Giving Presence

The not-so-secret to upping your social media game (actually fuck that, the not-so-secret to just being a cool dude…but it also works for social media)

🎅🏻🎶 “You’re a Bum, You’re A Punk” 🎶🎅🏻

A few weeks ago, Heather and I visited one of our fav places, Batch Coffeeshop¹ here in Austin² , to see The Soulphonics³ play. Batch is famous for their kolaches⁴ (they have a peanut butter and jelly one that is to die for) and they serve decent local beer and coffee that isn’t burned like that shitty SBUX.

I loved this night so much that I wanted to draw all of it. Here are some illustrations and sketches from the night. By the way, I slightly hide my signature in all my images.

It was a small show—The Soulphonics shared the bill with Bird Casino ⁵, The Eric H Band ⁶, The Midnight Ramblers⁷, and my personal favorite, the Caroling Burnettes⁸. By the time the Burnettes took the stage, the crowd had dwindled to about 25 people (to be honest it was 35 at max capacity). That includes the staff, the other bands, and a handful of folks like me and Heather who stuck around for the last act.

Here’s a fun challenge that made me a better artist…like, way better. Go get the fattest, thicc-est sharpie marker you can find. Then go get the smallest little notebook you can find (or index cards work). Then draw humans. It’s hard, it’s frustrating, it’ll make an artist outta you! Or at least it did me. I didn’t use sharpie on this picture.

This wasn’t any TayTay⁹ arena spectacle with fans hurling their netherpants¹⁰ at the stage. (Though I wanted to toss mine, an idea that Heather vetoed with a firm, “No.” ¹¹)

I carry a tiny sketchbook wherever I go. I use a ballpoint pen and whatever small sketchbook I can get my hands on (so the dots here are nothing special, the sketchbook came like that.). OK, If you’re looking for my signature in these, I forgot to put it in there.

🤶🏻🎶 “You were handsome,You were pretty…”🎶🤶🏻

We were front and center for the whole show, clapping along, singing and fist-pumping in rhythm, taking snapshots and dropping a few dollars¹² into the tip bucket. The bands noticed—smiling, nodding, even thanking us between songs. At the end, we shook hands with a couple of the musicians, told them we loved the set, and promised to catch them at their next gig ¹³.

This guy was extremely entertaining and we really loved his set

It was a tiny crowd, sure, but that meant every clap mattered. Every cheer carried weight. My “whoop whoop” ¹⁴ didn’t get swallowed by some cavernous stadium—it landed, loud and clear. I’ve been to bigger concerts that felt emptier, with thousands of people staring through their phones, half-present and drinking cheap yellow beer from a thimble for 85 dollars ¹⁵.

Ok so this person was on their phone and not watching the band BUT HOW BADASS IS HER OUTFIT!?!?!?

🤶🏻🎶 “When the band finished playing…” 🎶🎅🏻

There’s something about being seen ¹⁶—about being one of the few who showed up and stuck it out—that makes it real. We gave presence, and it was appreciated.

I loved drawing this dude so much. I wanted to capture as much awesomeness as the musician exuded!

And here’s the thing: that’s the secret to social media as well. Giving presence. You can’t control who likes, follows, or comments on your posts ¹⁷, but you can show up for the artists you enjoy and give them likes, follows and comments…AND IT WILL BE VERY APPRECIATED.

With my sketchbook, I try to get down ideas quickly and then later I go draw them when I have time. There’s something magical about the energy of a raw sketch.

You can clap for your local bands—musicians, writers, artists, and poets—who are out there creating with so much fucking heart and passion…and it’ll be seen. Because presence matters and it means so much for all types of artists to be seen.

Thank you for showing up for my art and writing. For being present.

I love doing optical illusions with my lines

🎅🏻🎶 “You Scumbag, You Maggot…” 🎶🤶🏻

And long live the small-time bands who play their hearts out in coffeeshops to crowds of 25 randos, without a single fucking netherpant in sight ¹⁸.

These guys were rad as fuck, man.

Happy Christmas your arse! Click that 19 and read it please! —> ¹⁹

Feetnotes

1. I love BATCH so much, they always have some cool shit going on all the time.

https://www.batchatx.com/

2. And for a REAL (cynical) look at Austin, read this article

3. The Soulphonics – The Soulphonics is a band with a distinct soul/funk sound. Information about the group and their performances can be found here:

http://thesoulphonics.com

4. Texas has a lot of Czech influence (as well as German). Kolaches originated from the Czech Republic and you should really Czech it out if you’ve never eaten one.

5. Bird Casino– Bird Casino is another Austin-based band that played at Batch Coffeeshop, they cool. http://instagram.com/birdcasino

6. The Eric H Band - also cool. http://facebook.com/theerichband

7. The Midnight Ramblers - also, also cool

http://midnightramblersband.com

8. The Caroling Burnettes – I’m a sucker for puns

http://thecarolingburnettes.com

9. This footnote is the anti-hero

10. My wife calls them “Ranger Panties”

11. I never get to do anything fun :(

12. It’s awfully kind when you can tip an artist

13. The usually play at our other favorite Austin haunt, The Knomad Bar. Holy shit I love this place

14. It is the sexiest woop-woop you’ve ever heard. It’s how I courted my wife, much like a bird does… also birds don’t have pants

15. But if you like big shows, read about my time I went to see the Cure with my wife (spoiler alert: I hate the Cure but my wife has night sweats over them)

16. This is different from “Being Sean.” I’m sure Sean is a lovely person but this is about being seen.

17. And I feel icky when I beg for it, so I stopped and just do my thang and if it ain’t your thang, than that’s ok we can like other thangs

18. Free the pants!

19. The Subtitles of this article are by the Pogues’ popular Christmas song “Fairytale in New York.”

A moment of reverence:

Kirsty MacColl tragically died in a boating accident on December 18, 2000, while on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico. She was swimming in a designated diving area with her sons when a powerboat entered the restricted zone at high speed.

To save her son, Jamie, from being struck by the boat, Kirsty pushed him out of the way but was hit herself. She died instantly. The boat was owned by a Mexican businessman, Guillermo González Nova, though his employee claimed to be driving at the time. There was significant controversy surrounding the investigation, with accusations of a cover-up. The driver received only a small fine, leading to public outrage and calls for justice.

Kirsty’s death remains a heartbreaking loss, and her fans and family continue to honor her legacy.

Shane MacGowan, the male vocalist of “Fairytale of New York” and frontman of The Pogues, passed away on November 30, 2023, at the age of 65. His death was attributed to pneumonia, following a prolonged battle with encephalitis (he rocked hard, but that hard rockin’ rocks the body, hard.