Austin, Texas, March 2017

Wrote this back in March and I don't know why I didn't put this up...

So, I got sent down to Austin for some REALLY boring work: coding for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. I mean, it's work, good work, very easy, low stress. Plus I get to hang out in Austin, Texas, visit friends, eat good food, and see some live shows.

I popped over to Al Lover's pad down in East Austin. Hung out at Hotel Vegas one night and the next night Al's like: "Wanna go to Brian Jonestown Massacre for free?"

"Uh, yeah," I said.

"Cool," he said. "And you can totally crash here if you want. Cause like, we're going to hangout backstage and party with the Black Angels and BJM. And do a lot of drugs."

"Okay," I said and didn't mention I haw work at 8 am in the morning, but that was my problem.

We went down to the Mohawk and BJM was already playing. My first time catching them. They were great, but they played for like three hours. Played so long I wanted them to stop. So I made my way inside the Mohawk where there was a whole other stage. Saw some local hot acts Teevee and Annabelle Chairlegs. Both of them were pretty darn good, even though Chairlegs did a 12-bar blues song that they really shouldn't have done. 

By the time I found Al again in the crowd he was pretty... well, let's just say he was on another level, in orbit somewhere around the moon. I told him he should do what he needed to do. That was the last I saw him that night. Which was fine. He was my back stage pass, and though I would have jumped on, I ended up having a decent morning as opposed to being a wreck from partying all night. So, for that, thank you Al Lover. 

Al's not been down there two years and it's already like he's a local celeb. People greet him on the street, everyone knows him. I mean, he says it's just cause it's a small scene, and that he's been coming down for Psychfest/Levitation events for a while now. Either way, It's a real nice thing to see, someone so tapped in to the local scene. Wish there was more of that in SF.

Also, we stayed up late and Al made some pretty good pizza dough.