Headlinin'

We did it! We hit the big time - we headlined a festival! 

No, not ACL. That's this coming weekend, and we admit that we're not quite that big-time. In fact, I suppose if I really look at it up close, it's probably not "big" time, in the sense of the festival being, say, "large" in terms of attendance...or physical presence...or money. It's probably more like "not big" time. Maybe even "small" time.

The festival in question was Manor Fest. Manor is a small (but growing!) town just east of Austin. And apparently they hold a festival every year as a fundraiser for the town. Let's take a look at what this fiesta entails, and you can help us decide on the proper characterization for it.

Manor Fest features:

Delicious bbq, cooked in biiiiiig, Longhorn-themed smokers,

some smokers more Longhorn-themed than others,

and some proprietors a little spicier than others.

It also features:

Chicken Bingo - sometimes called "Chicken Shit Bingo" if that helps explain things.

Number 36, YOU are a winner!

It also involved a t-shirt fundraiser hosted by the Lions Club. The way the fundraiser worked is people donated $5 (or whatever the price was), and in exchange they received a wadded up t-shirt frozen solid. When everyone participating had their frozen, whack-a-mole-club-like t-shirt, a monitor blew a whistle. The goal is to be the first one to get your shirt thawed enough that you can put it on. The first one to get their shirt thawed and on gets to split the proceeds with the Lions Club.

This was an interesting event because it took place not just during our set but directly in front of the stage. Yes, while we were singing, there were a bunch of young boys in front of the stage banging the crap out of frozen t-shirts on the ground. Nothing like competing against kids and animals for attention, folks.

There was one kid who stopped assaulting his shirt long enough to break dance a little during "Billie Jean," though. Here's video of us performing the song while the brutality against cotton commenced. The breakdancing ensues at the 1:54 mark. Kid's got skillz.



So...a stage without an actual "backstage," smokers that look like the thing they're smoking, chicken bingo and kids in front of the stage beating the hell out of shirts stunned into submission by ice. When you put it that way, I suppose this isn't exactly what the Red Hot Chili Peppers will experience headlining ACL this weekend.

Well...whatever, man! We had a good time at Manor Fest! We ate some delicious food, we dealt with some nice people behind the scenes, and several festival-goers hung out for our whole set, singing along, dancing, buying CDs and taking swag. That's a successful event - small or big.

In fact, just talking about good ole Manor Fest gives me a hankerin' for some brisket. Think I'm gonna go find me some bucking good barbecue.