Hey, are you thinking about coming to Nekkid Armadilla Summerfest? Is there a band you would just love to see play there? Would you like to help make it happen?
Well, now YOU can sponsor a band!
Nekkid Armadilla Summerfest 2013…Coming Soon!
Sponsor a Band – $100 – $500
If you would like to sponsor a specific artist/band your donation will go to one band in
particular. You can determine the amount of investment you would like to make. In exchange
for your band sponsorship you will receive the following.
- Verbal mention from your band during their performance
- Logo or name will have placement on our printed materials for distribution (posters, flyers, etc)
- Mention on the bands social media pages prior to the event
- Mention on the event website
- Signed CD from your band
- Access to the hospitality tent at the event
- 2 seats to the VIP brunch Monday September 2nd (details provided at a later date)
If you are interested in this type of sponsorship we are requesting the following donation
types:
1. Gas card or HEB Gift Card
2. Accommodations for 4 the night of Sunday September 1st in Palacios
3. Of course money is nice too – any monetary donation will be made directly to the
artist/band
It seems like forever since I’ve updated. Well, looking at the calender, it actually has been quite a while, so I’ll catch you up on that last cliffhanger post. Thanks to some meds, some therapy and a LOT of support from great friends, I feel like my head is right-side up again. I can’t express to those people how much their help meant to me, but I hope they know and understand.
Now, onto a recap of the last 3 months and a look into the future!
As you all know, SXSW has come and gone. Each year, it’s a little bit different for me. A lot of this year was different because I wasn’t drinking, and I STILL had a good time. For those unaware, my good friend Tim Slusher and I put on a showcase called the Nekkid Armadilla Extravaganza. I think we put together a pretty amazing lineup with some bands that you’re going to be hearing about soon and for a while to come. You can see and HEAR these artists on our website http://www.nekkidarmadilla.com/ but I’ll give you my take here.
Nekkid Armadilla 2013
First up was Coby Brown. I came to know of Coby’s music because his song “Hospital” was covered by Counting Crows. He sent me his full album and it’s simply beautiful. He opened the show, doing a stripped down set with Jake Owen on lead guitar, and though that’s a tough spot to play at a SXSW show, it was a beautiful set. I don’t know if FRENCH EXIT has officially been released yet, but as soon as you can get it…well, you know, get it.
Our second act of the night was our Reverb Nation contest winners, My Body Sings Electric from Colorado. They brought a nice contingency of fans and the energetic set was fun to watch. It was nice to know we picked a band who wanted to make the most of every opportunity they could get.
The District Attorneys
Next up was a band that almost didn’t play the show. We had our lineup pretty set early on, with backups in place, so when the guys from This Is American Music asked us about a spot for the District Attorneys, we had to say no. Through a series of unfortunate events, or fortunate, depending on how you look at things, bands had to pull out, backups had to pull out and when we were about to give up and just go with one less band, I got another contact, just to make sure…and YES, we do have a spot. I’m so glad, too, because the DAs are amazing live. One of only two bands I made a point to go see a second time during SXSW. (I saw them the next day at This Is American Music’s showcase, which was amazing, bands like Water Liars, Glossary and the Pollies all put on excellent sets.)
Following the DAs was another band we kinda lucked into, Swear and Shake. We had contacted a booking agency about one band, which wasn’t going to be at SXSW, and they gave us a list of bands that were coming and we jumped on S&S pretty quickly. Definitely a band that’s destined to break out big in the next few months.
Little Brave
Of course, we couldn’t put on a show without local flavor. If you follow me at all, you know Austin’s Little Brave is one of my favorite artists, (even if she hates me), and she wowed the crowd with her unique style and talent, accompanied by Daniel Thomas Phipps (The Kinfolk) and K Phillips (K Phillips & the Concho Pearls).
All the credit for American Authors goes to Tim. He heard them and liked them and
went after them. When I first listened, I thought, they’re not bad, but the more I heard them, the more I liked them. By the time I saw them play live, I was a full-fledged fan. They’re starting to pick up steam on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation Countdown. (I believe they’re number 2 this week.
We came back to the homegrown talent for the next set with San Antonio’s The Rosedale Highs. They’re eclectic and fun and I always describe them as “Barenaked Ladies, when Barenaked Ladies write good songs.” It’s always great to see them play live.
Tim and I with American Authors.
One of only two bands returning from last year’s lineup, (the other being Little Brave), Austin’s Mobley whipped the crowd into a frenzy like only Mobley can do. Anthony Watkins II is easily the most engaging frontman I’ve ever seen live. You will never leave a Mobley show not being a Mobley fan. Also, the band has a song coming out on the new True Blood soundtrack.
We always say, “No one should ever have to follow Mobley,” but this year, we had a young band out of Jacksonville, FL, called The Pinz and we thought, this is the band that can do it. Unfortunately, the crowd thinned out a bit by the time they took the stage, and those silly bastards missed a hell of a performance. Even with a diminished audience, The Pinz powered through a set of smart, pop-punk that incited Ryan Spaulding and I to start a mini-mosh pit up front with a few other enthusiastic fans. Made me feel like a young man again. They also happened to be the other band I went out of my way to see again at SXSW.
The Pinz
If you look at the website http://www.nekkidarmadilla.com/, it lists Tim and I under the Info section, but really, it’s so much more so I really want to thank not just Tim, but Candyce, Dana, Jacob, Christina, and fellow music-blogger Jennifer Holmes http://tophatsbyjennifer.blogspot.com/ for pitching in and making it all work. Also a special shoutout to my good friend Melissa Brawner for taking so many fabulous photos of the event. I’d also like to thank Lucky Lounge for being a great host venue.
And now, we look to the future! September 1st in Palacios, Texas, we’re putting on the 2nd Nekkid Armadilla Summerfest! This is a FREE outdoor event in the Shrimp Capital of Texas with lots of great music and food. The event takes place on the Sunday before Labor Day, so you have a long weekend. Why not make the drive and have some fun? If you need any information on the event check the webpage, find us on Facebook or drop me a line at chris@nekkidarmadilla.com.
We’re also looking for sponsors, so if you have a business or just want to help sponsor a band, we have packages with benefits!
But honestly, I hold back so much, not just online, but in real like, too.
I don’t feel like that today. Actually, what I feel like today is hard to describe, but let’s try anxious, sad, depressed, tired, nauseous, angry, defeated, broken, and generally, like shit. I don’t know if that even gives an accurate portrayal, but maybe it sketches out the picture a little.
What I’m talking about here is crazy. Literally crazy. Not that flippant “woohoo, that guy’s crazy” but actually mentally unbalanced. Crazy comes in a lot of forms and varies to great degrees. I’m crazy. I’m not say, Charles Manson crazy, but I bet if we did a side-by-side, we probably have more in common that anyone would like to admit.
If you’re still reading this, you’re probably wondering, “What’s the fucking point already?”
Well, I don’t know if there is a point, but let’s start with this, if you feel like you’re life is spinning out of control, reach out to someone.
Currently, that’s how I feel. It’s not something people like to talk about. Not people who really have a problem. It’s embarrassing. There’s a stigma. There’s fear that people won’t believe you. I’ve dealt with that all my life. As a small child, I compulsively blinked. My mother took me to the doctor and was told my eyelashes were too long and that’s what was causing it. So, she trimmed them. The actual problem was my parents were having marital troubles and my tiny child brain couldn’t handle it. Throughout my childhood, I dealt with stresses like that at home and at school where I was bullied because I was fat and poor. These things manifested into physical symptoms that I won’t go into…you know what fuck it, I will go into it. Somehow, my digestive system got so out of whack around 4th grade, that I lost control of my bowels, or in laymen’s terms, I shit my pants. This lasted for a few years. So, I became THAT kid in school. I remember going to the doctor and having him explain to me that my colon was like twice the size it should be. I took laxatives, had to drink castor oil, enemas…you get the picture. Even after it stopped, that’s not a reputation you can shake. At one point, I skipped nine days of school in a row because I couldn’t deal with going. I was living with my father at the time and he was oblivious. Finally, the school called my mother and she came over and made me go back, but we never talked about it. We never talked about any of it.
I guess maybe there was just something inherently about me that made me a victim, because even after moving to a new town, I was still tormented by bullies until finally, I snapped. I remember the first panic attacks I had. It was a history class, right after lunch. The room was crowded and I would feel so sick and just anxious. First, the teacher let me sit by the open window so I could get some air. Didn’t help. Then they moved me to a library aide for that period. The school nurse tried to tell me and my mother that it was because I wasn’t eating a good breakfast. I remember going to the DMV to get my driver’s license. Again, the nausea and the rapid heartbeat. I left and told my aunt I didn’t feel well. I came back a second time and same result. Finally, I went to a therapist. for four sessions. That’s who my dad’s insurance covered. He put me on Imipramine. I didn’t like it. It gave me the shakes. I remember coming home after leaving half-way through the school day and telling my mother we had to get me home-schooled, or I was quitting.
I finished high school on a homebound program, like they used to do for pregnant girls. I wouldn’t have graduated otherwise. The thing is, even at this point, no one really believes you. I heard everything from “You were just trying to get out of going to school.” to “It’s all in your head.” Well, yes, I was trying to not go to school, but did you ever wonder why? And yes, it was most certainly in my head. I’m not sure if people are just selective about what they see because they have preconceived notions about who you are, but I gave up a lot for someone just trying to get out of going to school. I spent three years holed up in my bedroom dealing with every fear you can imagine. I stopped watching the news because every time something was mentioned, my brain convinced me that I had it, from cancer to flesh-eating bacteria.
Eventually, I was able to work my way out and back into a somewhat functional life, but it was very conditional. I had to know every escape route. I had to show up to things incredibly early. I had to convince myself I had total control over every given situation or it was a no-go. This led to quitting a lot of jobs over the years. In college, I started having panic attacks again and a professor urged me to get on medication. Paxil. This was the mid-90s. No one had really even heard of it at that point. It worked. I was able to do things I had never really done before. It didn’t last. I couldn’t afford to stay on it. But for the most part, in my 20s, I was able to survive and when things flared up, I self-destructed and quit my job and moved on somewhere new.
I suppose that’s enough rambling to paint a picture. That brings us to the here and now. I have a job I like. I have friends. I have a girlfriend I love. Sounds great? Well, every morning, I wake up paralyzed. I decided I had to do the smart things. As soon as my insurance kicked in, I went to the doctor and got some pills, but honestly, I was feeling worse. Today, I went to work, and I started feeling it. I got some hot herbal tea and sipped it to calm my nerves. I muttered to myself I was okay and I could make it. And then I promptly went into my boss’s office and had a fucking meltdown.
I’m actually impressed with how well he handled it. It’s not something you expect when you go to work, this giant of a man blubbering out of control. He talked to me and hooked me up with Employee Assistance to get some counseling and sent me home with as much assurance as he could give me.
So that’s where I am. Home. I called my doctor and she’s switching my medication. I’ve put out calls to a couple of the counselor’s and hoping one can fit me in soon. And even after all these years, I’m still blanketed with the feeling of shame and guilt of it all. Like I need to prove to everyone that it isn’t just all in my head and I’m not just trying to get out of doing something.
I just want to feel normal.
It’s been far too long since I’ve made a post on here. The New Year is a time for new beginnings for a lot of folks, and this year was no different for me. My job went from contract to permanent and in the transition, I ended up working like 11 days straight, most of them 10-hour days. On top of the, we decided to move, since our apartment was on the exact opposite side of town and between the lady and I, we were commuting 200 miles each every week. It sucks to give up living so close to downtown, but bigger place and close to work has been a good trade-off, so far.
In other news, we’re finalizing the lineup for the Nekkid Armadilla Extravaganza, our show during Music Week of SXSW. I’m pretty damn excited for the roster of artists we’ve lined up to play. You should head on over to the site to see our amazing sponsors and hear tunes from some of the bands. Of course, the whole thing would not be possible without Tim and Candyce Slusher. The things that those two do for the sake of music is amazing and I hope people will recognize that.
http://www.nekkidarmadilla.com/site/
After our last dinner, me, Frank, Adam, Roem and Kole outside Maria Maria.
Once SXSW is over, I’ve set my sites on September 7th. That’s the 10th anniversary of Warren Zevon’s death. Warren has always been an inspiration of mine. The dude was truly an artist’s artist. He knew he had flaws and he did the best he could with them. So, I’m trying to get together a tribute show here in Austin. As of right now, I’ve got some great musicians who have expressed interest in taking part in the show: K Phillips, Stephanie Macias, Daniel Thomas Phipps, Jackson Parten, Luke McMaster, Nakia and everybody’s dad, Jeremy Menking. I’m hoping to add more talent soon.
So, yeah, that’s a glimpse of what’s going on in my world. Hope everyone is staying safe and maybe I’ll see you at SXSW!
Photo by Jess Hodge (www.jesshodge.com)
I sat down last night with bassist Charles Murphy from Aloud to talk about…well, stuff. We cover everything from the band to his feud with the president to our intimate personal relationship. Check it if you want to…or not…but no, do it.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information on Aloud visit http://www.allthingsaloud.com/
Also enjoy a live performance of “You Will Know.”
Let’s get down to it!
These are my 25 Albums & EPs of Note for 2012. There are probably plenty that I missed, but these are the songs that stuck with me and I’ll continually go back to time after time.
Lions & Lambs – Communist Daughter
I remember pestering Ryan Spaulding for something to review. He gave me the password to the blog email and said to find something. So, sifting through the hundreds (thousands) of emails, I see one for a band called Communist Daughter. Bold name choice. So, I download the EP and immediately, I’m struck by the sound, brand new, yet familiar and comforting. As I listened to the songs, a story was unfolding and I could identify with every word. It’s about all the shitty things you do to yourself and other people and regretting it and overcoming it and being thankful for those who stuck by you. For days, it’s all I listened to, on repeat, probably to the annoyance of some people. Since that time, I consistently come back to Lions & Lambs as my favorite album of 2012.
Loma Vista – Family of the Year
I came across Family of the Year first by the recommendation of Tim Slusher. He shared an EP with me, and I liked it enough that I mentioned it on Twitter. I was Twitter friends already with Vanessa Long aka Cillie Barnes who had been in Family of the Year early on, but I had no idea. I’d become acquainted with her through mutual friend Luke MacMaster from The Romany Rye, and through her Christina Schroeter, who plays keys and sings. But I didn’t really “get” the band until they were playing at Lambert’s here in Austin back in July. I was pretty broke and made a comment that I wished I could go and Christina graciously offered to put me on the list. I was in a pretty shitty mood and had talked myself into not going, but then I felt worse because they put me on the list, so I dragged myself and the lady downtown. First song in and my mood instantly changed. It was like they came and wiped all the shit out of my brain. Family of the Year is feel good music.
Youth Companion – Mean Creek
I love this band. Not just a musical collective, but as people. I first met them at SXSW ’11 and they blew me away with how much they could rock no matter what time of day. Over the past couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to see them play live a handful of times and they’re one of my favorites around. I’d been anticipating this record for a while and it didn’t disappoint. It’s this mixture of Springsteen and the Replacements with a touch of Pixies in there. There’s no wasted movement in these songs. Every vocal, guitar lick, bass line and drum beat is right where it should be. It’s a damn near perfect rock record.
Let the Bloody Moon Rise – Kasey Anderson & the Honkies
I’m lucky enough that Kasey’s a pal and he sends me the songs he writes before they’re the final finished product. Because of these, I get to hear the songs evolve into the fully realized brilliance. I have no hesitation saying he’s my favorite songwriter of the past five years. Maybe it’s because we’re the same kind of fuck ups, but the lyrics feel like they could’ve been lifted right out of my brain. Except Kasey has the musical chops and tortured growl to deliver the lines convincingly enough that you don’t have to be the same kind of fuck up to get what he’s singing about. Some of my favorite songs are on this record, including a revamp of my first favorite song by him “Don’t Look Back.” He managed to cover his own song in a way that gave it brand new meaning, from a regretful lament to song about hopeful closure. That’s an artist.
“Don’t Look Back”–Kasey Anderson & the Honkies (Because he doesn’t have a damn video.)
American Girls –K Phillips & the Concho Pearls
I don’t know if there’s an official genre called Texas Soul, but I’m dubbing K Phillips the King of Texas Soul. You can have historians reference this blog post when they argue about it twenty years from now. This album is complete with humor, raunch, sadness and pain. K manages to incorporate all of these things and they flow together seamlessly with a laid back swagger that really needs to be experienced live as well. But until you can get to a show, roll down your car windows and crank “Rambler” as loud as the law will allow…hell, louder than the law will allow.
BEST OF THE REST
Quicksilver Sunbeam—The Romany Rye: Yeah, it was on last year’s list, but it was officially released this year.
Wild – Little Brave: Deemed “too gritty” for mainstream Austin radio, because fuck yeah, it is.
All Night Pharmacy – Nathan Reich: Nathan has proven once again he’s a brilliant songwriter with this collection.
French Exit – Coby Brown: Such a perfect, rain day in bed record.
Anywhere But Where I Am – Foreign Fields: I’m so cool, I was there for the very first performances when they were still called Flights. Beautiful, ethereal folk music. FLIGHTS!
Diamond Rugs—Diamond Rugs: Was lucky enough to hang out while they were taping their Daytrotter session. Diamond Rugs IS rock and roll.
In the Dusk of Everything –Matthew Ryan: Maybe the most underappreciated singer/songwriter of the past fifteen years. This album is another example of Matthew Ryan’s brilliance.
Underwater Sunshine—Counting Crows: My favorite band made a covers record that manages to not really sound like a covers record. They covered some of my friends and that kicks ass.
Walk the Moon—Walk the Moon: Flat out infectious pop music. Play it loud.
Boys & Girls—Alabama Shakes: Was lucky enough to catch them at the Continental Club before they were too big to play a venue that small. Life-changing.
Women & Work—Lucero: Lucero is a band that is ever-evolving and personally, I love it. Their infusion of Memphis soul into their alt-country roots is the perfect mix.
Unconscious Twin—Chris Keene: Amazingly moving solo EP from Mean Creek’s front man. (Also, first album I ever featured on this blog.)
Maple Ridge—Swear and Shake: I expect huge things from this band. HUGE. Did I mention they’ve signed on to play the Nekkid Armadilla show at SXSW 2013? We just announced that.
The Lumineers—The Lumineers: Perhaps the new face of the “roots revival”? Definitely a must-have album.
Moonlight For the Graveyard Heart –Joey Kneiser: You know who is a great band? Glossary. You know which band’s front man just put out a great solo EP? Glossary.
Live From Alabama—Jason Isbell: I think live records are hard to pull off a live record, but this collection from Isbell definitely captures the essence of a live show without losing sound quality AND it reminds us of how many great damn songs he’s written over the past several years.
It’s funny how a song can come about. I had talked to a friend of mine who was in Nebraska writing a book and then I had texted Dana and autocorrect changed “in Nebraska” to “I’m Nebraska” which I quickly changed to “I am NOT Nebraska.”
And then I thought, I’m gonna write that into a song.
And five minutes later, I had these lyrics.
(Click Link to Listen to the Song)
Not Nebraska
(Words: Fullerton/Music: Anderson)
You’ve come a long way
to come in from the cold
straight out of Omaha
on a long and lonely road
He’s just a sad cliché in a rearview
but I’m standing right in front of you
looking over your shoulder
I know what you left behind
and you’re never going back
to the clockwork aggravation
that winds you tight with hesitation
And I know
that you don’t want me to be here
don’t want anyone to be there for you
I understand
but I am not Nebraska
Those scars are like a map
on your skin and on your soul
your body trembles
when I trace those reckless roads
you are not the ones who hurt you
and neither am I
so let’s make a new plan
I know what you left behind
and you’re never going back
to the clockwork aggravation
that winds you tight with hesitation
And I know
that you don’t want me to be here
don’t want anyone to be there for you
I understand
but I am not Nebraska
You’ve come a long way
to come out of the cold
straight out of Omaha
on a long and lonely road
but now you’re home
safe and sound
and I am not Nebraska
No, I don’t why. It just happened.
Either way, Kasey Anderson and I have taken to writing songs together. Maybe they’re going to be for a record this coming summer or maybe someone else is going to record them or maybe they’ll just on this blog and collect dust. Either way, we have three new ones and I’m going to post one tonight and maybe one tomorrow and so on…I’ll also post the lyrics for those who are into that sort of thing.
These lyrics were part of a “write off” we had one evening where we wrote rapid-fire lyrics to try and one up the other.
(Click link to Play)
“My Father Was A Carpenter (He Built the Cross They Hanged Christ On)”
My Father Was a Carpenter (He Built the Cross They Hanged Christ On)
(Words: Fullerton/Music: Anderson)
I met a girl with a broken back
she said, “Take me down to the railroad tracks
I got myself a favor to ask
a favor you can only ask a stranger”
I took that girl right in my arms
carried the weight of all her anger
we went down in the pouring rain
I suppose I never knew true love,
but I sure understood the danger
Stray dogs and stolen cars
trace the streets like childhood scars
chase the sunset like shooting stars
you can start a fire
on a rocket aimed at Mars
but you can’t get lost in the flames
You can’t escape the blame
ain’t nobody here getting out alive
ain’t nobody here getting saved
There’s a straw man in the moonlight
who’s got eyes just like my father
and there’s a siren in the twilight
makes my feet move just a little bit farther
in the end you’re gonna end up
wherever it is you wander
I suppose I could’ve been a better man
but now it feels much too late to bother
Stray dogs and stolen cars
trace the streets like childhood scars
chase the sunset like shooting stars
you can start a fire
on a rocket aimed at Mars
but you can’t get lost in the flames
You can’t escape the blame
ain’t nobody here getting out alive
ain’t nobody here getting saved
Somewhere in a vacant town
there’s a judge and there’s a jury
and you know they want to pin me down
but they were never in a hurry
for nearly forty years now
I’ve survived on the pain and the fury
but lately I’ve been feeling like a vagrant’s sigh
I’ve been talking like one last white lie
I need someone to whisper to my mother
Stray dogs and stolen cars
trace the streets like childhood scars
chase the sunset like shooting stars
you can start a fire
on a rocket aimed at Mars
but you can’t get lost in the flames
You can’t escape the blame
ain’t nobody here getting out alive
ain’t nobody here getting saved
Yeah, if you throw down a challenge, I can write a convoluted, unsingable song. (I’m being told unsingable is not a word.)
My Father Was a Carpenter (He Built the Cross They Hanged Christ On)
I met a girl with a broken back
she said, “Take me down to the railroad tracks
I got myself a favor to ask
a favor you can only ask a stranger”
I took that girl right in my arms
carried the weight of all her anger
we went down in the pouring rain
I suppose I never knew true love,
but I sure understood the danger
Stray dogs and stolen cars
trace the streets like childhood scars
chase the sunset like shooting stars
you can start a fire
on a rocket aimed at Mars
but you can’t get lost in the flames
You can’t escape the blame
ain’t nobody here getting out alive
ain’t nobody here getting saved
There’s a straw man in the moonlight
who’s got eyes just like my father
and there’s a siren in the twilight
makes my feet move just a little bit farther
in the end you’re gonna end up
wherever it is you wander
I suppose I could’ve been a better man
but now it feels much too late to bother
Stray dogs and stolen cars
trace the streets like childhood scars
chase the sunset like shooting stars
you can start a fire
on a rocket aimed at Mars
but you can’t get lost in the flames
You can’t escape the blame
ain’t nobody here getting out alive
ain’t nobody here getting saved
Somewhere in a vacant town
there’s a judge and there’s a jury
and you know they want to pin me down
but they were never in a hurry
for nearly forty years now
I’ve survived on the pain and the fury
but lately I’ve been feeling like a vagrant’s sigh
I’ve been talking like one last white lie
I need someone to whisper to my mother
Stray dogs and stolen cars
trace the streets like childhood scars
chase the sunset like shooting stars
you can start a fire
on a rocket aimed at Mars
but you can’t get lost in the flames
You can’t escape the blame
ain’t nobody here getting out alive
ain’t nobody here getting saved
I love music. More than pretty much anything. If I could pick one thing to do in this life, it would be to make music.
Unfortunately, I’m not a good musician. Pretty limited guitarist and an okay singer, if the song is right.
So, the next best thing is writing songs with my friends. If you ask them, they might tell you I pester them relentlessly with lyrics and drunken speeches about how we should do something sometime soon seriously.
So far, other than the Swan & Edgar stuff, I’ve done a song each with my pals K Phillips and Kasey Anderson. I’ve posted these songs before, but I’m posting them again because I like them and I’m listening to them now and talking about writing with people.
Hopefully more collaborations coming soon. If I could just get each one of my friends to do one song with me, we could have a whole album.
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