Day 1 Kelly’s Diner

To prelude a 2,000 mile road trip from NYC to SXSW is redundant. However, a recap of all things that transpired on day 1 alone is a novel in itself.

9am:Trailer hitch breaks off on FDR. If you are unfamiliar with FDR drive, it is the “highway” that runs adjacent to Manhattan along the East River.  As we enthusiastically examined the extensive damage to our vehicle, we all met god through a barrage of drive-by profanity and near misses.

10am: We camp out in a gas station parking lot in Harlem that ironically rents U-Hauls. However, they were unable to repair our hitch due to company protocol to send roadside assistance professionals. Upon the conclusion of a 45 minute phone call with said assistance, we are informed that someone will “fix us up” shortly.

Noon: As we continue to wait oblivious to the obstruction that the RethinkPopMusic  caravan is imposing on potential customers we are approached with an ad-hoc solution. Basically, the guys in the garage will fix our hitch if we “get the fuck out of the way.” The benevolence of a Manhattan mechanic still bewilders me.

2:30pm: As I am driving and everyone else is fast asleep Will saunters from the bowels of the van to bring me a cookie. Quite the gesture in my opinion.

Will: “They’re good right?”

Me: “Delicious”

Will: “Please don’t get mad… but I think I locked the keys to the trailer… inside the trailer.”

9:00pm: We pick up Jose from Cleveland and search out the equipment necessary to unlock the trailer. Although the kind employees of Walmart refuse to remove the lock from the trailer they did offer to call the police after my “critique” of their customer service skills. Nevertheless we acquired Dude, our chocolate god of awesome, at Walmart, so all appeared well.

1:00am: With the keys to the trailer residing inside the trailer, we pull into Canton to load the PA system into said trailer. Sparks! That’s what results when you use a bandsaw to break into your own vehicle in the middle of the night.

5:00am: We arrive in Columbus 23 hours after we left the recording studio in Queens. Mom had fried chicken, mac and cheese, chili and beer our awaiting our arrival. Kelly’s Diner!     

RethinkPopMusic SXSW Road Documentary

RethinkPopMusic is on route to Austin, Texas for South by Southwest 2009 (SXSW). Starting in NYC and stopping in Columbus, Ohio and Nashville, Tennessee for exclusive performances, RethinkPopMusic has provided its artists with multiple showcases at the premier indie music festival. Visit ReelPM to find information about the crew and the documentary.

RethinkPopMusic artists, 40′s and The Vanguard will soon be posting to the blog with updates from the trip.  Check out the 2009 SXSW RethinkPopMusic Showcase Schedule.