Warts and All...

Last weekend the band played our first show in about seven years.  The show was booked by a friend who, in what seems like another life now, was a huge help to our band as a promoter, booking agent, manager, and mentor.  The venue, Theater 166, was a cool place, though a bit small for full band volume.  Sound issues aside, it was a fun show because it honestly felt less like a "gig" and more like a practice with a ton of old friends sitting around listening.  The crowd was only about 100 folks, but pretty much all of them were old Texas friends we hadn't seen in a long time.  Guess a concert is a good reason to fix that, eh? 

I chose a few videos my wife got as probably the best ones of the night to share here.  Bear in mind that we only got two practices in before the show and we only practiced some of the new tunes 3-5 times straight through before their debut.  Instead of having time to work through each part and make sure they were all working together well, the new ones had to be put together much like a Baptist potluck in that everyone just kind of brought what they liked to the table and we hoped for the best.  Still, I think they ended up okay and would love to hear what all 2.6 of you who read this blog think of the two tunes, so comment, comment, comm...!! 

1. When the City is Quiet: Old song we recorded back in 2003.  One of my fave tunes that I wrote while not paying any attention in Dr.  Huser's Earth Science class during Jan. term of 2002.  Can't say I remember anything about the rocks he ranted about day in and day out, but I still dig this song.

2. Hush: This Waterdeep song was the obligatory cover tune of the night.  Great song and Kim really nailed it.

3. Rain: New tune I wrote about what a "Debbie Downer" I'd become in my old age.  Well received by the crowd.  Hopefully we can get this song and a few other new ones recorded in the months to come.

4. Promise: Kim is a stud songwriter and this song shows it.  It's abeautiful song about the struggle an adopted child faces and though it wasn't as tight as we may have wanted it in spots, it was probably the highlight of the night for me.

Overall, it was a great night to see old friends, reminisce about old times, and play music without having to give a rip what anyone else in the room thought of us.  An added bonus was getting to see Radial Angel, a great band who also has long since called it a day, play before us (not sure how we drew headliner).  So, what do we do now?  Our tour of Antarctica starts next week.  We'll be hitting all the major rock cities on the frozen tundra, so make sure and clear your calendar. ;)