ToD Take Stock at Tour's Mid-Point, Reconsider Taboo Songs
02/26/2007 -- by merlin

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) -- Elder Texas melodic-rockers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead finished the UK-leg of their five week European tour last night in Nottingham and now set their sights on the mainland for two more weeks of shows until returning home mid-March.

Frontman and band decider Conrad Keely took time out of his extremely congested schedule to reflect on the band's return to Europe.  "It's great to be back on this side of the Atlantic.  I don't think we could have hoped for a better response," Keely says fondly.  "Crowds still aren't moving around a lot during the shows, so I guess that disproves my theory that only Americans enjoy standing around looking stupid.  It is true that I don't enjoy touring as much as I used to and I'd probably consider that one of the biggest reasons for my resentment.  [Back when] we first started out, everyone moved around even if they didn't know the songs.  They went to rock shows to get drunk, work up a sweat, and enjoy the music.  Somewhere between then and now, people grew big fat pretentious legs and rooted themselves to the ground.  What sense does it make to pay $15 to get into a show and then just stand there?  I can't imagine anything more uneconomical."  

Keely also took time to quash several tabloid reports that the band had been playing songs written by former member Neil Busch.  "No, we haven't been playing [Neil's] songs.  That's probably a rumor started in a pub-- drunkards trying to remember a setlist and conjuring up memories of random songs.  In theory, however, it is something we could do now with Doni on drums and Kevin, Jason, and myself playing the three guitar parts.  If it weren't for our lack of practice time before the tour, we could very well be playing one or two of the songs every night.  Maybe if people pester us enough about it we'll give it a go.  Right now though we can't be bothered."

When asked to dispel the myth regarding the band's reluctance to play songs off their newest effort "So Divided", Keely responded firmly.  "No, that isn't a myth.  We really don't like the songs."

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