Austin, Day One...

...the specter of home looms large at this point, on the horizon, in the future. I'm not quite sure how bands go out for weeks at a time. I miss my wife, my cats...I miss being at home and the simple chores of everyday living. Being in a different place every day is really taxing -- new sinks, new toilets, new sofas, new surroundings, new streets, new restaurants (mostly bad)...but that's just the side of the coin closest to the floor. The upside is great -- new friends, old friends, my bandmates, the shows, the songs, the other bands, the rooms, the sights, the smells, the good restaurants...

We arrived in Austin around 2pm today and went straight to a houseparty put on by Shannon's friend Jay. Austin is really hot. We all were dehydrated instantly, and quickly switched from Lone Star (which is quite good) to water. Shannon knew five or six people immediately, and went about introductions and catching up. We ate some burgers, hung out, and eventually played in the living room of what's called "The Cue House." We were preceded by really loud hardcore band, which probably drew out a pretty intense set from us. The theremin worked. "Annette" almost came together. Shannon's old buddies (including some former bandmates) really liked it.

Here are Shannon and Clint during another set at the house party:



Shannon is definitely experiencing that strange feeling of coming back to someplace very formative, and seeing how things have continued -- largely unchanged -- without him. It's good and bad...and heavy at times.

The next stop was KVRX, the UT student station. We did an acoustic set, which was a huge relief, given that most of our sets have been really loud lately. We played with surprising finesse. I really liked it. I love knowing we can do that...

Now we're back at Rebecca's friends Del and Blair's house. Nice people, and a comfortable couch. I won't be online long.