A$AP Rocky and Mercedes Benz Chief Design Officer, Gorden Wagener talked cars, culture, music, art and luxury this morning at SXSW featured session called “Using Design ‘Differently’ to Make a Difference”. In the rapidly changing world of design, this unexpected pair stands together at the intersection of cars, culture, music, art and luxury.

“I’m in a place to dictate what’s cool right now,” says Rocky. “This collaboration is natural. Mercedes has been at the pentacle of luxury especially in the hip hop world.” With so much change happening in the auto industry (i.e. car sharing, driverless cars, etc.), Wagener says “designing automobiles is just as much about designing experience.” Together A$AP Rocky and Wagener, who is in charge of Mercedes’ vehicle design and brand identity, will permanently impact hip hop culture’s influence on the world of luxury design. “The future is not written,” says Wagener, “We can design it. And it’s much easier to design it when you actually live in the future.”

Both shared their perspectives on the challenges of innovation. Rocky, who has experience in apparel, accessory and brand design in addition to his music and music videos, spoke about unveiling his SRLo sneaker during his live performance art piece Lab Rat. “Lab Rat was a play on the experimental sound in my last album,” Rocky said, “[I’m exploring] feeling like a fish in a bowl, with so many bystanders and onlookers watching and peering in while you create.” The SRLo sneaker, a skate shoe redesigned for raves, was yet another way to continue experimenting and mixing cultures, “just like hip hop is transcending into pop culture.”

Wagener operates in a different space of innovation with Mercedes’ rich heritage and reputation as one of the most desired cars of its time behind him. He said “the car will change in the next 10-15 years more than it has in the last 100.” That said, they face “significant staging challenges trying to keep complexity under control.”

Rocky views himself as part of a group of artists who are the crash test dummies, putting themselves in radical environments and taking risks for those who’ll come up next. Of entering the realm of luxury cars, Rocky says, “I wouldn’t step into anything just to conquer it; it’s all about execution.” Good execution is the absolute design goal for both Wagener and Rocky, who share a key element: the crash test dummy.

To Rocky, the crash test dummy aesthetic “symbolizes a person who pioneers.” It’s heavily present throughout his latest album Testing, which included a collab with Mercedes for the “Gunz N Butter” music video. Rocky chose to redesign a 30-year-old Mercedes rally car—30 years vintage because he’s 30, too. “I’m in the metamorphosis of my life and of my career so I didn’t want to go with anything ordinary.”

“There’s no future without heritage,” Wagener says, “[and the vintage rally car] is a cool example of taking something from Mercedes’ heritage and interpreting it in a new way.”

“There’s nothing new under the sun” is a beautifully simple piece of wisdom Rocky and Wagener both reference as a driver of their creativity. They’re not fueled by a desire to create something no one else has, rather to experiment and explore new paths so they can execute better than anyone before them.

The last audience question requested advice for young designers. Rocky, who initially felt a lot of resistance when the Mercedes partnership was in its beginning stages, says, “stick to your guns. Don’t compromise. I won’t compromise my integrity when it comes to design or just beliefs in general. Sometimes people won’t see your vision until the world says it’s the shit.” Wagener, who became Mercedes’ Chief Design Officer when he was 30, says “have fun! In car design we are still the little boys in the sandbox playing with cars—just on a bigger scale and with better pay. Enjoy yourself and stay foolish.”

In a whirlwind of colorful laser lights and pirouettes, Rainbow Kitten Surprise took over ACL Live Monday night for their second of two sold out shows (Feb. 17 & 18). On tour with Mt. Joy, RKS has been parading their poetic new album How To: Friend, Love, Freefall around the world. Tickets have sold out so quickly, they’ve added multiple shows in Atlanta, LA and Austin, as they continue to pick up cities along the route.

Sam, “Bozzy”, Ethan, Charlie, and Jess met in their freshman dorm at App State, where they recorded their first album Seven + Mary (2013). The five-piece has since grown up together, transitioning from their dorm room to a professional recording studio; from playing dive bars in Boone, North Carolina to rocking Camden Assembly in London. Last night RKS showed us how astoundingly they’ve matured into their signature style of energetic genre bending and blending. They blessed us with folk, rock n roll, R&B, indie rock, and even a little rap.

RKS turned up the tempo on ‘First Class’ so we could dance and played a folkier-than-recorded version of their early ‘All That and More (Sailboat)’. Sam rapped in ‘Rectify’ as the stage glowed red behind him. The set list featured a satisfying balance of songs from all three of their albums complimented with a mesmerizing lightshow.

Showers of rainbow lasers poured over the crowd as Sam decorated beautiful lyrics with energetic twirls and dramatic reaches for Ethan’s hand and he strummed away. In a recent interview, the band agreed their goal was to dance more, and it’s part of what makes them so captivating to watch–they make you smile. Charlie is one of the most animated and exciting bassists I’ve ever seen live. At one point, Sam did an arabesque on top of the drum set as colorful lights backlit his figure. He was shirtless and barefoot by the end of the show.

Before the last song of the encore, Sam approached the crowd to see “if anybody minds?” Screams from the sold out venue told the story. “Well if you really don’t mind,” he said, “then please turn the fuck up!” The stage erupted in a storm of green lasers, as a Led Zeppelin-style screaming guitar riff set off ‘Run’ and we all head banged our way into the night. We really don’t mind, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, please keep doing your thing.

Perhaps no experience defines Austin better than an evening at Threadgill’s Old No. 1, watching a three-piece Folk/Country/Americana band featuring a double bass, two acoustic guitars, striped pants, and a name like Denim Bridge. But if you were there, you’d already know that.

Singer-songwriter Jennifer Jackson (or Jennifer Jackson and Denim Bridge, as she’s known when playing with her trio intact) treated a packed Threadgill’s to an evening of new music and an insight into her artistic process on Feb. 24. The evening was part of the “Soul of a Musician Series”, a series of live concerts hosted by Reverend Merrill Wade of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.

“Musicians are the crux of our cultural scene here in Austin. And when we can come together, sit with them, listen to their music and give them something in return, that’s just remarkable,” said Wade. The series, which is entering its seventh year and has featured musicians such as Guy Forsyth, Matt the Electrician, and Jackie Venson, is an attempt to support Austin’s musicians while exploring the soulful themes of their work.

Jackson, like many of the musicians which have graced the Soul Series’ stage, showcased several new songs from her upcoming and as-of-yet unnamed album. To finish her first set, Jackson played “Easy to Live”, a love song at once nostalgic and breezily light. Audience members read the lyrics (printed out and dispersed to each table) as she sang, and then engaged with her in a Q&A.

“There are so many interpretations that are possible,” Jackson said. “I can’t even tell you mine, sometimes. But everyone finds their own meaning.”

Jackson and Denim Bridge finished the evening with a setlist laden with unpretentious Americana virtuosity reminiscent of John Fahey and Leo Kottke, and nature-inspired lyrics both simple and refined. Through it all, one could feel the communal, spiritual contemplation by the audience and the deep appreciation for Austin artistry.  Undoubtedly, everybody in attendance left feeling a bit happier to call Austin home.

This season’s series features shows every Sunday (except Easter) through April 28. Upcoming artists include Water and Rust, Matt the Electrician, and Beat Root Revival. The shows are always free and open to the public. More information can be found here.