Pastiche: The Bus Will Get You There Yet

This pilgrimage, entitled the "Summer Slammer," had the bands Follow That Bird!, John Wesley Coleman, the Pillow Queens and Pataphysics take a three-plus hour roadtrip from Austin to Denton (and then Dallas) in one collective blurt. The Diagonals also took part, but decided to make do with their own transportation.

We rode in a school bus, but one that had been meticulously transformed into a comfortable commercial vehicle. All but four of the seats had been pulled out, the floor was recovered in wood, and the empty space was covered with mattresses and pillows. A cabinet was constructed in the back to elevate the rear of the bus and provide extra storage room.

"We really got to leave early, hopefully pulling away by four at the latest since the bus isn't too fast," advised organizer Will Slack of the Pillow Queens. We actually didn't get on the road until closer to five, in typical rock and roll slacker fashion. A rumor had been steadily brewing that the bus was going to be uncompromisingly hot, but the ride was just spacious and wind powerful enough that while the hull felt air tunnel-esque, we didn't have to suffer too badly. The accommodations were even charming - the names of former occupants were grafted above what were once seats, and the hull was outfitted with coolers and a trash can. We tried to listen to Guided By Voices, hard rock and more, but the whipping wind made the music (and most soft conversation) inaudible.

Final headcount on the bus was seventeen by the time of our departure: five bands, a couple tagalongs and, of course, our driver Jesse. As is the custom we immediately hit traffic upon exiting Austin. Outside the city limits the clotting eased up and we were able to relax, open beers and hang out. In its metamorphosis from school bus to pleasure bus our vehicle had actually been outfitted with the proper commercial license, making it absolutely legal to imbibe on the trip north. Bands, beers, a bus...surely craziness ensued? While fun and relaxing, the atmosphere on the bus was miles from rowdy. Eschewing name (and drinking) games, the bands more or less piled on and kept close to their own. In true long distance drive fashion, in just minutes at least two people were asleep.

Whizzing down the highway it became harder to communicate without shouting, and those not asleep began nodding off. A few boys in Pataphysics planned on smoking some hash on the road but either decided not to or were so subtle that I didn't notice (the one rule for drug use: don't leave anything on the bus). Onward we plowed through Temple and Belton (home to 2/3rds of Follow that Bird) and to a rest stop complete with piped-in bathroom music and an exercise area for the traveler on a long haul. Quite the trade-up from most highway rest stops along I-35, where the bathrooms are usually flooded by an inch of water. We made another stop closer to Dallas to pick up more junk food and take bathroom breaks. At this point most of the bus participants had consumed a beer or three, and we became more bold - drinking Jack from the bottle and whooping as we hit Ft. Worth and continued on toward Denton.

Coleman moved to the front of the bus to direct us into the square that makes up Denton's downtown, which was was as quiet as a corpse. We showed up around 9:30. The unloading got underway pretty quickly after the bus found a spot behind the venue, J & J's Pizza. These musicians are soldiers, and everyone pitched in as the amps, drums and other assorted instruments were led through a strange white hallway and into a basement dining area/performance space. With some disappointment I noted that it featured no stage to speak of and little to no air conditioning, which would have been nice after the long ride in the warm bus. The Diagonals had arrived an hour and a half early and were handily winning the war on sobriety. The rhythm section of that band cornered Coleman for a brief conference after learning that the venue was only open until midnight. Coleman not only reassured the boys that the bands could play to one, but he also later finagled a place to crash for the evening (with J & J's gracious owners, no less).

Unfortunately, Coleman's set (the first of the evening) was enough to turn some of my initial good impressions sour. After enlisting the Diagonals drummer Todd Larson to lend support, Coleman ran through an intentionally sloppy and scattered set that no doubt gave the patrons (who couldn't have numbered more than 20) a pretty iffy idea of what these bands were all about - which is to say, they're not really about lax, off-the-dome style songwriting. With improvised lyrics about seeing movies at the mall and a lengthy, set-closing guitar solo that best resembled this, Coleman's performance slid from baffling to grating. If he doesn't give a shit, why should anyone else?

Next up to bat, the Pillow Queens played a strong set with a few newer tracks thrown in. Despite having no stage, J & J's basement does have a sound guy, the same employee who also delivered eight pizzas and two packs of Schlitz gratis to the grateful bands. The bands hungrily tore apart the pizzas (which were delicious) but the alcohol-soaked bus ride made the Schlitz less appealing.

Speaking of which, maybe it was the long, bumpy drive, or the beer followed by draws of whiskey, the heat, loud music, or some combination thereof, but while Follow That Bird! began setting up yours truly was feeling increasingly icky. I decided what I really needed was a nice dark place to vomit, which I found it a few blocks over in a quiet patch of bushes near stacks of tires. Not entirely sure what was wrong with me, I still wasn't too sick to enjoy the closing numbers from Follow That Bird!. An enjoyable band who hadn't particularly resonated with me before, this noisy but evocative set really brought out a great deal of guitar texture without losing the band's clipped, riot grrl sound.

Pataphysics also sounded wonderful. Their recordings play up Patrick Healy's odd vocals and synthesizer lines to the point of near-parody, and even skirt close to"dinky" every now and again. But live, the guitars and bass were muscular and full. Healy's voice (with backing from Dirk Michener) and the songwriting betrayed true craft, despite Healy's near-manic goofball dance moves and exaggerated facial expressions (which were pretty damn enjoyable, regardless). [Side note: it looks as though keys player Erich Ragsdale has since left the band. Bummer.]

As it crept closer to midnight, the very inebriated Diagonals finished the evening with a condensed set with a newly condensed band - organist Wiley Wiggins and guitarist Ryan Camarillo had recently been let go. Featuring little tuning ("Who cares" kept asking drummer Larson) and more than a little self-deprecation, the trio held together as well as their inebriation would allow. Songs off their strong Valley of the Cyclops debut like "Neil Diamond's Blues" lost a bit of their menacing charm, but even fifty beers and a long night couldn't wreck a song as good as "Wizard Dome." When the smoke cleared, a few appreciative (say, five) Dentonites had stuck around till the bitter end, and were even convinced to buy a Diagonals record or two.

Our hosts lived not far from their business, and we soon retired to the home of our hosts, which was outfitted with cool and kitschy furniture, a Playboy pinball machine and both a dog and potbellied pig as animal companions. The after party raged in the living room until participants were scattered on the floor, couches, and pool table like so much pig crap. A few smart apples equipped the bus with a fan and mattresses, and everyone else found someplace inside, bathing in the cool, cool air conditioning.

The next morning, different groups of bandmates paired up and found coffee and breakfast. Follow that Bird! had spent the night at a friends (a place I was told smelt like a litter box) and sauntered up right on time to hit the road. Our hosts were strangely M.I.A. the next morning, but thanks to Follow that Bird! bassist Mitchell and the help of a few others, they awoke to a much cleaner and less trashed home. The trip to Dallas from Denton was a relatively quick one, with only a few people willing to start hitting the sauce so early in the day. The final destination was the Annex House in East Dallas. Like its Austin brethren the Natrix Natrix house, the Space Cave and more, the Annex House is an outlying residential destination that throws performances and parties. Attendance had been iffy but by nightfall the scene was starting to brew. Bar-b-que was on the grill, the Pillow Queens whaled through a set that included a cover of "Live for Today" by the Grass Roots, and John Wesley Coleman aimed for the approximation of a '50s rock and roll hootenanny by playing "Who Do You Love" for ten minutes.

The Summer Slammer combined the highs and lows of both a party barge voyage and a school field trip to the symphony. We had many disparate moments of enjoyable raucousness as well as doldrums and tired silences. If anything, the attitudes of the bands are what impressed me most of all. These ladies and fellas didn't bitch about the heat, long drive, or playing shows without much of an audience and receiving almost nothing in the way of payment. They just played their hearts out, loaded up and then played again. That's dedication.

John Wesley Coleman: [myspace]
Pillow Queens: [myspace]
Pataphysics: [myspace]
Follow That Bird!: [myspace]
Diagonals: [myspace]

Thanks to Monofonus Press (Will and Morgan especially), Jesse for driving, the bands, and J & J and their pizza. See more photos from Monofonus right here.