elevenhundredsprings

Hey friends, after recouping from the holidays and easing in to 2013, we are back in action. We have some great shows coming up, a new song ready for radio play, a couple of new tee shirts, and rehearsals in the works so that we can add some new songs to the live show set lists. Here are a few things we have going:

This Friday Feb 1, Brewskie’s in Lawton OK!!!

Granada

Get your Granada Theater tickets HERE.

rahr

Rahr Brewery tour & show, THIS SATURDAY FEB 2. Click for info.

Two new tee shirts, ORDER NOW – CLICK HERE.

“Is Anybody Going To San Antone” – Coming soon to FM, XM, Sirius, iTunes, and internet radio.

Get your tickets HERE.

If you have not been to an Eleven Hundred Springs show at the Broken Spoke, you are missing out on a good time!

We don’t get to the Houston area all that often, but when we do, it is at Dosey Doe in The Woodlands!!

For those of yall who are familiar with the back story of Matt Hillyer’s musical roots, you already know of his mad skilzz in the traditional rockabilly genre. “Matt The Cat Trio” is Matt’s 3 piece rockabilly band, showcasing Matt’s country tinged style of traditional rockabilly music. This IS NOT an Eleven Hundred Springs show. “Matt The Cat Trio” DOES NOT play any Eleven Hundred Springs songs. The trio does not play very many shows, so be sure to catch this rare appearance at the TF DOWNSTAIRS in Celina TX. The Gunmen kick things off at about 8pm.

After some sleep I awoke around 8 am to the soothing sounds of non-stop drilling and hammering. Somehow, I managed to tune it out for another hour or so of sleep. I got up just in time to miss breakfast. I was pretty bummed about that because the hotel restaurant seemed legit. I gave Jordan a call and told him I’d be heading into town soon. He informed me that he was probably just gonna hang back and rest up. However, ten minutes later he called me and said, “I can’t let you down bro. I’ll meet you downstairs.” That’s my homeboy! Burton and Arjuna had already headed into to Paris, and had tried unsuccessfully to get Jordan to tag along. I guess J man still loves me best! Sorry guys. Steve decided to hang at the hotel and enjoy the hammering. (that sounds bad. Sorry Steve)

When Jordan and I hit the streets it was cold and wet. My mind was, how should I say this, a little foggy. I needed coffee badly.

As we got closer to the train station there was a market set up. It was awesome. They had tons of fresh fruits, fish, pasteries, clothes, etc. It was a beautiful sight. I wish there were something like that in my neighborhood. Who knows? Maybe there is and I just haven’t found it yet.

We decided to stop for a coffee at that little Italian restaurant again. It was becoming a tradition. The owner was so nice. We just had to.

We hopped the train into Paris. My mission was to do a little Christmas shopping for my girls. We were headed back to the Champs Elysses.

As we approached the exit to the Charles de Gaulle Etoile station you could feel the outside air coming down the stairwell. It was bitter cold. This is something most Texans aren’t used to. Naturally, I came out on to the street at the complete wrong spot, and became aware that to get to the Champs we’d have to do a little walking. No biggie though.

When we finally got to the Champs there was freezing rain and we decided we needed to get out of it and get some food. So, we wandered into the first restaurant we could which was an Italian place. Typically, I steer clear of Italian in France, but it was cold.

It was cool to have lunch with Jordan. We talked about life back home and family and what not. It was some good hang time.

After lunch we headed back onto the street. We decided this would be a limited excursion due to the weather. We’d check some stuff out, I’d by some things and head back to the hotel. We did need to be fresh for the show that night, after all. ( I wish I could say I had the fortitude to suck the marrow out of Paris in the freezing rain, but I can only do so much. Sorry)

So, we stopped in a couple of places. One of them was the Peugeot store where we took pics with this weird looking space car. I picked up some frilly things for my girls at another spot and we headed back to the hotel. (Stopping at the Italian spot for a beer, naturally)

When we met downstairs for van call, Burton and Arjuna were recounting their day which was much more eventful than ours. I’m glad and I was proud of their traveling spirits. They had hit the Musee D’Orsay among other things. Good job boys.

We were picked up by a nice Mercedes van with very nice female driver. The ride to Le Vesinet was brief. We arrived at the theater to find posters on the wall with our likeness. Pretty cool.

You never can tell what you’re going to find when playing a new venue. The same can be said anywhere. However. Our excitement was high when opening the door to the theater in Le Vesinet.

It was a beautiful room filled with red seats. Behind the stage was a massive projector screen with our picture on it. I cannot tell you how grateful we were for their welcoming. Especially because it was a pic of our current line up! Imagine that. The backline was great too. This was a professional operation.

I had to delay soundcheck to do a quick tv interview which I’m sure I’ll never see. Then we took on the challenge of soundchecking with a language barrier. The crew was great, though. We left the stage feeling like we were in excellent hands for the night’s performance.

In the down time between soundcheck and dinner we went next door to a café for a drink. We met up with our old friends Lucie Rouyer and her husband Kevin. We didn’t have too much time to visit before we had to head back to the theater for dinner.

I’m always excited to see the meals that the venue puts on for us. They have always been superb and this night was no different. The dinner was put on upstairs backstage in a ballet studio. They served Shrimp salad, rice, and a delicious chicken. Oh yeah, and wine. I needed to pump the brakes on that if I was going to bring the fire. What the hay. One little glass with dinner couldn’t hurt. It’s so good y’all.

As we approached show time we were getting pretty pumped. I was anxious about whether or not we’d have good attendance. The room was pretty big. I began to see my concerns quelled as a steady group of people arrived.

As we hit the stage the crowd applauded. The audience etiquette in France is different than the rowdy bars we play in Texas, and even more so for a theater show. They applaud and then there’s silence. We cranked into ‘Raise Hell Drink Beer’ and we were off and running. What can I say y’all? This was a great show. My suspicions about one thing were confirmed. We came to play. Man, I mean we laid into them one song after the other and they loved it. They gave us two encores. What a great audience.

Backstage afterwards we were on a real high and anxious to get to the merch booth to meet our new French friends. They were really nice. We signed what seemed like a never-ending stream of cds, shook hands, hugged, kissed, and took lots of pics with this fantastic audience. After the audience subsided, we gathered our things, said a last Bon Voyage to Lucie and Kevin, and climbed back into the van. As we settled in for the ride, fatigue set in, but it was the satisfying kind of fatigue you get after something truly rewarding.

Upon arrival we hit the hotel bar for some night caps with Jean Claude and his lovely wife. We had to be careful upon entrance though as not to step on the freshly laid tile. Geez.

We had a lot of laughs but didn’t stay up too late. The next day was to be the longest of all, but in a really good way. Stay tuned.

HERE IS A YOUTUBE VIDEO FROM THE SHOW IN PARIS