integrity really means. When I was younger, the style and genre of a band acted as a barometer for their values and integrity regarding music as art. I'm probably biased since most of the music I listened to was of the general "punk" variety and was meant to question mainstream music as a whole.

Childish thinking aside, it still seems as though "indie" music is not what it used to be. The bands are pretty darn close to being mainstream both in terms of fan base and sonically. If you look at the more talked about "indie" bands they don't reflect as much rebellion as past artists. Take someone like Neko Case, M. Ward or St. Vincent and you can see what I mean. At one point this kind of music might be considered "alternative" to reflect its parallels to mainstream music in terms of popularity, while still keeping its edge. Really though, it is tough to argue that the above artists have much of an edge.

I want to make it clear that I'm not criticizing anyone here, just making an observation. I really like Neko Case. What is interesting is how the availability created by Internet seems to have destroyed some of the needs or requirements for a genre. Personally, I think it is kind of cool. I remember hearing punk bands on skating videos and being extremely excited to know the music existed. It is fascinating to think that there is the beginnings of a generation that may never need to search aimlessly to find music that speaks directly to them. Likewise, from the bands perspective, it is exciting to know that they have fewer and fewer reasons to sacrifice their sounds in order to find fans. Even while the music industry is a mess, it is nice to still see silver linings every now and then.

Post SXSW Thoughts: The Current Trend of Tame

So, we had a great SXSW. We hung out with Dave Allen all week, played way too many shows, and met people who were interested in our music. All in all, a really great week. In addition to the usual madness of running around playing shows, I was able to catch Dave's panel on copyright. The interesting thing about copyright discussions is that they usually end up as a debate regarding how you make money producing something that you don't charge for. This is where the music industry is right now and while bands have set precedents for making money off of t-shirts and live shows, as an industry, there is a serious lack of viable business models available for folks like labels to take advantage of.

One of the things that has become more and more important in light of a missing CD market is the concept of licensing. This is getting songs in Guitar Hero, commercials and movies (for the most part). More and more artists and labels are making money through getting placements and it is proving to be a relatively profitable plan. Labels can continue to streamline their operations, which means a few good placements can mean profits, which in turn means more music gets released.

The problem with depending on licensing is that it reflects another trend that seems to be cropping up in indie music. There have been rumblings that indie rock and independent music has become rather tame. People have stopped taking chances on bands, in order to mitigate the risk. Unless a song would do well in a romantic comedy, it is tough to get attention from labels. With more revenue coming from licensing songs, labels are not interested in taking chances on artists that may not be writing movie music.

Now, there is nothing wrong with "tame" music. Spoon was a perfect fit for Stranger Than Fiction and it left me liking both the movie and the band. Some of my favorite songs are those that have been tied to an emotional scene in a film. There is not one Wes Anderson that doesn't make me excited about the soundtrack. That guy made me catch the genius of The Kinks! I'd love to write a song that lands in a movie and has the same impact.

The problem is not that labels and the industry tend toward safe bets, but rather that the industry has lost focus on anything else. In a way I don't blame them. Nirvana's catalog has been in the news recently for lacking licensing interest. If a band like Nirvana couldn't happen today because they were not seen as a financially viable band, then we have a real problem. Again, I don't blame a label for avoiding risk. They are running a business after all. But, if no one is taking chances, then innovation stops.

Fortunately, innovation seems to thrive when pushed into a corner of limitations. I'd imagine some label going to take a chance on an artist and it will pay off. My bet the success will be partly be due to a focus on creating a brand. This is essentially Radiohead's model. Radiohead has a brand that demands attention. It has a boutique quality that demands higher prices and oozes quality. Even though the music won't show up on the latest episode of everyone's favorite TV show, they are able to present their music as a product so amazing, the premium of a price is worth it. The quality is definitely critical, but the branding could be what makes it all work.

I also think labels will cease to be entities that release music. I would hope a new breed of labels can be established that serve to support artists and their brands. Something like a manager who aims to help the artist anyway possible and a venture capitalist who enables development. I'd imagine these will be 360 deals where the label shares in the profits of the band, but it would look more like a partnership. This also means a label would most likely only have a few artists, since the time commitment is too great to take on major label type rosters. That said, a Y Combinator for music definitely seems possible.

Postulating aside, it is clear things are continuing to change. There are a ton of great bands and people are listening to more and more music. No matter what happens, it is an exciting time to be a musician and involved in the industry.