Tour Archives
SXSW Diaries Pt. IV
(Note: in case you missed it, here's the entry where I posted the content of our SXSW EP, which includes two new songs. All of the newer home recordings will be going on the music page soon.)
SXSW Day 5
At Brandon's house
Yesterday we practiced, we planned, we got pumped. We ate at a vegetarian restaurant. We went to a place called Home Slice Pizza and caught some bands. We ate at Whole Foods and got recognized by someone who saw us play at the cycle shop on Friday. What are the chances? Don't ask me, I'm not a statistician.
We loaded into the venue and warmed up some more. The staff at the church were perfectly friendly and helpful. They carried our gear around, got us water, and did everything we needed. After attending shows at the church on Wednesday and Thursday night and seeing the place absolutely packed, it was hard not to have high expectations. But there's so much going on at any given time, I suppose it's a bit of a crapshoot whether anyone's going to come listen to a bunch of bros they've never heard of before. We ended up playing to a crowd of 30 or so people, which is about what we're accustomed to. The sound in the church was amazing. It had a beautiful natural reverb. The audience was silent and attentive, as they had been for the other shows there. As sometimes happens when I get really into what I'm doing onstage, I don't remember everything about our set. I remember feeling like we filled the room with sound. I sweated a whole lot and dropped my glasses several times. I was very tired when we were done.
Steve Burns and the Struggle followed us, putting on a multimedia show that was a lot of fun. They distributed laser pointers to the audience and projected a video on a giant screen while they played. It was a choose-your-own-adventure affair, with the audience expressing their collective will via their laser pointers. The whole thing was very well put together and quite a spectacle. However, our names caused a bit of confusion for some audience members. After Steve Burns finished I went back to the lobby to push our free CDs on people. Several people took our CDs clearly thinking they were Steve Burns CDs. A few folks picked them up and then dropped them again after realizing that they were not Steve Burns CDs. Regardless, we distributed about 150 of them in our time here, most of them last night, and that pleases me. We also received very kind compliments from several audience members. One guy told us our sound was full and massive, describing it as "thunder on the mountain." We should hire him to write our bio.
Today we will be chilling and tomorrow we will be returning home. And thus concludes this little SXSW diary. I hope you've learned something and enjoyed yourselves. I know I have. Take care of yourselves -- it's a crazy world out there.
SXSW Day 5
At Brandon's house
Yesterday we practiced, we planned, we got pumped. We ate at a vegetarian restaurant. We went to a place called Home Slice Pizza and caught some bands. We ate at Whole Foods and got recognized by someone who saw us play at the cycle shop on Friday. What are the chances? Don't ask me, I'm not a statistician.
We loaded into the venue and warmed up some more. The staff at the church were perfectly friendly and helpful. They carried our gear around, got us water, and did everything we needed. After attending shows at the church on Wednesday and Thursday night and seeing the place absolutely packed, it was hard not to have high expectations. But there's so much going on at any given time, I suppose it's a bit of a crapshoot whether anyone's going to come listen to a bunch of bros they've never heard of before. We ended up playing to a crowd of 30 or so people, which is about what we're accustomed to. The sound in the church was amazing. It had a beautiful natural reverb. The audience was silent and attentive, as they had been for the other shows there. As sometimes happens when I get really into what I'm doing onstage, I don't remember everything about our set. I remember feeling like we filled the room with sound. I sweated a whole lot and dropped my glasses several times. I was very tired when we were done.
Steve Burns and the Struggle followed us, putting on a multimedia show that was a lot of fun. They distributed laser pointers to the audience and projected a video on a giant screen while they played. It was a choose-your-own-adventure affair, with the audience expressing their collective will via their laser pointers. The whole thing was very well put together and quite a spectacle. However, our names caused a bit of confusion for some audience members. After Steve Burns finished I went back to the lobby to push our free CDs on people. Several people took our CDs clearly thinking they were Steve Burns CDs. A few folks picked them up and then dropped them again after realizing that they were not Steve Burns CDs. Regardless, we distributed about 150 of them in our time here, most of them last night, and that pleases me. We also received very kind compliments from several audience members. One guy told us our sound was full and massive, describing it as "thunder on the mountain." We should hire him to write our bio.
Today we will be chilling and tomorrow we will be returning home. And thus concludes this little SXSW diary. I hope you've learned something and enjoyed yourselves. I know I have. Take care of yourselves -- it's a crazy world out there.
SXSW Diaries Pt. III
SXSW Day 3
At Brandon's house
I must rescind a bit of my earlier grousing -- our badges and wristbands did pretty well for us yesterday. The more shows I see, the more thrilled I am about the fact that we're playing at the church. We caught Grizzly Bear there last night, a set which I doubt will be topped by anything else we'll see here.
SXSW Day 4
At Brandon's house
This stuff is tiring. Last night I was too tired to blog! Oh noes! I've been troubled by more strange dreams. I had a dream that we were supposed to play at Johnny Brenda's, and it was a big deal and lots of people came to see us, but we weren't going on because the sound guy or some such hadn't shown up, and everyone was starting to get impatient and angry. It was all very realistic, but at some point I realized that I must be dreaming, and suddenly there was a glass of milk in my hand, and I thought, "I will prove this is a dream by throwing this milk across the room," and so I threw it and no one reacted and I thought "Aha!" and then I woke up.
Anyhow, one thing I should've given more thought to before leaving is the comfort of my footwear. These Chucks were not made for walking, it seems. We played a party yesterday under a little tent outside a bike shop. It was a bit far from downtown, but we met lots of nice folks and gave them CDs. The biggest difficulty was posed by the band playing across the street, and hearing their drums everytime we'd hit a breakdown and get quiet. We persevered though and I think it was a good warmup. Tonight's the showcase! I am excited!
At Brandon's house
I must rescind a bit of my earlier grousing -- our badges and wristbands did pretty well for us yesterday. The more shows I see, the more thrilled I am about the fact that we're playing at the church. We caught Grizzly Bear there last night, a set which I doubt will be topped by anything else we'll see here.
SXSW Day 4
At Brandon's house
This stuff is tiring. Last night I was too tired to blog! Oh noes! I've been troubled by more strange dreams. I had a dream that we were supposed to play at Johnny Brenda's, and it was a big deal and lots of people came to see us, but we weren't going on because the sound guy or some such hadn't shown up, and everyone was starting to get impatient and angry. It was all very realistic, but at some point I realized that I must be dreaming, and suddenly there was a glass of milk in my hand, and I thought, "I will prove this is a dream by throwing this milk across the room," and so I threw it and no one reacted and I thought "Aha!" and then I woke up.
Anyhow, one thing I should've given more thought to before leaving is the comfort of my footwear. These Chucks were not made for walking, it seems. We played a party yesterday under a little tent outside a bike shop. It was a bit far from downtown, but we met lots of nice folks and gave them CDs. The biggest difficulty was posed by the band playing across the street, and hearing their drums everytime we'd hit a breakdown and get quiet. We persevered though and I think it was a good warmup. Tonight's the showcase! I am excited!
SXSW Diaries Pt. II
SXSW Day 2
Austin Convention Center
It seems much of the promised free food and drink has failed to materialize. A doorman I asked attributed it to the economy. Another sad effect of this recession. Help me, Barack Obama! Where's my stimulus package? We did, however, enjoy some delicious non-free tacos this morning.
The lines around here continue to be obscene. The festival seems to have a kind of split personality -- it features dudes like us, without label, management, etc., while at the same time hosting the likes of The Hold Steady, Grizzly Bear, and what have you. Does this festival exist to spotlight worthy unknown bands, or as a place for listeners to catch all of their favorite headlining acts in one week, like Sasquatch and Coachella and the rest? It is a mystery.
I am, however, drinking a free Miller lite right now. Joe is drinking two, that crazy cat.
Austin Convention Center
It seems much of the promised free food and drink has failed to materialize. A doorman I asked attributed it to the economy. Another sad effect of this recession. Help me, Barack Obama! Where's my stimulus package? We did, however, enjoy some delicious non-free tacos this morning.
The lines around here continue to be obscene. The festival seems to have a kind of split personality -- it features dudes like us, without label, management, etc., while at the same time hosting the likes of The Hold Steady, Grizzly Bear, and what have you. Does this festival exist to spotlight worthy unknown bands, or as a place for listeners to catch all of their favorite headlining acts in one week, like Sasquatch and Coachella and the rest? It is a mystery.
I am, however, drinking a free Miller lite right now. Joe is drinking two, that crazy cat.
The SXSW Diaries Pt. I
SXSW Day 1
Onboard a Boeing 737, somewhere over the United States
And we're off! My flight is unsurprisingly filled with SXSW-goers, including indie promoter extraordinaire Sean Agnew of R5 productions and members of the band Po Po. The ones with ironic facial hair and alternative haircuts are easy enough to identify, but the mainstreamers are out in force as well. As I wrote this the regular-looking fellow in the adjacent seat asked me who I was writing for and told me he was headed to the festival for the fifth time. He became the first recipient of our SXSW-exclusive EP. Only 199 left to give out. The joys of networking!
Excitement is in the air. I'm gradually working up some enthusiasm. I'm not much of a festival guy myself; I'm not fond of crowds, hustle and bustle, or waiting in lines. However, I do enjoy playing shows, drinking for free, and not going to work, so hopefully it'll be a net positive.
Last night I dreamed that I arrived in Austin with my guitar case only to find it empty. As Coleridge wrote, we do not feel horror because we dream of a sphinx; we dream of a sphinx in order to explain the horror we feel. And knowing me, such a nightmare scenario is not inconceivable. I have a talent for forgetting to pack crucial items -- I'll bring my cell phone and forget my charger, or bring socks but forget underwear, for instance. I think I've got everything covered this time, though: ear plugs, extra guitar strings, plenty of CDs, various hip T-shirts, digital camera, moisturizer.
We're set to play a party on Friday at a bike shop and a showcase on Saturday at a church, which I'm told is a good place to play. I wish we were playing more -- although I'm not sure I'd like to play ten times in five days, as some bands seem to be -- but I'm glad we managed to get more than just one set. I'm already running on insufficient sleep after last night's warm-up show in Philly. I figure the sound at our shows in Austin couldn't possibly be any worse than it was at a certain Girard-Ave. venue that shall remain nameless, so we're well-prepared.
I did my best to make an itinerary online, but I have a feeling it won't hold up very well. It was hard enough to even skim the ginormous schedule without my eyes glazing over. I've checked off and RSVPed for multiple events for every time slot so that I'll have a backup in case I can't get in to things. Once more into the breach.
SXSW Day 2
At the home of Brandon the Beekeeper
Well, that was something. It's like some kind of hipster apocalypse out there. You can't go anywhere without hearing somebody's kick and snare or bumping into some bro's goofy moustache. We registered at the convention center, spotting various dudes from various bands. We drank free Miller lites (hey, they were free) at a tent where international bands were playing. We made our way to the Central Presbyterian Church, where we'll be playing on Saturday, only to be halted by a gigantic line. The deal is that my whole band gets wristbands but we only get one badge (which I'm wearing, natch). At most events there are two lines for entry, one for wristbands and one for badges, with badges getting priority. My bandmates waited with me for awhile until they realized there was no way anyone without a badge was getting in. I ended up standing there for an hour and missing M. Ward, but I did get to catch Department of Eagles. The church was a very impressive venue. I'm pumped for Saturday.
Next I made my way over to Stubb's to catch The Decemberists debuting their new album. This time I only had to wait a couple of minutes, but one of my bandmates got stuck waiting for almost an hour before he gave up. I suppose the way things are set up is reasonable, but considering that festival attendance is our only compensation for coming out here, it'd be nice if it were a little bit easier for us. But maybe I'm just being a curmudgeon.
In any case, my main objectives for today are to eat free food and minimize line-waiting. More on this story as it develops.
Onboard a Boeing 737, somewhere over the United States
And we're off! My flight is unsurprisingly filled with SXSW-goers, including indie promoter extraordinaire Sean Agnew of R5 productions and members of the band Po Po. The ones with ironic facial hair and alternative haircuts are easy enough to identify, but the mainstreamers are out in force as well. As I wrote this the regular-looking fellow in the adjacent seat asked me who I was writing for and told me he was headed to the festival for the fifth time. He became the first recipient of our SXSW-exclusive EP. Only 199 left to give out. The joys of networking!
Excitement is in the air. I'm gradually working up some enthusiasm. I'm not much of a festival guy myself; I'm not fond of crowds, hustle and bustle, or waiting in lines. However, I do enjoy playing shows, drinking for free, and not going to work, so hopefully it'll be a net positive.
Last night I dreamed that I arrived in Austin with my guitar case only to find it empty. As Coleridge wrote, we do not feel horror because we dream of a sphinx; we dream of a sphinx in order to explain the horror we feel. And knowing me, such a nightmare scenario is not inconceivable. I have a talent for forgetting to pack crucial items -- I'll bring my cell phone and forget my charger, or bring socks but forget underwear, for instance. I think I've got everything covered this time, though: ear plugs, extra guitar strings, plenty of CDs, various hip T-shirts, digital camera, moisturizer.
We're set to play a party on Friday at a bike shop and a showcase on Saturday at a church, which I'm told is a good place to play. I wish we were playing more -- although I'm not sure I'd like to play ten times in five days, as some bands seem to be -- but I'm glad we managed to get more than just one set. I'm already running on insufficient sleep after last night's warm-up show in Philly. I figure the sound at our shows in Austin couldn't possibly be any worse than it was at a certain Girard-Ave. venue that shall remain nameless, so we're well-prepared.
I did my best to make an itinerary online, but I have a feeling it won't hold up very well. It was hard enough to even skim the ginormous schedule without my eyes glazing over. I've checked off and RSVPed for multiple events for every time slot so that I'll have a backup in case I can't get in to things. Once more into the breach.
SXSW Day 2
At the home of Brandon the Beekeeper
Well, that was something. It's like some kind of hipster apocalypse out there. You can't go anywhere without hearing somebody's kick and snare or bumping into some bro's goofy moustache. We registered at the convention center, spotting various dudes from various bands. We drank free Miller lites (hey, they were free) at a tent where international bands were playing. We made our way to the Central Presbyterian Church, where we'll be playing on Saturday, only to be halted by a gigantic line. The deal is that my whole band gets wristbands but we only get one badge (which I'm wearing, natch). At most events there are two lines for entry, one for wristbands and one for badges, with badges getting priority. My bandmates waited with me for awhile until they realized there was no way anyone without a badge was getting in. I ended up standing there for an hour and missing M. Ward, but I did get to catch Department of Eagles. The church was a very impressive venue. I'm pumped for Saturday.
Next I made my way over to Stubb's to catch The Decemberists debuting their new album. This time I only had to wait a couple of minutes, but one of my bandmates got stuck waiting for almost an hour before he gave up. I suppose the way things are set up is reasonable, but considering that festival attendance is our only compensation for coming out here, it'd be nice if it were a little bit easier for us. But maybe I'm just being a curmudgeon.
In any case, my main objectives for today are to eat free food and minimize line-waiting. More on this story as it develops.
Book of Imaginary Beings
We are Austin-bound tomorrow. We are excited. We made some new recordings. Here is the tracklist of our little SXSW sampler EP:
1. Shutterbug (demo)
2. The Garden of Forking Paths (demo)
3. Things I Used to Know (demo)
4. Summer's Ending
1. Shutterbug (demo)
2. The Garden of Forking Paths (demo)
3. Things I Used to Know (demo)
4. Summer's Ending