Waco's Punk Rock Past Part 6

By 2005 things were on a steady downhill path. The days of packed venues were over. Bands that used to draw crowds in the hundreds, would now be lucky to get 50. A new music scene was emerging with the youngest of the crowd. Screamo and post-hardcore were now drawing the crowd's attention. There were still some great bands left though. I was a newlywed at this time, so I wasn't getting to go to as many shows, but I tried to make as many as I could. I wanted to play again, so I asked Kevin if he wanted to do a project. We decided that we could play but couldn't do anything serious, because Kevin had just enlisted in the army. He had a date for basic training, so we knew when it had to end.

Kevin and I, along with my two younger brothers formed a very short-lived project called Sweet Like Dirt. At the time the rivalry between the other promoter and I was still going very strong. One night we were invited out to a place called the Punkyard, by a band of young kids who called themselves Middle Finger Salute. That other promoter had put on the show, but we accepted the invitation. One of the members of MFS asked if we would get up and play a song, so of course we said yes. Lint was getting ready to play, and graciously let us use their equipment to play one song. The crowd went wild in a mosh pit full of mud. Then Lint went on to play a killer set. I remember my brothers and I jumping in the pit during their set, and knocking most of the crowd over into the mud as we dogpiled on top of each other. Lint always seem to have that effect on me.

Soon after, Well Inside Out announced their final show. This would be a show for the ages, but it would also mark the end of an era. That night the Jubilee Theater was packed, people from all over Waco ready to see the final performance of Well Inside Out. Sweet Like Dirt took the stage and got the crowd hyped. Turns out every member of The Faction was there that night, so we reunited once again to play a song and say farewell to our friends. Well Inside Out took the stage, and unleashed a torrent of energy like they never had before. If it was to be their last performance, then it would be the best they ever performed.

The night would end with the smashing of Jason's bass, and the memories of one last get together between Well Inside Out, Garage 34, and The Faction. Three bands that had been friends through thick and thin. We played together, sometimes lived together, travelled together, and even wrote a few songs together. Sure there were still plenty of bands playing, but things would never be the same. Members of those bands with go on to have lives after the music was there life. Every member of The Faction would eventually join the Army. Members of the other bands went on to have careers in technical and educational fields, art, and sales. We all moved on from the music but, it shaped who we are today, and that's saying something.

There was still a little bit of punk rock left, but over the next few years it waned, and eventually faded into memory. Most of us grew up, became parents, all the typical stuff that happens in adult life. Most bands would go on to have final shows, the American Culture Experiments had a final Waco show, then a final show out of town, Garage 34 had so many final shows I can't count them, but went on to form a new band called Johnny's Body. Lint was rife with internal drama, causing wounds so deep that they may never heal. Jud still continues to play when he can, but ADD has long since faded away. And one band I have yet to mention, left a deep impression on me. NPR was a band that started a little late in the game, but had the same feel as The Faction. From the Aloha Fridays to the Tastydactles, we had a good run, and in the spring of 2015, many of us got to reunite. Listening once again to an older and wiser Jud, banging our heads to NPR, and swooning over the pop punk sounds of the Decibelz. This year, we plan to do it again. So if you're ever in Waco, look passed the Fixer Upper homes, Magnolia Table, and McLane Stadium. Take yourself down to the corner of 15th and Colcord, to the Jubilee Theater, it's think about the history that happened there.