So, you end up in New Braunfels for the Dia de los Toadies music festival. But the tickets you won don't cover the Friday night acoustic show, just the all day Saturday rock show. What do you on the Friday night? If you're me, you suddenly remember the San Antonio based, Nothing More is taking a break from working on their new record to do a hometown show. But not just any hometown show. No, it was an incredibly rare acoustic show. But with my luck, the show wouldn't fall on this Friday night, but instead be on Saturday. I checked their website... It was Friday. So not only would I get to see the band for the first time in well over a year (sometime when they played Denton, at the Boiler Room. Perhaps February '10?), but I would also get to see them in their hometown environment, at the venue, Jack’s Bar.

It wasn’t even nine when we got there, and the first act, Taylor Allen, was already playing. But he must not have been playing for too long, cause I got to see the majority of his set. He played an acoustic guitar, and had a percussionist on stage with him, who rocked it on a Cajon. At one point the percussionist mentioned that this was their first time playing live together. You never would’ve guessed it though, as they meshed quite well together, and sounded very good. They were joined by a female backing vocalist on some of their final songs, and while I couldn’t hear her on the first song they did, she added a nice layer to the next one. Then Taylor closed the show by doing a song solo. The music was enjoyable, but man, this guy could sing. He really had a fantastic sounding voice.

Next up was Paco Estrada, but not with his latest band. No, tonight he was just solo. Man, I haven’t seen him in this format in about four and a half years, shortly after SouthFM disbanded. He opened his set by stating his name. “You’ll probably hear that name again tonight, if you haven’t before. If you don’t know me…” he paused for a second. “…I’m best known for putting boy bands together, like Nothing More…” He ran through a couple of songs, which sounded amazing, though I was unsure if they were covers or originals. Before going into the next song, he mimicked a conversation of awhile back, between he and the guys of Nothing More. “Y’all need to do an acoustic show sometime. No, Paco. No. We’re not going to do an acoustic show.” He brought this up a few times throughout his set. Next he did a couple tunes from his recent album, “The Definite and Indefinite…”, with one song being “Sparks”. He placed a capo on his guitar for the next one, a song that was made slightly more beautiful by being performed in this stripped down setting, “When We Were Made”. At this point some guy in the crowd made a song request. “Vesica Piscis!!” the dude shouted. “I think Nothing More has that one taken care of for me.” replied Paco, who then told those who might not know his old rock band [SouthFM] wrote that song. “…When I was in a rock band, we used to have the privilege of opening for Nothing More in San Antonio.” he said. “But when I become an acoustic act, they put me in the nine o’clock slot, cause my music didn’t go as well with theirs. But now look, I’m playing right before them at their acoustic show.” He set up the next tune as being a cover, which turned out to be “Knife Party” by the Deftones. He did “Do You Believe?” next, adding the lyrics to some cover song onto the last bit of the song, then supposedly ended his set with “I Will Never Let You Go”. As always, he thanked everyone for their “…Time and patience.” and got ready to leave the stage, but the people wanted one more. He got the okay, and sit back down. “How ‘bout this one.” He eventually said, and started playing his guitar. Then he sang the first line of the song, “We’ve established this is where we stand…” Yes, it was “Surface”. I had been wanting to hear that classic again for some time, and even if it was solo it sounded great. Near the end, he added part of that one Maroon 5 song to it. “…I don’t mind spending everyday, out on your corner in the pouring rain. Look for the girl with the broken smile, and ask her if she’d like to stay awhile.” He then added a part of another cover song to it, and that put an end to his 53 minute set. I’d totally forgotten how awe-inspiring Paco is solo. Without any instruments to compete with, his voice really shines through and I thought sounded even better then it normally does. Catch him and his band on Wednesday, August 31st at the Liquid Lounge in Dallas. He’ll be back here at Jack’s on September 3rd, with his full band. They’ll also be playing the Continental Club in Houston on September 1st, and Darwin’s Pub in Austin on the 2nd. And they’ll be headlining Trees in Dallas on Saturday, September 17th. (Note: It was also quite funny seeing the look of total shock on Paco’s face when I went over and said hey to him. Priceless.)

It wasn’t even quite eleven when the current three piece, Nothing More, walked onto the stage. I couldn’t believe all the cheering and applause they were getting, cause they don’t get that when they play Denton or Dallas. Guitarist, Mark Vollelunga, took a seat on stage right, while bassist, Daniel Oliver, was seated on stage left. And of course vocalist, Jonny Hawkins, had the center stage. They didn’t waste anytime starting the show, as Dan began playing a familiar bass riff. It wasn’t as intense as it usually is, but it was evident it was still “Salem”. Then Jonny softly, and in a higher register than normal, sang the opening line. “Where does your misfortune grow, from a humble house with a cross burning slow…” They continued right along, as Mark transitioned the final notes of that song into the next one, and my personal favorite, “Bullets and Blue Eyes”. Mr. Estrada was supposed to join them for this song, but they were most of the way through it and there was still no sign of him. “…To hell with our love, you drink the blood and I’ll drink the wine.” sang Jonny, before the music dropped out. As he sang those last couple of words, the door to the stage opened, and Paco lumbered on stage, grabbing Mark’s mic and re-positioning it for himself. Mark suddenly came back in on the guitar, as Paco sang, “What would you say, if I walked out that door, left your heart on the floor?” Jonny then joined him, as they got a little duet action going. “What would you change? Would you die to yourself, just to love someone else?...” “He’s the actual voice on the recorded version of that song.” announced Jonny, after the song was finished and Paco walked back off the stage. The only set up that was offered for the next was that it was a new one. And I thought, especially lyrically, it was the best new song they debuted. (Based on the lyrics, I’m guessing this was a song, that awhile back they asked their fans on Facebook to pick one of two working titles for. In which case I’d assume it is called either “$elling Heaven” or “Christ Copyright”.) And while Jonny toned it back on some of the songs this night, he sang fiercely enough on this one it was like a full band rock show. They did a little prelude to the next song, which based on the lyrics seemed, and indeed was, a lead in to “Love?”. Which sounded pretty awesome acoustic, by the way. They showcased a couple more new songs next, and I think it was one of those Dan started in on a killer little bass riff. Then Mark came in, and it sounded horrendous. “What is that?” asked Jonny. “Did Mark get a new pedal?” Mark was already messing with his pedal board, trying to resolve the issue, as Jonny said it wouldn’t be a Nothing More show if something like this didn’t happen. “When we finally use instruments that don’t use electricity, we have electrical problems.” Pointed out Dan. “And when we do electric shows, we have mechanical problems…” But they got it fixed quickly, and cranked out the song. “Where going to give Jonny’s voice a rest for a few minutes, and Dan is going to take you on a Nothing More history lesson.” Mark said. Dan began talking about how at one point the band almost split into two groups, cause some of their music was almost funk sounding. He also mentioned that as a kid he had a weight issue. And he and Mark played one of, if not the, originally written chorus of “Fat Kid”, which did have a very funky beat to it. “We knew we had made it then.” Jonny said, “Cause on the second chorus, everyone was singing along.” Dan went through some more NM history, before they played a revised version of the chorus. And after that, they all did the final version of “Fat Kid”, in its entirety. The next couple of tunes were covers, one of which they said was an old song by Our Lady Peace. And the next one was written by Paco Estrada. “…He was the first musician we really respected.” Dan said, after saying the happened across his music shortly after Nothing More began touring “…We just wanted to carry the torch.” Added Jonny, who also said maybe one day the song would make it onto a NoMo record. “Maybe this one, maybe another one.” The song was “Vesica Pisces”, which really sounded more appropriate acoustic. Some more new tunes followed, one of which sounded like another tune about Jonny’s mother’s battle with cancer, and was another favorite of mine this night. “This next song is kinda of funny, cause it sounds so incredibly different from this.” said Jonny, setting up the next song. “It’s real heavy. Kinda like [Fell In Love with a] Ghost.” “It’s time for that moment of the night.” Dan said, “The last song of the night.” I thought I knew exactly what it was going to be, but they had something else in mind, as they started the final song from “The Few Not Fleeting” album, “It Seems”. And while I sometimes skip this song when listening to the CD, I really enjoyed hearing it live. And that seemed to put an end to their set. A large number of people seemed to leave, while the diehard fans chanted for one more. I didn’t expect anything, but soon, Mark walked back through the stage door, grabbed his guitar, and took a seat. “We’d like to thank y’all again for coming out tonight.” He said, as Dan and Jonny made their way back out. “So, we’re going to play the song that started it all.” said Jonny. “Or, at least started me singing in the band.” The song was “Gone”, and during its second verse, Jonny pointed the mic towards the audience and them yell the line, “…I wish I’d never seen cancer…” They also added in the extra lyrics that can be heard on the acoustic recording, “I watched you crumble, I watched you fall. The weight of the world, it took it all. I remember your fight, I remember why, you never give until it’s time... You may have never known how much you changed me, but I’ll tell you this, the world will soon see.” And that put a wrap on their 68 minute long set.

I’ve dug their “The Few Not Fleeting” record out lately and listened to it a few times, and I’d forgotten what a truly solid effort that thing is. There isn’t a bad song on it, and I’d rank it in my top ten of best albums I’ve ever heard. Now, to switch gears for a minute. At one point in the show Jonny said this was a good way to play some new songs without “giving anything away”, since the electric versions will be drastically different. That said, what new songs they did, even in this format, made their previous record sound like a piece of sh*t. The bands growth, in both the musical and lyrical aspect, is quite evident and exponential. And that’s how a top talent group of musicians should be. They should keep pushing themselves to write even better material. Like Paco Estrada for example. Who is the only musician I’ve heard of who, with each new release, tops his prior one.

By Melissa McKenzie Dressed in clothing that would make Fred Flintstone jealous, five men, all employed by Jack’s Bar and Lounge in San Jose, will find out how far a rock can fly when they compete in the Red Bull Flugtag event in Long Beach, Calif on August 21. Larry Hoang, Charlie Mann, Matt Turney, Travis Walter, and pilot Jordan Trigg have not only created a “flying rock”, they have taken on the caveman attitude. With a visit to the team’s Facebook page, “Jack’s Bar aka Flying Rocks”, it is clear these guys have embraced a prehistoric persona. The page consists of information about a fundraiser they will be having at Jack’s Bar and Lounge on August 8th, photos of the crew and their vessel, and a set of hilarious video clips of them participating in various activities dressed as and acting like cavemen.

Mann explained that after Walter came up with the idea to participate in the event, he created the design, which is literally a flying rock. They knew their entry needed to stand out or it would be overlooked so they sent their design in rock-like packaging and created a video to accompany it. Mann said he checked online to see that the package had been delivered and within an hour of delivery they received a call from Red Bull with in invitation for them to compete.

“It’s not really going to fly,” says Mann of the craft, before pausing and adding, “all that much”, but distance is only part of the team’s score. They are also scored on the creativity both of their costumes and the aircraft’s design and their pre-jump performance, which is set to the music of their choice. They will be performing “The Hustle” to the 70s disco song of the same name. Toward the end of the platform they intend to lift Walter up, twirl him in a ballerina spin, and as a roar of a Tyrannosaurus Rex blares through the speakers, the four remaining men will push Walter over the edge and into Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor.

The Rocks are traveling to Long Beach with an entourage of nearly forty people, including the entire Jack’s Bar and Lounge staff. They are encouraging everyone to dress up in cavemen costumes and root for them from the sidelines. They are hoping their cheering section will help them win the People’s Choice Award, which is voted on by the public through text message, but they have some difficult competition. The Flying Rocks are one of five non-Southern California teams and the only one from Northern California. Some of their Southern California competition includes a team from Bellflower, Airforce 1, who will be flying a replica of President Barrack Obama’s face, complete with giant ears (wings) and a “first lady” pilot, a team from Mission Viejo, Riding in the G-Funk Era, with their winged Chevy Impala driven by “Snoop Dogg” and chased by a pair of pimps and a team from Newport Beach, Band of Bruins, who will be piloting a giant bear who appears to be chasing former University of Southern California football coach, Pete Carroll, to Seattle. Beside the Flying Rocks, Airforce 1, Riding in the G-Funk Era, and Band of Bruins, 32 additional teams will be competing in this year’s Long Beach event. Regardless of the outcome, “We are having a blast,” says Mann. “We are having a ton of fun.”

For more information on Red Bull Flugtag or to see a list of competitors and their aircrafts, visit www.redbullflugtagusa.com.