My Chemical Romance, April 28th

Posted on April 30, 2008

Back in 1994, I saw Helmet at Bogart’s in Cincinnati.  It was my first club show.  Prior to that, I’d only seen concerts in arenas and amphitheaters.  I was unprepared for just how incredible being stuck in a compressed sea of humanity can be when a kick ass rock band is playing.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I dislike people and tight spaces in almost equal measure, but even I can ignore lackluster conditions for a couple of hours so I can experience a great show.

Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin is a lot like Bogart’s.  It might be an outdoor venue, but it’s not much bigger than that space on Short Vine.  It does have the added bonus of barbeque, however, and the porta-lets are somehow cleaner than Bogart’s underground bathrooms.  I figured it would be the perfect venue to see a band like My Chem.  I was right.

Despite the proliferation of kids and teenagers (worse than people, not quite as bad as college students), it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in years. From the moment My Chem took the stage, they brought a high level of energy that got the entire venue shaking.  Bodies bounced, jostled, and swayed through the entire set.

I’ve seen My Chem three times in the past year, and not once did they appear to enjoy themselves as much as they did in Austin.  Maybe it was the crowd or the break from arenas.  Whatever the cause, there was a joy there I hadn’t seen before.  From bringing out the road crew to provide harmonica and cowbell support on “Teenagers” to the epic build at the beginning of “You Know What They Do to Guys like Us in Prison,” the show was sprinkled with more great rock moments than 1978.  Even without the full scale production of an arena show, My Chem made their set feel something close to mythic.

I spotted a ton of parents at the show, and I think that’s a good thing.  I’m sure it’s safer than dumping their kids off at a venue and hoping for the best, and I’m glad they’re taking an interest in their children.  I couldn’t help but wonder, however, what must have been going through their heads during the aforementioned build, when Gerard Way bent himself over the drum riser and delivered a dramatic presentation of a prison rape.  Did any kids receive a stern talking to post-show?  I hope not.  If nothing else, Way is pretty enough to forgive. 

In Austin, With Ghosts

Posted on April 28, 2008

Saturday night, Shawna and I ventured downtown to check out one of the Austin Ghost Tours.  I am happy to report that the 90 minutes we spent on this tour of the Capitol District was fun, educational, at times more than a little creepy.

In order to clarify, the Capitol District Ghost Tour isn’t a bunch of folks hiding out in buildings with spectrographs and other gadgets, hoping against hope they might take pictures of “orbs” or record “activity.”  Instead, it’s a walking tour that explores the history of Austin, or more to the point the city’s underbelly, the darker facets you don’t normally hear about when folks speak of The Live Music Capital of the World (with a noise ordinance and a no-smoking law).  And really, when just about every downtown bar east of Congress Avenue resides in a building more than 100 years old, who wouldn’t expect some interesting history?

Some of the tour’s history lessons (particularly the abandoned building that used to house the Hard Rock) provided more than a little chill.  Whether this is due to actual history or the skill of our tour guide Monica is up in the air, but I can tell you Shawna and I had a great time.  I’m sure in the future we’ll return to take one of the group’s other tours.

Will I be attending the Austin City Limits Festival?

Posted on April 15, 2008

The ACL lineup was announced this morning.  That means it’s that time of year for me to go through said lineup and decide if I want to go to the festival.

Last year was the first time I’ve wanted to attend ACL.  The lineup was great.  See, at $170 for a pass, I need at least 17 bands I want to see in order for the ticket price to be worth it.  Otherwise, I’m wasting money.

So, let’s go through the lineup, see who I’m intersted in watching, and find out if I’m shelling out the cash or not.

HEADLINERS

1. Foo Fighters
Saw them in both a small club and an arena.  Their last two records bored the crap out of me.  Pass.

2. Robert Plant and Allison Kraus
Is it Led Zeppelin?  No.  Pass.

3. Beck
Saw him at Lollapalooza back in 1994 or 1995.  Great show.  I’d see this one.

Headliner Count: 1

OTHER BANDS

1. John Fogerty
2. The Raconteurs
3.The Mars Volta
4. Silversun Pickups
5. Gnarls Barkley
6. MGMT

And that’s it.  My total comes to seven bands, ten below my goal.  It appears I’ll be saving $170 this year.

I should have bought a SXSW wristband.

I’d love to be a patron…

Posted on April 14, 2008

Yesterday, I hopped in the car with Shawna and her parents and journeyed downtown for the Austin Fine Arts Fair.  I wasn’t quite ready for such an event.  Almost a mile of booths filled with fine art threatened to overwhelm me.  It threatened to beat my bank account to death.

In the space of just over two hours, I found two originals I would love to own.  Sadly, since each was listed at $2700, they were about thirty miles outside my price range.  I did, however, buy smaller prints off of both artists…

Gabe Leonard

Roger Disney

I would love to have the disposable income needed to buy beautiful, original artwork.  The odds of it ever happening are slim, but I suppose there are worse goals out there.

World Horror Schedule Change

Posted on March 26, 2008

Two quick changes to note, for those of you who haven’t left for Salt Lake already….

The New Writer’s Market panel has been moved forward an hour to two o’clock Saturday.

Because of the above change, my reading has been moved to 5:30 Saturday.

See you there!

The Semi-Cryptic World Horror Post

Posted on March 24, 2008

Notes and bulletins about this coming weekend’s World Horror Con.  Offered without clarification.

I’m really looking forward to those two panels.

Yes, I’ll be ignoring you.

Because I don’t like you.

Why am I on that one panel?

Okay, that other panel’s gonna be fun for all the wrong reasons.

Nope.  Haven’t talked to him.  Haven’t heard a thing.

That’s my beer.  No touching.

You, get out of my room.

All right, people.  See you on Thursday!

I always wanted to play SXSW

Posted on March 17, 2008

This past weekend was South by Southwest, Austin’s four day music festival.  Every year, thousands of bands descend on Austin to play as many shows as they can in a short span of time.  In addition to the usual music venues (of which there are a ton), bands end up playing in porn stores, front yards, tattoo parlors, and next to the front door of various restaurants.

I always wanted to play in a band at SXSW.

I first heard about SXSW in 1993.  There was a special report from the festival on MTV news, and it looked incredible.  It looked like this explosion of rock and roll, like Mecca for aspiring bands.  Every year, City Beat in Cincinnati would make special mention of the one or two bands who got to make the trip to Austin.  One year, I was going to be in one of those bands.

In 1997, I was in a band called Radioburning.  We’d recorded a particularly crappy-sounding demo called Gossamer in my garage.  With a fluttering stomach, I filled out the SXSW application and mailed it off with a copy of said demo.  I was convinced the next Spring would see a trip to Austin.  Nevermind we had no press and had only played one show in an actual city (to be fair, we did have almost ten people at that gig).

Any guesses how that application went?

Yeah, so these days I’ve realized my future isn’t in music.  I don’t want to lug drums around or stay out until 3AM on a work night.  I don’t want to schmooze in order to snag an opening slot. 

But dammit, I still wanna play SXSW.  I want to stand on a tiny stage and play with everything I have for forty minutes.  Is that too much to ask?

Yeah, it probably is.

World Horror Panel Times

Posted on March 13, 2008

Barring any last minute fiddling with the schedule, here are my current panel times for the World Horror Convention…

THURSDAY, MARCH 27

3:00-3:50PM
What makes a good horror movie?
(Michael McCarty, Paul Anderson, Eric Swedin)

10:00-10:50PM
Urban legends as fodder for horror stories
(Gerard Houarner, Weston Ochse, Hank Schwaeble, Steven Shrewsbury)

FRIDAY, MARCH 28

6:00-6:50PM
How to write a graphic novel
(Cullen Bunn, Cody Goodfellow)

SATURDAY, MARCH 29

3:00-3:50PM
The New Writer’s Market
(Steven Shrewsbury, James Gurley, Kelli Dunlap)

STAPLE! recovery

Posted on March 3, 2008

Hope you guys weren’t expecting a huge recap.  I can probably give you one, but it’s gonna take a few days/weeks/months/years.  After a week of preparing for STAPLE! and a day recovering from it, I really need to get back to writing.

In a word, my fourth STAPLE! was incredible.  I made more than a few sales, gained a new fan or two, and was told by one con-goer that Drive was his favorite book from last year.  Other than the security guard who thought security meant standing directly in front of my goddamn table, the day was great.

The pre- and post-parties were incredible once again.  The Red Scoot Inn is a great place for a live art show, and I even managed to afford some art this year.  Of course, that means I finished the weekend with the same amount of money I had when I started, but that’s more than I can say about most cons!

And once again it was great hanging out with friends I see occasionally at best.  Rafael, Danielle, Kristian, Brian, Marianne… we’ll have to do it again sometime!

If you sent me a post-STAPLE! email, I’ll be returning them in the next day or two.  Until then, thank you and good day.

Upcoming Appearance: STAPLE!

Posted on February 19, 2008

On March 1st, I’ll be appearing live in front of your steaming eyes at STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo (and best comic con in at least 300 miles).

This will be my fourth year at STAPLE!, but I’m more excited for this year than I have been for any other.  Guests of Honor Brian Wood and Eric Powell are two of my favorite creators working in comics today, and landing them is a great step forward for the con.

This year, I’ll have copies of Drive, A Trip to Rundberg, and Brian Keene’s FEAR at my table, as well as a few copies of The Dead Walk Again!  On top of that, I’ll have a FREE short story chapbook for the first 100 folks to stop by my table.  Come by and pick up a copy.  I’ll be the bald guy drinking hot tea all day.

STAPLE! is being held March 1st, 11am-7pm at the Monarch Events Center on the northwest corner of the I-35/Hwy 290 interchange in North Austin.

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