SXSW: The Sixers @ "South By"

Seven years (or so) ago, I downloaded a copy of Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers‘ self-titled album, and my [musical] life was never the same. To this day, it is hard for me to describe why I have come to love their music so much, but it must be a combination of easy melodies, moments of incredible insight in seemingly obvious lyrics that catch you of guard, or the fact that they have written a song about every emotion you could probably ever feel. Oh, and to see them live is one of the most fun experiences you will ever have.

Thus,* when I clicked a link among the tens (hundreds?) of South by Southwest “free party” RSVPs that circulated twitter and the ‘interwebs’ and I found this invite to the Vanguard Records free day party…
*Did I really just use the word thus? Yes. Yes, I did.…I nearly had a heart attack of happiness and excitement and “is this really happening?” emotion. Not that I hadn’t seem them in concert before (four times? five?), and even already once here in Austin. But for some reason the idea of them being here during this week o’ fun and craziness that is SXSW made it all the more exciting for me. Needless to say, come Friday morning, I was up and at ‘em, rallying the troops [also known as my children---I mean, roommates ] from their post St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans to head to The Belmont bright and early. There was no way a “filled to capacity” situation was going to stop me from seeing my Sixers.As the party was co-sponsored by Hansen’s Natural there were free sodas everywhere.Not one to pass up free, well, anything…I began to consume much more soda than is probably ever good for anyone. That Diet Mandarine Lime is delicious, though. [Also sampled? The special edition soda called "The Grove." Not diet, but fruity and fabulous and gives no indication of flavor except for tropical fruits on the front and the inclusion of "lemons, limes, strawberries, and yumberries" in the ingredient list. Yumberry is right...because it was very...yum.][There may have been two (or three?) cans of soda that somehow "ended up" in my very large bag to be transported home for later consumption. There may have been.]

Amidst the building excitement of the show I was about to see……and educating myself about this awesome organization called To Write Love on Her Arms–”a non-profit movement dedication to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide”……and whose vision that everyone’s story is important and that life matters I can totally stand behind…

[Yes, I love(d) this shirt. A lot. Especially when one of the TWLOHA members said I should change "continue" to "cook." ]

…I found myself huddled by the door, grasping at whatever shade I could find. It was hot, and I didn’t want to get sunburned. Another redhead joined me, and I offered her sunscreen (SXSW is a VERY friendly festival), and we struck up a conversation. Her boyfriend (husband?) was in a band called The Wellspring (check them out, they are great!) and we just got talking about music and cooking and being a redhead, etc. Suddenly, I was with them backstage.I was backstage. Backstage at a Stephen Kellogg concert.Having already embarrassed myself completely by accosting Sam and “Boots” from the Sixers and forcing them to take a picture with me…
…I stuck to remaining as “cool” and as inconspicuous as possible. I struck up a conversation with the father [slash] manager of one of the performers, Daphne Willis, who I knew I liked before she even began singing because her “photo shoot” for ful backpacks looked something like this…

…I was lucky enough to receive an advanced CD from her (incredibly affable) father……and I totally recommend checking her out. Described before she went on stage as a “Norah Jones/Jack Johnson hybrid” she killed it with an incredibly soulful voice and captivating sound. Her cover of “Superstition” literally made me stop mid-conversation because I needed to listen.But despite the free T-Shirt that just happened to fall into my bag off of this table……and meeting a new “best friend” in another musician, Teresa Peterson, who I instantly bonded with (and whose voice is INCREDIBLE) in a way that makes me think I really could take her and her husband’s offer to stay with them in Minneapolis this summer and it wouldn’t be strange…
[I mean, they were willing to share their calamari and queso with me within ten minutes of meeting. I believe that to be a sign of good people.]…and who introduced me to their friend James, who is Matt Nathanson’s keyboardist.And despite having been ‘thisclose’ to Matt Nathanson……whose voice served as the background for many of my college days (and whose new album I’m very excited for!)……the best experience of the day (and perhaps the best experience of my musical life) was watching my favorite band in the world perform from backstage.They opened and closed with two of my all-time favorite songs (“4th of July” and “Milwaukee” if you care)……and I’m not lying when I say……that I took about 400 pictures.And afterward, although I didn’t get a photo with him……I did tell Stephen that although with many musicians/albums/song, I’m able to pinpoint the exact period of my life that was defined by their music……I have listened to Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers for so long, so often……that I find it impossible to separate the past seven years of my life……from the soundtrack of their music. [He, of course, just gave me his characteristic grin and said "Thanks so much. Thank you SO much."]And when I drove home, listening to their live album (which I have listened to almost every day since September)……I was so happy and so unable to explain how it felt to have had that experience…

…(and you can call me crazy, I really don’t care) that I almost cried from the sheer happiness of knowing I had been in the right place and just the right moment and regardless of anything else, that afternoon had been perfection.