Well, over the weekend, the wife and I went down to Austin to catch a showat Emo's. One of my favorite "local" bands from the 90's was having a reunion gig... Gal's Panic! So, as my birthday present, we drove down for the show and stayed overnight. Here is the synopsis of the events of the trip:
Saturday afternoon, loaded up the VW and left the pups with the sitter
Arrived at the hotel around 4:30. Started noticing way too many motorcycles around
Checked-in. Went to room. Sat around trying to decide what to do next.
Left the hotel to go get dinner. The Dog & Duck pub. It's one of my favorites. Does a swell job of looking and feeling like a real pub AND serves food. Fish and chips are damn tasty. Good beer selection too. Had a Belhaven Scottish (tap) and a Blue Moon Belgian White. MMMMMMM!!!! Saw Arsenal fan. Found out that the Dog & Duck might be no more in about six months cuz some stupid people want to build condos. BOOOO condos!
Drove to Book People, the largest bookstore in Texas. It's nice. Lots of books. Found a book about John Lydon and decided to buy it.
Went back to the hotel. Dropped stuff off.
At this point, realized that the bikers were all in town for some rally/convention/gathering. It was a ROT (Republic of Texas) Biker Rally. Strongly recommend avoiding locations where this is. Motorcycles everywhere. This means there were numerous overweight, sleeveless, hairy people (and the women who love them) all over town.
Headed back out. Discovered there was some stupid parade that was blocking our path to the club. Had to take detour and saw many, many bikers.
FINALLY found parking spot. Walked to club while keeping a wary eye open for ne-er do wells.
Got to club. Checked name off will-call. Nobody there yet. Decided to wander outside.
Stopped at Bull McCabe's Irish Pub. Had a Guinness. It wasn't bad. Not too cold and no stupid shamrock drawn into the foam. Very pubby feeling inside. Mocked silly youth wearing the tweed snap hat, green Ireland t-shirt, and chain bound wallet... you know... every pub has one.
Headed toward 6th street. Saw what might've been a drug deal... or just four people who were crazy
6th street was blocked off to traffic and was covered with loud motorcycles of all kinds. Street and sidewalks were packed. Very Bourbon street feeling. Walked up to the Driskill Hotel. Checked for ghosts. Picked up loose change on a couch and rested for a few minutes.
Walked back down 6th street. Saw the beginnings of what might have been a domestic violence incident. Saw small children amonst the crowd. Saw bike's getting towed. Saw all manner of inappropriate and nauseating clothing on overweight, hairy bikers (men & women)
Arrived back at the club. Went inside. The first band was playing. Got a Blue Moon and stood at the back and listened.
Band: The Catfish Hunters. Jerm Pollet band #1 for the evening. A slower, bluesy, piano lounge, country thing. Enjoyed it. Jerm played piano and made ridiculous comments in between songs.
Browsed the merchadise booth
Moved to the other side of the bar where there was a good view and a stool.
Watched Jerm walk away in a sport coat and shirt and return momentarily in a t-shirt and pink pants.
Talked to Jerm at the merchadise booth. Told him I drove all the way from Ft. Worth and that he and Lance had better not f*** it up! He assured me they wouldn't. Bought four CD's - The "Footloose" audio commentary by The Sinus Show, the afore mentioned Catfish Hunters debut CD, The Total Foxes, and Missile Command. Paid with check. Jerm gave discount for buying in bulk. (Thanks Jerm!)
More Blue Moon
Next act: The Tricker Treats. This was a one-man act. Dan Potthast (of MU330 fame) did some entertaining songs. KKK adopts a highway song was very funny. He wore black leather pants. Could not have been comfortable. Will have to buy CDs from his website. Perhaps this shameless plug will help.
More Blue Moon. Watched silly young drunk girls hit on Dan at the merchandise booth.
Next act: The Total Foxes. Jerm Pollet band #2. They were fun. Jerm is always amusing. Here he gets to play guitar and sing. Have had one of their songs (Retirement Community) on the iPod for a year or so. Jerm makes unfavorable comment about bikers. We laugh and nod in agreement.
Watched as the crowd got bigger. Saw stupid Ireland shirt boy from McCabe's on the other side of the bar. Watched people. Saw guy with really bad haircut. Briefly saw Lance Fever through the crowd.
Watched Jerm disappear and re-emerge wearing a leather suit, feather boa, and oversized sunglasses. Must have been more uncomfortable that Mr. Potthast's leather pants.
One more Blue Moon.
Moved to the side of the club, out of the way of traffic.
Finally: Gal's Panic.
Started with "Pit", then my favorite, "Ketchup". Quickly burned off buzz by yelling and waving arms in air.
Show continues. Lance's parents are pointed out. I move up a little bit to test my mutant power. Back in the day, we always joked that I could start at the back of the club and before the last song, I would be front and center.
Start feeding off the crowd energy. Yelling/singing more. Bouncing a bit more.
"Skoliosis Skank" The pit starts up. I move in. Within a couple of songs, I'm dead center against the stage.
The rest of the show is awesome. Except for the smoke machines. Lance gets really sweaty and takes off his shirt.
During the show, stupid Ireland shirt boy keeps climbing on the stage and trying to help Lance remember the lyrics. Or perhaps he was just showboating. Or maybe he was just drunk. At any rate, he becomes highly annoying with his repeated visits to the stage. Jerm and Lance put up with a lot.
Main set ends. Band pretends to be done. We all know better. There were no Mummy Cops and the theme song hadn't been played yet. Girl to my right, who had been helping me yell the opening to Mummy Cops, shakes my hand and yells something in my ear that I do not understand.
Encore
Finally... Lance taps the microphone and we get the awesome words "You guys look tough... you guys look mean... but you don't scare me." Look out... it's the Mummy Cops!
Gal's Panic is played. High Fives to the front row. Jerm throws water (or spits, I can't remember now) at us. Bouncer finally comes to retrieve stupid Ireland shirt kid.
Show winds down... I move to the back where my wife has been standing. I stay there for the final song "We've only just begun"
I go say "Hi" to Lance. See Jerm and tell him they didn't suck. Retrieve setlist from the Total Foxes (Jerm wrote it on a paper plate).
Get pen from wife. Return to get Lance to sign it. Lance Fever by the way is also known as Lance Myers and he does computer animation. He worked as a lead animator on "A Scanner Darkly"
Took plate over to merchandise booth. Got Dan to sign it and leave his website
Got Jerm to sign plate. Try not to look at Jerm's butt crack which is now visible from his unzipped leather suit.
Realize I am soaked in sweat. Wife won't hug me. I don't blame her. Need a shower. Suddenly feel somewhat stupid for being a 32-year-old in a mosh pit.
We leave.
See kid puking on street corner. He is smiling.
Retrieve car
Drive back to hotel
Shower (YAY!)
get ready for bed
try to go to sleep to the peaceful sounds of jerky bikers in the parking lot revving their bikes at 3 AM
Wake up. Get dressed. Pack. Leave hotel.
Go to Chez Zee for brunch. Croissant with strawberry butter, dutch chocolate milk, gingerbread pancakes, and country potatoes. Stuffed face. Couldn't finish.
Get on the road. Bypass exciting new toll road. Try and avoid jerky bikers who can't follow traffic rules.
Stop for gas outside of Waco. See chihuahua wearing a San Antonio spurs cap.
Arrive home to happy pups!
Saturday afternoon, loaded up the VW and left the pups with the sitter
Arrived at the hotel around 4:30. Started noticing way too many motorcycles around
Checked-in. Went to room. Sat around trying to decide what to do next.
Left the hotel to go get dinner. The Dog & Duck pub. It's one of my favorites. Does a swell job of looking and feeling like a real pub AND serves food. Fish and chips are damn tasty. Good beer selection too. Had a Belhaven Scottish (tap) and a Blue Moon Belgian White. MMMMMMM!!!! Saw Arsenal fan. Found out that the Dog & Duck might be no more in about six months cuz some stupid people want to build condos. BOOOO condos!
Drove to Book People, the largest bookstore in Texas. It's nice. Lots of books. Found a book about John Lydon and decided to buy it.
Went back to the hotel. Dropped stuff off.
At this point, realized that the bikers were all in town for some rally/convention/gathering. It was a ROT (Republic of Texas) Biker Rally. Strongly recommend avoiding locations where this is. Motorcycles everywhere. This means there were numerous overweight, sleeveless, hairy people (and the women who love them) all over town.
Headed back out. Discovered there was some stupid parade that was blocking our path to the club. Had to take detour and saw many, many bikers.
FINALLY found parking spot. Walked to club while keeping a wary eye open for ne-er do wells.
Got to club. Checked name off will-call. Nobody there yet. Decided to wander outside.
Stopped at Bull McCabe's Irish Pub. Had a Guinness. It wasn't bad. Not too cold and no stupid shamrock drawn into the foam. Very pubby feeling inside. Mocked silly youth wearing the tweed snap hat, green Ireland t-shirt, and chain bound wallet... you know... every pub has one.
Headed toward 6th street. Saw what might've been a drug deal... or just four people who were crazy
6th street was blocked off to traffic and was covered with loud motorcycles of all kinds. Street and sidewalks were packed. Very Bourbon street feeling. Walked up to the Driskill Hotel. Checked for ghosts. Picked up loose change on a couch and rested for a few minutes.
Walked back down 6th street. Saw the beginnings of what might have been a domestic violence incident. Saw small children amonst the crowd. Saw bike's getting towed. Saw all manner of inappropriate and nauseating clothing on overweight, hairy bikers (men & women)
Arrived back at the club. Went inside. The first band was playing. Got a Blue Moon and stood at the back and listened.
Band: The Catfish Hunters. Jerm Pollet band #1 for the evening. A slower, bluesy, piano lounge, country thing. Enjoyed it. Jerm played piano and made ridiculous comments in between songs.
Browsed the merchadise booth
Moved to the other side of the bar where there was a good view and a stool.
Watched Jerm walk away in a sport coat and shirt and return momentarily in a t-shirt and pink pants.
Talked to Jerm at the merchadise booth. Told him I drove all the way from Ft. Worth and that he and Lance had better not f*** it up! He assured me they wouldn't. Bought four CD's - The "Footloose" audio commentary by The Sinus Show, the afore mentioned Catfish Hunters debut CD, The Total Foxes, and Missile Command. Paid with check. Jerm gave discount for buying in bulk. (Thanks Jerm!)
More Blue Moon
Next act: The Tricker Treats. This was a one-man act. Dan Potthast (of MU330 fame) did some entertaining songs. KKK adopts a highway song was very funny. He wore black leather pants. Could not have been comfortable. Will have to buy CDs from his website. Perhaps this shameless plug will help.
More Blue Moon. Watched silly young drunk girls hit on Dan at the merchandise booth.
Next act: The Total Foxes. Jerm Pollet band #2. They were fun. Jerm is always amusing. Here he gets to play guitar and sing. Have had one of their songs (Retirement Community) on the iPod for a year or so. Jerm makes unfavorable comment about bikers. We laugh and nod in agreement.
Watched as the crowd got bigger. Saw stupid Ireland shirt boy from McCabe's on the other side of the bar. Watched people. Saw guy with really bad haircut. Briefly saw Lance Fever through the crowd.
Watched Jerm disappear and re-emerge wearing a leather suit, feather boa, and oversized sunglasses. Must have been more uncomfortable that Mr. Potthast's leather pants.
One more Blue Moon.
Moved to the side of the club, out of the way of traffic.
Finally: Gal's Panic.
Started with "Pit", then my favorite, "Ketchup". Quickly burned off buzz by yelling and waving arms in air.
Show continues. Lance's parents are pointed out. I move up a little bit to test my mutant power. Back in the day, we always joked that I could start at the back of the club and before the last song, I would be front and center.
Start feeding off the crowd energy. Yelling/singing more. Bouncing a bit more.
"Skoliosis Skank" The pit starts up. I move in. Within a couple of songs, I'm dead center against the stage.
The rest of the show is awesome. Except for the smoke machines. Lance gets really sweaty and takes off his shirt.
During the show, stupid Ireland shirt boy keeps climbing on the stage and trying to help Lance remember the lyrics. Or perhaps he was just showboating. Or maybe he was just drunk. At any rate, he becomes highly annoying with his repeated visits to the stage. Jerm and Lance put up with a lot.
Main set ends. Band pretends to be done. We all know better. There were no Mummy Cops and the theme song hadn't been played yet. Girl to my right, who had been helping me yell the opening to Mummy Cops, shakes my hand and yells something in my ear that I do not understand.
Encore
Finally... Lance taps the microphone and we get the awesome words "You guys look tough... you guys look mean... but you don't scare me." Look out... it's the Mummy Cops!
Gal's Panic is played. High Fives to the front row. Jerm throws water (or spits, I can't remember now) at us. Bouncer finally comes to retrieve stupid Ireland shirt kid.
Show winds down... I move to the back where my wife has been standing. I stay there for the final song "We've only just begun"
I go say "Hi" to Lance. See Jerm and tell him they didn't suck. Retrieve setlist from the Total Foxes (Jerm wrote it on a paper plate).
Get pen from wife. Return to get Lance to sign it. Lance Fever by the way is also known as Lance Myers and he does computer animation. He worked as a lead animator on "A Scanner Darkly"
Took plate over to merchandise booth. Got Dan to sign it and leave his website
Got Jerm to sign plate. Try not to look at Jerm's butt crack which is now visible from his unzipped leather suit.
Realize I am soaked in sweat. Wife won't hug me. I don't blame her. Need a shower. Suddenly feel somewhat stupid for being a 32-year-old in a mosh pit.
We leave.
See kid puking on street corner. He is smiling.
Retrieve car
Drive back to hotel
Shower (YAY!)
get ready for bed
try to go to sleep to the peaceful sounds of jerky bikers in the parking lot revving their bikes at 3 AM
Wake up. Get dressed. Pack. Leave hotel.
Go to Chez Zee for brunch. Croissant with strawberry butter, dutch chocolate milk, gingerbread pancakes, and country potatoes. Stuffed face. Couldn't finish.
Get on the road. Bypass exciting new toll road. Try and avoid jerky bikers who can't follow traffic rules.
Stop for gas outside of Waco. See chihuahua wearing a San Antonio spurs cap.
Arrive home to happy pups!
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