ROOM 101
Room 101 is a solo guitar act playing against a backdrop of abrasive film montage synced with programmed compositions. He is a teacher by day.
What is the secret to balancing work and play?
It’s almost impossible. It’d be a lot harder if I wasn’t playing because I love playing so much… it’s such an awesome release. If you get a thrill from this kind of stuff you gotta focus on that… a thrill for anything that does it for you… because if you just get into that work zone it starts to pull you down. Before I got into teaching, music was all I did. I guess the trick to the juggling act is that the next night you go home and crash: you don’t do shit. You go home, crash out and the day after that, too… but sometimes you go on with lack of sleep. Be enthralled with that moment; as long as it’s something you love, you learn to appreciate it more. And if I tell kids, they always want to know; it inspires the ones who appreciate it. Because any glimpse into something like that brings them joy, and it brings you joy. I know it sounds cheesy, but fuck it.
B L A C K I E and LIMB
Limb is a solo drummer playing with beats he’s programmed, on tour with B L A C K I E, also a solo act (emcee). Limb is fine for those who want to geek out on drum action, B L A C K I E is like watching someone have a really loud seizure.
How did you escape from the grips of Houston?
I play here a lot. You just make friends in other cities.
NO BABIES
No Babies come around annually, almost like clockwork. They’re probably the most legit band from Cali that I know of—unpretentious and so genuine, the audience has no choice but to join in their spazzy energy.
What is it about New Orleans that keeps you coming back around the same time every year?
I think it’s just how it’s worked out. Last year we did it because it was around the time when we were going on tour. And this year it happened because Clit Fest in Chicago asked us to play like 5 days ago. In the future, I think we’ll try to come around in other times of the year because it’s such a hard time to travel through the South. Summers are rough.
