Let Me Be Clear

Now, let me be clear. Playing music with my good friends is more fun than anything I've ever done. It is when everything leaves my mind except what is happening that moment. Anyone who has played in bands would probably agree that playing high energy rock music with your friends can often be a cathartic, disencumbering experience. I believe this so much so that I have emotional withdrawals when I don't play gigs for while. I realize that I may be heading into a performance drought when I move in July, but it will hopefully allow me to concentrate on other things that are important to me while giving me a little distance from something that has been a huge priority in my life for nearly 20 years.
While I may have had a harder time relaxing than I may have wished at the D.C. Hoot Night, playing those songs with my bands brought me unparalleled happiness and satisfaction. I will miss that a ton. The music I've been making with Excited States has been extremely fulfilling. As evidenced by our healthy contribution to the hoot night, 90s indie rock is right in our wheelhouse and is my second language. It is the more underground dialect of rock music that helped form my musical vocabulary 20+ years ago. The songs and melodies that Beaty Wilson comes up with are spoken in that dialect and I often know exactly how to respond. Andy Thompson fits perfectly into that three-piece equation by providing a rhythmic stability for our dynamic discourse. No matter what the speed of the dialogue, Andy measures it out and keeps the intensity on a level we can hover around. He is the oxygen atom and to him we are  electrically bonded hydrogen atoms.
That we were able to play Shudder To Think's  "X-French T-Shirt" was huge for me. James Adair introduced me to Pony Express Record in 1994 and that album, and song speciafically, got under my dome in a big way.  On my way to class one rainy winter morning, I remember walking through one of N.C. State's tunnels with the song's outro stuck in my head. It was like that for at least a week. I'm sure songs had been stuck in my head before then, but that was the first time it became a mantra.
"Static" is off of my favorite Jawbox album Novelty. In high school, I learned all of those songs on guitar (to the best of my ability) and it's rhythmic idiosyncrasies and discordant melodies have stuck with me to this day. The song I wrote for my old band eddy entitled "Under The Influence" was directly influenced by Novelty's "Linkwork."
We played eight Fugazi songs which was as cathartic as it gets. At the Holden Beach with my friend Will and his family during the summer of 1990, I remember listening to that album over and over again. It was a true revelation. Having been turned on to heavy, dynamic, powerful rock by Led Zeppelin (and soon thereafter Metallica in my case), Fugazi quickly became a band we fully believed in. There were others we adored like Soul Asylum and Operation Ivy, but Repeater really blew everyone to pieces. The funny thing playing those songs for me was that until we started learning songs for the hoot night, I had never thought to learn any of Joe Lally's incredible basslines. Lally is one of my all time favorite bass players and I had never thought to explore his work. This wasn't weird to me until I learned them all and realized for the 231st time how incredible he and the whole band were. They were such an amazing BAND!! 
The songs Grand Champeen played from Red Medicine were equally as exciting to learn and cover. Grand Champeen has learned a ton of covers over the years but we had never ventured into Fugazi territory, perhaps because it was so daunting. Perhaps because their albums are such masterworks in songwriting, musicianship and performance that it seemed a bit outside our scope. How wrong we were! As Channing intimated the other night at practice, we should have done that years ago.  Of the four songs GC learned, we played two of my favortes from that album, "Target" and "Forensic Scene." I have such strong memories of Red Medicine being in my life in 1995 because I moved to Tennessee by myself three months after the album came out and I know it kept me company and gave me strength when I left friends and family in NC and settled down in the small town Murfreesboro. I rented a room from an ad I saw on a bulletin board near the housing office on MTSU campus and for 8 months I lived with three guys who couldn't have been more dissimilar to each other and myself. When I was home, I stayed in my room a lot and listened to records. For the record, the other album on constant rotation in that rented room was "Tomorrow the Green Grass" by the Jayhawks.
 I gotta go. Grand Champeen is playing with A Giant Dog  at Hotel Vegas April 30th. I'm moving to NC in July so if you want to see Grand Champeen you had better come out.

SXSW, Part 2

Wednesday

Tim and Mark picked me up and we headed off to some rehearsal space that Tim had acquired.  This space ended up being on a ranch next to the landfill off 1327.  When we got there, the fellow who was supposed to let us in the gate didn't answer the phone so Stepro walked down the long drive towards the house.  The proprietor ended up being there and we found our to-be-studio in a shed at the top of the driveway.  A few songs into the set and we could all tell that this new pick up band was going to be just fine.  We tackled "The Young Girls," "Burgundy Red," "Broke My Heart" and "Porcupine" first and flew through them with no problem.  We knew we were in good shape and we decided to finish the set anyway.  During "Stormy,"  in walks the proprietor with Pamela and Michael Des Barres!  I'm rockin' out in front of Miss Pamela!  Holy Shit!  That's one step away from Jimmy Page.  I thought that if this is how SXSW is gonna go, then quitting Stubb's and taking the gig with Easton is the best turn of events to happen to me in awhile.  We packed up the rental and headed to Dog and Duck.

The Dog and Duck gig went well.  Hillary York was first on the bill and sounded great with a full band.  We were second and I didn't feel too nervous about the set.  I had half a beer and we ripped it out with few hitches.  Then I had a full beer.  A few people present told me they never would have known that the three of us had never played together before.  Good sign.  Then it was off to the Convention Center to get our wristbands.  It was a mess down there but we found a sweet parking spot... the first time the Parking Gods would smile upon us this week.  We had lunch at Iron Works BBQ and I must say I was impressed.  I hadn't eaten there in many years and I plan on going back there more often.

I met up with Tiffany at Emo's where we saw a set by The Bronx.  Unbeknownst to me, The Young Widows had finished right before we walked and when I found out that I had missed them I was pretty disappointed.  The Bronx was good rock, though.  Tiffany and I then waited in line for 45 minutes to get into the Fader party which would have completely sucked had it not been for the free Budweiser and Southern Comfort.  Needless to say, while Tiffany was taking care of her business I indulged in the flowing booze.  Jennie picked us up at 5th and Waller and took us back to her house where we made a couple Tito's screwdriver roadies for our walk to to see Glossary at Cissi's Market.  Glossary played a "feelers" set that was really beautiful.  They adapted to the intimate setting with no awkwardness.  We were pretty lit so we went to Taqueria Arandas for togo tacos and ate them while we watched Wet Hot American Summer.  That movie really isn't that good and we all fell asleep before it ended.

Thursday

This was to be my busiest day of the week.  I had to take Jennie to work so that I could make it from the Grand Champeen gig at Jovita's to the Easton set at Club Deville 30 minutes later.  Champeen played a 25 minute set of songs that we hadn't played at Beerland two nights before.  Tiffany, Caulkins and I immediately went downtown and set up at the New West party.  I met Aaron who was to play lead guitar on the rest of the Easton gigs and I met Mark Olson and Gary Louris who were to play later that day.  All nice fellas.  Our set as a four piece was even better than the set the day before and we were all feeling pretty good about the group.  If we could only learn 12 new Easton songs and go into the studio immediately... that would be some fun.  The Olson/Louris set was incredible.  It was so wonderful to hear those guys singing together after so many years.  While their set was made up mostly of songs off their new album, the Tomorrow The Green Grass songs really made my day.  "Over My Shoulder," "Two Hearts," "Nothing Left To Borrow," "Blue" and the even older "Two Angels" brought back a lot of memories.  After spending the rest of the afternoon hangin' at DeVille, Jennie and I ordered Homeslice pepperoni and mushroom togo and took a nap in the hour while it was being prepared.  Then it was off to The Hole In the Wall for the Bremen Riot and Grand Champeen gig.  When we got there, Gleeson had just finished and Will Johnson was about to play a solo set.  John Paul Kieth and the 1 4 5's then played their rhythm and blues rave ups with a scorching set by Mandible close behind.  The Bremen Riot set was invigorating and the two new Nicolai songs went off really well.  People are still amazed at how awesome Mike performs as a lead singer.  I'm one of those people.  After a short pee-break, Champeen launched into a set similar to that at Beerland.  At the end of the day I had played four separate sets of music and had logged 6 shows for the week.  Needless to say, I was tired but Tim was picking me up at 10am so I had to get in a shower and a nap before he showed up.  Fall alseep to the amazing Blue Earth...