Summer Fun with 311, The Toadies & more (2014)

Wrapping up this packed, fun summer month with the 4th and final installment of shenanigans that saw us visit with some old friends, make some new friends, see some great wrestling and even greater rawk shows.

The Toadies/Ume – July 24th – Rockin Rodeo – Denton, TX

I have a long, storied history with the Toadies and have been friends with these guys for my entire adult life. This year marks the 20th anniversary of their landmark LP Rubberneck that they have been playing in its entirety on this tour to celebrate.
I’ve been fortunate to have caught the tour a few times already this year & was looking forward to seeing it again, in a much more intimate setting.

In the 20 years since Rubberneck came out, its found a way to stay in heavy rotation on local Texas radio and have made the band a state treasure. They have responded to this by playing literally every town this great state has to offer no matter its size. The current tour saw stops in Stephenville, Pharr, Marshall and other one stop light towns. On this night they were in Denton, the small college town outside of Dallas where I used to live. This being my third time to see them at this venue, I still can’t say much for the place, but I do much prefer it over the much larger places in DFW area they are capable of playing.
Another thing that got me out here was to see Ume from Austin whose Monuments LP is one of my faves of the year.

Ume never quite settles on the expected, instead turning everything on its ear every time I see them. I’m continually astonished by how subtly and unexpectedly they  manipulate the trajectory of a three-minute rock song without losing any pop sensibility  Of course most if not all of this falls on the shoulders of front woman Lauren Larson, as the focus is never far from her in every moment of their set. Everything the band does – although not all that makes them unique – hinges on the way she plays, from her riffing chops to her solid vocals. They don’t require any gimmicks & have the capability to get noticed by their music alone. However, it’s Larson’s stage performance – this blur of blonde hair & mix of delicacy and seduction with unbelievable ferocity and aggression that ties everything together into an unforgettable package

Another one of my oldest friends Duane, also works with the Toadies so we got to catch up a bit before the got setup. I didn’t see much of the other guys this time. Shared a few jokes with Rez (drummer) as always (who was sporting quite the shiner on his eye) I warned him of paying off his gambling bets in a timely fashion.
In now time, the place had filled with drunk college students and the Toadies came barreling in from the back door and hit stage.

311 – July 31st – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX 

I’m an outsider’s outsider – like the Cramps, that’s why I appreciated what the Coathangers were doing, however while I love alot of the music &  I share the same work ethic and DIY ethos, the “punks” I met when I was younger seemed humorless, & were elitist. For a group that was promoting (armchair) anarchy, there sure were alot of rules to follow & the violence for violence sake and other aspects always seemed corny to me, especially alot of the aesthetics. This isn’t a burial, it’s just preference.
That’s why about 20 years ago right out of High School, I responded intensely to the band 311, who were just getting started, for their unique & inspiring outlook.
I thought it took more balls to promote tolerance and positivity than screaming about hating your dad & feeling disenfranchisized and that spoke to me & my life-long friend Chris.

Now, over time I realize that as the band’s popularity grew it became easier to dismiss them as it seemed that the majority of people that were coming to their shows were the same stoned, frat bros & gals that largely attend Phish shows – White, privileged, trust-funders looking to sharpen their edge.
Ween had that same issue – after Phish covered a few songs live, the nitrous crowd were suddenly all in – For Ween it had an adverse positive effect of making them more popular then ever, but for 311 it might have introduced an undesirable image to other demographics that knew nothing of them previously.

About five years I became friends with 311’s management team and through that became friends with their bass player Aaron (stage name P-Nut) who were kind enough to invite us out for their show.