South Padre Island

After our exhausting week in Austin for the SXSW Music Festival, we were ready for a little relaxation in the sun. Thus, we traveled south in Texas to beautiful South Padre Island. We spent a glorious four days on this southern gulf island soaking up the sun, swimming, meeting interesting folks, and singing karaoke. It was spring break time for college students so we sifted through the bros and sorority girls going to dance clubs with Real World cameos and awful DJ's. But we found our niche, met some locals and the "fringe" spring breakers, and had a most excellent time.

SXSW Re-Cap

SXSW. Love it or loathe it, it is an undeniable social phenomenon of carnival-esque proportions. Wandering through a sea of faces & sound bombarding you from every open enclave, one could easily forget to breathe. This was our third year attending, and the energy was much crazier than before. Maybe it was due to our ever-expanding circle of friends, our cell phones tugging us in more directions than we could ever keep up with. At any given minute, whatever awesome show you are catching, you are missing out on something. Guaranteed. Acceptance is key. You get in whatever your legs will allow.
Two shows this year for us. We have always been of the mind that we’d rather play one that counts than ten that don’t. Seeing brothers of ours wearing themselves out playing three sets a day seemed counterproductive. Our first show was at a joint called Whiskey & Ink on Wednesday night; classic Austin vibe with the front of the venue open for music to reach the streets. We were using their backline, and it’s a good thing they were ahead of schedule because when Jon plugged Jen (his beloved Fender Precision Bass) in he found the bass amp to be bunk. Taylor & he booked up the street, up seven floors of parking garage, and back again with his bass rig. Covered in sweat before the down-beat, this set was one of catharsis from adversity.
We had a few nights off before our Saturday showcase to take in the festival, and so we did. Thursday night was filled with wandering until we reached Skinny’s for Marvin Etzioni’s extremely intimate set. He started off the show standing on top of the bar with mandolin, silencing the room. Finishing the first tune, he set the tone saying ‘Here’s the deal, I’m gonna play. If you wanna talk, go outside’. He played another song ‘the mandolin man’ unplugged and prowling the floor before joining a string quartet on-stage. The arrangements were subtle and the evocative lyrics about lovers past were tear-jerkers. We left in a sort of post-greatness awe, touched by the honesty and fragility.
Friday we caught Counting Crows at Auditorium Shores. What a fucking band, man. So seasoned. So emotive. Adam Duritz is a phenomenal artist. It was amazing to see him improvising and having the whole band match his ebb & flow. Huge for Mike, who has been a massive fan of their music forever. We left early and high-tailed it to Far-out Home Furnishings for Tea Leaf Green. Place was sort of a hippie-haven (much love hippies) with hula-hoops and dogs off leash. Jon got to talk shop with Reed Mathis of TLG, one of his biggest bass influences. Their set was super-groovy, we all stood right in the front following the flow. Reed is really the groove-anchor of the band, and the bass was way up in the mix! Before we could say good-bye to the TLG crew we were racing to catch Sami the Great, a song bird from NYC, at The Lodge on Sixth. Ty & Jon played on her record which was recently released, and we were psyched to see the material interpreted by other cats. The bar was packed with friends, and was an excellent way to end the night.
Saturday was all about the Live Nation showcase at Lucky 13. We had the convenience of being able to rehearse all week, so we were snarling dogs waiting for the stage. The whole thing was sponsored by Pizza Hut, and being children of the 90’s, we were tickled doing interviews for them and reflecting on “Book Its” significance in our development. Our set was raucous. Simply put. Mike was a ferocious animal throughout the show, owning the stage and staring down the crowd with the intensity of one thousand suns. Everyone digs “Whole Lotta Love”, and people always flip when Taylor nails the Page licks. We crushed and in a flash, ‘work’ was over and it was time to party! Free drinks from Lucky 13 got us going for SXSW’s last night. We got miracle front row spots for White Denim, Austin’s own psych-rock powerhouse. If you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and check out their latest offering, “D”. They played everything off it we wanted to hear… at about ten times the bpm!! Their set was a triumph, and we strolled the rest of the night in shock from the rock. There was music till sunrise on Saturday, and we got it in with late-night sets from Cherub and Two Fresh. Taylor’s cousin and his Army buddies were in town, and we did a ton of dancing. Austin is weird and so is South By, but weird is awesome and so are you. We are slowly making our way back to LA and back into the studio. We have several shows over the next month or two, so you better get your ass to one of them. Oh, and LEAVE YOUR CELLPHONE IN YOUR CAR! Jack White had a mandate at his show that anyone taking pics, audio, or video was ejected from the venue. They offered downloadable pictures of the show the next morning. We all like were he is coming from with this. It is about being there. There is so much competing for our attention these days, distracting us from the visceral nature of the live experience. Imagine seeing the Dead or Zeppelin in the 70s, no one was fucking around on a pocket computer. All eyes, ears, & energy were directed towards the artist. Lets hope this becomes a new trend…or even a law! Peace <3 28 North

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Next stop was rainy, rainy, rainy Seattle, Washington. Yah, it rained. But, we had a superb time doing the touristy stuff like waltzing around Pike Street Market and visiting the Experience Music Project, a most excellent museum located at Seattle Center near the Space Needle. The building itself is a massive, labyrinthine, sculptural composition designed by Frank Ghery.

Immediately upon walking inside, Ghery's unique architectural style is eminent. The centerpiece of the main lobby is occupied by a tornado of guitars, bass guitars, and miscellaneous drums. Some of the instruments contain automated playing devices. The museum consists of two themes: music and science fiction. There is a wonderful portion exhibiting the history of guitar which contains many rare relics of this mystical instrument, including Jimi Hendrix's legendary white Stratocaster which he used at Woodstock. There's also a section dedicated to the music scene of the Pacific Northwest as well as an interactive area, tons of Hendrix shit, and plenty else to preoccupy one's rainy self on a rainy day.


We enjoyed visiting the Troll under the bridge in the bohemian atmosphere of Fremont. When visiting this ominous under-dweller you will notice that he is grasping an old Volkswagen Bug in the crushing grip of his left hand. And of course, we visited Jimi’s grave, and Jon did his thing as always. It is quite the vibe in Seattle, we dug it.

DOWN THE 101

After our Seattle experience it was time to make our way south back to Los Angeles. We took the opportunity to make a trek down the 101 freeway through some of the most stunning natural beauty this great country has to offer. First, the rocky cliff coast of Oregon. We spent our time driving and stopping sporadically to take pictures and soak up the incredible sights.

We stopped in a small town called Newport, Oregon for the night. We were welcomed and joined by very kind, hospitable Oregonians. We performed at the open-mic night at the Café Mundo and proceeded to get appropriately drunk.

Onwards, our journey brought us through Northern California and the majestic Redwoods. And wow, what an amazing experience it was to mingle with these coniferous giants in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. And mingle we did, for amongst these botanical beasts, one feels immersed in a mysterious community of aged spirits. The air feels calm yet intense around you and it reeks of wisdom. But esoteric rambling aside, this is an area of the country which is a must experience for anyone who has not been here.












At this point we had used up all the time we had for gallivanting and it was time to get back to L.A. for the completion of our recording. We had an incredible winter vacation that we will remember forever. Cheers to everyone and the New Year, let's make it the best yet!

A LITTLE WINTER VACATION

We have been living in Los Angeles since July. There is only so much incredible weather that you can tolerate right? So naturally we decided to point our compass north and head to some of the coldest places with the shittiest weather in the country. Granted, it has been, so far, one of the worst snow seasons in the past many years for most mountain towns, so our dose of weather was considerably tame.


Our trek to Missoula was packed with gorgeous scenery, especially through Idaho, where we did encounter a snow storm for a stretch. Fortunately, this was the only real storm we had to endure. The only other "obstacle" we ran into involved waiting for a herd of cows to clear the road, unless you consider keeping our eyes on the road instead of distracted by the surrounding beauty, an obstacle. We stopped in Jackpot, Nevada for the evening and had an authentic night of tomfoolery in this gambling ghost town.

Missoula’s environment was brimming with beauty; rugged yet serene, with rolling hills and rivers. We enjoyed hiking around the parks on our time off. We began our 2012 with a gratifying dose of J.J.’s chicken-fried steak from the Oxford Café. Most everyone has indulged in chicken-fried steak and certainly nearly all meat-eaters are privy to the excellence of the greasy, fried awesomeness that is the chicken-fried steak. But you haven't had one this incredible, unless you've been to the Oxford in Missoula. It's a monstrous treat that could only be forged by the appetites of the robust. Among other activities we did to kill time was a healthy dose of billiards. None of us are any good, maybe lucky sometimes. And we had to pay a few fines according to the rules clearly stated at the bar.











Stay in tune for more about our trip down the coast.

NEW YEARS IN MONTANA

We had a grand ole time ringing in 2012 in Missoula, Montana at the Top Hat. We received a warm welcome and were provided a most excellent night of partying for our first time through this beautiful town. We can’t wait to come back. Thanks to Ian and all at the Top Hat for taking care of us. Happy New Year!!

In The Studio with David Kershenbaum

Oh how we love the studio, one of our favorite places to be. And it's even better when we get to record our best batch of new songs with the legendary producer David Kershenbaum. It's been two days in the studio now and everything is rolling along as smooth as pie. Our experience in pre-production rehearsals informed us of the inspired, clear vision that David possesses and our time in the studio instantly made us aware of his impeccable ear. The groove is alive in his mind, his ability to immediately recognize the smallest details and quickly edit them is unbelievable.



The studio where we have been working is Matt Sorum's (Guns 'n Roses, Velvet Revolver) Drac Studios in West Hollywood. It's a beautiful spot with a vast assortment of drums, amps, guitars, and all the outboard audio gear you would ever want. Ty was in heaven just oogling at the all the incredible snare drums available, and Mike thoroughly enjoyed the Guns 'n Roses themed pinball machine. A couple of adorable little dogs keep us company too.



All in all, the songs are grooving, thumping, and shining like funky acrobats in suits of polished armor. We cannot wait to share these new tunes with all of you and we'll keep you in the loop.