F-- this, I'm selling crepes.

Can I be real with you guys for just one second? I've been interviewing all these downtown food street vendors for a Rare story - Marc Roppolo of Roppolos Pizza, the Kebabalicious guys, etc. - and it's kind of making me want to chuck all and start a cookie business out of a trailer, or something. It's such an Austin way of life.

How cute is this? I think I could really get behind coming to work each day in my little pink trailer. Make crepes for the masses. Even cooler if Bobby Flay decided he wanted to feature me on his show, like he did with the Flip Happy girls.

The refrain I here over and over again from these street vendors is that they were somewhere else in the world - in Flip Happy's case, Paris - and tasted the most delicious ____ (insert street vendor cuisine of choice here). They stopped whatever they had previously been doing professionally - did you know Marc Roppolo used to be a personal trainer in New York? - and said (in so many words), "fuck this, I'm selling crepes."

What would you sell out of a trailer, given the chance?

I think it's going to be a dance party weekend.

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY:

Terp 2 It, i.e. my buddy Chris Trew, will be playing at this tonight, and we all know how fun Baby Got Bacteria is. I'm a big fan of Foot Patrol's "love ballad," Such a Pity. Go listen and giggle.

Since bidding adieu to The Famousish, Doneski has been filling his bill with fun DJ gigs, like this one: VEGA's EP release! Synth-pop, anyone?


SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY:

First we have a pizza eating contest at Pizza Guys, and the winner gets cash money!

$500, to be specific. (Which you can then put toward your first month of Jenny Craig). Go sign up here.

I am way late in posting this next event; so late in fact, that RSVP's are now CLOSED. Fail, self, fail. Maybe you can still sneak in though, or convince a friend to make you their +1.


I love Do512 events, because there is always complimentary Tito's and Sweet Leaf. Mixed together to make "TeaTinis," if you will. (I don't know if that's what they call them but I think it sounds pretty cute).

We also have the hippest Austin City Council rally event, perhaps ever:


Right, an 8-band billing for a local election rally. With really cool bands, too! If you're a regular reader of this blog, you're familiar with Tiffanie Lanmon, the drummer in Follow That Bird! The first night we met, we declared ourselves the Authorities On Taste (yes, while clinking plastic cups) and drew up a list of "deal breakers." While the details are fuzzy, some pillars of truth remain: tribal tattoos, wearing of shades indoors, Precious Moments, displaying of brand names on ass, and Crocs; inexcusable, all. Which is sad because the man I'm in love with breaks that last deal every single day. Proving once again that love is blind, even to Crocs.

Another Beauty Bar dance party:

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY:

I'm trying to find out some more details on this one, because it looks fun. But what would you wear to this, exactly? What were you wearing in the 8th grade? As for me, I remember feeling pretty HAWT in high-waisted denim shorts with daisies printed on them, topped off with:

A sleeveless button-up denim shirt from the Gap,
A braided leather belt,
PENNY LOAFERS, and, and -

Wait for it............

Matching daisy socks. This, at 14.

Such a terrific nerd.

East Side Home Contest!

How cool is this?

And don't you lerve the poster??


This is neat - a photo tour contest of East Side homes. I predict we'll be seeing some of these lovingly-decorated digs on East Austinite, as they get submissions today. Design/decor websites like Desire to Inspire, Design Crisis, and Casa Sugar are pretty much like porn for me, so I for one am pumped to have this kind of venture going locally.

East Austinites, go enter here!

Let Me Twitter Dat

Happy Wednesday, Twitterati!



Oh Austinites, it rings true doesn't it? Yesterday, I tweeted about an oh-so-riveting topic: McDonald's iced lattes!

@TollyM: "Just tried a sugar free iced latte from McD's (don't hate, it's close to work) & WOW, it is SWEET. My blood is pumping artificial sweetener."

Point taken, Andy Milonakis. Golf claps.

CD Review and Ticket Giveaway: The Great Nostalgic

Let's talk about The Great Nostalgic.

On May 1, this band will have a CD release show at Hole in the Wall, and I promise after sampling a couple of their songs, you will want to attend. (Which is fortunate, since I have in my hot little hands 2 tickets and 2 CDs to give away! More on that below).

First, some trivia. The Great Nostalgic contains members of The Laughing, AM Syndicate, Sea Legs, and Southern Drama. Just three months into their young life as "The Great Nostalgic," they were named among the "Nine Locals to Watch in 2009" by Austin Chronicle. And, in case you're wondering - because as far as local artists go, this seriously is one of the most important things to me - they are really, really nice. At least drummer Vince Durcan is, and I have no doubt his fellow band members are equally lovely.

Second: have you ever had that experience where you meet this cool person, say at a party, and later re-encounter them in a totally different context, realizing they're even more impressive than you originally thought? This one girl in my grad school program, let's call her Kate, was among the blessed few to admit she enjoyed - nay, relished - reality television, and regularly hosted viewings of "Project Runway." I loved her for that reason alone, and happily blew off Derrida to go watch Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn on Kate's big TV. But a few weeks after I met her, my roomate came home with a bottle of wine Kate had given her - from the winery where she worked on the weekends. So, to review: Project Runway party hosting + winery moonlighting = Kate, the Grad School Badass.

Anyway. I had that experience with The Great Nostalgic's new album, S/T. The first few songs I heard from them struck me as very Cars-like. Those were New Wavey, dancey songs, like "House of My Father" and "County Line." After listening to the rest of the album though, I began to agree with all those comparisons of The Great Nostalgic to David Bowie, owed in no small part to Abram Shook's vocals. Controlled and fluttering, his voice is complemented by a quietly sinister piano in "Grace;" the band's radio single "Young Lovers," however, reveals Shook at his flirtiest, backed by uptempo guitar and pop-happy drums. Along with band members JoBeth Cox, Michal Faircloth, James Lynn Miller, and Vince Durcan, The Great Nostalgic test out a variety of moods in their new LP, ranging from contemplative to dance party. If songs like "Kingdom" are the vegetables," then "Young Lovers" is the candy.

Now, perhaps it's the musicality that all Great Nostalgic band members brought to this new endeavor, but I'm most impressed by the fact that this still-young band wrote recorded a whole LP, and a well-produced LP at that, in less than half a year. And tucked just enough musical surprises inside - I can't even identify some of the instruments being played - to make the finished product sound thoughtful and carefully honed.

SO. We will be at the CD Release show for S/T on May 1. Will you?

I'll give two readers a ticket to the show each, as well as a CD, if you leave a comment telling me who you're listening to right now. Doesn't have to be The Great Nostalgic. Lady Gaga? Black Nasty? Ol' Brit Brit? Let's hear about it.

Interview: Stellastarr* on Gossip Girl, Graffiti Eyes, and Austin Texas

Tonight, Stellastarr*'s new song "Graffiti Eyes" debuts on Gossip Girl. I am downright obsessed with their 2004 song "My Coco," so I was excited to hear that this summer, the band will be going on tour for the first time in three years - and playing right here in Austin!! (Details to come on the when/where).

In anticipation of both "Graffiti Eyes," which hits iTunes today, and their upcoming visit to our fair city, Austin Eavesdropper invited bassist/vocalist Mandy Tannen of Stellastarr* to share some thoughts with us about the band's new album "Civilized," their favorite bands, and....The Twilight Zone.

(Bonus: "My Coco" video below).

1. Welcome to Austin Eavesdropper! And thanks for taking the time for this interview. First things first: How would you describe your music?

It is an amalgamation of many ideas. We are a very democratic band and try every idea out. So in the end our songs have many parts put together to form one cohesive piece.

2. "Civilized" (EDITOR'S NOTE: On sale July 7) is your third full-length album. How is this album different from your first two - "Stellastarr*" and "Harmonies for the Haunted?"

Our first album was written over a period of a couple years when we had first formed… we played out every other week in NYC road testing the songs we had written. We tailored many of our songs to make our live show the absolute best it could be. I guess it was kind of community based. Ours fans became our friends and peers.

Harmonies were written in almost an opposite fashion. We got back from touring the first album for a couple years. And we went right back into the rehearsal space writing. We had very short deadlines on us, so the writing process was very vigorous. We basically wrote every day, 8 hours a day, for a couple months. We were very serious about it. It was written with a major looking on, money backing it, and we are all very driven and professional in any endeavor. After touring it we realized that it had turned into a job, not what we originally intended to feel about our music. So…

For this album we decided to write on our own terms and for the love of playing music. We got together as a creative outlet and for some much needed camaraderie. No deadlines, no outside pressure. We wrote what we felt when we felt it.

3. The last time you released a full-length album was 2005. Tell us about the slow (but successful!) birthing process for "Civilized."

Because we were writing for ourselves and wanted to enjoy the process, we took our time. We wanted what came out to be authentic. But we also wanted a well rounded album with the best of the best we could come up with. We wrote more than double the amount of songs on the album. During pre-production we did a bunch of chopping. Also because we had left our label, we had no funding. We all had to work jobs to pay our rent and pay for the expenses of making an album by ourselves. That meant less time available for rehearsal. Of course we were in our space as much as we possibly could manage.

4. As SXSW veterans...do you have any plans to return to Austin anytime soon?!

OF COURSE!!! We love Austin. I think we have a better time playing regular shows there. All the venues are great, the food is great and the people are so friendly and welcoming. We are planning on including Austin in our US tour to support the album in July.

5. Favorite band you are listening to right now?

I have been listening to a lot of Jonathan Richman at the moment. Feeling Spunky!

6. "Graffiti Eyes" from the new album will be on Gossip Girl tonight, April 20. Tell us: Are you PRO or ANTI Blair-and-Nate?

I haven’t been following what has been up with them… I watched the first couple episodes but to tell you the truth… it is on when we normally rehearse on Mon nights here in NYC! So I have missed most of it!

7. Fill in the blank. If I weren't in a band I would be in a ______.

In a Twilight Zone episode named “The Hitch Hiker” as the character Nan.

Stellastarr* - My Coco (Official Music Video) - The most popular videos are here

(P.S. - If the video doesn't start after the commercial, hit the stop button, and then "Replay.")

The Weekend Haps!

YAY for this flier:
We also have:

This is the first of a weekly Back Alley Social (at the old Whiskey Bar) for events outfit High Society. I did my internet homework and couldn't find much on these bands/DJs though, so if you're one of them and you're reading this, introduce yourself?

For Saturday, this looks fun:

DJ Mel always has the most glorious flyers.

On Sunday, let's go shopping. At Beauty Bar!

Admittedly, I'm going to take it pretty easy this weekend. May just shock the world and try COOKING for once. Any suggestions y'all?

Finery.

Getting dressed in the 17th century was a production, no?


That is some work. I mean, look at the guy on the right. He's ashamed to be seen with his date, because she isn't wearing a gigantic plumed hat. He's all, "seriously? This is bullsh-t."

Anyway, tomorrow night, we'll be visiting the 17th century, right here in 21st century Austin. It's for a multimedia art show called "Finery: Experiments in Porcelain and Silk."

deets:

Friday, April 17th at 7pm
IF+D
208 Colorado St.
Austin, TX 78701
Admission: Free

Here are some words from the event press release:

"During the Depression 60-70 million Americans flooded movie theaters each week for an hour and a half escape into a fantasyland of luxury, melodrama, and sexuality. Kathleen Rabe, Rachel Fields, and Christina Shaffell have created a new fantasy world of feminine escapism in which simple materials are manipulated to create an indulgent textural affair.

On Friday, April 17th, ceramicist Kathleen Rabe, designer Rachel Fields, and photographer Christina Shaffell present Finery, a multimedia art show. Fashions inspired by 17th century Palace couture and fabric manipulation techniques will be on display along with large-scale photography."

Broken Word Mutant Jazz

An edgy, incredibly cool author, Kris Saknussemm, comes to Beerland tomorrow night for a reading and musical performance. Wanna go? Let me know: We'll add you to the list.

WINNERS: Sunday Fair tickets, Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival

Drumroll, please!

Here are the four winners....

1.KWay said...

Target boxed wines are actually sort of awesome for their price point (particularly the white sangria). And they also have a really tasty Riesling called Polka Dot. It comes in a cute blue bottle. For only about $10!

2.lazysmurf said...

My favorite vineyard is Snoqualmie and I often get their wines because I used to live up near there and I was in love with Snoqualmie Falls, it is where Twin Peaks was filmed! So I guess it is a silly reason to have a favorite, but when I see them I usually buy them because I love the place.

3.Alexandra Richmond said...

At Wheatsville or Sun Harvest, I like the French table white, Rene Junot!
At HEB, I get Frey organic red!
And when at Whole Foods, I try to buy TEXAN wines (hiyoo), like the McPherson Voigner 2007, and the Texas Hills Orange Moscato 2005.

P.S., all of these wines are under $20 - the first two I mentioned under $10!

4. lexyut@hotmail.com said...

My favorite is the Italian Gianni Gagliardo's Falleggo (in the bottle with no label and the red wax stamp.) It's awesome and perfect for summer time.
I love the Food & Wine fest! My parents come in town every year and we make a day of the Sunday fair!

Now WINNERS (back to me here), please send me an email (address is on the right sidebar) to claim your prize.

Popples.

"I had a dream that I gave birth to a Popple."

"A taco?"

"No, not a taco; a 'Popple.'"

"You dreamt you gave birth to a taco?"

This was me and a co-worker earlier tonight at at Daily Grill's Happy Hour. Aside from the fact that I really can't stop giggling about the notion of giving birth to tacos, it also dawned on me that perhaps not every child from the '80s is familiar with this wonderful toy.





As you can see, the Popple is sort of a cross between a kangaroo, a ball, and a teddy bear. A "soft fluffy ball that turns into a friend," if you will!

Austinites, was I the only one who played with these? Was this some weird toy that only San Antonio kids got?

Ticket Giveaway! Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival

Alright, can we all just sit here and fantasize about our dream jobs for a second? Because I have two. One is a little embarrassing, the other is perhaps attainable: when I grow up, I would like to either be the host of "The Biggest Loser," or work at Whole Foods. What are yours?

Have you all ever watched "The Biggest Loser?" It's funny, because I'm not really a die-hard fan - I just cry tears of joy a little bit when I happen to catch a segment. It's so inspiring. One time, the contestants - who at that point in the season had all lost a significant amount of weight - got to have outfits selected by Tim Gunn, and then did a catwalk fashion show in front of a bunch of people, including their cheering family members. As a still-pleasantly-plump Ali Vincent sashayed down the runway in her kicky little DKNY number, I sat there on the couch, alternating between sobs and tear-filled "you GO girl!" affirmations, double fist-pumping and everything.

That, Reader, is when I decided I wanted Alison Sweeney's job, as host of "The Biggest Loser." (Which, as a reformed "Days of Our Lives" viewer, are words I truly thought I would never utter).

Then of course, there's always Whole Foods. And really, who wouldn't want to work there? I used to call it "church," because I had this little routine on Sunday mornings where I worked out, then immediately drove to Whole Foods and ate back every single calorie. Guys, I go to town on that damn salad bar (/Indian-Mexican-and-breakfast-food bar). After I've created a proper mound of quinoa and marinated mushrooms and pineapple slices and curried chicken and roasted soynuts and whole wheat penne and whatever ELSE, I carry it to that little front patio and people-watch forever. It is heaven.

I bet you're wondering how this all relates to the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival.

Well, for one, it's sponsored by Whole Foods. And like Whole Foods, it's also kind of sacred. It's been going on for 24 years now, and the events, musicians, and cooking demos they line up there are just insane. Especially this year. It's at the Salt Lick Vineyards, and there will be 50+ wineries providing tasting events for four days straight (some are already sold out), all leading up to the Sunday Fair....a smorgasbord of food, wine, and music. It's kind of like socially-sanctioned, really classy overindulgence.

Whole Foods' Culinary Center Chef Allison Heaton will be providing cooking demos under one of four monster tents at the Sunday Fair (maybe she will prepare that blackened mac-and-cheese they sometimes have - ironically enough - at the salad bar?), along with local cookerati Damian Mandola (Mandola’s Italian Market, Mandola Estate Winery and Trattoria Lisina), Scott Roberts (The Salt Lick), as well as other Texas chefs. And, should you eat too much food and drink too much wine during the Sunday Fair, never fret - live music beckons between noon and 5pm, and you can dance it off. (Or just sway a little bit, which science has recently shown to be as effective as sprint intervals.)

She-of-the-enviable-arm-tattoos Patrice Pike will be playing at the Sunday Fair, as will Dan Dyer, Drew Smith and Adam Ahrens. Patrice will even join in one of the cooking demos, that multi-talented gal!

For tickets - which are going fast - just head here, or, OR....!!

I have 4 tickets to give away to the Sunday Fair!

Just leave a comment below, telling us what your favorite wine is. (It can even be Franzia. Whatever. We won't judge. ) I'll pick four winners on Thursday, and announce them Thursday morning. (TIP: The way I select winners for this type of thing is literally by pulling up the comments section, closing my eyes, and touching my finger to the computer screen, so longer comments tend to have a better shot of winning. Just don't go crazy and write us a thesis on vino).

GOOD LUCK!

Staring slackjaw at pretty clothes = a perfectly suitable hangover cure.

So, brain no worky today. I killed it last night. Killed it with good times.

Anyway, I was planning to do a Great Nostalgic album review today, but I'm going to wait until I can type a single sentence and not forget what I was talking about halfway through.*

Instead, I'd like to look at pictures of pretty clothes. Carried by Austin stores. Does that sound good to you? Ok, let's do this:

Laced With Romance.



Feathers.



Magnolia Family Vintage.



Boudoir Queen.




*Like this current sentence, which - in all honesty, y'all - is requiring some pretty serious mental gymnastics just to reach the period. (Success!)

Why my parents are awesome.

I got this birthday card in the mail from my parents a good three days ago, but it is still cracking me up:


Don't you love!!

Yellow Fever + The power of a good poster.

PRETTY!

I'm going to go ahead and agree with Tiffany at Austin is Burning here on the issue of attractive show posters. Bands, bookers, promoters, etc: If you have a pretty and/or clever poster to accompany your gig, bloggers want to post it. Just saying - it's worth the investment.

So let's get down to the show happening tomorrow at Mohawk. Many people are into the Vivian Girls. I'll admit - I am ever so sloowly warming up to them. From what I hear, they shine in the live show, and while they played at SXSW many times I never saw them. On the other hand, Yellow Fever had me at hello, know what I mean? Their music makes me feel like I am at once in the '70s, and also in a spy movie. (A '70s spy movie?)

So Yellow Fever, what's your story? Have you always been from Austin?

In other music news, lots of neat stuff coming down the pipeline soon...a Great Nostalgic album review, an interview with Stellastarr*, shtuff about the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival.

And. And.

This is random, but I've been giving a lot of thought to a potential "Real Housewives of Austin." Bravo fans, can you feel me on this? I watched the pilot for "Real Housewives of New Jersey" last night, and my throat hurts from laughter-shrieking. Did any of you see it?

Ratatat celebrates my birthday!

Aw, thanks guys! A whole show for moi? Truly, this is too much.

ratatat
Stubbs
Tues, April 7
Doors 7pm
Sold out (but you can still find tickets on Craigslist).

While we're at it, let's discuss this local brilliance:

Don't you love it? I can hear you asking if this is a shirt you can buy. It's not, but it was designed by local designer/photographer Justin David Cox, whose blog I stalk. Click on the link to see more of his clever artwork.

Songs for Saturday: Heartless Bastards + St. Vincent + The Golden Filter

I don't know how I missed this band, because apparently they've been around for a while. But somehow I am just now discovering the Heartless Bastards. They moved to Austin from Ohio, and will be playing at Antone's on April 29.

(Note: This is just the song; not a music video).



You likey? I do. Very much. Last night in the car, I told R. that Erika Wennerstromon's voice sounds like Jeff Buckley and Vaden Todd Lewis got together and had a baby. And that Nathan Willett (Cold War Kids) is the doting uncle.

Quite a male-dominated family model there.

Here is one of my favorite music videos, which came out a while back for St. Vincent. Later today, I'll be going to go see R's students play a big rock show, so I think I'm in the mood for.......children? (Is there a better way to state that?) Anyway, I love the scout troop in this video.



It appears St. Vincent is on quite the European tour right now, but she was here in Austin for SXSW and will be coming back on June 19 to play at The Mohawk.

Finally, a newish video for The Golden Filter ("Solid Gold"). We saw them at Canvas Bar / Art Gallery during SXSW, and we loved them. I don't know when they're coming back, but maybe we can all go invade their MySpace page together and entreat their return?



Enjoy your Saturday!

Glow in the Dark Party, and Ratatat excitement

Who's ready for the weekend?

I'll actually be attending a wedding this weekend, but YOU guys should go to this. "Glow in the dark photos?" What does that even mean! You find out, then come tell me, k?

Also:

Who is PUMPED about Ratatat this Tuesday at Stubb's. Me, me! Especially since it's on my birthday!!!

I am definitely headed to this afterparty business. Who cares if it's Tuesday. You only turn 21 once! (Or in my case, you turn 21 a total of seven times).

Some of Ratatat's stuff reminds me of Walter Meego, minus the vocals. Does anyone else hear that, too?

Lavanna Martin at TASTE this Saturday

One of my favorite local artists, Lavanna Martin, will have a show at Taste Wine Bar this weekend. You remember Lavanna. She's the blogger of I Stare at People, and also the covert coffee shop painter. She paints people's portraits in secret, you see, at places like Epoch, Spider House, Little City. And some of these will be on display (but not for sale) at Taste this weekend. Who knows - maybe you've been painted?

Lavanna does studio work too, and lucky things - those pieces will be available for sale. The show started out with a "Shattered" theme. "Women in sort of queasy interiors," Lavana told me. Now, with the coffee shop paintings, you'll just have to see all these people and interiors for yourselves.

Emerge: ATX Graffiti Art Show

Back in San Antonio, in the 7th grade, I remember getting dropped off at school one morning and watching a small crowd gather around the outside of the auditorium. "Who did this? WHO did this??" yelled our agitated Assistant Principal, Mr. Green. He was referring to the auditorium's freshly graffitied exterior: an exaggerated crown, a series of dots and dashes, big bubble letters that sort of looked like words. I turned to a girl next to me. "Uh....what is that?" I asked. "It's from a gang," she murmured, somberly. "And they've written that they want to kill Mr. Green."

While this story is true Reader, I think that naive little Cole Haan loafer-wearer might have been making that last part up. See, most of us in 7th grade didn't know how to decipher "gang writing," per se. That message could have said, "Have a FABU day! Love, The Crypts!" for all we knew. But we assumed it meant bad news.

So. This was my introduction to graffiti. Did you have a similar experience? I bet you did. Which is why I'm really excited that a graffiti art show, "Emerge," is happening in town this Saturday - to open our eyes a little. Curators Nathan Nordstrom and Warren McKinney will host Emerge on Saturday starting at 7pm at Spider House. It's both a kickoff for the national "Pieced Together" art tour, a roaming graffiti art show of all-Texas artists, and a fundraiser for Austin Eco-School. In addition to the art, DJs Innerlign, Orion, and Charlie will be there doing their thing (have definitely jammed out to Orion before and loved), and there will also be live aerosol painting and laser tagging (? But, ok!)

Nathan and Warren were kind enough to stop by Austin Eavesdropper and give us the scoop on this event, and....a little background on Austin's graffiti legacy.

1. Tell us how "Emerge - ATX Graffiti Art Show" came together.

Nathan Nordstrom: I was approached by Warren McKinney with the Art Seen Alliance to do an art show. I wanted to put on a show that would spotlight the talents of Austin's graffiti artists, old and new.

2. Austin's graffiti artist scene seems to be getting a lot of attention lately (and artists like Matt Rodriguez are getting national praise). Talk to us about the roots and legacy of graffiti art in this city?

Nathan Nordstrom: The history of ATX graffiti goes back to 1985. The first major writers were Skam and Sek. From there it grew.

3. The Pieced Together tour is heading to some amazing spots - The Whitney, Alpha Beta. How did Art Seen Alliance organize this ambitious tour?

Nathan Nordstrom: Slokeone is the curator of the Pieced Together Tour. The tour started as an idea from last years' Pieced Together show at Gallery Lombardi.

4. I've heard it said that El Paso is becoming the "new Brooklyn" of underground artists and musicians: discuss.

Nathan Nordstrom: I here El Paso is quite the place. My boy" Grave" has been holding it down there for quite awhile in the graffiti art scene.

5. What is the Austin EcoSchool?! (I want to attend!)

Warren McKinney: The Austin EcoSchool is a progressive elementary school and learning center committed to providing a healthy environment for intellectual, social, and emotional growth. Their 3 day program provides a bridge between traditional school and home school. It is the only school I’ve witnessed where the children don’t want to leave.

6. Tell Austin Eavesdropper readers what Art Seen Alliance is all about, and how you got involved. (We recently had Rachel from the "Don't Bring Me Down" event here at AE, who I believe received support from Art Seen. You guys do so much cool stuff!)

Warren McKinney: The Art Seen Alliance mission is to enable artists, make art accessible, and foster culture. We are engaged in cultivating a variety of artistic and cultural endeavors by working with artists and those that support and appreciate art. Austin is a very serendipitous town. I started pushing the idea of the Art Seen Alliance in September of last year and we have already developed a significant amount of impact and momentum. It is very exciting. Rachel from the “Don’t Bring Me Down” event pitched her idea to me at one of our openings at IF+D. Afterward, we discussed how we could help and offered her support and a venue for the opening. We are currently working with her on another project as well.

7. How can readers get involved with Art Seen?

Warren McKinney: The best way to get involved is to contact us via our website. We are involved in many projects and are looking to grow the alliance with others who are interested in supporting the mission.