Git Along Little Doggies

AUSTIN, TX

TDF

Antone’s

Day off

We arrived in Austin @ the TDF with just enough time to spare to change our clothes, grab a bite of food & a beer, hit the potty & march to the stage for our set. I think we were all a little whooped, tired & hot & didn’t quite get enough to eat or drink because our set was a little off for a TDF. PLUS, they stopped selling beer @ 4:45, and we went on at 5pm , so I think once people realized the beer was gone, they started dwindling away, unfortunately. But we had fun, we LOVE TDF & they treat us very well. We entertained, cavorted & caroused everyone that decided they would stay for the music, not just for the beer. We were also able to get the word out for our show later that night at Antone’s. We’ve played @ Antone’s before, but we have never headlined there, so I think we were a little nervous about the turn out.

We made it back to Benny’s folks’ place where we’ve stayed before, set up our bedding, ate some of the best Pizza I’ve ever had in my entire life…(even though I only got one slice---that’s the downfall of traveling with 35 people!)…and got geared up to rock it again for the downtown crowd.

Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication or noncommunication or something with the promoter of the show @ Antone’s & us because we had him charging $10 a head at the door, but he decided to charge $20 a head, which is more than we even charge in Portland. SO, I think a lot of people went a way at the door before we had a chance to negotiate with the door and reduce the cover. We still had a good crowd though, and we marched around the block (even though most of the band thought we were just marching straight to the stage & there was some definite confusion in the ranks about what the helck was going on) and up on to the stage emerging like heroes for one of our best sets of the whole tour. We even set our instruments down on stage after our “last” song, walked off to the sound of the audience cheering “three more songs, three more songs” and then cranked it up & gave em exactly what they wanted. Three more songs. We ended in the classic frenzied mass on the floor, sustaining injuries & sweating all over our beloved Austin fanbase.

That was fun. Thanks Antone’s & thanks AUSTIN! Thanks also to Sick’s Pack & the Caberet that performed with them.

Afterwards we went to an after party at one of John’s friends houses, and took some of the most hilarious late night gangsta pics of the whole tour. We headed back to Benny’s place at about 6 am to the great detriment of our understandingly sober busdriver, Kevin, and had the next day off…FORTUNATELY!

On our day off we scored some bikes from Benny’s folks & Taylor, Robin, Topher & I went for a biking tour of Austin. What a livable, bikable city! Love it. We biked all along the river up to Barton Springs where we swam in the beautiful turquoise water with the wild ducks & turtles. Then we headed down to the bridge where the famous Mexican bats supposedly emerge from the bridge at sunset & fly en masse of millions in a great black cloud to devour the insects of the city. I guess they were all really fat & happy, cuz they never came out. You could hear ‘em in there making their cute bat noises, but apparently they were very happy & didn’t want to entertain the likes of us

That was alright though, because Mateo from New Belgium Brewery had a bunch of extra beers left in his truck from the festival, and he invited us to help him “take care of them”. He’s so cool. We love Fat TIRE!

After I went & found a B of A to do some bidness, & then T & I headed out to dinner with the Juice & his lady friend. Lots of sun, swimming, bat hunting & Fat Tire added up to tuckered gypsies, so many of us called it an early night. Besides, next morning we had a 10 am bus call & a complete cleaning session & had to leave by Noon, so it was good to have a good nights rest before getting back on the Spam Boat.