Festival season is right around the corner and although South By Southwest (music/art/film conference and music festivals in Austin,TX) is over 8 hours away, El Paso plays a significant role along the journey each year, offering traveling bands and musicians a place to stop and rest their heads a bit while on the road. This year, El Paso music fans will want to make plans to come by the Outpost, located on 2317 E. Missouri, on March 14th and 15th from 2 to 8 pm each day, to show support for local and touring artists alike.
Caroline Vázquez, the assistant manager at the Outpost, finds herself in a flurry of activity lately as SXSW gets closer. The moment a band arrives at the front door she’ll usher them in, show them around the artfully decorated spaces and makes sure they’re settled-in with a healthy snack of their choice. Caroline took some time out of her busy schedule to chat about an exciting upcoming event that has music fans all over El Paso counting down the days till the Pit Stop.
“This is going to be our first multi-day event. Over the course of the weekend, at least 30 bands will be rolling through and stopping by. The Outpost can comfortably accommodate between 35-100 people and events like this are incredibly popular, so we reach capacity quickly,” Caroline says.
The Pit-Stop is open to the public and RSVP’ing to Caroline by emailing her at [email protected] is crucial to ensure you’ll be able to enjoy the music and festivities. “It’s just for organization purposes,” explains Caroline, “it’s just easier for us so that we know we’ll have the resources available so that when a band comes through, we can show them around and get them situated.”
Musicians who come to the Pit Stop at the Outpost can look forward to receiving a bevy of complimentary services and treats such as a barber, photographer, massage therapist, screen printing, free tacos from The Tap and other surprise goodies. This is all in addition to the Outpost’s already generous amenities, which include laundry services, a studio, a lounge and a fully-stocked kitchen with healthy items like cold brew coffee and teas from Yerba Mate.
If you’re looking for The Outpost on social media, you’ll nary find a Facebook Page or Instagram account in sight, and they don’t plan on starting anytime soon. There is, however, a hashtag: #OutpostCity, so no matter which social network you use, make sure to use the hashtag while you’re snapping photos during the Pit Stop.
photo courtesy of Mad Octopus Productions | madoctoproductions.com | @themadoctopus