“Nobody went to jail. Nobody was murdered. Nobody got raped. All in all a good evening.”~ Dr. Froth
Ladies & gentleman. Followers & visitors. Upcoming subscribers. I present to you one amazing 26 hour period. 20 hours if you subtract the time spent traveling by bus.
Lone Star Metal put together a show featuring Wellborn Road and ECHO TEMPLE at The House Of Blues Houston.
You have already read while I was still in shock that I was going to be able to go. But for those of you who know this blog well, know that I must give the story of the entire trip from departure to arrival. And back again.
The previous blog has given you some of the minor details of the trip that took place.
Funky smokers. Inattentive lovers. Crabby cuties. But it doesn’t give the full scope of this short time period. And believe me…. even though it was short…. my exhaustion feels as if it was for even longer.
I was going to give this blog post the title of “Sandwich With Shit Bread” but I think that it would have confused you to read about all that happened in this experience and still believe me when I say to you that I had a wonderful, wonderful time.
In fact the bands did play The House Of Blues Houston. And yes I was there as well. Thanks to a lot of people coming together to put it together to make sure that I was able to arrive.
The first mention of my name by Mrs. Froth that came across the attention of ECHO TEMPLE started a flurry of busy little musical “elves” to make sure that I would in fact be there.
It was a tense and long wait for the day to arrive that I would make it there. A very long and intense 72 hours before I would arrive in Houston. Back to the same convenient hotel nearby the Shell Gas station where the bus arrives and departs.
From the moment that I got off of the bus in Houston, tragedy struck and struck brutally hard.
I stepped inside the Shell to use the restroom. From there at some point, I lost my cell phone. A cell phone that I only had since the previously mentioned Pancake Breakfast. So not even a full month.
It was gone! G-O-N-E … GONE!! I came out of that restroom, went to the hotel and checked in, and then on the way to entering my hotel room is when I noticed it missing. I went ahead and threw my luggage in the hotel room, shoved the hotel key into a pocket where I would feel it and it would not be lost and began to go backwards. I hadn’t been there 20 minutes and not gone far.
I went to the front desk of the hotel to inquire. It wasn’t there. I went all the way back to the Shell station and kept my eyes along the path that I knew I just was on and asked at the Shell if someone had turned a cell phone over to them. When I told them that the last time I knew that I had it was in the restroom, they assured me with a snide and stern voice that was gone forever because many people had gone into the restroom after I came out.
I went back to the hotel front desk and asked to use the phone so I could make some contacts. I bugged both a friend and my sister to get on to Facebook to reach Mrs. Froth to let her know that I had lost the cell phone and not to worry if she had noticed that I was not responding to any text messages or telephone calls she may have been sending.
At the time though she was driving, so those messages weren’t received right away. The only thing I could do was hope, pray, and wait. Eventually, Mrs. Froth found me and I connected with her. And off we went!
I got to hang out at the House of Froth before going to the House of Blues. (Yeah I thought that was catchy too!)
We arrived a bit late to see Wellborn Road play. Tickets were at will call. But my ticket was somehow not there. It was taken care of by the band… but I had no idea which person. They were obviously inside the venue by that point getting ready. Nobody had any contact information to find out where any of them were to see under who’s name it was under that my ticket was being held under.
As slightly frustrating and irritating as that was, it couldn’t hold a candle to losing the cell phone just hours before. Eventually a ticket was purchased and it was on with the show!!!
Onward we went to the Peacock Room. Had our tickets scanned. Our wrists slathered in pink wrist bands so that we could drink if we chose. And we went inside.
The Peacock Room was unusually quiet I thought. Where the hell was Wellborn Road?? Did they honestly just have a very short set and were gone? And what about the keyboard that was set up on stage?? If Wellborn Road was finished, ECHO TEMPLE doesn’t have a keyboardist.
Dr. Froth noticed a flood of Pink Floyd t-shirts in the room. Then it clicked in our musically inclined minds: We are in the WRONG room.
So out we went. Scanned our tickets again and outward public grumbling ensued.
The show we were looking for was actually in a part of the venue called The Bronze Peacock Room. 
Okay House Of Blues: Why so many similarly named rooms? Where’s the “Silver” Peacock Room? And why ticket-checkers, are you slacking from your jobs from sending people to the correct venue??
We went from a large space with a stage, balcony seats, and tables TO one big-assed room. Something you don’t see in the brochure, I am sure!
As we entered inside, Wellborn Road was still on stage. They were covering “Man In The Box” by Alice In Chains. Not bad at all!! Quite entertaining.
The at the last of their set, the guitarist flipped his instrument behind his head and played The National Anthem. That was pretty sweet. I took a picture of it and I hope it comes out.
While waiting, I was greeted by many of the members of ECHO TEMPLE.
As I was very well aware that without them, I would not have been there … I made really sure that I thanked each and every one of them for their generosity for making sure that I was able to be there to watch them play at The House Of Blues.
I also met Sean Turcott’s wife, Claudia and John Wisser’s wife, Carrie for the first time.
I’m starting to gain one heck of a reputation with the ECHO TEMPLE family.
But I wondered what do ECHO TEMPLE fans call themselves?? But I will digress from that train of thought.
After a few more minutes of sharing and caring, it was time to enjoy the show.
We all crept up on the stage by request of Tom Calandra. And still, I found myself at “crotch level” of the band. Nothing more frightening than the threat of having a musician coming so close to the end of the stage that they could possibly tea bag me in the forehead.
ECHO TEMPLE just keeps getting better and better each and every time that I see them play. This was my third time. So awesome!! But as it has been with the band SIX MINUTE CENTURY, I am becoming more and more of friends with the members of the band, rather than someone who is just a serious fan. It would be safe to say that the friends circle from Houston just keeps expanding. And that’s what makes it so damn difficult to leave when I have to.
Watching them as they combine forces to make such powerful music is always a bonus. I kept wondering that because I was so close to them all if they could hear me singing. Who knows?? These guys just rock!!!
I cannot wait for their album to come out. I’m gonna be making a lot of noise when I hear the news that it has been released. Particularly attempting to earworm the band to death to save me a copy.
With ECHO TEMPLE on stage, and Dr. & Mrs. Froth nearby, all my cares in the world melted away. Its a wonderful feeling.
And as we were all on a natural music high, employees of The House Of Blues went and farted in all of our oatmeal.
As soon as the show was over they were telling people to get up and leave. Every person who didn’t have a “backstage pass” attached to their bodies somewhere were given the motion to get the hell out. Ironically though, nobody came up to me personally and asked me to leave. Even though they were asking other people that were nearby. I did not have a “backstage pass” on me, but they never bothered with me. Regardless, I went outside because I was told that there were plans to meet up with the band after the show. But in the whirlwind of people getting kicked out and others being told to get their gear and go, we never connected. We were on our own.
The parking garage was fun though. Going down ramps rather than going up them. I kept screaming “SLALOM!!!” as I cruised down each ramp until we reached the vehicle. I could sense that Mrs. Froth was shaking her head while I screamed like a five year old. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta love downtown Houston!
After a quick bite to eat at Denny’s, gossiping about worthless crap, and talking about future shows we realized that the hour was not as late as they have been in the past. As a matter of fact I was back at the hotel it was not even 1:30 AM. Such a difference from January where I got back around 4:30 in the morning!
I woke up this morning around 7:00 AM. Needless to say that I could have cursed myself because I could not go back to bed. Being so paranoid that I would sleep too long that I would miss the bus to return home. The unnecessary early hour and the foolish paranoia just had me on the wrong foot to start the day I suppose.
I had a cup of coffee from the continental breakfast. I thought to kill time until 8:00 AM and I was going to finally get my chance to eat at the Harris County Smokehouse. Something I missed back in January.
Jayma Mays in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”
Sadly, I was not impressed with it. It could have been my sour mood. It could have been the fact that I had been full from having an omelet at the Denny’s the night before and eating one there at the Smokehouse as well. Too much eggs, perhaps?? Who knows. I just know that I wasn’t thrilled.
After that, I returned to my hotel room to push it to the limits of the time of check-out. It was already paid for after all, I might as well enjoy it. I was able to find “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” on television.
I found myself enjoying it more the second time watching it than I had the first time. I realized that Jayma Mays just looks a lot better in HD than anything else.
Yep, such a beauty!
After that, I had about an hour left before I had to check out. I turned on one of the films from the Resident Evil series. I don’t remember which one. But then again, I wasn’t paying much attention to it as I was double checking that I had everything packed and ready to go in order to get back.
I went outside for one last moment of fresh air in Houston, and attempted to go back into the room. But the key suddenly wouldn’t work.
I went to the front desk and they asked me if I was going to check out soon. I still had 40 minutes before noon!!
Apparently, these room keys actually will TIME OUT on you and no longer work!! I didn’t know that!!!!!!! So I got a different key. I went back, grabbed my luggage, turned off the television and the lights and left.
I’m still filled so much with appreciation to ECHO TEMPLE and Dr. & Mrs. Froth for getting together and making this happen. I feel like I could thank them for a thousand days and nights. Words just cannot express just how much it meant to me knowing that I was only a few days from actually missing it.
I’m grateful that I had the experience of being at The House Of Blues. But I have doubts if anything will ever be booked there again that would interest me. I still am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to go.
Another show, another quick trip. Another set of memories to last a lifetime.
MY HUMBLEST THANKS TO DR. & MRS. FROTH AND THE PEOPLE OF ECHO TEMPLE!
I hope to see as many of them as I can at the next show that I am able to attend!! Eventually I shall succeed in yet another group photo, this time will be the members of ECHO TEMPLE and I. It will be just a matter of weeks.
Sad to know that WELL OF SOULS plays this coming weekend and I cannot just run back there for that one. But I’m at the point where I have to be picky.
Still, it was a great time. It turned the weekend from becoming a bore and sent me back into my simple oasis.
Dambreaker 