American Analog Set
The Golden Band
Emperor Jones

A girlfriend visited me recently, and was somewhat perplexed, maybe surprised, maybe indie- rockily pleased to see a stack o' pop CDs strewn in amongst the more difficult (read non 3-minute) plastic and petroleum pile. "You have Belle and Sebastian and The Charm of the Highway Strip". "Um, well just borrowed them from my (blank here) room-mate". But I must admit that I have grown to love The American Analog Set, a road called Denial that has been a tuffy to traverse. We played a show with them years ago at The Blue Flamingo, and once I saw the Farfisa being unloaded, I innately began to grumble Stereo... something or other, promptly loading my forks and knives and sitting out on the corner, while doo-doo-doo slowly streamed out, pulse after pulse. Fast forward about 3 years now to a lil garden party, and if my mind serves me correctly, maybe the last of the live band parties that used to be so vital to the music clique, oops, scene here. Under the stars and delicately moist evening atmosphere, the Set set up and proceeded to properly expand the air above, cymbals brushing into the ether, keys keeping back the black of night with heavenly purrs. Strings ringing, whispers rising, singing. The stars sparkling a spot more than before.

And so finally I found myself in anticipation of The Golden Band, and Weather Report whisked me along at quite a clipped pace, as when your inner (space) tube first smacks into the cold green Guadalupe River. As you adjust to the pull of the tide, then things begin to slow down, at least to your drifting perspective. Your paraphernalia begins to float on the water, unless you are submerging your 'Silver Bullet' cans, which quietly burble and move under the water. You look over, and see new drifters on the skein of the green ripples, and the knowledge that a good friend is always around comes to the surface once more. The sun, a true golden band, reveals itself once again. Out in the middle of the river, I feel life, half slow and subermerged, half warm and aglow. Yes, The American Analog Set is a true golden band.

Contact: AmAn Set at: 9 Legend Road, Ft. Worth, Texas 76132 USA
Emperor Jones, PO Box 49771 Austin, Texas 78765 USA

Copyright © 1999 Andy Beta