If you had only one day to attend Riot Fest 2021, would you go? I sure did and it was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. Having a day job and getting very little notice of my approval for a press pass meant I would only have one day (Friday) to attend. Thankfully three of my favorite bands were playing one after the other with no conflicts on that day. Motion City Soundtrack, Coheed and Cambria, and The Smashing Pumpkins: the bands that made up most of my high school playlists circa 2004. I couldn’t ask for a better lineup for my first event coming out of the pandemic. Riot Fest really brought the heat on this one.

COVID precautions also took center stage, with vaccine cards or negative results being a prerequisite to gain entry. I felt better about attending and being in such a large crowd with those guidelines in place. Riot Fest also went one step further and even had a rapid test station on-site (for $50), as well as a local hospital administering free COVID vaccines for those who wanted one. For us photographers, we had to wear a mask in the pit and in our press area when not eating or drinking. It wasn’t that big of a deal to me and I am glad they were thinking of everyone’s safety.

It’s been two years since my last festival, Intersect, and it was great to be back again. The lines to get in seemed to move quickly, the VIP line even faster. This being my first Riot Fest, I was impressed by the sheer size of it. However, trying to get from one stage to another can get tiring, and I’m not sure if I could have done all 3 days. I definitely got all my steps in for the week! The food vendors were great, most of which consisted of carnival-themed food, which I love, and the VIP area had an even better selection. I will admit being able to use VIP bathrooms was great. Upgraded (cleaner) bathrooms are where it’s at.

I started my day with Circa Survive, not a band I really listened to but still a pretty great show. Anthony Green was very energetic and it made for some great photos. After that, I went to see Anti-Flag, where I got to see some excellent moshing after we left the pit. I went to the ferris wheel during the remainder of their set where I got to witness one of the largest circle pits (seen in the cover photo of this post). Soon after, it was time for a band I’ve been into since I saw them at my first concert ever (Warped Tour 2004)… Motion City Soundtrack. Seeing them took me all the way back to high school, and they still had the same classic sound and energy as if they hadn’t aged a day. I took some of my best shots of audience members after crowd surfing; some of the happiest faces I’ve seen in such a long time.

Next up was a band just as close to my heart, Coheed and Cambria. While we were standing outside the pit, there were so many of us photographers who were split into two groups having 7 minutes each, and I thought to myself… what, so 1 song? And of course, the first song they played was In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, but damn what a song to open with, and to be that close! I found myself getting lost listening and headbanging with the crowd. Who can’t resist shouting “MAN YOUR OWN JACKHAMMER!!!”?

I couldn’t have picked a better way to end my night and the whole reason why I would make such a journey for one day of the fest… The Smashing Pumpkins! I was born in ‘87 so I wasn’t quite old enough to see them in the beginning. It wasn’t until they released Zeitgeist and went back out on tour that I finally got to see them live. I had fond memories of watching MTV (when it played videos) waiting for Tonight, Tonight, or 1979 to air. Billy Corgan still has those pipes. They played pretty much all classics and some new songs from CYR. However my favorites had to be EYE with Meg Myers stepping in, and then Shame, two rarities I haven’t heard live before. It even rained and it only added to the magic of the night.

Trying to leave Riot Fest was madness that took hours, albeit through no fault of the festival. So many people using the same rideshare app made for long delays and surging prices. Also, downtown was mostly shut down due to celebrations of Dieciseis de Septiembre (Mexican Independence Day), another wild sight to see. All in all, it was a great day and an amazing festival. I would like to thank the staff at Riot Fest and congratulate them for pulling this off during the most difficult times for live music in our lifetime.

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Photos by Terry Flemings

Those looking for extra summer money, I did only 3 trips today on Uber as a driver in 30 mins and made $100 extra. They are in need of drivers in Austin! Other have told me once they are signed up using links below they are seeing the $100 promo as well!

From (cut/paste) Uber promos (new drivers promo first, then below that one existing drivers who haven’t taken a trip since March 20, 2021

New drivers: I just invited you to drive with Uber. Sign up and earn $1,180, guaranteed, after completing your first 100 trips. See how. https://partners.uber.com/i/u5q5msa2j

Existing drivers link who havnt taken a trip since 3/20/21: Hi, I’ve been driving and earnings on Uber are high! Median earnings in Austin are $33/hour*.
Make at least $1,575 guaranteed by taking 115 trips with my referral link**. Go to http://hero.uber.com/2ft?p=769zq to accept my invite.
And in case you didn’t know – Uber has introduced new policies and features to help keep everyone safe, including a mandatory mask policy and free disinfectant supplies for drivers.
*Stated trip earnings of $33/hour are based on median earnings of drivers in Austin from 3/29/2021 to 4/12/2021 date who drove approximately 20 hours per week. Actual earnings vary, depending on factors like number of trips provided, time of day, and location. Earnings include trip fares, some promotional offers (including Quest and Consecutive Trips), and tips, which are provided at the discretion of the rider. Median earnings in your specific location may be lower than the city figure. Since median is the middle, you may make more or less than the median amount.
**Your guaranteed amount and requirements may vary if you are signed up as a delivery person or driver, and if you drive in a different city from your referrer. See the referral link for offer details.

free stuff if you early vote in Austin:

Independence Brewing Co. – It’s officially EARLY VOTING TIME in Texas! Come to the brewery during our weekend taproom hours, show us your voting sticker and get a Freak Power on us! Power to the freaks, y’all — Now get out there and vote already! #vote #earlyvoting #freakpower

St Elmo Brewing Company – Hey there, early voters! Swing by the brewery today and get yourself a FREE half-pint of beer! Just flash us your “I Voted” sticker and the beer is all yours! 🙌🏼🇺🇸🍻 #election2020

Still Austin Whiskey Co. – Free draft cocktail w/ “I Voted” Sticker!

Austin Eastciders Barton Springs – Through October 13-16 wear your “I Voted” sticker at the Barton Springs Location to receive a free pint free pint of cider. There is a limit to one pint per guest.

4th Tap Brewing Co-op – is giving people with a sticker a free 10 oz pour through Friday, October 16th.

Texas Saké Co – Bring in your “I Voted” sticker and receive a 1.5oz shot with any purchase between October 15th – 18th! Let’s Go Texas #vote2020#txsakeco

Easy Tiger – Swing by any Easy Tiger location for a free cookie when you present your ‘I Voted!’ sticker! Must be present to redeem offer, does not apply to Curbside or Delivery. Valid until Tuesday, November 3

Galaxy Cafe – Bring in your “I Voted sticker to any of the three locations of Galaxy Cafe (Central, Northwest, or South) anytime during early voting and they’ll give you a free small chips and queso (dine-in only).

Seoulju Korean Kitchen & Bar – The Korean spot Seoulju is giving away five free dumplings when you show them your “I Voted” sticker at their North Lamar location this week, from October 15th-18th.

Marcelino’s – Bring your “I Voted” sticker to the East Austin taqueria Marcelino’s, and they’ll give you a free breakfast taco.

El Mesón – From Oct. 13 to 15, stop by the Mexican restaurant between 4 and 8 p.m. for a free marg. (Just make sure to be wearing your “I Voted” sticker.)

Paprika ATX – Cast your ballot then get a free carnitas taco. Sounds like a win win to us.

El Chilito – Between October 13-30, show your “I Voted” sticker to receive a free regular-sized queso. If you vote by mail, you can use the promo code Queso2020 to receive your free queso on an online order.

Home Slice Pizza – From October 13 – November 3. both Home Slice Pizza locations will offer a free slice of pizza to any guest who shows up to its slice windows wearing an “I Voted” sticker.

The Soup Peddler – Show your “I Voted” sticker to receive a free 8 oz. soup. Valid at all locations.

Launderette Austin will give guests with an “I Voted” sticker a free draft beer during lunch on the next three Fridays (the 16th, 23rd, and 30th).

And lastly and bestly, from Jackie Venson:
“It’s early voting time! If you’re waiting in line to #vote in Texas, DM this (her fb not ours) page and I’ll send you my new, unreleased record, Vintage Machine, to listen to while you wait FOR FREE. I am the record label, I can do these things lol.”

Photo of Jackie by: Ismael Quintanilla III Photography

This year Amazon decided to up the madness by not having just one or two activations but three all in one giant area. I was invited to a special press preview on Wednesday to see the madness first hand and without all the lines. The installations for this year consisted of The Expanse, returning for another season, and two brand new shows, The Boys and Carnival Row. Upon entering you are greeted by the extra friendly staff who give out tokens that could be used for a variety of snacks, such as kettle corn, fruit cups, pretzel bites, and my favorite Churros.

And an extra special treat for the media folks was the free Carls Jr burgers and fries. I was in heaven and even tried the new beyond burger because let’s face it at Comicon this would be my only healthy meal.

The first Activation was based on their hit show the Expanse. We were loaded into what looks like a spacecraft after a briefing from our commanders we exited and were transported to an alien world as un peacekeepers to find out what’s going on with the “belters” who were accused of attacking settlers. After some conversations with prisoners, we heard loud inhuman noise and quickly had to leave. Once over we received this lovely show branded mugs. After that, I went to The Boys installation. A brand new show coming out this week based on the Comic book by the same name (top comic in my list). We went inside to a full setup electronic store where a car had crashed through. We were briefed that we were to help the boys hide the crime of defeating a superhero. Once over we got a nice branded pin.

Unfortunately, I was not able to complete carnival Row due to prior engagements but I hear it was the best one. Smack dab in the middle of the area was the large glass pyramid structure where we were treated to special acts based on the three shows. If the shows are even half as good as the activation Amazon prime will be a force to reckon with when it comes to streaming televison.

Photos by Terry Flemings

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The third and final day. I must admit that I am very sad to see this epic party come to a close. Day 3 at the WIRED Café included celebrity guests Holland Taylor (Mr. Mercedes), David Harbour and Matthew Modine (Stranger Things), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Graham McTavish (Preacher), Ricky Whittle (American Gods) and more! DJ Artistic helped bring the house down by starting an amazing dance party worthy of any good con. I’ve been to countless parties for SXSW with some of the biggest brands sponsoring them and Wired is king among them. Thank you for having us out a our first comic and showing us Texans a great time.

by Melissa Hoffman

I’m all about enjoying this beautiful Austin weather by patio hopping around town from Moontower Saloon to Bangers or anywhere with a solid mimosa deal. However, if you’re looking to get in touch with your outdoorsy side and save some cash, the Colorado River is just a short drive away. In my opinion, not much beats kayaking/canoeing the river and camping on island sand bars.

Step 1) Recruit as many of your friends (and furry friends!) as possible

Step 2) Head about 30 minutes East to Webberville 

Step 3) Board your water vessel of choice

Step 4) Start paddling

If you already happen to own a canoe or kayak then your only investment for the weekend will be a cooler full of beer and some food to soak it all up (if you’re like some of my friends that means a case of Lone Star each and three 18 packs of Smucker’s Uncrustables). No worries if you don’t, there are a few different outfitters that you can rent one from for pretty cheap. We went with Cook’s Canoes (http://www.cookscanoes.com/index.html) and it was $50 per night for a canoe and $35 per night for a kayak. Technically though, if you choose to canoe with a friend you get to split that cost plus the paddling efforts. A win-win! One last perk of going through the outfitter is that it includes a shuttle from the end point of your trip back to your cars at the beginning. So for those of you who do the trip with your own gear; do not, I repeat DO NOT, forget to leave at least one car where you plan to exit the river so you can get back to the other cars. Unless you’re down for a longggggg walk back.

For our last river trip my husband and I decided to head out right after work so that we could get paddling and have camp set up by sun down. Did I mention that camping on these sand bars is also free?! We chose to start at Little Webberville Park since it was only about an hour paddle to the first potential sand bar. This one is pretty small but perfect for a small group like the two of us and our dogs. If that’s not quite what you’re looking for, you can keep going down the river and choose from a number of other first come first serve islands. We set up camp, gathered some wood for the fire, and cracked a few cold beers. Not necessarily in that order… While we were taking care of all of the manual labor like the responsible adults that we are, our two dogs were off exploring the island doing “dog stuff”. Between that and repeatedly jumping off of our kayaks to swim during the day it made for some happy, and exhausted, pups.

Saturday morning we packed everything up and moved our lawn chairs into the water while we waited for all of our friends to come down stream. From there we made our way slowly but surely with only a few tipping casualties stemming from a rowdy game of bumper tag. As peaceful and beautiful as the Colorado River is, what is a river trip without some shenanigans? Here are a few other examples to keep your float interesting: Most Absurd Hat Competition, bb gun target practice, pick-up game of whiffle ball with locals on shore, or some casual fishing. I think you get the idea.

A few more hours and a box of wine later we came across a very large island that was more than big enough for a group of any size. Both of the islands that we camped on had plenty of wood to collect for a fire but it never hurts to bring some extra if you have the space. Once the fire was roaring we cooked up all of our food only to have it left out and eaten by some animals overnight- also known as my dogs. In typical camping spirit our night was full of s’more roasting and various drinking games around the fire. In typical “I’ve been drinking copious amounts of alcohol for 15 hour” spirit our night ended with howling at the moon and a little bit of skinny dipping. Or so I’ve been told since day drinking got the best of me before any of that debauchery began.

Next thing I knew the sun was coming up and Sunday had arrived to be the buzzkill that it always is. I’m sure you get the drill but we slapped the bag a little bit to polish off the wine, packed our kayaks, and started on our way. There were only a few hours left to go between our campsite and the final dock and it was one of the most gorgeous parts of the river we had travelled down. When we got to the dock our shuttle was there waiting and we made our way back to reality.

Moral of the story, if you have a free weekend and you enjoy being one with nature you should get your @$$ out to the beautiful Colorado River.

Melissa is a staff writer for balleratx.com