“In West Virginia yesterday, a man was arrested for stealing several blow-up dolls. Reportedly, police didn’t have any trouble catching the man because he was completely out of breath.” ~ Conan O’Brien
There’s always time for a first in life. With those first experiences becomes the possibility for things pleasant as well as scary.
It wasn’t as nail biting as I thought it would be. After a decade of hearing about this event year after year after year, knowing that hundreds of thousands of people would attend, and I was going into unfamiliar territory as I have never been before.
If you have read the previous blog post, you know that I was bound and determined to make it to Sixth Street in Austin, Texas to see BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE perform once more.
My excitement was getting the best of me. I kept checking over and over and over again the bus schedules for the area throughout the entire afternoon to make sure that I knew where I had to be so that I didn’t miss out.
I actually got off the bus at a certain point and then found myself going down one helluva steep hill until I had reached Sixth Street. Then I turned to the right… should’ve turned left. I was nervous about the crowds. Not really knowing what to expect. After all there are reasons why the city’s motto is KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD.
But all in all, I was safe when I reached the venue, The 311 Club. A venue that claims to be Austin’s premiere R&B night club. A little strange since BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE isn’t that musical genre, but its SXSW and anything that can happen- will happen.
As a matter of fact I was so early that I was able to catch the band before play. Although it was a very unusual sound check to say in the very least. I’ve never in my life heard anyone just use the F-bomb to check a microphone’s levels. And that’s all I heard.
I wasn’t paying that much attention. I was stuck between the desire to hang out and chill with BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE before they got on stage and just letting them be so that they could prepare.
As the current band had played their set, I was getting more and more involved with it. At least audibly. I wasn’t paying much attention to the stage.
And then I saw this!!
Wait. What? Who? Huh?? HELLO NURSE!!!!!!!!!!
Who is this girl? Why didn’t I see her earlier before they got on stage? Inquiring minds wanna know!!
I kept hearing her say something that I thought was “punk nation” which would have been suitable for the dress and slight demeanor of the entire band on stage. Turns out I was wrong. Its Poc Nation. The name of the band.
I got closer and closer and closer to the stage. Like a predator on the Sahara. But I only went so far as people there were recording video with their smart phones.
If I would’ve had my way, I would’ve been right up on that stage at her feet. 
I waited once the band was finished. They announced that the last song was called “Go To Hell” and I just stared at Brenda Flores and started cracking up.
After I recovered from the laughter, I began looking at their merch table, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pull it off to buy something from Poc Nation as well as BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE. I went into a hormone-induced panic.
Not only that, but BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE wasted no time with getting on stage and drumming up the diesel for their performance.
I got a photograph taken with the girl as she hung around my neck and the only thing that I could think of was if that I could get a woman to do that all of the time, I would never leave the house.
I went into financially defensive mode when I noticed a CD and a t-shirt being sold. After that, I noticed a note taped onto the table saying that they accept major credit cards. But the person that I was dealing with said that they had no idea where that came from and they were not accepting credit cards.
Meanwhile, I’m missing the show that I came to see at SXSW.
I suppose that one could argue that since it was my first ever SXSW show and the first time I had ever wandered into that area for the festival that BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE stole my SXSW virginity.
I digress.
So I went off to bombard the front of the stage but again, people were recording with phones so I only got so far with it. But I was still ahead of much of everyone else.
There are certain bands that just give me goosebumps when I listen to them. This would be another band to be added to the list of those who do that.
The last song of their set I remembered from Acadia Bar & Grill in Houston, Texas where I was motioned over to approach even closer to the stage by the bass player, Maribel Sabido. The 311 Club stage was much higher and I didn’t suspect that anyone would be daring to jump off of it.
I was wrong!
Brenda Flores and Auggie Del Ray were doing their stage “battle” for lack of a better term and then Auggie was facing away from the audience but his heels were on the edge of the stage.
I wondered what was going to happen.
Then suddenly Auggie just jumped and in the middle of the jump got turned around, landed flat on his feet, and rocked out the rest of the song on his bad ass guitar.
I noticed that he was mere inches away from me. Not even that! More like centimeters. And I didn’t know what to do. Did I pat him on the back or the head? Did I throw up The Horns in his face or my fist shaking in the air? The beads of sweat coming off of his biceps were flying everywhere along my own arm.
Sharing is sometimes caring, right?
He then crab walked a few steps and kept rocking it out!!
Then it was all said and done.
I did eventually hang with BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE afterwards. I finally got a t-shirt from them in my size, purchased some big posters and had them signed and then had to find a way to get to the nearest city bus stop which was about one-quarter of a mile away.
But it lands inside the gay district of Austin. Talk about your butt being glued to the seat at all times. I don’t roll with the pole.
I do feel more comfortable and confident though if I decide that I want to go back. I know that BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE will be playing along Sixth Street every night until the end of the week. I’m considering it, running low on funds though. City buses used to be FREE for me, but not any more. And that’s a shame. Wednesday’s show is too late in the evening for me to get back home, so maybe the rest of the week? Who knows!
I came home and immediately went on to Google to find Poc Nation. Not a lot there. Just web articles that were in Spanish. I found their Facebook fan page though. So obviously I joined.
The band (or at least the girl) is from Mexico!!
After dealing with inflamed hormones, that was a bit heartbreaking to find out. I had hoped that Poc Nation was some band from the state of Texas. But its Mexico. They’ve been all over the world as well.
I think its safe to say that if I ever find out that Poc Nation is in my area, that I’m going to break bones to get to that show!
Once I get into a musical act or band, such as BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE, SIX MINUTE CENTURY, or something like that… then I am 100% involved with it for life!
At least I didn’t have any problems with people though. Hundreds of thousands of people coming to Austin, Texas and 22,000 music acts to play throughout the city during SXSW. Hell, I even saw Tard, aka Grumpy Cat this past Thursday. A bunch of moron photographs meowing like idiots just trying to get the cat to meow. So sad!
If there would’ve been a problem, I think it would be safe to assume that I wouldn’t go back to SXSW. Unless one of the Houston bands were there… then I might consider it. But I don’t have to cross that kind of bridge. All in all though, it was a lot of fun. I was promised the diesel and that’s what I got.
Dambreaker 