Anyway, here’s TEN things I do know from sorting through all the stuff in the bag.

1. Actually, the first is something that I have yet to learn. This is part of the drawing on the bag. Can someone please  tell me what is going on here in front of the numbers 2010? Did the year run over some kind of cat with a tail from it’s head and behind? I dunno.

What happened here?

See the Question Mark? Yeah, that is all I can make out. And that someone is all a twitter about what just happened.

2. Southwest Airlines didn’t splurge on their bag promotion for SXSW. Probably would have gotten more business from some drink coupons. Just saying.

Peanuts. Srsly?

3. SPIN Magazine spent a little bit more on their promotion. Thanks, SPIN!

Free Magazines!

4. If it’s too loud, you’re . . . well supplied with ear plugs. Really. Just wondering if my other Gen-X peers are a bit offended by this. At least this kit included some bandaids and aspirin, suggesting that maybe we might do something foolish enough to need them, like walk around in less than sensible shoes boozing it up all night.

Health Kit

5. There is a Poster Convention within SXSW. Cool! Planning my next photo safari.

Poster Convention

6. The Montreal Pop Festival has a mini conference within SXSW. Not sure how this is possible or what sense it makes. But I will investigate.

Pop Fest at SXSW

7. The British are coming! Now THIS? totes makes sense to me. I LOVE everything England and since I haven’t made it there yet, it’s awesome that they are having a British Music Conference within SXSW. I will investigate this too. Think I can Salahi into their party?

British Music SXSW Conference Guide

8. Lifebeat.org thinks we are going to be hooking up and getting it on at SXSW as they provided a tin case of condoms. They also think the men who will be engaging in promiscuous behavior are not so well-endow. . . ah, nevermind.

Condom

9. Not only do I need earplugs, but I need an earplug carrying case to put them in. How cute.

Ear Plug Carrying Case

10. Not only does Crucial Music manage good bands, they manage their promo assets quite well. If I were awarding prizes for most intriguing bag stuff, it would be the simple envelope that was as enticing as an invitation to a party, because well, that is what I felt like as I was tearing my way into what ended up being free itunes downloads. Well done!

Squee! An invitation to the ball!

And now I am off to investigate.

But it’s not the movie that makes me nostalgic. It’s players like Lucky Tubb and Doppler Bob keepin it real right in our shop. Even Lucky said he feels “at 1:00 in the afternoon, sittin in this room, you could be in the 1950s.” I guess it could be because our place is packed full of old stuff as if we had personally survived the Great Depression on tube amps. Our decor doesn’t much project the upscale charm of  a spic and span uber hip nightclub.  But, as Lucky says in our  interview, “No junk, no soul!”

I think you can find your choice of either in our place. Come on down and take your pick.

For your viewing pleasure:

Interview with Lucky Tubb:

“Damn the Luck” by Lucky Tubb

“Master of Disaster”, performed by Lucky Tubb and Doppler Bob written by John Hiatt

Right-on! Musicians invent the craziest lingo! And it’s quite lovely in my humble opinion.

In this episode of the Amp Blog, Cameron interviews Joshua Zarbo, Austin, TX based freelance studio musician, music educator and clinician as well as the bass player for sonic mavericks Future Clouds & Radar. Before Future Clouds and Radar, Joshua spent 10 years recording and touring with a little band called Spoon. You might have heard of them.

As a non bass-player and non-amp nerd, I really like this series of interviews. Joshua talks about his style and choice of equipment in a fashion that, if one wanted to, could learn a lot from this series, even a noob like me. Probably makes him a great teacher.

Any of Joshua’s students reading this blog? Go ahead a give a holla in the comments below.

You can hear (and feel, no doubt) the bark and throatiness of Joshua’s bass talent, and other various tones described in these vids, in any of several shows during the upcoming South By Southwest Music Conference.

We recommend you:
Become a Fan of Joshua on Facebook
Visit Joshua on Myspace

Part Four

Part Three

Part Two

Part One

Me? I am a native Austinite who moved here when I was just a kitten. Yep, I call myself native because, although not born here, I got here in the early 80s; before you never heard of Aqua Fest or the Sesquicentennial. Besides I really don’t remember living anywhere else. I graduated from Pflugerville, then UT Austin. I am lucky enough to work from home for IBM.

Cameron, a Missouri boy, came to Austin to play drums for Junior Brown instead of show up for class at Southwest Missouri State University. After the Junior gig and some time in a local record store, he decided to return to college and earned a bachelor’s and master’s from St. Edwards University. While still gainfully employed in the now defunct local semi-conductor industry, his engineering and creative impulses collided with a cool (but to my dismay,  expensive!) hobby in vintage tube amplifiers. So we founded Austin Amplifier, Inc.  to feed the amp passion without bankrupting our family’s imagined war chest.

At the time, we had no idea how incorporating a hobby would one day save our ass from the Great Recession. Right about the time his last gig in semiconductors vaporized, an opportunity to open a storefront at our current location surfaced. Lady Fate had dealt us a new hand.

When we opened the shop, we were just trying to make ends meet with old-fashioned “umf.” Our wildest dreams didn’t feature the fascinating people that would come in and contribute their piece to our baby.  So this little video blog is a way for us to say THANKS to the coolest people on earth: Austin Musicians. For doing your part to nurture the quirky little spirit of the town we call home.

EXCUSE THAT PINK ELEPHANT OVER THERE

This needs to be said. While it’s true that much of the beloved traditional haunts in Austin are being consumed by the greed beast, new spots like us keep popping up like weeds bluebonnets. We wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to Keep Austin Weird. So for every glossy condo that goes up or every Cactus Cafe that goes down, Austin will always be weird. Maybe it’s in the water.  If it is, you can tell we’ve had lots of  it by looking at our weird little video here.  Feel free to LOL. We are.

But, this blog is supposed to be about you, not us. Come on down to the shop and let us feature you in our next AmpBlog.  Maybe we’ll have some small impact on sending fans to your next gig who will buy beers at the bar that so it can keep its funky doors open a little longer.