"swerving in and out of the lane"

with one big sweep the chalkboard will clean, leaving a few small strokes at the edges in need. night two of threadgill's was another success. different group, same chill, while the sky held out for an earlier morning mess, of which will be noted. good show and crowd. the next few hours were a different season all together. rain, wind, and coldness beyond measure. for austin anyway. sometimes it stays sunny and warm for so long that you like to think that events are too strong for the weather to interfere. not true, but regardless of tents and temps it went on. it started early with a 9am load in at stubb's for the rachel ray feedback partay. a much anticipated event with equal billing. many good bands and fans packed the field. it started with dim hopes of even a white styro filled with the blandest of folgers blend, but thanks to hugh that happened, as did much of the day. squeegies moved pudds, and rakes drained mudds like a ball field rain delay. it stayed dry, but the sun never broke, and the winds only grew . lonlelyland pulled one of the old relics off the shelf, dusted it, and came out swingin'. every year during sxsw i get moved to the point of shedding a single tear for the emotional excitement i feel for this city, it's music, it's people, and how they can come together to be a part of something that in the grand scheme of things really means nothing, but is very pure and connected. this year that tear was shed here keeping the streak alive. later that night bob and the band swept the awards chalkboard, leaving only a few on the edges for others to score. a great week, and a great year for the band. muchos gratuiose, they deserve it. the next week started as the one before at the saxon pub for the monday night set. although, somewhat sluggish as peeps from both sides were beat from the fest, still a solid set.

TXBM - SXSW - TGILLS

if you could squeeze two great hours out of your life into a month long vacation at grandma's house, then this might have been a good one. back to back even. lived in real time. like a cold camp night jamboree warming you while the wind blows straight through those 100 count sleeves. but weren't you set? guiltless net? no one could have told you better. threadgill's is a state of mind. a place to dip into the past. like a firefly breathing his dying breath inside a mason jar on display at a neighborhood family cookout. "watch it, watch it. ooooohhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!." and then we opened the jar and he faced the earth another dead one. no glow. at the pace of his own body weight. great show.

how early do you like your music with your breakfast?

extremely early, for an extremely good event put on by KGSR. if you have not disciplined yourself to make any of these shows in the past years, then you are missing out. an event that continues to make this city unique and continues to warm my soul. not to mention the free breakfast tacos and bottomless cups of joe. complete with fancy brass dispensers and heavy white mugs. the band played two songs live on the air in the four seasons hotel lobby, while surrounded by festies packed so tight they might as well just give the person next to them a hug. the two songs were split by a brief interview from the hosts, and then they wrangled in the next act. amazing they put this event on, and even more so that the bands offer their time to do it. i look forward to many more.

the saxon gets a wild hair and a new patio

only monday of the sxsw week, but the buzz is about. full house. new patio too. several new changes in the saxonian institute. wristbands and even newer faces with old peppered in, and after last night's rain they might have a brighter idea to cover that leprechaun den. a good show. a good go. a solid performance and new tunes. to grow.

the mucky muck

tonight was a thread in this weekend of shitey whiteys. the crowd was good, but the PA was not. the band was as solid as they could be given the circumstances. lots of things not connecting like, the production/stage manager taking a look at the input list and saying "good luck with that". pretty sure that if you are the stage manager, then you should know how the stage is wired and how to assimilate that to the input list. it's kind of the whole point of your job. if you go to whataburger and ask the manager for a burger, i'm sure he's going to have a clue what the hell that means. "well, cue that 2001 space oddyssey music, this spaceship is goin' duuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrnn". the PA was horrible, the stage manger/production was horrible, while the crowd drank and sang on. another st. pat's down and we van it back to austin town. full on shepard's pie and fish tacos, we blast off.

"the art of losing war" in floore's country store

well, if you were unhappy with the quality and balance of the show sound , then you could have looked towards the merch booth and not the mix booth to find your answer. "yes, over here, i ordered that vomit omelet." i scheduled a late load in/soundcheck which proved to be about a billion light years off the mark. "really, you were off by that much Call, that ain't like you". "ahh, guess i was usin' my bad eye." when i say "off", i mean, marching men for war into mexico and hitting haiti first, starting from the alamo. death upon ridiculous death, which was unfortunate, as it was bob's biggest crowd here yet. sometimes, i have a way of jabbing a dirty needle into the vein of a clean, beautiful being. then, i watch from a distance as they deal with addiction, drag knuckles to earth and peel back the grin. sludgy veins. toilet brains. hobo fuck-mattresses, and soil stains. then, i walk up to them and hand them a dollar cause i liked their sign, and feel good about myself. the show shaped up as best it could and proved to be a successful night. many new faces and questions. progression. "well, ain't no since in getting too settled, we got to be out before the sun".

"candy cane stain"

poor david's pub. dallas. tx. this place swirls. there is hilariousness to it that spins me. christopher walken narrates "i know, your DALLAS!! but there is something in your pocket baby!!... i need to bury my hand deep in that pocket of wash and pull that little man to shore." the make up of dallas crowds, when solo, in my short time, peppermint bob with "a bit a shit to eat", and it adds a minty fresh dynamic. it's intentional, unconscious, uncoordinated, and at times really good.

"what's up doc?"

another sold out packed house and good reason too. some new trails taken with some new fried bacon. bits. grits, and a stack of miss hits. no syrup, but that's why we gather for these saxon pub mondays. like being in the operating room when the doc makes the incision. watching that first plume of blood shoot out, bounce off the gurney, and seeing what's left sticking to the ribs. it's painful, it's gross at times, and in the end you hope for a pleasing recovery. not everyone can stomach it, and not everyone is happy about the procedure, but it's necessary for the future of modern music medicine.

"ghetto patio"

well, what can you say about corpus christi other than "that place is ghetto". i see things here that you rarely see anywhere else, if at all. guys taking pics of their cocks in front of the merch booth, fist fighting, and 40 dogs grinding. all disgusting. all unfortunate sightings, but "CC you keep the grease in greasy". an image i can't shake is this short story: guy gets into an argument with his girl, says "fuck you", turns around and starts grinding some other girl during 40 dogs, who is "into it" by the way, complete with her bent over, ass spankings, and her trying to keep her chest inside her dress. if there was a universal sign of a guy shaking his head trying to clear his eyes of what he has just seen, then i'm that guy making that sign. the fans had a great time, showed great support and respect. no shortage of crazy. a party no less.

"everything is bigger in dallas, including the assholeness""

i wasn't satisfied with the time we had to prepare for the show or our overall showing, but when you have a solid band and engineer like jay you can make things "hobble". the showed started with flame and stayed there, for that i have to say, "muchos respectoast". the crowd was large. the noise was big. the camel was cat. the panther was pig. the staff is full of delightful people, some of the nicest in the country. the hospitality is over the top, however, i'm not a fan of the venue overall. just doesn't sound good to me. ever. put a dollar into making the room sound good. get some control on those reflections flying around the room. put some effort in. its not enough to say, "well, it has that unique old movie theater sound to it", "that's what makes it special", or "ticket sales don't lie"." not true. just because people continue to purchase tickets and frequent shows, does not equal a great listening experience. the acoustic treatment of the old movie theater days has been surpassed by technology, equipment, knowledge and the age old "hey that sounds like shit, we should do something about it". although, there's one or two redeeming qualities of the greater area, i do not like dallas. it's full of baptists who forget that there's a world of other people out there that will likely be in the afterlife with them. from my experiences "dallas has some of the rudest fans i've come across in the country".

the mouse snacked the packed house.

big night. big crowd. big show. sold out house. a stuffed mouse. a cheese-wheel set, starting with a pair of "40 dogs and cigarettes" renditions. one for video, and one for real. one for fantasy, and one for feel. a good night, and ending to this run. money gone, moving bed, mouse trap, memory lap.