TOP 10 FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM CHAOS IN TEJAS 2008


10. Favorite thing about the fest overall: That it happened thanks to the organizing effort and hard work of Timmy Hefner, and that the assortment of bands was as eclectic (from Roky Erickson to Tragedy to Los Crudos, etc.) and spot-on as it was.

9. Favorite touring van: Spanish band Invasion’s matte black Road Warrior-esque van that looked really post-apocalyptic. I expected to see a machine gun nest planted on top of it.

8. Funniest Band(s): Two-way tie between England’s Hard Skin and New Bomb Turks‘ singer Eric Davidson, who acted like Sam McPheeters on a cocaine/acid cocktail. (Yeah, the Turks weren’t officially part of Chaos even tho’ they played in the same venue a couple hundred feet away, but, fuck it, they are a way underrated and overlooked band and I will champion them ’til my death. In fact, I need to write a whole entry just about them.)

7. Best Tattoos: I didn’t see them personally, but someone told me that members of Sweden’s Fy Fan had dialog from the Will Ferrell movie Anchor Man tattooed onto them. Something like the Steve Carrell line: “I ate a big red candle.” I can’t confirm this personally — but, fuck, that is funny if it is true.

6. Favorite Moment with Under Pressure: When Jason, the bassist of Canada’s Under Pressure (pictured below), explained to me what a cough drop was.

5. Best Merchandise: New World Burns to Death Graveyard of Utopia CD and their “Timmyfest” t-shirts. I have already almost gotten into fights with people merely for my wearing World Burns to Death shirts in public, and this despite the fact that the offended person can rarely coherently explain why they are upset by the band’s shirts. The “Timmyfest” shirt will add to the proud legacy of World Burns to Death t-shirts confusedly pissing people off. I have always had the idea of starting an Internet forum called “World Burns to Death T-Shirt Stories.” Everyone has one. The stories could be compiled into a book, and millions could be made…

4. Fondest Overall Memory: Seeing members of Japan’s Crude walking around the sidewalks of Austin wearing identical “Timmyfest” shirts with blank, serious looks on their faces. For those who are reading this and wondering what the big deal is, the Timmyfest shirts show some nudity and x-rated acts screen printed under a “World Burns to Death” logo. That’s okay; once I walked into the LBJ Presidential Library in a really graphic WB2D shirt and asked for a library card, thinking it was a part of the Austin Public Library system. Not proud of admitting this. But have I mentioned my World Burns to Death T-Shirt Stories idea…?

3. Best Compliment: Chaos in Tejas took place near downtown Austin and other venues had other, unrelated shows going on next door to it. As myself and others filed out of Chaos and walked past some college kid-type nightclub, with “average”-dressed guys and gals milling about outside, one of the sorority-looking gals loudly exclaimed, “What’s with all the GOTHS walking around here all the sudden!?” (I was wearing a Burzum shirt and WB2D sigil necklace, personally, but…)

2. Favorite Social Interacting-type Thing: Seeing Jack of World Burns to Death, meeting Tadoshi of HG Fact Records from Japan, meeting Matt Walker of ex-Neon Christ finally (from my birthplace of Nashville, Tennessee), speaking with Ashley of Signal Lost, however briefly, and especially reconnecting with some DFW folks like Eric of Terminal Dysentery/Hamas and Eryn (yay!) of Just Another Consumer. I wish I’d had more time to spend with some of these folks. Talking with Jack’s girlfriend Jill was another highlight, and the same with Jay of Hardcore Holocaust. I’m not good at socializing or keeping up with people. Discussing Graveyard of Utopia with Jack was cool — one of the smartest guys around, a history professor in another life, I’m guessing. Wouldn’t mind seeing more of him and Jill! In fact, I need to be a lot better at the socializing thing. Oh well, I don’t get Xanax and Klonopin for no reason. When I think most people are scum, I remember people like these and I realize there are a few good souls out there.

1. Most Inspiring Moment: Seeing 90s Latino hc legends Los Crudos take the stage and begin speaking in Spanish for those here in Occupied Mexico who still believe in the sort of social justice Los Crudos have aways stood for. Great band. It’s nice to see that not everyone’s jaded and bitter, that there is still a strong element of social urgency in hardcore, as this band has proven time and again. Best sound at Emo’s was achieved by Tragedy; Boston’s Social Circkle and England’s Leatherface sounded great at Beerland — better than on the sound system at Emo’s, ironically. (This was at a “before show” I mentioned in my previous post.)

Oh well, lots more I could go on about. Maybe I will later.

But I did get a pretty bad head cold (or maybe the flu??) probably from the international array of punks present, some clean, some not-so-clean. My cold or whatever it is, is in its 4th day now; I feel like hell. So I’m signing off. I hope I start seeing lots ‘o YouTube footage from these shows soon! Good luck to WB2D in Europe.

Oh, if you care, I made straight A’s this semester at college, I just found out. My GPA is 4.0. La-dee-frickin’-da, right? I’m on “The President’s Honor Roll” of ACC. I need to transfer over into UT now and get my fucking degree already.

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