Get Juiced for Reivers Reunion

By Michael Corcoran. Blog Entry at Austin 360 by music journalist, Dec. 29, 2007.

It’s true. One of Austin’s all-time greatest bands, the jangly folk rock act formerly known as Zeitgeist, is currently in rehearsals for a big night revisiting “Secretariat,” “Star Telegram,” “Translate Slowly” and that great cover of “Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain.” We’ll see if they were right when they sang “Things Don’t Change.”

Talked to Kim Longacre, who’s now a mother of five, and she said the show looks to be in February at the Parish, but a definite date has yet to be confirmed. I can see the show at the 300-capacity Parish quickly selling out and moving to Stubb’s outdoors. This truly original band was more popular, more inspirational then they may think, 15 years after their “Pop Beloved” swan song. They’ll never be able to re-capture the spirit of the time that was 1985 Austin, but then neither will their earliest fans. But as far as long gone Austin bands you can get to see one more time, the Reivers are at the top of the list.

But they should call themselves Zeitgeist for the reunion show. That was the perfect name and they had so much momentum with it, but then after they signed to Capitol, the label made them change it because a new age group from Minnesota had claimed Zeitgeist. In retrospect, “Zeitghost,” which was considered, would’ve been a better name than the Reivers, taken from a Faulkner novel.

While we wait and superfan Rob “Veronica Mars” Thomas looks into private jet availability, check out this great footage from the one-hour MTV show dedicated to the Austin scene. Watch Daniel Johnston’s naive charm being discovered at the barbecue in Zeitgeist drummer Garrett Williams’ backyard. “We went and picked him up from his job at McDonald’s,” Longacre recalls. Zeigeist later brought Daniel onstage at Liberty Lunch, where he was quaking with nervousness as he sang “Broken Dreams.” It’s all in the YouTube clip.

And while we’re fixing that flat on Memory Lane, let’s recall the True Believers segment from the same taping.

Ah, good times.