10 Questions - Amanda Hand

Welcome to FWN's 10 Questions. We are pleased to showcase the quiz responses from Amanda Hand of two-headed fuzz pop dream, Big Heaven. 

Besides tomorrow's ZineFest at Shipping & Receiving (6p), you can catch them at Tin Panther Friday 3/9 (9p). Amanda will play solo at Grackle Art Gallery 3/24 (7p) as well. Big Heaven will be recording a follow-up to their exquisite EP Strike a Match later this spring. -- LB

1) With which animals do you share your home?

BB the chihuahua mix and Spencer the pitbull mix. Multiple nameless fish.

2) Most likely Pop Culture Alien Overlord?

The Kardashian/Jenner/West/Whoevers.

Look Sharp + Live Smart.

3) What can’t you live without?

Music, kindness & coffee

4) Most Important Morning After Food?

Cheese toast

5) Personal Symbol of Freedom?

My band

6) Build a Bridge or Open a Door?

Open a door, to return the favor to those who opened doors for me

7) Super Hero Alter Ego?

Rogue (just don't touch me, ok?)

8) Who’s your favorite Underdog to Root for?

Orange Starburst

9) Given the choice to come back as any animal, which one would you choose?

Shark

10) Most important person with the initials MJ from history and why?

Mary H. Jones, better known as Mother Jones.

Strike a Match by Big Heaven, released 07 January 2018 1. Creature 2. Jim Smells Like Weed 3. Pearls 4. Rock Bottom

Have Yourself a Dreamy Life

The coolest blue @republicstbar #flashbulb #fwnoise

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Amidst the mundane evil of our world, one must find solace where they can. And, I, for one, turn my attention to sounds that give me hope for the power of communities to heal. A music scene represents a current upon which folks unite, kept fresh by the consistent infusion of new perspectives – ultimately this becomes its truly defining characteristic. From its earliest, Dreamy Soundz, founded by whirling musical dervishes Robby and Jen Rux, was more of a foundry than a label: forging new sound out of folks and gear and the will to get things done.

As their scene gained ground, there came the idea to put out a collection showcasing the talent. Group Therapy, its fourth edition released in October, represents an ongoing musical conversation. “When we started, it was hard to get 16 tracks together; but this year it was hard to keep it under 30,” says Cameron Smith, founding member of Lo-Life Recordings, an outfit of inspired noisemakers which included his band War Party, who eventually joined forces with Dreamy Soundz to create Dreamy Life Records. Smith, who brought Britt Robisheaux on board to record the first iteration, notes the process’ refinement, especially with their own studio space, “Things go very smoothly at Cloudland. The Wherehouse days were a blast but it’s a wonder we ever got all the tracking done.”

Control room @bullsband mix @dreamyliferecords comp

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Britt adds, “In a session with so many bands it's important to keep things moving so we stay on track. Luckily it's never been an issue.” Robisheaux oversees Cloudland’s remarkable recording capabilities, “It took 8 months to design the studio since we needed to keep acoustics in mind. Curtis Heath helped pick the proper angles and ceiling slope for the control room and an architect friend helped with blueprints and technical aspects of building. We made the live room big so we can fit a large band comfortably and get a huge sound. It was also just as important to make each room look inviting so I put up wood and bamboo on the walls to give a tiki feel.”

I found myself at Cloudland Studios back in the spring amidst the recording of the fourth installation of this snapshot of a musical moment as seen from this solid rock and roll cadre who have fomented a good-natured, enthusiastic scene. Tacos and Fried Chicken in Styrofoam containers strewn across the floor, BULLS made way for Savannah Loftin and Eric Eisenman of Loafers, who’s “Peter Pan,” carries beautiful tension between a heart of gravity and a tirelessly floating spirit soaring on waves of fuzzy chomp. Loftin describes the band’s process, “The majority of the writing is done between Eric and me. One of us will come up with a riff or concept and the other will help shape it.”

The bricklayer Robby Rux shows us how to eat like a man #flashbulb #fwnoise #dreamylife

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During a break, the soothing drone of an open amplifier channel lulls as if into infinity while the studio flares like an organism in transition.  A debate over Michelada propriety follows a line of smokers outside.  Robby Rux grabs a taco while the bands switch out, explaining his primary lesson before taking a bite, “You wanna play rock n’ roll, you’ve gotta practice two or three times a week to get it to sound right. This comp is an opportunity to bring folks in and see how they work.” This is especially true for young bands like Teenage Sexx, The Thyroids, Sub-Sahara, and Denton’s Vogue Machine. Group Therapy signifies a unity of these creative forces: Jen and Robby Rux, Cameron Smith and Britt Robisheaux, who came together with love for Rock and Roll, vintage gear, and great records.

The Ruxes perform on this edition’s opening track from The Fibs, “Simply Diving,” which is incandescent time machine fog, Preston Newbery sweats and shakes with uncommon grace. Cameron Smith recently released his Sur Duda tape, Paper Knife – lush pop tunes like “Lie In It (Sunshine)” recall Camper Van Beethoven and Talking Heads, Smith also has a new War Party album coming in the Spring. Their “Start Fighting” shares its casually buoyant genetics with all-time great “Making Plans for Nigel” by XTC. Andy Pickett is another extension of the War Party universe; the band has backed him in the past. Pickett’s work, as evidenced by Group Therapy’s “Crystal Bullets,” has been a revelation with well-written songs, nuanced performances and outstanding production.  

@surduda let the assembly be gathered

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Mainstays like Doom Ghost are present, “A Song Dedicated to Nigel Peppercock” cuts like kick ass jangly Joy Division. Head Ghost, Vern Marigold’s atmosphere of warm sullenness embraces the listener. Word is Doom Ghost has a couple of records recorded, let’s hope 2018 brings more releases from them as well as the fantastic Toy Gun, who rip here with “Cheaper’s Always Better”. A Sci-Fi sludger from Mean Motor Scooter; rambunctious Replacements-like drunk rock from Math the Band; Jack Thunder and the Road Soda’s “Sunbeams” is raw and effervescent, cutting close enough to the bone to leave a mark; BULLS’ “Drew Tib” has the satisfying darkness of a blurry cinematic crime wave. Thyroids, the youngsters, repeatedly ask Robisheaux how to get louder for their ripper, “Floor Board,” which has the ferocious intensity of going downhill with your foot on the gas. Juma Spears drops a solid hip hop banger in the mix, definitely a Fort Worth MC to keep an eye out for. 

At Cloudland, my attention was eventually subsumed by Teenage Sexx, their “Honestly” is a batch of punch served with the finest quality snarls. Caleb Lewis explains, “It’s a weird one for me. It’s a lot less sad than everything else I’ve written and perfectly sums up the heavy, mid-tempo 90s sound we’re going for now.” Sitting with the boys, our exchange quickly turned lively. After being shushed from the control room, the band removed their clothes. Jackassery is to be expected and may very well be tolerated. We bounced our heads to Pearl Earl’s ebullient, “Armageddon Blues,” of which drummer Bailey Chapman notes, “It is actually one of the first songs we learned as a band and although it doesn’t fit on either of our albums, we were happy to record it, so it can live on.”

As the title implies, Group Therapy’s songs cover a range of moods, like “Depress Me Softly” by Bitch Bricks, expanding their subversive lyrical depth with an X-Ray Spex sense of timelessness. Schuyler Stapleton explains the backstory, “I actually wrote the lyrics on a trip to Colorado three years ago. I was there to keep a prisoner from getting parole by testifying against his character. I go every year for that purpose. That year I discovered a friend of mine had committed suicide. I won’t pretend we were close, but her death had a profound effect on me. This song is about the way I felt about life then. The frailty of it and the strength it often takes to live.”

Evidence of a triumph over the mundane, the tunes embrace the wild tensions of existence and the otherness we can feel amidst so many other lonely souls. Same Brain’s “Kesh” is like a remnant from a late-70s Japanese psych band obsessed with Krautrock, delicious loops coated in reverb elicit a trance-like fury and thoroughly subvert the center. StarBass Labs fully embrace an inherent desire to reach out and connect, whether they are human or alien as has been reported, on “Replicants.” PG13 and Spacewolf manifest transmissions like Major Tom in his isolated flotsam missing the world he’s left behind. Sequencers hold the launch codes, which allow them as the only interstellar members of the Dreamy Life universe to constantly seek transmissions from other lifeforms. Check out all the great music available at Dreamy Life Records: https://dreamyliferecords.bandcamp.com/

@starbasslabs melting human minds #fortworthnoise

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I Like This Song - Siberian Traps' "Lemon Balm"

I Like This Song celebrates songs by local bands sans clichéd music journo over-analysis.

The furthest we take the dissection of songs featured here is, well, you guessed it: "I Like This Song." 

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A film by Peter Marsh, shot in Fort Worth, Texas. "Lemon Balm" is from the upcoming Siberian Traps album Indicator, to be released on Dreamy Life Records on June 9, 2017. "Lemon Balm" words and music by Seth Reeves, Chiefchickencharlie Publishing. Performed by Siberian Traps.

Today's featured song is the lead single from Siberian Traps' forthcoming LP Indicator, a Dreamy Life Records jam sandwich 'bout to hit your ear mouths on June 9th.

The 'Traps are set - c'mon, I know you liked that pun - to celebrate the album's release this Friday night at Shipping & Receiving with Son of Stan + Programme + Super Secret Records' New Berlin.

Party starts at 8pm, full event details posted here.

Siberian Traps - Photo greatness by Walt Burns

Before we move forward, y'all should know there's a killer write-up on Indicator posted over at Aesthetic Magazine; highly recommend you give it a read. The article provides some wonderful insights into the music video's production process as well.

And now I'm gonna talk about actual irl Lemon Balm for a few 'graphs because that's how we do here at FWN.

Lemon Balm: The flower that holds the power

Lemon Balm or 'Sweet Melissa' as it is commonly known, has several medicinal properties, making it one of the most beloved plants in the history of humankind (at least for the past 2,000 years anyway).

More so than anything else, Lemon Balm serves as a mild sedative that helps curb stress and anxiety. HELLO! I'm so familiar with stress and anxiety my old law firm was called Scott-Jackson, Stress, & Anxiety LLP.

I've grown Lemon Balm for the past 15 years, I mean, golly, it's practically another family member with its social status resting somewhere between our dog and our goldfish. So one can imagine my delight when the 'Traps dropped this single and music vid.

When I watched the video I perceived a visual representation of Lemon Balm taking hold, the embodiment of its medicinal properties slowly starting to activate.

The video begins with Cameron Smith (War Party) walking alone, robotically striding forward passing by other folks seemingly stuck in the same manic cycle of day-to-day stress.

However, as the video progresses, you can clearly witness the exact moment the 'Balm hits with Smith breaking free of that mechanical pattern via some wicked carefree dance moves (check the 2:55 mark of the video).

The rest of the video's cast subsequently break away as well, taking in a friendly tennis match en route to fully escaping the 'day-to-day' anxiety of the human hamster wheel. Truly fascinating imagery created by the video's director, Peter Marsh (also War Party).      

Big final s/o and congrats to Siberian Traps on the new album and music video, can't wait to get our hands on the record this Friday.

Lookie y'all, this was a lost cause from the start, they had me at Lemon Balm ... I like this song.

Radness gig poster for the album release show - Poster Design by Tony Ferraro 

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

I Like This Song - The Fibs' "Carbon Monoxide"

I Like This Song celebrates songs by local bands sans clichéd music journo over-analysis.

The furthest we take the dissection of songs featured here is, well, you guessed it: "I Like This Song." 

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Released by Dreamy Soundz Records -- Music recorded & produced by Jennifer Rux at Dreamy Soundz -- Video produced by the Fibs

Today's featured song comes from The Fibs' Hex Hex Hex, a Dreamy Soundz EP that debuted in 2014.

The Fibs are primed to perform tomorrow night at The Boiled Owl Tavern with fellow Dreamy Lifers Alex and Maria + out-of-towners Boketto The Wolf (NY).

Music starts at 9pm, full event details posted here.

The Fibs in action - Photo Credit - Prewitt Scott-Jackson

If you get the feeling you recognize the above photo of Fibs' guitarist/vocalist Preston Newberry it's because I took said photo and have since plastered it gratuitously all across Fort Worth Noise's social media platforms.

Just fyi, for your future reference and all: double foot pedal magic tricks always have a home here at FWN. 

Btw, I passed on a Bandcamp or Soundcloud embed today and opted for this kick-ass diy music vid produced by The Fibs. Gaw lee y'all(!), if you wanna take yer eyes on a visual vacay we highly rec watching the viddy yo in its entirety.     

Enough of all that, time to break this song down Dad-joke style...

The band may be called The Fibs but I ain't fibbin' when I say, "I like this song."

The Fibs' album artwork for Hex Hex Hex - Image via Dreamy Soundz Bandcamp

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand."

I Like This Song - Acid Carousel's "Higher Than The Beatles!"

I Like This Song celebrates songs by local bands sans clichéd music journo over-analysis.

The furthest we take the dissection of songs featured here is, well, you guessed it: "I Like This Song." 

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Today's featured song is the title track from Acid Carousel's forthcoming double LP, Higher Than The Beatles!

On March 7th the band announced the album will be released via Fort Worth's Dreamy Life Records, due to hit stores.. what do ya know, on April 20th.

Fresh off their successful Acid Spring Break !!! tour, you can catch the Acid Carousel cult in Fort Worth early this Friday night for Happy Hour at the Dreamy Life Records store. Event starts at 6pm, full details here.

Album Cover via Dreamy Life Records Bandcamp / Band Photo by Annie Nelson

Before delving into our expert musical analysis I'd like to give a hearty FWN s/o to Acid Carousel for all of the above.

I swear by every forest goddess I worship that between the music video and the album cover, the visuals associated with this record coulda made Utopiates' author Richard Blum blush.

"Higher Than The Beatles" is a bold claim to be sure but the Acid Carousel gang seem to back it up. I'll frame it this way: more than any other band in the 'plex, I wanna be on-board THIS band's tour bus.

Know what I'm saying?? 

The Acid Carousel Handbook perhaps?

Oh, that's right. Now I owe y'all a highly sophisticated musical opinion. Hmm, let's see....

Me: I LIKE THIS SONG! WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS?? IDK. FUCK IT. I THINK IT'S BECAUSE I LIKE THIS SONG!

Someone: Maybe it's because you took a lot of acid to find your mode to write this article? 

Me: IDK AF. I LIKE THIS SOOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG!!!GGGG!!!GGG!!GG!GG!  

Image via Acid Carousel's Facebook Page

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

Tonight This Morning

Welcome to Tonight This Morning hosted by John Oliv... I mean, so yea, we may have ripped off their name but only kind of, sort of.

In this space FWN previews the Fort Night ahead so you don't have to.   

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Friday! Friday! Friday! Y'all ready?

Here's a quick look at three good hangs happenin' in Fort Worth tonight.

1. Dreamy Life Happy Hour feat. The Killer Hearts (HOU)

Houston's Killer Hearts journey up the big highway to slay your ventricles (both of them) with a blend of fast & fun punk 'n' roll.

Early show w/ a 6pm start time, full event details here.

btw, THIS IS A FREE SHOW!!

2. I Happy Am, Jesse Gage, Morgan Lindley at Republic Street Bar

We talked about this show earlier this week when we featured I Happy Am's "Pizza Boy" as part of our I Like This Song series.

This is a FREE SHOW, 21+ only.

Music starts at 9pm w/ Morgan Lindley. Full event details here.

3. Responsible Johnny, Fuera D'Servicio, Morty 40 & The Malts, Bullet Machine at The Peppermill Lounge

Apparently they are doing shows at The Peppermill Lounge, which is rad! We like shows.

What's not rad is the fact we just discovered it.

JC Harmon of The Horn Monger Show told FWN they've "Been doing this since August 2016."

He added, "All shows have free food and free pool." 

JC has a pretty punkalicious lineup on tap tonight. Show starts at 9pm, full event details here.

BONUS: Here's a Responsible Johnny music viddy hose to get ya hype for tonight.

Have fun kids!

xoxo,

FWN

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

2 Shows, 1 Wednesday Night in Fort Worth

Steve Gnash: A Man of the People - Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

FWN rolled hard in the Fort last night attending not one, but TWO free shows.

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FORT WORTH NOISE PSA ALERT: Visit Fort Worth (especially when there's two killer free shows whose schedules allow for dual attendance).

Look y'all, I honestly don't think anyone in the 'plex coulda crafted better times on a random Wednesday than we did last night.

Dreamy Life Records hosted an early shindig that kicked off at 7pm with Denver Williams. Unfortunately I just missed Williams, but I did however manage to experience Redeye (ATX) and his emotive voice before I Happy Am dazzled with avant-garde pop art tunes that woulda made Andy Warhol blush. 

I then met up with the rest of the FWN crew (Daniel Daniel, Capt. Beandip, KB & Little C, Uncle Dave, etc.) at The Live Oak midway thru Cody Lynn Boyd's set. ICYMI, we posted about CLB and his song "Freaks Of The Night" earlier this week.

Next up was Dreamy Life's own Steve Gnash. I gotta say, nobody in town puts on a show like the Gnash.

Look, we're no lawyers, but if we were and you asked us to prove it, we'd offer up the following video from last night as our Exhibit A:

Dallas' hard-rocking Dead Mockingbirds finished us off with pounding drums and a feisty, loud sound that shook the Live Oak.

Quite a bit of magic for a weekday if you ask me. What's the ol' saying? 

"On any given Wednesday..."

BONUS: We are still on the hunt to recruit Fort Worth Noise photogs, but in the meantime, we went ahead and iPhone photographed the jam outta this jam! 

Photo gallery below for your visual pleasure (maybe??) - click the thumbnails to enlarge.  

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Steve Gnash

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I Happy Am

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Dead Mockingbirds

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Redeye

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Cody Lynn Boyd

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Cody Lynn Boyd

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

I Like This Song - Jack Thunder & The Road Soda's "Capt. Adaptive"

I Like This Song celebrates songs by local bands sans clichéd music journo over-analysis.

The furthest we take the dissection of songs featured here is, well, you guessed it: "I Like This Song." 

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Image via JT & RS Facebook Page

Today's featured song comes from Fort Worth's Jack Thunder & The Road Soda's 2015 Dreamy Life release JT & RS. 

As A1 big time fans of any type of road soda, it's highly probable we're gonna like any song put out by JT & the RS based on principle alone.   

You can catch the Kerouac-esque duo road trippin' for the Fairmount Library anniversary party this Saturday, Feb. 11th at Shipping & Receiving w/ bonus musical virtuosity provided by Movie the Band, Programme, and Vogue Machine.

Show starts at 7pm, event details posted here.

Hold my beer, gotta do something real quick that requires 1000% of my focus ... I like this song.

Image via JT & RS Facebook Page

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

10 Questions Interview - Andy Pickett

Welcome to FWN's 10 Questions Interview. We are honored to have Fort Worth's Andy Pickett join us today.

UN-FAKE NEWS ALERT: Chef Pickett has a new record cookin' up in his 5-star kitchen! In fact, he told us it'll be table-ready a few months from now, that should give y'all ample time to dust off your finest flatware. 

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Image via Andy Pickett's Facebook Page

1. Dogs or Cats? Why?

AP: I grew up with cats, but now, since I got my first and current dog Boobie, I'm a dog man.

2. Aliens. Do they exist?

AP: Yes. There's too much space and too much stuff in the universe to be just us all alone...it's simple math.

3. Drug of choice? (None is not an option btw)

AP: Marijuana...and food.

4. Brown or white gravy? (Neither is not an option btw)

AP: Depends on where I'm at or who's cookin' and what it's being poured on. But gun to my head? Brown.

5. Favorite weapon of mass destruction?

AP: Ohio-class submarine.

6. Favorite marsupial?

AP: Tasmanian Devil.

7. Favorite Superhero?

AP: Peter from Starbass.

Picture of Andy straight chillin' in his next life (a Tarigrade)

8. Did Dez catch it?

AP: Honestly, I dont know what this means, so I'll say yes?

9. When you die, if you were given the choice to come back as any animal, which would you choose?

AP: Tardigrade.

10. The best MJ is: Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Mike Jones, or Milla Jovovich?       

AP: Michael Jackson!!!

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

I Like This Song - Bitch Bricks' "Steak Baby"

I Like This Song celebrates songs by local bands sans clichéd music journo over-analysis.

The furthest we take the dissection of songs featured here is, well, you guessed it: "I Like This Song." 

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Today's featured song comes from Fort Worth's Bitch Bricks and the arse-kicking Group Therapy Vol. 1 compilation put together by Dreamy Soundz and Lo-Life Recordings.

Photo via Bitch Bricks Facebook Page

You can catch the Bricks this Saturday, Jan. 28th at 515 Bar w/ Ripped Genes (MO) and Denton's Dome Dwellers.

This free show starts at 9pm, full event details here.

Oh yea, here's our deepest thoughts on this track: I like this song.

DOUBLE SUPER BONUS: The below show poster's crazy rad, right?

Image via Facebook Event Page for 515 Bar

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”

Where The West (Categorically) Begins: The Steve Gnash Experience

Fort Worth’s Steve Gnash and Dreamy Life Records release Gnash's eponymous debut record Friday Dec. 2nd at The Boiled Owl Tavern w/ Son of Stan and Same Brain. Gearing up for the big event I look back at my first Steve Gnash experience hoping to offer a glimpse of what to expect on Friday.

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It’s November and I’m tired. Really really tired and … ABSOLUTELY ENTHRALLED because Steve Gnash, per our Twitter interaction Nov. 7th, has agreed to give me unfettered access to his Nov. 9th show at The Live Oak in Fort Worth.

Twitter Screenshot courtesy of Prewitt Scott-Jackson

Flash forward two days, my Uber drops me off at The Live Oak. Not just any Uber, but like, honestly, the most cerebral Cinderella carriage-like Uber ride of the century. An omen of the night to come?

I’m early. Not just tonight, but always. Sipping cheap beer to numb my anxiousness, kill my nerves. Any second now and Steve Gnash was gonna walk through that door.

Then he did.

A light surrounds him. No, a halo. A halo of sunflower sunrays that scream “MAGIC!!” This guy is a certified Pop god.

An entourage follows: Two photographers, his manager, his driver, his personal nutrionist, an intimidating security guard, a sex bonfire of a backing band and an apple cart worth of adoring fans.  

My pen starts shaking in my hand. My blank notebook stares at me with grave doubt. Gnash immediately recognizes me as part of the press and precedes to one-hand-catch my dazed expression taking it back to the end zone for ‘6’ [sits down next to me in my mafia-inspired booth inside the Live Oak bar].

His entourage follows suit, filling up the entirety of the booth before I can blink. I’m enveloped by this sense I’ve been absorbed into his orbit. A star and his planets.

Initially, nothing is said to me. Logistics discussed amongst the group such as “How many plates of free nachos are we entitled to?” and “I can confirm I have the Nag Champa and the champagne Mr. Gnash,” etc.

I interject with my first, and as it would turn out, my only question of the evening, “So, Gnash, what were you doing prior to arriving tonight? I guess what I mean to say is … What does Steve Gnash do when nobody is looking?”

“There’s always someone looking at Gnash,” his manager Hollywood Jones quips.

Steve Gnash and Manager Hollywood Jones – Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

After a chasmic pause Gnash finally speaks, modestly answering “Reading someone’s cards.”

“Like Tarot cards?”

“Yes.”

“Whose cards would that be?”  

“The psychic at the gas station off 1900 block on Hemphill St.”

A halo of sunflower sunrays I tell ya, a halo of sunflower sunrays!

The entourage shifts towards the green room located backstage at ‘The Oak.’ I try to nudge my way in but Hollywood Jones puts a kibosh on that. Despite Jones restricting my green room access, Gnash offers me a pity pull from his champagne bottle. Would you pass on a pull of the philosopher’s stone? I think not.

Green Room Access Denied – Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

Being turned away, I head outside. A healthy portion of the backing band congregates on the loading dock, this includes lead bass guitarist (Tha) Mista Deezy. Mista Deezy specializes in having fun and serves as the most talented musician of the backing band. Besides providing lead bass, Tha Deezy doubles as lead backup vocalist.

Deezy refused my interview, but not in an “I’m the best musician here” kind of way, ‘twas more of an “I can’t disrupt my pre-game mojo but I hope you understand” kind of way.

Tha Mista Deezy (pictured right ) Pre-Gaming Prior to The Show – Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

Back in the main auditorium the audience sits inauspiciously waiting for something their minds are incapable of conceiving. I scan their brain pans with my deft telepathic skills to hear a collective “Just another wispy Fort Worth singer-songwriter.”

The band’s sheer show of force strikes down this ridiculous notion with a masterful opening performance of the hit single “Sprung;” a track that has since been world premiered by 96.7 FM on the Local Ticket Show w/ Mark.  

The Steve Gnash Experience in Full Swing – Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

From there, the band dives into “Coughdrops,” a track I have heard before thanks to my advanced copy of the record. “Coughdrops” incites the audience to MOVE. And MOVE they did!

Mista Deezy Feelin’ the “Coughdrops” – Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

The remainder of the set sways seamlessly from song to song with nary an interruption aside from a moment of exuberant prayer in dedication to Pop goddess Britney Spears.

Gnash Praying at The Alter of Britney – Photo Credit: Prewitt Scott-Jackson

The besiegement of sexy sound lingered, fluttering about the Live Oak’s microsphere for minutes upon the set’s conclusion. Nobody speaks. The audience, they sit in silent stupefaction as time ticks by until finally an uproarious applause ignites nearly burning down the red velvet stage curtains that have since been shuttered.

As I left the venue, the same dazed expression as before falls upon my face only this time the daze consists of wonderment and achievement not that of nerves and anxiety.

For once in my life, the planet of Me has a star. Whether I’ll ultimately catalogue as an insignificant dwarf ice planet or a gas giant such as Jupiter, being tethered to Steve Gnash’s sun gives me a boundless sense of purpose because either way I am now embedded in his orbit.

Well, until my Uber ride back home arrives anyway.

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about the word writer person:

Prewitt Scott-Jackson writes Dad poetry & short fiction when he's not hyping and typing for Fort Worth Noise. His writing can be found in Ghost City Press (New York), Five 2 One Magazine (Los Angeles), Prairie Schooner (University of Nebraska Press) and Sick Lit Magazine (Texas), among others. He prefers short walks on the beach because – and I quote – “It’s really hard to walk on sand.”