The Untitled Interview #34 – SXSW Edition: Starring G. Lucas Crane (Woods)

I’m finding it hard to believe that it’s almost time once again for the annual industry hootenanny known as SXSW. In a few short days, Austin will be taken over. To celebrate the impending week of absolute havoc, Austin-style, we’ve thrown down the interview gauntlet to see what some of our favorite bands are going to be getting up to whilst gettin down in the wilds of Texas.

I pity the fool that doesn’t like Woods, I really do. After all, to not like Woods means to not like the sound of endless stretches of dirt country roads, vast expanses of sun-bleached desert nothingness or sweeping landscapes full of mist-covered mountains and trees tinted by autumn. The music Woods make, well, it’s really rather fine. “Curious perfection,” you might call it, as they sing in “The Number,” off the fantastic record Songs of Shame. The more I think about it, the more I think you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not being a Woods fan. It’s never too late to start, thankfully. And what better way to show your love than by going to see them live? SXSW attendees can see Woods, as can a whole lot of us folks who aren’t going to Austin, seeing as they’re touring around the festival. See what G. Lucas Crane is stoked about at SXSW below. And if you do happen to see them while in Austin, maybe bring ‘em some bags of ice. Or pants.

Les Enfants Terribles: How are you getting to SXSW: plane, train, or automobile?
G. Lucas Crane: We’re driving in our Ford Econoline named “Vivian.”

LET: Inevitably, you will forget to pack:
GLC: Bags of Ice. Enough Pants.

LET: How many showcases/parties will you be playing?
GLC: (no response – but they’re playing no less than 4 times)

LET: Band you're most looking forward to seeing at the festival?
GLC: Fresh and Onlys and Pocahaunted, both bands full of solid bros.

LET: What's the first thing you plan on doing upon arrival in Austin?
GLC: Go swimming and eat smoked meats.

LET: What was the first festival you ever attended, either as a musician or member of the general public?
GLC: The Warped Tour. Columbus, Ohio. 94. I have almost no memory of it though, I remember smoking weed with a trucker and there was a fight during Kool Keith when someone threw a shoe at him.

LET: Favorite thing about festivals?
GLC: Time Dilation. When you gather thousands of people together and commit them to party their asses off, time itself ceases to have any relation to what the watch says. Short sets last forever. Long distances are traveled in split seconds. An open bar cooked in the hot sun never ends. The bloody Mary becomes bottomless.

mp3: I Was Gone (Woods from At Echo Lake {due out in May 2010})

[photo by Erina Digby]