I've heard from a few of you -- really just Zach, actually -- about slacking on the blog. The truth is I didn't mean to...but after Dallas, we moved pretty quickly to Austin, and stayed in a "musical retreat," where our extra down time went mostly to playing various instruments...I mean, I did go for a bracing swim at Barton Springs, take a few jogs, and see some awesome shows, such as Big Thief, but overall we were either eating tacos, or playing music...Or, partying on 6th Street.
DALLAS: we had a super fun show at Opening Bell Coffee, a place we were even more excited to play after finding out Shovels & Rope played there. Great sound, people, and IPAs, and then a super fun night out in Deep Ellum, where we got some tasty food and whiskey cocktails...and a talented piano player busted our old-school rap songs like Warren G's "Regulators," while random guys jumped up and kicked rhymes - wait, where are we again?
WACO: We had no plan, and no show, but we ended up at a cool coffee shop doing some work, before finding a solid spot to sleep outside of Austin. Torchy's Tacos was worth the wait, even though Amy almost died of hunger silently in the backseat while Justin and I housed Chex Mix in the front....
AUSTIN: words and blogs can't describe how amazing the 'Musical Retreat' in Austin was...our new friend Tony Roger's opened up his home and instruments to us, and we spent hours out on the deck working on new and old material. Having Tony play cello on our new song "Reckless" was a sublime and serendipitous highlight. But before that, bright and early on Tuesday morning, we played South by Soupfest, a showcase at a soup kitchen in the city. We were so honored to play for an enthusiastic audience (and servers / workers), and also make music alongside awesome bands like The Mastersons, out of LA, Toney Rocks, and the National Parks, from Utah. One of the coolest shows I've played in my life - thanks Laura!
We celebrated with a Bloody Mary on the deck in the 70 degrees sun, and then more tacos (better than Torchy's, IMHO) at a bar off of 6th street. Then we headed back to Tony's (Rogers, not Rocks) to chill out and play music. Later that night, was boy's night, apparently, and Justin and I headed out on the town to blow off some steam and give out SBA stickers to everyone we could, even making some friends who also shelled our stickers for us. The night grew a little blurry - I believe there was a dance party? And apparently Amy awoke to us shouting in the bathroom at 3am -- let us never speak of this again...
The next day, Wednesday, was spent getting some exercise, going for a swim, playing music on the porch, eating real and vegan fried chicken sandwiches, and getting ready for MOUSEFEST. When Thursday came, all of WEMF and Dave Crespo's hard work reached fruition, as one Boston band after another crushed the stage for a crowded bar, and a packed sidewalk. We had an awesome time playing and streaming the gig to our friends back in Boston and elsewhere. Dave - you rule.
Mike Doran joined the crew on Wednesday night, and along with Heidi, brought a breath of fresh air!
That night, Justin and I met up with my old friend Jon Bahr from CD Baby, and ended up at the Rachel Ray House Party, where we watched the band who wrote "I'd Start The World and Melt with You" play the song "I'd Start the World and Melt With You..." I'm aware that's not the title, but that's what the song sounds like. And I have no idea who that band is, but when the song started, everyone went nuts. Also, does Rachel Ray really need a police escort? She arrived with thicker security than the Big Orange Russian Potato Chip.
On the other hand, Amy, Mike, and Heidi bopped there way over to a different party to see Hanson. MMMMM, Bop. Bitty bop bang boom.
Friday, we moved to a strange, Princess-themed AirB&B where everything was the color pink, and we quickly developed many questions about the owner of said apartment, and the locked closet. What was she hiding? Why were there tiny notes of encouragement everywhere - especially eye-level with the toilet? That day, we were lucky enough to check out the BEEHIVE showcase, where bands like Big Thief (Who we love!) and Rainbow Kitten Surprise (yep), played the stage of the Wild Honey Pie, whiskey smashes were served, snap peas were given away by the bucketful, and many laughs were had. We finished the night with more tacos, since it had been over twelve hours since our last batch.
Saturday, our last day...We played a fun, sweaty gig at G & S in the morning, and then found ourselves in a castle full of free tacos and Pacificos, listening to live music. We managed to escape for our FINAL SET, at Cherrywood Coffee, where we met the totally radical Kristen Ford, out of Nashville (and Boston!), and played one of the most enjoyable, loose, energetic sets of the entire two weeks.
Then, Brian and Heidi went to the airport, where Heidi was almost not let on the plane, and Brian watched two hours of comatose college basketball (Go URI!), before boarding a turbulent plane ride back home. Justin and Amy, meanwhile, went down as martyrs for driving the gear back to Boston. Thanks guys.
This feels unlike an ending. It feels like a beginning. So, stay tuned for the next TACO TOUR 2017!
B
No comments:
Post a Comment