We have befriended a Gourds fan over the last year or so who is also a Texas Game Warden. Like many police officers he is a member of The 100 Club, which is an organization that provides financial and emotional support for the widowed families of officers fallen in the line of duty. This was their annual awards banquet. Austin C.O.P. Art Acevedo and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot were there. The juxtaposition of The Gourds playing for a bunch of cops is entertaining I know. I had a great time though. Can't say the same for all the others. Private parties can sometimes be less than inspiring affairs for a band like us that thrives on the symbiotic energy feedback between band and audience. The coolest guy there had to have been Houston McCoy. He was the Austin Police Officer who shot Whitman in the tower. He asked me to learn Beautiful Lies by Amazing Rhythm Aces, which I plan to do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_McCoy
This event was held at the Texas Disposal System Exotic Game Ranch next to the Creedmore landfill (see Ramsay Midwood). So, basically it was like playing at a lodge in the middle of the Serengeti for a bunch of Texas cops. Interesting. The show was basic Gourds. We struggled trying to get those folks to dance. Some did, but no party energy could be sustained. The high point at the end of the show, conveniently, was Jimmy unplugging his acoustic guitar and walking off stage onto the dance floor. This was born out of frustration from the small, passive crowd and his having quit smoking again. I joined him on the floor but did follow him as he walked off into the darkness of a pasture while singing the end of All The Labor. A memorable moment capped by his return to the stage as we crescendo d  to a musical climax. Well All Right, Well All Right, Ooooo Yeahhhhh.