Text and photos via Adam Murray
Flew out to Texas on Friday, which was Day Two for Chaos but Day One for me. Sad to miss the Thursday parties, but that’s how it goes. Austin was boasting temperatures in the low 90s when I arrived at 7 in the evening, with humidity way up around 70-80%. The air sat on me like pudding. I had never visited Texas before, only layed over. I was slightly surprised to see how Southy it was on my cab ride from the airport. Very green and pretty, but also kinda underdeveloped and slouchy in a southern swampland kind of way. Lots of ramshackle houses with eclectic collections of furniture, car parts and kids’ toys in the yards.
I checked into my hotel, unpacked my gear, charged everything for a bit, and headed out on foot toward town. It was already dark when I got to Mohawk, and I had missed all of the daytime action and some of the night. Bummer, but again – that’s how it goes. Ran around a little trying to track down my wristband. Acquired it without wasting too much time. I instantly noticed how friendly and helpful people were being – not really something I’m used to back home in Los Angeles. Snapped on my fancy gold wristband with the big “VIP” letters proudly emblazened on the outside. This sweet baby would effortlessly get me in and out of over-capacity venues throughout the weekend when I would otherwise have been totally shafted. HUGE thanks to Sean, Timmy, and the Chaos staffers who helped me track it down!
No time to dilly dally, gotta get shootin’. Since I was already there, I started off at Mohawk. After introducing myself to the first of many a Lone Star tallcan, I snapped a few of the Japanese crusties Forward, and from there skipped around within the 4-5 block area that included Beerland, Red 7, some food trucks and a roaming cornucopia of inebriated punks and hessians. Hadn’t seen Wiccans before but they were great; Dropdead slugged through their set, presiding over a healthy pit; the allstars in Hail! Hornet bestowed the sludgy filth; Church Of Misery completely melted every ass, face and assface in the room; and Saint Vitus held their position as the undefeated champs of rebel stoner doom, showing absolutely zero signs of steam loss after all these years. My only complaint about Vitus is that they brought too much merch for me to choose from, as it was the first night of a long weekend and I had purposefully brought a limited wad of cash.
The Day One photo set is short and sweet, as was the amount of time I was out covering that night. Stay tuned for Day Two, with lots more tunes, dudes, brews, and hues!
Kyle
June 18, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Awesome photos, really up close and personal.