We've made so many talented friends over the years and so many of them helped make this weekend possible, that I felt compelled to compile a quick thank-you list. These shows would have been impossible without: Ray Martin (our incredible sound engineer), Zach Hendrix (lighting designer), Brian Downey (primary stage tech), Jeff Johnson (stage tech), Jon Sass (who DJ'ed both evenings), John Herguth (the unofficial-official management of Texas Is The Reason and occasional back-up singer), Joshua Wildman (our official event photographer), Tim Edwards and everyone at Flower Booking, David Lewis and the staff at Riot Act Media, the MerchNow crew, Jason Gnewikow (for designing a classy collection of T-shirts, badges, and hoodies for the weekend), Jesse LeDoux (for designing the official limited edition silkscreened poster for the event), John Mockus (whose photos we used on all of our records and again in the opening montage for our performances this weekend), Yvette Wojciechowski (for editing the introduction visual sequence), Jordan Provost (for shooting the original reunion band portraits), and of course, Ian Love and his bandmates for making such stunning music to start the evenings with. We'll be sharing whatever we can from the affair in the upcoming days, but we're still getting our bearings for the most part. In the meantime, another quick round of questions that have been coming in: What are the names of the two unreleased songs you played? The slower track of the two is called "Every Little Girl's Dream." The more upbeat track of the two is called "When Rock 'N' Roll Was Just A Baby." Can I just say as well, the unreleased songs sound excellent. Are these new songs you put together just for the show or are they from back when you guys were together? We wrote and finished these songs in late 1996, only a few months before we broke up. We played them on our final U.S. and European tours and have loved them ever since. We wanted to give them another chance to be heard. What was the cover song you played? It was a song called "Rafael" by a Chicago band called Seam. We wanted to give them some credit: Of all the mid-'90s indie bands that influenced us in some way, Seam really took home the prize. Ten years later, their records still hold up -- perhaps even moreso than ours. Go check out The Problem With Me (which also features the original version of "Rafael") or Are You Driving Me Crazy?. These records changed lives, too. I was unable to attend the show. Is there a way to order any merch directly from you and is there any left? In a special arrangement with our friends at MerchNow, we will be selling any leftover T-Shirts, hoodies, badges, and posters through a webstore on their site. We're still letting the dust settle, but as soon as these items become available we'll let you know. The merchandise for this weekend is limited to whatever we pressed, so whenever MerchNow runs out of these designs, they will go out of print. Finally, a quick link round-up of show previews and reviews we found interesting: The NY Daily News ran this story. This show review really captured something. This interview answers a lot of questions. And this show review really humbled me. Most of all, however, thank you. We'll remember this weekend forever. 
I think we're all walking around in a daze this week. You remember that Ten-Year Anniversary thing we've been talking about? Yep. Four days. We've noticed a new round of frequently-asked-questions coming in via electronic mail over the past couple of weeks, so we'll get into the most popular ones here: I didn't get tickets to either show! I missed out! What can I do? In our last missive, I mentioned that last minute tickets that were held by the venue or the artists for any reason are often released close to the night of the show. Even for sold out shows. Really. It's a little-known fact, but it happens a lot. I happen to know for a fact that a handful of tickets for both nights have been released and are on sale at Ticketmaster now. How do I know? I checked here. If you waited too long the first time, however, don't wait too long now. There aren't many. If you'd rather not deal with Ticketmaster, several nice people are selling extra tickets for face value through the Comments section of our Myspace page. You can always score a ticket and make a new friend, right? Will you be recording the show in any format? Can I film the shows for you? Who knew we knew so many budding film-makers? Thanks to everyone who asked and to everyone who volunteered to shoot the proceedings, but after careful consideration, we've decided that these concerts will not be professionally filmed. There are several deterrents that would keep this from happening from a logistics standpoint, but the most significant point to consider is that we only have two nights here. And we want to make these concerts as special and intimate and natural as possible for ourselves and for the people who traveled so far (and near) to be there with us. We are not playing these shows for the past or future's sake, but to create a new moment. Sometimes, in the age of technology, we worry so much about capturing a moment that we often miss it altogether. If November 22, 1963, taught us anything, it was to be here now. What the hell is "Something To Forget" (Version I) and will you play it? Hmm. Let's put it this way: If we were happy with Version I, there never would have been a Version II. Some prefer it, of course; it's longer, tougher, and a radio signal comes through Norman's amp in the middle of it all. But Version II is a leaner, clearer thought. Trust us. Will you have new T-shirts at the shows? Thanks to our good friend Jason Gnewikow, we have a new visual direction and a thematic set of completely new designs. The Ten-Year Anniversary Collection has been exclusively designed for this event: We've manufactured a finite amount of these designs and they will not be reprinted. Once again, it's all about this weekend. Starting in four days.
Can we nod our heads to a few special friends? First up, big thanks to Jason Gnewikow, who has been invaluable to this entire production. You know him from his work in The Promise Ring -- of course! -- but he lives in New York City now and makes beautiful things for a living. Ours is a lifelong friendship. Do you know Jesse LeDoux? He's designed records for The Shins, Pedro The Lion, and Elliott Smith, to name a few. This month he designed a limited edition commemorative silkscreen poster for these events, and they are a sight to behold. These posters will be stamped and numbered and available at these two shows only. Make sure to visit LeDouxville. Get to know him. And, finally, our friends at The Syrentha Savio Endowment have been providing financial assistance to underprivileged women who cannot afford the expense of breast cancer for several years now, and we are proud to be friends with its founder, Mark Beemer. Beemer has seen Texas Is The Reason since the beginning; he took the very first photos of the band when we recorded our first few songs in April of 1995. We are arranging a table for the SSE to disseminate information about breast cancer and their organization at both Irving Plaza shows and we will also be donating an exclusive Texas Is The Reason T-shirt design to Shirts For A Cure. All of the proceeds of this shirt will go to help women who cannot afford breast cancer therapy or medicine. Check out their site for other exclusive T-shirt designs from friends of ours like Lifetime, Refused, Alkaline Trio, Thursday, and plenty more great bands. A Texas Is The Reason T-shirt will be available in the coming weeks! Other things: We've received quite a few emails from folks inquiring about tickets. On an official level, tickets for both shows are sold out. But there are options: Lots of fans with extra tickets have been posting information in the Comments section of our MySpace page. If you're selling your tickets for face value, we encourage you to use our space to hook up with likeminded fans who need tickets. If you're looking to make a buck, we encourage you to go elsewhere to hawk your wares. It is also a little-known fact that straggler tickets often appear on sale through Ticketmaster as showtime closes in. We don't know where these mystery tickets come from, but this happens more than you think. Checking Ticketmaster occasionally will not only be painless, it just might surprise you. Celebrate good times, come on.
Sold Out Used To Be The Name Of Fanzine, Actually.
Word has been passed down from The Ticket Master that both of our upcoming shows at Irving Plaza, on November 25 and 26, are currently and officially sold out. That is, simply enough, amazing to us. We've been preparing a special gift for everyone who comes to the show. It's too early to go into detail over what it is, but it has involved mining our closets and photo albums and memories. We've been reading over the master list of Texas Is The Reason shows, too; can you believe that we kept a list of every show we ever played and every band we ever played with? So much happened in such a short time for this band, and it seems as if these final shows have chosen to honour that route. There's one month and one week to go. When it's all over, we'll abide by that maxim that seemed to describe our first run around so eloquently. ALL FAREWELLS, they say, SHOULD BE SUDDEN.
We could never have predicted last week's response to the first show, so we really have no idea what to expect today. If you plan to attend this show, buy early and breathe easy. If you know someone who missed out on the first night, let them know about the second. When the doors of Irving Plaza close on the evening of Sunday, November 26, this story will be finished. As with last week, tickets will be available through Ticketmaster and the Irving Plaza Box Office. We can't wait to see you.
These tips seemed to be helpful last week, when tickets for the first show went on sale, so we figured it was a good idea to post them again: If you wish to attend, tickets will be available through Ticketmaster and the Irving Plaza Box Office. If you are looking for a list of Ticketmaster retail locations in America, look here. If you are planning to buy tickets outside of the U.S., read this first. If you have any other questions regarding Ticketmaster policies and procedures, this will help. If you're thinking about coming, we'd love to have you.
A second show has now been added to create a ten-year anniversary weekend! Please join us on Saturday, November 25, and SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, for what is shaping up to become an incredible and memorable occasion. Tickets for November 26 will be available at Ticketmaster and the Irving Plaza Box Office beginning this Friday, October 6, at Noon! This will be the final show and these will be the final performances ever for Texas Is The Reason. We cannot extend our gratefulness far enough to everyone who contributed to the success of this project. And yes, there are surprises to come. Love and thanks, again.
Lots to do and more to come. Really. Check back here. In the meantime, have you checked out Ian Love yet? This show would not be the same without him.
Ticket sales for the Do You Know Who You Are? ten-year anniversary show at New York City's Irving Plaza begin today, Saturday September 30, at 1PM (Eastern Standard Time). See you soon?
If you didn't manage to pick up tickets through our internet-only presale last week, ticket sales for the general public will begin tomorrow, Saturday September 30, at 1PM (Eastern Standard Time). If you wish to attend, tickets will be available through Ticketmaster and the Irving Plaza Box Office. If you are looking for a list of Ticketmaster retail locations in America, look here. If you are planning to buy tickets outside of the U.S., read this first. If you have any other questions regarding Ticketmaster policies and procedures, this will help. If you don't mind, we'd like to say thank you (again!) for all of the kind words and support since this event was announced only three short weeks ago. More will be revealed in the coming weeks. If it's here when we get back, it's ours.
Does "It Is Happening Again" mean you are getting back together for good? "It Is Happening Again" was going to be the name of our second record. The origin of this phrase will become clear on November 25. But are you getting back together and going on tour? No. I've heard there are Texas Is The Reason songs that were recorded and never released. Is that true? Everything that was ever recorded has been released. But are there finished songs that were never recorded? Yes. We played two of them throughout our final tours in the U.S. and Europe, and we plan to play those two on November 25. These songs were called "Every Little Girl's Dream" and "When Rock N' Roll Was Just A Baby." No, seriously. Will you be playing [insert your favorite Texas Is The Reason song here] at Irving Plaza? Yes. More info to come on Friday. See you then!
Presale Tickets Sell Out: Official Sale To The Public In One Week!
It has come to our attention that our reserved presale tickets have all been spoken for. Almost instantaneously. Wow. Great news on one level, but for everyone who could not secure a ticket in presale: please do not fret. The reserved tickets were of a limited nature and the lion's share of the tickets are still waiting to be released on September 30! Thanks to everyone who has commented and e-mailed us; we appreciate the response. Just know that this event is far from sold out. Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster and Irving Plaza next week and we will give you all the information you need to know about that in the coming week! Again, wow. You rule.
Our limited presale tickets for the Texas Is The Reason ten-year annniversary celebration of Do You Know Who You Are? will be available beginning today at noon! You can get in on it by clicking the link on the upper right hand corner of this page when the clock strikes twelve. And remember, if you don't score presale tickets for any reason, tickets for the general public go on sale through Ticketmaster and the Irving Plaza Box Office next Saturday, September 30! We'll have more announcements regarding this very special event in the coming weeks. Until then, while we have your attention, make sure to acquaint yourself with the man we handpicked to open the show: Ian Love made a name for himself in bands like Rival Schools, Cardia, and Burn, but his solo record -- released through Limekiln earlier this year -- is simply stunning. We're excited to have Ian on board and we hope you'll all make it a point to see him perform. Good luck with the pre-sale, everyone. There's more to come.
Presale Details Available Now!
These specially reserved presale tickets will be exclusively available by clicking the link on the upper right hand corner of this page tomorrow afternoon. You can grab your tickets until September 29 or until we've run out -- whichever comes first. And please, if you aren't able to score presale tickets, don't fret: you'll still have your chance to buy tickets through Ticketmaster and the Irving Plaza Box Office beginning on September 30. As always, we'll keep you informed of the details. In the meantime, click on the link now. It will take you to a special page where you can open an account and get a head start. Then, tomorrow at noon, you'll be able to come back, click through, and reserve your space for the Do You Know Who You Are? ten-year anniversary show. Once again, and this is important, there have been no tickets held for this event. Buying a ticket -- either through presale or through the general public ticket sale -- is the only way to guarantee entry. Thanks again for all your support and don't forget to come back tomorrow at noon for the beginning of our special presale. We'll see you soon, indeed.
Important Info About This Week's Presale & Another Thing.
Next up: LIMITED PRESALE TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS FRIDAY! We'll update this site and send out a MySpace bulletin board blast on Thursday with specific details, but here's what you need to know now: Presale tickets will be available through an exclusive link on our websites. (If you're reading this, bookmark us. This is where you'll need to be.) These tickets were especially reserved for folks like yourselves, and they will not be available anywhere else. Once these presale tickets are gone, your next chance to buy tickets will come on September 30, through Ticketmaster.com and the Irving Plaza box office. Save the dates. FINALLY AND VERY IMPORTANTLY: It has come to our attention that the creative formal invitation on our website has been taken too literally by dozens of you. The "RSVP" was a figurative way of saying "Say hi," in keeping with the theme of the formal invitation. If you have emailed us here at Myspace, left a comment, or e-mailed Irving Plaza, you have NOT held tickets. THERE ARE NO TICKETS BEING HELD FOR THIS EVENT. The only way to confirm your place at the show is to buy a ticket -- either during the presale beginning on Friday, or during the general public sale on September 30. Please spread the word. Detailed specifics about the presale is forthcoming!
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