West Coast.:.home.:.SXSW

round 2 with the west is in the books!
we've been back a few days now, played a great show with Tre Orsi last friday at the D.wide, and will be leaving for SX later today. it was nice to be home for a little while, but honestly i've been wound up ever since we got back.
the whole trip was a blast and we can't wait to do it again! hopefully it won't take another year to make it happen.
thanks to everyone that came out. especially if you made a weekday show! we know how it is to be all cozy at home and have to get up early the next morning to go to work. thanks for showing up!!
we had a lot of fun last year, but this time ended up being pretty special. i have to say thanks to everyone that helped put the shows together. i know a few of them were close calls, but you all came through and none of the shows disappointed. plus a very special thanks to everyone that feed, facilitated, helped fund and/or provided a place to stay!

we met a lot of great people and had good times everywhere we went. i can't list them all, but here's a few in no particular order.

best times list...
the Train Yard chaos, our night with Lantvrn had such a great vibe, finally meeting aNdeee from aQuarius and laying waste to the stage in S.F. together, Oakland lemon bars, meeting J&K our gate keepers to the great northwest, blazing a path from Portland to S.F. so we could catch Saviours play and it was so worth it, exploding van windows (not ours), seeing & playing with the Drowning Men again, last but most definitely not least was our L.A.Chinatown experience with Cactus Pricks, MOAB, & Ancestors. all 3 bands are great at what they do and it was a privilege being part of the night. muchas gracias Brandon!

exciteless photos...








and if your still interested,
here's some live footage... 1 & 2

.:SXSW:.

we have 3 shows and we're pretty stoked on all the line ups, so if your in Austin this week and can keep from getting distracted stop by.

16th. Austin, TX.
{{EndSounds SX PreParty}}
7pm. Red 7
.:TW set time 9:30:.
w/ HOPE, Tumbledown, UME, the Mag 7, Lower Case Brats,
Broken Gold, Saboteur, & Evolett

19th. Austin, TX.
{{aQuarius Records & WFMU Showcase}}
7pm. Encore [old Spiro's]
.:TW set time 12mid:.
w/ Pierced Arrows, Home Blitz, Dengue Fever, Liturgy, Drunkdriver, Sonny & the Sunsets, Moon Duo, Eternal Tapestry, Shit & Shine, Todd, Speedwolf, Headdress, & Iron Man

20th. Austin, TX.
{{Parade of Flesh &
Ballistic Missiles SX Party}}
1pm. Primos
.:TW set time 3pm:.
w/ Slang Chickens, Munch Munch, Juarez, Ryan Powers, the Name,
Little Girls, Grandchildren, Beach Fossils, Digital Leather,
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, DD/MM/YYYY, Hot White,
TV Ghost, Charlie & the Moonhearts, Chinese Stars, HOWL,
Fang Island, Struck by Lightning, Medio Mutante,
Quest for Fire, & Quiet Hooves

can't wait!
-slim

West Coast II

Well,
tonight's the night.
it's been a year now since we made our 1st trip out west. Sure seems like it's been longer with everything that's happened in between. This time around we'll be playing Noise Pop Fest in S.F. again and we've got twice as many shows along the way!

We've got a grip of new tunes and chances are we'll play a couple each night, so grab a friend and find out what's been brewing in the TW cauldron!


.:February:.

19th. Denton, TX.
9pm. Rubber Gloves
w/ Kijoto, On After Dark,
& Oh Lewis

20th. Las Cruces, NM.
8pm. the Trainyard
w/ Rats and Birds, & Far Corners

21st. Scottsdale, AZ.
9pm. the Rogue
w/ Smokus Pokus

24th. Hollywood, CA.
9pm. Three Clubs
w/ Lantvrn

26th. Oakland, CA.
8pm. Merchant's Saloon
w/ Hellbeard

27th. San Francisco, CA.
{{{ Noise Pop 010 }}}
8pm. Cafe Du Nord
w/ P.E.E., Ovens,
& Grass Widow

.:March:.

2nd. Seattle, WA.
9pm. the Funhouse
w/ Bleeding Heart's Vignette,
& I Coyote

3rd. Portland, OR.
8pm. Rotture
w/ No Kind Of Rider, & Kowloon

5th. Carlsbad, CA.
8pm. Hensley's Flying Elephant
w/ Drowning Men

6th. Los Angeles, CA.
9pm. Mountain Bar
w/ Ancestors, MOAB, & Cactus Pricks

7th. Tucson, AZ.
8pm. Red Room
w/ Dead Western Plains

12th. Dallas, TX.
9pm. Doublewide
w/ TBA

CONFIRMED SXSW SHOWS:

16th. Austin, TX.
{{EndSounds SX PreParty}}
7pm. Red 7
w/ HOPE, Tumbledown, UME,
the Mag 7, Lower Case Brats,
Broken Gold, Saboteur,
Evolett, & the Missfits

19th. Austin, TX.
{{aQuarius Records & WFMU Showcase}}
7pm. Encore [old Spiro's]
w/ Pierced Arrows, Home Blitz, Dengue Fever,
Liturgy, Drunkdriver, Sonny & the Sunsets,
Moon Duo, Eternal Tapestry, Shit & Shine,
Todd, Speedwolf, Headdress, & Iron Man

There's a good chance we'll pick up at least 1 more show before the shenanigans begin, so check back in early march for an updated listing.

see you there,
slim

{{{A.K.A.}}}

i know this has been online for a few weeks now, but i wanted to post it here with a little more about the guy who made it and how it came to be.
if you've already seen the video then you know it's a first for us and was put together by the clever eye of one Mats Ek.
Mats lives on Gotland Island in Visby Sweden, does work for an ad agency, seems to enjoy tattoos and skateboarding amongst the other fine things in life, and is working on his masters in video and 3D at Gotland University.
he first contacted us some months back and said he really enjoyed the album. eventually he turned us onto some of his photography and we slowly started bouncing ideas back and forth. the band tried to come up with some key elements that he could work with over there like the shovel, letter, girl, big sky, macro shots, etc. i think his original idea was a bit different, but he did mention the snow season was about to start in a couple of weeks and had a pretty solid layout in his head. all of us agreed on the style and that a thinner story line would give Mats more room to play around visually. i found a handful of photos from various vacation enthusiasts on the web and he recognized a few of the spots. we bounced one or two more emails to nail down a few details and days later he sent us some test shots.





we made a few minor adjustments and went for it. he and Simone spent a few days shooting. then he started cutting it up. it all happened between christmas and new years. we saw a few stills from the shoot and they looked great, but when he sent the link for the finished video i think we were all a little blown away! after i wrote him about how much we loved it i asked him a few question.
} he tries not to think too much when he's shooting.
} likes to listen to the music before filming and let the visuals play out in his mind.
} it was very cold, but they stayed warm and Simone was a trooper. she really enjoyed being involved.
} he has a serious passion for merging audio with imagery and is open to working with most anyone that is interested.
} amongst other up coming projects he would like to make his way to the states to follow up on a few leads and possibly work on another video for us. of course with endeavors such as these finances always play a roll and times are tough on both sides of the world.
anyone interested in helping make this happen, or if you have questions about your own projects can contact Mats via his method of choice.
{{ mats.o.ek@gmail.com }}

you can also find him here-
website
youtube
facebook
vimeo
he's also working on his own recording project. there's not any music up yet, but when there is you'll be able to listen here-
PALMS

i would just like to say thank you to Mats and Simone one more time for their hard work and providing us with such an incredible video! we're looking forward to the next one!

...in other news
we're starting to post dates on the site for our next trip out west. in order to raise a little gas money we'll be playing a lot of TX shows leading up to our departure in late february.
see you there,
slim

'tis the season...

if that's your thing, if not than it's just cold out.
it took a while but it's finally starting to feel like winter down here, and i can't say that i really mind. it's a nice break from the heat of summer and it's not like we have to shovel snow or anything. i've always been fond of winter. there's just something about the way everything appears and the crispness in the air that's familiar and comforting.

well enough of all that,
guess it's time to play catch up.

last month was a good month-
} the Crash That Took Me were gracious enough to invite us to play they're CD release show at Sons of Herman Hall and everybody had a great time. just wanted to say thanks to them for the invite and when you get a chance check their new stuff out!
} our album turned a year old on 11/11 and the reviews (under press) are still coming in. more recently we received some very kind words from a fellow named Andee over at Aquarius Records in San Francisco. thank you so much and we can't wait to get back out there!
honestly, thanks to everyone that noticed, bought the album, told a friend, took the time to write/post a review, download, link, tweet, or whatever else the kids are doing these days. we truly appreciate the support!
} thanks to Reid & Allison for inviting us to guest host their show Sonic Assembly Power Hour on KNON 89.3fm "the voice of the people" here in Dallas. it was fun, we got to answer a few questions and play around an hours worth of music. you can hear them every tuesday night from 10-12pm.
} this past saturday we played a house party out in Denton and had a blast. by far our best experience out there! thanks to the guys in VIDEO and the River Mouth for having us and a special thanks to the birthday girl. we hope you all enjoyed it and we'll see you again in january.
} i recently found this video from when we played with Dove Hunter at Granada Theater back in september. does the past really hold a key to the future?

speaking of the future-
} the demos keep rolling. we've got an hour and 20 minutes worth of new material right now and they're still flowing! keep an ear out, we should have something to wrap your head around soon.
} while there are no immediate plans for a second full length at this time, we would love to get it going sooner then later.
} the compilations are still in the works, but that's about all i know at this point. there's also been some talks about doing a couple of split 10"s or 12"s, and those are looking promising. hopefully we'll know more about some of this stuff soon.
} while i'm on the topic of compilations i should mention the guys at Gutterth Productions just put out there 2nd comp and were kind enough to include "Sunday Driver". it's a double disc and free to download here.
} Exploding In Sound, who included "Duelist" on their 1st comp back in february is moving forward strong with the release of their 4th comp. you can download all of them for free here.
} there is an outside chance of us recording a few songs with our demo gear for a short CDR we make ourselves to sell at upcoming shows on the road. if we can pull it off there should be 3 or 4 unreleased songs, maybe a cover or remix, i don't know? we'll just have to see what happens.
} speaking of the road, we're looking at heading back out to the west coast in february/march, and if everything works out the east coast again in april/may.

not so distant future-
} back in september the Double Wide invited us to hangout for a night and play some of our favorite songs. everyone had such a good time that they invited us back to do it again and we were happy to oblige them. this tuesday dec.15th we'll be back at the bar tearing thru vinyl and polishing off bottles from 10pm-2am, so if your in or around Dallas head on over!
} our friend John over at Parade of Flesh has helped us put together a special one night only show. on dec.30th at the City Tavern in Dallas we'll be playing an extended set of the new material. it won't be all the new songs (too long), but we won't be playing anything off the s/t album. we wanted to say thank you to everyone that's been coming out to the shows all year and we thought this might be nice holiday treat. hope you enjoy!
} we'll be kicking off the year with a few shows around TX. here's how things are looking so far.

.:December:.

15th. Dallas, TX.
10pm. Double Wide
{{DJ for a night 2}}

30th. Dallas, TX.
9pm. City Tavern {Holiday Special}
w/ Swithblade Razors

.:January:.

8th. Austin, TX.
9pm. Beauty Bar
{{free week}}
w/ ISHI, & Clouds are Ghosts

15th. Dallas, TX.
9pm. Sons of Herman Hall
w/ the Paper Chase

21st. Denton, TX.
9pm. the Boiler Room
w/ the River Mouth, Smoke and Feathers, & Flashbulb Fires

30th. Dallas, TX.
10pm. Doublewide
w/ Maleveller {EP Release}, & Big Fiction

i suppose that's it for now. have fun hanging your stockings, decking the halls, and trimming everything in tinsel. as for myself, i've got a nasty little tree that's just begging to be lit up!
if you don't hear from us again before the new year, make the most out of what's left in this one, and we'll see you soon.

-slim

{{{TONIGHT:::11.24}}} :::K...N...O...N::: 89.3FM

WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PLAY SOME OF OUR
FAVORITE MUSICAL SELECTIONS OVER THE AIRWAVES.....

TUNE IN TO {{{SONIC ASSEMBLY}}} FROM 10PM-12AM TO SEE WHAT
WE PULLED OUT. IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE DALLAS AREA, I THINK YOU CAN LISTEN ONLINE AT KNON.ORG.........

and if you feel like getting out and about, Lee Harvey's will be broadcasting the show.
Just saying-

past/future

thanks to everyone that came out to the Double Wide last week for our DJ set. hope you all had as much fun as we did! hopefully we'll be doing it again soon. there is also some talk of a guest spot for us up on KNON, but we're still working out the details.

our show at the Amsterdam bar was a blast! neither the state fair traffic or the massive rain clouds could keep us down that night. it was our first time there, and the vibe was great! it got pretty loud playing inside, but they call it rock and roll for a reason!!

we're still in demo mode. working up some hot new riffage, rounding out the tones, and chopping up some word play. things are going smooth and the well is still full! once we get a couple wrapped up we'll figure out some way to tease some ears.

here's how the rest of the month is going-

.:October:.

11th. Denton, TX.
9pm. Hailey's
w/ Ringo Deathstarr (ATX),
& Manned Missiles

15th. Dallas, TX.
8pm. the Cavern
w/ Vivian Girls (NYC),
& the Uptown Bums

18th. Dallas, TX.
8pm. Double Wide
{Anniversary Party}
w/ Valient Thorr,
Early Man, & the Ramonahs

see you there!

-slim

we have a blog?

i guess the Texas heat has been working overtime on my brain. that and a minor case of the blog lazies.
we've managed to keep ourselves pretty busy over the last few months. just fighting off the heat in august down here can be a full time job!

for starters, thanks to everyone that helped out on our east coast trip! whether it was hosting a show, playing with us, buying merch, letting us crash, or just showing up. we all had a great time and truly appreciate all your help! we played with some really good bands and made a lot of new friends. if you feel like taking the time, some i would like to mention are-
Bad Dream (brooklyn,ny)
Mansion (lawrence,ks)
Fangs Out (toledo,oh)
Where the Buffalo Roamed (nc)
the Rainy Saturdays (memphis,tn)
Xpia (nashville,tn)

we would also like to say thanks to the Dallas Observer for asking us to play their annual music awards show this past july. everybody had a really good time!

last but not least of the thank yous was saved for Bruce and Julie Webb from the Webb Gallery for allowing us to be a part of the great vibes both you and your gallery transmit!

on to the new-

in the last post i mentioned our new song MoonII that we recorded for a compilation cd that was due out later this year. recently we found out it has been put on hold and as of right now we're not sure when it might come out. i don't know what that means for the song, but if the project ends up scrapped we'll find some other way to get it out!

unfortunately it doesn't look like we'll be hitting the road again in 09. it hasn't been completely ruled out, but we've been booking Texas shows for october/november and would like to get into a studio before the end of the year.

we're getting ready to start another round of demos! hopefully we'll end up with 4 or 5 songs we can add to the last batch. we're just now starting to figure out what we'd like to do with them all, but we've got a pretty good idea of the direction we're going. both tonally and how we want them to be released. the first thing is putting 1 of them out on a 10" split. the details are still being worked out, but it's something that looks totally doable. after that we'll just have to wait and see.

we're just getting started!

-slim