Tickets are $35 and $50 at frontgatetickets.com. The event will help raise funds for GiM’s growing music education program in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Austin. Grounded in Music’s students are taught a variety of  skills in musicianship, which range from writing lyrics, playing instruments, and exploring other areas  of the music industry. Statistics show that students  who are involved in music programs early in life perform better academically in the areas of math and  reading. The data also shows that students score higher on the SATs in the areas of math and verbal,  regardless of their socio-economic background.

“Grounded in Music has a very simple mission: to leverage the power of music to transform young lives by creating self-confidence, opportunity and hope. These kids are learning that they can do anything they set their mind to and developing the confidence to push themselves to achieve things they never thought they could,” said Joe Stallone, Grounded in Music’s Founder.

“Some of the  kids in the program have a hard shell to crack,” remarks Michael Longoria, Grounded in Music’s  Program Director. “But as we mentor, teach, and share with them, the music dissolves that shell.”

… then I went.

… and now, I will probably not ever go again either. (I also happen to be in Park City this weekend, yay!)

It’s awesome, yes, that X Games are in Aspen. But it’s really crowded, the views are not awesome, and the lines for the buses are beyond ridiculous.

However, the music in town for X Games is also ridiculous. Ridiculous. So we have to appreciate that!

Saturday the always-free Hi-Fi Concert Series at the base of Aspen mountain features AWOLNATION, at 5:30p. Although I enjoyed Big Boi last year, AWOLNATION is definitely a hot-hot act right now and sure to please the X Games crowd.

Belly Up has some stellar acts, a few of which are already sold old (Deadmau5 sold out in a flash and caused a lot of drama to boot):

Plus Sunday night TheGoodLife! & Louie Vito present Raekwon & Ghostface Killah with very special guests DJ Spider & 12th Planet.

Heading to the actual X Games? Map below:

Buttermilk Mountain Winter X Games Aspen 2012 spectator map. Click here to download the large version of this map.

EatAspen has a list of all the X Games deals in town here.

EMU is designed to be environmentally friendly from the ground up with 100 percent sustainable tents, biodegradable water bottles, plates and utensils. In addition, the festival’s ticket vendor will plant a tree through the nonprofit organization Trees, Water & People for each ticket sold. These efforts will help offset up to 220 pounds of carbon emissions for every tree planted, and once the concert is sold out, the festival would be offsetting 1.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

Unfortunately, many of the adventure activities like the 3K Uphill Climb and Capture-the-Flag have been canceled due to all the snow we still have. Luckily, there’s stilly plenty of mountainside music! Among the musical acts scheduled to entertain at Snowmass are local faves Leftover Salmon, plus Perpetual Groove, Tea Leaf Green, The New Mastersounds, Stokeswood, and RJD2.

General Admission tickets are $70 and VIP tickets are $250. Kids 12 years old and younger are free, with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Facebook event here /1006 S. 8th Street, Austin, TX 78704 / 4-8pm / $8 suggested donation, kids under 7 free

Or, get rowdy with some charity poker:

EVERYONE at the final table receives a prize package. Register here.

Click here to watch the trailer.

The screening will be held April 19th at The Blanton Museum of Art Theater. Doors open at 6:30 to current UT ID holders and at 6:45 to the public. There will also be a panel of guest speakers immediately following the film. Admission is free and there are a total of 300 seats available.

—

Say you got a refund and are less bitter than me, perhaps you would enjoy the new Austin music documentary, Echotone, opening in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz on Sunday, April 24th.

The film is set in Austin, Texas, and immerses itself in the city’s rapidly evolving music environment and the growing pains that surround it. The film focuses on the city’s plentiful and potent creative class, examining their struggle to hold on and forge ahead in a city on the rise. Following Austin musicians like Black Joe Lewis, Cari Palazolo and Bill Baird and featuring performances by Ghostland Observatory, The Octopus Project, the Black Angels and more, the live musical footage and visceral aerial views of the city in development, frame a passionate debate around issues like urban planning, sustainability, artistic integrity and rabid independence.

WHEN: Sunday, April 24 at 9:45pm
Monday, April 25 at 7pm
Tuesday, April 26 at 7pm
Wednesday, April 27 at 9:30pm

WHERE: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz / 320 E 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

More:  echotonefilm.com

2. See a SXSW Film. It’s cheap and worth waiting in line to see big name premieres.

3. SXSW Music exhausts me. The easiest thing to do is wander the streets, people watch, and pop into the occasional bar for a free bevvie.

4. Drink lots of water. Way more than you think you need. If it’s after 7pm, you need to be going 1:1 with booze.

5. RSVP to every single party you mightpossiblymaybeI’llthinkaboutitletyouknow attend.

6. Get on twitter, foursquare, gowalla, where, track, your momma’s app, whatever. Get with the technology, it’s how you’ll find out about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING cool.

7. Wear sunscreen.

8. Eat. A lot. We have awesome food. Take advantage.

9. Sleep. 8 hours is preferable. Even if you go to bed at 4am, you can be up by noon. Trust me, you need sleep.

10. Call a cab, walk, or bike. Don’t be an idiot with drinking.

11. Chill out. This doesn’t mean take a yoga class, this means you need to relax and enjoy the madness that is SXSW. If you get your proverbial panties in a wad over a long line, rude bouncer, NYC skinny-jean-wearing smoker, whatever, you are only ruining the fest for yourself.

Savage craic (pronounced “crack”) is an Irish expression meaning a great time out with friends. Fadó’s weeklong St. Patrick’s Day party kicks off Wednesday, March 9, with St. Patrick’s Day-themed trivia. There’s a Friday night dance party, then on Saturday, March 12, a St. Patrick’s Day parade to benefit the nonprofit St. Baldricks Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising pediatric cancer research.

Wednesday, March 16, Fadó will host an all-day live music showcase from 11am to 8pm before the big day. On Thursday, March 17, the city closes down Fourth Street so Fadó can set up a massive outdoor tent, complete with a beer garden and performance stage, directly in front of the pub. Doors open at 6am, with the street festival beginning at noon. For the rest of the day and into the night, Fadó will treat Austin to two stages of live music.

Without further ado:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Asjskwdlt0podDRSS3pUTGtsaTV5VG55Y1EtU3poVEE&hl=en&authkey=CIzcuN8N

… let me know if you know something I don’t, I’ll add it!

You don’t like spreadsheets? Hit up New Music Tipsheet’s PDF then.

FREE Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert at the base of Aspen Mountain with OutKast rapper Big Boi! Saturday, Jan. 29 at 5:30pm.

More music:

Thursday – Sunday. Buttermilk Mountain. Aspen, CO. Be there, frozen or no.

It’s the last weekend of the annual epic week of free music, so go see a show. For a comprehensive list of showtimes the likes of which I couldn’t find anywhere else, head over to see my friends at Ultra8201.