Posted by Zac on August 8, 2010 – 1:00 am
Houston, TX 7/29/10
After packing up the van and saying goodbye to our 3 new kittens…. yeah thats right, three kittens.
We found them in separate car engines after the last tour
The Captain making new friends
We began our journey to Houston. We got to Walters at around 7 and began to set up to play the “Hater Magazine show.” Life was a bit confusing, because we didn’t know what time we had to start, and if we were playing a warehouse afterparty or not. These things were cleared up shortly. Our teddy bear of a friend, Eric Dean, had us play first and it was actually a blast. Although at first there was basically no one in the room, by the end we were having a solid dance party. New friends, good times.
We hung around Houston for a couple hours, ate some solid Cuban food, went to a wine bar, and were harassed by the tie dye taco guy. We made our way to the afterparty early and slept/journeyed into abandon middle class apartment areas. Once some cars began to show up we got to hang out with our new friends in MUHAMMADALI and The Midnight Ghost Train.The show finally started at 3am when the guys with the PA arrived. Midnight Ghost Train kicked things off with a slightly questionable improv set with the rapper Zeale. Zeale was pretty good, but the music they made behind him came dangerously close to nu-metal stylings crossed with white people blues. This is why, once Zeale finished and they actually started I was rather surprised. To start things off they covered “John the Revelator” acapella, and it couldn’t have been much more awesome. We were all set up to play next and by the time Midnight Ghost train finished it was roughly 4am. One of the bands from in town wanted to play next because some of their friends were there to see them, we wanted to play next so we wouldn’t have to start at 6am. We ended not playing and packing up all our gear at around 4am. Eric Dean was super awesome and threw us some gas money anyways, I can tell he’s a great person.
afterparty in the kitchen
awesome afterparty spot
Posted by Zac on August 7, 2010 – 1:00 am
Austin, Tx 7/28/10
Kickoff show was fun, and it was great to see a bunch of friendly faces out to support our journey. Necklace of Heads kicked it off with a two song set that was pretty awesome. their first song consisted of just the bassist and guitarists making noise oceans. After 10 minutes or so the drummer and the other guitarist got on stage and made epic stoner jams. The last five minutes of their set sounded to me like the way most people end the last five seconds of a song, except forever. Which I enjoyed at first, questioned it about 3 minutes in, and then was sold again at 4 to 5 minutes in. Guards were up next and we’re so loud it actually startled most. San Antonio has some sweet things coming out of it, and this would be one of the things I’d group into that category. Sweet that is, the category of sweet.
A couple other people in the San Antone catergory of sweet….
This Horn of Afrika – who just released an excellent 3 ep collection that you can get here!
Ill Prospekt - who have tons of awesome stuff, and provided the best theramin solo I’ve ever seen live. Sorry Octopus Project, Travis used a dildo to solo.
Posted by Zac on August 6, 2010 – 1:00 am
Austin, TX
In preparing for tour life was a bit of a struggle. Van issues, computer problems, Wurlitzer failures. Our friends came through and we ended up having an awesome time getting ready. In the weeks leading up to tour we had the most epic art party ever, played a plethora of jumpy castle shows and screen printed over 200 shirts.
Posted by Zac on June 1, 2010 – 4:48 pm
We arrived in Henderson around 4:00 am and were greated with the pleasent suprise of a huge country home at our disposal. Everyone got to stay in their own room and comfort was had on all accounts.
I slept until 3 and woke up to 3 very pleasent old hippies and 3 very pleasent dogs. In another life this seems like the kind of place that I would like to spend a long time in. The house is somewhat of an artists community. A professor from New Orleans owns the house and keeps an open door to friendly faces.
Begining the trek to Houma was a very unique visual experience. We got off the highway and entered into an america that is so southern it seems a bit foreign. Backroads weaved inbetween dilapitated country homes and the sky warned of a storm to come.
We went in to Houma with the goal of “lets blow some hicks mind.” We achieved this goal even before playing a note. As we drove around the one way streets and over rivers in Houma we had to pull over and ask a bouncer at a local bar for directions. This bouncer had less teeth then I have eyeballs, and informed us that he hadn’t slept in 2 days. He asked our band name, we told him. He looked at us in disbelief, and then called his friends over. Then he asked us our band name again.
The boxer and the barrel was a disappointment only in the fact that as I entered and asked the door girls where the rats were they look at me with question marks on their faces. They assumed this was some strange way of flirtation. I could only be so cleaver. Everything else about the night was a success. We played after Hat Talk and even though Sam’s headset mic failed he succeded at signing with a regular microphone and stand. Once we finished up Cape of the Matador took the stage and gave me exactly what I needed. Loud, awesome, slow nerosis/harvey milk style metal. The night wound down and chaos began to take house of our band of travelers. The rest of the bar came back with us to the house we stayed at. Quote of the night…
“Fuck you and your whole family, Im not really saying that, but Im pretty close.” – Jon (after a covert attack on his testicles)
Posted by Zac on May 31, 2010 – 4:40 pm
First things first, we pull into town and quiet our radio to figure out what the guy in the Jeep next to us was listening to. Disturbed was the first guess, Sam then narrowed it down to Godsmack. We rushed through the downtown of Lafayette because multiple things needed to get fixed at the music shop and we were racing against the clock. Keith at the Lafayette Music Center and Frank at Scotts drum shop both refreshed our faith in humanity. Everything got fixed free and we went to eat at Chungkings. The waitress was rude to cory and we got 3 fortune cookies which speeled out “peach moustache friend” or “friend peach moustach” depending on how you wanna look at it.
We met our new friend Max Binet at his house and cleared up the mystery of the “phone answering service” house next door. After calling the number listed on the side of the house, they do in fact answer phones.
Lafayette was like an awesome house party in a little bar. We pulled the couches outside and crunched everyone into the tiny room. Outside couch topics ranged from Sam’s name for beanies, the correct pronounciation of Heymann st., and Paul Grey’s death. Inside Hat Talk started the night off with hard hitting post-rock stylings. After we played Come and Conquer took the stage and brought me right back to my midwestern booking/promotion roots. There is something to be said about such a mixed lineup in a small town. This something is that I love it, good things.We both felt right at home and couldn’t have asked for a better experience in Lafayette.
Posted by Zac on May 30, 2010 – 11:28 am
The amount of talent at Houston’s show was disproportionate to the audience attendance. Once up the stairs and into the hidden backroom at the Mink, all in all it was a great spot. Giant Battle Monster was proggy prog to the max, and Im usually opposed to such things, but the talent of the band outweighed my apprehensions. I sat thouroughly enteretained. Cory Brim kept the small audience mesmerized. Set up in a dark corner he created ambient sound scapes that fit the mood and atmosphere of the room perfectly. Our set consisted of a couple live disco remixes aka super fast versions of Zut Alore and Circumcision. Despite all the technical difficulties it was a great time.
We left in search of a mansion.
While creeping through the fancies neigborhoods of Houston in reverse at 3 am everyone wowed at the houses like watching fireworks on acid. We had to covertly sneak into a guest bedroom. Upon awaking there were four excelent things
1.puppies , 2. awesome showers, 3. hot tubs, 4. the fanciest of coffee makers.
Great place to stay, big thanks to Ben and Mercedes.
Posted by Sam on May 30, 2010 – 11:19 am
Me Hungy.
Although this experience is quite interesting.
Eduardo Waffle.
Posted by Zac on May 29, 2010 – 11:28 am
We played really heavy object tetris to get everything in the van. After a bit of life stuggle we hit the road and are now en route to Houston. This city is a big mystery at this point. Sam revealed to me that his name is actually Shmam and I’ve been subtly doing him wrong for over 5 years now.
All the arches in Houston make it feel like a retirement community.
“Stairs suck, unless they are fat” – Cory Brim
Posted by Sam on May 29, 2010 – 11:14 am
Passed the Sherwood Forest Faire.
Guns.
Kill.
Pigs.
Smithville, TX for life kykel.
Peanut factory- they cound peanuts and cash in the same building-in Giddings, TX
We should’ve booked a gig at Shotty’s
Zionsville and Hempstand? Since when did Rastas smoke up in rural texas.
“the outcome of this billboard is income”
king dollar – “nothing over $1.09″ – Houston
Posted by Sam on March 3, 2010 – 12:00 pm
Let’s go to Church instead.
