Jacob Bannon (Converge), November 2017
I had previously met Jacob Bannon in 2010 at a show in Austin at the old Emo’s downtown location (covered here). When I heard he was doing an art signing/pop-up at Waterloo Records, I knew I had to go. The only problem was the timing. It was on a Thursday, and early Tuesday that week I had found out Jay-Z was doing a show in Houston on Wednesday night. For this to all work, I would have to work a double on Tuesday, head to Houston on Wednesday morning, go to see Jay-Z that night, then come back to Austin early Thursday morning and head straight to Waterloo.
Being completely insane, I, of course, did it. I had already missed Jay-Z at Austin City Limits a few months earlier, and I was determined not to miss another chance to cross one of his shows off my bucket list. So, needless to say, I was pretty damn dead tired and running off nothing but caffeine and cigarettes by the time I hit Waterloo.
Bannon was just as awesome as ever. Such a great guy who has no problem discussing his music and art with his fan in depth. I unfortunately couldn’t obtain a copy of their wildly amazing newest record The Dusk in Us by the time of the pop-up, so I grabbed their Unloved and Weeded Out rarities compilation for him to sign instead. It now hangs on my wall and is one of my prized possessions.