Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
In anticipation of SXSW
In 6th grade English class, they told us that there are three kinds of conflict in a story:
Interpersonal conflict
Internal conflict
Man vs. nature
This week, big Jack and I are taking on the elements. Just two dudes, one angry God, and one 12 channel Mackie mixer.
There are two things I can promise about our show: the bands are fire, and the PA will be loud enough. Beyond that, a lot is gonna come down to chance.
Today, the angry God in question sent snow & cancelled our flight to Austin. On Thursday, he’s threatening us with rain. On top of that, the Mauri sisters have promised a fake-snow machine. They’ll be on the roof spraying it over the crowd, so rain or shine, bring your ponchos.
Jack and I are currently waiting on our re-scheduled flight, so I’m tryna be quick with this. But I wanna recommend a few bands I’ve seen this year that are kiiiiilller live & should be at the top of your list if you’re in Austin. Don’t miss it:
There are lots of others ofc but we gotta board soon and I’m rushing.
Jack, Cina, Andrea, and I have been scheming on SXSW for a while now. Huge shout-out to the legends at DER Task Force and David Energy—they’re stepping in with that big-solar money to make sure the bands get paid.
A couple weeks ago, I met James “Bo” McGinnis at The Dare’s major label debut (Freakquencies at the Virgin Hotel). James pitched me on hosting a week-long eco rave in upstate New York.
James told me that everyone in the climate space is a doomer, so he’s just tryna throw ripping parties. The DER Taskforce (subscribe to their newsletter here) already tested out the solar-powered rave set up at Burning Man, and you can look forward to round 2 in upstate NY sometime this spring.
I’m pretty obsessed with the energy DER Taskforce is bringing to the table. And I’m pumped to partner with activated people working hard to do something important.
We were all set to have the party at the Pearl Street Co-op—the most legendary DIY spot in all of Austin. But then a couple weeks before the show, the powers that be at the co-op told us we’d have to move our party elsewhere. We were sooo bummed to have to let go of the vision.
But we were lucky to be able to pivot to House of Commons. Just two nights ago, we realized that House of Commons is one of University of Texas’s premier clothing-optional co-ops. So maybe everything really does happen for a reason. Clothing is expected, but in the words of Sarah Ellington, “Dress code is leave your underwear at home.”
We’ve enlisted the highly-coveted and grossly-overqualified Jesse Paller to run sound at our bootleg back yard bonanza. He’s been cited on this blog as the professional soundboard whisperer for legends like Snail Mail, Sunflower Bean, and Black Midi. I’ve also heard rumors that he’s in cahoots with Nine Inch Nails, and I’m not in the position to deny it.
We owe another thank you to our friends at Honey Bucket. They’ll be providing two gorgeous construction-site-grade units for your sanitary needs. Essentially brand new. Because House of Commons isn’t gonna let us into the house to use the bathroom.
There are a lot of milestones in life that signal our passage into adulthood. Bar mitzvahs, confirmations, graduations. But nothing made me feel more sure of my little brother’s manhood than watching him call up Honeybucket and put down $500 of his own hard earned cash for a day long rental of two beautiful state-of-the-art latrines. Magnificent.
You Missed It is also hosting the official Baby’s x Perfectly Imperfect x Sunflower Bean showcase on Saturday. Lfg. Good to have that underpinning the chaos. Otherwise we’d just be throwing a 7-hour-long bootleg-as-fuck show in a city we’ve never been to.
A lot has gone into this, and I’m excited to see how it turns out. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. See you in Austin.
What’s good tonight in the city?
Safe travels and good luck!