[Announcer] Project ATX6 is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Camera equipment for the making of "Lift Me Up," the new film from Project ATX6, was provided in part by Precision Camera & Video, serving Austin's photography community since 1976.

[upbeat folk music] Funding for Project ATX6 was provided in part by Fire-Eye Development, making simple Direct Connect pre amps for acoustic instruments on stage.

♪ I've never seen you standing there ♪ [gentle piano music] Project ATX6 is made possible by Austin Festival Express, an Austin-based non-profit organization devoted to the career development of Austin artists and musicians through export programs.

[calm music] ♪ ♪ [Evan] You know, coming in to ATX6, I didn't know anybody in the group.

[Leslie] There were so many new challenges that we were all faced with.

Some of these people had never been out of Texas.

[Jonathan] I think when I first found out we were all gonna be playing instruments in each other's bands and stuff and really wanted to run with that, I didn't see myself as almost the defacto drummer of the group.

[Mike] We were all jamming with each other.

[Kathryn] I just always kind of wondered, like, how will we be received?

[Evan] If there were nerves on that stage, I couldn't really tell.

I don't even think I'd heard about Corona virus when we left for Thailand.

[Alesia] Nah, I don't believe in living in fear, so I wasn't scared.

And I wasn't scared when I came back home, either.

And I'm still not scared.

[laughing] ♪ There's a reason why I am the way I am now ♪ ♪ Classy lady yet abrasive at the same time ♪ ♪ See I've been walked over ♪ ♪ Dumped over, I'm so tired ♪ ♪ Telling the truth, I cannot lie ♪ ♪ You can never bring me down now ♪ ♪ 'Cause I remember those days ♪ ♪ So vivid and so clear ♪ ♪ No reliving those days, naw ♪ [Chris] The project has always had a sense of adventure, a sense of purpose.

Over the next several months, we would travel from one end of the globe to the other, playing shows at music festivals and experiencing different cultures, all the while having one hell of a time.

We would freeze our butts off at Indie Week Festival in Toronto and we'd fly to Jai Thep Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Then we'd finish off our travels by performing at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England.

That's the plan, anyway, but plans change.

- ♪ Hey, yes, I'm doing better ♪ ♪ Way better than before ♪ ♪ You thought you really knew me ♪ ♪ But I know a little more ♪ ♪ Tried to drown me but I'm tanning ♪ ♪ Tomato by the shore ♪ ♪ Let me sip my lemonade-nade ♪ ♪ While you throw your shade-shade ♪ ♪ 'Cause I remember those days like it was yesterday ♪ ♪ Now we're not in the same race ♪ ♪ Not at the same pace ♪ ♪ Oh, ain't it funny how things can change ♪ ♪ But just give it a little time ♪ ♪ Where you can never try and pay me no ♪ ♪ You pay me no mind ♪ ♪ You pay me no mind ♪ ♪ You pay me no mind ♪ ♪ Ooh, you never pay me no mind ♪ ♪ No mind ♪ ♪ No mind ♪ ♪ Hot damn, you never pay me no mind, yeah ♪ [upbeat jazz music] ♪ Ooh, you never pay me no mind ♪ ♪ No mind ♪ ♪ No mind ♪ ♪ No mind ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ [upbeat jazz music] ♪ Hey!

♪ ♪ Hey, hey!

♪ [upbeat jazz music] - No one really paid me no mind until I sang.

My other personality is so kind of introverted and timid.

That's why I made this song, for people kinda like me, you know, that grew up shy, or grew up that wasn't so blunt or outspoken, to be more outspoken and be here.

It's okay to be that way, you know.

It's okay that you didn't pay me no mind before and now you're doing that, it's okay.

Just know that I'm doing my thing.

You know, I'm doing my thing.

♪ One, two, three, hah!

♪ ♪ You pay me no mind ♪ ♪ You pay me no mind ♪ ♪ You pay me no mind ♪ ♪ Ooh, you never pay me no mind ♪ [train moving] [people chatting] - My knowledge of this project is that, you know, everybody kinda plays solo and people start learning each other's songs as we get to know each other.

And each trip we learn more and more.

And then by the end, we're just like practically band mates.

But these guys are like, just ready to go.

Like, they learned every one of my songs and just had 'em down so that when I showed up for rehearsal, I was just like, "Whoa, okay!"

[guitar strumming] ♪ One, two.

♪ ♪ One, two, three.

♪ [band mates clapping] - I remember our first rehearsal, going through everyone's different styles.

And your own stuff kinda gets pushed on the back burner.

You're not really worried about it, because in the moment, you're so concerned with doing a good job for everyone else.

[Leslie] I think the guys were really eager to rehearse, 'cause we've had very limited time together before coming here to learn each other's music and just kinda gel together, you know.

- I think that's a really cool thing.

The idea of having a bunch of songwriters that are doing their thing, you know, but we're getting to collaborate and create a show.

- ♪ You ♪ [snapping] - Let's start from that part.

So let's start from... Just to let me take a pass on the core progression, can we start where the solo starts?

This Project ATX6 thing is by far the most collaborative thing I've done in terms of exchanging ideas.

- ♪ You ♪ ♪ With you ♪ ♪ Oh, not the long way ♪ ♪ So please give me some room ♪ - Even though this is our first, you know, time getting together and actually doing these things, it feels pretty natural, and it's easy for us move, and live, and get together and work.

[Leslie] I think this is a really good group to not only play music with but to travel with, because everybody is just so chill and just kinda open to new adventures.

- ♪ And that's the truth, that's me ♪ ♪ No bad intentions from me ♪ ♪ You tried to mask them ♪ [somber synth music] - In here, I'll record... so this was prerecorded.

I'll record that sample, and then when I'm playing live, I don't have to bring all of this with me.

So I've got all my sounds that are in here, but then if I want to play something intentionally [tempo timer ticking] [Jonathan plays synth piano notes] [synthesizer plays] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Now if I wanna get crazy, I can just add that beat that was already recorded.

[synth music with drum beat] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Evan] I think one of the underrated aspects of ATX6 are the drives between cities.

And this was the first big drive we had done from Toronto to Hamilton.

Just getting to look out the window and see a completely foreign landscape, I think that might've helped me to keep my mind off of the show, in a way.

[Chris] I mean, 'course there's nerves going into the first show.

Jetting into a different country kind of changes the playing field.

When you think about it, this is the first time they've performed in front of each other outside of rehearsals.

But that's why we book a show the day before the festival.

[upbeat indie rock music] ♪ Stay ♪ ♪ But don't ♪ - Every artist deals with a level of insecurity.

I mean, you're putting yourself out there, you're putting your personal words and emotions just out into the world for people to either accept or not.

[upbeat rock music] ♪ ♪ - I go for like kind of gut punch lines, like a striking image that is supposed to almost be either startling or kind of make you stop and say, do a double take on it.

Yeah, the Idol Frontier thing actually comes from a story from the Bible that I tripped over.

I think we were talking about earlier, like I was trying to paint like a Max Ernst, Dali type of painting, at risk of being that pretentious novel guy.

♪ I slowly serenade upon the cold, gray dawn ♪ ♪ Now time is slipping away from you, child ♪ ♪ In the trail of your mind ♪ Yeah, it's a pretty dense song.

♪ Steady now, another number for the lost highway ♪ ♪ Where your angel lies ♪ [synth music] [Jonathan] Put pressure on yourself to perform well, right.

And then there's pressure because you're out in another country and it's complicated by the pressure of doing a good job for everyone else, too.

It sucks when you make a mistake.

[synth rock music] - I really don't fixate on perfection in live shows.

It's such a moving snapshot in time.

I think live shows are more about energy.

Like look at the Rolling Stones, one of the greatest live rock bands ever because they bring so much energy.

That's what a live set's about.

- ♪ If you want to stay ♪ ♪ Who am I ♪ ♪ To tell you not to feel that way ♪ ♪ It's terrible if you're better off ♪ [Jonathan] I think with the technical difficulties in my set, and then knowing the mistakes that, even if other people didn't so much notice them, you know.

- Well those were few, and quickly recovered from.

- Yeah.

I know.

[Evan] That's the thing.

- I know, I just want perfection.

It's like I'll never get the chance to play for these folks again and, like, that's what I left them.

[gentle synth music] - Well, we got a little delayed yesterday.

We were gonna break off for a photo shoot that didn't happen.

So this morning we had a strict 10 o'clock call time which everybody made, punctually.

And we hopped in the car and went over down to the shores of, I guess it would be, Lake Ontario.

- The wind's just blowing straight on us over the water, you know.

I was sitting there like, man, this is beautiful scenery, but I look so cold.

- And had our faces frozen.

[laughing] Looked out at the water and got some shots out by the water, individual shots.

Kate's an amazing photographer.

[soft synth music] ♪ ♪ [car horns honking] [Chris] Indie Week is a choice festival for us.

The shows are played in boutique music venues all over Toronto, which is a huge music scene.

It was a bummer that Kathryn couldn't be there with us, but she's got a real job that had her in San Francisco that week.

But after the show in Hamilton, we were all eager to get to work.

[Evan] When we got to the Cameron House, I was so excited because of that beautiful red curtain behind the stage.

♪ All the newsmen and reporters ♪ ♪ At their desks or at the coffee bars ♪ - I've been a side musician for a long time.

Anz I guess Pocket Sounds was a chance to be the boss.

- He's so abstract and so simple, yet deep-thoughted.

- St. Clair is a genius like musician in general.

[waves splashing] [Mike practices tones] [Mike sings scales] - Mike's stuff is actually really complicated, and it's quiet, and it's actually a lot harder to play drums in a quiet situation than it is to just like rock out with your sticks out.

[laughing] He's so patient with me.

[laughing] It's so sweet, but, he doesn't mind when I kinda fumble a little bit.

[laughing] ♪ I end up right where all my friends are ♪ [upbeat soft indie rock music] ♪ Why would I be anonymous ♪ ♪ When I could be heard and seen ♪ ♪ Just gotta get on that screen ♪ ♪ And be social ♪ [upbeat rock music] [upbeat rock music] ♪ Make up your mind ♪ ♪ Stop throwing lines ♪ ♪ Unless you wanna catch ♪ ♪ Something this time, oh ♪ ♪ Do you know what you ♪ ♪ Wnt to do with me ♪ ♪ Believe your heart is aching ♪ [upbeat rock music] ♪ ♪ [Chris] Because of the talent that's at the core, these musicians were able to play on each other's songs.

We play in each other's set.

It doesn't happen right away.

But by the end of the three festival trips, we're as good as any band out there.

We make a show.

[upbeat rock music] [synth music] - My songwriting sensibility is very much for pop.

It's like something I've tried running away from, especially being a rock musician, you have like an aversion to somebody calling your stuff pop.

[synth music] ♪ Hey there son, ♪ ♪ Yu wanna be a man ♪ ♪ This gun in your hand ♪ - Guns was one of the first songs that I wrote for this new project.

It kind of just wrote itself.

It was just like the bass sound is just so rich and ominous sounding just like really dark in like The Empire Strikes Back kind of a way.

♪ They're gonna send your place ♪ ♪ You're gonna make your mark ♪ ♪ With that gun in your hand ♪ ♪ You're gonna shine a ♪ I always knew the gun in my hand part.

There was a while where it was going to be changed because it was like, this is like too on the nose.

Like what if it was like something that or something and it just never, there was no metaphor that ever just like felt right.

It just had that same.

It was just like, no, it has to be with a gun.

♪ There's no way you will mistake ♪ ♪ Tat awful sound ♪ These shootings keep happening and every time there's another one, it'st like, man, I need to put that song out.

And the sad thing about some of these songs is that I would love for them not to be relevant.

[synth music] ♪ There's no way you will mistake ♪ ♪ That awful sound ♪ ♪ Say your prayers ♪ ♪ Hold your breath ♪ ♪ And put your guns on the ground ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Lets put our guns on the ground ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Lets put our guns on the ground ♪ ♪ ♪ - It'll get better.

I promise, it'll get better.

It could have been worse, but it was great.

It could have been way worse, but it's gonna get better.

- I had fun, I had a lot of fun.

Not bad overall though, the show was maybe the best yet.

[soft piano music] - One really handy thing about music is that it's not always specific.

♪ I won't say anything ♪ You could be more vulnerable in a way.

♪ I won't say anything ♪ I mean, music's totally open.

Like no one knows.

No one really knows what like Beethoven's 9th symphony means, or whatever you know.

Beethoven probably doesn't know, you know but like it means a lot.

I mean, in a way it expresses things that you can't express with words.

♪ And I can't handle mine ♪ [soft piano music] ♪ You gave me what you got ♪ ♪ I should have no more ♪ I mean, to me there's still like right and wrong.

There's still morality.

There's still like precision.

There's still a, a reality, you know, it's not an open thing, but what's open about it is that we don't know it.

It's pure expression but it's also true.

You know, there is there's truth and there's just so much truth in it as science or math or words.

[soft piano music] ♪ ♪ ♪ What you will see ♪ ♪ When you will go ♪ ♪ You may not find ♪ ♪ But you will show ♪ ♪ But you will not ♪ ♪ Be on your own ♪ ♪ You will not be ♪ ♪ All alone ♪ - So we are here at the White Horse, it's Saturday night and I'm about to go on.

It's basically my last Austin hurrah before I leave for Thailand.

Freaking out.

But I think getting to honky tonk will get some of that anxiety out of my system.

[upbeat country music] Music was always a passion of mine, but I don't even know that moving to Austin when I did, I necessarily was like, "I'm gonna be on stage one day."

But the second I decided that you know that like this is what I'm gonna do.

This is what I'm gonna pursue.

I remember White Horse specifically being one of those places, that's just like, "Oh, if I could just play there once."

[upbeat country music] ♪ Spend my nights drinking in a worn-in bar ♪ ♪ Taking sips of beverage from a mason jar ♪ - My grandpa was a big influence on my music.

He was like the Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline guy.

I can't help but recall like those memories, like being with him in the cab of his truck.

And like that was the music that was playing.

♪ And the preacher man said I had a way to go ♪ ♪ 'Cause even Jesus Christ cannot save my soul ♪ There's always a necessity for a good song with a good riff in your life.

♪ Things I've done ♪ ♪ Always lookin' for new ways to run ♪ ♪ Just by myself in the middle of the road ♪ ♪ Pickin' up the pieces that I just let go ♪ [Kathryn] We all knew when we were heading to Thailand that we were in for a tough ride.

- I'm smiling under this, you just can't tell.

- Do you know, like the week before we left, Jonathan said at our last rehearsal, "Should we be worried about this like virus outbreak that's happening in China?"

It was this Corona virus.

- And then the conversation was just like, what level of like precaution do we take?

Because we were traveling to like Asia but I'm not traveling into China.

- I think we knew Corona virus was a thing but like hadn't been reported on.

It hadn't been dissected.

- And so when we left, there was maybe one case in Thailand, a couple cases in Japan.

When we got there, it started growing.

- I was monitoring local news while we were there.

They had somebody test positive in Chiang Mai the last day that we were there.

- Thailand has reported the first case of the Wuhan Corona virus found outside of China.

- Okay.

I wonder how this escalates.

- We arrive in Bangkok and there's this really cool party van that picks us up with this really sweet couple driving us that didn't speak a lick of English.

Yeah, everybody get your chicks on.

We drove overnight to Chiang Mai.

- ♪ Time to turn it around again ♪ Arriving in Chiang Mai, I think I, along with everyone else was just grateful that we, because we had been traveling for, I think someone tallied up like 35 something hours at that point.

- Oh, I complained in my head.

I felt like I wore my emotions on my sleeve.

And I was just like, do I feel as miserable as I look?

- So the travel getting there is difficult and then you're in this different place.

And there's a, there's a language barrier.

The only thing that you had that was familiar was the people you were traveling with and your music.

[synth music] ♪ But have you ever ♪ [Mike] But then yeah, fast forward to Seven Pounds that night, the first show.

Yeah, I guess I finally hit a wall.

- It's exciting because it's like, cool, here's the music part right?

Now I'm gonna feel, gonna feel normal.

[Mike] I think everybody at one point or another probably fell asleep during the set.

[upbeat synth music] - ♪ Have you ever ♪ ♪ Have you ever ♪ ♪ Have you ever ♪ ♪ Have you ever ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Cool.

I can work with that.

- We got some little love songs.

Again.

We going to start off sweet.

We're going to end it real spicy.

[laughing] It was the longest I've ever traveled, the first time I ever been overseas so, for me, you know, I know it's gonna be a little tough but it wasn't too tough.

You know, I couldn't feel my ass by the time I got here.

But I think that was everybody's feeling.

[laughing] - I think that first show at Seven Pounds, the attitude was, "We've come all this way.

We just traveled so far, for so long.

Let's just go there, do the job.

And then we can sort of unravel."

[soft jazz music] ♪ I never asked no questions ♪ ♪ And you ain't gotta leave no number ♪ ♪ You just tell me where ♪ ♪ And I'll be there ♪ ♪ You can just put it on me, yeah ♪ ♪ Baby no rush, no panic ♪ ♪ 'Cause when it's true ♪ ♪ Love can't help it ♪ ♪ Just gotta dive right in there ♪ ♪ So baby come and dive right in it ♪ ♪ Now you're in ♪ ♪ So we will figure it out ♪ ♪ Along the way ♪ [Chris] We're six musicians on the road.

Seven, if you count me.

Everybody has their own agenda, their own politics, their own way of traveling.

But music is the tie that binds us.

And it's our differences that make the experience so powerful.

[chiming bells] - Old City is this, it's like a, it's a square, right?

And there's a, there was an old wall around it.

And now there's just a couple pieces of wall that are still standing.

When you first get there, anything you do is interesting.

We walked around and we were looking for something of interest, something that was different.

We knew that we wanted to go to a couple of the temples.

Then I see, you know, when something's really large and it's far away, it looks de-saturated, it's not like there's fog.

It's just like there's atmosphere in between you and it and there's this rock, just this big rock that was just like, I don't know how far away that is, but I can tell it's far and it's really big.

I want to go there.

Like, let's find that thing.

And it was this Wat and there was this, these ginormous golden Buddhas, like inside of each of the four corners of it.

[upbeat music] - This is breakfast.

I miss the food in Thailand.

Like, I'll never have a better meal.

I've said that multiple times, like I'll never have a better meal than in Thailand.

- My favorite part about walking through the street markets that first afternoon in Bangkok was how excited you were.

Yeah.

'Cause you were like a little kid.

You were like, got to try little bit of this, this little bit of that, gotta try this, gotta try that.

And it was kind of infectious, you know.

It was infectious in a good way.

Thai tamale.

- The food, the street food, I ate like eight times a day, [laughing] [Mike] Everything is on a skewer-- chicken, beef, pork-- the smells of the grill's incredible.

♪ ♪ - I remember when we were driving, approaching the festival, the road we were on was like, like higher up.

And you could see the whole festival below us.

- And we're driving like over a ridge, like looking down on the festival grounds, seeing all of that.

It was very impressive.

- And we were all looking out the window going, whoa.

And it looked almost like a circus.

I don't know, it was like a theme park in some weird way without the rides.

It had like little tents and a castle, like little themes throughout.

And when we walked, I remember we were driving in.

These people were doing like yoga in a tent.

And I was like, whoa, this is kind of different.

- It was just a hippie ass festival.

Like camping, massage, everything like, so awesome to see.

- It doesn't look like American festivals.

American festivals are like stages, alcohol, food.

[Mike blowing on a horn] [Chris] So I will say it's like super strict.

Cause we had a problem because before where camping used to be the upper end.

And now it's here, we have like a restriction on, on when we can do sound checks, long story short.

So everybody gets 40 minutes and it has to be like strict.

[guitar tuning] - Everything's great.

We get to the festival.

Sound check is like rush.

- You guys want to go ahead?

Just go ahead.

- After the experience at Seven Pounds I really want to make sure that my sound is good because I felt like if the sound isn't good, I can't perform well.

- Okay.

Okay.

I'm doing my best.

I usually get all this plugged in beforehand.

- When we did sound check, my rig wasn't working.

- The sound check was really stressful at Jai Thep and it was because of technical difficulties.

- At one point I had everything.

I had everything making a sound through my rig.

Like this is making a sound.

This is going through.

I mean, I know that it's going through because if I turn it, if I turn the mix the other way, then I get that.

But now I'm not getting any bass.

Is it coming in now?

How was this working yesterday?

And now it's not.

- Mike's a pretty cool customer but I understand it's frustrating when you're, all your equipment doesn't work.

But the thing about that was it had a chain reaction.

Mike can't get his thing to work but we need him to play bass but Jonathan's got his special electronic setup that he needs a separate check for.

And you know, we're holding off to check because there's no point in doing a check unless you can hear what the bass sounds like.

I mean, that's a crucial instrument.

- I'm sorry, everybody.

[Man] Don't worry about it.

- Like I had a checklist in my mind of things that have to go right in order for my show to go well.

I don't have that anymore.

- We don't need a sound check.

What about you?

You what?

[Man] Can you play the bass the rest?

- Yeah, I can, but I need to get my-- [soft music] - It might be the interface.

'Cause the amp seemed to be getting my sound.

- Yeah.

- It might just be an interface issue.

There may be some button that I just couldn't find today.

- Did you leave your stuff there?

- Yeah.

My stuff's still there, I need to, I think I might ride back with this lady that brought me here.

I need to go check my stuff out.

Most of the time was surprisingly unstressful.

That show the biggest, the biggest show really.

'Cause I mean, that was the big stage that was in front of the most people.

And that was the show when like sound check was literally, I didn't even have it.

[guitar music] - I think everybody felt like the moment had arrived.

It was everything that we had built up to.

It was, it was a moment where everybody was on the same wavelength.

[rock music] - I think I told you before the set, I really felt like I had a good one in me coming up, you know.

♪ And the bright lights all shine downtown ♪ ♪ But you're somewhere out on the edge ♪ ♪ It's always best laid plans ♪ ♪ That go their own ways ♪ ♪ It's always best you ever had's only a taste ♪ ♪ And I beat my pulse of these streets ♪ I guess the general story of Best Laid Plans, you know, it's about it's about a musician.

You take a leap of faith basically.

Will it be a life well lived?

Will it be all of those things jumbled up together 'cause life is complicated?

I haven't thought about it in a long time but I think there's an element of that song where when I was a little baby and my parents were raising me, I'm sure this is not the life that they saw for me.

I didn't want to be their best laid plan gone to waste.

♪ But there ain't no use in dwelling ♪ ♪ On a deal that's already done ♪ ♪ 'Cause baby you were born to walk a straight line ♪ ♪ Not to such full saving grace ♪ ♪ It's always best laid plans that go their own ways ♪ ♪ It's always best you ever had's only a taste ♪ ♪ And I'll beat my pulse to these streets ♪ ♪ For such a long time ♪ ♪ Searching endlessly for somethin' I could call mine ♪ ♪ Always a day ♪ - One of my absolute favorite things about country music is a sad song.

So I hope you all are ready to feel some feelings.

This song's for the waltzers.

It's called "Have You Forgotten Me?"

[country music] There wasn't much of a reception to honky-tonk music in Thailand.

That's okay.

Didn't really like expect a ton.

You know, if anything, that's, that's kind of why I was looking forward to going to England because I know the reception there probably would have been greater.

But it was still something that like...

I know at this moment five other people who can say they've done that.

And we did it together.

♪ We fall to the ground ♪ ♪ Oh, have you forgotten me ♪ ♪ 'Cause I sit at these bars ♪ ♪ And stare at the wall ♪ ♪ I try hard to not think about you at all ♪ ♪ But my mind's a prison ♪ ♪ That I can't get free ♪ ♪ Are you as tortured as I seem to be ♪ ♪ Or have you forgotten me ♪ The reason why I write songs is if anything to find understanding within myself.

So if I'm able to make that connection with anyone else and that's, that's what gets me.

[country music] ♪ 'Cause I sit at these bars ♪ ♪ And stare at the wall ♪ ♪ I try hard to not think about you at all ♪ [soft chiming music] [Leslie] Do you have a favorite elephant?

- I like, I think I like her.

I don't have any food, sorry.

[laughing] [Kathryn] I'm gonna get some more.

- Minute we see these things up close and the minute I actually finally touched one, I felt this was magical.

Creatures like this exist with us to ground us.

And I felt really grounded just being around them.

They told us immediately, at the beginning of this trip, these elephants are our neighbors.

They just live in the same mountain that we've lived in.

And the guy that was our guide was had lived there all his life.

And these are our friends and we've gotten to know them and we're all going to wear these same outfits.

'Cause that's what they're used to seeing.

So they'll think that you're friendly and we're just gonna hang out with them and feed them and swim with them.

- It was so fun.

It was so fun to be around such majestic beings just getting some of their positive energy on you, you know and just walking with them and then feeding them and bathing them.

- I didn't feel like it was some weird tourist trap.

I didn't feel like the elephants were abused in any way.

I really felt like it was a sincerely like happy place and they cared about the wellbeing of the elephants and just cared about taking good pictures of you and making you have a good experience.

And they were such a great group of people.

I'm so glad that we did that.

I feel changed from the elephants.

I feel changed from this entire trip but I'm so glad that we had that day off to go and experience this thing that not very many people get to experience but I did feel like changed forever after that trip.

[upbeat music] - Mike and I woke up early on the day of the show and went to like a sound healing tent, just spending an hour just laying down, but like mindfully feeling connected.

I just let myself, I just let myself go with it.

I think that was like a turning point.

That was the turning point in the trip for me.

- Just like took me on a journey.

It's like, I like went some places in my mind that I hadn't ever, ever been.

♪ Life's when you're going to change ♪ ♪ Life's a ball straight in your face ♪ ♪ As long as you know to change ♪ ♪ Where ♪ ♪ Where I don't ♪ ♪ ♪ With everything, I had some thoughts about death and life and love, aging and time.

- Wow.

You're gonna funnel that today.

I guarantee you that's going to come out in your performance today.

[Jonathan] It sounds like you're like the perfect recipient.

[Chris] Is it working?

- Everything's worked fine.

[Chris] Crazy.

No explanation?

- Not really.

♪ ♪ ♪ Well, ♪ ♪ Well ♪ ♪ I don't ♪ [soft folk music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ - There's something that I need to do before this set.

Some of my songs are just have a big heart for the world.

And sometimes it's difficult to sing about some things that are outside of your control.

You put pressure on yourself to perform well.

Right, and then there's pressure because you're out in like another country and all this.

And then I think in Thailand, I think that like broke me for a second.

♪ Time and time and time again ♪ ♪ I feel I'm fadin' away ♪ ♪ From all that I knew ♪ ♪ And all that I could say ♪ I think one of the biggest takeaways from our trip to Thailand was being able to appreciate that the magic isn't created in the perfection.

The magic is in this kind of imperfect moments, where everything is just kind of somehow working together.

And in that it is perfect.

It might not be what I had imagined as perfect.

And I think that is helping me kind of like let go of being such a perfectionist with, you know, with my music and with the way that I approach my career.

[rock music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well I guess ♪ ♪ If you want to stay ♪ ♪ Who am I to tell you ♪ ♪ Not to feel that way ♪ ♪ Terrible if you're better off ♪ ♪ Well I guess ♪ ♪ If you want to stay ♪ ♪ Who am I ♪ ♪ To tell you not to feel ♪ - With each performance, it just got like more and more.

It just like continued to ramp up.

We ended with, you know, Leslie "Moving Panoramas".

And that was literally like-- [fast rock music] ♪ ♪ - I played at the very end of our group.

And since I didn't play in every group, I played in like half the groups, I got to watch the progression of all the artists and watch the audience progress as well.

- So at that point, you know, dusk has just turned into darkness and the lights are getting more colorful on the stage.

And that's reflecting out into the audience and the drugs have started to really settle in and, not ours but the people are dancing.

Everyone's just kinda, everyone's kind of let loose and having fun.

♪ Then you find ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ ♪ Time just get I ♪ - One of the great things about Leslie's set, is it's got tempo.

So you're still fully engaged as a player and musician and member of the band because it's something you really want to deliver.

And everybody else in the audience just gets to go crazy and have fun.

- ♪ Send me a sign ♪ ♪ And again ♪ ♪ You'll be there ♪ ♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪ [fast rock music] ♪ Send me your sign ♪ ♪ And again ♪ But I noticed that like, when I was playing, I could see like in the background, some like sequin things going on, like and I was like, that's people dancing.

And so I realized that like on the last song, and so like when I do this breakdown, I was like, all right everybody, get up here, come on.

♪ Here, here we are ♪ Come closer.

♪ Another year ♪ You dancers you're so beauty, we're in Chiang Mai Thank you, Jai Thep!

♪ Another year ♪ ♪ Now you like ♪ It was just like an influx of just like dancing.

And I was like, man, I wish I'd done that sooner.

But it was so beautiful at the end with all these people just like getting into it.

- In that moment, watching her, I was like, I hope she sees this because this is an incredible moment happening.

- ♪ Oh oh it is ♪ Y'all are so beautiful, thank you for dancing with us.

You're wonderful.

You know, it's easy to play off the crowd if the crowd's right up front, but nobody knew our music.

So I really appreciated how receptive people were to music that they'd never heard.

♪ Just love ♪ ♪ My time with you ♪ ♪ Oh and baby you ♪ [fast rock music] - I mean, I can't really speak for everyone else but I feel like we all just reveled in that.

- I don't think I've ever played to an audience quite like that.

And I loved it.

- What I remember from backstage is just like this sense of adrenaline.

It was so much of what we all practiced for, traveled for, it wasn't necessarily just one person's performance.

We were just like, we did that.

[fast music crescendos] - Thank you so much.

We've been Project ATX6 from Austin, Texas, United States.

My name's Leslie Sisson, Moving Panoramas.

- This whole thing is not about perfection.

It's not about playing the perfect set, you know, it's not about playing for the perfect crowd or having the perfect sound.

It's not about like working something to the bone to make this product.

It's about, it's about us, it's about the process of these six people working together to create these moments.

- By the time we were done, by the time all the sets were over, and we had played the whole thing, I felt like I had really done a day's work, you know.

- Going backstage after that Jai Thep set, we're all having like a super vibing time, just I think sort of mutually reveling in what just happened.

- The whole place is out there being like yeah.

- I think that the music is kind of like the glue for it all.

And it's all about the experience of the travel.

I think that's the biggest challenge of it all, is learning so much about yourself through this experience.

And I watched everybody go through it.

- Never, never, never, never, ever did I think that like, by writing my first song and learning my first chords on guitar, that my music would actually take me somewhere.

Like, I mean, it's just humbling.

That has been like the greatest gift, I think.

I don't know why it makes me so emotional but like my music took me there.

- It's a very special thing to have gotten to do, is to be able to go there and be with friends.

It's very special.

I think it's very special that I got to play six, six sets, you know, in Thailand at this festival.

One of the coolest festivals I've ever been to, you know?

[Chris] Yeah, we did it.

Going all the way to Thailand and playing a show that we did.

It's powerful.

Maybe we didn't get to go to England.

That's okay.

We've been around the world.

It's a powerful experience.

Even if the world changed minutes later.

- Based on the recommendation of our public health officer and our director of public health, I've gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city and associated with that, have issued an order that effectively cancels South by Southwest for this year.

- It's weird to think about the beginning of it now because in the beginning it's, I dunno, it just seems like, like that was a different world than what it was before.

[backwards music] [rewinding screech] [backwards music] - Hearing South By get canceled was astonishing.

- For the first time in 34 years, South by Southwest will not happen.

[Newscaster] Evan Charles is a singer/songwriter, guitar player, and front man for the band Altamesa.

As a native Austinite, he'd long dreamed of playing at South by Southwest.

Now that opportunity will have to wait.

- I've always hoped it would come through.

And it was going to this year.

- Thursday that shoulda been the first Thursday of South By, we had a show, we'd go out and play the show.

Our first one, there's people there, the second one, the city is like dead.

[dramatic music] - Yeah, when things really shut down and it was quiet and it was just eerie how silent it was.

- At first, people were saying, you know, we're going to cancel for the next week.

We're gonna cancel until the end of April.

Then people are saying like, we aren't playing anything for the foreseeable future.

- Normally South by Southwest is like, it's like a stampede of tourism.

Instead what's happening now is nobody's making any money.

No shows are happening.

You know, there's a dark cloud over anything you might want to do outside of your house.

- The newness of this has worn off.

And now it's just like, are things ever going to be...

I hesitate to use the word normal all the time.

- I don't know how long this is going to last.

And I want to be prepared in the event that it's, that it's longer than ideal.

And it just shows like how little we have control over.

How do you even prepare for something like this?

- Hello and welcome to a very special presentation brought to you by project ATX6.

I'm Lori Gallardo.

So this year's project ATX6 crew had quite an adventure indeed.

They were able to visit Toronto.

They went to Thailand.

They had all kinds of things coming up, including a visit to the UK for The Great Escape Festival.

And then March 2020 everything changed quite drastically.

- Despite what some in the White House are saying, there are alarming new numbers about the Corona virus in the US.

- All but a handful of states have issued stay at home orders in an effort to keep people safe during this pandemic.

- We don't know how long this is gonna last.

And anyone who tells you that they have any idea what the hell is happening is lying through their teeth.

[Crowd] USA, USA, USA - From Texas to Maryland and Indiana, protestors out in defiance, their message, you can't close America.

- Across this country, two crises have converged.

Protests over the death of George Floyd and the pandemic.

♪ Closer will for a long time ♪ - Another night of chaos and unrest as anger over police killings spread to every corner of the country.

[somber rock music] [Crowd] I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, [teargas explosions] - COVID was like the tip of the iceberg.

We're having very difficult conversations about race in our country.

There's a lot, a lot going on.

Layers and layers.

[Crowd] Black lives matter, black lives matter, black lives matter, black lives matter.

- This Black Lives Matter movement, I think it's been, it's been overdue.

I'm surprised we haven't snapped earlier.

[Speaker] The police are not the problem, the problem is the system.

- Everything was peaceful until the cops showed up.

- This is a egregious overreaction on the part of the federal officers.

This is not a deescalation strategy.

This is flat out urban warfare.

[somber rock music] - Don't listen to nobody and what they got to say, you know just do what you feel is right.

And what makes you feel happy and just be you and be happy.

Life's too short and get rid of them bad people in your life.

Like there's no room for them anymore, make more room for more positive things, and more positive people that'll help you grow and vice versa.

'Cause you deserve that love.

[jazzy music] ♪ ♪ ♪ Yes it's true there's no hard feelings ♪ ♪ Everybody got a different season ♪ ♪ And I just found out yours was over ♪ ♪ Uh huh, whoa ♪ ♪ I know the feelings are mutual ♪ ♪ 'Cause you don't even hit me up anymore ♪ ♪ And that's okay.

♪ ♪ Gimme some room ♪ ♪ 'Cause I don't with you ♪ ♪ With you ♪ ♪ Oh not the long way ♪ ♪ So please gimme some room ♪ ♪ Some room so I can do my thing ♪ [Announcer] Project ATX6 is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Camera equipment for the making of "Lift Me Up," the new film from Project ATX6, was provided in part by Precision Camera & Video, serving Austin's photography community since 1976.

[upbeat folk music] Funding for Project ATX6 was provided in part by Fire-Eye Development, making simple Direct Connect pre amps for acoustic instruments on stage.

♪ I've never seen you standing there ♪ [gentle piano music] Project ATX6 is made possible by Austin Festival Express, an Austin-based non-profit organization devoted to the career development of Austin artists and musicians through export programs.