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With a Ford Econoline van fully loaded with drums, amps, guitars, pedalboards, merch, backpacks, a dumpster-procured mattress topper, coolers, snack satchels, and more, five of us barreled down the highways and byways from Nashville to Texas. |
Aside from the four band members (Emmett, Fili, Dany, and myself) our bud Petey decided to cruise with as moral and tech support. More so to tell us if we sucked or not. |
1810 Ojeman in Houston was our destination — a colorful dive bar that caters to an array of music stylings, though this Wednesday night was going to be country and roots rock n’ roll inspired. |
But before we could arrive there, we decided it best to spend Tuesday night in Texarkana, about seven hours west of Nashville. What wasn’t best was wandering over from our rickety hotel at the Wyndham Garden to a nearby Waffle House. Avoid this late night eatery at all costs if in Texarkana. Don’t let the whiskey make the decisions. |
That morning, we had five hours to Houston. To our delight, we were taken through a variety of small towns under the Texas sun. Towns that don’t show up on MapQuest no matter how far you zoom in. Prior to a gas station stop, we saw three small boars strewn about dead and bloodied on the shoulder of the road. Good sign? Bad sign? Probably none of the above. Time for donuts. |
Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Cleveland — all in the dust before the many lane highways of Houston town. After some bumper to bumper rush hour traffic, the five of us got settled at our home for the night at the luxury estate that is the Sleep Inn. |
Before long we hopped right back in the Econoline and drove the ten minutes to the venue. In an unsuspecting little neighborhood, the colorful little establishment had our name written in chalk on the board outside, along with our music mates for the night, Tyson Webb and The Amazing Bozo. |
With a killer stage, pinballs, pool tables, and dive bar decor, 1810 Ojeman immediately delighted. While in the thick of conversation with a fresh beer in hand, the other four amigos were rearin’ to hit up the nearby torta joint, and foolishly I declined to come with. There would be no dinner this night, only Lone Star. |
Webb would play first, going acoustic with a teenage sidekick (who apparently just got into Berklee) also playing acoustic guitar, but the long-haired overall wearin’ youngster could rip. The Galveston boys played some well-received folk n’ blues n’ country numbers before we hopped up to ready the stage, full band style. |
We decided to kick things off with our upcoming single, “Pretty Sweet Deal,” which is a full-steam ahead classic rock n’ roller to get the energy lifted from the jump. Then it was “Leaving for Phoenix,” “Fanny’s Farmhouse,” and “Sunset Blues Revisited” — all the iconic Rodeo Mouth numbers you know and love, dear reader. Covers included Warren Zevon’s “Excitable Boy,” Kings of Leon’s “Four Kicks,” and Ween’s “Stroker Ace.” |
After our 50-minute set, the welcoming gents in The Amazing Bozo crushed with their display of alt-country, Houston style. The lead Bozo himself, aka Josh, had a hell of a lot of charisma and stage presence, and let it all hang out. With fiddle, electric guitar, acoustic, bass, and drums, the Bozo boys ripped. |
Afterwards, a few folks came up to buy some of our homemade Rodeo Mouth hot sauce — Fanny’s Red Ass — along with a few shirts, so that helped put a dent in the exorbitant cost of fuel. |
It was a fleeting moment playing in Houston, but it was a damn good Texas welcome from our peers, a fun show on a quality stage, and best of all, memories with the boys to last a lifetime. |
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