All Systems Go: Merch, Playlists, and Early Buzz
By mid-March, we had gone full DIY: bootleg tees stamped with vintage Dolly silhouettes, rhinestone trucker hats rolling off the screen-printer, and our “Dolly Deep Cuts” playlist climbing the charts.
At SXSW, Steve live-blogged amid secret pop-ups where bluegrass bands jammed between film panels. Lynne’s editorial calendar ran like clockwork, even when Steve’s midnight code experiments turned our homepage bubblegum pink, looping “9 to 5” on infinite repeat.
Every mention in Tiny Desk blogs and retro vinyl zines felt like a drop of gasoline on our fire. The Dolly Daily was a small spark—now it was roaring.