Nights Out on the East Side and A Rousing Game of 21 with Nat Baldwin

Hello there fellow adventurers. I would like to recount some highlights of my weekend for you. Let's start with Friday. I had just worked the first 10 hour work day of my life (more of those coming next week, yuck) and dazedly returned home around 5:30. Dinner was served and provided me with my commentary for the evening. I won't get into it, but let's just say I had a stomach ache, and it was my own damn fault for A. having poor communication skills, and B. using way too much butter to fry pasta. I tried to solve my problems by drinking beer. It sort of worked, but mostly not. We had an early X-Rays practice because among other reasons I wanted to get down to Progress Coffee for the Brazos/Nat Baldwin/Weird Weeds show.. Brazos is playing every Friday this month there and with the exception of the 25th when we play Hole in the Wall, I plan on attending all of them. It's always been known to me that that crew has got it goin on musically speaking, but on Friday lets say my reaction was less "you guys got it going on," and more "holy fuck, this is amazing, what the fuck."

Weird Weeds opened the show and were great as always. I have seen them a ton this summer---they have been playing for free most Monday nights at the Moose Lodge, which happens to be very bikable from my house. Its on EM Franklin, right north of MLK, and if you get a chance to see them there its a great time. The Moose Lodge is supposedly "members only" (and 2 of the Weird Weeds are members) but in actuality it is not members only. Most beers are 2 dollars, not just lone stars, and it is just a really great laid back atmosphere. There are tables which is cool, and a piano that more than one week someone ends up hopping on. Anyways, yes, its a great room.

Next Nat Baldwin played. It was just him solo on the stand up bass this time. I really enjoyed it and listened to it much differently than when he plays with a full setup. Nick Hennies said something about him using a "german grip" on the bow, so if you are interested in hitting up wikipedia to see what that means, I would be supportive of that. I am wondering right now sort of, actually., even though he explained it to me. What I really liked about tthe set is that you could hear all the harmonics off the bass. It was like essentially 5 notes at all times, across the full spectrum of pitch, and tons of glissandi and really controlled harmony. Really badass.

Then Brazos played. They blew my mind. You really need to go check them out. It was probably my first time seeing them in 6 months at least, but I'm going to catch them a number of times coming up here, so thats good. I suggest(ed already) you do the same.

So then a bunch of people all went down to The Broken Neck where I had never been before and where SUNSET was playing. The show was awesome. It was the first time I had seen a 2 Rhodes alignment and it was really cool. One thing you gotta say about Sunset---they are willing to carry a dickton of heavy equiptment to bring the rock. I scored a burned copy of The Glowing City off Mark Ashworth in San Francisco and listened to it on repeat nearly the entire 9 hour Greyhound ride down to Santa Barbara (which is to say....5 times since the disc is 80 minutes long). That record is stunning. I hope whats going on in Austin right now breaks, and honestly I dont see why SUNSET and Brazos wont. They really are talented above the rest.

Anyways, The Broken Neck was like my childhood fantasy, if I was a skateboarder (which is what my real childhood fantasy was). It was a giant clubhouse (aka warehouse space) with apartments in it and a giant half pipe and bands playing and it was a big party. There were people skateboarding the whole show, it was great, and you could tell the SUNSET crew was having a great time. It was my favorite show of theirs I've ever seen. So yeah, The Broken Neck. Its the shit.



---Unordered list---
Venues in this town that have lots of shows and are good to see shows at::
The Moose Lodge
Rancho Relaxo
Progress Coffee
The Broken Neck
Carousel Lounge
Beerland (only place downtown)
Hole in the Wall
I would assume Natrix Natrix house, although its so far south I have never made it there



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Friday night at the show Nat had mentioned something about finding a game of basketball the next morning before his trip up to Abilene. The JCC ended up being the spot, and the crew ending up being myself, Julian and my brother Daniel and we played a couple games of 21. Then I retired to the pool and those guys played a full court 4 vs 4 game I think with some late arrivals.

So you're probably wondering: whats the inside scoop on Nat's game? It's an old story all over the press that he was MVP of a championship high school team who turned down scholarship offers to pursue music. Well I've come to report: while a new focus may have robbed him a quick first step, boy can still ball. First thing, he's got a great stroke. Everytime he would score a bucket he would nail all 3 free throws afterwards and they all looked great and exactly the same. Around the basket he could finish, and he could sink long jump shots. For me at least, his game was really mostly beautiful to watch because he has a great basketball IQ. He was rarely using more energy than needed, but often seemed to find himself in the right spot for rebounds. He knew when to drive and when to pull up (although against us he could have done both most of the time) and won 2 out of the 3 games, despite giving up significant inches against all of his opponents. And I will say I witnessed a nasty split of a double team too, so don't let it be said he lacks ball handling skills. I'm sure if I had stuck around for the full court game I would have bore witness to a different part of his skill set too. Anyways, yeah it was fun. For those of you wondering, I did manage to score 3 baskets over the course of the 2 games..

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A Final Word on The Big 3, How it Relates to the Question of "The Audience" and What is Probably the First Review of {{{SUNSET}}}-The Glowing City

OK so the Celtics win the championship. Badass right? We were all hoping for this except my cousin Adam, the Lakers fan, but even he isn't so sore because next year is the Lakers year.

Let's look at the reactions of the Big 3 (all mostly paraphrased)
Paul Pierce: "Blood Sweat and Tears" -- I saw clips of Pierce saying this a number of times...the first instance with 4 minutes left in the game when the starters got pulled, and then after the game is over, and then again in the locker room. It was Pierce's catch phrase. What does this say to me that this championship meant to Pierce? It was about the hard work, the bad times, and the commitment that comes from being the franchise player for the Boston Celtics of the past 10 years. It was about getting better and growth as a player, a teammate, and a part of an organization. It was about getting stabbed 10 times, almost dying, and then coming back. Winning in what one could imagine Pierce considering life's overtime.

Ray Allen: I didn't really see that much of Ray Allen's celebration. Right after the game he was the first to find his family. "We're so proud of you baby," but he seemed far less jubilant than the other players. As some of you may know, he had a son sick in the hospital (later diagnosed with diabetes) during the end of the finals. I saw an interview afterwards where he said his mind wasn't really on Game 6 the entire time, that it was with his son (note: the guy set a Finals record, shooting 7-9 from 3pt land). And let's contrast this with...

Kevin Garnett: OK, Kevin Garnett is my favorite player in the NBA, and his vindication is my sports story of the year. KG's post-game quote (after a giant pause where he can't even put his emotion in to words) he says "anything can happen." Does this not strike anyone else as a total non-sequiter? Anything can happen? Really? And then it all comes out. After the game he gives shout outs to everywhere he has ever been in his whole life. Everywhere, like, I didn't forget about ch'all, and I told you I'd win a championship one day, and etc.,. I think I already posted that video, though. At this point, nothing in his career meant anything to him besides a ring, unreasonable or not. Check this video out



Here he says "other than my kid being born," but i swear i saw him somewhere right after the game saying "this is better than my kid being born." twice repeating it, as if confirming what he said the second time only with more conviction (like "oh yeah, definitely better.") I'm going to pretend that I know he said that for a fact. This win for him was all about personal vindication. KG held himself to a higher standard, and although a championship isn't something that can be granted strictly via one man's sheer force of will, the fact that he tried makes it seem as if one day Sisyphus rolled that rock right over the hill.

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Not that it needs to be related to music, but I'd like to make a little compare and contrast. One great advantage sports have over music is that if you are the champion, no one can take that away from you. Kevin Garnett knows that (see previously posted videos.) They can never take that away from him. Not the same with bands, either in historical viewpoint or in a living music career. It's not even "knowing how to take criticism," it's just hilarious to see people like "oh that's not good music." Like, what the fuck do you know? (A: If they are writing that on an internet comments section, probably nothing.) That's not the funny part--that's the part that if the artist is smart, they should go ahead and control to some extent; the funny part is the assumed power of the audience.

Check this out:
http://www.last.fm/music/%7B%7B%7BSunset%7D%7D%7D/The+Glowing+City

That's the stream of the new SUNSET album, which I'm listening to for the first time right now. Initial thought: Yesssss. 2nd thought: I've heard multiple people introduce it to me like "its a really long album, you kind of need to take it in 2 sittings." What the fuck? Are you guys trying to prepare me for it, or do you yourselves just need to man up? This record is a much easier listen than Bright Blue Dream, and although I loved that album, I loved it for certain specific things that I place a high value on (most prominently its willingness to take chances and its attempt at expanding a sonic palette.) This new album on first listen is a much, much better record, and a much easier listen. Its longer, but its lighter. Seven Samurai is 3 hours and 20 minutes, but that doesn't change the fact that every second is necessary and masterful. Go ahead and put your trust in this record and fuck what I think. (Me: "...much better record" Ideal You: "Your opinion has no affect on my life" Ideal You if you happen to be Bill "I'm smelling what you are stepping in. Let's jam.")

(This next bit was originally a parenthetical, but it got so long I'm just making it a paragraph)
Why don't I go ahead and give a specific example...I'm listening to Graveyard Dog right now, and it's actually the perfect one to use, because it's a reworking of a Soundteam song, so I have something to compare it to. The drum fill in this version doesn't build up to this like "oh hey! This is the climax!" type moment. And by avoiding that, it allows breathing room and forward motion. It doesn't have to take it down afterwards and build it back up. It's more playful, and its more suggestive. I mean look, the whole song is just the circle of 5ths, but as opposed to the old version its given to us in like 40 different ways, each of them basically just as delightful as the previous. In a word, it's kaleidoscopic. I also like the tracking, having it after "Dear Friend (Falling Domino)" which does a similar thing, rolling through styles with instrumentation (klezmer? whoa! and then something that sounds vaguely like Jim O'Rourke to my ears, but totally not.) The thing is, although the clarinet all through the first part of the song sets up the stylized breakdown, when it comes, the drums announce it very clearly as sectionally set up. And the second time an announced section comes around (with about a minute left), rather than repeating the klezmer instrumentation, its abandoned for a new one (more James Bond cinematic to my ears. Which itself is set-up both by the horns earlier in the song and also the (named) cinematicism of "Theme From 'A Perfect Light Awaits Me'") Then again the guitar line in the last 10 seconds for me does the same thing, suggesting the possibility of a third possibility for instrumentation (this one vaguely Hawaiian? Like it matters...)

So to me, the kaleidescope of Graveyard Dog is really set up by the sectionalism of the previous track.

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which (before I added in like 3 paragraphs in there) brings me to a hilarious point about the audience. I've heard some say that reading internet comments is a good way to check the pulse of your average joe on the street. More relevant to me is the insights gained by checking the tone of the voice, and it's different for different things: in a comments section beneath . I think it would be hilarious if (even as just an experiment, or an April fools joke, Pitchfork announced they were going to start allowing comments. Especially if that day they posted reviews to records that didn't exist). Right: so check this comment (the only one up as of this writing):

"Sorry Bill, but so far I've really only enjoyed Bright Blue Dream. I really like that album though."

"Sorry!" Like, look dude, you don't have to be sorry, your being sorry is irrelevant. People always thing its about them, like they had anything to do with anything. I read an article where Todd P makes a point about SXSW being a pageant for everyone who wants a piece, but actually has nothing to do with the music. Is this really so surprising? If they were in a band then they wouldn't be there in that capacity, but they are not; they are a certain breed of Joe super-fan on the street. What do they really want? Most of them just want to knock down some shots with the guys, and take credit for any success later. I can not in typed word properly express the derision with which I mention that.

But to clarify, its a specific sort of derision--I don't hold non-music-industry-Joe regular-super-fan in that regard, because in his relation to the artist, his desire to relate and participate doesn't extend into "I want to be the person who makes the decision as to whether or people hear this or not." And this actually also isn't to shit on the labels, or even the booking agents, or promoters. It's mostly for the lazy journalists, the shit talkers, and the grudge bearers, who exist in spades.

And I'm not being all high and mighty here against regular Joe music fan. Anyone who starts with rock and roll ideas has no idea what it means outside of how they relate to it, and I imagine there is a certain amount of similarity to how all youngsters relate to the bands they identify with, and I imagine it always involves "wanting a piece." The best concert experience of my life was (and will likely always be) seeing The Flaming Lips in summer of 2003. Long story short, I got to be on stage in the bunny costume, and in the Austin summertime made it all the way until the encore before taking my helmet off...I was the last one. Afterwards we got to hang out listening to Wayne talk a million miles a minute backstage. It was the best concert going event of my life; I was buzzing on that show for like 4 days, and it was all about wanting a piece and having it given to me, in spades. Just like Kevin Garnett's championship ring. My will of force had nothing to do with me being on stage that day, there was a total element of randomness to it, and furthermore it would never have happened if that band didn't make a conscious effort that part of what they do is this participatory thing (which they have an incredibly long history of doing.) That experience was priceless and cannot be duplicated, and I have great admiration for those who seek to give that experience to others at a similar age, or even to older people looking to reconnect with that feeling, because it truly is in one definition what it means to "feel alive."

So that's one potential audience.

But in my opinion there is a more rewarding way to relate to this entity we call "a band" or "the people who make music and we go see at shows" or whatever.

In my opinion, what the ideal audience member gives is this: their participation, as defined by the band. All comments to the contrary become irrelevant, and the reason the music industry is so easily derided is that its made up of adults who have been given or created for themselves power in the distribution of music, but most often insist on relating to the music against their preconceptions rather than trying to figure out what its striving for and judging it on how well it achieves that/the validity of what its striving for (in a social context, ... , it gets a bit fuzzy here, I'm open to debate on what establishes "validity".)

But fuck that, their iron grip is broken now anyways, we have this thing called "the internet" we know how to use, and if you keep hitting the road and have a show that connects with an audience, and really do everything in your power and work together, they will come. It's really great. And though in this case too it's somewhat of a non-sequiter, its like our friend KG says-- "Anything can happen."

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Seeing Bands vs. Following Bands

This is a post about following bands. Tonight I saw {{{SUNSET}}} and Weird Weeds at the Cactus Cafe. I have seen both bands numerous times, and also fairly recently. That said, it was a great show I enjoyed very much. I think there is a part of me thats getting very "fuck you!" about bands on tour. Like actually, alot of them are really cool, and to tour is a beautiful thing, but maybe I should just get 30 years older and move to South Austin, because I prefer to hear the same old bands I like, i guess. Which is to say, to Follow them. Sunset played a song tonight that they usually play with a Rhodes, but this time they didn't bother schlepping the thing out. Also everything in their set was appropriately volumed. I saw em at Mohawk opening for Will Johnson, and it was really loud, which was good for the space, but it was better to be in a better space (Cactus) and have it be at a better volume. Like that space can do no wrong, it sounds great. That place and The Parish are acoustically the best rooms that I can think of in Austin, and barring places I haven't been yet, the only 2 really on their level.

But back to "the topic" (ha). Yeah, I really like those bands. I'm starting to pick up what the words to SUNSET songs are, and I don't have anything of theirs recorded. Its funny to consider music consumption patterns, be it via, a record, a cd, a tape, an mp3 blog, or a live show. Live shows are cool in the way they are fundamentally tied to the ephemerally of the whole bit, which gets sort of masked by a recording, but recordings are valuable for the opposite reason---they allow time for consideration to take effect. That's really a different "topic" as it were, but what I look for in a show is allowed to be something different if its a band I have seen a few times, and I just thought I would write a little something so if people were so inclined, they could think about how seeing bands over and over in a short period of time made them feel (as opposed to once every year to two years when they come around on tour).

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a long SUNSET

SUNSET played Local Live last night. My bold prediction for the future is that between his golden locks and pedal steels Bill is going to garner himself some "Sea Changes" era Beck comparisons sooner rather than later. My favorite one by theirs is the one that goes "My heart before my brain/I fight like Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens must have fought before." Im not sure it necessarily makes any sense, but when you got 5 guys playing acoustic guitar there seems to be some sort of specific images conjured, although I couldn't tell you exactly what outside of 5 guys playing acoustic guitar. One of the guitarists looked like Sting, which was awesome. They played 15 minutes over so we took licence to have a little fun with delay in the production booth at the end and it got really trippy. After setup (which was long but fun...last week White Denim brought one mic and insisted on only using that one, this week we used every mic we had, including one from the DJ booth) we went over to Hold in the Wall and I got the strangest Bloody Mary of my life. That girl did not know what she was doing ("Ive never had a Bloody Mary before, but I know how to make em!" No...no you dont...) Oguz has spread his Jagermeister disease over to the rest of the production crew. We hung out with a guy named Praveen who was shooting camera for the band and talked about the Battles record among others. Oguz has it but hasnt listened to it yet. He just got back from Turkey this week and is still jet lagged. He is going to love it in all its mathy glory. Those math doctoral students...

Were having a show 7-7-07. It was originally going to be called the Whose Who and Que since it was the 4th of July Saturday and we were going to BBQ, but once we realized it was 7-7-07 we had to change the name. I think its going to be called Lucky 7s or something. Danns booking the DJs, so far on the band end it looks like SUNSET will be playing as well as J Chu, The Satin Hooks (Houston) and Im working on an Effete/Ethan Master of the Hawaiian Ukulele hybrid set that should be fun as well.

Also the new White Stripes record comes out tomorrow!

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