I was pulling double (maybe even triple?) duty this year at Austin’s annual celebration of sex, hot rods, and rock ‘n’ roll. I was there to help promote my own event, the Spring Shock Hop. I was also there to observe the yearly insanity and report it back here at Rockabilly Online. This year being the ten year mark, made my trek through the cars and the carnage a nostalgic one. I remember when they could fit the whole Roundup in a High School foot ball stadium. Now it’s grown into something that rivals even the mighty “Viva Las Vegas” out west. As a Texan, it’s hard for me not to be proud.
Models: "Rockin' Couple from Austin" Photo: Cherrybones Photography!
But the weather didn’t allow for too much nostalgia. The intense heat combined with the general level of mugginess made sweat the fashion statement of the day. I saw quite a few pin-up girls with pit stains. Don’t worry ladies, I won’t name names.
After a healthy round of passing out fliers, I finally made my way over to the outdoor vendors’ area. I camped out in front of the Vandoll booth. It was around this time that I started growing extremely thirsty. Logically, after a short rest, I went to the food trailers only to see that they were all sprouting make-shift signs that read “No Drinks.” A brief discussion with a vendor provided me with the knowledge that Coca-Cola has all the soft drink and water rights for the show. Okay, fair enough, I thought. I’m a capitalist and all for making a fair buck. I would have gladly purchased a soda from Coca-Cola, had they been open. But for whatever reason, Coke did not see it necessary to open their stand until the ripe ol’ hour of 4:00 PM. This would have been fine, except for the previously mentioned weather. Thankfully, some of my friends running the Cherrybones booth gave me some water. I hope others were so lucky.
Model-Blazn' Bree Hair-Vintage Flair Makeup-Jme Photo-CherryBones Photography
This was the one black spot on an otherwise wonderful first day. I didn’t get to take in as much music as I would have liked as I was too busy bumping into old friends and making new ones. But I did get to catch High Noon. Their set included a wide variety of sounds from country to rock to swing. But the highlight was when they broke into an old Ronnie Dawson song. Great band. Great music. Great times. It almost made me forget about the sunburn I was acquiring.
That concluded day one, but what of day two?
Well, I woke up at the crack of noon. Ready, roaring, and revved up to go. I had five hundred fliers left to pass out, a five spot burning a hole in my pocket, and a desire to be, yet again, amongst the hordes of people. Nevermind that I had a suntan that only Freddy Krueger could love. I slicked back my hair, hopped into my car, and hit the road. I turned on the radio and was happy to find Buck Owens “Made in Japan” playing and took that as good omen. I looked good. I felt good and thought, “Today is going to be great!”
(Red w Black car) Model- Jaq K Ole Hair-Vintage Flair Makeup-Jme Photo-CherryBones Photography
Walking into the car show the second day was very overwhelming. People from all walks of life were intermingling with the greasers and glammed-up gals. The weather was even more unforgiving in terms of heat, but this time people seemed ready. I, myself, smuggled in an ice chest filled with soda, water and sandwiches. Proud of my slight of hand trickery, I made my way back into the crowds.
(Bright Red) Model- Miss eVa Hair-Vintage Flair Photo-CherryBones Photography
While there were certainly more people, they were much less willing to converse that second day. It’s possible that the fliers I had glued to my hands were off-putting, but I doubt that. I pride myself on approachability. For whatever reason, the sense of comradery had melted away in the Texas heat, which is a shame, since the reasons that this is my favorite event Austin plays host to is that sense of community. Which isn’t to say everyone was a stuck up hipster; those working in the vendors’ area were very friendly. The super swank staff of Bean Pot Toiz had an amazing collection of geek-friendly and retro-styled toys, including a Robbie the Robot vinyl figure that I had my eye on all weekend.
Of course, I found myself bumping into people from both my past and present. I took note of how many different parts of the world were represented here. There was the normal set of east coast and west coast crowds, but also folks from as far away as France and Australia. When it comes to cool cars and cooler music, the world is very, very small.
Model-Jamie Bahr Hair-Frenchies Salon Photo-CherryBones Photography
And course I was joined by much better half, Jamie Bahr, which made passing out fliers all the easier. Everyone is a lot nicer when you have a buxom brunette on your arm. Later on, Jamie got her all hair fancied up by the gals of Frenchy’s hair salon. Sporting a new set of victory rolls, she joined Jme LaCombe of Cherrybones and her squad of roving pin-up girls to pose with some killer rides. By then I was spent. After the shooting was over, I made my escape. I had just enough time to get home, sit down for two minutes, and then make my way over to Ruta Maya for my own show. All the while, imagining what next year’s Roundup is going to be like.
(Special thanks to Cherrybones, for use of their amazing photos.)
