It gets cold in Canada, or so I am told.

Now that the festival is over, everyone in Austin gets to remember what their real life is like. For me, it means I get to remember that we're still recording a record. Leah and Harper will be leaving for Canada 5 days earlier than me, which will make me lonely and sad, but productive where the record is concerned. We really should be done with all the tracking in the next few weeks and we've starting conversations with and about several people to mix the thing. I just got back from a lunch meeting with the artist and I'm really excited about the concepts that he showed me. Things are really rolling now.

Thanks to everyone who voted for us a while back in the Austin Chronicle Music Awards. We didn't win any of them but we came close in a lot of them. Some friends of ours, The Bright Light Social Hour, swept the thing. They had a great year and worked their asses off, so as much as that childish part of me would love to say they don't deserve it, it can't. So congrats to them.

Last year, we placed in two categories: #6 Best live Indie Band and #9 Best New Band.
This year, while not winning anything, we're still all over the place.

Band of the Year
The Bright Light Social Hour
2. Roky Erickson with Okkervil River
3. Quiet Company
4. Bob Schneider & Lonelyland
5. Los Texas Wranglers
6. Speak
7. Los Lonely Boys
8. One-Eyed Doll
9. Grupo Fantasma
10. Reckless Kelly

Musician of the Year
Roky Erickson
2. Bob Schneider
3. Julian Fernandez (Los Texas Wranglers)
4. Sahara Smith
5. Will Sheff (Okkervil River)
6. Jack O'Brien (the Bright Light Social Hour)
7. Taylor Muse (Quiet Company)
8. Carolyn Wonderland
9. Kimberly Freeman (One-Eyed Doll)
10. Alejandro Escovedo

Album of the Year
The Bright Light Social Hour, The Bright Light Social Hour
2. True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti-), Roky Erickson with Okkervil River
3. Myth of the Heart (Playing in Traffic), Sahara Smith
4. Songs for Staying In, Quiet Company
5. El Existential (Nat Geo Music), Grupo Fantasma
6. Texas Treasures (Deep South), Los Texas Wranglers
7. Break, One-Eyed Doll
8. Hexadecagon (Peek-A-Boo), the Octopus Project
9. Up Close (EMI/Vortexan), Eric Johnson
10. Street Songs of Love (Fantasy/Concord), Alejandro Escovedo
11. Phosphene Dream (Blue Horizon), Black Angels
12. Let the Light In (Root House), Amy Cook
13. Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites (Shout! Factory), Jimmie Vaughan
14. The Bright Lights, Saints of Valory
15. The Laziest Girl in Town, Elizabeth McQueen
16. Codename: Rondo (Trashy Moped), Ghostland Observatory
17. ¡Està Bueno! (Bismeaux), Texas Tornados
18. Green Diamond, Eric Tessmer
19. Downtown Church (Credential), Patty Griffin
20. New Morning (Hollywood), Alpha Rev

Song of the Year
"Detroit," by the Bright Light Social Hour
2. "How Do You Do It" by Taylor Muse for Quiet Company
3. "The Real Thing," by Sahara Smith
4. "Carrie," by Speak
5. "Who's to Blame, Senorita?" by Shawn Sahm/Doug Sahm for Texas Tornados
6. "Could've Been a Country Star," by Julian Fernandez for Los Texas Wranglers
7. "Back and Forth," by the Bright Light Social Hour
8. "Austin," by Eric Johnson
9. "Telephone," by the Black Angels
10. "Beautiful Freak," by Kimberly Freeman for One-Eyed Doll
11. "Anchor," by Alejandro Escovedo/Chuck Prophet for Alejandro Escovedo
12. "Providence," by Saints of Valory
13. "Green Diamond," by Eric Tessmer
14. "Faint Green Light," by Mother Falcon
15. "Lucky," by Kat Edmondson
16. "New Morning," by Alpha Rev
17. "If I Had My Way," traditional, arranged by Patty Griffin
18. "We Pourin' Up," by Lady & the Amp
19. "Summer of Love," by Josh Zee/Teal Collins for the Mother Truckers
20. "You're To Blame," by Elizabeth McQueen

Best Indie
Speak
2. Okkervil River
3. The Bright Light Social Hour
4. Quiet Company
5. Mother Falcon
6. One-Eyed Doll
7. Los A-T Boyz
8. Saints of Valory
9. The Shears
10. Marmalakes

Best Rock
Los Lonely Boys
2. The Bright Light Social Hour
3. Quiet Company
4. Okkervil River
5. One-Eyed Doll
6. Spoon
7. Saints of Valory
8. Vitera
9. The Mother Truckers
10. The Black Angels

Best Bass Guitar
Jack O'Brien (the Bright Light Social Hour)
2. Jojo Garza (Los Lonely Boys)
3. Harmoni Kelley (Lonelyland)
4. Chris Maresh (Eric Johnson)
5. Matt Parmenter (Quiet Company)
6. Danny Gomez (the Frank Gomez Band)
7. Gavin Jasper (Saints of Valory)
8. Francie Meaux Jeaux (the Jitterbug Vipers)
9. Aaron Davis (Vitera)
10. Ronn Roberts (the Eggmen)

Best Drums/Percussion
Julian Fernandez (Los Texas Wranglers)
2. Jo Mirasole (the Bright Light Social Hour)
3. Jason Rufuss Sewell (One-Eyed Doll)
4. Ringo Garza (Los Lonely Boys)
5. Gerard Bouvier (Saints of Valory)
6. Conrad Choucroun (Lonelyland)
7. Don Harvey (A Is Red)
8. Jay Nazz (Reckless Kelly)
9. Jeff Weathers (Quiet Company)
10. Brannen Temple

Best Keyboards
A.J. Vincent (the Bright Light Social Hour)
2. Oliver Steck (Lonelyland)
3. Matt Hubbard
4. Floyd Domino
5. Stephen Buckle (Saints of Valory)
6. Ian McLagan
7. Thomas Turner (Ghostland Observatory)
8. Earl Poole Ball
9. Pinetop Perkins
10. Taylor Muse (Quiet Company)

Best Songwriter
Sahara Smith
2. Bob Schneider
3. The Bright Light Social Hour
4. Quiet Company
5. Julian Fernandez (Los Texas Wranglers)
6. Eric Johnson
7. Roky Erickson
8. Kimberly Freeman (One-Eyed Doll)
9. Matt the Electrician
10. Alejandro Escovedo

Best Record Producer
Danny Reisch for The Bright Light Social Hour, The Bright Light Social Hour
2. Emile Kelman for Myth of the Heart, Sahara Smith
3. Will Sheff for True Love Cast Out All Evil, Roky Erickson with Okkervil River
4. Matt Parmenter for Songs for Staying In, Quiet Company
5. Ryan Radar for Texas Treasures, Los Texas Wranglers
6. Dwight Baker for The Bright Lights, Saints of Valory
7. Jason Rufuss Sewell for Break, One-Eyed Doll
8. Chris "Frenchie" Smith for Speak
9. Gurf Morlix
10. Erik Wofford

So I'll take it! I wonder what could happen when we actually release an album.

I'm really looking forward to the next month. Virtually no shows, lots of recording, our DVD release, and a trip to Canada. It's going to be a good time.

I imagine that if you're in Austin, then you're probably a little burned out on going to live shows after last week, which is why we decided not to have one for our DVD release. Instead, this Sunday, March 27th, we'll be doing things a little different at our DVD release party at the ND. First off, your ticket price includes a copy of the DVD, a copy of the poster for the event, and a digital download of the audio for the DVD. The night will feature acoustic sets from Brandon Kinder of the Rocketboys, and Ram Vela from Whitman. We will show the DVD on the huge projector screen while members of Quiet Company serve you free popcorn and Sweet Leaf Tea. We'll also be running drinks from the bar so you won't have to get up, and there MAY be some free cotton candy, if we're feeling saucy. It's going to be different and I'm looking forward to it. Go to our site to buy advance tickets.

Also in amazing news, I taught Harper to smile on command.