my night with Elvis Perkins NOT trippin' on shrooms.

Do you realize how long I have been waiting for this night? I'm sure you read my other blog about how excited I was. Anywho so Saturday had finally arrived. I get up remotely early just to get a head start on my day. But of course whenever I have something I need to do I have to do for my family first. Had to take my brother (or as I speak of him now, my son) to some school festival thingy to meet my mom (or as I call her now, my annoying younger sister). So I drop him off around noon and I head to Target for some retail therapy to get my day going wonderfuly. Stop off at Sally Beauty supply and purchase a new flat iron. The jury is still out whether I like it or not. But we'll see.

So I head back to the house, to shower and wash some clothes. I get home and instead I succomb to the comfort of my bed. I watch Elizabethtown for like the 10th billionth time. I enjoy all of Cameron Crowe's films, I guess cause of all the music. But I still don't like Kristin Dunst and this movie just makes me not like her more... but I digress. Next thing you know, my mom (annoying younger sister) reminds me that I need to take my brother (son) to work. Dang, I have like an hour to shower, get ready, wash clothes, take my brother to work. This wasn't going to happen. I hear my brother get into the shower. I'm screwed. You know what... this is the boring stuff. Let me fast forward to actually being in Austin.

Guillermo, I'm sure there's details in here that you had no idea but I felt like it would fall onto deaf ears if I tried to explain them to you that night.

I drive into Austin and call Guillermo over and over cause I don't know where I'm driving too. Luckily I still had his address on my phone when he gave it to me the week before. I've driven to Austin enough times and found his house with the quickness. But I couldn't seem to find his house though. Oh well, I was running low on gas so I stopped at a gas station to fill up. Around that time Guillermo texts me back to give me the address again, but I was already aware of where I was going. Finally he called me back and I swear as soon as I heard his voice I knew something was strange. I told him I couldn't find his house and he began to describe it to the best of his ability. Then shared with me the fact that he's on a bunch of mushrooms, and wasn't even at home. GRRREAT! Top it off, he didn't know where he was at. *sigh* A bit frustrated by this point cause I knew the show was going to start soon. I began my mission "Find Guillermo in Austin". He asked a random hippie and she told him that he was on N.Lamar and 24th. Fine, to N. Lamar i'll go!!

I drive down N.Lamar going down street by street... 40th, 39th, 38th... by this time he tells me that he's on 12th. And he keeps asking, do you know where Austin Java Shop is? ughhh... no. Come on, that's like asking someone not from San Antonio hey do you know where Thai Taste is? So I continue my quest on N.Lamar. Finally I find him! He hops into my car and we're off. He checks his GPS navigation system and we're .6 miles away from Elvis Perkins.

We park and we're off to Stubb's. I go through Will Call get out tickets and have to go through the security check. I hear the guy tell this girl, if you have a camera you have to take it to your car you can't bring it in. CRAP! I feel my camera in my bag so without anyone noticing I slip it into my pocket since they weren't patting anyone down and I put my big bag against my leg so when the guy checks my bag he doesn't see the buldge in my pocket, and no I was not happy to see him. He goes through my bag and sees an almost empty bottled water and screams "no water bottled waters allowed". I tell him "oh, no sweat" cause you don't know what I have in my pocket! And we're in!

First thing we hit up, like any red blooded American... the beer booth. Two Tecates each and it's time to find a spot amongst the crowd. We stand for a bit and share our last experiences of when we were at Stubb's when just at that moment... ELVIS PERKINS WALKS RIGHT PAST ME!!!!!!!! Holy Crap! I freeze as I watched him walk away. Oh my god, oh my god... he just walked past me. *take a deep breath* Guillermo senses my inner raging super fan-dom seep out of my pores. I don't care.. I'm geeking out by this point. A minute or so later, he's on stage and we move closer.

Elvis Perkins starts off by himself on stage and begins his set with "While You Were Sleeping", one by one the rest of the guys from the group join him on stage and it's just magical. The entire show is set to that hazy purple lighting and for one song it's bright yellow. The guys from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah join them for "Doomsday", and make a song about such tragedy of Sept. 11th into an upbeat and melodic sing-a-long. Of course I'm a sucker for "All the Night Without Love". That was for sure the highlight of the show for me. I knew I was going to enjoy the show but I didn't realize just how much I would. *geeking out now* I felt literaly carried away by his voice, and when he would sing a bit higher and louder I was intranced. The upright bass was amazing, the keyboard/accordian (not to sure of the exact name) was a great touch, and the large bass drum that the drummer threw on his shoulders and danced around with was awesome. I couldn't of enjoyed a show anymore. Too bad all the younglings in the crowd were talking a lot and the crazy security searching the crowd for some random "hoodlums" kinda took away from it, but for the most part it was just me and him. *swoon*

During the last song though, Guillermo tells me that he's ready to go somewhere where he can let his hair down and dance. OK I added the "let his hair down" part for mere comedic purposes. But Clap Your Hands hadn't even gone on yet, I wasn't ready to go. At all. I tell him, I have two missions. Mission #1 Meet Elvis Perkins, Mission #2 Dance to "Satan Said Dance" come on, song is Satan said dance... I have to do what Satan says. Anywho, fairly simple missions if you ask me. But those were my conditions.

We grab another tasty beer beverage and we being Mission #1. I assumed Elvis would be by the merch booth, nope. We stand by the entrance to the band area. I see everyone in the group except him. Clap Your Hands goes on stage. (side note - the lead singer to Clap Your Hands is a lot shorter than what I thought he was) We walk all around Stubb's then like two lovers seeing each other from across a crowded room, I spot Elvis Perkins. Of course, he doesn't notice me.. at all. But I notice him, not noticing me.

So we're standing by him for a bit he has some friends talking to him, his girl friend keeps a watchful eye on him so I decide if I'm going to approach him it's going to have to be short, but sweet. Then Guillermo starts moving in to talk to him, I grab him with the quickness. No way Jose, I was not going to let him slur any words to my Elvis Perkins. But nothing could of perpared me for what was about to happen. A little after my "Satan Said Dance" song started, out of the corner of my eye I see Guillermo say something to Elvis Perkins. I stood in fear, shock, embarrassment. I heard Guillermo utter, I don't usualy like Folk type music slakdjlkjsd, but I like bassist.... blaksjdlf bassist. Elvis looked at him, and said "Up-right bass... we'll that's exactly what we were on stage". You could tell Elvis was annoyed with what Guillermo had to say, so I tried to be the best damn Damage Control out there and I extended my hand and I told him It was a great show, Elvis merely shook my hand and said Thank You. The damage was done, my entire plan of how I was going to tell him that Ash Wednesday was one of my favorite albums, how his sound was something that I had been searching for my whole life, gone as quickly as Guillermo could slur any alcohol/mushroom induced words. I hung my head. Guillermo, asked if I was ready to go. I just wanted to leave out of embarrassment.

The entire time we head to 6th street he kept saying how Elvis Perkins was a dickhead, but I understood where he was coming from. If you were a talented muscian and had some billigerent guy mumble stuff to you while your talking to your friends I would be annoyed too. I guess it just comes with the territory, but I saw how he was talking to other fans and he seemed really nice. I think I'm still bitter. Anywho, so we head to El Casino and I eat an Eggplant sandwich of some sort and some dos equis. Then we head to The Jackaloupe and grab more beers. By this time I'm totaly exhausted and a bit drunk and I just want to go to bed. So we head back to my car. On the way, we pass by Stubbs and we see that Men Women and Children played that night as well. FUCK! I missed them too. I get bummed all over again. What a night.

We get back to Guillermo's place to watch Science of Sleep and I just want to do just that... Sleep. After a few distractions, and without finishing the movie I finaly doze off. I still want to finish watching the movie though. I think I'm gonna buy the DVD. Anywho, how would I rate the evening...

The entire night minus Guillermo's intoxicated conversation with Elvis Perkins = A++
The entire night with Guillermo's intoxicated conversation with Elvis Perkins = D-

Till next time.
-val-