Feels like forever since I’ve written one of these. Amazingly enough, I don’t know if I’ve had time to. Life has been moving constantly and quickly since I came back to Austin, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been 3 weeks since my EP Release, so the details are a little fuzzy, but here’s what I can tell you:
Leading up to the EP we were promoting, promoting, promoting. Anybody who knows me knows that self-promotion is not my strong suit. It’s taken a long time for me to feel comfortable selling myself, so when my publicist laid out our game plan I had to take a deep breath. There would be Facebook events, status updates, Tweets, emails, flyers and morning show appearances galore leading up to the show. You gotta do what you gotta do. Just like any good salesman I put on a smile and did my damndest. I try to never lose sight of the fact that this is my business and if it fails, I fail.
MORNING SHOWS:
These were new for me, and honestly I really enjoyed them. I’d heard about playing the dreaded morning show circuit, as mornings are something that most musicians fear (I’m no exception). Let me take you through the routine for a morning show:
5:00 AM – Wake up
6:30 AM – Arrive at TV studio (sit…drink coffee…sit)
7:00 AM – Soundcheck (sit…drink coffee…sit)
7:30 AM – Interview/Performance
7:45 AM – Go home and fall asleep again
You’re really only on air for about 4 minutes (at the most). I tried to be as charming as I could, which was not always easy given the fact that I was barely coherent. Here’s why the interviews made me nervous:
When I was in high school, my band Dissidents was in a local Battle of the Bands competition. As part of the competition we had to do an interview for the Austin Music Network. It was terrible. I stalled during answers, I giggled nervously, I spoke too quickly. After the show my drummer’s mother told me that I shouldn’t get so high before interviews…only I wasn’t high.
But that was a long time ago. ”Grown up” (ha!) Reed had everything under control. Or at least I did a pretty good job of faking it. Plus, not only did my band mates do a great job performing, they kept me laughing and loose all morning. Great experiences all in all. For your viewing pleasure:
KEYE (This was actually an afternoon show)
EP RELEASE
Not gonna lie, I woke up nervous. I had been rehearsing and performing so much in preparation for the show that my voice was gone. I’d woken up the previous day with little more than a whisper and fought through a rehearsal that night. Needless to say, I woke up with little more than a whisper the day of the show. This was a big deal. On top of the fact that we were hoping to sell out the Saxon, there was a very prominent Texas booking agent coming to the show, as well as a film crew for the Musicians Volume 2 project. So what did I do? I completely stopped speaking and loaded up on Throat Coat Tea, water, and Fisherman’s Friend Lozenges. I’d heard about them from an old voice teacher…and they’re terrible. They look like rocks, taste like menthol dipped in Vaporub, and do a damn good job. I communicated solely through head shakes, thumbs up or down, and a note pad to my family, friends and the film crew all day leading up to the show. Finally, about an hour before the show my voice felt ready to go.
During soundcheck something beautiful began happening: people started filing in. Soon there was a steady stream of folks filling up the place. You can send out as many emails, event invites, etc. as you want before a show. You can tally up every person that RSVP’s, but you never really know until they’re standing in front of you. As a musician, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
As for the show, it was great. The band played great, my voice was back, and the energy from the audience was incredible. They applauded when we walked onstage, they laughed when I told bad jokes, and at the end of the night they gave us a standing ovation. If you were there, thank you. Some shows hold a special place in your heart and this was one of them. The highlights for me were “Acrobats & Soldiers” and our cover of “Take Me To the River” (and yes, that’s me teasing the audience with The Outfield’s “Your Love” before we go into it). There’s not a lot I can say about it…it’s the kind of experience I want to have every night of my life.
But…if you want to know the most amazing part of the night, it went a little something like this:
(As we’re packing up and loading our gear off the stage)
Courtney: “Come here! I’ve been dying to tell you this all night.”
Reed: “Hold on.”
Courtney: “No! Come here.”
Reed: “Tell me in a second.”
Courtney: “No! Tim Riggins is here!”
Reed: “…………what?”
Courtney: “Tim Riggins is here!”
Reed: “……..someone who looks like Tim Riggins?”
Courtney: “Fucking Taylor Kitsch is here!”
Reed: (stunned silence)
That’s right, my favorite TV character from my favorite TV show EVER was at the show. I’m not star struck very often. In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to roll my eyes at our celebrity obsessed culture…but this one got me. Guilty as charged. Texas forever.
