This Friday the excellent site Daytrotter will be putting up a 4 song live in studio session we did last March at South by Southwest. They want some text to accompany it, so I'm jotting down some fuzzy memories...two birds....one stone.....
TEXAS IS A NICE TOWN
We've been to SXSW three times in the 15-odd years we've been a band.
In '95 we were in the midst of a vicious, old-school style 'bidding war' with A&R dudes elbowing each other in the kidneys to get position in the sardine-packed, smokey sweaty juke joint in the middle of 6th street we played at. I think The Refreshments played right after us. Some major label or other got us a room at the Westin, and a middle management guy from ASCAP gave us our first nuts and bolts of publishing speech. For years afterward we referred to it as the 'bean counting speech'. That's about all I remember....
Then in 2003 right after we had decided to end our 5 year 'break', we got a very weird and excellent gig playing on a huge stage in a field, between The Motels and Joe Jackson (!) with his entire original band playing all the songs from that one album. There were about a million people there, and I brought down the house by whipping out a U of T Longhorns cap and putting it on mid-song.
This year for the first time we got to stay for 4 days and enjoy the town. For me this was 80% about food. Tacos or Barbecue, every 6 hours or so, day and night. Went to all my favorite taco shacks (Maria's, "Taco shack #2") and some new ones. Went to one BBQ place quite far from the city and all 6 of us got a ride back from the proprieter, jammed into the back of her pickup. I ran along the river every morning no matter how bad it hurt, partly to work off the brisket, and partly to reinforce that yes, even one little ciggie makes one feel awful the next day.
I was going to try to fly home with some ribs in my carry-on for my friend at the airport, but chickened out.
Had some beers too.
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2 comments:
Woo, new songs, new album.. Can't wait as always..
You guys going to be touring Europe for the new album? I had to drive for hours to see you in Birmingham last year but it was SOOOO worth it..
Thanks for the daytrotter songs, they're great.. Not sure about french girl but like all your songs it'll probably get better with relistening..
First off,...your doing a great job on the blogs!
I also want to say I can't help grinning while reading...because I keep seeing possible song titles come up in your writings (grin). Just in the last few blogs..."Jumping Bean"..."Busted on Ribs", backed with "Chickened Out"....and of course "Messy Scones" with"Flour Bomb".
I think I've benn listening way too long (hah)....
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