MXTS 2010 Preview: These United States
These United States
It’s 2010 (duh), it’s almost time for our annual Music By The Slice party. It is also time to start introducing you to the folks who will be gracing the Home Slice stages.
Forget schlepping around the city, looking for parking, and getting to the show just in time to catch the last song, and post up in our backyard oasis for our best line up yet (and we’ve had some killer line up’s!). We’re so excited to welcome These United States this year, a band who’s toured relentlessly since their inception a few years back. With 3 albums released in the past 2 years, these guys have certainly earned the accolades their peers have bestowed upon their 3rd, and most recent album, Everything Touches Everything. Members Jesse Elliott, J. Tom Hnatow, Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and Colin Kellogg have certainly seen their music get labeled 6 ways from Sunday, but the important thing to note is that rock follows each and every one. It’s a little fuzzy and dirty (as everything should be, really), it’s a little poppy, and it’s a lot of good listening. Close your eyes. The wafting smell of pizza tickles your nose, the condensation of your icy cold beverage drips down your wrist, and the sounds of TUS vibrate over and through your head, your toes. Hurry up and get here, March.
MXTS 2010 Preview: Generationals
Generationals
The booking process is well underway and I’m excited to begin sharing a little background on the bands we’ve booked for MXTS.
Generationals are a band from New Orleans. The founding members, Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner were formerly of the band The Eames Era. When that band dissolved, Ted and Grant were still cooking with steam writing songs so they decided to move forward with a new band. They took over singing duties and voila! Generationals were born. They now tour as a four piece with Tess Burnet on drums Katie Clark on various instruments. As a girl who has always coveted drumming skills, I get really stoked when there’s a lady behind a kit.
I first discovered these guys while, I s**t you not, waiting for a friend to get released from the ER. I was standing outside my car, listening to the left side of the dial, and “When They Fight, They Fight” came on. I immediately went for my Shazam. It was an awesomely refreshing sound, so fun and infectious. Their sound is most definitely inspired by 50s and 60s music, with a unique and modern take. “When They Fight” has become a bit of a hit, but their album Con Law is full of gems, like “Angry Charlie” and “Faces in the Dark.” Needless to say, we’ve been bumping Generationals in the restaurant for months. It’s the kind of music that makes you strut to the beat and dance with a broom in your hand.
We look forward to learning more about them when they rock us all in March. Stalk them on their website where you can stream all of Con Law.
The Year in Music: 2009
We at Home Slice get excited for Christmas. Presents are sweet, family is great, friends abound, cookies and candy, lights, parties, overeating, winter layering. All that stuff. Totally. But, what we secretly love about Christmas is when it’s over, when we go full throttle planning our Music by the Slice day parties. We’ve spent all year incessantly listening to music, calling each other in the middle of the night to rant about a new discovery, and having heated discussions on this year’s new releases.
I’ve heard people bemoan 2009 for not being year for music that 2008 was. I disagree and go one step further and ask you; did you really want to spend another 12 months of folk rock-induced nostalgia and pain, huddled in the corner or lying on the floor, crying in your bourbon? None of us can deny it, we were all there, holding hands while we silently wept. And let’s be clear, we loved every moment of it. Being miserable can also be incredibly satisfying. But my maudlin friends, this was the year to let the light and the warmth back into our cold, blackened hearts.
2009 saw some decidedly less introspective, but nonetheless incredible (and sometimes surprising) releases from so many great bands. 
The Dirty Projectors mixed soulful, nimble vocals reminiscent of Prince protégés with intricately arranged songs on Bitte Orca. 
The Monsters of Folk put out a fantastic album, one of my favorite tracks being the smooth jam, “Dear God, Sincerely M.O.F.” Who knew that M. Ward’s voice would translate so easily from solemn to sexy? The Decemberists with a rock opera, The Hazards of Love, picked up electric guitars and rocked. The Decemberists have been called a lot of nice words, but I think for the first time ‘kickass’ will be added to the list. K’naan comes seemingly out of the ether to make a refreshing, articulate, and positive hip hop album. Devendra Banhart recorded a polished, and I would not say mainstream but maybe more accessible, album What Will We Be that will alienate not one fan with clean hair. Even 2009’s release from the king of wintertime longing, Bon Iver, is nearly joyous compared to his 2008 debut. There are many other notable releases I have dug this year from Neko Case, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Avett Brothers, Pink Mountaintops, and Kurt Vile.
And it’s not like this year didn’t see some bummer-beautiful releases. I have to give an honorable mention to the two great albums about…well…death. The Antlers Hospice and Antony and the Johnsons The Crying Light.
This was great year for collaborations. Initially strange listening for anyone old enough to have lived through yacht rock was Grizzly Bear feat. Michael McDonald with “While You Wait for the Others” becoming one of the most loved songs of the year.
Discovery, the side project of Vampire Weekend’s keyboardist/arranger/producer, Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot frontman Wes Miles, put out a sweet electronic album. Dark Was The Night, a veritable smorgasbord of indie rock hard hitters, is probably the best compilation I have ever owned. Like you-must-have-it-on-vinyl, call-in-to-work-to-buy-it-now good.
This year saw many infectious, tail feather shaking singles. Among them, Lust for Life by Girls, When They Fight, They Fight by The Generationals, Deadbeat Summer by locals Neon Indian, and Surprise Hotel by Fool’s Gold.
Having truly and thoroughly considered it, I feel confident in saying it was indeed a great year in music. I am compiling my list of my favorite songs of 2009, which I will post here soon.
And now, America, we wait for the grunge revival. Oh, you post-post-post world of music…
additions to best of 2008 list
Hey there, it’s Joseph, back to talk music.
I am hard at work on my best of 2009 list, but I had some unfinished business getting in the way. Each year between December and March I listen to literally hundreds of bands as we go about booking our Music by the Slice day parties. So it is typical that I discover a song in February that was released the previous year. So with that in mind, here are my additions to the 2008 list. If you would rather listen to it than read about it, then go for it.:
“Fog” – Mason Proper (would have been #40 on the full list)
“Black Fur” – Fredrik (spin off from another fav, The LK)
“Expectations” – Cut off Your Hands (Terrible name but there’s a story behind it; I shouldn’t like this but I do.)
“I Give You Two Seconds to Entertain Me” – Northern Portrait (I know, it’s like The Smiths are back. But c’mon, it’s like The Smiths are back!)
“Northwestern Girls” – Say Hi (this band’s sound sneaks up on you but stays around once it arrives.)
“The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” – Vampire Weekend. (In which I give in and acknowledge this band that everyone adores and I didn’t like but that maybe now I’m realizing is ok after all.)
“The Gardener” – The Tallest Man on Earth. (Love this guys name. He’s Swedish so who knows, maybe it’s true.)
“Inní mér syngur vitleysingur” – Sigur Ros (How did I miss this one the 1st time around? Thank heaven for copy/paste so I didn’t have to type all that.)
“Bag of Hammers” – Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (So adorable. Would have been # 5.)
Listen here. Thanks and I’m out.
Carnival Wrap Up!
Home Slice would like to send a ridiculously humungous thank you, high five, daps, and hug to everyone who attended this year’s Canival O’ Pizza! It was a huge success and we were able to donate over 9100 dollars to Austin Pets Alive! In the collective quest for fun and community, the lives of many a happy dog and cat have been saved. Seriously, thank you guys! Big ups to our sponsors: Real Ale, WOXY, Ed Temple, Marquee, Austinist, and Under Pressure screen printing. And thank you to all of the local businesses who donated prizes for our raffle! A thanks and a hand hug to Clink for helping us with all the planning. You guys rock! Thanks to Jerm Pollet for coming down from the Big Apple to Emcee our event. And another thanks to Scott Wiener who also cam down from NYC to judge our pizza contests!
We’d also like to thank Big Don, Little Stolen Moments, and the dancers of Break Dance Austin for their awesome performances!
Annie Ray photographed our event and you will be able to see pictures soon on our Flickr.
Let’s recap the competitions and their winners…
The pizza eating contest was won by just few bites by our reigning champion, Chris Floyd. Congratulations, Chris! Way to rock it out! Here’s a video of the contest.
The Hand on an Eggplant Sub contest was won by last year’s champ Seth Mazow and his fiancée Erin after 31 hours. Congrats Seth and Erin! Good thing too, since he brought a custom mat and custom-made shirts and Twittered live during the event! The runner-up was a sweet gal named Tiffany. The contestants survived cold, rain, and in an odd tun of events, a white 4 Runner that drove up on the sidewalk, knocked over the ropes and came inches from hitting the contestants. (P.S. 4 Runner dudes, we have your license plate)
The pizza tossing contest had three separate competitions. The fastest to throw three pies was won by our own José Aguilar(check out the ¡Ahora Sí! for article), The person to keep a pie in the air was Mike Provence, another badass in-house talent, and the biggest pie was thrown by Josh from Southside Flying Pizza. Thanks also to the competitors from Hoboken Pies and Mellow Mushroom for competing! Hand tossing is an art that you all are keeping it alive with style!
Interview with Pizza Eating Champion Chris Floyd
Chris Floyd has won our pizza eating contest three years running now at our Carnival O’ Pizza and he plans to do the same. Shauna sat down with Chris to find out more about this man of mystery.
How many food eating competitions do you enter a year? What else have you won?
2009 has been a fun year of eating for me. I entered a pie eating contest at Sugar Mama’s bakery, a cup cake eating contest at Austin’s inaugural Cup Cake Smackdown, an ice cream eating contest at the Ice Cream Festival, and a pizza eating contest at Emo’s. With the exception of the ice cream, I came out victorious in each of these contests. Previous to this year, I’ve also won contests involving chicken fired steak, brisket, and chicken wings. Last year, I was in a regional qualifier for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Easting Contest at Coney Island, but I fell a few hot dogs short of qualifying for the 4th of July contest.
You’ve had 3 years of free Home Slice pizza, what’s been your favorite combo?
That’s a very tough question. If I had to pick one Home Slice pizza for the rest of my life, I might go with meatball, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, green pepper, onion, artichoke heart, and basil. That being said, a number of the highlight pies over the past three years have ventured away from the traditional toppings by including pears and/or cherry peppers. It’s tough to choose, and if you asked me tomorrow, the answer might be a little different. Being able to have complete freedom of choice on endless topping combinations is a beautiful thing.
How many Home Slice pizzas do you think you’ve eaten in the last few years?
As of November 19, my guests and I have enjoyed 212 free pizzas. I have each pizza (and who I ate it with) documented in my personal pizza ledger.
What is your training regimen?
I’ve definitely stepped up my Home Slice pizza consumption over the last few weeks, and I have two more official time trials scheduled before December 5th.
How much street cred has being the H.S. champ given you?
On a few occasions, I’ve been out around town when strangers have come up to out of nowhere with “Hey, Pizza Guy.” My friends often introduce me to others as “The Home Slice Pizza Eating Champ”, and inevitably, a series of questions soon follows. People love to hear all about it.
What was your first food eating contest? How old were you when you realized that you were interested in feats of gastronomic agility?
One summer when I was 13 or 14, a bunch of the neighborhood kids and I walked up to the pizza place by our house to see who could eat the most pizza. I ended up putting down 27 slices to narrowly beat out my older brother, and that’s when I knew I had something. The victory was sweet, but the walk home was not a comfortable one. Some of those same guys I ate against almost twenty years ago are coming down from Dallas to cheer me on as part of what is sure to be the biggest crowd Home Slice has ever seen. Some other good friends are making the trip from Shreveport, and one of my buddies who lives in Columbia, Missouri is considering the trip down to Austin as well. Every time I hear about another friend who is planning on coming out to the contest, I get even more motivated to perform well – as if the potential to eat Austin’s best pizza for free for another year wasn’t already motivation enough.
Rules for Hands on an Eggplant Sub
Home Slice is having our annual Carnival O’ Pizza on December 5th. We have a contest of physical and mental endurance called Hands on an Eggplant Sub. For interested parties, here are the official rules of the contest:
Up n’ Coming: Home Slice’s Carnival O’ Pizza
On December 5th, 2009, we will be hosting our 4th annual Carnival O’ Pizza. All of the proceeds of the carnival will benefit Austin Pets Alive, whose mission is to promote and provide the resources, education and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals in Austin. There’s going to be a smorgasbord of fun for homies of all ages; games, contests, performers, and feats of gastronomic and physical endurance.
The festivities and spectacles include:
A raffle with fabulous prizes!
A pizza eating contest open to anyone brave enough to stuff themselves triumphant. The competition this year will be stiff, with the three year reigning champ poised to take the crown a fourth time. If you think you’ve got what it takes, download the application here and bring it into Home Slice anytime. The winner wins free pizza for a year!
Remember Hands on a Hard Body? Well, we have our own test of physical and mental stamina with Hands on an Eggplant Sub. If you think you have the ability to stand in one place for hours, this is your ticket to fame and fortune. Download the application here.
There will be a city-wide pizza tossing competition where pizzaiolis from around Austin and the surrounding area will compete and showcase the art of hand tossed pizza.
Musical and dance performers!
Tons of games for kids and tons of beer for big kids!
Here’s some pictures from last year’s carnival, courtesy of Annie Ray:
The Queen of Pies on KGSR
Jen Strickland, one of Home Slice’s owners, was a guest on KGSR Thursday, October 8th. For those of you who missed it, click here for some excerpts.
Update: Jodi from Tasty Touring has a great post with photos and the interview for download! Rad!
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