Next Level Ride, a wakeboard cable park owned and operated by husband and wife team, Curt and Niki Sotkovski, just opened off of Highway 71. The pair joined a wakeboarding team in college, and that hobby turned into full-fledged passion, culminating in the creation of the Austin park.
A wakeboarding cable park is a man-made body of water, surrounded by large towers that connect a cable. A wakeboarder holds onto the cable as he or she is pulled around on the water navigating obstacles like ramps and rails.
At Next Level Ride, the majority of the obstacles are custom-made by the Next Level Ride team. Riders of all ages can enjoy this fast growing outdoor water sport, even if you're as wildly inexperienced as me. Curt and Niki’s sons, Jackson (six years old) and Maddox (four years old) are getting the hang of it as they get lessons from their parents and Park Manager, Mike Pempsell on the Little Bro smaller cable. And if they can pull it off, anyone can.
The core Next Level Ride team have all graduated with kinesiology degrees, and are invested in helping people learn how to get their boarding on.
Even more events and obstacles will be added in the coming months, but for now, passes to the park can be purchased at http://nextlevelrideaustin.com. So take advantage of living in a place with nice weather 345 days of the year and catch a few waves! You'll have fun and make the Beach Boys proud. Win-win all around.
Remember the days when you'd bring your friends over to check out the latest video game, and everyone would gather around the TV and watch you play? You felt like royalty--their eyes glued to your every move, asking you questions, reacting with oohs and ahhs when you did something amazing. Well, that feeling hasn't gone away, but instead, it's manifested itself in another medium: Let's Plays.
My favorite Let's Play is this one of Super Mario 64by Durden77, just because he's such a goofball and very relatable--this is how I felt playing arguably the greatest game of all time (certainly my personal favorite). In fact, the footage even helped me round out my "Some Flights" video. Shameless plugs for the win!
That sense of gaming community is going to be strong at the Let's Play Gaming Expo in Plano, TX on August 1 and 2.
"There's something for everyone here," says Jadd Garcia, the organizer for the Let's Play Gaming Expo. "We'll have classic games like Centipede and Defender. You'll be able to buy vintage collections. We'll have a Smash Bros. tournament and Tetris tournament. You can actually win money playing video games."
New and old gamers alike will meet at the first of what Garcia hopes is many events.
"It's the first one we've ever done, but it's going to be the best," Garcia says. "It's just going to be a joy because it's all people who love games. You're talking to a guy here who has 5,000 games."
If you can play that many games during the weekend, I will personally high five you. In total, the Let's Play Gaming Expo has a ton of stuff to check out, provided here in handy list form:
·TETRIS World Championship Southern Regional Qualifying Tournament
·Smash Bros Tournament
·Mortal Kombat X Tournament
·75+ Free-play arcade cabinets
·Gaming Panels and Discussions
·Artists, Developers & Special Gaming Guests
·Retro Gaming Stations
·Live Streaming on Twitch
·Video Game Auctions
·Vendor tables to buy, sell, and trade video games
Want to attend? Here's everything you need to know:
Let’s Play Gaming Expo
Aug. 1-2 (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
Plano Centre
2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, Texas 75074
Single day passes are $15 and weekend passes are $25. Let's play!
Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest recently released its 2015 lineup, complete with a nice mix of bands and artists. Naturally, they hired Bill Nye the Science Guy to encourage people to go by explaining the science of fun. And it's wonderful. Way to go, Bill.
Derrick Brown is something of a wordsmith. Which is a good thing, because it makes his poetry and live readings that much more entertaining. Brown has toured with
Eugene Mirman and Amber Tamblyn, and Jake Gyllenhaal just read one of Brown's poems at a fundraiser.
Brown is reading at the Off Center Theater in Austin on Saturday, November 22 to promote his new book, Our Poison Horse. Brown got into poetry while in a foxhole when he was enlisted as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. It was clearly a good call, as his most recent collection, Strange Light, won the 2013 Texas Book of the Year Award. Combining music, humor, stories and poetry, his live performances are something worth checking out. Enjoy a sample below:
There's really no reason why I should have found this so funny, but it made me giggle profusely. After Ebola has made its way to the United States (Dallas, TX, to be exact), doctors have done their best to rid the country of it. I think this strategy is wonderful.
Talk about your impassioned postgame speeches. East View High School in Georgetown, TX played a tight football game with Vandegrift over the weekend, and of course, tensions were high. Spirits were high on the victorious East View squad, as well--none higher than those of running back Apollos Hester.
First of all, what a name. Second of all, this guy's face kind of looks like Haley Joel Osment's. Thirdly, this has gotta be one of the most wonderful postgame speeches I've ever seen. He looks like he's trying to pump up an entire graduating class, or helping the sales team kick butt this quarter. Just incredible. Way to go, Apollos.
Jimmy Kimmel Live is filming right here in Austin, so it's only fitting that the show would send their rabble-rouser, Cousin Sal, for a little fun. They put him on the Kebabalicious food truck, which is literally a block from where I work. If only I knew, I could have maybe been one of the people they didn't put on the show because I'd immediately recognize Cousin Sal. Such a missed opportunity. In any case, I laughed at various parts of this, so maybe you will too. Enjoy!
It's been a minute since I've gone to see a concert, but the good folks at Crash-Avenue PR were putting on an evening at Stubb's, which is quickly becoming one of my go-to show places. How did the event stack up to past nights at Stubb's? Well, let's dive right in!
First, I must mention that the dedication of Austin concertgoers is pretty impressive. The city has been under a cold spell lately, with temperatures dipping into the 20s. Of course, being a native of Chicago, I should consider that "shorts and a t-shirt" weather, but I haven't experienced a full Chicago winter in eight years, so give me a break. But you'd hardly believe it was cold outside with how packed the venue was. Good job, Austinites.
TEAM led off the evening with a performance heavy on the "hoo-oohs" and lots of falsetto, psychedelic vocals. I was digging 'em, and especially enjoyed the high-fives and handshakes in between songs. Lead singer Rico Andradi announced that this was only the third time the band had played together, which may have explained the congratulations after successfully completing a tune. I know MY band was not that sharp after just three sessions, but then again, I assume TEAM has practiced a bit more. Anyway, a good way to begin the night.
Royal Teeth was up next, and brought a rabid following around with them–they asked who had seen them before, and the hands that shot up were probably about 70% of the crowd. Vocalists Gary Larsen (as far as I know, he does not publish cartoons) and Nora Patterson had a really fun chemistry, hopping around the stage and acting a fool as they harmonized over old and new songs alike. Royal Teeth is also extremely crowd-friendly, asking for audience sing-alongs and even grabbing someone's iPhone and shooting an on-stage video with it. By the end of the set, Larsen had grabbed a floor tom and headed into the crowd, banging it in the center of the large circle that had formed. On a side note, I love that the proper response to "How are you doing tonight?" is a lot of yelling and hollering. Good times.
CHAPPO wrapped up the night; immediately I felt like I was watching a futureistic film. They're very big in creating a mysterious atmosphere, with light effects, smoke, and costume changes–I definitely spotted a cowboy getup that I may need to consider investing in. I do live in Texas now, after all. And their shadows projected onto the wall behind them certainly looked like some of Tim Burton's creations.
Musically, the Brooklyn-based group certainly embraces psychedelic rock, with pulsating drums and synths like nobody's business. Lead singer Alex Chappo also found his way into the crowd to pound on a tom drum and do some singing. Apparently it's a trend at Stubb's. But hey, making the audience feel like an integral part of the show is always a good thing, so kudos for that. Until next time, keep on rockin'!
Sometimes you go to a show and the energy is just outrageous. Songs have you tapping your toes, you want to jump, dance, and generally just act like a fool. And you don't feel bad doing it because everyone's right along with you. Last night, I went to a show just like that.
Yes, Stubb's in downtown Austin hosted a fantastic show featuring The Royal Concept, American Authors and MisterWives. I've been to a couple shows at Stubb's and always enjoy the ambiance. Their downstairs has a good sound, and is big enough that you're not constantly bumping into people. That's a big plus when you're throwing your arms in the air.
MisterWives kicked things off with a fun set that unfortunately I missed the beginning of. Thanks to some shenanigans from a softball league I play in, I had a doubleheader scheduled that lasted longer than expected. But hey, going 3 for 4 with a pair of runs and ribbies isn't too bad. I'll take it.
Anyway, back to the show: MisterWives had five folks up onstage, but in actuality they're just a trio. Regardless, they kick some major butt. Lead singer Mandy Lee has some amazing pipes and a big stage presence--when she asks for audience participation I really want to help out. Even only hearing a few of their songs, you just know this band is destined for big things. Doesn't hurt that their sound is awesome, too. So much soul! And more whoas, please!
American Authors was up next, and I overheard some guy in the audience saying they were surprised by how much energy MisterWives had, and that AA would not equal that whatsoever. Well, random guy in the audience, within 20 seconds of the first song beginning, you were proved WRONG. I thought these guys were the best of the bunch. Zachary Barnett rocked the mic with both singing and a little bit of rapping, and it was cool seeing James Adam Shelley alternate between different sized guitars and the occasional banjo. There was also some timpani action and a lot of "whoos." Never a bad thing.
There was a fun moment too when Barnett saw someone taking a video of the band on their phone, and while singing grabbed the person's phone and shot point of view for a few seconds. I'm sure that person enjoyed the change of scenery.
The final act, and who I was graciously invited to see, was The Royal Concept. Like the previous bands before them, they commented how cold it is in Austin currently, and how they thought when they left Sweden they'd actually have some good weather. Little did they know...time to get it together, Austin!
In any case, lead singer David Larson utilized a vocoder pretty nicely, making his voice sound like all kinds of robots. The band has said they wanted their music "to make people dance more than when a DJ spins records," and they absolutely got the crowd going last night. The group did a little Daft Punk medley, debuted a new song they had never played in the U.S. before, and ended with their hit tune "On Our Way." They also said that song was going to be on the show Glee, so I'm sure we'll start seeing The Royal Concept all over the place. And I'm totally okay with that. You can get their album here, and if you get the chance to see 'em on the rest of their tour, check this show out!
11/15 - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl #%
11/18 - Washington, DC - 6th and I #
11/19 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts #
11/21 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre #
11/22 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
11/23 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore #%
11/25 - Toronto, ON - Virgin Mobile Mod Club #%
11/26 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues (Cambridge Room) #%
11/27 - Detroit, MI - Shelter #%
11/29 - Columbus, OH - The Basement #
11/30 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge #
12/01 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club #
12/03 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre #%
12/04 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court #%
12/06 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret %
12/07 - Seattle, WA - The Vera Project #
12/08 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater #
12/09 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent #
12/11 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues (Delta Room) #%
