Workaholics Apr 18, 2011
Tales From The Texas Hill Country – Part 3 May 15, 2011
Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope Oct 13, 2011
The Backyard opened it’s 2012 Season with a VIP party at the backstage area “The Glenn” April 20th, the enclave used for the visiting musicians. Willie Nelson will start the 3rd season off Saturday April 21st with Paula Nelson and surprise guests.
Legendary concert promoter, owner of The Backyard and Direct Events CEO Tim OConner and American billionaire businessman and philanthropist John Paul DeJoria adressed the crowd after treating them to food from Wahoo’s tacos.
We feel that as the world progresses, and the frequency rises, that people have to feel more down to earth, and feel the earth and be at home. We feel we’ve accomplished that here with this unbelievable site – John Paul DeJoria
John Paul DeJoria and Christine Lucas – Photo by S. Bornstein for BlogsByLucas.com
“I came to Austin TX in 1971 where I worked for a cosmetic company for one year. And at time there was a place here called the Armadillo World Headquarters. I went in there, it was a cool funky place, but you felt like you were part of something. It was indoors, there were old funky couches there, you could sit on a rug. Chuck Mangione would play, or Boz Scaggs, or somebody and it was really really cool. But after that, it felt like there was no place where you could feel like you were part of the Austin Music Scene. This was built so not only could you feel like you were part of the ecological scene, but not only can you be hanging out in the outdoors, but the artists that come here can be part of it too in this little area right here (the cabins in “The Glenn” which serve as Read more
Sascha Stone Guttfreund started Scoremore at the age of 20 while attending the University of Texas (now a proud Texas Ex) and has quickly made a name for himself in the music industry. What started out as a fun hobby for Sascha has quickly turned into an empire. He is the definition of enterpreneurial success! Scoremore is a true grassroots company and he wants to keep it that way. It started in Austin,TX and now they produce shows in about 22 major cities. In two years Sascha has done what many people beyond his years only dream of accomplishing. Scoremore is a group of under 24 year olds absolutely dominating the music scene. They are either on tour (right now they are producing the Dom Kennedy tour) or they are producing huge concerts (always sellouts). If he doesn’t already have enough on his plate, Sascha also manages a few artists and works on a ton of other branding ventures. Scoremore was also the mastermind behind the biggest parties at SXSW…the Illmore. He knows what both the fans and the artist want and is always on top of the game. Sascha has an unerring sense of which talents are going to be a success and produces shows for them – and they stick with him after they get big.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED SELLING OUT VENUES LIKE THIS? IT’S PHENOMENAL – THERE A LOT OF VETERAN PRODUCERS THAT ARE NOT HAVING THE SUCCESS YOU ARE, EVEN WITH SOME BIGGER ACTS. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’RE SUCCEEDING? Read more
Saturday night in Austin saw the arrival of an entirely new concept in ‘mixed use’ spaces with the opening party for Wanderlust Live, a yoga/music/lecture facility in the old Youthworks space on 4th and Brazos. This old warehouse, which was slated to be torn down, has been beautifully renovated in a way that retained the original materials while creating magnificent modern, open spaces for practicing physical and spiritual practices to enhance your life. The partners in this endeavor have succeeded on all levels.
Wanderlust started as a yoga and music festival founded by Jeff Krasno and Sean Hoess, NY-based music executives, and has grown to six locations around the country for multi-day music/yoga festivals that are growing by leaps and bounds. Wanderlust Live in Austin, is their first extension of the brand to a stationary space incorporating the same ethos as the outdoor festivals. Read more
The critics are praising Act of Valor for its realistic battle scenes and panning it for its Read more
AUSTIN, TX – The Beyond the Lights Celebrity Golf Classic weekend, hosted by actors Kyle Chandler and Brad Leland, is pleased to announce an exciting change to the events line-up. A new Disc Golf Company Challenge tournament will be held on Friday, May 11, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa outside of Austin, TX. Chandler and Leland, both stars of the Emmy award winning DirecTV/ NBC television series “Friday Night Lights“, will once again co-host this star-studded weekend organized to benefit charities dedicated to supporting those with spinal cord injuries – The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis and Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation. The Disc Golf Company Challenge will replace the previous years’ Saturday Disc Golf Classic and the event will be organized in partnership with Austin-based Disc Nation, The Original Disc Golf Superstore. Read more
Chef Adam Gonzales of Serrano’s and Jeremy Parker of Musical Services Group have joined forces with the Austin Symphony Square to revitalize one of Austin’s best kept secrets – a gorgeous limestone amphitheater with great accoustics near the Texas State Capitol.
Plans are in the works to bring music events year-round to this historic compound, which can seat up to 1000 people altogether.
Jeremy Parker of Musical Services Group is who brought you the wildly-popular sound and shows at the Belmont for the past 4 years. For more information and booking the square, see www.musicalservicesgroup.com.
Chef Adam, a self-described “fishing foodie,” has gathered recipes on his fishing trips from all over the world for 20 years and is co-founder of the Serrano’s chain in Austin and VP of Ninfa’s in Houston, as well as the new Port A Seafood Restaurant in Austin. Serrano’s delectable menu includes Chef Adam’s own food line which includes salsas and a margarita and Mexican martini mix. For more information see www.serranos.com and www.portacafeseafood.com
Kathleene Cochrane for The Compass
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with two of my favorite people (actually three if you count “her”) and chat about “Shit Girls Say,” the out of the box smash youtube and twitter sensation. At the time of this meeting the three episodes of “Shit Girls Say” had already been viewed by 18 million people and has had countless copy cat video followers. Graydon and Kyle, as humble and wonderful as ever are complimented by the attempt to copy what is obviously their brainchild….I asked Graydon and Kyle a few questions in amongst my natural instinct to catch up on family news (not that I’m family but hey once a mother)
Mel Stewart was a prominent 200m butterfly swimmer of his era. A 14-time national champion (a United States Swimming Record still unbroken), he won the 200 m event at the 1991 World Championships in Perth. Next year he became the gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and won a second gold and a bronze. He held the 200 m world record at 1:55.69 from 1991 to 1995, currently held by Michael Phelps at 1:51.51 After the Olympics, he became a screenwriter and met his wife Tiffany, a producer, in Los Angeles. Together Mel and Tiffany have a production company that serves (no shock here) the Olympic market. He moved his wife and daughter Bayley to Austin, Texas after the 2008 Olympics to take advantage of the collaborative vibe of the creative community, and hasn’t looked back. In a few short years, Gold Medal Media has become a growing, successful company with commercial work in their niche market as well as the production of its first television show “The Tiburon Mile,” which aired to 66 million households in the fall of 2011. Who better than someone like Mel to give us a little insight into the drive of some of the world’s top atheletes in this interview:
Christopher James Thompson at Rockport International Film Festival 2011
UPDATE: Short Film “The End” is an Official Selection of the 2011 Rockport International Film Festival.
Chris Thompson, VP Film Development at AMFM Studios LLC, parent company to AMFM Magazine, has won “Best Director” in Austin’s 2011 48 Hour Film Project. Last year Chris won “Best Cinematography” in the same competition. Team Focus Challenged created the short The End from script to finished product in less than 48 Hours and also received an award for “Best Acting.” In addition, Chris produced “The Tiburon Mile” with Olympian Mel Stewart which aired nationally to 66 million households in Fall 2011 Tiburon Mile Schedule.
The oldest kid rock camp in Austin has re-opened under the tutelage of new owner John Moyer (Union Underground, Disturbed). John has taught at the school since 1998, in-between touring the world as the bass player for the multi-platinum metal band Disturbed, which is currently on hiatus. The camp, which has a unique approach to music instruction, is located at the newly-renovated Music Lab, 1306 W. Oltorf in Austin TX. AMFM caught up with John at a rehearsal with the flagship “kid’s band” The Aviators in this interview. (video after the jump) Read more
