Oh yeah . . .
5/27/07 5:32 PM
The Chronicles of Jordan are back! Only this season we find our fearless hero and his companions on a fantastic voyage in North America, traversing thousands of miles to share their love and music with strangers and friends across the nation in lands familiar but as of yet unknown. These stories are all true, filled with surprises at every turn, ranging from attempted arson to cops kicking Moxie off of Sixth street. The adventures have only just begun . . . Only last names have been excluded.
We’re now about two weeks into our tour. What I’ve learned thus far:
- Booking shows is a heinous bitch, especially when you’re looking for specific dates
- Moxie is really freakin’ good at Erotic Photo Hunt. Just try and challenge us.
- It sucks when someone tries to burn down the venue you just played at by setting a magazine and two books of matches on fire at the bottom of the stairs where no one will notice it until carpet is on fire.
- Playing in smoky bars in small towns is the best
- Our van is totally badass
- People’s parents are awesome
- Macrobiotic vegan food is very tasty, especially when you “barter” musical performance for it
- Macrobiotic vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are terrible
- Constantly being in the rain is great for engine temperature but terrible for driving
- It is illegal to play music “on the sidewalks downtown” in Austin
- Laura doesn’t really like avocado
We’ve been pretty busy over the past couple weeks, spending almost every waking moment either booking a show, practicing for a show, driving to it, or playing it. Occasionally we sleep and eat, but the latter is difficult when you live in Texas and have to avoid animal products.
We’ve added a few new members to the crew. First is Gabe, my best friend from Austin who joined us literally 24 hours before our (and his first ever) show at Momo’s in Austin. He’s an adroit musician who masterfully filled in on bass for our ATX shows. His sharp wit, deep sensitivity, goofy jokes and pensive philosophizing fit into the Moxie mold perfectly. He also thinks it’s funny to pretend that we live in a Family Guy episode, and he’s exactly 6’2” like the rest of us.
Next, let me introduce you to our new van, which I am writing in right now. We have yet to christen her. She’s got a beautiful voice but she gets a bit grumpy after a couple hours on the highway and refuses to accelerate or go up hills. In fact, after driving back from Dallas she adamantly refused to start up until an hour of rest. She used to blow burning hot air on my feet as I drove, but then she got used to us and settled down a bit. She likes Premium gas and rainstorms, and she’s on the prowl for a bigger radiator since she gets persnickety when things start to heat up.
Other people you might want to meet include our trusty mechanic Rusty and his sidekick Jim who gave us a free spare tire and say that this beast is in such great shape that they would have bought it themselves had they known about it. Then there are the Soslands who housed and fed us in Dallas, and the Navars who did the same in Corpus Christi. There’s Marshall’s sister’s dog who got scared of me and peed on the floor and Natalie’s bird Penelope who crapped on my head. There’s Ashley and Justin in Fulton who want to buy us drinks, give us kisses, and take shots with us while we’re playing on stage. There’s Han, the tiny Asian bar owner with dyed blonde hair and massive cleavage who loves to talk about how crazy her bar gets – the girls, you know they dance on the bar and do body shots, and they try to get her to but she won’t do it. Well she does get on the bar when we’re playing.
Our shows have been awesome, and the rest of the summer is going to be fantastic although we are still booking shows last minute and may not have many places to play in between New Orleans and New York. It’s been great to have Gabe and Laura join us for the past couple shows, to see my aunt and cousins out at 1AM, and to play for a friend from Spain. We’ve had really positive responses and love all the people we’ve met. Monday’s show at Stubb’s should be one of our best shows ever, and we now have a couple gigs in Houston before we head out of the state which should be really fun. Sometimes I only wish I had more time to spend with the cool people who come out to see us play. I know my family and friends in Austin would love to have a little more time with me. C’est la vie. I love you guys and hope you know that.
Well that’s about it for now. Actually I’m going to write a separate nugget about our show last night but check out these pictures, post your thoughts and comments on the blog, and I look forward to talking to all of you! I’ll be spending lots of time on the road so call me, but don’t text me because the button that lets me access the menu on my phone doesn’t work so I can’t read your messages.
Peace, and enjoy your lives!
J-Tax
Discussion Questions:
1. What should we name our van?
2. How important are friends in your life? Family?
3. Do you think American culture places too much emphasis on success? Do you think our society places enough value in the family? How does your family differ from others?
4. If you could visit anywhere in the US, in a sweet van, where would you go, and why?
p.s. check out this site I've been working on getting going with Nick
http://www.betweenaduck.com
Tomorrow Moxie starts to really be on the road. Thus far we've been based in Austin and always have a place to return to. Tomorrow, our home becomes our trusty steed, Funkwagen von Tatkraft! Yes, we had some wondeful suggestions, some as silly as "hipster chick magnet" and some as deep as "Horace" in reference to ancient Roman literature "Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus" (Now is the time to drink, now the time to dance footloose upon the earth), but in the end she named herself. "Join the Funkwagen" bumper stickers will be available soon . . .
The Stubb's show was so sweet, thanks to all of you who supported us and thanks to the other bands Mesamora and Villians in Convertibles for putting on such sweet performances. That was the first of many. The company who books for Stubb's also books ACLFest, so who knows? Maybe they'll need a band to fill a slot on the Austin Ventures stage... anyway I remember my first Stubb's show when John Mayer opening up for O.A.R. probably in 2002. I had no idea who he was at the time but he played a sweet cover of "The Wind Cries Mary." I'm off to packing for the next month and a half, and I leave you with something to think about.
