One-Eyed Doll + more neato Austinites

So tonight was Rene G's b-day at Melting Pot, and I met 7 new Austinites to get excited about.  These include: 

-Kimberly Freeman, front girl of Austin power-rock duo One-Eyed Doll

-Daniel Upton, artist and owner of local tattoo outfit Golden Apple Studio

-Andre and Leigh de la Reza, the firefighting, twin-raising, bagpipe-playing, attorney-performing duo behind local blog Casa de Monos 

-Nicole Hommertzheim, Kansas native and design/managment assistant to Rene Geneva (am I spelling your last name right, Nicole?)

-Kathy Oglebay, sign language teacher and regional retail buyer at Whole Foods.  Neat story: Kathy started out bagging groceries at WF, and now, she's a fashion buyer for the store - the one who works directly with Rene, as a matter of fact.

-Darren Minke, local artist who does everything from digital art, to stain painting, to film and animation.  Check out his cache of work here.

I checked out One-Eyed Doll's website as soon as I got home, and their music is freaking rad - think Pixies + Veruca Salt.  They are about to go on a UK tour, but before they do, they're having an Austin send-off at Red-Eyed Fly on Sept. 12.  I will definitely be there. 

Lots of neat tidbits from tonight that I'll try to fit in over the next few days - for example, did you know that Whole Foods offers "Tours for Value Shopping?"  (Thanks for that one, Kathy!)  It's this thing where a Whole Foods employee will personally take you around the store and show you how to shop without going broke.  Who says Whole Foods is only for the green elite?