Hello all, Nino here to give the minutes on our weekend:
A great time this weekend kids! Two great shows, two great cities, three tired as hell musicians and a few hundred miles. For starters: Ian, as you may know, has been at the
SXSW event since last Wednesday, doing whatever it is he does, and having a blast of a time talking all things music with countless industry peers all over the city of Austin. I'm happy to report that Ian met nary a bad personality, and made infinite new friends.
The three of us spent most of the Saturday evening at
The Vibe, enjoying the sounds of
the duo, Mofro, and others (all part of the
Jambase showcase). For a poignant description of the duo's jaw dropping set, do ask Ian. He'd be honored. (Ian also saw our new friends
Jacob Fred Jazz Oddyssey play the night before, too, and I'm sure he'd expound on that too if asked.)
Our own set began at midnight at the
Elephant Room. What a time! Blasted the place with a punchy set complete with my new
pedal antics. Well, some anyway. Playing SXSW was truly an honor and a privilege, and we hope to make a return to that most legendary of Texas music festivals sometime soon.
Sunday night at
Super Happy Fun Land found us playing the South By Due East festival, doing a 100% improv set. Before we got our game on, we were amazed by the sounds of Muzak John and his glorious Casio keyboards and stompboxes. Kneeling on the floor in a wizard hat, he was regaling us with the most intoxicating blend of music/noise/experimental stuff. A more than fitting prelude to our own alternative set, we were most excited to have experienced his work! Our set was totally fun, and the wonderful folks at SHFL seemed to really enjoy it. (I will admit, however, that the set wasn't 100% improv - we finished the night with our staple, "Abbey Rhodes". Everything else was spontaneous, though.) The set was an explosion of sound, all of which hit us right on target. Never cease to amaze me, Nuje and Ian when that happens ... ha!
A fine weekend, all in all. Catch up with you all soon. Peace/love, NINO