The FeedBak Podcast

Jason Steward has been in the service industry for almost 2 decades and has been involved with opening, managing, and owning many bars in Austin including http://www.jblacks.com/austin/ (J-Black’s), http://www.kungfusaloon.com/ (Kung Fu Saloon), Bungalow and Bar 2211. By the way, we recorded this episode at http://m.mainstreethub.com/bar2211 (Bar 2211). We, along with his good friend and regular patron Patrick Brunson, talk about:

His background, from dishwasher to owning a bar

The process of opening, managing, and owning a bar: history on how these bars came about.

His style and a typical day for him, as a manager/owner

The concept behind Bar 2211 (2211 Webberville Rd)

Quote of the show: “I will take 100% credit for the Pickle Shot” – Jason Steward

Jose Santoyo and Tia Bordenave have been major players in the salsa world for years, from California to Texas. We talk about:

• How they got into salsa and what inspired them.
• The competitions, the performances, the culture, the fashion.
• Teaching salsa and its many styles.
• The On1 vs On2 controversy.
• The salsa scene in Austin: Gloria’s, Dallas Nightclub, Copa.

Quote of the show: ”I focused more on the gentleman leading the woman to make the woman feel amazing on the dancefloor” - Jose Santoyo

Jose Santoyo and Tia Bordenave have been major players in the salsa world for years, from California to Texas. We talk about:

How they got into salsa and what inspired them.

The competitions, the performances, the culture, the fashion.

Teaching salsa and its many styles.

The On1 vs On2 controversy.

The salsa scene in Austin: http://gloriasnightlife.com/index.php (Gloria’s), Dallas Nightclub, Copa.

Quote of the show: ”I focused more on the gentleman leading the woman to make the woman feel amazing on the dancefloor” - Jose Santoyo

DJ Benzo is the Executive Director at Dub Academy, an electronic arts school (as he puts it) while Laurie is in charge of the community outreach program. We talk about:

 

• Their background as a DJ and a writer/blogger.
• The vision that drives Dub Academy.
• The move to non-profit and how it has impacted the local community.
• The DJ Scene at local and industry levels: DJing vs Producing, Analog vs Digital.

Quote of the show: “My biggest goal now, my dream, is get to where what we’re doing is an elective in High School ” – DJ Benzo

DJ Benzo is the Executive Director at http://www.dubacademy.com/ (Dub Academy), an electronic arts school (as he puts it) while http://www.seesawaustin.com/ (Laurie) is in charge of the community outreach program. We talk about:

Their background as a DJ and a writer/blogger.

The vision that drives Dub Academy.

The move to non-profit and how it has impacted the local community.

The DJ Scene at local and industry levels: DJing vs Producing, Analog vs Digital.

Quote of the show: “My biggest goal now, my dream, is get to where what we’re doing is an elective in High School ” – DJ Benzo

Bavu Blakes is a brick in the foundation of the Austin Hip Hop scene and is now focusing on “how the original Hip Hop generation leverages their resources for today’s generation“. We talk about:

• His upbringing as the direct target for the emerging Hip Hop culture.
• The birth of Hip Hop Humpday and what it brought to Austin.
• Freestyling vs writing.
• His move to California and how Austin has changed when he came back.
• His role as an educator, teaching 7th graders and Hip Hop Grew Up.
• The concept of the Summer Saturday Songs series.

 Quote of the show: “I’m the gateway drug…” – Bavu Blakes

Stay tuned for the freestyle at the end of the show

http://bavublakes.com/ (Bavu Blakes) is a brick in the foundation of the Austin Hip Hop scene and is now focusing on “how the original Hip Hop generation leverages their resources for today’s generation“. We talk about:

His upbringing as the direct target for the emerging Hip Hop culture.

The birth of Hip Hop Humpday and what it brought to Austin.

Freestyling vs writing.

His move to California and how Austin has changed when he came back.

His role as an educator, teaching 7th graders and https://twitter.com/HipHopGrewUp (Hip Hop Grew Up.)

The concept of the Summer Saturday Songs series.

Quote of the show: “I’m the gateway drug…” – Bavu Blakes

Stay tuned for the freestyle at the end of the show

DJ Chorizo Funk is one of the most sought after DJ in Austin. He’s part of Peligrosa, Body Rock ATX, Austin Boogie Crew, and Motown On Mondays. We talk about:

• His beginnings as DJ and the local scene at the time.
• How he went from Hip Hop, to Funk then Latin music.
• His role as a DJ and his target audience.
• His involvement with all the different DJ crews he’s part of.

DJ Chorizo Funk is one of the most sought after DJ in Austin. He’s part of Peligrosa, Body Rock ATX, Austin Boogie Crew, and Motown On Mondays. We talk about:

His beginnings as DJ and the local scene at the time.

How he went from Hip Hop, to Funk then Latin music.

His role as a DJ and his target audience.

His involvement with all the different DJ crews he’s part of.

This episode is different as we talk about discrimination and dress code with Mel and Mr. Black. For the past years, there have been many incidents of discrimination at bars around Austin, and it happens all over the country. Many people of color, including African Americans, are denied entry because of the way they are dressed. In recent news, DeAndre Upshaw was not allowed to go inside Kung Fu Dallas with his friends because he was wearing high-top sneakers. The problem with this story is that many patrons inside the arcade bar were wearing similar footwear. This caused an uproar and strong reactions all over social media. Other similar incidents have been reported in Austin and Houston as well.

The purpose of this episode is to address this issue, have an honest debate, and look for solutions but most of all we would like to keep conversation going past this episode. As much as you may enjoy spending time in these establishments, be aware that these practices do occur and something needs to change.

Put this conversation in context, feel free to read up on some of these incidents:

• Report about DeAndre Upshaw‘s story according to Culture Map Dallas.
• Similar incident happened in Austin in 2013. Here is the story from local KTBC Fox 7 News.
• Another report in Minneapolis where Bar Louie displayed their dress code, which describes stereotypical African American look according to the Huffington Post.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The recent incidents that occurred in Texas.
• Our own personal experiences.
• What the law states.
• The notions of fear when it comes to race.
• How stereotypes and judgement come into play.
• What makes people want to be at the popular spot so bad they must work for it.
• Some possible solutions.

UPDATE: since we recorded this podcast, the City of Dallas has released a guide as free training against discrimination. FULL STORY HERE.