Sunday - May 2

Sunday

Driving, driving, driving, all the way from Flower Mound, Tx to Amarillo. Oh man, it had been two years since I'd been through west Texas. I forgot how starkly beautiful it is. I think it must've rained a significant amount while we were in Europe, because the fields were a deep, vibrant green, stretching out as far as you can see. And the sky, well, this is what I was talking about when I said I wish I had more photos. It just seemed enormous. This is all I got, a crude shot from the camera on my Macbook:


The clouds looked as though someone had fattened them up and then stretched them out, pulling them in small wisps down, closer to the earth. It is unspeakably refreshing to drive down a highway free from the sea of fast food restaurants and strip malls. Just open land, all around.

The second highlight of the evening was definitely this place

photo by M. Muller.

The Big Texan. It's the ultimate tourist trap with a gimmick that only the insane would find too good to resist: if you can finish their famous 72 oz. steak, you get it all for free. Ok. Please. Take one moment to remember that 16 oz. makes a pound. Alright. Now consider this steak once more. 72 oz?!?

So of course we went in...And it is hilarious. A country band of very, very, very old men wander about the space, serenading tables with old country classics and hits. The double bass player seems the sassiest, with a furry monkey hanging from the instrument's scroll. The jolly-looking lead singer sauntered by our table, gruffly asking "you folks ready for a song or are you still studyin?" We looked up from our menus and laughed. "Still studyin," he replied. "There's a test on the back."

After paying $15 for chicken strips, macaroni, and a salad, and throwing in $3 for a pitcher of beer, I handed the waiter a twenty dollar bill, silently wondering if I'd lost just a little bit of my mind for paying so much money for what was essentially a Dairy Queen chicken finger basket. Oh well. DQ doesn't have about 50 different taxidermy animals starring down from the wall, complete with a brown bear climbing out of the wall. Or, I should add, an arcade shooting range game where successfully shooting a tiny plastic target likely animates a stage of zombie, disturbing saloon puppets. There was definitely a five dollar charge to sit among the bizarre, but maybe this time it was just about worth it.

MONO Tour

You could say that this post was made due to popular demand. But truthfully, it was by special request. I wish I had pictures because they'd say it better and in about a quarter of the space, but since I don't you'll just have to imagine with me.

We are on the road again, and opening for Japanese band MONO. "Didn't you just get home?" you'll say. And I'll look at you quite straight faced, without words in masked silent reprimand, for asking one of those expendable, conversational pawns of a question. Then I'll smirk and say, "yes."

Retraction. That makes me sound like quite the grouch on the road, but it's not true! I'm actually rather excited to be mini touring through the west. We were home for just a few days. Long enough to get a fix of Texas things: Shiner, tacos, queso, humidity.

Friday night we played a show at Emos Outside that went pretty well. I found the mysterious but literal greenroom that sits at the end of a creepy hallway lined with chain fences. weird. The show was pretty alright. Lots and lots of people, enough to keep me from looking out into the crowd with any sort of concentration. People seemed to be into it, save for the bar crowd, shouting and tossing beer bottles about. But really, its Emos Outside. I expected nothing less, and there by was not dissapointed. But, I did, apparently, look just about 17 years old, according to this guy:

"Once Balmorhea started playing, it was what I expected. I have seen Balmorhea before in different settings, each with different crowds. Most were intrigued at what they were seeing, as it's not everyday that a large of group of 20-somethings, some even younger, see a six-piece indie orchestra."

...I'd love to kid myself, but we all know the "some even younger" comment was without a doubt pointed at me. agh. In the event that this post could somehow set the record straight, I'm 22. For real. Tiny, dollish face perhaps, but nearly 22 none the less.

Sassy. I'm surprising myself with the amount of sass in this post! geeze.

Saturday

Saturday night we played in Dallas at a place called The Loft. So, so fun! We had another large crowd, made extra special by the presence of Mr. & Mrs. Dupree, Austin Dupree and Adam Wright! So fun to see long lost friends and familiar faces.

And Sunday, well, that deserves it's own space, I think.