Avail-10-28-2007

The night looked like it would be a slow one, Originally I was told the show started at 7 pm, so since I had been in Atlanta most of the afternoon, hanging up Urban pop Blocks and Moonshine Christmas art show signs, I decided to go down to the show a little early. This was around 6:30 and there was a few stragglers in the parking lot, but not as much as I would have thought. As I pulled up I was greeted by Gwomper and Beau Beau with warm hellos and friendly conversation. Me and Beau sat around and talked for a little while and the rest of the guys did what they had to do. It was nice to see him, it had been almost a year since last me and him got a chance to talk.
Beau, got pulled away from a couple of girls, I guess he knew them, or maybe they were avail groupies who love his sexy goatee ?? hahahah... either way I was left sitting on the back of my car hanging out, but not for long. I saw Ed trask walk by , so I shouted at him, since we have been talking back and fourth on myspace about him doing some art in my next art show in December. As many times as I have seen these guys, me and Ed have not talked all that much. It was good to get a chance for both us to put faces with names and connected on a new level. He is such an awesome person. We talked about the art show, doing some street art and just about art in general. He described his perfect day to me and I could not agree any less with him, he said he thinks the perfect day, is playing with his daughter, hanging out with his wife, painting, doing some street art and getting to surf. I told him that I mine would be hanging out with my wife, drawing or painting and listening to music. We exchanged stories about street art we have done or are planning on doing, and he told me about how Richmond would not give him an art show so he said he was going to make them give him one, by taking full blown paintings and hanging them up all around for people to see. I admire that so much. I would love to do that, do these little mini paintings and just put them up for people to take or do what ever they want to them. Eventually ed had to go load his drums in so I decided to sit in my car this time and draw the urban pop hippos on some postage stickers. I had gotten about five deep, when Tim walked up to my car and gave me a big hello in Tim Barry Fashion. I got a chance to see Tim play a month back with Willam Elliott whitmore at smiths old bar acoustic and that night I got inspired to make a small piece of art for Tim, since I knew I would see him in a few weeks I worked it all up and took it down to the show. It was a small wood block I had painted, that had a acoustic guitar and some vines crawling up the side, I had found this old Tv ad on the Internet that had a slogan that read " Custom Tuned" so I mogged pogged it to the bottom. the whole thing came out so awesome. I wrote a message on the back for him, and when he saw it , his eyes lit up, and he kept saying" this is so rad". It made the whole thing even more amazing for me. I have to admit I was a little leery about doing something like this for a band, I did not want to come across like a scary fan.. but I guess after seeing them something like 30 times, that I guess that scary fan thing was no longer an issue. AHahahah.

So the show seemed to take longer to start that the door time said, so I continued to sit in my car and draw some stickers, when this guy Dave came up to me and said some of Avail had mentioned I had seen them a few times and he wondered if I wanted to do an Interview for an Avail Documentary he was putting together. I said of course, and we talked about, why I keep coming to the shows. I told him, that the older I get, that this is the one band that I have never out grown and that they are the one band that still makes me feel alive to see. We talked about some of my favorite avail memories and he ended the interview with do you have any Avail tattoos, I showed him the set of houses on my left arm and he asked me how that is an Avail tattoo, I explained that is was my personal Avail tattoo that no one would be able to pick out in a crowd, and that it reminds me of all the different places I have visited seeing them play. He thanked me for my time and went on with his day.

Finally the night had come, The first band took the stage. They were called Fox Trotsky? Not too bad, still pretty young, but they did a good job. Then was Smoke and fire, and amazing band, that in till last night, I have never really given them much credit where it is due. They seem to be the staple Opening band for Avail, and with this being said, I have seen them a bunch as well. I do not know what it was about their set, that grabbed me, but what ever it was, I walked about with both records and a big as smile. Finally the moment that I have been waiting for... AVAIL.

In typical Avail fashion, which I firmly believe that no one else could do this and still look kinda cool in the process. Avail gets up and sets up their own stuff, tunes and checks all the sounds and opens with the typical quick intro of every one doing their thing to get ready and then breaks in to their set. From the first song to the last the crowd tears in to a frenzy and does not stop. I end up from dead center to far stage right, just from the crowd moving. I did not care, I was seeing my band play again. I honestly think I turned 20 all over. I was screaming along to the words, sitting on the stage, raising my fist and taking as many photos of the show as I could. It never matters how many times I see them, I still feel so alive and full of energy. By the end of the set, I was drained. My glasses got knocked off and broken, I had managed to cut my foot, my shorts looked like I had rolled around on a dirty floor and I could barely breath, much less speak. It was just what I needed. It totally reminded me what a real show was like. I made my way around to say my good byes and thanks for another amazing show.

I was so horse in the throat, that I stopped at Kroger to get a drink, and left with my drink and a twinkee. In that moment I walked back to the car, I felt like my pal, Austin was walking back with me and we had another 2-3 hour drive home.. but instead, it was just me. I miss those days, but that is what growing up does to people. Even though he has not been to the last 3 or four shows with me, I know that I have him in the crowd looking out for me and my camera.

" Have you ever loved a band so much that it just hurts"? ( Almost famous Quote)

Thank you for reading.