This town was built on miles of hope and I dare you to give one reason to stay.

11/25 - Texas Is The Reason/Ian Love @ Irving Plaza
11/26 - Texas Is The Reason/Ian Love @ Irving Plaza

It's now three days later and I still cannot believe I had the chance to see Texas Is The Reason play in the year 2006. In a way, it's like for two nights I was able to go back in time. It's been 9 years since they played together. Numerous bands have come and gone for these young men, Solea, Jets To Brazil, New End Original, Walking Concert and New Rising Sons. Not a bad legacy to leave behind, huh!

Yet, none of that work equals the timeless 1996 classic, Do You Know Who You Are? . Considered by many as one of the pinnacle releases in the development of the "emo" scene, to us back in 96, it was simply one of the best records, post hardcore, emo, whatever you want to call it. The record and the band stood the test of time.

Coming on to the instrumental interlude and title track, they were accompanied by photos of the band during their hey-day. And then, just as on the album, they kicked into a thunderous version of, "Back and To the Left." The audience, comprised of mostly 25-35 year olds, sang along, and did not let up throughout the entire night. They played every song on both the album and the EP, even playing "Blue Boy" from their split with the Promise Ring. One of the most interesting things, was playing new songs, that they introduced as, "This is a new song, we wrote ten years ago." The slower track of the two is called "Every Little Girl's Dream." The more upbeat track of the two is called "When Rock 'N' Roll Was Just A Baby." We were treated to something that cannot simply be put into words. They were amazing, pure and simple. Tight musicianship, Daly is a machine behind the kit. Scott comes in with the rolling bass lines, and Norm busted out his best chops ever on lead guitar. Garrett's vocals sounded like he never missed a beat. This was without a doubt in my mind, the best show I've seen all year and quite possibly, one of the best ever. We were treated to two wonderful and special nights. For a momment I think a good part of that audience felt like it was 1996 all over again, and we're the better for it.

So, this leaves me with this. What other band out there would you like to see back together, if even for one night. That seemed to come up a bunch over the two nights. Quicksand, was high on the list, if not topping it. But who else would be on the list, Fugazi, Pavement, New Order(there is this nasty rumer), U2, oh wait, they are still together, you'd just think they stopped making music ten years ago. Whatever band it is, lets just hope it doesn't turn into the VH-1 show, Bands Reunited Especially, like their ill-fated attempt at trying to get the Smith's back together.

Listening Pile
I still need to give it up for Texas Is The Reason. Check out four of the band's best songs at their Myspace page. Which includes the song, "Blue Boy" from the split with the Promise Ring, that somehow is out of print. Very strange. Plus get to view some pics and videos from their two nights at Irving Plaza.

Also, go to their site, Texas Is The Reason and check out their thoughts on the two nights, plus credits, info on the new songs and cover they played, where to get merch (got myself a snazy t-shirt) and more...
Roll The Credits
Now that it's over and we're all able to reflect, I think it's safe to say that this weekend's festivities were a complete success. There were a couple of mostly unnoticed mishaps and a few ideas that unfortunately didn't make it to the finish line, but by and large, we accomplished what we set out to do: We played these songs sincerely, among friends, in our hometown, to a sea of smiling faces. To say that these were the most important shows of our career would be an understatement.