Never say never—especially when it comes to a music based challenge involving your favorite active live touring band (I think³).

First Show: Friday 3/13/26, Yeti Flagship, 2:40pm

“Not my first night in a hometown hotel…”

In 2024, the first of eight Pink Stones shows was how I kicked off my SXSW experience. In 2026 I was already 2 days and 8 bands deep with old pal Nate Pepper in town from Houston⁴ and along for the ride. The act immediately preceding the Stones here were local Austin darlings Grocery Bag. Pretty good but VERY LOUD, making for a jarring juxtaposition when The Pink Stones led off with three quiet, brand new songs before dipping into last year’s Thank The Lord… for the second half of the laid back 7 song set.

Yeti (and its cooler supported stage⁵) is always a wonderfully weird place to catch a SXSW showcase and dip a toe in to the whirlwind to come. Also, Adam cut his hair.

Rank: #7

Second Show: Friday 3/13/26, East End Ballroom, 5:30pm

“Like the four gray walls of where we have to stay…”

A jaunt across town (with a stopover for a tasty muffuletta at ABGB during Bob Schneider’s set ala 2024) brought us to part two of day one’s doubleheader. I’d never been to the East End Ballroom before. Neat little venue, but calling it a ballroom is generous to say the least since the place was about the size of this webpage.

Sound was surprisingly good for a makeshift space. Band was augmented with John Cherry on keys, and the dancers made the most of the limited floor.

Set was slightly longer, kicking off with the same seven songs from Yeti in the same order but tacking on “Real Sad Movies,” “If I Can’t Win (With You),” and “Hometown Hotel” with the extra time.⁶

So far we’re squarely in line with the Pink Stone SXSW tradition of debuting unreleased new stuff and skewing towards the most recent album, but the fest is still young…

Rank: #6

Third Show: Saturday 3/14/26, The White Horse Outdoor Stage, 9pm

“I put both feet down on it, and headed back your way…”

2024 & 2025 included some surprisingly long for South By full length sets, though most of this 2026 run consisted of 30-45 minute slots. Tonight’s White Horse performance was the longest at exactly an hour. Same core setlist as the first two shows, but the expansion continued as it grew from 7 to 10 and now 14 songs. First two albums got repped, as did the classic one-two closing punch of “Baby, I’m Still Right Here (With You)” and “Barroom Blues.”

More The Pink Stones setlists

A fun extended set on a pleasant evening is peak SXSW. Can’t wait to catch a full headlining gig later this year when they can really let loose.

Rank: #3

Fourth Show: Sunday 3/15/26, Punch Bowl Social, 2:30pm

“‘Let’s sit down, and let’s get spent…”

I walked into Punch Bowl Social to find Hunter & Caleb sitting at a table near the entrance. This one was going to be just them playing as a duo by request of the promoter/venue. I replied I was going to ask for a curve ball but guess I didn’t have to.

The set was jokingly called the “Electric Duo Experience” before later modifying the last word to “Experiments.”⁷ Either way, it was something new that infused the dreamy trippiness of the debut record into the newer songs in a groovy kinda way.

“Blueberry Dream” made an appearance as the opening number with “Thank The Lord” as closer. The brand new songs came towards the end vs. the start. Slightly different arrangement made me notice what I thought was a line that went “one or two for me and one for you” was actually “one or ten for me…”, making a gut punch of a breakup drinking song even more so⁸.

A new-ish bit this tour has been adding a little of “Friend of the Devil” to the “Too Busy” jam. A table full of folks near the stage went from chit-chatting to rapt attention as soon as this kicked in and seemed to enjoy the rest of the set.

My only nitpicky quibble was overhearing talk of playing “Stoned & Alone” got my hopes up, but a late start and a need to boogie to the next leg of today’s second booking caused it to get cut. Such is the way of the South By lightning round. Fun change of pace as we hit the midpoint.

Rank: #2

Fifth Show: Sunday 3/15/26, Hole in the Wall, 4:15pm

“Now I drive alone in the car your friends always hated…”

I hitched a ride with the band in their van since we were going to the same place on a tight schedule and they had an extra seat. Hole in the Wall is an iconic venue adjacent to the UT campus I somehow never went to before a couple days prior when I caught Danny Malone on their back outdoor(ish) stage. Today The Pink Stones played⁹ the smaller indoor stage by the bar. I parked the van while they set up, jokingly requesting “Time’s Standing Still” as my fee and they happily obliged.

Bookending this set with sister songs “Time’s Standing Still” & “If I Can’t Win (With You)” in a classic venue on an unseasonably warm day made this my favorite show of the run.

Rank: #1

Sixth Show: Monday 3/16/26, Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue, 9pm

“Until a storm came through and blew off all the walls…”

If a blue norther is a Texas weather phenomenon where temperatures drop 20-30 degrees in a matter of hours/minutes, a pink souther is when the temperature swings 50 degrees between two Pink Stones concerts. We went from 98 degrees at Hole in the Wall to 46 at Lambert’s 28 hours later. Brrrr!

The wacky weather plus new song “Stormy Afternoons” in its typical second slot had me thinking it would’ve been a good day for a themed setlist of weather related songs. Didn’t fully finalize this concept until a few days later, but here are some potential selections.

(Open with “Stormy Afternoons,” play the also unreleased “Oh We Could’ve Had It All” second to last, and otherwise it’s this playlist)¹⁰

Actual setlist was the same tried & true core seven from most shows, with “Real Sad Movies” and “If I Can’t Win (With You)¹¹” to close. (The East End Ballroom set, minus “Hometown Hotel”). Since when can a weatherman predict the weather, let alone a setlist?

Rank: #4

Seventh Show: 3/17/26, High Noon, 5:30pm

“And 5 o’clock is such a sight…”

I declined yesterday’s after show invite to hang out at either Sam’s Town Point or The White Horse because I had to start work early in order to leave early to make it to this penultimate matinee. Got slightly delayed on a client call and had more traffic than anticipated, but walked up to the venue and got my wristband 2 minutes before showtime to keep the streak alive¹². Phew!

Fun fact: bassist Adam accidentally left his pedals at Lambert’s the night before and played this gig without them.

“Best Paste Party Ever” might be hyperbole, but the abbreviated set started with the standard opening five before skipping “Hard to Kill” and “Cold Eye of Leaving¹³” in favor of “Real Sad Movies” and “Can’t Win”—the latter taking on closing duties for the third consecutive show. (I am starting to dig it as the set-ender.)

I saw more people singing along and/or filming than I had at any of the other gigs. “Real Sad Movies” had one woman in the crowd near tears (hopefully of joy?) with the song doing it’s titular job.

RANK: #8

EIGHTH SHOW: 3/17/26, The Continental Club, 11pm

“I hate to break it to you but I don’t think I’m coming back…”

And so we’ve come to the end of another epic run…

Having some of my own time to kill between gigs, I tagged along with the band to see The Bures Band play at Zilker Brewing¹⁴ before hitching another van ride to Continental (with a stopover at Lambert’s for Adam’s forgotten gear). In gratitude for the rides, the jams, the general joy, and letting me play groupie/roadie/obsessive weirdo for the extended weekend I treated the band to Home Slice Pizza as a show of thanks¹⁵.

Also ran into former Pink Stones drummer Gideon Johnston at the club, playing the same Athens in Austin show with two other groups. He amusingly said “I knew they were going to be here, but forgot that meant you’d probably be here too.” My reputation precedes me. I’ll take that as a compliment

I was bummed to miss last year’s Continental gig, so excitement was high for this one. Despite some sound issues on stage it played great in the crowd. “Cold Eye” returned, as did “Hometown Hotel” and traditional closer “Baby, I’m Still Right Here (With You)” to put a bow on SXSW.¹⁶

RANK: #5

Stealing 2024’s final sentiment since I can’t say it much better: You don’t go see a band eight times in seven five days if they’re just okay¹⁷. I’ve been to enough shows in my life to sense when there’s magic in the air, and it was off the charts here no matter the size of the crowd or the time of the set. Of course I’d take a different oldie every night to spice things up, but I also wouldn’t trade the memories of the rockin’ week(end) I had for anything. See ya next year! (and/or hopefully later this year…)

Setlist Setup¹⁸:

FOOTNOTES

1. The royal they. I said that. ︎
2. 2024 was actually 8 shows in 7 days, so technically this is a new record… ︎
3. It’s a t-shirt joke. I don’t think, I know. ︎
4. We call this annual foray Haüs by Haüswest after our senior year college living arrangements. ︎
5. It’d be a lot cooler if you did! ︎
6. This was my first time hearing “Hometown Hotel” (and it’s extended jam segment) live, which was a nice treat. ︎
7. Experients / experimence. ︎
8. And also giving this year’s recap a title. ︎
9. I suggested to Adam this should be “the other half of the duo” show with a drum & bass set. ︎
10. “Sweat Me Out” would’ve been quite the deep cut pull, but oh so perfect! ︎
11. I somewhat embarrassingly just noticed at this point in my recap (With You) and/or (Without You) is the parenthetical ending to three different Pink Stones songs, which is hilarious. Kinda makes me wish they used “Start (With You)r Name” to continue the pattern. ︎
12. In an amusing side story, Hunter tried to put me on the guest list only to have the venue worker give him a funny look before saying “You know this show is free…” ︎
13. Despite trying to take good notes, I’m second guessing myself if “Cold Eye” was actually played here or not. I didn’t write it down, but there’s a chance I got distracted talking to Adam’s parents mid-set. I’m sure “Hard to Kill” was skipped. ︎
14. Where Benji Hughes played last SXSW! ︎
15. Thank the lord, you taught me how to love (music). But seriously, I appreciate all the band does so it was the least I could do. ︎
16. Shout out to Caleb for waiting in front of the club and chatting with me for my long-delayed late night rideshare home! ︎
17. Or as I sincerely told the guys at Lambert’s: “It’s hard being the best band in the room.” ︎
18. Inspired by this fascinating comparison of In Utero era Nirvana setlist construction. (Yes, I’m a nerd.) ︎

ALBUMS

1. Stick— Jim Bob
Easily my favorite solo album by the former Carter USM frontman since 2007’s A Humpty Dumpty Thing (and his most fun record since In A Big Flash Car on a Saturday Night), Stick harkens back to the turn of the millennium when Jim would release a completely unique but still very him sounding solo record nearly every year. I’ve enjoyed his musical comeback after a seven year hiatus as novelist JB Morrison, but Stick is the first time I’ve had that giddy old “oooh…what’s this?” reaction in quite awhile.¹

2. Thank The Lord… It’s the Pink Stones — The Pink Stones
The latest from my current favorite band (I think) takes the cosmic country aspects to the next level while still being its own unique thing. A record so good it inspired some flash fiction in the spaces between the songs. A lot of real sad groovies here. Bring on LP4!

3. Sea Pipes — Sea Pipes
Best debut record by a teenage band² since I Should Coco, and just as infectiously catchy. Can’t believe this was recorded by high school kids; can believe it was embraced by the legendary DJ Nic Harcourt.

4. Last Missouri Exit — Case Oats
Maybe my most anticipated album of the year, and it didn’t disappoint even though I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. By the time I saw them play SXSW before the release date I knew this would be a treat. (Funny side story: One song had been stuck in my head since the pandemic era Tweedy Show performance circa 2020. When the album tracklist dropped I was disappointed “Diane, Diane” didn’t make the cut since I didn’t remember/realize it was called “Bitter Root Lake.”)

5. The Little Ones — James Felice
A lightly paraphrased one-sided conversation with my wife. “James Felice has a solo album coming out on Valentines Day.” <a few days later> “And it’s really good.” <a few days later> “And he’s playing Antone’s next week opening for Shovels & Rope.” <after the show> “Should we go see him again tomorrow?” To reappropriate the time Ian Felice paraphrased my wife live on stage: “Hear that James? They’re all hits.”

6. Magnifier — Mason Jennings
My favorite Mason album since Wild Dark Metal, which is oddly the polar opposite of this sparse, short, acoustic beauty of a record. Normally I complain about feeling shortchanged by 8 song / < 30 minute releases, but this became the perfect soundtrack to put on right before bed while still being awake for the whole thing before fading off.

7. Big Stage — Jon Lindsay
Smart, sharp songwriting carries this pop-infused album that feels straight out of the late 70s/early 80s in a love-letter sort of way. Sonically a little all over the place yet still has a solid through line if that makes sense.

8. Love Chant — The Lemonheads
I went into this with very low expectations and came out pleasantly surprised. It splits the difference between the early punky songs and the 90s pop perfection. And of course I dig the fun song titles like “58 Second Song” (clocking in at 3 minutes and change) or “Wild Thing” (not a cover, but winkingly not not not³ a cover)

9. Arther Buck 2 — Arthur Buck
Sounds like what I wanted the first Arthur Buck record to sound like, which is basically Monster era R.E.M. crossed with Lonely Astronaut era Joseph Arthur.

10. Songs For Other People’s Weddings— Jens Lekman
This concept album released as a companion to David Levithan’s novel of the same name⁴ features Jens’s classic formula of heartfelt goofy sincerity amped up to almost orchestral musical proportions. (And of course I was intrigued by the concept of a book based on an album featuring characters with single letter names…)

11. is — My Morning Jacket
My favorite MMJ record since Circuital. (For some reason I keep wanting to call this if vs. is.)

12. Automatic — Jim Bob
Released on the same day as my #1 record of the year Stick, I consider this one the fourth album in the comeback record trilogy⁵ that started with 2020’s 7th ranked Pop Up Jim Bob. Still, I realize these subjective ranking exercises are silly and any new Jim Bob record is something to celebrate. Without the juxtaposition of two choices who knows where this would independently rank⁶. “Our Forever Home” might be my favorite Jim Bob ballad since “This Phoney War.”

SONGS

1. “Basic Being Basic” — Djo

2. “Snugglebunny” — Benji Hughes

3. “Bitter Root Lake” — Case Oats

4. “My Other Car” — Jon Lindsay

5. “Space” — Hunter James

6. “I Wrote A Song Called Take The Skinheads Bowling” — David Lowry

7. “Betrayed” — Jeff Tweedy

8. “Didn’t ask what’s on my mind.” — Telemarket

SHOWS

1. Danny Malone (4 shows: 1/17 + 5/10 at Radio East, 7/26 at Wyldewood, 8/1 at Radio South)
Discovery of the year that kept on giving. He opened for Possessed by Paul James at the January show. We knew nothing about him—but the rest of the room joyfully sang every word and screamed “We love you Danny!” after nearly every song. Started seeking him out after this; by the third show we were practically leading the sing-a-longs.

2. Benji Hughes & Jon Lindsay (3 shows⁷in 3 cities!: 3/14⁸at Merdian in Buda, 3/15 at Zilker Brewing during SXSW, 5/16 at The Pour House in Raleigh, NC⁹)
Last year’s jaunt to NC proved unnecessary¹⁰ when my favorite musician came to me in 2025. Later in the year I managed to parlay a work trip into one last side quest for the final show of the duo tour taking it full circle at Jon Lindsay’s record release gig. Got to hear a few unexpected deep cuts (“Longshot”, “Magic Summertime”, “Spirit Guide”), helped¹¹ inflate and/or deflate beach balls & floats for the stage show, and brought a whole parade of Texas people on tour from all sides of my triple life to the Buda gig to join in on the fun.¹²

3. Shurman at the Saxon Pub — 7/24/25
I used to see this band all the time 20+ years ago in LA. This random reunion showed they still got it.

4. Vapors of Morphine at the Continental Club — 9/19/25
Hat tip to Jon Mack for telling me to check this out. Wasn’t sure how Mophine would be with a different singer/bass player, but hearing these songs live was amazing. (The saxophone is arguably more important to the overall Morphine sound than my younger self realized.) Bonus: Encore opened with “Thursday” — my favorite Morphine jam.

5. Wilco AM Tribute at Radio East — 9/20/25
A fun set of Austin all-stars covering Wilco’s under-appreciated debut.¹³

6. Pink Stones at the White Horse (1.5 times) — 3/13 outside & 3/15 inside
The biggest concert going news of the year is I missed more Pink Stones gigs than I attended!
My epic run of consecutive Austin shows in a 3 year span ended with number 16 before the two Benji sets and Nate Pepper’s out of town birthday generated four separate conflicts¹⁴. Bright side was the 3/15 Benji/Pink Stones conflicts were a 2 minute walk apart (thank the lord for SXSW), so I did squeeze in the back half of the unexpectedly extended Pink Stones set¹⁵.

7. LA Exes at Stubb’s — 11/8/25¹⁶
Have wanted to see this band since their debut album ranked second on my 2021 list, and the opening slot for OK GO was a perfect way to do so. Bonus: We got upgraded to VIP/ADA seats and watched from the balcony above the stage.

8. Regina Spektor at The Moody Theater — 8/5/25
Oh, Regina. Hadn’t seen you live for 16 years before this gem. How we’ve missed you.

9. Hayes Carll Grateful For Christmas at the Paramount Theater — 12/11/25
This annual event is fast becoming a December tradition. Oddly light on actual holiday songs this year, though special guest appearances by Ben Kweller and Lyle Lovett (on a duet of “LA Freeway” by Guy Clark!) made up for it.

10. Supergrass at House of Blues Boston — 9/12/25
In which they played all of I Should Coco, not quite in order on the final night of the tour.

11. Pavement at Levitation Fest — 9/28/25
A Pavement reunion will never get old. I sorta wish the setlist had more “hits,” but can’t complain about rare appearances by “We Dance” & “Debris Slide” & “Texas Never Whispers” here.¹⁷

12. Jens Lekman at Mohawk — 11/25/25
Theme of this show was “dress as a song title.” I went as “Cover Me” by Bruce Springsteen wearing a classic Coverville podcast Coca-Cola parody shirt. My wife and her oxygen machine were “The Air That I Breathe” by Albert Hammond. Jens was Jens, as delightful as always.

13. Fingerpistol at ABGB — 7/20/25
See last year’s 11th ranked show for the full “why I dig this band” recap, but “Two Dollar Words” never gets old.

14. Beat Root Revival at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar — 12/21/25
Hadn’t seen Beat Root in a few years. Had a neat trick where they redid some of their originals with holiday lyrics so they wouldn’t have to completely learn all-new holiday tunes.

XX. Alabama Shakes at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway — 9/14/25
Honorable mention for this the one that got away since I didn’t get to see the show but should have. Went to the Red Sox game and saw Alabama Shakes were playing next door. When the game ended I sprinted out of the ballpark and over to the club. Bought a StubHub ticket for $20 at 9:55pm…and then got an alert my order was cancelled because the event already ended. I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE AND NOBODY WAS LEAVING! A colleague who attended told me they started at 9:15 and played until almost 11pm, so I could’ve been there for a solid 10+ songs.

PICTURES TO PROVE IT¹⁸

FOOTNOTES

1. My rankings for the full Jim Bob solo catalog: 1. A Humpty Dumpty Thing (2007), 2. J.R. (2001), 3. Stick (2025), 4. Goodnight Jim Bob (2003), 5. Pop Up Jim Bob (2020), 6. Big Flash Car on a Saturday Night (2002), 7. School (2006), 8. Thanks For Reaching Out (2023), 9. Angelstrike! (2004), 10. Who Do We Hate Today (2021), 11. Jim’s Super Stereoworld (2001), 12. What I Think About When I Think About You (2013), 13. Automatic (2025), 14. Goffam (2008) ︎
2. Full disclosure: My former boss’s son is the drummer. He sent me their first single and I was surprised it was legit good. Then the algorithm alerted me to the album drop and I had it on repeat with no nepotic nudging. ︎
3. I used a triple negative in an effort to be as charmingly opaque as the song that is and isn’t on this record, plus I liked it was footnote number 3. ︎
4. I haven’t read the book yet, but plan to next year once the paperback is released. (I read in bed, and hardcovers are dangerous if you nod off and drop one on your face.) ︎
5. So long, and thanks for all the fish. ︎
6. “Please enjoy all Jim Bob solo records equally.” — Something my Innie would be told in a Wellness Session. ︎
7. Almost 4 shows this year, but Benji cancelled his appearance at November’s Been There 4 benefit festival due to a conflict. ︎
8. March 14th gets a special SXSW footnote since I managed to see Case Oats at Hotel San Jose, John Doe Folk Trio at C-Boys, Deslondes at Colton House Hotel, Benji at Meridian and almost had a chance to make it back in time to see The Pink Stones close out the night at Continental Club (but Buda proved too far away logistically). Still, what a day! ︎
9. Lily Mars opened the Raleigh show and played a great cover of “Jane Says.” ︎
10. Though of course I’m still glad I went. ︎
11. Poorly, though in my defense you didn’t have to squeeze to inflate when I was a kid! ︎
12. Quote from Nate Pepper: “After seeing Benji live I understand L Extreme a lot more.” ︎
13. I was sort of triple booked this night, deciding between this show / Vapors of Morphine night 2 / Flat Fest 2. I’m happy with my selection. ︎
14. Especially disappointing was I missed shows at Continental Club & Saxon Pub, two of my favorite venues. ︎
15. I thought I’d negotiated my favorite song “Time’s Standing Still” as both the opener and the closer with bass player Adam Wayton so I’d be present for the second instance, but as Hunter Pinkston put it afterwards “Adam’s not in charge of anything” ︎
16. This would have been the day of the 4th Benji gig of the year at Been There 4. Didn’t have to sweat it since he didn’t play, but still went to the fest in the daytime, left for LA Exes, then came back for headliner Ben Kweller. ︎
17. Since this is as good a place as any: I loved Pavements the movie. Best line: “Like being in a hair metal band in 1992, you can’t ruin something that’s already ruined.” ︎
18. I’ve got a whole stack of proof ︎

Check out my Twitter song-by song review of the album first, then read on for a completely different take on Thank The Lord… it’s the Pink Stones.

Thank The Lord…

a musical short story by JL Civi, inspired by the album

Oh, my my. I didn’t expect to find a place like this here, but I’m glad I did.

Question: What do you religious types call getting hit with sounds, visions, and complete clarity in one inspirational burst?

Epiphany?

Yeah. I had one of those, on my knees, thank the lord…

Forgive me father, for I have sinned.

Technically others sinned against me first, but I atone for my retaliation.

Never wanted to relive those days, but since this is confession and if you aren’t too busy…

Technically it wasn’t a one night stand since it lasted two nights. Though I suppose if you don’t sleep it’s still the first night, right?

Numbers aside, it was magical. From the bar to the bedroom to work the next day is all a blur. Not wanting things to end, I told my boss a relative died and proposed a spontaneous trip on a big jet plane.

This is starting to sound like a real sad movie…

I still get riled up over her friends laughing at my car when I picked her up for that mid-week getaway. Who’s laughing now? Are they still laughing? Probably, but that’s not my point.

Or maybe it is. Sometimes I feel like an outlier. A stranger in a strange land who’d be better off starting over in another country.

Going overseas was something we talked about at the airport bar, but couldn’t quite figure out how the seasons worked below the equator and whether it’d be warm or cold when leaving…

You never intend to commit adultery, but sometimes you spot someone from afar while already in a relationship. A nod, a wink, averted eyes that aren’t looking until they are. It sorta snowballs from there. Will the snow melt, or solidify into rock hard ice?

Whether something or nothing happened is and isn’t important. What’s wrong with remembering both versions? It’s like the universe split in two, and either way is lose/lose if I can’t win…

It became an addiction. White cushions splattered with red stains. Black/red sharp/blunt objects moving between my hands and the coffee table, numbers counting down the sins I’ve committed.

Is a broken heart a sin? For the breaker, it might be lust or wrath. For the broken, pride or greed or envy. Both people may fall into gluttony and sloth as they work their way out of the bottomless pit of pain.

It was the first time I’d been alone in my life, so I knew it was best to be movin’ on. Fresh start in another place. Maybe take that international trip on my own.

We never did figure out when the seasons down under were summer love or winter pain…

Traveling abroad is like being in another dimension or traveling in time. Simultaneously two opposite seasons. A chilly wind after sunset transforms a lovely day into something more sinister. The same, but different. The whole thing gave me a sense of uneasiness that’s hard to kill…

I wasn’t the only one to take this overseas trip on my own. Funny how something we were supposed to do together became something we still did separately but at the same time. Or it’d be funny if it weren’t such a drag.

D-R-A-G. Those letters describe my life. I might win a spelling bee, but what good does that do me if the acronym is a loser?

Devious. Resentful. Apathetic. Gluttonous. Four out of seven ain’t bad, eh? Was I supposed to acknowledge her? Ignore her? Use nicotine and alcohol and other substances to counteract the pain? I think the right answer is to let it go, but her presence across the room across the sea was such a sight…

I really thought we’d get married. Yes, we only had that one night stand that lasted a few continuous day/nights, but a feeling is a feeling. Should she be another in the parade of ones or twos that got away, or could one or both of us have the sense to stay? No need to revisit the your place or mine game. Pick a neutral site to try again where it’s safe and warm like a hometown hotel…

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Bar was closing. Take our time? Too busy for that. We had a third and or fourth night to stand up to. Maybe I fudged the counting, but I remembered your number—all seven digits.

Once I mustered up the guts to dial is where it got interesting. It wasn’t my first time, but most folks know when you answer the phone you start with your name…

She said she’d call me back, but the phone never rang. I could’ve called again, but that’s not how this works. Anyways, it doesn’t matter since my phone doesn’t work on the sailboat. At least not for telephonics. Her eyes look so much clearer in the photo on my phone, buried in a pile of memories…

And that, Father, concludes my confession. Seven sins and psalm 127 led me to take penance here in your island chapel as a way of introducing my new life on the great blue sea, courtesy of you know who.

I’ve gotta get back to my boat. Thank the lord for sitting down with me.

Oh, and tell Jesus that Jimmy said hi.

January 31, 2025 marked the release of three new Benji Hughes jams via the soundtrack to the film Home Free. Since I spent years mapping out how to work nearly all of his other songs into a story, my mind naturally processed these new additions in the same manner. How would “Go Dancin'” & “Snuggle Bunny” & “Home Free” fit into L Extreme? Listen up & read on…

Go Dancin’
“Make a long list” from the chorus¹ naturally aligns with the repeated list motifs found during Benji & Jessica’s courtship. At the end of “I Went With Some Friends To See The Flaming Lips” the narrator hits us with a long list of L words. Jessica ponders finding someone to dance with on the dock upon her Jamaican arrival, and the verses feel like pickup lines Kenny would try. Mentally, I tie it to “Girl, You Can’t Dance” for obvious reasons.

Snuggle Bunny
The best song on the whole soundtrack by a country mile in my humble opinion, it also has the cleanest fit into the novel. “You used to kiss me and tell me I’m funny / now all you want to do is talk about money” slots perfectly into Benji & L’s deep dive into the finances of their relationship in “Love on a Budget.” Later, “I’ve been working on my magical touch” has echoes of Jessica’s penchant for magic tricks and would be a nice one-liner during the “let’s lay here in the dark together” bit that closes out “Where Do Old Lovers Go?“

Home Free
A nice piano demo with lyrics seemingly playing on the homeless message of the film, I hear some echoes of “Country Love” in the intro verses. “Rolling through the thoughts that keep on rolling through my mind” summarizes Heartman’s contemplative journey along the Vagus nerve. The same line also has a touch of “ladies roll by” from “Waiting for an Invitation.” The “up my sleeve” motif once again circles back to magic tricks. “I don’t care what it costs” could slip into the Jamaican timeshare sales presentation. “Setting everything on fire” invokes Jessica quoting a line from “Burn” by Vincent & Mr. Green. There’s also a great giggle in the middle of the song, reminding me of this:

“I don’t think I can cook with someone who likes wrestling.” Jessica kept a straight face for a couple of beats, but couldn’t hold it and resumed giggling. Benji also laughed. And so did the girl who bagged groceries.

For more:

Check out the full movie soundtrack

Learn more about the film

Read the novel to imagine these Benji songs were included (and understand what the heck I’m talking about in the out of context excerpts above…)

FOOTNOTES

1. UPDATE 7/17/25: The good folks from BeenThere.org who made the film / produced the soundtrack reached out on Instagram to let me know I got this lyric wrong. The path from A Love Extreme to L Extreme was paved in mondegreens so this is nothing new—but somehow the real lyric already had a scene that fits! ︎

ALBUMS

1. Nobody Loves You More — Kim Deal
   A decade in the making, the first solo record (not counting an album’s worth of solo singles released back in 2013) by the Pixies / Breeders icon delivers in spades. Sonically adventurous while still sounding exactly like you’d expect and want a Kim Deal record to sound like. Quoting Paste Magazine (who ranked this way too low at 43 IMHO): “And then there is her voice—still a fusion of charm, attitude, a choir of angels and fine-grit sandpaper, just as it has been all along.”
2. The Past Is Still Alive — Hurray for the Riff Raff
   Combining their early album folkiness with the autobiographical messages from more recent output, The Past Is Still Alive epitomizes dangerous folk rock appeal. Like the Kim Deal album, it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from Alynda Segarra. Bonus points from me for the title and how it weaves its way into a few different songs.
3. Roll It Out — The Deslondes
   So much talent in one band, and the records keep getting better and better. That’s the beauty of a supergroup: We showed up to the party via Sam Doores, but stuck around for Riley & Dan & JJ and welcomed new guy Howe with open arms. “Greater than the sum of its parts” may be cliche, but here it’s the whole truth and a ringing endorsement. Deslondes might be Cajun for Voltron.
4. Bandcamp 52 Fridays — Shawn Smith
   Not exactly an album, but I need somewhere to commemorate the 35 posthumous archival songs released on Bandcamp this year of a planned 52 spanning all of Shawn Smith’s musical projects. Some of these were previously released on the old Skeleton Keys compilations¹, but many were new to me. A whole lot of gems from the dearly departed great I miss the most. (Bonus: Since it didn’t start until May, more are coming in 2025!)
5. L.A. Times — Travis
   Easily my favorite Travis record since The Man Who. Continuing the inadvertent theme percolating above, these new songs sound both freshly different yet clearly sound like Travis songs if that makes any sense.
6. Natural Magick — Kula Shaker
   Easily my favorite Kula Shaker record since, well, 2022‘s very good comeback record. Thankfully they ditched the mildly annoying skits between songs with a solid set of groovy, glammy, just plain fun rock songs wearing their psychadelic influences on their sleeves. It is a little top-heavy, but also might be one of my favorite four-song stretches to open any album in recent memory.
7. The Fear of Standing Still — American Aquarium
8. Valley of Abandoned Songs — The Felice Brothers
   I live-tweeted my first listens for both of these, so I’ll let me past self do the talking below.²

SONGS

1. “Mercury on Parade” — The Deslondes
2. “idontwannapaymytaxes” — Kula Shaker
3. “The Living Thing” — Monsters of Folk
4. “Missionary” — Jack White
5. “A Paradigm Never Talked About In Song” — Hunter James
6. “Nobody Dies from Weed” — Hayes & The Heathens
7. “Damn What a Beautiful Man” — Painted Shield
8. “Time Makes Fools of Us All” — Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
9. “Sweet Talk” — Iron & Wine
10. “Livid” — Wilco

SHOWS

1. The Pink Stones (12³ times at 7 venues!) — 3/13-3/18 & 10/17-10/20/24
   I’ll spare y’all the play by play and group these 2 blocks together as if they were one show. I did a deep dive into the 8 SXSW shows already, and enjoyed their triumphant October return with a 3-night Sagebrush residency + secret show at Sam’s Town Point capper.
2. Soul Coughing at Roadrunner in Boston — 9/29/24
   They said it would never happen, but I’m certainly glad it did. I still get giddy remembering the True Dreams > Collapse > Misinformed triumphant triumvirate mid-set.
3. Benji Hughes at Bourgie Nights in Wilmington, NC — 9/28/24
   My first in-person Benji Hughes live show in 8 years, plus first in his home state and first since L Extreme was released. Still as magically great as the first time.
4. The Nude Party at Sam’s Town Point (live album recording!) — 5/6-5/8/24
   Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. “They’re playing multiple nights. Let’s just go to the first one…” Those worst laid plans always tend to spiral on me. Despite a nearly identical setlist each night, I had a blast with the sweaty honky-tonk singalong. Did my best to scream my usual “Never!” at the end of “Chevrolet Van” each night, but unfortunately didn’t hear it on the live record.⁴
5. American Aquarium at Radio East — 12/7/24
   On a cold and rainy night at an unfamiliar venue I ended up going solo to this show. American Aquarium kept me warm with a mostly blistering set. BJ made it feel worthwhile when he said “These are the kinds of shows that separate the true fans from the casual ones.” And he didn’t even know I skipped the third night of the Wilco residency for it!⁵
6. Wilco at The Moody Theater — 12/5 & 12/6/24
   The shows formerly known as Winderlude hit the road, advertised as “no repeats across nights” vs. the typically implied low likelihood of repeats on one of Wilco’s multi-night stands. Would’ve run the table if not for the American Aquarium conflict (more on that above and below…), but still a heck of a time by one of the few bands who could pull this sort of thing off.⁶
7. Weezer/Flaming Lips/Dinosaur Jr. at Moody Center — 9/27/24
   Already covered in detail (actually, sorta twice), but I can’t wait to see Blue live one more time for the 50th anniversary…
8. The Record Company at Antone’s — 1/17/24
   When the only thing I miss about LA comes to visit it’s always a heck of a time. This was a rollicking set, heavy on the first and fourth records with an old school “Tallahassee Lassie” cover to close things out like just like in the independent good ol’ days.
9. Sam Doores at Sagebrush — 5/10/24
   Since this year’s theme was seeing the same band multiple times, I should technically extend this one to the 6 times I saw The Deslondes as a group (4 with Pink Stones, 2 separately) plus 2 Riley Downing solo sets & 2 Sam Doores solo sets for an even 10 on the year.⁷ Of course every gig was great, but citing Sam’s solo gig here due to it being my wife’s favorite of the bunch, our first time seeing someone on the small side stage at Sagebrush, and because he sound checked with “Clay Pigeons.”
10. America at The Moody Theater — 8/31/24
    In which I met the guy who wrote “A Horse With No Name”
11. Fingerpistol at The ABGB — 12/29/24
    Last but not least starts with a flashback. In December of 2016 we went to a holiday songwriter swap at The ABGB. Musicians rotated through playing 1-2 songs each open mic style. It freezing out and relatively empty—probably a single digit number of non-performing patrons present. One song stood out with a chorus that went “with your two dollar words and your fifty cent mouth, nobody here has any idea what you’re talking about.” I couldn’t remember the name of the group, but recalled the lyrics often. Periodically I’d search the internet to track it down but always came up empty — until I finally found it this summer! Saw they were playing Sunday Best at The ABGB and heard it live again early in the second set. Fitting end to a fabulous musical year.

CONFLICTS

New category this year! With all the concerts I attend you think this would happen more frequently, but 2024 certainly made up for lost time on being double booked and needing to make a difficult choice on who to see (and/or brave the double header…) with great frequency.⁸

Evan Dando vs. Quantum Leap Finale: February 20th
Winner: The Quantum Leap season finale, which unfortunately became the series finale (damn you, NBC!) This was a no brainer being my favorite show, and I took guidance from Evan himself when he sang “What if something’s on tv and it’s never shown again?”

Sabrina Ellis vs. Kelsey Wilson: March 13th
Winner: Sabrina for duration, but I went to both. Best way to resolve a concert conflict? When they are conveniently at the same venue, one on the outside stage and the other inside. Can’t go wrong with the two best vocalists in Austin. I give a slight nod to Sabrina, but when someone else (not me) shared the sentiment with congratulations for their Best Vocalist win at the Austin Music Awards, the reply was “I’m honored, but how can anyone think that with Kelsey Wilson literally singing outside right now?”

Bob Schneider vs. The Deslondes: March 15th
Winner: Bob Schneider. SXSW conflicts shouldn’t really count (even though I’ve listed two of them here), but since I already had a bunch of Deslondes under my belt and yet to come seeing Bob at ABGB with some friends just made sense.

Weezer vs. M. Ward: September 27th
Winner: Weezer. Confession: If it wasn’t the Blue Album in full I definitely would’ve chosen M. Ward over a regular Weezer show.

Benji Hughes vs. Joe Castiglione: September 28/29th
Winner: Benji Hughes. This one was both a no brainer and a painful one. Obviously I’m picking my favorite artist of all time, but missing out on honoring the Red Sox broadcaster whose voice I’ve probably heard more than any other in my life was tough. Technically I could’ve taken an early flight to fit this in before Soul Coughing, but the weekend was already a whirlwind so I opted out.⁹

James vs. Soul Coughing vs: September 29th
Winner: Soul Coughing. It was never going to happen again while James keeps on keepin’ on. (Technically I could also put Joe Castig here since it was the actual day, but instead I’ll just ibid it.)¹⁰

Mason Jennings vs. Soul Asylum vs. The Pink Stones: October 17th
Winner: Both! The rare double header, though I did miss the first hour of the Pink Stones so I guess Mason technically won.

Wilco vs. American Aquarium: December 7th
Winner: American Aquarium. Since I saw Wilco the previous two nights it made sense to share the love for live, original, independent music. Based on the weather I initially wished I picked the alternative (and briefly considered catching the first Wilco set before the set-times made it impractical), but all’s well that ends well.

Hayes & The Heathens vs. Metallica: December 13th
Winner: Hayes & The Heathens — who probably should’ve earned at least an honorable mention on the top shows list for a fun Xmas show including fantastic renditions of “Merry Christmas Baby,” “LA Freeway,” “Miss Ohio,” and a face-melting electric “KMAG YOYO.” (The Metallica show was also in LA and part of my wife’s work holiday party, so since I wasn’t invited this isn’t actually a conflict but whatever.)

(Realizing I should have put this section before SHOWS to avoid spoilers, but I don’t feel like rearranging it. Happy new year!)

FOOTNOTES

1. I only bought 2 of the 7 volumes when Skeleton Keys first surfaced in 2011, mainly for the long lost “So The Heart Can See” unreleased solo album. After Shawn Smith died I wished I’d bought them all, so these new releases were a pleasant surprise of a second chance. ︎
2. I might regret this if/when X/Twitter shuts down, but at least it will be a good excuse to hear these records back to back again. ︎
3. Technically 11.5 times; I missed the first half of the first Sagebrush show due to a conflict with Mason Jennings playing Antone’s the same night. (If thirteen is a baker’s dozen, what would eleven and a half be?) ︎
4. Fun side-story: Hung out with a guy on night three who wanted a spot not directly next to the speaker where his friends were situated, so he joined me close-ish but outside of the invisible sound line. At the encore break we talked about my books and I gave him an L Extreme card as I left to summon a rideshare home. Two minutes later he and his roommate come running out of the venue and find me on the bleachers. He showed her the card and she said “oh, I read that the other day” Long story short, she works at Emo’s and ended up with the copy I left backstage for Caroline Rose after her May 1 gig. She gave it to J Boog when he saw her reading it backstage and wanted a new book to read. ︎
5. American Aquarium is named after a Wilco lyric, adding more layers here. ︎
6. These were my 21st & 22nd Wilco shows! For fun, I made up a setlist for an imaginary fourth night assuming a similar format of mellower first set, heavier second set and still no repeats. ︎
7. If we’re being ultra specific, the best single show of the year was a tie between the Pink Stones opening for Deslondes at The White Horse on 3/14 and the encore of the same at Sam’s Town Point on 10/20. ︎
8. I suppose the uptick in multi-night stands and traveling to other cities this year raised the odds on this happening. ︎
9. I did hear his final innings on the radio from Jon Mack’s house while eating a Town Spa pizza though… ︎
10. Ibid ︎

Feeling a little underwhelmed by the 2024 ACL Fest lineup (no offense — I still went Friday), I accidentally built my own 3-city fester the weekend before when the stars magically aligned.

How’d it come to be? Bought tickets to the epic Friday night Weezer Journey to the Blue Planet gig when they went on sale months ago. Also had tix to James & Johnny Marr at Stubb’s on Sunday, but made the half difficult/half no brainer call to skip it in favor of seeing the Soul Coughing reunion in Boston with my high school friends. Literally hours after I booked my flight, a rare Benji Hughes gig was announced on the day in between. Already headed in an easterly direction, on a whim I looked at adding a stop in Wilmington, NC and was pleasantly shocked to see it dropped the price of the plane ticket by ~$150. Clearly a sign to go for it.

The craziest thing is how all of these artists have a deep connection to both my music fandom and my writing. Let’s take a whirlwind trip down memory lane.

Dinosaur Jr.
“Start Choppin” is the defining song of the 90s for me. I know it’s implausible to just pick one track to represent an entire decade, but forced to do so it’s always been my pick. Melodic and discordant, soft and loud, singable and shreddable. It appears as one of the stolen future songs on Local Boy’s setlist in Timely Persuasion, and resurfaces in Local Boy Done Gone with two live performances as a folky girl/boy duet (something I’ve literally dreamed about hearing on and off for years) plus a chapter title nod. In early Done Gone drafts J. Mascis was a listed member of the 27 Club, but I ended up replacing him with a musician we’ll get to in a bit. Loved hearing Choppin’ live for the first time, and was impressed J. can still hit the high notes!

The Flaming Lips
I first saw The Flaming Lips live on the 1993 Bar-B-Q Mitzvah tour with Stone Temple Pilots and Butthole Surfers. (Epic show at a weird venue; perhaps a story for another day.¹) They also have a song on the soundtrack of my second-favorite movie, 1994’s Love & a .45. The 10 year / 4 album run from Zaireeka to At War With The Mystics was a wonder to behold both on the recordings and live–and also includes a stint as Beck’s opening / backing band I sorely regret not attending. Over in JLC land, the Lips get a whole chapter in L Extreme. Unlike the Benji Hughes song set at a real gig, the book version revolves around a DVD of documentary The Fearless Freaks. In hindsight, it also highlights a specific scene where Wayne Coyne mows his lawn in the fall which is something Local Boy also does in both Timely Persuasion & Local Boy Done Gone. TP was written before I knew this lawn mowing movie scene existed; LBDG was later but I didn’t make the connection until now. This gig was the same spectacle as always, similar to the headlining Yoshimi set I saw a few months back but slimmed down as an opener.

Weezer
Including this show, I’ve now (basically) seen Weezer perform The Blue Album in full three times. Other two were on the Memories tour in 2010, and way back in 1994 with Lush & Live where they basically played Blue in order but moved Undone & Surf Wax to the end.² It’s one of my favorite records of all time, and the official soundtrack for late night driving. (“I can stay awake for another hour if we crank Blue and sing along…”) “Only In Dreams” became a key allusion in the climax of Timely Persuasion. An abandoned attempt to write a short story based on “My Name is Jonas” may have indirectly spurred me to try the same with “The Mummy,” spawning L Extreme. “Keep Fishin'” shows up as a chapter title (and stolen song from the future) in Local Boy Done Gone. And can you take a guess at who took J. Mascis’s slot on the time traveler’s 27 Club List?³ I enjoyed the concert theme of “NASA sends Weezer to find a new blue planet” and the opening best of set, including an especially dope version of “Dope Nose.”

Jon Lindsay
Mainly an artist I was always aware of from his Benji Hughes connection, I recall listening to his Escape from Plaza-Midwood record shortly after I discovered Benji and thinking it had a bit of a Minus 5 vibe. (I also always remembered the album title for some reason.) At the gig he covered “Wolves” by American Aquarium, whose singer BJ Barham was briefly on the redhead’s 27 Club list in an older draft of Done Gone. Jon Lindsay also might be the only Benji Hughes collaborator to not get a cameo in L Extreme⁴ — but the omission was unintentional. Originally he was there, but a beta reader commented it wasn’t realistic to have both a Jon & a Jonathan in a list of friends and I took the advice. (There’s plenty of other stuff requiring suspension of disbelief in LX, so it’s sort of funny this was a compromise I made…). No offense intended, other JL! Officially “Jonathan” is both you & Jonathan Wilson rolled into one composite.

Benji Hughes
What’s left to be said about my favorite musician who pops up frequently on this blog and inspired me to write a song by song novelization of his debut double album? Only that his live show is still as magical as ever. The duo format suits the songs well, and there were a fair number of deep cuts (“Kenny,” “Country Love,” “Don’t Outlaw Plants”) alongside almost half of A Love Extreme. Seeing LX on the merch table amongst t-shirts and albums was surreal, as was hearing someone mention they thought Jon Lindsay wrote the book due to the “JL” initials. This was the eighth time I’ve seen Benji live (not counting pandemic era livestreams), but first since the book was released. Can’t hardly wait for the next one, whenever or wherever it might be.

More Benji Hughes setlists

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Soul Coughing
They said this reunion would never happen, so it was a big surprise when announced. It also seemed unlikely to happen again, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to see one of the favorite bands of my youth. Mike Doughty’s handwriting is famously used for Local Boy’s setlists in Timely Persuasion via the awesome Wichita font from Chank Diesel’s rockstar font project. (It also makes an encore reprise in Local Boy Done Gone.) A Love Extreme dethroned Skittish as my favorite all time album about a decade ago. The other work in progress TP sequel has a scene set on 9/29/98, a red letter date remembered by many as the greatest rap album release day ever. For me it’s the day the final Soul Coughing record El Oso was released. Our crew of friends made a pilgrimage to Newbury Comics in Braintree and collectively bought ten copies, rotating whose we’d listen to on the way home and into the night. Show was fantastic, with the highlight being when they played my favorite song from each of their records (“True Dreams of Wichita” > “Collapse” > “Misinformed”) all in a row mid-show.

More Soul Coughing setlists

Thanks for indulging my trip down this musical memory lane! As long as we’re talking about concerts, enter to win a $50 Ticketmaster gift card and an autographed copy of Local Boy Done Gone from Concert Guy Rob!

FOOTNOTES:

1. Quick summary: Someone threw a shoe (which happened a surprising amount in the 90s), STP violently kicked his butt. Later the Butthole Surfers fired a shotgun at beach balls and balloons over the crowd’s head. The whopping was definitely real; to this day I’m still not sure if the shotgun was or wasn’t. ︎
2. My hazy memory thought this was the only change, but Setlist.fm says they also swapped In The Garage / Say it Ain’t So, played Jamie in between (which I vaguely remember in hindsight) and a yet to be released Getchoo (which I do not remember at all). ︎
3. This was actually a little more convoluted. Rivers was going to replace J, but replaced BJ Barham from American Aquarium instead. Later Guigsy from Oasis was the one who got Mr. Mascis off the hook. ︎
4. Benji specifically told me if I did the collaborator cameos he didn’t want anyone left out. Oops! ︎

Since I like dancing about architecture, read on for show by show reminiscing with rankings.

First Show: Weds, 3/13/24 — Colton House Hotel, 2:30pm

“Now I’m out on my own and I’m free, having my fun…”

Opening day of SXSW is one of my favorites of the year. It’s early spring and I take a full or a half day off work to dip a toe in the matinee live music pool before the undertow grabs hold for a draining binge of bands in rapid succession. Fitting I kicked it off with The Pink Stones at the Meanwhile in Music event on the back porch of the Colton House Hotel.

Set was just shy of an hour, a mix of new songs, covers and You Know Who tracks. (Last year was also mostly You Know Who but a month or so before release day, so this was my first experience hearing these as songs I knew.)

Highlight was hearing my favorite track “Time’s Standing Still” for the first of 6 times over the week. I think Hunter noticed my visible excitement when the riff started, and it singlehandedly justified my “no haircut until after SXSW” rule. After the set Hunter found me in the crowd of ~60 and thanked me for coming. As a bonus, The Pink Stones were also the backing band for a solo set by Riley Downing from The Deslondes immediately after.

Rank: #3

Second Show: Thurs, 3/14/24 — The White Horse, 10pm

“Let’s move it along, let’s keep on rolling…”

Oddly my first time at The White Horse over my decade in Austin. Almost went so many times before but didn’t, closest call being a late night secret American Aquarium show I regret skipping.⁵

Tonight it was packed, with The Pink Stones opening for The Deslondes and both bands getting rare for SXSW full sets just shy of two hours each.

I ran into Hunter upon entering the venue. He said he wasn’t sure how they’d fill the lengthy time allotted. I humbly put in a request for “The Ballad of Jimmy Meadows” from their 2019 Jimmy & Jesus single⁶. He said this version of the band didn’t know it, but they might do the b-side “Jesus & Peterbilt.” Fine by me.

Jesus didn’t make the cut, but he had a cameo when birthday boy keyboardist Neil Golden quipped “It’s my 33rd birthday. I’ve lived longer than Jesus, but I’m not saying how much longer.” (Minor spoiler: he’s not 33…)

Toughest part about The White Horse is navigating the dance floor, standing just close enough to see/hear the band without getting crashed into by two-steppers while politely declining invitations to join in. Think I navigated it well enough mostly standing like a statue on the fringes while singing along to make it clear it’s hard to get around someone you can’t move.

The expanded 22-song set added a few more Texas themed covers (including a great “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me” by Merle Haggard), my two other favorite tracks off Introducing… (“Miss Wind Turbine” & “Blueberry Dream”), nine of the eleven You Know Who tracks plus a few new ones — one of which I’m advocating for a title of “D-R-A-G (Cigarettes & Wine)” so I called it that on Setlist.fm.

Sound was fantastic, crowd was into it, and I overheard at least three independent conversations along the lines of “Do you know this band? / “No, but they’re awesome!” Maybe it’s cheating to call the longest set the best one, but it is what it is.

Rank: #1

Third Show: Friday, 3/15/24 — Draught House, 3pm

“This life ain’t easy. It’s a D-R-A-G…” ⁷

A classic South by Southwest setup of a tent in a parking lot becoming an impromptu venue and a day show after a late night⁸ (I accidentally on purpose stayed for almost the whole Deslondes set at The White Horse) requiring some hair of the dog to get through. Good thing it was at a beer bar!

I went solo for the first two shows, but finally had a six person entourage today including my college roommate / unofficial editor Nate and his family⁹ (in town from Houston for the Professional Pickleball Association event) and local friends Liz & Hunter. (Hunter is from Georgia and introduced me to The Pink Stones, not to be confused with the Hunter from Georgia who is in The Pink Stones.) Also in tow was a paperback copy of L Extreme as a gift for Pink Stones Hunter¹⁰ after he expressed interest when it came up in our post show chat on how they hooked up with Riley Downing (via the record label) and how I discovered Riley Downing (an old bio compared his style to Benji Hughes).

Highlights here were a rollicking “Who’s Laughing Now?” that got all of us dancing and a nifty take on George Jones’s “Her Name Is…” (also played at The White Horse) with some funky grooves on the ellipses.

This was my least favorite of the gigs, but by no means bad. More circumstances of odd venue, so-so sound system, early(ish) timeslot after a late night, distractedly chatting with friends, etc.

Rank: #8

Fourth Show: Friday, 3/15/24 — Still Austin, 7pm

“I’ve been seeing you around. I guess this is your side of town…”

After popping over to the ABGB with Hunter & Liz for local legend Bob Schneider and some grub, I was back to being solo for my 2nd Pink Stones show of the day / 3rd in 21 hours at local distillery Still Austin. Another outdoor stage (but with a better sound system) hosted a crisp & brisk 35 minute set.

The band mixed things up by opening with “Time’s Standing Still” (yes!) before going into a new song played at every show. Here it finally dawned on me it was titled “Too Busy” based on how it was yelled out as the next impromptu number. (Later I’d learn all of the setlists are impromptu vs planned, with some brief discussion in the van on the way to each venue.). “Too Busy” is a sweet country love story with a “You Are My Sunshine” style melody and some lyrical treats like “Bar is closing. Time to get going. What’s the motion: Your place or mine? Now it’s morning. We’re drinking coffee…” Feels like a single…

I dashed off a quick “see you in a bit” goodbye to the band that got a laugh, planning to take a nap before keeping my streak alive for the dreaded 1am (!!!) slot at Antone’s.

Rank: #7

Fifth Show: Friday, 3/15/24 — Antone’s, 1am _{^{(technically Saturday…)}}

“And I just can’t leave the barroom, when it’s over…”

I did take a nap, and was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to find my friend Hunter cashed in his annual “late show with JLC at SXSW” spousal approval credit to join me.¹¹ We both made it downtown in time for The Deslondes at 11pm.

Antone’s was comfortably full at 11, a little less so for Emily Nenni’s midnight set. When The Pink Stones started it was dwindling, and a ghost town by the time they finished. Empty room aside it was still my favorite set of the day¹², perhaps magnified in my sleep-deprived mind as having earned it by pulling off the trifecta. (They oughta give me the Wurlitzer Prize…)

I may or may not have recorded this show on my phone¹³. You may or may not hear me lecturing friend Hunter when he almost left early but didn’t. You can definitely hear me joke “This has never been more true” when (Late Night) “Barroom Blues” kicks in— and then Neil makes the same joke after the song ends! (Great minds…) You can also tell it’s been a long day with my sorry excuse for a singalong ruining the latter half of the recording¹⁴. Let’s call it proof a good time was had by all.

Highlight: Closing trifecta of “Time’s Standing Still” / “Barroom Blues” / “Baby I’m Still Right Here” sending us home. (And the fact I lived to tell the tale…)

Rank: #5

Sixth Show: Saturday, 3/16/24 — Sagebrush, 9pm 11pm

“Then you say ‘darling, we should get going.’ And I reply, ‘let’s take our time…'”

Arrived at 8:45 for what I thought was a 9pm start (actually made my wife leave dinner early to drop me off and prolong the consecutive show streak), only to find it got swapped to 11pm.

The band apologized even though it wasn’t their fault. Stuff like this happens at South By all the time. Got to hang out with them a bit at the bar before the show, learning of Adam’s other punk band Telemarket and how Gideon was introduced to the group by his brother Elijah.

I also ended up chatting with a guy in the audience I’d seen at most of the other shows. When I heard he worked for New West I might’ve told him a little too strongly they shouldn’t have dropped Benji Hughes or rejected his legendary Bill Bottrell produced solo piano record. Sorry, George! Just defending my muse…

Shortly before The Pink Stones started I asked if I could make a request. Instead of any specific song I just said “Throw me a curveball I haven’t heard this week.” They obliged mid-set with “Love Me Hardly” off Introducing…, unknowingly filling my bingo card with 4 of my top 5 favorite songs from that album¹⁵ over the 6 show run.

Sound was phenomenal, venue was cool, and the surprise song put it over the top as my second favorite of the week.

Rank: #2

Seventh Show: Sunday, 3/17/24 — Sagebrush, 5pm ^{(St. Patrick’s Day)}

“Well I wonder what my daddy did today…”

A rare indoor matinee at a proper venue on a weekend allowed my wife to join me for this one. The fact that Johnny Fritz (of Traveller supergroup fame) was playing immediately after them helped too. (Random bonus fun fact: It was both St. Patrick’s Day & my father’s 74th birthday, or as I’ve called it for decades: Cinco de Mayo!¹⁶)

An especially good slowed down rendition of “You Know Who” set the tone early on—though interestingly Hunter announced from the stage they were playing faster to fit more songs in so what do I know? Another amusing bit of stage banter was “I know I said we wouldn’t play it today, but we’re gonna play it,” prior to the Waylon Jennings medley of “Wurlitzer Prize” into “Rainy Day Woman” they played at most shows. Agree it’s too good to skip, especially the rocking latter song and abrupt transition to get there.¹⁷

Towards the end of the set another rousing “Who’s Laughing Now?” seemed to catch the sound guy off guard. One of the main crowd facing speakers blew and sounded fuzzed out for the rest of the set and a little bit into Johnny Fritz¹⁸. (An aside too good to bury in the footnotes: Johnny played “Happy In Hindsight” from the Traveller record, which made my wife’s day.)

Afterwards when saying goodbye I joked with the band I should get a punch card. Gideon laughed and said “10th show’s free!” Hunter trumped in and offered to put me on the guest list for the grand finale at The White Horse Tuesday night in thanks for me running the table of all 7 SXSW shows.

Rank: #6

Eighth Show: Tuesday, 3/19/24 — The White Horse, Midnight ^{(once again, technically tomorrow)}

“I’ve got one more night and I’m willing to fight…” ¹⁹

And so we’ve come to the end…

Following a band on tour is weird and wonderful on many levels–even more so when it’s a tour of your own city. You take pride in supporting live music. You respect the grind of breathing life into the same songs night after night (and/or day after day) without appearing to phone it in. You learn their quirks and personalities, find commonalities in stage banter and setlist construction, notice the differences between good and great gigs, good and great venues, sound systems, patrons, bars, etc, etc.

And just when you think you’ve seen and/or heard everything, they throw it out the window and open with a Smokey Robinson cover!

From there the set followed the familiar pattern, mixing it up with a curveball snippet of “Iko Iko” and then again later with a full blown rendition of “After Midnight” after 1am.²⁰

I thought the show was going until 1:45am again, but as the dancers drifted away one by one I got caught a little off guard when the traditional penultimate “Barroom Blues” kicked in.

Just as Hunter announced there was one song left I rushed to the stage and asked if they could sneak in “Jesus & Peterbilt” to take this thing full circle. Sometimes wishes come true if you put your faith in your baby like you’re supposed to do.²² Gideon came up to me afterwards and thanked me for making the request, saying he hadn’t played that song in 2+ years and vowed to do his part to mix things up more if they came this way next year. I told him they mixed it up just enough, but appeciated the sentiment behind the offer.

You don’t go see a band eight²³ times in seven days if they’re just okay. I’ve been to enough shows in my life to sense when there’s magic in the air, and it was off the charts here no matter the size of the crowd or the time of the set. Of course I’d take a different oldie every night to spice things up, but I also wouldn’t trade the memories of the rockin’ week I had for anything.²⁴

As I was saying my final goodbyes & gratitudes, Neil jokingly said “You mean you’re not coming to Dallas tomorrow?”

My lyrically wired brain responded without thinking:

“I hate to break it to you but I don’t think I’m coming back.”

Rank: #4

FOOTNOTES:

1. Almost no repeats. 81 out of 86 songs Jeff Tweedy played across 4 shows were unique. ︎
2. SXSW was cancelled in 2020, I laid low in 2021, Beck gave me COVID in 2022. ︎
3. The Pink Stones were my SXSW runner-up in 2023, making it 11 shows in 369 days and 10 consecutive in Austin. ︎
4. “I don’t care who you are, you will never go to a concert that will make you feel cooler than you felt when you were fourteen and you saw your favorite band at an all-ages show — sober, in the middle of the day.” — Adam Boyle, Nerve.com ︎
5. In my defense, I’d just flown back from a work trip in Denver and barely made it to regular show I had tickets for coming straight from the airport. In the encore BJ Barham changed some lyrics to “I’ll see you all at The White Horse tonight.” I pieced together the secret show clues but was too wiped to make it happen. ︎
6. Yeah, sometimes I’m the dreaded deep cut guy. But only the good ones! ︎
7. Still advocating, still laughing… ︎
8. There’s an old baseball adage about the difficulty of playing a day game after a night game. Today was like playing a triple header after a night game. ︎
9. Nate: “I’ll be in Austin SXSW weekend. Want to get together?” Me: “Yes! Meet me at any or all of these 8 Pink Stones concerts.” Nate considers this to be normal coming from me by now. ︎
10. Probably easier to call him Hunter Pinkston, but that feels both too formal and too informal. ︎
11. See also: Supersuckers playing Continental Club at 1am in 2016. ︎
12. Or favorite set of Friday, not Saturday. ︎
13. This footnote is neither a confession nor a link to the hypothetical recording, but I made you look! ︎
14. Even well rested and stone cold sober my voice would still be a sorry excuse for a singalong. ︎
15. Ranking songs is a fool’s errand, but taking a stab at the Introducing… tracks: 1. Miss Wind Turbine. 2. Barroom Blues, 3. Blueberry Dream, 4. Let’s Sit Down, 5. Love Me Hardly. (I’ll probably change my mind in a month. Friend Hunter’s favorite is “Put Me On”) ︎
16. Years ago my friends Gino & Ben were waiting in a long line to get into a packed Irish Pub on St. Patricks Day. It started pouring so they ducked into a completely empty Mexican cantina instead. When Cinco de Mayo rolled around they went back to the Irish Pub — also empty. When we figured out by coincidence of the calendar St. Pats & Cinco de Mayo always fall on the same day of the week an ongoing traditional holiday swap was born. ︎
17. Also, Texas. ︎
18. On the fritz for Johnny Fritz is a fitting dad joke for a guy with a record called Dad Country. ︎
19. “Josephine, Josephine do you know what I mean, when I say our time’s run out?” would also work here. ︎
20. Waaaaay after midnight. ︎
21. Pictured: Me (all 8 shows), Adam Wayton’s dad (7 shows), Josie from Telemarket (5 or 6 shows; I forget — sorry!) ︎
22. Before the show I saw the band loading in. Hunter mentioned he wasn’t sure what they had left to play. I advised by my calculation it was Rich Rudy, Stoned + Alone, half of the first record and Jesus & Peterbilt. He said they’d play Jesus if Adam could remind him of the first line. Adam immediately rattled off “I put my faith in my baby…” before I could. ︎
23. There are 6 Infinity Stones, but I saw 8 Pink Stones shows. (This bad joke means it’s time to close this out. It’s also fishing for Marvel Cinematic Universe search traffic. If it worked, check out the band!) ︎
24. Two more records in, I might issue a no repeats challenge. Get ready for 2027 ︎

ALBUMS

1. Rides On — The Nude Party
   A delightful romp of a record. My unpopular opinion is it sounds like The Rolling Stones at their peak, but better.
2. BOOTCUT — Bahamas
   Afie is beginning to make his case for the elusive infallible band tag, going country on his sixth release under the Bahamas monicker while still sounding like himself.
3. Joy’all — Jenny Lewis
   Another in a solid run of feel-good solo albums starting with The Voyager (not that there was anything wrong with her previous records), Jenny’s starting to feel like the old friend you can comfortably pick up where you left off with even after years apart.
4. Wide Open Light — Ben Harper
   A stark album primarily featuring acoustic guitars and piano, but with the lyrical mix of pleasure & pain Ben Harper has built his career on. My favorite is the jazzy “Trying Not to Fall In Love With You.”
5. The 4th Record — The Record Company
   Triumphant return by the thing I miss most about LA. Dropped by their label, the band went back to their roots of DIY modern blues rockers. Reminds me why I started digging them in the first place.
6. You Know Who — The Pink Stones
   A sophomore album that barely resembles what came before it but still charms with poppy alt-country leanings. Bonus points for the “Still Laughing…” reprise.
7. Bird Machine — Sparklehorse
   Posthumous albums of leftovers and/or incomplete “lost records” can be a mixed bag, but this one is a beautiful cap on a legacy and what might have been. Nice touch including an original of one of the Dark Night of the Soul collaborations. I’d love to hear a full album of those demos.
8. Asylum on the Hill — The Felice Brothers
   In a few years I’ll look back at this list and be surprised how low this ranked, but when a surprise new album drops in the middle of December it’s hard to evaluate it fairly. Am I giving it too much credit as a shiny new object? Regardless, The Felice’s keep Felicin’ with these charming modern throwback records. Brother James takes a big step forward, sharing near equal billing with Ian as songwriter on this set.
9. Metal Marty’s Greatest Hits — Metal Marty Chandler
   A semi-secret Supersuckers country record fronted by one of the greatest guitarists / characters in music today? Sign me up! “So if you’re lookin’ you can call off the search; ’cause I’m the baddest motherf@#$er on earth.”
10. In The Moment That You’re Born — Brad
    Posthumous albums of leftovers and/or incomplete “lost records” can be a mixed bag, and this one fits into that cautionary tale. But it also reminded me how much I miss Shawn Smith so it gets the tenth slot on that alone. “Meadow in August,” “Straight to the Hoop,” and “Hey Now What’s the Problem” earn their spots on the pantheon, and covering Malfunction’s “Stars ‘n You” by Andrew Wood brings Brad full circle in a fitting swan song.

SONGS

1. “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)” — Black Pumas
2. “Travelin’ On” — Carly Farmer (Jamie Jackson & Jamie Drake)
3. “Barbaric” — Blur
4. “The Locals” — Metal Marty Chandler
5. “Love Feel” — Jenny Lewis
6. “Fucked It Up” — Sparklehorse
7. “When Susie Was a Skeleton” — The Felice Brothers
8. “Meadow in August” — Brad
9. “Befriend the Police” — Jim Bob
10. “Bad Light” — The Record Company

SHOWS

1. Supersuckers at the Continental Club — 12/15/23
   Final night of 3 consecutive shows opening for Reverend Horton Heat. I asked on Instagram if they were planning a country show. They said no. My wife bailed on attending for this reason. They played a country set anyways. It was the highlight of my year. Bonus: Metal Marty played “The Locals” during his mid-show solo set. I also got the setlist.
2. The Pink Stones at Feel So Good — 3/17/23
   A single digit number of people attended this SXSW show at a semi out of the way clothing store doubling as a venue. Proud to be one of them hearing some great new songs in an intimate setting.
3. Jenny Lewis Austin City Limits Taping — 7/26/23
   Only the second time we’ve won tickets to a taping, and the first time to see an artist we genuinely adored.
4. The Nude Party — 5 Times at SXSW, March 2023
   Yes, I saw the same band 5 times in 6 days during South By, and loved them more each and every time. Varied setlists, matching costumes, and good old fashioned classic rock and roll. My favorite bit of stage banter was from the KUTX morning sessions at Scholz Garden. “I don’t think we went to bed last night. Leave it to radio people to book a showcase at 8am.”
5. The Flaming Lips at Moody Theater — 11/8/23
   All of Yoshimi + a full second set of classics. Confetti shaped like little pink robots, lasers, inflatables, hamster balls. The spectacle that keeps on giving. More thoughts and photos here.
6. Deslondes at Sam’s Town Point — 10/1/13
   Might be the first time in my life I figured out a secret show using context clues vs. insider information. We planned on seeing Deslondes at a BBQ & baseball festival that sold out. They had a “secret show” without a location specified amidst their Texas tour dates. I know they frequently play Sam’s Town, even curating an annual SXSW event. Popping over to the Sam’s Town calendar had a “secret show” on the same night. I took a shot and hit the jackpot.
7. Texas Radio at High Noon — 3/17/23
   Noon on St. Patrick’s day during SXSW. Barely double digit attendees to see C.M. Talkington perform with Renee Zellweger for free. Unannounced bonus of Paul Leary from Butthole Surfers in the band. Fun rock songs, but the ballad’s where Renee sang (and accompanied on guitar) stole the show. Afterwards most of the crowd made a beeline for Renee, but I waltzed up to Carty and thanked him for making my second favorite film of all time, the grossly underrated Love and a .45. Magic all around.

BOOKS

Bonus for 2023: Shepherd.com invited me to write about my 3 favorite books read this year. Check them out at the link, or peruse how ~1300 other authors answered the same question.

PHOTOS

Second bonus: Pictures to prove it!

They played Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots in its entirety, followed by a full second set with all of the usual delightful hjinx throughout. If memory serves this was my 5th Flaming Lips show but the first in over a decade. The fact that they exist at all (let alone are still doing their thing all these years later) makes me incredibly happy.

Anyways, the show inspired me to dig up a deleted scene from the “I Went With Some Friends to See the Flaming Lips” chapter in L Extreme, but when I re-read the commentary blog post I realized I already posted it then.

So check out some words on what makes the Lips so great up there, and some photos (Flaming GIFs?) to back it up below.

ALBUMS:

1. River Fools & Mountain Saints — Ian Noe
   Album of the year in the biggest landslide victory since I’ve been doing this, plus only the second artist to claim my top slot twice (see also: Alabama Shakes in 2012 & 15). Ian Noe defies the sophomore slump with another stellar record, a little more electric and a little more John Prine influenced than before. The whole thing is great; the final track gives me chills.
2. Home, Before and After — Regina Spektor
   Her best album since Far in my opinion, full of the whimsically charming piano gems Regina does so well.
3. Chicamacomico — American Aquarium
   More sad songs to make you happy from the mind of BJ Barham, closing with a rocker about the power of song that feels like a certified twanger of a long lost country hit single.
4. 1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love (and Free Hugs) — Kula Shaker
   Confession: I didn’t know there was a new Kula Shaker record until early December, but man am I glad they’re back in a big way. K level quality vibes here, though the between song skits were probably a better idea in theory than practice.
5. Cruel Country — Wilco
   My favorite end-to-end Wilco album since Sky Blue Sky, reflecting the country tinged Americana leanings I’ve adopted since moving to Texas–somewhat ironically foreshadowed by older Wilco records.
6. May You Live In Interesting Times — David Ford
   One of two new David Ford albums released in 2022 (plus an EP as part of a duo), this one is unapologetically a pandemic record about the pandemic. Interesting times indeed.

REISSUES:

1. The Lindon Trees are Still in Blossom / The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom — Jens Lekman
   An equally strange and brilliant reissue strategy, Jens mysteriously announced his classic Night Falls Over Kortedala was going out of print, following the previous fate of his singles collection Oh You’re So Silent Jens due to unlicensed samples. The solution? Reissue both without the samples–re-recorded where necessary–with era appropriate bonus tracks. The result is a remarkable scavenger hunt search for changes, two terrific versions of the classic “Black Cab,” and two brand new sequel songs checking in on old friends Julie & Nina. (Bonus: A studio version of live EP rarity “Our Last Swim in the Ocean.”) Re-record your catalog for rights purposes is becoming an increasingly necessary stunt for musicians to pull royalty-wise, but I’m hard pressed to think of another example where the final product transcends the original.
2. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (The Unified Theory of Everything) — Wilco
   With heavily bootlegged demos floating around, I’m surprised how much net new material was available here to celebrate the record that belatedly introduced me to Wilco. Highlights include an old version of “Hummingbird” with drum machine beats and a Frampton-esque talking guitar take on “Pot Kettle Black.”
3. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (A Companion) — Bright Eyes
   Part of an ongoing anniversary EP series of re-recorded songs + an era appropriate cover, the neat trick here is re-doing the folky songs from this album in the electronic-tinged style of Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (and vice versa).
4. “Won One” — Chris Evjy
   A long lost cover of the Local Boy one hit wonder my former roommate found in his digitized archives. Since I hadn’t heard this song (outside of in my own head) for nearly 30 years I’m counting it as a reissue. Watch this spot in 2024 for another Local Boy sighting. (I’m from the future…)

SONGS:

1. “Road May Flood / It’s a Heartache” — Ian Noe
2. “Our Last Swim in the Ocean” — Jens Lekman
3. “Spud Infinity” — Big Thief
4. “The First Year” — American Aquarium
5. “Be the Hook” — Pavement
6. “Cheers to Falling Away” — Hunter James
7. “Pants is Overrated” — Lyle Lovett
8. “Fare Thee Well Miss Carousel” — Bright Eyes
9. “Pink Rabbits” — The Tallest Man on Earth

SHOWS:

Lighter than usual as we ease out of pandemic life. I’m trying to better pick my spots vs. go to every show that catches my interest — and often seemingly end up being the only masked person in attendance. Better safe than sorry after my Beck incident.

1. Pavement at the Moody Theater – 10/11/22
   See you again in another decade?
2. American Aquarium at the Paramount Theater – 12/8/22
   Great show overall, made better by the fact I almost missed it flying back from a work meeting in Denver. Parked across the street from the venue about a minute before the opener took the stage.
3. Sweet Spirit at Radio Coffee & Beer – 6/12/22
   Similar to the above, Sweet Spirit was announced as the surprise band at Radio’s birthday party early one evening and I practically ran there to see them.
4. Wild Child at the 04 Center – 12/10/22
   Duo singalong show that ended up joining forces between Wild Child & Sir Woman, previewing the new album I hope to talk more about here on next year’s list.