Remember when Miley Cyrus said, “I hopped off the plane at LAX with my dreams and my cardigan?” That was me last week, only instead of "LAX," it was AUS (Austin-Bergstrom International Airport); instead of “dreams,” it was jeans (Levi’s, to be exact), and instead of a "cardigan," it was Megan’s leather jacket that I would eventually return.

Upon arrival, my Uber driver, who didn’t help me load my suitcases (but it’s fine, feminism, I guess), complained about the traffic, the lack of public transportation, and the rising housing costs, but he never once complained about the number of people. Which, if you know anything about traffic, is usually the reason for congested streets. A quick Google search showed me that Austin is the tenth-most populated city in the US, home to a little under a million people. It’s also rapidly developing. In 2000, the U.S. Census recorded 650,000 residents; in 2020, the number was 975,000. That, my friends, is a lot of new bodies.

But what’s a few more? For over a week in March, Austin is home to SXSW, or in this year’s case, the festival that shan’t be named. The festival brings around 100,000 non-Austinites to the town to watch, listen, talk, drink, smoke, walk, scooter, around the already dense streets. It’s a massive convergence of culture, technology, movies, music, and more. The biggest companies in the world gather with creatives and thinkers to talk shop and ideate. It's also a major catalyst for Austin's growing popularity. In 2022, the festival had an economic impact of $280.7 million. For reference, the 2022 Superbowl, held at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood had an economic impact of $300 million. Banners reading "Keep Austin Weird" hung high over the venues as hundreds of millions of dollars exchanged hands. I was just one small piece in a really strange puzzle.

My piece of the puzzle got a little bigger when Byline, together with our friends at Urban Outfitters, organized a panel about the intersection of music and media. Byline is dedicated to championing individual voices, and giving creators of all avenues a space to thrive. Urban Outfitters, despite the difference in size, shares the same goal. We go hand-in-hand, so it was only natural that we formed a conversation in the midst of Byline's music issue.

In the lead-up to the panel, I did what I do best: run around town, spin stories with strangers, say hello to friends, say hello to lovers, cheer on indie rock boy bands that I'm vaguely friends with. Austin prides itself on being a little weird, and after seven days, I’d have to agree. Here’s what I did and saw.

Terry Black’s BBQ

It’s not Texas without BBQ, or at least that’s what I decided. On our first night after a long day of secret activities that you'll see eventually, Megan and I treated ourselves to one beef rib, three pieces of brisket, mac n cheese, green beans, cole slaw, potato salad, and beans. The options were daunting, and the decision paralysis kicked in as the lady behind the counter yelled at me to hurry up. I was just about ready to forfeit them all when Megan turned to me and said, “I’m not afraid of getting five sides.” Truth be told, I was a little afraid. I was a little afraid of the whole thing — I’d never been to Austin, public speaking gives me nightmares, there was so much to do and see, we were two days into this issue, and all I could think about was the mountain of emails I’d have to digitally mine through in the morning. But she wasn’t afraid, so at that moment, I decided neither was I. Turns out that sometimes, all you really need is a little nudge of confidence from someone who believes in you. So get the five sides, girls. You won’t regret it.

What's That In The Window?

Our first stop on day two was the Urban Outfitters store in West Campus. They didn't know it yet, but everyone working was about to be greeted by the shrieks and squeals of two girls whose publication was on the window. Somehow, this wasn't even the coolest thing that happened. After roughly 100 laps back and forth across the street, we retired to our hotel rooms. Until fate tempted me, that is.

Chromeo at FLOODFest

The Funk Lordz were the first live act I saw in Austin, a warm and familiar welcome in a city I was having trouble navigating. Dave 1 told me to look for “the guy with the green daddy hat.” I’m not sure what I expected, but I was surprised to see a guy in a green hat with “DADDY” handwritten on the upturned brim. That's what I quickly learned about Austin—nothing is really greater than the sum of its parts.

Daddy (he told me to call him Daddy) escorted me to the VIP section, where I watched the disco-masters rock the crowd with their sexy and intoxicating beats. In that moment, I felt really lucky. On my way out, I thanked Daddy and slipped out onto the street, unsure of where to go next.

TAGABOW at AdHoc Free For All

Down the street and facing away from the crowd, They're Gutting A Body Of Water lead Douglas Dulgarian chain-smoked cigarettes as he sang a symphony of words that resembled a love story ("Asleep, to the music of you brushing your teeth/ I don't wanna go, back to the old way") but refrained from ever getting too close to a happy ending. It was a dizzy, sonic blur that my girl-brain wishes it could muster. A type of free-wheeling and haunting creativity that drowns itself in more sounds than I knew were possible.

Girl Dinner, The Good Kind

I was two Lone Stars deep with a headache when I arrived at dinner at Uchiba. And yet, there we were: Charlotte, Miranda, Samantha, and Carrie. Or were we Marnie, Shoshana, Hanna, and Jessa? Honestly, it didn’t matter because if there was anything the last two days had taught me, I was at Austin’s whim.

Sixth Street Jaunt

After Uchiba, my friend Lauren and I joined her friends/family at Seven Grand for a set by Fabiana Pallantino. I was told that she was a prodegy of Jai Paul, who, transparently, I thought was Sean Paul. These Pauls are nothing alike, let me tell you. I rewarded my early night (on my way home before midnight!) by treating myself to a leisurely walk home. Two minutes in, I realized there is nothing leisurely about Austin at midnight during the busiest week of the year. I saw 53 police officers, 2 pythons, 7 bachelorette parties, and approximately 5,000 people.

Urban Outfitters x Byline Panel at Space 24 Twenty

Finally, the time had come. Megan, our esteemed panelist Chris Black, and I walked on stage with our orange “speaker” wristbands tucked into the pockets of our Levi’s. (The craziest part of this story, if you know me, is that I spent the whole week wearing jeans.) We talked about our first bylines, the state of the music industry, the state of the music-media industry, and more. I blacked out when I heard my voice in the microphone, but everyone reassured me that we did a good job. Whether they were just being nice or really believed it is up for the debate. But the day was a success, and the activation was a multi-pronged event filled with storytelling, powered by Levi's, Reebok, and FujiFilm.

Fish Out Of Water

Remember when I mentioned suitcases, plural? That's because girls like me plan ahead to make mistakes and impulsive decisions; we leave room for error and unnecessary pottery. To fulfill my prophecy, Megan and I ventured to Uncommon Goods, Austin's most popular thrift shop full of all sorts of wacky shit. Hellbent on buying a vase, I rummaged through every nook and cranny, only to leave empty handed.

The real steal was next door, at the Austin Aqua-Dome. The Aqua-Dome can only be described as a yassified aquarium, where every fish is so clearly GMO that it's impossible not to stare. The smell of moss and salt water roamed through the air, and a symphony of water filters filled the room. I paused at the neon green and pink fish in their cubicle. "You don't really belong here," I whispered to them. And then, in the reflection of their blue light, I looked at myself.

Viva Hotel Vegas

Later that night, we celebrated our panel and our very long dinner at Olamaie (you can hear all about it on How Long Gone), with a few too many glasses of wine as Jackson Walker Lewis DJed away at Lolo Wine. The glasses turned into a bottle, and suddenly I was leaving. Before long, I was back, joined by my friend Lucia. And then we actually left, to go next door, where the floor was dirt and the music was loud and a man with a reverse mohawk let me lick my hand and touch his head. It was all very Texas. I woke up in the morning smelling like cigarettes and grapes.

Tierra Whack, N3wyrkla, & Chioke at Space 24 Twenty, presented by Urban Outfitters.

You can cross "sharing a stage and a headliner spot with Tierra Whack" off my bucket list! Life is so beautiful and insane, and Byline is so lucky to have the support of our readers, collaborators and friends that make what we do possible. The day after our panel, a slightly (okay fine, a little more than slightly) more packed Space 24 Twenty was set ablaze by Tierra Whack.

Shallowhalo at The Elysium

We love to see the girls winning, and there's no one who deserves it more than Shallowhalo's Allyson. Her co-star of the evening was Agatha The Doll, who made it safe and sound from NYC to Austin for the Music Website showcase. Being in the presence of someone I love would have been enough, but Shallowhalo's synths and hypnotizing vocals made the evening ever so special.

The Honky Tonk

Before I left Austin, there was one thing I needed to do — meet a cowboy. I spent the whole week asking everyone where I could possibly do that, and the answer was always The Broken Spoke. So after an evening of indie rock boy bands, my friend Ted and I plopped ourselves into a Kia Sonato and ventured to a place I had been avoiding all week: the highway. At 85 MPH, we prophesized about Austin. What was it that made it soooo weird? It wasn't it's quircks, but rather it's attempt at being quircky. At the honky tonk, I finally met a cowboy, the kind that has his flip phone attached to his back pocket in a little leather case, the kind who asks pretty ladies to dance but whose hat says "Don't Mistake My Kindness For Weakness." That's the thing about Austin — I wouldn't mistake anything for other than what it was. It won't decieve you, but it also won't seduce you. It's a rare kind of city, a weird city. And I'm glad they keep it that way.