"Take from me the apple of my eye."

Here goes...

"Yeah... I've always looked up at like it was some... like it was some sort of god extending his helping hand... guiding us to the heavens. If, some might say, this is the way in... I mean, how could it not be... then I want to be a part of this, you know. Even in pictures, it's enormous and majestic... In person, however, it's a completely different world. It's completely different. It has, for some time, drawn me to its highest peaks. As God and Everest. Yeah. This is the way in..." - Pop Unknown, 2001.

On Friday of last week, I drove 3 hours to see Pop Unknown. Reunited for the second of three special engagements. You see, Pop Unknown hasn't been a band since 2002. And when they called it a day, a certain void was left... Seeing Pop Unknown in concert was like nothing else... No comparisons. Just a five piece with a certain swagger and sincerity that always left the audience wanting more... I won't go into the kind of music they made, but I will say that they sewed every track with the kind of thread that could only be spun from the heart. And if you were lucky enough to catch them on tour, you made sure that you saw them more than once.

Pop Unknown had a small, if unique, following that was born out of Austin, TX. When on a touring bill, they performed for their faithful regardless of the circumstances surrounding them... I remember seeing them play to as few as 15 people to as many as a 100 and I remember them playing to a couple of thousand rabid Jimmy Eat World fans in 2000 (before JEW set the world on fire with "The Middle" in 2001). They blazed through a tight 10+ song set that sent the crowd, clearly there to see JEW, into a frenzy. It was and still is my opinion that they didn't open up for JEW that night. It was Jimmy Eat World that closed for Pop Unknown. I believe this as I type because JEW is one of the good, if not great ones and Pop Unknown showed them up in a way that could only be comprehended if you were lucky enough to be there in 2000. More importantly, Pop Unknown were a band you could talk to... A group you could get to know... They were always grateful.

Having solid successes in pockets of the United States and in Europe, Pop Unknown toured relentlessly and made impressions wherever they could plug in... With an EP, two full lengths and a 7" or two, Pop Unknown built something special in a very short amount of time. I honestly can't say enough about the impression they left with me and when it was announced that they would reunite for three Austin gigs, it was a no-brainer that I would make the trek to see them one last time. Why they were doing this didn't matter because all I cared about was that it was really happening... Sadly, I could not make the 2/21 show, but I would (most certainly) attend the 3/20 show. The final gig ever would take place 2 days later...

So... On the 20th, around 11:20am, I arrived in Austin. A little hungry. A slice of pie from Hoboken Pies would do the trick. It was a scene. It was SXSW time and it was flooded with people waking up from Thursday night festivities. The sun was out and the mood was set... I made my way to the venue thinking about all of the times I had seen Pop Unknown. It would be a small, yet dedicated crowd of 50 or so that would welcome this great band to the stage at the lunchtime start time. Pop Unknown would be the first of a series of acts that would play throughout the day. I scored a cold 16 ounce beverage and took my spot. I waited... A guy with a killer camera stood by me and asked if I had ever seen Pop Unknown. I mentioned that I had seen them more times than I could count and he said that this was his second time ever with his first time being last month for the first reunion gig at The Mohawk. It went like this...

Me: "I'm looking forward to this... They never let me down."
Guy: "That's cool. I love their music. Where are you from?"
M: "I'm 3 hours north. I had to make this trip."
G: "You drove 3 hours just for this?"
M: "Indeed. And I'll drive 3 hours back when it's over. This is the reward. So worth it."
G: "You're not sticking around for some of the others?"
M: "Affirmative, man. Again. Worth it. No other band matters today. Not today."

Pop Unknown finally took the stage and launched into their set with a subtle force that I remembered them for... Of course, time and age has worn on them, but they wear it well and the music sounded exactly the way it did in 2002. Just as tight. Just as focused.

Joel, calm, cool, determined to get it right. Matt, quietly confident, never brittle. Gabe, all precision and timing, a rock... Erick, ever ready, ever steady. Tim, charisma, character, always on, never off.

Then it was over. Just like that... Impressive and memorable and fun. After a little bit of banter, a "thank you" or two and farewell handshakes, I made my way back to the parking lot passing all of the people that missed the show. I was happy.

On my drive back home, I thought about the 7 songs they played... A collective "best of" that would play over and over in my head... Looking back at each title, each song could (loosely) represent the last 7 years of someone's life. Maybe even mine. The 7 years that have passed since I last saw Pop Unknown serenade an audience... The 7 years that life has given me. The 7 years that I have taken out of life... Nothing philosophical, but a correlation could be made... Time flies...

I'm thinking that the show at Joel's Austin Art Garage on the 22nd was similar, but it was probably different only because it really would be the final Pop Unknown gig ever. I'm pleased that I was able to see them off into their Austin sunset. Good luck, guys. Thanks for the memories. Best wishes for the next chapter...

Pop Unknown, Creekside Lounge, Austin, TX, 03/20/09, 12:30pm

1. Contact. 2. The invisible complex. 3. Half of ninety. 4. As god and everest. 5. Head in the sand. 6. Another holiday. 7. Writing it down for you.

Time flies... Goodbye.

bsm*