The Calm After The Storm

Bavu Blakes called me today to tell me that he was removing my blogs from his bookmark list and just giving up on me altogether.

I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that I have a real job now and can't stare blankly at my screen till something comes to me anymore. Maybe it's cuz I have a real job and live on the far north side of Austin, so going out isn't really all that appealing anymore, therefore kind of killing my inspiration. Maybe it's because said job provides me with a steady income so I don't have to hustle up gigs out of the country anymore.

Maybe it's because gas prices are so high that the overseas promoters don't want to take a risk on the type of acts I book because the plane tickets are more than double what they were last year.

Maybe it's because the computer is in the bedroom/office of my mother in laws house and I rarely get a minute in here alone when I do happen to be home. Maybe it's because we go and look at houses everyday and Austin is an overpriced, over populated mess of homes that are too small to even stand up straight in for almost $300,000 on the fucking east side. Maybe the festival floored me a little bit and all I want to do right now for the moment is sit quietly and read things.

Maybe I'm just making excuses. Not sure. Probably just excuses, cuz as a wise man once said (Joe Scavone, to me anyway) "Writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration." That stuck with me pretty hard, but I still don't write enough.

One thing that I truly need to write about though is the new Bavu Blakes EP - Extra Plair. Self-released and available exclusively at bahvoo.com for 8.99 including shipping.
Two songs (smiley faces, lead us not) available free 08issogreat.com (though you should still buy the thang), this lil 5 song banger features production mostly from S-1 who from what I can gather, should have quite a year. Also Picnic is killing it as well.

I stupidly sat down to write this, and left the CD at work (of all places of course!) and can't find much info online, but seriously, he goes hard as hell on this one. Real life lyrics from a down south intellectual who's not afraid to balance the city and the country with the oceans and the Heaven's. Seriously. "Lead Us Not" is like a call to God to save us all from the foibles of life. It's not your typicall "Hi I'm a gangsta rapper and this is my ode to Jesus," song. It's a heartfelt ode to what we really need to be focused on in life.

"Smiley Faces" features Pikahsso of PPT (spitting that Denglish you may or may not know about) and kind of follows a similar path in that it's more of an observation than some preaching or whatever. You'll get the preaching references when you hear this brilliant piece of work. Anyway, dude has a lot to say and he can rap. Been telling y'all this for a long time now.

"Smiley Faces" makes me think about some of the more pestering rappers in Austin. Not the cool ones, the incessant pesterers. There's a few out here. Soul suckers but fuck it.

Anyway, one thing that has been enhancing my soul rather than sucking it dry, I mean two things, or three, or however many, is my family. In the weeks leading up to SXSW I really didn't get to see a lot of them, now we are making up for lost time, camping and trying to see EVERYONE. Here's a few shots from my last few weeks.


Here's the obligatory shot of Eva, Elena and their cousins Layla and Jude in their Easter outfits. This was a couple weeks before Easter, my wife took a series of shots in hopes of making an Easter Card I guess, but then the idea got scrapped.

Easter weekend we actaully went camping at Pedernales Falls State Park, just about a 45 minute drive west of Austin off of 290. I should get my travel writer on and really go into detail, but not tonight.


Suffice it to say it's pretty amazing there and I should have taken more photos. Beautiful river, and we hiked for miles. With two kids. I don't suggest this for everyone, but we had a great time.




These deer were neva scared of us. Came right up to the campe site.

I also heard coyotes, owls and a bunch of other critters as I lay awake at night.


I'd really prefer tolive in one of these full time somewhere far away than to spend almost $300k on some 1200 sq. foot shithole in Austin, but whatever. I'm just being salty. I can't be a suburb dweller, so this house hunt thang ain't easy in Austin. City proper is out of fucking hand. Just so you know, don't move here.


My pretty, pretty ELENA!


She get it from her mama.


Eva would not swim with me.


It was like 62 degrees in that water but I didn't really care. I need more swimming in my life (as evidenced by my gut).




Of course, this was the headlining event of the weekend.

Then on Easter we headed to San Antonio for Easter at my dads with my Sister and her kids.

Seen here. My lil brother Chance, Niece Sara, Nephew Jacob, Eva, Niece Katy, Elena

THEN My mom came to visit this past weekend with Roger (told you we have been making up for lost family time!) and we went to New Braunfuls and stayed in a cute lil cabin just a couple blocks off the river and right downtown. We ate German food, watched the kids dance to polkas at the Freisenhaus (also the Chicken Dance), drank a lot, hiked, um, ate alot of food, and just kind of relaxed in the sleepy lil German town.


Such a beautiful place.




And of course I got in the cold ass water again. How's the saying go? Lead a monkey to water?


Eva reading the People Magazine, disgusted by the display of ignorance in Hollywood.


This is either my mother or my sister. I think it's my sister.


Roger.


This is what kids look like after a day on the river. We need more days on the river.

And this is lil nephew Jude, the newest addition to the clan.


And yesterday lil Layla turned TWO!


So yeah man. I have been kind of avoiding the clubs and planning my plan of attack for the summer. Which should provide for lots of good shit for this blog. But I don't know how much international travel as President Bush and his Oil Baron buddies have us all in, how you say... a quandary. I guess that's as good a word as any for it. We are currently in a quandary.

And I'm tired of it. Music shit coming soon, I SWEAR!