2017

I saw Zeitgeist probably in 1985 or 86 at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Sandburg Hall dorm night club called the Cabaret. At the time they were having new touring bands that no one had heard of. Around the same time I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers there touring for their 2d album and there were maybe 20 people there. I think there were more for Zeitgeist.

Since then I never heard anything about Zeitgeist or ever heard them on the radio but whenever I think of Austin I think of Zeitgeist and always wondered whatever happened to them. Now I know, after deciding to find out in this day of too much information. 

I bought the Translate Slowly record that night at UW-M and have played it off and on ever since. It is really one of my favorite records, although there are many of those. I dubbed it to cassette and used to listen to it  often while at work. Tonight I was in a mood to play “October”- U2 and after playing some more U2 from that time period, came across Zeitgeist a few letters down in my collection and so off on the internet search to find out what happened to them. Now that I know I will have to try to track down the Reivers records. 

Unfortunately, for me it is difficult to listen to the Zeitgeist record, which I love, without thinking about my first marriage. My first wife was at that show with me and I remember a few arguments when she would invoke “Things Don’t Change.”

For a number of years  recently I played drums in a Western Swing and vintage country band. When I joined, I knew almost nothing of that music, and still very little, but it was always fun to play. The guys in the band would always be talking about Austin musicians of that genre but I would always think of Zeitgeist whenever they would talk about Austin.

I had hoped to maybe get to play in Austin with that band, as we did play in Vegas twice for Viva Las Vegas, but they kicked me out again a few months ago. Maybe because my heart is really with bands like Zeitgeist and not with Bob Wills.

Well, “Freight Train Rain” (a favorite) and the instrumental that closes “Translate Slowly” just played, so I guess that’s enough.