Welcome to My First Show, where we
give bands a chance to talk about the first shows they ever attended --
no matter how uncool and embarrassing those tales may be.
Jeff Parker spent many years as the bassist for [DARYL], but Les Américains has been his main band for the past few years. Best described as a collision between Built to Spill and The Replacements, the four-piece's debut, Other People's Lives, came out last year.
Growing up, Parker spent some of his youth in New Mexico -- not necessarily the state to always hit for a national touring band. Luckily, he still saw some shows that remain in his mind.
After the jump, he shares with us those early show-going memories, plus what he remembers of the first show he played with Les Américains.
Do you remember the first concert you ever saw? Were your parents with you?
I was living in New Mexico at the time and I remember going with my
parents to see Kris Kristofferson at the state fair one year.
What was the first show you saw with your own money?
The first show I spent money on was Soul Asylum at the University of New
Mexico Student Union. I followed that up by seeing Butthole Surfers,
Stone Temple Pilots, and Firehose at a water park. That was pretty
interesting to say the least.
What do you remember about the first Les Américains' show?
The very first Les Américains show was pretty fun -- primarily because we
didn't tell anyone about it. Some good friends of ours were booking
Rubber Gloves at the time and got us an opening slot on a Thursday
night. It was an interesting lineup, and I think we played in front of a
total of maybe three people (five, if you include the bartender and door
girl). We had a great time, though, and we were all excited about finding
out how well we would interact on stage. Plus, they have really big
beers at Rubber Gloves.
