Three and a half inches of steel kept the front passenger
side tire of Charlie’s Ford E-150 from falling off as we drove from Fort Worth to Austin. Because of an overly
tightened bearing the rotor, spindle and a few other technical car terms that I’m
not prepared to understand are completely shot. This is after a shop in Fort
Worth had fixed our brake problem and
told us that we were fine to drive, when clearly we were not. Along with
considering ourselves lucky to be alive, we’re stuck in Austin until at least
Friday for the parts that we need to be delivered.
Worse forms of tour purgatory exist. This is a rock ‘n’ roll
city with a welcoming music scene. We’ve got caring friends here and places to
stay. The auto shop that’s taking care of our van now has been sincere about
taking care of the van’s problems and helping us on our way. All we can do now
is sit tight and wait for this adventure to put itself back together.
On Day One of being stuck I spent seven hours in a great
coffee lounge called Rio Rita’s, drinking delicious cold brew coffee and
sipping on a Lonestar. Now, on Day Two, I’m sitting in another coffee lounge
called Halcyon drinking a Thai Iced Coffee with soy milk, and it’s blowing my
mind. I’m not sure where the rest of my band is. For some reason, when things
fall apart with the van we scatter across town.
I’m excited to explore this city more. One of the most
exhilarating times for me on the road is when I get to go off on my own to look
at books, records and drink weird coffees. There’s a level of urgency when you’re
driving over a few hours and playing a show every day. The adventure of going
on tour flips a switch in your mind that activates both your most fundamental survival
instincts and your body’s stored excitement. I’m relishing every second of
independence I have here in downtown Austin, alone and highly caffeinated.
Most of the jokes that we’re making right now are about
moving to Austin instead of Oakland. I don’t think that any of us believe in
this being some sort of sign from a higher power, but having all of our things
with us makes the situation pretty bizarre. Add to that the alarming amount of
friendly, talented musicians here and you can imagine how wild we’re feeling. I think I'm going to have to get another coffee and maybe look at a river from the top of a mountain.
On the positive side, all of the shows we’ve played have been
fantastic. We’ve caught up with old friends and made new ones. I hope that we
continue the streak of good shows, good people and good times once we’re back
on the road.
I think I speak for all of us when I say that Lance
Stephenson leaving the Pacers is a welcome distraction for four dudes lost in
Austin, wondering what exactly they’re doing.
#BornReady
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