Sneak Peek of AUSTIN MUSIC LIVE Photo Shoot!

Twice a year we gather up a small hardworking crew, from all corners of Texas, to descend upon our catalog shoot location for 2 to 3 days of controlled chaos and lots of hairspray. . For our 2013 Spring collection, AUSTIN MUSIC LIVE, we figured where better to shoot the bright festival attire than the namesake itself.

AUSTIN!

So from dawn until dusk on a crisp November day, our crew blasted off our Spring Collection: AUSTIN MUSIC LIVE at The Continental Club on South Congress, or SoCo if you're 'in the know'.  We worked our tails off shooting models onstage, near aging original murals and walls covered in vintage band stickers from years past. If only those walls could talk....

. . With Day 1 of our 'Austin Music Live' catalog shoot in the can, we were beat! But as they say,

the show must go on!

So for Day 2 of shooting, we hit the road for Round Top, Texas the next morning....EARLY....to meet the Junk Gypsies!

. . Amie and Jolie  are the Junk Gypsies.  They are some of the most down-to-earth creative souls you could ever meet and they've got a wonderful warehouse full of junk and fabulous props, perfect for shooting.  They were kind enough to open their doors and pasture gates so we could continue our AUSTIN MUSIC LIVE shoot, with a little Rockabilly Retro vibe. . Sometimes these shoots can be a little stressful. Time constraints, light fading, hunger setting in, loss of power, boots not fitting. You can see how many things can go wrong! So it's always nice to have some positive energy and dessert! Our time at the Junk Gypsy Headquarters had both! Here's Jolie's wonderfully lovable pup who was a little apprehensive of a strange group carrying giant boxes while we set up, but soon opened up and was more than willing to let us rub his tummy!

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As if we needed more positive energy, Amie's mini-her daughter, Indie, kept us on our toes with her Turtle Scooter and astonished all with her colorful crayon drawings.

Shooting our Rockabilly Retro group at the Junk Gypsy's warehouse was the perfect backdrop. They had just the right amount of 'stuff' to fill our images with color and vintage texture.

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While the Junk Gypsies did provide us with a good bit of clutter, we did call in the professionals when it came to vintage guitars and microphones. It was quite a set-up and pretty cool to just walk over to the wall of beautiful guitars brought in for propping and pick one up.  You should have heard our art director's impromptu, on-set finger-pickin tunes!

Now for the dessert part of a positive catalog shoot! Round Top is known for a few wonderful gems, one of which is Royers Round Top Cafe and Bud's infamous pies. Y'all, when we say we've got friends with the best recipes, Bud is who we're talking about!  He even has a published cookbook which just so happens to have Dad's chili recipe. So next time you find yourself in Round Top for the big antique show, you gotta travel into town for the Royer's experience. Don't be in hurry because, rarely if ever, are you able to walk right into the cafe and be seated. But don't let the wait scare you away. Sit out on the front porch and have a chat with Bud. It'll be a conversation you won't soon forget! .

So another shoot bites the dust and leaves us with wonderful images we can't wait to share with you. There is nothing like seeing months of dedication and hard work of our entire company, all come together for the next catalog, so stay tuned for details on how to get your hands on one! .

Never been?

Next time you hit the live music capitol of the world,  skip the popular and packed 6th street and visit Steve at The Continental Club.  The CC, along with the nearby San Jose Hotel,  helped SoCo's emergence a few decades ago to be "the" spot for Austin locals. The Continental is a fabulously colorful venue with lots of great history.  It still has all of the old vintage burlesque murals on the wall and hosts a wide variety of live music acts. And don't miss out on Junk Gypsies opening coming soon and a pie or seven from Royer's in Round Top, Texas. Tell 'em we sent ya!