NX35 2010: Thursday Review
I should be in bed asleep but my heart is still beating rapidly from the mile I just walked to get home. Parking ain’t easy in Denton, folks, and I wanted to make sure our visitors found a safe place to park their car. Anyway, congratulations to NX35 for pulling off a hell of a first day. Kings and queens of rolling with the punches for sure!
The Nutshell:
- Texas 8 Ball was shut down this morning
- Daytime programming kicked off NX35 successfully
- Texas 8 Ball was officially out as a venue so four bands had to relocate to other venues
- Two bands dropped out so Jupiter One played a day early
- One of the bands that dropped out ended up playing after all
- Texas 8 Ball is now back in the game and slated to host the rest of the nights as scheduled
- The fire marshal made sure every place was safe including ticketing Jupiter House
- Fox and the Bird rolled with the punches too, playing on the sidewalk as a result of the fire marshal’s visit
- Five venues were at capacity by midnight
My Nutshell:
- Kicked off NX35 at Jupiter House with a few songs from Delmore Pilcrow
- Parked it at Dan’s for several hours for the KXT showcase, enjoying Jacob Metcalf, OK Sweetheart, and RTB2
- Met a friend at Hailey’s and caught a bit of The Crash That Took Me
- Last minute decision to catch New Science Projects at Andy’s
- Ended the night at Hailey’s with This Will Destroy You
The Not-So-Highlights:
- I didn’t visit the merch table early enough so I didn’t score RTB2′s new live album they released for free at the show. Nuts!
- I wanted to see Jupiter One on Friday. Instead, they played tonight. I hadn’t planned on that. Nuts, again!
- The showcase at Hailey’s was underwhelming for me. Partially because I don’t really enjoy the sound at the venue but mostly because after experiencing RTB2, anything else immediately after just seems “meh.”
- I honestly looked forward to seeing This Will Destroy You but as soon as I came back from a quick visit to Andy’s, a few friends were leaving. In addition to taking almost an hour to setup, TWDY’s banter seem to be the straw that broke a few camel’s backs. I’m not sure what exactly was said but different people agreed. I didn’t feel the same inspiration from their live performance as I did from their recordings so I left early too.
The Highlights:
- I’m glad I was talked into catching Delmore Pilcrow. I’m going to start paying more attention to Chris Garver and his posse.
- Jacob Metcalf brought a smaller version of his “symphony” to Dan’s, including a mini strings section. I’m pretty sure a lot of people came not knowing who he is but won’t forget his name now. Can someone tell him to record an album soon?
- OK Sweetheart was quite fun, and Erin Austin’s smile and “vintage pop” were infectious. She had the crowd clapping and singing along, and you could just tell the entire band was having fun.
- I met a stranger that had printed out the schedule I made for Thursday. I was stoked to know my geekiness has helped others!
- I finally broke my RTB2 cherry. They started with “When Hammer Hits Stone” and if that had been the only song I’d seen at the entire festival, I’d be completely fine with that. Yes, seriously. Ryan Thomas Becker played with such energy that his glasses and guitar strap flew off. And that was just during the first song. You should’ve seen the ridiculous grin on my face for the entire set. I’m glad I can finally join the rest of Denton now that I’ve finally seen them.
- I always enjoy New Science Projects but I think I enjoy the fans just as much. What’s NSP without everyone else there shaking tambourines, clapping, and shouting along?
- I ran into so many of my Denton friends as well as some new friends I’ve met through this blog. It was honestly a pleasure to see all of you.
Now it’s time for four hours of sleep, followed by eight hours of work, then another night of NX35in’. Here’s to a great kickoff and hopes for smoother sailin’ tomorrow.
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