SXSW: TALES OF EXCESS AND WHOA
This is Fred Speakman, guitar player for Zero Down, and vocalist/guitar/keyboard player for The Beltholes. I landed in Austin straight off off the spaceship Greyhound last Wednesday after a three-day bus ride. It was probably one of the most humbling experiences that I have had in my life...a test of patience and planning. I chose to go Greyhound to try and save money.
God had plans for me on the bus. One of them is to test me, by depositing the filthiest,stinkiest, ugliest, meanest human beings known to man into the seat next to me at every stop. Sometimes, I was even looking forward to it, because I became used to it. Bring it on God! Give me the big prize! Give me the people that gurgle blood when they cough, and smell like putrid ass. Any claustrophobia-like mentally that I have experienced on tour or any that I go on in the future will be nothing compared to this.
However, I am now used to this traveling thing. I could probably take a bus to Tel Aviv if I wanted to. A certain survival instinct takes over. you learn who to sit next to/not to sit next to. For instance, NEVER sit next to anyone bigger than you if you have a choice. They will NOT give you the aisle seat. They will get up every time, make you sit by the window, and then they will sit down and CRUSH you! Your knees will ache, your brain will quake, your other arm will have nowhere to go, except to clutch your other arm resting against the window, so that you end up looking mentally disadvantaged...and you will be physically damaged when you walk off the bus to stretch.
Then, they kick you off of the bus nightly for routine cleanings, in the middle of nowhere. Then you have to talk to crack addicts, prostitutes, ex-convicts, etcetera. Yep, it's everything that you would expect. Uh huh...I met an ex-convict, and I even met a prostitute on the bus. I also met a guy that smelled like ass. Unfortunately, that guy was me.
I also met a really cool 23 year old Iraq War veteran, who I made friends with, whon denounced the war. He had a few shrapnel scars on his face, and had the guts to say that joining to fight in the war was a mistake. The guy just had a really good aura around him, and we had some side-splitting conversations about conspiracy theories. I also turned him onto Deep Purple, which was worth the whole trip for me.
On Wednesday, I met up with my bandmates Kurt Bloch, Kwab Copeland, Tony Clemente, and some friends we know from Austin, including Ian Moore, and I proceeded to lose my SXSW viginity. It's hard to pace yourself here. It's one big old non-stop party. I don't even remember some of the bands that we watched. I wonder if they have bands play at the AA meetings here.
Thursday, I saw Kurt Bloch's new band Thee Sgt. Major III play at the Longbranch Inn. Go see them. You can't help but smile when you witness the inpterplay between their two lead singers Leslie Beattie and Bill Coury. There's Kurt...you all should be aware that he's up there with the likes of Pete Townsend and the stressing of his pop rock prowess cannot be denied. the rhythm section of Jim Sangster and Mike Musburger seals the the Mason jar lid onto this tasty jar of peaches. I was a Kurt fan before I started playing in bands with him, so it's extra special for me personally.
My band The Beltholes played sometime after at the same show. After that, one day led into the other. Bars, parties, introductions made to people with names I and they undoubtedly will forget...all of this either makes a huge impression, or leaves a pretty deep party scar.
I saw THE MEATMEN at The Emo's Annex. Wow. Never thought that I would ever get to see them. They never play Seattle. Tesco Vee wore his "Dutch Hercules" outfit, and belted "Tooling For Anus". That pretty much summed it all up for me, and was worth the bus ride down.
Of course, there was Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands....and so many others that I saw and even forget the names of. One good mention is Sally Crewe from Austin. Great songwriter, great talent, nice lady.
Whoa. My senses and ears are still ringing, and my over-abused body is making me pay for my over-indulgences. After The Beltholes played again on Saturday afternoon, I pretty much told myself to get prepared for the bus ride home.
So, here I am. Sunday morning, 7:00 am. I cannot sleep. The rest of the guys never made it back to the hotel. They either stayed at a friends and partied...but I'd like to think that it was simply tramatizing to try and sleep through my very loud snoring that I put them through last night. Sorry guys.
Anyway, thanks for reading all the way to this point. Hope you found some of this interesting, informative, whatever, even though the facts were a little spotty, as my current mental capacity is faltering. If anything interesting happens on the bus ride back, you'll be the first to know. I'm riding the bus, so you won't have to. GO GREYHOUND!
God had plans for me on the bus. One of them is to test me, by depositing the filthiest,stinkiest, ugliest, meanest human beings known to man into the seat next to me at every stop. Sometimes, I was even looking forward to it, because I became used to it. Bring it on God! Give me the big prize! Give me the people that gurgle blood when they cough, and smell like putrid ass. Any claustrophobia-like mentally that I have experienced on tour or any that I go on in the future will be nothing compared to this.
However, I am now used to this traveling thing. I could probably take a bus to Tel Aviv if I wanted to. A certain survival instinct takes over. you learn who to sit next to/not to sit next to. For instance, NEVER sit next to anyone bigger than you if you have a choice. They will NOT give you the aisle seat. They will get up every time, make you sit by the window, and then they will sit down and CRUSH you! Your knees will ache, your brain will quake, your other arm will have nowhere to go, except to clutch your other arm resting against the window, so that you end up looking mentally disadvantaged...and you will be physically damaged when you walk off the bus to stretch.
Then, they kick you off of the bus nightly for routine cleanings, in the middle of nowhere. Then you have to talk to crack addicts, prostitutes, ex-convicts, etcetera. Yep, it's everything that you would expect. Uh huh...I met an ex-convict, and I even met a prostitute on the bus. I also met a guy that smelled like ass. Unfortunately, that guy was me.
I also met a really cool 23 year old Iraq War veteran, who I made friends with, whon denounced the war. He had a few shrapnel scars on his face, and had the guts to say that joining to fight in the war was a mistake. The guy just had a really good aura around him, and we had some side-splitting conversations about conspiracy theories. I also turned him onto Deep Purple, which was worth the whole trip for me.
On Wednesday, I met up with my bandmates Kurt Bloch, Kwab Copeland, Tony Clemente, and some friends we know from Austin, including Ian Moore, and I proceeded to lose my SXSW viginity. It's hard to pace yourself here. It's one big old non-stop party. I don't even remember some of the bands that we watched. I wonder if they have bands play at the AA meetings here.
Thursday, I saw Kurt Bloch's new band Thee Sgt. Major III play at the Longbranch Inn. Go see them. You can't help but smile when you witness the inpterplay between their two lead singers Leslie Beattie and Bill Coury. There's Kurt...you all should be aware that he's up there with the likes of Pete Townsend and the stressing of his pop rock prowess cannot be denied. the rhythm section of Jim Sangster and Mike Musburger seals the the Mason jar lid onto this tasty jar of peaches. I was a Kurt fan before I started playing in bands with him, so it's extra special for me personally.
My band The Beltholes played sometime after at the same show. After that, one day led into the other. Bars, parties, introductions made to people with names I and they undoubtedly will forget...all of this either makes a huge impression, or leaves a pretty deep party scar.
I saw THE MEATMEN at The Emo's Annex. Wow. Never thought that I would ever get to see them. They never play Seattle. Tesco Vee wore his "Dutch Hercules" outfit, and belted "Tooling For Anus". That pretty much summed it all up for me, and was worth the bus ride down.
Of course, there was Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands....and so many others that I saw and even forget the names of. One good mention is Sally Crewe from Austin. Great songwriter, great talent, nice lady.
Whoa. My senses and ears are still ringing, and my over-abused body is making me pay for my over-indulgences. After The Beltholes played again on Saturday afternoon, I pretty much told myself to get prepared for the bus ride home.
So, here I am. Sunday morning, 7:00 am. I cannot sleep. The rest of the guys never made it back to the hotel. They either stayed at a friends and partied...but I'd like to think that it was simply tramatizing to try and sleep through my very loud snoring that I put them through last night. Sorry guys.
Anyway, thanks for reading all the way to this point. Hope you found some of this interesting, informative, whatever, even though the facts were a little spotty, as my current mental capacity is faltering. If anything interesting happens on the bus ride back, you'll be the first to know. I'm riding the bus, so you won't have to. GO GREYHOUND!
Comments
posted on Mar 16 at 3:18 pm
Think we're all gurgling blood after the last few days. Whoa indeed. Have a safe trip, Master Speakman! Next year our bands'll be mega and they'll fly us FIRST CLASS, baby. x
posted on Mar 16 at 9:32 pm
Sounds like a crazy time and an affirmation of why I'll continue to try to stay away from Greyhound!
posted on Mar 17 at 12:45 pm
I took a hilarious picture of tesco v. I asked him when FEAR would get back together. He didn't know.
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