11/13: Day 12 of Tour

So, last night really kicked ass. Best night of tour thus far by a long shot. We played in Beaumont, Texas. When we got there, it was a ghost town. There was nobody there, really. We figured it was going to be another low turnout show. The venue we played at was pretty awesome. It was called The Gig, and it was styled like an old movie theater, but it was modernized inside.

Before we knew it, there were a ton of people there, enjoying their Saturday night. But there was only one problem. We were supposed to go on at 9:45, but our drummer Jason had been throwing up all day. We think the culprit (teehee) was IHOP, but we don’t know for sure. We felt awful for him and he was in the van shortly before our set. We started setting up like normal, not really sure what was going to happen. Five minutes before our scheduled start time, Jay threw up again and lost about the last liquids left in his body, and was surely exhausted. But he insisted we start the set anyway. We played for a crowd of about a hundred people, and Jay was flawless. Didn’t even screw up once. We love that guy.

After our set we got to watch Happy Body perform which is amazing as always. A few locals played and they were great as well. We were missing our buds in The Paper Melody, but we’ll be seeing them on Monday. But I want to personally write about the last local band, a band called Hello Chief. They’re a three piece from here in Beaumont, and they started their set a little after midnight. They started playing and I was blown away. Not only are they incredibly tight, but they all play their respective instruments in a way that’s unique to them. Their drummer played on a kit with a kick, snare, hi hat with a tambo attachment, a cowbell, a wood block, and only one tom (floor) and one cymbal. I’ve never seen that setup before, but damn did he know how to use it. They all just sounded different, and it complemented their live show very well. They remind me of Maps and Atlases. I posted a song called “Hats” from their EP “Pantry Ants.” Very catchy stuff and I honestly think this is one of the few rare bands out there that are better live. The energy just ruled last night.

They were seriously incredible. I went to buy a t-shirt last night for 15 dollars that I don’t have because they were that good. Their bassist, Jonathan, decided to give it to me for free, along with a digital download of their EP. So I was pretty stoked on that. And then, on top of that, his kindness spread even further. He and the rest of Hello Chief took us to a Taco place at like 3 AM with Happy Body, and all three bands hung out and ate some solid Mexican food. Afterwards, Jonathan took us to his friends house. We partied for a bit with the other people there, and all of us (Happy Body and Culprit) had a place to stay, including most of us on couches or beds. Extremely generous people down here. I can’t get over how kind everyone is. Southern hospitality.

Now we’re just hanging out in this house in suburban Beaumont, Texas. We’re leaving in a couple hours to embark on our 12 hour drive back across the state to Canyon, Texas. The last two nights have definitely lifted our spirits, considering how much money we were losing the other nights. It’s crazy, one week until this tour is over! As much as we love being out here, we can’t wait to get home to our friends (and some of) our family. 

Until next time!
- Brian/Culprit