Tucson, AZ

Last we checked in we were driving from Tempe to Tucson and it’s now Sunday March 21st and we’re recovering from SXSW at a friend’s house in Austin, TX. I will do my best to recap the last week of activities by city, but I’m not sure where to begin as before this week I wasn’t sure this many experiences were possible in such a short time. Anyways, after a scenic little drive from Tempe we pulled into the Saguro National Park to our friend Paul’s house in Tucson. The adobe style house (which Paul built himself) was by far one of the coolest homes we’d ever seen with 360 degree rooftop views of hundreds of Saguros (the fork pronged cactus) and crazy shaped mountains and hillsides, a bonfire pit and beautiful swimming pool in the backyard, and incredible living room views of the city of Tucson in the distance. We definitely did not expect to be staying at places as cool as this when we started and have since stayed with some of the coolest people at the nicest and most unique homes in the areas on this trip so far. (More on that in a bit) Paul and his girlfriend Brie barbecued a bunch of tri tips for us and we ate and drank like kings all night while smoking cuban cigars in the jacuzzi. It was an awesome recharge after a couple long drives and Paul and Brie were incredibly generous and kind to us. The next day we drove to White Sands, New Mexico and relaxed/shredded the white sandy dunes with sleds and Natty’s. We heard massive explosions from a testing facility nearby which was the site of the atomic bomb testing in 1945. It was an interesting mix of eeriness and extreme beauty, and one of those things in nature you can’t fully comprehend but glad you witnessed.

San Angelo, TX

We pulled into Fiddlestrings Bar in San Angelo at about 2am the night before we played there for St. Patty’s Day. The bar had just closed as we were getting there and we slept in the RV in the parking lot that night. As we were getting ready to sleep we heard pretty much every remaining truck in the parking lot peel out and speed off into the night and it was obvious people partied pretty hard at this bar. The next morning we woke up to the local radio guy Ray who had helped us set up the show and the owner of the bar knocking on the RV with a 12 pack of donuts and news that they had gotten us a couple suites at the Comfort Suites down the road. We checked in and took showers and then got some lunch with a big group of people from friends in San Angelo that got us the shows and the Origaudio crew and then got a bunch of St. Patty’s gear. We had no idea what to expect with our first Texas crowd and Haircut looking like Angus Young meets a Leprachaun version of Yosemite Sam. Luckily us California boys got a little bluesy, folky soul to what we’re doing and it went over really well with a nice mix of originals, party songs, and Irish jigs and a really great crowd. We dipped into our pay a bit with the Irish Car Bombs and green beers and were half expecting a Blues Brothers moment where we end up owing the bar money, but it all worked out and we sold a bunch of cd’s which is always cool. The next day we fought hangovers with Keystone Lights, burgers, and shotgun blasting at a new friend’s ranch down the road from the venue. We all took turns shooting skeet and eventually T-Bone busted out a glock and exploded a couple Cacti. We heard some of the most quality jokes and one liners from the Texan radio dudes we were kicking it with and again were with what had to be some of the coolest people in town at an awesome place. On our way out of the ranch we came across a dead armadillo on the side of the road. None of us had ever seen one of these things before and after 10 minutes of T-Bone’s insistant pleas to take the armadillio with us in a plastic bag in the RV as our new mascot, we came up with the compromise of attaching him to the grill of the RV. We recently flipped a coin and his name is Rodney. It rained a couple days ago and brought him back to life a bit which could get interesting next time we go to use the A/C. The next night we played at The House of Fifi DuBois and all we knew was that it was a vintage clothing and furniture store. It had a little stage and was massive and they had a keg of beer and Mexican food for us and the crowd. Even with a pretty small crowd, the show was one of the best of the tour so far with great acoustics and a mellow, laid back vibe that allowed us to do some acoustic songs and Pablo to play stand up bass. The crowd response and energy was really amazing and it felt like an intimate living room session with people sitting at tables and chair sets from the 60’s and 70’s and the BYOB policy didn’t hurt the feel either. The owners Tony and Fifi were extremely generous and awesome and let us crash at their ridiculously cool loft decked out with rare and vintage furniture and decorations. They extended an offer to record there at their loft and we will most likely take them up on that offer. Anyways, San Angelo was probably our favorite stop so far with the overwhelming hospitality, shotgun blasting, and awesome new friends Sarah, Ray, Chuck, Steve, Toni, Fifi, and many more….we’re hoping to come back here for some pool party shows in May.

Austin, TX (SXSW)

We left San Angelo at 4:30am and got into Austin at 9 for our load in at 10am so needless to say we were a bit strung out. The show Friday was a rooftop party at Union Park and was a bit on the outskirts of the sxsw festival and most of the day was a bit rough crowd wise. We were really stoked to see our good friend (and artist who painted the See America album cover) Kris Doe who flew in from California and surprised us at our RV parked outside of the venue before the show. When it was finally our time to play we had a good crowd and with the Austin skyline behind us and the sun going down Pablo strattled the top of the fence on the roof and got everybody into it from the start. The show was definitely fun, but not exactly what we had hoped for as far as sxsw. Luckily, the next day’s show was incredible. The Flamingo Cantina venue was in the heart of 6th street and, although the streets weren’t as packed as usual due to a cold, rainy day, we had a packed house for our set and it seemed almost like a Downtown Brew show in terms of energy. The crowd, most of which had never seen us before, cheered really loudly after each song (especially at the end of the set) and it was encouraging to see so many new faces digging the music and singing the words. At the end of our set we realized that Ben Kweller (amazing musician check him out if you don’t know him) and Chris Walla (guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie) were at the show – we gotta meet them for a bit and they were really cool dudes. Also, T-Bone got wind that John Popper of Blues Traveler just finished a set down the street and he was able to reconnect with him (Bone’s hung out with him a couple times before). Popper was stoked to see Bone and they discussed doing some jamming together and some Blues Traveler/Still Time shows which would, of course, be insanely sweet. So Saturday in Austin was a great day all around and at night we kicked it with the Origaudio crew and did some adult bevs while dancing to some serious gangsta beats at a downtown bar til close. It has been a life changing experience for all of us so far and, although we’re exhausted, we’re getting some much needed rest at our friend Lisa’s beautiful home in Austin and getting geared up for many more stories and crazy nights to come.