It's been raining a lot here. It reminds me of a story. A long time ago, maybe even ten years ago now, I was fortunate enough to see The Lucksmiths, the best indiepop band ever, live at Emo's in Austin, Texas.
I don't remember what year it was but the Lucksmiths were supporting an Elephant Six band like Olivia Tremor Control or Ladybug Transistor. I wasn't there to see that band (whichever one it was, or another I'm forgetting), & I'm not suggesting the bands are interchangeable, as I enjoyed them, but I had discovered the Lucksmiths by reviewing a CD for KVRX in 1999 & never thought this Australian band would make its way to the United States.
(They made it back to Austin one more time, probably around 2007, & I also saw them three times in San Francisco, trips I made specifically to see the band. I loved them so much.)
Honestly, I had never seen a band win over a group of people who didn't know about them before. & this was at Emo's, where people were only allowed in if they were sufficiently jaded. I overheard later on that the band sold an amazing amount of merchandise after their short set, & I also talked to people who wanted to know more about them.
But my favorite comment about the band was this: "Where they come from, it must rain a lot."
I hadn't thought of it before, but they do in fact sing a lot about rain. To people in Austin, Texas, in the middle of a hot summer, it seemed noteworthy.
Where are they from? Brisbane, I believe. Does a rain a lot in Brisbane? This website (which is metric!) doesn't seem to suggest that it does. (I translated it.) 25 inches a year? That's about half what Lexington gets. Even less than what Austin averages!
But rain is thoughtful, rain is poetic. Rain sets the mood. & rain makes me a lonesome boy. Who's going to go listen to the Lucksmiths right now.
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