Walls are important

Lesson learned at Monday night's gig: walls are important.

This week, instead of a weekend gig, we got crazy with a Monday night gig at a place called Billy's Icehouse in New Braunfels, TX. I admit, I didn't know anything about Billy's, but after we booked the gig, I found out from several people that Billy's is a bit of a legend in those parts. I wasn't sure about playing late on a Monday, but I liked the idea of playing some place legendary, so I got on board.

When we showed up at our gig, though, I discovered that this legendary place was missing two things that I find vitally important for a Central Texas venue in June when temperatures in the triple digits (the high on Monday was 106): air conditioning and walls on two sides to hold in said a/c.

Me, upon arrival at Billy's: Uh...where's the inside?

Johnny: This is it. There's not really an inside. 

Me: Escue me?

Yeah.

Now, outdoor venues (or in this case, partially outdoor) are not at all unusual in Texas, and we play them regularly. But it really helps a person to dress appropriately if you KNOW you're essentially playing outdoors in killer heat. I can also mentally prepare if I know in advance.

But I didn't know. So, I did what any self-respecting woman in jeans with her hair down would have done in similar circumstances. I hung out in the bathroom, which for some reason WAS air conditioned, until it was time to go on.

I gotta start bringing a full slate of emergency outfits for any situation: ripped pants, too cold, too hot, shirt scratching me, etc. Is this why music stars really have big tour buses - for the closet space?

There's no place like home

This weekend we played a gig at a lovely lakeside resort in North Texas. It was about a three-hour drive from Austin if you're not in a hurry, which we try not to be, and the distance brought up an interesting point for a band that travels outside of their home city.

First, let me say that we really enjoyed the gig. Our stage was a deck overlooking the lake, which is a pretty sweet office, and the weather was great (a little too windy, but I'll tackle wind and its annoying properties another time). We had a nice, appreciative crowd, and the staff was very friendly and took good care of us. 

The interesting point that came up was the question of when you stay overnight at an out-of-town gig and when you drive back home immediately afterward.

Runnin' on ROT Rally fumes

We had a huge weekend this past weekend - so huge that it's taken me a couple of days to recuperate enough to write about it. I could've tried yesterday, but it would've been incoherent, and I hate to waste server space on rambling nonsense. I leave that to Kanye West. ("OH! Whaaaat? She did not just dis another artist!" Uh, have you heard what comes out of that man's mouth?)

We had ourselves what I like to call a bit of a Rock n' Roll Marathon this weekend. We worked almost non-stop from 5:30pm on Friday until 1 a.m on Sunday. I think there was a five-hour catnap in there Saturday morning, but that was about it. Luckily, I had taken Friday off from my office job, so I had a chance to rest up before we began this little gauntlet. But here's the rundown:

Live Music Fan 101

We had a fantastic CD release show last night, and I'd like to start this post by thanking everyone who came, who rocked and who bought our EP. In fact, a big thank you to everyone has bought "Sex & Coffee" - we're getting some great feedback! (If you haven't gotten your copy yet, you can remedy that at CD Baby, iTunes or our website, TheStaylyns.com.)

Speaking of feedback, it came to my attention last night that not every live music fan knows the proper etiquette for addressing members of a band when at a show. So, as a public service, I thought I'd offer some pointers. This could be the first in a series, but we'll see what circumstances dictate.