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Festival Season is upon us, y’all.

While there are a myriad of music scenes to visit and a handful of big-name lineups, there’s only one way to kick off the start of the season, and that’s by attending South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

SXSW marks the start of concert season each spring and this year was no different. Held March 13-March 22, South by exceed expectations once again. One of the many reasons that they have great success is because they are able to pull in audiences of all ages and backgrounds. From top executives of big name companies, to broke, hippy students, the once music festival has now generated an even larger audience by dividing the roughly weeklong event into sections. Interactive, Film, and Music are the three groups that come together to bring you SXSW and make Austin even weirder for several days.

As a trend watcher myself, I love to venture into the streets of ATX (especially during SXSW) to see what kind of cool and funky fashions and styles are coming next.

One trend that isn’t a surprise (especially for Austin) is energy conservation. This year, SXSW goers were able to experience the first ever solar powered music discovery vehicle! GQ’s Magazine’s Jam In The Van – Artist House allowed tastemakers, bands, and DJ’s a private location where they could relax, drink specialty cocktails provided by Stillhouse Moonshine Whiskey, and enjoy performances from bands like Plain White T’s and American Aquarium.

Another trend that has become prevalent with the rise in popularity of truly crafted cocktails, is infusion. Stillhouse does produce traditional corn whiskey, but also has flavors such a Peach Tea, Apple Crisp, and Coconut that all generate flavor from natural infusion. How cool is that? Obviously cool enough for the hipsters and red hot artists of South by. (and yes, they have a Red Hot flavor too!)

Did you miss Jam in the Van? Be on the lookout for them, as they could be the peanut butter that your jams need;) Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

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