SPEAK for a year

I can’t believe 2011 is already coming to an end. Where does the time go? 2011 was an interesting year for sure. I’m not a fan of top 10 lists, mainly because it’s hard for me to rank anything, so instead here are some highlights.

Bittersweet goodbye: SPEAK for a Year
Yep, the project that took over my life in 2010 is finally over. And it’s weird. On one hand, I’m sad. It’s like an end of an era. When I held that issue in my hands for the first time, I felt like I had just given birth and then gave the baby up for adoption. I put so much into this project that now that it’s done, I don’t know what to do with myself. On the other hand, I’m happy it’s done. I finally got to show the result of all that hard work and now I can move on. Although, who are we kidding? I will never move on from this band.

But I’ve been thinking about this… those that know me know that whenever I discovered a new-ish local band, I tend to cling to them and basically become their biggest cheerleader. It usually starts with an interview. Then I get the CD and that CD just becomes a drug that I can’t get enough of. Then I start going to as many shows as I can.

This has happened on many occasions with Firekills, The Drawing Board, Bankrupt and the Borrowers, Fireants, Oliver Future and most recently, SPEAK.

You can tell who my latest “baby band” is, which I mean in the most endearing way possible, by the sheer fact that I won’t shut up about them. Could be worse. If it weren’t for these bands, I would probably annoy my friends with conversations about Hanson and Glee (although, this season of Glee has been very hit or miss).

So basically what I’m saying is that since I’ve cover the local music beat for almost nine years (geezus), I’ve seen a lot of bands’ first shows, gotten their first EPs and full-lengths and gave them their first interviews. I’ve kept up with their growth afterwards.

SPEAK for a Year was the first time I documented this trend of mine extensively. Yeah, it’s over and I’ll still attend SPEAK shows when I can and turn into a fangirl whenever they release anything new, but there will always be a new band that grabs my attention.

On that note…

Best band discovery: Equals
As I mentioned in my post about them here, I was not expecting much from this assignment. I thought it was going to be in and out. I interview the band. I write the story. I move on.

Instead, I found myself listening to the album a lot. I hung out with the members a couple of times (of course, it didn’t help that the drummer ended up in one of my classes). And I ended up going to a lot of their shows. It felt like I was slowly starting Equals for a Year, because after all, that’s how SPEAK for a Year started, but I’m not. Though who knows… 2012 hasn’t started yet.

But all this was a complete surprise to me. It wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t create such damn good music and gave me one of the most entertaining interviews I did this year. This instrumental band won over a generally pop-centric music fan. That’s a big deal, y’all.

Getting my associate degree
I also didn’t expect to say I’m an ACC graduate this year. Hell, I didn’t expect to say I’m a college graduate, period. But I am and I’m the first in my dad’s immediate family to do so. It’s a pretty good feeling.

This only happened because always-curious me happened to glance at my degree audit and saw that I only needed one class to get a degree. Shoot, I’ve come this far, might as well go all the way.

I went to advising to see what I needed to take. I applied for graduation and now I have an actual college diploma. It’s insane to think I finally have a degree. Better late than never, right?

My family didn’t get to celebrate this achievement as much as we would have liked because immediately afterwards, I had to pack before I left for PCF11 the next day.

PCF11
When one door closes, another one opens. I applied for TCCJA’s Journalist of the Year award towards the end of the spring semester. The chosen one receives a 10-week paid summer internship for the Corpus Christi’s Caller Times. And I was devastated when I didn’t win.

But weeks later, I discovered I was one of the 30 journalism college students picked to study at Poynter Institute’s 2011 College Fellowship (PCF11) in St. Petersburg, FL. Whoa. I still remember when I got the email. I was waiting at the bus stop to start my day of interviews when my phone informed me “You got mail.”

I was in shock that I just put my phone back in my purse and told myself I’ll deal with this later. My main concern was figuring how on earth was I going to pay for this fellowship. It was a lot of money. But thanks to the support of my family and friends, I got there and had enough money to take care of all my expenses.

But we all know the rest of the story. I met 21 BFFs for life and spent two of the best weeks of my life. I’m ready to go back. I definitely miss the fellows and free coffee.

But mostly the fellows.

Backbeat Magazine
Being an editor for Backbeat Magazine was… an experience, but I learned from that experience, and it was nice to hold that debut issue in my hand knowing I had a huge part in putting that together. Not many people can say that.

Plus it came out sooooo pretty!

Good job team.

NBC’s The Voice
I briefly watched the first season of American Idol with Kelly Clarkson, but that’s where it ended with singing competitions for me. So when I found out my then-roommate, Tje Austin, was going to be on NBC’s The Voice, I tuned in to see him. Of course, the moment Karissa found out, I was assigned to write a story. Tje welcomed the opportunity.

Once the show started, I found myself immersed it. Because there were other Austin contestants, it seemed that a lot of people were talking about the show too. Tje and I would have intellectual conversations (and sometimes debates) after each episode, and we became more than just roommates. We became good friends. Aww.

Through him I interviewed other contestants, including the winner himself, Javier Colon, who by the way is one of the nicest guys ever. My favorite memory from that interview was watching him catch up with Tje on the phone.

I witnessed how this show affected Tje and his music career and yes, an article is coming about that. Mainly because I’ve had to tell the same story over and over again when people find out. “Your roommate was on The Voice!?! What was it like?” It was pretty awesome.

Becoming a Bobcat again
So I’ll be honest. I was not supposed to start at Texas State this semester. I hadn’t applied for financial aid, because I was still waiting for the school to accept me back. ACC took forever to send my transcript. I made them wait until my final grade came in after graduation in May, but still I think it took over a month for Texas State to get my transcript and process it.

As soon as I got accepted, I rushed through the financial aid, advising AND registration process. Luckily, they still had money so close to the first day of classes to cover my tuition. The catch was that I had to enroll in a minimum of 12 hours, which I hadn’t done in a very long time.

Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep this semester and pushed my coffee addiction to the limit that I might seriously need to enroll in CA, but I adjusted accordingly.

Meeting Jason Dohring
I MET JASON DOHRING! And his face was super close to mine! Ah-maz-ing.

That weekend was seriously the best weekend of my life for sure. I don’t need to rehash that here though. You can read my nerdy blog post here.

Hanson

Yes, I finally saw Hanson perform live at this year’s SXSW, which you can read here. Fifteen-year-old Sarah is very happy about that.

Page One: Inside the New York Times

I can’t believe I almost forgot to include this movie on this list. I freaking love this movie. I first saw it during SXSW and seem to watch it every chance I get. A lot of journalists’ dream is to write for the New York Times. I know it’s one of mine. It’s the freaking New York Times.

And watching this movie gave me hope for the future of journalism during its current state of evolution. Journalists aren’t one-trick ponies anymore. We have to know how to do more than just write an article, thanks to the Internet. So this film gave me some hope.

But seriously, any journalism nerd will love this movie. I love getting that peek behind the curtain, seeing the reporters conduct interviews just like I do: waiting for sources to call back, trying to get them to open up, balancing the phone between their ear and shoulder while they type their notes as quickly as they can (spelling errors and all) during phone interviews.

They’re people just like us. The difference here is that they work for the New York Times.

Albums of the Year (in no particular order):
Mother Falcon “Alhambra”
Sphynx “Human Beast”
SPEAK “I Believe in Everything”
Equals "Equals”
Marmalakes “Even Clothed”
Final Exam “Final Exam”
Payne “Late Night Thoughts”
Quiet Company “We Are All Where We Belong”
The Couch “Old and Touchin’ Blue”
The Nouns “Party With The Nouns” (This also wins Best Album Cover.)

The final chapter of SPEAK for a Year was published in UWeekly yesterday. It feels surreal, because now it's officially over. Granted I still have a lot of material from the interview that could still be used, so maybe it'll see the light of day eventually, but SPEAK for a Year is officially over. What do I do now?

Click here to read it at UWeekly.

Here's the video for "81" that was mentioned in the article. You can't see me (but you can hear my camera beep in the beginning), but I was standing on the left side of the camera getting eaten by ants while they filmed the performance part. The things I do for a story.

Here are the links to all the blog posts for SPEAK for a Year:
January through April
May
June and July
August
September
October
November
December
2010 in Review: SPEAK
SPEAK for a Year is over. Why am I here?

Or go through this timeline with all the blog posts, articles, photos and videos.

Again, special thanks to SPEAK for letting me do this project. It's definitely one that will define my writing career.

WTF SPEAK? SPEAK for a Year is over. We had a deal guys. After December, we were supposed to go our separate ways and let this project end.

Of course that didn't happen. A week ago, I got a Facebook invite for a show SPEAK was playing at Progress Coffee. Even though it was a free show, I wasn't going to go. I wanted to purposely avoid the show to show people (and I really mean my skeptic friends) that I wasn't a SPEAK fangirl and could cut myself from this band. SPEAK for a Year was just a project and that's it.

But the moment I read on that Facebook invite that they were going to "perform string quartet arrangements of Speak songs," I hung my head in shame. I know I'm gonna be at that show. I'm going to go because once upon a time during my Southwest Texas days, I used to hang out at the Coffee Pot on Tuesday nights to watch my friends play impromptu jazz. I would attend my music major friends' recitals and concerts. I carried sheet music in my backpack with a flute case in hand since I was in the 6th grade. I sang in the choir for most of my life.

I am a former band nerd. Of course, I was going to be at that show.

The show was great. The coffee shop was packed but luckily, I arrived early so I got a good seat to enjoy this low key set.

I can read music and I can play music, but I've always been jealous of those that can rearrange music to their instrument with no trouble at all. I've tried it before and it was too time consuming for me. Of course, my music major friends saw what I was doing and was like "Oh, why don't you just write it in that key?" Jerks.

Anyway, the man behind the arrangements Maurice Chammah did a great job turning SPEAK's cotton candy pop rock into subtle orchestral compositions. So all those people that immediate hate on SPEAK because it's a "boy band" and "pop music" can finally get their chance to enjoy the tunes without jeopardizing their credibility. Hello hipster fanbase.

SPEAK performing at Progress Coffee from Sarah Vasquez on Vimeo.

Watching the show made me realized how much I miss performing. I was inspired to go home and start playing my flute again. But let's be real here, people. It's been over five years since I last put that flute to my mouth and the last time I did, I sounded like a 6th grader all over again. My tone was fuzzy. My fingers played sloppy. All those years of leaving my flute in the closet has caught up with me.

I no longer sound like this girl...

The flute player in that song is me when I was a 19-year-old SWT college student.

Back to the original topic, it felt pretty wierd being at a SPEAK show after the year was up. I know I wasn't obligated to see this show. I know no one was expecting me to write a review on it (although, here I am anyway), but a part of me just couldn't resist.

A friend of mine Chris Snyder, who recently finished his year project of recording a song a day, (and here we thought seeing SPEAK for a year was insane), posted a blog post about how he missed it. I have to say I can agree. When you pursue something like this, it eventually becomes a routine.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, and I’ll be honest with you — I miss it. Over the course of 2010, this project became not just a routine, but a structure. Routines are habits; they can mean something, or not. For the most part, routines don’t really mean anything. In fact, it’s quite common to complain about our routinized lives. But my routine — songwriting, recording, posting — was different. It was something I poured myself into. It was a journal, of sorts, of my physical and mental state. I wrote songs in odd places: on an Amtrak train, on a plane to Denver, in a cab in Queens, in a hotel in Toronto, on a beach on Long Island, at my childhood home in Los Angeles. (I’m probably forgetting a place or two.) I wrote songs when I was tired, buzzed, and caffeinated. I wrote some of them with a clear idea of what I wanted, and I wrote others with no premeditation at all.

But now, for what has felt like a very long stretch of 21 days, I haven’t written a damn thing.

This was, in part, deliberate. I needed a break. I needed some sleep. I needed to see friends and watch movies and catch up on Mad Men. I needed to spend some quality time with my wife-in-training, for pete’s sake. I also needed to get some space from the project, to reflect on what I’d done, to figure out what comes next.

But now, three weeks into 2011, the absence of the daily song is starting to gnaw at me. No no, I’m not going to start in again with some all-consuming musical experiment. But I think the quiescent period is over. It’s time to get back to work. After all, I have EPs to release and shows to play…

By the way, you can download two of his EPs with some of the songs from his project here.

As for SPEAK continuing in this type of string adventure, I really do hope they release an album or play more shows like this. I think they have something here people other than teenager girls would really enjoy.

This is just one post in my wrap up of the year 2010. If you would like to read the rest, click here to the main post.

If I could sum up 2010 in one word, the obvious answer would be the one word SPEAK. Of course, right? I dedicated the entire year to going to a SPEAK show once a month. During my ordeal, I ended up witnessing a local band from Austin become that band no one knew grow into one of the most talked about bands now (especially in the Austin press).

They're not exactly there yet, but I have a feeling the full length album they've been keeping to themselves will be that final step to take them to that level. That may sound cheesy while you're roll your eyes as you read this but that's just what I think. The girls already loved them. They've performed at major music festivals. I can't wait to see what happens next. I invested too much time in this band to see them fail.

Ah, the Accent article that started it all. I'm so glad that I got to interview 3/4 of the band when I did. Once the EP release show was announced, it gave me an excuse to finally use that interview and save me some time since I already had all the research I needed. After the article and the EP were both released, SPEAK for a Year took off quickly afterwards.

Because of that SPEAK for a Year, I spend over 12 months hanging out with SPEAK. Girls, if that's not an incentive to become a music journalist, I don't know what is.

I forced myself to leave my house and see a SPEAK show every month regardless of how exhausted I was from whatever happened during the day (and something ALWAYS did), how far the show was, how much the cover was or what the weather conditions were that night. And because of my dedication, I was definitely lucky and appreciative to tag along with the guys for my first ACL "guest" experience. I had been to the festival before but nothing could compared to this year.

With my camera in hand, I snapped photos throughout the day but right before they got on stage, I decided to film some behind-the-scene footage. I never released any of it but today is your lucky day!

Here it is. SPEAK's first year performing at Austin City Limits.

Here are the links all the actual posts I wrote during SPEAK for a Year:
December 2009 - April 2010
May 2010
June and July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010

How many people can say that they've had a band not only perform "Happy Birthday" at your birthday party, but also write a special arrangement just for you?

Not very many.
But I can.

The last month of SPEAK for a Year was very special and personal to me because the guys sang at my early birthday party on Sunday. I was born two days after Christmas (Dec. 27). Yes, I always get that one Christmas/birthday gift. Yes, it sucks and I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

But the guys and my friends did a great job to make sure my birthday was special this year.

Back in May, I was hanging out in the parking lot near the House of Blues with three members of SPEAK. My best friend and I made the road trip to Dallas as it was the only show booked that month. And on the drive over there, I jokingly told my best friend that I wanted SPEAK to sing "Happy Birthday" to me for the last month of this crazy little project.

While we were standing outside chatting, I told them.

"So I've decided how we're gonna end this project. You're going to sing 'Happy Birthday' to me while I blow out my candles."

The guys said ok and then started talking about using the vocal arrangement they performed for Troupe's mom's birthday.

But it was never mentioned again after that.

It wasn't until last month when I went to their show at Emo's when the topic was brought up again. We realized we had one month left but there was one problem. The guys didn't have a show booked.

So I reminded them of our Dallas conversation about my birthday party.

And it was a done deal.

This month brought the guys to me this time at my house. But instead of playing a 30-minute electric set I saw every month, all they brought was an acoustic guitar and performed a barbershop harmony (which they coined "barber pop") of "Happy Birthday" to me right before I blew out my candles. And it was just like I'd imagine. Of course, I geeked like a little girl.

If there is one thing SPEAK is known for, it's for their harmonies. Usually singing three-part harmonies, the drummer Jake made his vocal debut singing with the rest of the band this time. And he wasn't bad at all. Maybe this will bring more barber pop to the SPEAK set list.

By the way, my friend Karissa filmed (as well as some of my party guests) SPEAK's performance for me.

SPEAK sings Happy Birthday from Sarah Vasquez on Vimeo.

So SPEAK for a Year is over. Aww. It's kinda sad. But I'll admit. I'm relieved. The guys posted a new show on thier Facebook page recently and I stopped myself from writing it down in my planner. I no longer have to feel obligated to see every show SPEAK performs which is a nice break. That doesn't mean I'll cut this band from my life. I still like their music and I can't wait to the full length (whenever that's released).

I've had friends ask me if I plan to do this project with another band. No. It takes a special band to endure a project like this and I got incredibly lucky that I didn't end this completely hating them or them hating me. Of course, some of my friends are relieved I'll stop talking about them, but that's what they think.

So what's the next step?

I am going to wrap this up with one final article. But I'm not going to get started with that until next year.

Something interesting happened before last month's show.

I found myself going through SPEAK withdrawals.

I know. I was surprised as you are. Or maybe you aren't surprised. Covering a band for an entire year is bound to have some sort of affect on me.

It's like the Pavlov's dog experiment. I've been trained to see a SPEAK show every month so when there is too much time in between shows, I start to feel the withdrawals. Never mind that I've covered plenty of events (Comic Con, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin Film Festival) to occupy my time until the next show, my life felt incomplete without seeing SPEAK on stage. But last month happened and I got my SPEAK fill and the world can go on spinning around the sun.

November's show brought me to Emo's Inside. I decided to shoot in black and white this month, but that's mainly because this venue hates photographers. The red lighting always gives me horrible photos.

This show was a welcome back show because the guys went on their first tour with headliner The Secret Handshake. The originally plan was that they would stop in Austin and then go back into the van to tour until early December. Sadly, the tour got cancelled from low-ticket sales so that show was the last night of the tour. Major bummer. I heard the bands that were on the tour bill and it wouldn't have disappointed.

As for the show, it was great. I could tell touring got to Troupe because his voice sounded worn out pretty early in the set, but I was so happy getting my SPEAK fix that it didn't bother me. Man, I do sound like an addict/fan girl. Luckily, we only have this month to go. I can only imagine the repercussions if I kept this series going after that.

But I wasn't alone. The crowd was also happy to see SPEAK back in Austin and with that, the guys fed off of their energy. God, that sounds so cliche to say but it's true. Nick was all crazy jumping around the stage. His facial expressions were great, but once the music stopped, you could tell it was wearing him out. It was great.

So all in all, it was obvious that not only did Austin miss SPEAK, SPEAK missed Austin. Why would we be surprised with this? Austin is awesome or Aust-some as New York band The Dig once said in my interview with them.

Man, sorry for the really bad jokes. I need sleep. Between writing a novel in November, putting out the last issue of Accent this semester and finals coming up, my brain is mush. All my originality has checked out for vacation. And this project has finally gotten to me. Sadly this month is the last month.

But Sarah, the guys don't have a show next month, what are you going to do? I'll just say this: I don't know. :)

I'm struggling on how to feel about the end of SPEAK for a Year. On the one hand, I'm ready to end this series, but on the other hand, I'm super bummed. I'm just hoping I don't embarrass myself and start with the waterworks.

“They’re good friends of mine. They’re gonna do huge things this year. Their EP “Hear Here” is out now... ACL, make some noise for SPEAK!”

Shortly after that introduction, I watched Troupe, Joey and Nick walked up the steps of the BMI stage for their first ACL appearance (Jake was already seated behind his drums on stage). The crowd who gathered to catch this band for their 12:40 p.m. set cheered louder than I’ve ever heard before at a SPEAK show. That whole experience was surreal to me and I’m not even in the band.

This was a special month for SPEAK for a Year. No lie. It’s not only amazing that the guys had the opportunity to play at ACL in the first place, but they allowed me to come along for the ride. I got to break the barrier between the band, me and the stage and saw more of a behind-the-scenes look of SPEAK this month.

It was the first time I saw the guys before 9 p.m. In fact, we met at Nick’s parents’ house at 9 a.m. that morning. Yes people, they really are just like us. They’re sleepy and in desperate need of caffeine that early in the morning too. I was surprised when I rang the door bell and Nick’s mom answered the door. I also apologized profusely for arriving 20 minutes early (I rode the bus), but she was more than generous and even made me a cup of tea. Plus, it was nice to geek over the experience I’ve had with this SPEAK project with someone new and someone other than a friend of mine that hasn’t heard me talk about them over and over and over again.

After Troupe arrived fashionably late, we all hopped in two cars and off we went. If I said it felt great to be there, I would be lying. Don’t get me wrong. I was ecstatic and blown away I was given the opportunity to tag along with the guys for this show. But I was worried out of my mind that any moment, someone was going to approach me and realize I didn’t belong there or something and escort me out of the premises. Why did I feel this way? Who freaking knows. If you look back seven and a half years to the origin of how I got started, you’ll see that I started off as a “blogger” (even though our sites weren't called blogs back then. We had fanzines.) so there’s a huge part of me that still feels like an unprofessional noob. But to explain the reasoning behind that is for another therapy couch session for another day.

But I took advantage of my backstage access as I could. No, I didn’t steal anything (we did have access to a lot of free food, drinks and swag) or sneak away for a glance of any of the bands in their trailers near SPEAK’s. I merely took everything all in and was trying really hard to keep my cool (which was pretty easy considering how exhausted I was from my hard week), even though on the inside, I was a giddy little girl.

Somehow I ended on the same cart with the band when they went to load their instruments, which ended up being cool because we got a little tour of the grounds, glanced at their stage when they dropped off their instruments, and I listened to the band debate if that was really Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne who gave us (well more them) a fist pump when we drove by him (turns out it was).

Because they played an early set, there really wasn’t much downtime. They got in their trailer, grabbed some coffee, practiced vocals (which I learned they do A LOT. So that’s how they hit those harmonies every time.), and off they went to soundcheck.

Poor Nick was having technical problems during sound check which was an omen of what was about to come. But overall the show was great. I thought last month’s show at Beauty Bar was loud. I’m so glad I remembered ear plugs this time. Outside shows during a sunny afternoon are always a photographer’s dream. If I was closer to the stage, the photos would have been the best I’ve taken, but the lighting was great.

This was the largest crowd at a SPEAK show. There were people hanging by the stage after the previous band was done. And their stage was right there when people walked in so they attracted a lot of stragglers. People were dancing and cheering and clapping their hands. It was adorable to watch. As cheesy as it sounds, I couldn’t help but feel proud of them. It sucked that Nick had technical problems throughout his set but local producer Frenchie Smith (who also produced SPEAK’s “Here Hear” EP) saved the day and all was well. That man deserves a hug.

The cover of the show was Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” which I happened to be there when they decided that was the cover and practiced the harmonies in the trailer. Smart move on the guys’ part too. The crowd ate it up.

After the show, we hopped on cart and headed to the Waterloo Tent for their signing. I figured we would be done and go our separate ways but they didn’t tell me to leave so I stayed around. I was peeking through the sheet to take photos of the guys signing t-shirts when Whitaker, their manager, told me “Sarah, get in there.” Done. That’s all I needed to hear. Sadly, there wasn’t much space between the wall and the chairs so I was a bit cramped and almost tripped but none of us cared or complained. But I got some good photos and footage.

We did go our separate ways, however, when we got to the media tent. They did some interviews with various media. I hung out with my media friends. I got their last thoughts for the video and then we said good-bye. This was around 5 p.m. So that was eight hours of SPEAK and you know what? It was pretty cool.

Two more months until SPEAK for a Year comes to a close. The guys are going on tour for November with a homecoming show at Emo’s on the 22nd. I can’t wait to hear how it goes.

There comes a time when you realize that the band that holds a special place in your heart, whom from the first moment you watched them live, you thought, "man, this band has something special," is entering into the "real world." It's like watching a child you saw grow up in front of your eyes, walking down the stage to receive their high school diploma and realizing they're adults now.

Because if someone told me in December as I was watching SPEAK for the first time that nine months later, I would witness drunk dude-bros not only badly dancing to pretty boy pop music but also high-fiving each other because they are just so moved by the awesomeness that is SPEAK, I would have asked what crazy futuristic world do they live in? It was that mind-blowing moment on Friday night that I realized things are never going to be the same with this band.

Don't get me wrong. I'm completely happy for the guys. I'm excited to see how they'll take in what's about to happen to them and that people will love them as much I do. They are no longer going to be that little local band Sarah keeps talking about anymore because everyone is going to be talking about them real soon. Seriously.

But enough with all this sentimental crap, on to the review.

The sound at Beauty Bar was loud. I keep forgetting my ear plugs which is a big no no in my profession so I had to suffer through sharp pains in my ears every time Troupe sang a high note. I stood by a speaker for a bit to take photos of the band, (Don't worry guys, I didn't stay there for long.) but it was the first show where I could seriously hear everything, each individual vocal included.

After the show, Joey asked me if we could hear them because he couldn't hear himself at all so he was worried about his harmonies. That explained why there were few moments when the vocals did clash but it was only for a few seconds. And the only reason why I noticed is well... like I need to explain that one.

They played two new songs this month which really excited me. While I love the four songs on the EP and I've now learned the lyrics to the unrecorded songs they play at every show, it's refreshing to get something new since I'm doing this project for a year. I didn't catch the titles but I remember liking them both, especially the one that sounded like it was written during a time warp into the 80s, but it wasn't hokey and thank god, without the Flock of Seagulls haircuts.

So after they played their "hits" and everyone was having a great time, they ended the set with a new cover, Prince's "Purple Rain." That song plus the heat and the dimly lit room made the crowd get a little freaky. It was like witnessing a rated R version of a high school prom, or as my friend said, hipster Dirty Dancing. And Troupe's crooning voice and Nick whailing on the guitar just added to it. Nick did such a good job that I almost asked him to be my boyfriend. Of course, I didn't. I'm a journalist and have to be fair and balanced. Just like Fox News.

The best part of that cover? It was almost dedicated to me. No, really. After the show, Troupe told me that he was going to dedicated it to me but for some reason he didn't. But he said he did in his mind and that's ok with me. I know it's pretty douchebaggery of me to even mention that here but I want to have this documented to prove that I did know them when they're touring all over the place and people are telling me "Hey Sarah, have you heard of this band SPEAK?" Why, yes I have.

Ah Friday the 13th. I'm a horror movie freak so usually when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, I host a horror movie marathon at my house. Projector, five DVD changer, popcorn, room full of couches. I go all out. However, SPEAK's August show was also on the same night. So I had to choose. Horror movie marathon or SPEAK? I chose SPEAK.

Guys, if that doesn't show the level of dedication I have for this project, I don't know what does. I went to Dallas for them. I sat through an episode of the Real World for them. Now I broke my Friday the 13th tradition for them. That, my friends, is what you call love.

And I wasn't let down. The guys were awesome as always. It amazes me how they've been playing the same songs month after month (every now and then they throw in a new cover or introduce a new song) and it's always good and entertaining but different enough so they don't seem like polished drones produced by their manager Whitaker. And they are always having a good time. I noticed this month that the guys just couldn't keep the smiles off their faces (as evident in the photos). Aww. That's adorable.

I think they were feeding off the crowd who were more than happy to see them. Maybe it was the $3 Shiners and free pizza or the dancing mood that was set by the three opening bands but everyone was just having a great time. Sadly, I didn't stay for the whole set because I was just too exhausted (long week at work). Sorry guys. What can I say? My love only goes so far. ;)

I have noticed as months pass by that while there are the same handful of familiar faces attending the shows, but the amount of faces I've never seen before enjoying SPEAK just grows and grows. And with the upcoming shows coming up for them which include ACL and the just-announced gig at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans (both in October), I won't be surprised if I'm gonna have to actually start fighting my way to the front at a show or have to request press credentials to even get a decent photo of the guys, let alone my monthly hello/goodbye hugs.

I always joke with the guys that once December is done, it's gonna feel weird not having to attend a SPEAK show for this project. Troupe jokes that I should keep it going for as long as we can and Joey hopes that I don't drop off the face of Earth once January hits. A friend calls me the SPEAK stalker and wonders why I would even consider doing this. Most of my journalism friends thinks this is an awesome idea and totally get why I'm doing this but mostly they want to know what I plan to do with all this stuff I've been collecting (photos and videos) after the 12 months are done. Ideas have been thrown around with the guys so everything is just talk at this point nor would I reveal that this early in the game. I still have four months to go. But I will say this, if the ideal finale comes together, it's gonna be a great way to end this series.

June
You know, not all shows can be winners. Every band has an off night and for SPEAK, the June show was an off night. I dont know what happened. Everything was in line for a great show. The three opening bands, The Frontier Brothers, The Eastern Sea and Marmalakes, were great. They got the crowd all warmed up ready for more pop goodness when it was time for SPEAK.

But when the guys got on stage and started playing, something was off. That spark just wasn't there. I immediately panicked thinking this crazy idea of following SPEAK for a year was finally getting to me and I was starting to lose interest in them. Noooo. This can't happen so soon. But I glanced at my friend next to me who saw them in April and she agreed with me that something did indeed seemed off.

The music was there. The songs were tight. But that extra oomph just wasnt. Maybe the guys were tired? Maybe its time to change the setlist? Who knows. However, I'm not saying the show was a complete bust. Because it wasn't at all. After they played a Prince cover, they got their mojo back.

July
Now on the flipside, I think this show was their best yet. July SPEAK show took me to Antone's for the 35th Anniversary show with Bob Schneider. For those not from Austin, opening for him is kinda a big deal. It's amazing how much buzz they're getting from the short time it's all happened. What a year. Getting these heavy hitting shows is awesome for them. Not so awesome for this girl's wallet. Cover is starting to become too steep for my budget (ACL in October is gonna be a bitch.) and I almost didn't make this show. However, the boys came through for me so I got to see the show. Hooray.

Anyway, the majority of the crowd was there for Bob so they met SPEAK for the first time that night. I heard a lot of people asking each other "Who is this band?" (which means SPEAK got their attention) and even saw one guy's face lit up when SPEAK played my favorite cover of theirs "Don't You Forget About Me" from one of my favorite movies ever. It kinda reminded me of that show when I discovered them in December in that same exact venue. It was like this show was bringing us all back in full circle... but I still have five months to go.