Last night concluded the first weekend of our annual Austin Corn Lovers Fiesta. So far, so good. At least, for me. I can't say the same for others (equipment issues), but the turnouts have been good. Let's recap:
Friday night's shindig was at Empire Control Room, on 7th between Red River and the frontage road of 35. Not a place I like to frequent anymore (parking! downtown! aaaggghh!), but I got very lucky and parked adjacent to the loading door for the club. And for, what is now in Austin, a minimal fee. Adrienne Lake, who used to book Spider House, has moved to this club during the year, and we've played here a couple of times as a result. Despite the Empire place being okay overall, I hope she finds another home soonish. One away from downtown Austin.
Eightball Aitken (from Australia) opened the show, and this is perhaps the third time we've shared a stage with him. He does the one-man show, playing guitar, singing, stomping and tambourining but is also really, really funny. The songs are good, he's hilarious, and I always enjoy his show.
We played next - I was able to set up before Eightball played, and my drum set was being used the entire night. Our set was, how should I put this, a marvel of consistent rhythms and vocals, with the top end....um....inconsistent at best. Tom was fine, but Cody was in rare form. He'd had an 11-hour drive from the panhandle that day, in addition to one eye being almost swollen shut from allergies. And he'd, and I know you'll find this hard to believe, imbibed in some alcohol beforehand. The set quickly became a bunch of the "fuck it" numbers we like to pull out - "Take it Easy," "China Grove," etc. I smelled Cody's amp frying about 2/3 of the way through the set, and he stumbled over to Tom's amp and plugged into it for awhile. Well, that's what I think happened anyway. Cody had already "taken a knee" earlier in the night. With a thud, too. But that was before the amp-burning thing happened. I was told later that the set was indeed entertaining, but not especially together at times. Still, fun.
Ed Hamell, otherwise known as Hamell on Trial, played after us and the crowd had swelled by then. I was never much of a fan of his when he played at Electric Lounge in the 90s, but I'm coming around. Or starting to get "it." Whatever it is, I'm starting to dig it. He might be the last of the beatniks. Amongst his ramblings, he added a quick "A Rapist is Going to the Supreme Court" to laughter and applause. Unfortunately, before his set began, he was using one of Jeff's amps, and that amp fried before he began. So, I think we were a couple of amps down Friday night. But take that with a grain of salt; a drummer's writing this. Whatever Ed ended up using, the sound was less than stellar.
Next up was Slobberbone, from Denton. They have been playing more shows recently after being the toast of Denton in the 90s and early 2000s. We've done a couple of gigs with them in Denton. Again, great crowd, great set. Folks were there specifically to see them and knew their songs well. One issue, though.....their drummer arrived late (not sure if he was just late to the stage or what), and it pushed their start time late, so they didn't finish until about 12:45.
And yep, Cunto! had the last slot and hit it about 1:10. They were fun as always, although Chris Hall was fairly inebriated. I had to give him drumsticks, as he'd only brought.....one. I still enjoyed their set, although the club had lost patrons by then. I felt bad for them having to go on late; this was almost a replay of another show we'd done a couple of months back where they got stuck last. I feel a make-up is in order soon.
I got my drums torn down and packed. Thanks to Evan and others, I got loaded up and was on the road by 1:57. This is important, because the club sits right by the corridor tons of people use to leave downtown at the 2:00 mark. I wanted to be gone by then, and I was. Patrick was there to help Jeff pack up, so I took advantage of that situation. I was home by maybe 2:20. Not bad.
Last night was the second salvo at the White Horse. I always like playing the White Horse, mainly due to the house drum kit. Not the greatest kit, but it's dependable. Once I'm parked, the rest is easy. This night, Michelle went with me, and we needed to eat first, so I got a spot just down the street from the club. The maximum parking I could buy took me to 11:51 in a spot metered until midnight. Would I be able to skate the remaining nine minutes? I hoped so. There was a party at Billy Bishop's Leona Gallery, on 12th street, but we were parked far enough away to where we couldn't easily stop by there, so we decided to eat and hang for the whole show. We went to Tamale House East, which was okay, but about as far removed from a classic Tamale House as you can imagine. I am not a fan of "new Austin" restaurant food. It's impossible to find unpretentious food in the city. Sometimes, when I read food listings in these places' menus, I suddenly understand Republicans. I'll just put it that way.
We headed back to the White Horse and got there just as Mean Motor Scooter was starting. They're from Fort Worth and a particular favorite of Tom's. And they're a really fun, sort of garage-y band, without too much of the whole "genre insistence" standpoint you often get with bands like that. I dug 'em. I had a good chat with the drummer later in the night. Hopefully, we'll do a few more things with them. And there was a fairly decent crowd while they played; sometimes the opening slot at the White Horse ACLF night is a bit barren.
Next up was ACLF regulars Churchwood, who always deliver. I still don't envy Eric, the drummer who replaced Julien. He's doing fine, and I suppose you could argue they have more nuance now, if they're somewhat quieter now overall. Joe always entertains the crowd. At one point, he grabbed me and other folks and had us do a round dance circle.
Western Star followed, and they were full throttle. This was the best set I've seen them play. They have a new bass player who has cemented everything. By the end of their set, everyone was really into it, up front and, well you know the jargon. In the back of my mind, though, I wonder how long until Max cuts his hair and just goes full rock idol. I may have to refer back to this blog at some point if that comes true.
We were next and were mostly a whole different animal than the previous night. Great set, although Tom's equipment started faltering at the end. And it was his birthday! Peggy brought a cake with sparklers on it. Tom reacted in his usual somewhat annoyed, dismissive way, followed by a big grin. Funny guy. I think he's 49 now. In human years, anyway. Hope his equipment's okay. I don't understand the problems, he takes such good care of his stuff. (sic) Wade Driver showed up but didn't join us on stage. Always good to see him.
A Pony Named Olga, playing as "The Prussian Pompadours" for reasons of international intrigue, followed us. What a fun band, as always. "Keko" has to be one of my favorite drummers to watch, of all time. He stands up, playing a kick drum that's behind him by stomping on a kick pedal in reverse. He has a couple of drums in front of him and a cymbal and some percussion. His snare drum has a strap on it, so he can wear it and march through the audience. You just smile the whole time. Heini is always entertaining, and Lloyd carries the good looks and can stand on his upright bass with the best of 'em. Heini fixed an amp last night, too! Thanks, Heini! On a side note, Keko's from Italy and gave Michelle and me some advice concerning our upcoming trip.
Closing out the night were the Beaumonts, who, as always, had the crowd grinning from ear to ear. They played my new favorite "Not As Cool As Jesus," and I believe it was the first time Michelle had heard it. About 1:45, we grabbed my stuff and made a beeline for the door, as again, I wanted to escape the downtown area before 2:00. We did and got home at a reasonable time. Reasonable for us, hah! Overall, a great night. Saw many, many great friends. I feel damned lucky to still be doing this. May it continue a while longer......
Until next time.....have a smoothie......I just did.
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