Texas is really big, guys!  In case you weren’t aware.   Rolling into town at 1 am early Monday morning after 15 hours of driving straight from Nashville to Austin, we crashed hard at our gracious hosts’ house.  The Farrs are simply amazing, and I first want to take a second to thank & acknowledge them for opening their doors to us and being so accommodating.  You guys ROCK!!!

Monday, 3/11/13

Monday morning at 9am, Ryan & I had to get to work.  We had picked up a couple shifts at SXSW with our promotional company from NYC.  Any little bit of money helps, especially when you’re gone for a month!  This also gave us a chance to scope out the downtown area & get a lay of the land.

Start the car…

“Hm…”

“Well, it’s going.  She just needs to get us to work.”

And we’re off!  We worked right in the heart of the conference, downtown at the Austin Convention Center.

A look inside the expo room:

After work, we met up with our friend Jen Forchelli, CEO & founder of Astro Therapy – (Look her up!!  If you’ve never had your birth chart done by her, you haven’t lived.)  We decided to go get something to eat.  Headed to the parking garage.

“It’s on again!”

“Rev the engine…”

And…   Dead.  Our car battery died on the way down the ramp of the parking garage.

A parking attendant and a cop helped us push & steer the car into an alley just outside the garage.  We were lucky enough to get a jump from this friendly man…

…But the car died again.  Luckily we have AAA.  We got the car towed to an AutoZone.

Needless to say, we felt REALLY cool, when the car broke down this time at the corner of 2nd & Brazos, a main intersection.

The alternator was the issue…  We had to have it replaced.  Mrs. Sarah Farr came to save the day & picked us up since it was dark by this point and we had to leave the car overnight.

And…Day 1 Down.  It gets better!! (In a good way.. trust me!!)

———-

Tuesday, 3/12/13

Our gracious hostess Sarah drove us into town for our second & last shift of promo work while our car was getting fixed.

Day 2 of work was really fun: there were bands coming in and out of the lounge we were working all day, all doing exclusive performances and interviews.  We got to meet and hear Blondfire, Wildcat Wildcat, The Dunwells, and Delta Rae.  If you haven’t checked out Delta Rae’s awesome music video for their song “Bottom of the River,” you need to right after you finish reading about how exciting our Day 2 became.)  Having this job was a really good thing for us for these two days; we made some money AND we got to see some music we would not have otherwise seen because it was beyond the point where you needed an expensive, official SXSW badge to get in.

We picked up the car after work at 5; alternator was all better.  We had a show to do, our first show during SXSW! – so we had to get home, get the instruments, and hurry back to town.  We played at 1007 South Congress Ave at a makeshift, pop-up stage that only exists during South By.

2/3 Goat performing during SXSW, outside Eat Ban Mi at 1007 South Congress Ave.

***How we got the gig!***

It was very roundabout.  Here’s a word document chart breaking down 2/3 Goat got to play during SXSW:
We had a great crowd; some friends and some new fans were jamming.  It was a beautiful night!  After our show, we packed up and decided to further south on S Congress & get some food.  We found this place.  Pretty good food, and great atmosphere.

 Here’s us enjoying Ms. P’s:

Sitting at one of the benches eating, Ryan & I met an Austin native who fixes cars, and we told him of our woes with the Nighthawk.  We got to talking about music, and he let us in on a private, invite-only concert that was going on only a few blocks away just off the beaten path.  Willie Nelson was playing that night, was the rumor; and if you acted like you were supposed to be there, you might be able to get through the front door.

So we thought we’d try.   Our other friends parted ways; our Austin guy went ahead to the concert; and Ryan, Jen, and I made our way there too.  Sure enough, we were able to secure our way in with our new friend, and we got in just after Willie had started playing!!  This is how close we were:

Click to view our video of: Willie Nelson Arlyn Studios

This location turned out to be Arlyn Studios, a fantastic studio with a roster of over 50 major recording artists who have laid down albums there.

We also got to see Caveman play at Arlyn, right after Willie.  They’re a great band!  Check out What’s Protocol’s recent write up of them.

**Tour Tip #96: Don’t lose faith; because sometimes your car breaks, and sometimes you meet Willie Nelson.

And those were the first 48.  More to come soon!!

Annalyse

2/3 Goat  -  twothirdsgoat.com

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On Friday night, we were playing at Bowery Poetry Club in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  A good friend and amazing musician, Matt Fisher, had his CD release that night, and we were lucky enough to be asked to be a part of the lineup of this “Hot Summer Night of Music.”

Check Matt out, he’s unbelievable!

We started out at 11:30pm right after we played, and drove a few hours into Pennsylvania.  We got about 4 hours of sleep at the Super 8 in Kutztown (a very nice Super 8, I must say), got up, and hit the road again.  Not my ideal – as much as I love traveling and playing, I NEED SLEEP.  But we got through it all and made it to DRYerson.

DRYerson

Our first show was DRYerson Festival at Ryerson Station State Park in western Pennsylvania, on Saturday.  We had a great time and met some awesome folks.

 It was the 6^th annual gathering of folks in the communities of Greene County, PA, at what was formerly Ryerson Lake – until a nearby longwall mine (a form of coal mining) caused the earth to shift and thus put a break in the dam which was holding in the lake.  The coal company claims no responsibility and refuses to fix the dam which would restore the lake.  The Center for Coalfield Justice, a great organization in western PA, currently has an ongoing court battle with the company.  CCJ also holds this annual gathering, consisting of an excellent feast of burgers, dogs, and more; and now has had music for the first time, bringing in 2/3 Goat to play!  We were proud to play for such nice people and for such a great cause.  CCJ is awesome.  Thanks Veronica and Patrick!!

*I am particularly proud of our sound setup for this one.  We started with one wireless mic and a lone speaker of theirs; added some stands, another mic, and an amp; and turned the situation into a fantastic setup for the three of us!  Being a little creative can go a long way.  This is one of my favorite parts of traveling with the band: #makingitwork

Nashville

We just arrived in Nashville last night (Sunday), and are staying with our good friends, the Hallworths.  They just bought a new home, so this is where we’re staying now.  MTV Cribs, where were you for this one?

But seriously, the Hallworths are two of the nicest people on the planet and they make our stays in Nashville possible.  Thanks, guys.

*Just ran into John Prine today at the grocery store here in Music City.  It was amazing to meet an idol of mine!  He’s gearing up for his next tour, buying all the essentials at Kroger.  Such a nice guy.  You just never know who you’re gonna run into!!

We play at Mercy Lounge tonight, at BMI’s 8 off 8th… Stay tuned for pics and stories!  You can also visit our website for more details & tour dates.

**Tour tip #4:  Enjoy the view.  Traveling and ending up in new places with new faces can be scary or difficult at times.  Take it one mile at a time, and enjoy every moment.  Otherwise, why are you here?

Talk soon,

Annalyse

2/3 Goat

twothirdsgoat.com – Facebook – Twitter: @twothirdsgoat

It’s a What’s Protocol? original that should help you get you through your Monday!!!

Check out how these two test the limits of a a trampoline while seeming to be high on some sort of hallucinogenic drug. Amazing editing thanks to a friend of Lindsey’s!!!

The song in the video is Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix) – Blue Foundation