*phew* Driving and playing shows for 2 weeks straight really takes its toll on you, especially when you face issues such as band members with serious chronic flatulence, and your van''s transmission getting busted in Tennessee. But it''s all worth it if it means getting to play an amazing showcase gig at South By Southwest on St Patty''s Day. Julius C just got back from just such an adventure, on the first leg of the Emergenza B.E.S.T. Tour, and it was beyond awesome. ------------------------------------------------ We set sail from New York City on March 11th, and slowly made our way down to Texas. Along the way we discovered the incredible value of dollar store teddy grahams, and kept ourselves busy by playing shows, telling Bible stories, and sleeping in strange places with names like Arkadelphia… Oh, and farting a lot. Eventually we reached our first stop in Texas: Dallas. Arriving in Deep Ellum with fellow B.E.S.T. Tour-mates Kid:nap:kin, we proceeded to rock each others'' socks (and other assorted undergarments) off at The Liquid Lounge. We formed an instant band-bond, despite the fact that they''re from Boston. Alas, our time together was tragically short, as we had leave the next morning in the oppressively pleasant Texas weather for the next stop on the Julius C ’94 Chevy Van Tour. After a few more continental breakfasts, a packed gig in Houston, and several deep conversations with our GPS, we finally arrived in Austin, Texas! The atmosphere was indescribable – a city shut down, thousands of music lovers wandering freely, and seemingly just as many bands playing the countless clubs lining the streets. We surveyed the area, and quickly began chalking our name and show info all over the sidewalks of East 6th St like the ridiculous children that we are. As the night approached, the crowds just grew until the streets were teeming with increasingly-inebriated St Patty''s Day revelers. Once 9 o''clock rolled around, we headed over to Darwin''s Pub and set up our gear. We started our set with a modest crowd of 60-70 people in the sizeable room. So we turned up the energy, and more people began to trickle in off the streets... We played James Brown and started to make the crowd sweat – before long, the bar was filled to capacity, and more people were watching from the sidewalk. We topped it all off with our usual set-closing cacophonous mayhem, and as we tried to leave the stage, we found 300 people demanding an encore (huh? that wasn''t in the setlist), so... we rocked the snot out of Ghostbusters, and called it a set. Exhausted, we proceeded to get drunk, watch our friends play a show, hear The Presidents of the United States of America rock (okay, it was through the walls of a club, but still!), and eat awful pizza and vienna sausages. Exhausted and daunted by the 30 hours of driving ahead of us, we retired to our hotel to pass. out. Our van's breaking down and the subsequent week-long trial of getting home is a lovely little story, but a story for another time. We''ll cut it short here and just say... We want to thank Emergenza a million times over for taking us on this whole crazy ride! We learned so much, made some great contacts – not to mention the whole having-an-obscenely-rocking-time part. Just goes to show that even if you don''t make it to Germany, you can still work hard and make amazing things happen with Emergenza. :) A special thanks to Francesca, Walter, Vin, Darren, and everyone else in Emergenza and Texas who helped make this all happen! You people are the cat’s pajamas. Until next time... rock always. P.S. To all the bands that are reading this blog: If you’re in the competition, good luck! If not... do it! And if you want to chat or have any questions about life, music or promoting the hell out of yourself, please feel<