BrodyBlog

By the dawn's early light, supporters of Senator Barack Obama arrived in droves, sending lines around the entirety of Reunion Arena, sporting signs, slogans, and--a central theme in Mr. Obama's campaign--hope, in the wake of significant victories over Demoratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Organizers for Mr. Obama's campaign said they expected to fill the arena to capacity, and by noon a veritable swarm of patrons had settled in to an introduction from local celebrities such as former Mayor Ron Kirk and Emmitt Smith.

Spontaneously, supporters of Mr. Obama erupted in deafening chants of "YES WE CAN!" and sung along to "Hold On, I'm Coming", replacing the lyrics of the R&B standard with chants of "Hold On! Obama's Coming!"

As he took to the stage amid a lightning storm of flash photography, Mr. Obama commanded the microphone and immediately began riding the momentum which has carried over since his victories Tuesday in Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Washington State.

Thanking local unions and organizers, Mr. Obama continued to outline policies that have been the foundation of his platform: Providing affordable health care, lowering taxes for low-income families and seniors while eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy, promoting the need for affordable higher education, and bringing the War in Iraq to an end--which garnered a standing ovation from the crowd.

In response to the crowd's chanting, Mr. Obama replied: "Yes, We Can."

Mr. Obama did not make a direct reference to his Democratic rival, Mrs. Clinton, but did criticize Republican front-runner John McCain, stating he would repeat the same policies and results of the current Bush Administration.

Recalling the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Obama hoped to instill a sense of urgency--"the fierce urgency of now"--among attendees, citing the importance of early voting, and caucusing.

In what, at times, sounded like an echo of his speech last night in Houston, Mr. Obama repeated his firm positions on other major political issues such as global warming, outsourcing of jobs overseas, and inadequate pay and resources for teachers and schools.

So much national and local media interest was generated that the press box overflowed well before the event began, sending scores of photographers into the fray of the crowd below and off to the side barricades.

But the menagerie behind the event may have been the most captivating political image. A handful of helicopters swirled overhead as the parking lots flooded with cars by lunchtime, as Mr. Obama's appearance here drew a mixed crowd of young, old, black, white, rich, and poor.

Texas is crucial to Mr. Obama obtaining the Democratic Party nomination, an item once thought to be firmly held by Senator Hillary Clinton, who had won significant states such as California and New York, but has recently been overtaken by Mr. Obama in a state-by-state primary and caucus delegate race, who has now swept ten states in a row.

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AUSTIN, TX --Three strong, they started on campus, toting album promotion for Jack's Mannequin; A once nightly tucked niche project of Andrew McMahon, the piano-pounding frontman of Something Corporate, now receiving the royal poster treatment deep in the Heart of Texas.

Under cover of darkness, on streets with treaded footpaths, campus enclaves between grassy quads, and plywood construction thoroughfares, they moved from place to place, taking just enough time to scope out the area, pull out a sizable poster and secure it with duct tape.

After midnight, there were few souls stirring about on campus--most everyone headed west or went out on the town to Sixth Street--and I quickly learned that my bright flash was not an asset in their environment, but was spared from paying it too much mind by the fervor and premeditated movement of the trio that made keeping my eye behind the lens a welcome challenge.

Once I snapped a thick impromptu kiss, an open air boy-meets-girl celebration, I realized the same rush of feeling they gained knowing a musician they loved would be at the very least seen, if not heard.

"Street teams," as they are known, are hardly ever paid or compensated financially for time and expenses associated with doing everything from passing out flyers to clandestinely slipping sleeved compact discs onto the shelves of music stores.

Some record companies offer point-based campaigning systems, allowing them to track the amount of advertising and promotion done, and many distribute demos, merchandise, and even concert passes.

In the age of the internet, digital music, and declining record sales, street teams give record companies needed muscle on the ground, sewing grass roots in hopes of growing green.

But for many of the thousands of tireless promoters, it's a welcome task that is not to be taken lightly. Like many urban areas, cranes frame the skyline and construction controls traffic along hundreds of streets and boulevards.

For places beyond college message boards, there are unspoken rules for seemingly random and rampant plastering of adverts. Unless the date has passed, common courtesy is granted to other existing postings, and care is taken to ensure that one's work will not be ripped away without merit.

But for the busiest streets or the newest construction facade, all bets are off--it's a war, in some ways--with the losers stuck with less-than-ideal real estate, and the winners crowning a vital intersection's electrical box. Seen by all those stopped going one way, and by all those going the other, for however long it stayed.

I wrote off some of my exhaustion to the pounds of camera equipment I carried, but couldn't deny that the whole ordeal was quite taxing and required a valuable luxury: time.

But for those who carry out the task, it's just another brick in the wall. Over cheeseburgers and soda before the outing, as they discussed locations, plans, song lyrics, and homework, Louis Miller perfectly described the ordeal.

"Whenever I can, I tell people how great this [or that] music is, and when I'm able to put up posters about albums or help get the word out about something, I feel like I'm a part of the band."

To learn more about Jack's Mannequin, visit http://www.jacksmannequin.com/

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