Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Tuesday October 17, 2023 - Dallas, TX

Road Blog
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Dallas, Texas

We left Austin around 10:30 and headed north on I-35 towards Dallas. First stop was breakfast at a joint called Kerbey Lane Cafe that Jacob picked out. I got the Texas Benedict, which was two eggs poached over cornbread with queso sauce and avocado and Wagu beef. It was pretty awesome. Dude named Zion who worked there, all dressed in crazy colors and stuff, came over and introduced himself and we had a nice chat about Detroit rock and roll and snapped a photo.

I’ve started this thing where ever since we saw The Alamo on Sunday I play the theme from the Davy Crockett show when we get into the van on the stereo. The boys don’t seem to like it much but that makes it even more fun. This has the potential to go on for years. Monday night got away from us a little bit and we, especially me, were all a little worse for the wear. I nodded in and out for most of the drive. Jacob and Gabriel Doman have each developed a medium size case of road rage since we’ve been in Texas, thanks to the driving habits of these people here. It gets a little crazy sometimes.

We checked into our dive motel east of the city and to absolutely no surprise it did not go without a hitch. Gabe’s room was sans any linens whatsoever (including sheets) and the Mexican maid didn’t speak enough English to help, despite her honest and charming efforts. Eventually he got it sorted and we headed into the city. Traffic was a bear as I cranked Joan Jett and The Bleackhearts.

First stop was a bucket-list goal for many years – Dealy Plaza, the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To set the mood I played my two favorite songs about the event: “Dallas 1PM” by Saxon and “The American in Me” by The Avengers. The boys show great patience with me and my detour excursions. They’d be just as happy to skip it and head to the venue for a cold one and early load in. We paid $10 to park and walked a couple blocks to the sacred ground, with 2 “X”s on the street where each bullet hit. It is a bizarre feeling to stand in a spot you’ve seen a million times on TV but never actually in person. We snapped a few pics of the window of the building that Oswald (supposedly) shot Kennedy from, the grassy knoll, some surrounding monuments and fountains, looked at each other with the same look we had at the Alamo, said “yup, ok,” and walked back to the van.

We drove the couple short miles to the Deep Ellum district of Dallas, a freed-mans area after the Civil war turned into an entertainment center with music venues, restaurants, tattoo parlors, and stuff like that. The Armoury, D.E. sits in the middle of it all, and is a super cool joint. It’s got a sort of Hungarian/Transylvanian theme, including the menu, with weird Dracula art all over the place. We set up on the stage on the patio out back and ordered some food. I got the Pannonia Charred Octopus, served with potatoes and Hungarian bologna and paprika dip and a Lone Star tall boy. It was amazing!

I took a quick lap around the neighborhood to help the food digest, called TrooperGirl22 who was in a bit of sticker shock about some mail that showed how much my new tooth implant is going to cost us, but still unwavering in her insistence that she’ll not be seen with a toothless rock star for the rest of her life. Back at the Armoury my close, dear friends Jeff and Amy White showed up. They’re two of my favorite people, even though they’re republicans, and the rare times we can actually hang out are really special. We had a few laughs and a couple drinks. Jeff and I talked some Cowboys and Lions, and I made sure he knows that he's not great at giving gambling advice (jk haha). Another friend of mine from my high school days in Marquette, Wanda, showed up with her boyfriend Travis and I’d not seen her for over a decade, so that was amazing too! Pretty soon the Amy camp and the Wanda camp were acquainted and getting along stellarly.

Up first were Long Black Car, a five piece punk rock band in the fashion of a dirty Rolling Stones meets the Dead Boys. They were each super nice dudes and they put on a fantastic show. Their singer was jumping on tables and running around like he was at The Greystone in Detroit back in the 80s. It was awesome. We played second to a pretty decent crowd, especially for a Tuesday night. I’m having some hear issues with my rig and really need a few minutes that I haven’t had to tighten some bolts and lock down some pedals. Other than that we played pretty well and had a blast up there. After us was The Mullens. These guys were a little less punk, but still had elements of that. They reminded me of The Lyres from Boston, and an edgy version of The Kinks. They’re just back from a California run and tight as hell, with great songs and a pro stage presence. Great band, and we were honored to play between them and Long Black Car.

We sold a little merch, packed up, and loaded out. I traded a few war stories with our waiter Jeremy who’d played Michigan a few times himself. I bid a teary and emotional goodbye to Amy and Jeff, who were fit to be poured into an Uber and back to their hotel, and Wanda and Travis, who were so cool to make it out on a school night to hang with us. I love you all!

Jake took the wheel and got us out of Dallas. We were on fumes so we stopped at a 24 hour Fuel City and got gas and tacos before we made it back to our dive motel in Terrell, Texas. THANKS to The Armoury, The Mullens, Long Black Car, and everyone who was there!

We’re off to Tuscaloosa now, leaving Texas after four fun shows. It’s gonna be a marathon drive today and I’ll be at the wheel. I intend to play as much heavy metal as possible. See ya tonight at Druid City Brewing Company for a couple sets as we start to work our way back east! Thanks for reading, rushing to leave town today so sorry for any typos. xx