Jamie Bahr

My life is a bit of a SXSW love story.

I was on tour for SXSW 2009 with my band, Punk Blues Review when I met my husband. I swear I recognized Drew from a dream. I went up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder. I gave him a flirtatious smirk and said, "Nice shirt." It was a black bowling shirt, with the words emblazoned in red on the back, "Al's Grave Digging, We Dig 'Em Deeper". He bashfully accepted my compliment and blushed. He was adorable. I handed him my card and told him I'd be in town all week if he wanted to get together. I turned around, strutted onto the stage and belted out a ferocious version of Buddy Guy's "The First Time I Met the Blues".

I've never felt more smooth in life. Drew, a comic book writer and creator of the horror comic, Halloween Man is a native Texan who had recently moved to Austin after a brief stint in Las Vegas. After a sweet first date at the Bat Bridge, we shared our first kiss at the Broken Neck Skate Park a day later.

I definitely swooned as we waited along the sidewalk of Red 7 as waited to get into the Bouncing Souls show. I hadn't been able to finish my French Toast breakfast from the Pecan Street Cafe. I hate to waste food, so I was asking if anyone wanted it. Drew turned to me, took the food and said "I'll be right back." He returned several minutes later without a word. I asked where he'd run off to and he said he had just run up the street to the homeless shelter. "I figured someone up there might appreciate it." My heart melted.

I flew back to Upstate New York to the Hudson Valley, to where I was born and raised. The middle child of five daughters, I had always dreamed of leaving my hometown of Kingston and starting my own all-female band, Danger*Cakes.

I thought I would end up moving one hundred miles south to New York City, like so many creative types do. But after meeting Drew, I knew I had left my heart in Austin. He flew to New York two months later to meet my family and friends and prove to them he wasn't a serial killer. I sold everything I owned that I couldn't fit into my little Toyota Echo, packed it up and set off on a romantic adventure across the United States to Austin, Texas. We've created a life here together where both of our projects are flourishing. We were married two years ago and are still madly in love.

To help pay the bills and keep my bleeding heart at bay, I am the Director of Heart & Soul School of Music, the Senior Educat