The Ice Cream Man returned to Austin this weekend for his second consecutive ACL. Matt Allen made the journey in his custom Toyota Yaris, “Bessita,” following stops at MFNW in Portland, Ore. “Does festival season ever end?” he laughs backstage, where he hands out free frozen treats, sponsored by corporations like Levi’s. Allen’s trusty 1969 Chevy Stepvan, “Bessie,” is employed near ICM’s headquarters in Southern California at the Treasure Island Music Festival, where Ghostland Observatory performed this weekend.
While the southing sounds of Maverick Raul Malo poured in from the Dell stage yesterday afternoon, Off the Record sampled some Amy’s Ice Cream, the local sponsor on board, with Voxtrot’s Jared Van Fleet, who left shortly after for a solo performance as Sparrow House at the Mohawk. “It’s been a hectic few days for us,” Allen recounts. “We served some of the Spoon guys. Now that Flaming Lips aren’t touring as much, I’d say they’re our most frequent customers.”
This article appears in September 14 • 2007.