It’s been a week of misadventures and some disappointments — very little has gone according to plan and it was only yesterday (Friday night) that I made it out again for some more fun. As I said before I don’t have a SXSW wristband but the web has been full of news of free shows. I’m a newly minted fan of the FreeEatsATX on Twitter!
My pet came into town and after enjoying a lazy afternoon and evening at Patton Asylum we drove to the Highball. If you haven’t been, the Highball is a crazy combination of bar, restaurant, night club and bowling alley with some karaoke machines to boot. Earlier in the week I saw someone tweet that Don Draper (Jon Hamm) was in the Highball and it suits the character just perfectly. So do the prices, but the Spiced Russian and the Old Thyme Lemonade were worth the cost.
The Highball had promised a Nerdcore night headlined by MC Frontalot at 10pm, but by 11pm there was no sign of the show starting and we were hungry. Joined by one of Pet’s oldest friends we snuck down the road to Kerbey Lane for some snacks. Full of fried tofu and french fries we returned to the Highball where we found MC FrontAlot dancing and rapping on the stage.
This man works hard. As you’ll see from the photo gallery below, he just never stays still. He’s not content to merely stand at a microphone; he’s up and down the stage sweating, waving his arms, shaking his ass and getting the audience riled up. We tapped our feet, nodded our heads, laughed and grooved to this beautifully nerdy man.
Sadly we only caught part of his set but it was worth many times the price of admission (FREE!). Best of all we heard he and his crew are playing again today (Saturday) at 10:30pm at The Revolution Bar on 2421 Webberville.
On our way home we looked in on Past Yo Bedtime, which is the I Heart Comix! party. This was a small rave-like event held in, of all places, an empty storefront in Highland Mall. As we arrived a flood of young raver kids was leaving, and we were warned that the music was “weak” and only for “people on meth or something.” Bravely we entered anyway. It was certainly a unique experience enjoying this kind of music in the midst of capitalism’s wasteland. Sadly though the talent was not quite up to the challenge — the music felt inconsistent. It was danceable one moment then scattered and lost the next. Still, this event repeats on Saturday/Sunday morning from midnight to 4am with new DJs, so we might try again.
Saturday Pick: The Pyropolis Parks Fair from 2-9pm at the Warehouse. Food, bands, and a fundraising raffle for a better, more beautiful Burning Flipside.
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