West Texas area music calendar

Lots of great shows coming up around West Texas the next few weeks. Here are a few good ones I know about. Send West Texas area music listings to windfarmblog(at)gmail(dot)com if you want your show listed on Windfarm.

Go see Lucero in Lubbock this Sunday if you can. They are one of the better touring bands who regularly visits the Hub City, and even better, The Lusitania will be opening.

Lubbock
Oct. 8 - Hayes Carll - Blue Light
Oct. 10 - Lucero, The Lusitania - Bash Riprocks
Oct. 12 - Thrift Store Cowboys - Blue Light (CD Release)
Oct. 15 - Wovenhand - Bash Riprocks

Midland/Odessa
Oct. 14 - Eli Young Band - Dos Amigos
Oct. 21 - The Deftones - Dos Amigos

San Angelo
Oct. 15 - The Derailers - Steel Penny Pub

Abilene
Oct. 16 - Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - Lucky Mule Saloon

Alpine/Marfa
Oct. 7 - Dale Watson - Padre's
Oct. 8 - Jon Langford - Railroad Blues
Oct. 8 - The Gourds - Padre's
Oct. 9 - Jon Langford - Padre's
Oct. 15 - The Derailers - Railroad Blues
Nov. 3 - Monotonix - Padre's
Nov. 19 - Ray Wylie Hubbard - Railroad Blues
Dec. 3 - Black Joe Lewis - Padre's

Various

Busy at work, plus back-to-back shows in Denver last week make me want to crawl under my desk and stay there until the weekend, and then I got sick over the weekend, and so Monday I think I really did crawl under my desk in a cold medicine haze. My point being that the blog has really been down for the count as a result.

Various notes:

Lucero at the Bluebird - good as always.
Spent too much money, as always.
Didn't feel so hot the next day, as always.

Shooter Jennings as opener for Lucero - hmm, how can I say this nicely? Ok, I can't. Not good. Just not good. Conceptually, I respect that he is trying to do something completely different than his dad's kind of music, but musically, what he is doing sucks. I could have handled 30 minutes of it, but his 90 minute set was horrible overkill.

See a review of the show and photo slideshow of this show here.


No rest for the weary though, as Wednesday night brought Thrift Store Cowboys, Mount Righteous, Amanda Shires & Barton Carroll to the Hi-Dive.

Barton started out the show with his solo acoustic set. He is an interesting guy, and his songwriting has a very literary feel to it (which I mean in a good way), and he deals with some quite heavy subjects. He could probably teach a world history class just by playing his songs.

Amanda Shires continues to come into her own as a songwriter. She played both new songs as well as some off of her most recent record, all with the accompaniment of Colt Miller on guitar.

Mount Righteous brought their 9-piece marching band to the Hi-Dive, and somehow they fit on the stage, and more importantly, the stage did not collapse. It's a super high energy show, and is almost so unclassifiable I am at a loss for describing it further.

Thrift Store Cowboys played a set of mostly new songs, off of the album they have just finished recording at Wavelab Studios in Tucson. Definitely extremely excited for this record, which is tentatively scheduled for a September release.

See photos from Denver Post Reverb blog here.


In other news, Denver's mini-SXSW, The Underground Music Showcase (or The UMS) has just made their first lineup announcement. I'm sure more bands will be announced in coming months, but the lineup already looks great. It's a bit like I imagine SXSW was at the very beginning, i.e. long before showcases were sponsored by energy drinks.

Also, pretty good new What's So Funny? column out today.

I have to admit, I didn't get that excited about Record Store Day this year, largely because there just weren't a ton of releases I was that interested in. This year seemed to have a lot more labels just trying to cash in on the event with boring releases rather than actually putting out something quality. I did get the one thing I most wanted, which was the Bon Iver/Peter Gabriel 7" split. Best find wasn't even associated with RSD, but there was no question I had to get it. Found a copy of Vic Chesnutt's first album Little on vinyl for a really reasonable price. Apparently the record store found a number of copies in the back that had basically gotten buried soon after the album was released, so needless to say, they are worth a good bit more than they were in 1990.

SXSW preview - Lucero

It's a typical tradition of ours to go see Lucero as many times as possible during SXSW, even in cases where we end up missing bands we haven't seen play at all. It's not really logical or rational, but it's just the way things tend to happen.

HearYa.com Day Party,
Beauty Bar, 21+, RSVP required
Friday, March 19
12:00-12:25 The Deep Dark Woods
12:40-1:05 The Mother Hips
1:20-1:45 Lissie
2:00-2:25 Joe Pug
2:40-3:05 The Low Anthem
3:20-3:45 Ben Nichols solo
4:00-4:25 Murder By Death
4:40-5:05 Gringo Star
5:20-5:45 Love Language


Friday March 19 - 5pm
Brooklyn Vegan Party @ Club Deville

Friday (night) March 19 - 12am (midnight)
Lucero Family Picnic / Americana Music Foundation Showcase @ Red Eyed Fly

Lineup:
12am Lucero
11pm Deer Tick
10pm Justin Townes Earle
9pm Glossary
8pm Trampled by Turtles

Saturday March 20 - 6pm
Outdoor Show @ Auditorium Shores
Lineup:
8pm Trampled by Turtles
7pm Justin Townes Earle
6pm Lucero
5pm Deer Tick
4pm Dawes
3pm Kimya Dawson

Zach Galifianakis, this Saturday, on your TV

Forget about SXSW for a second:
Zach Galifianakis is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. Hopefully I won't be disappointed if it's not the greatest episode of all time. Have you watched his children's acting classes from Adult Swim? You should.

If you read Pitchfork:
and don't mind a little statistics. Here's a pretty cool breakdown of their ratings system from Part-Time Music.

It's a long read:
but David Byrne's blog discussing how context, more specifically physical location, affects the type of music that is created was well worth my time.

Another somewhat technical article about music, but quite interesting:
This Slate article discusses how the standardization of pianos has literally made it such that one cannot play some classical pieces as they were written. That is, the construction of pianos was once much more variable, and many famous pieces of music were written on pianos with specific structural characteristics that no longer exist on modern pianos.

Comedy:
is mostly an afterthought at SXSW, but if you're in the mood, former Denver-ite Ben Kronberg will be performing a number of times, and will be well worth your time if you have the chance to hear him.

I didn't realize:
that Willis Alan Ramsey only made one album. Pretty unbelievable, but I guess he was the one in a billion who made one album and was financially set for life.

Horrible news really:
about Roy from Lucero having his jaw broken when he and Brian were mugged. I hope he is able to take adequate time off to heal.

SXSW day parties:
are really starting to stack up. I've not gathered the energy yet to go through the current list.

If you didn't see it:
SNL's "We are the World 3" pretty much hit the nail right on the head.

SXSW preview - 2010 Ground Control Touring showcase

The good folks at Ground Control Touring have assembled one of the better SXSW showcases I've seen thus far. The schedule speaks for itself:

Saturday, March 20th, at Auditorium Shores

3:00 PM - Kimya Dawson
4:00 PM - Dawes
5:00 PM - Deer Tick
6:00 PM - Lucero
7:00 PM - Justin Townes Earle
8:00 PM - She & Him

While SXSW schedules are wont to change, hopefully this one will stay as is. You can find a few more details for this show on the Saturday schedule. Still a bit early for a lot of other showcases and parties to be announced, but they are definitely starting to stream in. The best resource for the free shows is Show List Austin, so stay informed there.

Weather or not you care

Weather really wreaked havoc on touring bands:
in the mountain west this week. I know Langhorne Slim and Lucero had to cancel a number of shows simply because of road closures. I think Langhorne canceled Salt Lake, but then got to Salt Lake the next day trying to make his next show in Boise, but had cancel Boise due to weather, so he ended up playing Salt Lake a night or two later. This is a real nightmare for touring bands, so I hope they are safely back on track now.

We got our fair share of that weather too (around 24 inches of it):
















So much free music out there these days:
so I understand if you don't feel like/don't have time to try out new bands. However, you should give Ha Ha Tonka's Daytrotter session and Dawes' Luxury Wafers session a try if you get the chance.

It was great while it lasted:
but having played their final show, Everything Absent or Distorted is no more. You can, however, get their final EP for free here.

I don't know how long it will stay posted:
but Ryan Adams just announced that he's got a new 7" vinyl record available for sale.

I wouldn't call him obscure:
but Collin Herring has really never gotten due credit for his great songwriting, or for his three great albums either. I was pleased to find out he's just finished his fourth studio album, entitled Ocho, at Ramble Creek studios, which is owned and operated by Britton Beisenherz of Monahans notoriety. Also, pretty cool to see from this photo album, that the album includes backing from not only Beisenherz and Roberto Sanchez of Monahans, but also Will Johnson of Centro-matic, and (I am assuming from the pictures) the man/myth/multi-instrumentalist Todd Pertll. And most importantly, of course the album includes maybe the coolest guy in all of Texas music, Collin's keyboard/steel guitar player and dad, Ben Roi Herring.

Just ran across:
this quite well written article from the 1960s, by Bud Shrake. It ran in Sports Illustrated, but wasn't really a sports article. Rather, it chronicles the growth of the Texas Hill Country up to the mid 60s, and is quite interesting in the portrait it paints, especially knowing how much the area has developed since then. And yes, you can file this one under "completely random."

Lucero - Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins, CO - 10/26/09

Monday’s Lucero show at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins, CO, brought out a number of contrasts for me in relation to the last time I saw them. First of all, Lucero brought a horn section with them to this show, and secondly, I didn’t drink any whiskey. There is a good and bad side to both of these details - some for obvious reasons and for other reasons that I will explain.

This show was my first opportunity to check out the Aggie, a theater that brings in unbelievably diverse acts, as evidenced by the posters on the wall that ranged from Ol’ Dirty Bastard to Robert Earl Keen to Ministry. I suspect this is chiefly a product of being basically the only big venue in town, which consequently allows them to be jerks to you if they feel like it, because you can drive to Denver to see Lucero for all they care.

Another big contrast between this and other recent Lucero shows I’ve been to was the age of the crowd, a result of the proximity of the venue for students from Colorado State, Northern Colorado, and the University of Wyoming. Given the young crowd, I saw a disproportionate number of people who weren’t exactly seasoned whiskey drinkers, and thus, much stumbling, having to leave early, and vomiting in the bathroom transpired throughout the night. Additionally, the combination of youth and whiskey and Lucero created the perfect atmosphere for a mosh pit to develop - the first I’ve seen at a Lucero show. However, the cool head of John C. Stubblefied prevailed in this circumstance, taking the mic to inform these young men that people came to the Lucero show and not to be a part of Ultimate Fighting, and further that the guy in the green shirt was about to be kicked out if he put anyone else in a choke hold. This statement pacified the crowd ever so slightly, but didn't kill the energy for the show either. I wouldn’t have wanted to press my luck with Stubblefield either.

Moving on to the music itself, the biggest addition was that of a trumpet and saxophone player to the mix. Digesting this addition was not all that different from the experience many of us worked through in accepting keyboard player Rick Steff as a relatively permanent addition to the band. We all recoil just a bit because it is a change from the norm, but as most of us did in Steff’s case, we’ll come to a certain acceptance of it eventually. The horns have the best fit in the newest songs, which were recorded with them, and broke new ground on older songs, adding horn parts to songs like “That Much Further West” and “Tears Don’t Matter Much.” The new arrangements were a nice change, but in all their glory, they might have missed in one area, and that was in how hard the songs rocked, for lack of a less clichéd term. I don’t begrudge the band for trying new things, and it wasn’t their fault that the sound at the Aggie is not exactly top notch, but their normal standards just didn’t hit with the same impact as usual.

That said, my complaints about the band’s performance are really quite minimal. Quite impressive, but tangential to the music, were the massive beards they were sporting, with the exception of Steff, whose facial hair was crafted in a style I would describe as “neckburns.” You’d have to see them to know what I’m talking about. The band went on just after 11 PM and didn’t leave the stage for good until around 1 AM, with considerable whiskey consumed in between. It is probably this type of devotion to the fans that makes Lucero so immensely popular, as they play each show as though it is the most important one yet, no matter how many more days they have left on the tour. I’m not sure you need a major label when you’ve got fans like this, but the increasing popularity of Lucero does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Check out the Denver AV Club's interview with Ben Nichols here.

(Photo credit Alan Spearman, courtesy Lucero myspace)

3 (or 4) great shows in 5 (or 6) days

Why does it never fail that months upon end can pass without any worthwhile live shows coming through town, but then in one week, so many come up that I can't possibly fit them all in? I guess there is no good answer for that question, but nonetheless, that seems to be the way it goes.

Three of the 4 bands I want to see are promoting very new albums, while the fourth is simply a Denver standard that one should do him or herself the favor of seeing when given the chance.

Lucero
10/26 - Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins
10/27 - Ogden Theater, Denver

Having seen Lucero many many times in the past, I look forward to hearing a good bit of their new material live. When I saw them in May at the Fox Theatre, the band sounded tighter and sharper than I had ever heard them before. I hope that I can expect the same again, and more importantly, given the Monday/Tuesday shows, I truly hope no one buys me any whiskey.
























Langhorne Slim, Dawes
10/29 - Hi-Dive, Denver

I had the opportunity to hear Langhorne Slim live for the first time earlier this year at the Underground Music Showcase, and his music has grown on me ever since. The new material I have heard thus far is amazing, and his live show should infuse the new songs with even more energy. As an added bonus, I've just begun listening to the debut album from Dawes, entitled North Hills, and am very much looking forward to seeing how their material holds up live.























Slim Cessna's Auto Club
10/31 - Benders Tavern, Denver

Slim Cessna is a treasure of Denver music both past and present. His musical tenure in the city goes back as far as the early 90s, that is, when he was playing alternative country music way before you had ever heard of it. Time has only strengthened the band's sound, and if you've never caught one of their live shows, then you truly don't comprehend what it means for a band to blow the roof off of a venue.

I just ran across this old video of an early iteration of SCAC playing "Hold On." They are a bit of a different band than this now, but pretty cool to recognize how long they've been making great music, and how great their early work has influenced Americana and rock music of today.

A minute minute of minutiae

Why have the Beatles:
been so particular about handling distribution of their catalog all these years, and now all of the sudden they are selling the remastered albums at Starbucks and Whole Foods?

Thanks to a heads up text from Mt. Inadale:
I got to check out Will Johnson playing drums for the Monsters of Folk on the Tonight Show. You can find video of it on hulu, but youtube says that the video isn't available in this country. Will will be touring with them this fall. And yes, I just said "Will will."

And thanks to Centro-matic's Web site:
I heard that Will Johnson, Jim James, and Anders Parker are doing a project a la Mermaid Avenue, in which they are arranging and recording songs using Woody Guthrie lyrics.

Remember when:
Jay Leno retired for 3 months and then started his old job again at an earlier time? Yeah, well, I liked it a lot better when he retired.

Lucero just announced:
that 1372 Overton Park can now be preordered for limited edition blue vinyl copies. PLUS, you get a download of the full album when you buy the vinyl.

For just $10:
you can hear one of Denver's new "buzz" bands, Young Coyotes at this Sunday's Larimer Lounge BBQ. Not a bad price - plus the BBQ is pretty good too.

I'm going to forgive:
the Avett Brothers for not sending my copy of their new album yet, when they've already released it to indie stores -- mostly because they are about the best band around right now, and also because they just released the video for the song "I and Love and You."

The end of the UMS and stuff

Awesome:

Brand new Daytrotter session from the Avett Brothers.

I know you don't care:
but I find it humorous that the FMQB Triple A radio conference that I've mentioned before lost Ben Harper as a headliner and replaced him in the lineup with Mindy Smith.

I told you it would happen:
and sure enough, Visioneers looks to be coming out very soon now that Zach Galifianakis is a mega star. Showings in Denver on July 29th & 30th.

I said I would do a final recap on the UMS:
but I also know you don't care about it that much, especially if you are not from Denver. Let me summarize ever so briefly: 1) The festival is super cheap - $25 for a last minute pass - I think it was like $12 for presale. I've paid more than that for one band. 2) It features some of Denver's best talent and is beginning to bring in some choice national talent. 3) Next year is the 10th Anniversary and I guarantee you they will bring in some bands that will basically be a steal for the money. 4) Enough people will have heard about it 5 years from now that there is no chance your band will get in then, but it just might if you try for next year. 5) South Broadway in Denver in July is about the best place to be in the world.

I think it's funny:
that apparently some people have accidentally happened upon my blog because Google search led them here after searching for the new Lucero album, specifically the search terms "1372 Overton Park" and "download." Not here jerks. You'll never find a leaked album for download here. But you can pre-order the new album from their Web site and get a digital download of 6 songs from the new album right NOW.

The time has finally come to give away some vinyl:
I just sent emails to the winners. Sorry if you didn't win, but the chances were tough, given that a number of people entered, and you CAN always pick up a copy from Vinyl Collective.

If you like funny things (probably safe for work, but let's be on the safe side and say NSFW):
Ben Kronberg is an awesome comic who is originally from Denver. Honestly, I just read about him in the most recent What's So Funny?, but it's pretty awesome stuff.

Stuff, pt. 7

You should have known this would happen:
The ridiculous internet marketers on Twitter have found that they can put the most popular labels on the end of their tweets, so that when you search for "Michael Jackson," you'll get a ton of links on how to make $500 online every day. You had to know that these people would ruin twitter before long Michael Jackson Harry Potter Moon Michael Vick.

Being from West Texas:
I always love a good article on Stanley Marsh 3. The link is to a recent article from the Toronto Star.

I'll come clean right now:
I skipped the second night of the Underground Music Showcase, partly because I won tickets to Wovenhand at the Fox, and partly because I didn't think I could make the late night Denver-Boulder drive 4 nights in a row.

The Wovenhand show:
was okay. Not really anything happened warranting a full account. Crowd was made up of mostly old dudes, and the band was very tight, although they seem to avoid playing some of their best older material. And this is coming from someone who really likes his newest album. Oh well.

Who would've thought:
that the Jim Ward duet with Tegan Quin, on his new In the Valley, On the Shores, would be so good? Probably not me, but it is really good.

Just linked up with an old friend:
from the time before I quit the music business for the first time, and probably hadn't talked to her since some time before I quit the music business for the second time. If you live in the DFW area and want to know the best events going on, check out her blog the Fine Line.

Dear bands who think it is still 2005:
sending out random myspace friend requests to get people to listen to your band doesn't work these days. Consider yourself lucky if any of your actual fans even use myspace anymore.

I guess because of Lucero's new album:
Ben Nichols may not be on the next Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan and company. Have seen some concert listings though that indicate Jim Ward (Sleepercar, Sparta, ATDI) is going to be one of the other headliners.

Sorry for this, really:
but have you ever thought about who the person was who decided to use the "@" symbol in emails? Was probably a fairly random decision, but I bet that person is sure proud of him/herself now.

If you haven't bought:
your $30 (+ service charge) Gomez tickets for the Boulder FMQB Radio Summit, you'd better hurry. The $45 Ben Harper tickets already sold out. Have a great time - don't think I'll make it out.

Grumbling and stuff

I wanted a vinyl copy of the Jim James tribute to George Harrison:
released under the name Yim Yames, until I found out it costs $35. The CD plus the download is just $10. I mean, I know that some of it goes to charity, but $35 for 6 tracks and a t-shirt?

$35 -- Seriously?
If it was maybe $20, I'd totally be on board, but now I think I'd rather just have the $6 download.

Have I ever told you:
how much I hate when people use the phrase "rock and roll" or "that rocks!" or "s/he is a total rock star" in the everyday workplace or in casual conversation? No? Well, I hate all those phrases and how they have tricked us into thinking our office jobs "rock" in the same way Zeppelin "rocked" in the 70s. Don't even get me started on the energy drink...

And then:
there's the phrase "we partied like rock stars." Just because you got too drunk and (insert stupid behavior), that doesn't make you a rock star, and alternately just makes you a sad 16-48 year old.

Big announcement from Lucero:
New album out on Oct. 6th, entitled 1372 Overton Park. One track is up on their Web site.

For fans of Fleet Foxes:

You Ain't No Picasso posted a pretty sweet live recording of a Robin Pecknold set, in which he performs a number of covers, including songs by Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, and B.B. King.

This Tuesday, 7/21:
You can catch the Flatlanders on Late Night with David Letterman.

This isn't breaking news:
but I have to commend the Monolith Festival for their recently announced headliners: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Mars Volta. Nice to see a mid-level festival that focuses on bringing in fairly relevant indie bands, and, I think, taking a gamble by bringing in so many other bands that are largely unknown.

Why I need a chaperone at Lucero shows

Alternate titles:

Why I got evicted after the Lucero show.

Who ordered all the whiskey?

Could I get a wholesale discount on some of this?

I'd like to return a few of these items.

Stuff, part 12

I'm not sure that it merits an entire review:

but Lucero's show at the Fox Theatre on 5/30 was hands down the best I've ever heard the band sound. Ben and the guys drank in moderation, and it really showed as they played every song spot on. Sure it lacked the high elevation drunkenness that tends to ensue at their shows, but musically, I was more than exchange debauchery for the perfectly performed set.

What I should have titled my previous blog about The Hangover:
"The Hangover (the movie, not the one from the Lucero show)"

Have you noticed that strike anywhere matches:

don't really light on anything except the striking surface on the box?

I just can't pay for them:

but I'll have to admit I put in to win tickets to 3eb this Friday in Denver.

For those of you who have been chomping at the bit for any and all Avett material (even if it's not new songs):

fuel.tv just posted videos of recent performances of "Color Show" and "Salina."

Very soon:

I'll be posting info about the upcoming Thrift Store Cowboys/One Wolf 7" split vinyl.

Sorry if you hate sports and/or UT:

but this is a good story.

Am I the only one:

who feels a little sad for the Lemonheads for going from being a pretty big grunge band in the 90s who probably played to pretty large audiences to playing 200 person capacity clubs 15 years later? I guess everyone's got to pay the bills somehow.

Forgot to mention:

how cool it is that Bob Dylan mentions Billy Joe Shaver on his new album. Read Shaver's thoughts on the shout out here.

I've been trying to find more info:

but the last update I've heard on Shaver's shooting case was that he was indicted back in September of 2008. Otherwise, news on the subject has completely fallen off the radar. I guess this is probably a case of the wheels of the legal system turning very slowly. Hopefully it will get settled out of court and go away. Whatever actually happened, Shaver's an icon and Texas needs him.

Don't miss:

the Cory Branan/Jon Snodgrass split 12". It will probably sell out at some point in the not too distant future. And also, what's this about Cory's next record coming out on a "much bigger label?" That's fantastic news, but I'd heard nothing about it until the passing comment by VC.

Seen:

Old Chicago restaurant neon sign where the "ago" was no longer lit. The joke possibilities are endless.

Four poets, two revivals, and a request for less beer and more whiskey

I've been meaning to write up a few shows for a while, but time hasn't really allowed for it. That's where it really benefits everyone that no one reads this blog anyway.

First off, almost 2 months ago now, was the Junkyard Ghost Revival. This is the fantastic spoken word tour that made the rounds for about 6 weeks across this nation. Although many guests joined the tour at various stops, the Boulder incarnation of this show featured Derrick Brown, hometown favorite Andrea Gibson, Anis Mojgani, and Buddy Wakefield. I was primarily there for Buddy Wakefield, followed by Andrea Gibson, and otherwise knew little about the other two. What we got was an awesome night of spoken word performance. (Called Slam Poetry by some, but it seems that word is out of vogue these days, which is just fine by me.) The great thing about this night was the great diversity of performances - something most wouldn't expect from a show with four spoken word artists. Nonetheless, no one disappointed. Anis showcased his strong suit, which is a quieter and maybe more introspective tone, while Derrick Brown often jumped back and forth over the line between poetry and some...sort...of...performance art or something. It's quite a unusual style, at least from my other experiences, and I was impressed by his near effortless transitions between humor and deeper emotions. Buddy Wakefield and Andrea Gibson, who possess what I consider slightly similar styles really brought out some incredible pieces and reinforced my whole reason for being there. One particular piece by Andrea Gibson, that I think she indirectly dedicated to Buddy, might have been the highlight of the night. It's one of those great experiences that I can't even recall that much about, and since I don't think there is even a youtube link of it, you'll just have to trust me that it was sensational.

Next up was the Revival Tour, featuring Ben Nichols, Chuck Ragan, Tim Barry, Jon Snodgrass, and Austin Lucas. For this collection of songwriters, my primary interests were in Ben Nichols and Jon Snodgrass, lead/co-lead singers of Lucero and Drag the River, respectively. Safe to say that this night did not disappoint. The highlights were probably as much Ben Nichols' in between song banter as anything. At one point, someone brought him a PBR, to which he thanked them but noted that beer just fills him up and thus, whiskey would be preferable. As usual, Jon from DTR played some great songs, although I wasn't close enough to request "Crocodile," which was a shame.

Don't know how long it will stay up, but a set list and recording of the show has been posted on the Lucero message board here and here. The first posting is an expired download link I think and the second is a FLAC download, which I think should be of better quality for those of you who still fight the futile fight to get good sound quality out of digital recordings. If you can get it, there's a great cover of Townes' "Colorado Girl" that Ben sings.

While I wasn't there to experience the event, sounds like the Lubbock Revival tour was quite the spectacle. A brief description of it can be found here. However, I don't think this does it justice, so hopefully you can find someone who went to describe the madness of the night.