ToD Ready for New Beginning at South by Southwest
03/10/2008 -- by merlin
  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) -- Perennial indie-rock fair-haired boys ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead are looking to re-introduce themselves to the music industry this weekend with their appearance during Austin's high-profile South by Southwest music festival.
Hometown heroes Trail of Dead will close the Village Voice media party at La Zona Rosa on Friday afternoon alongside the Black Keys and the Cribs, a role which co-frontman Jason Reece feels the band will relish. "It's a perfect fit for us as we've always been more of a one-off party band than a touring band. Besides, the best way to shake off the rust after a lay-off is just to get out there and play." Friday's hour-long set at the 1,200 capacity La Zona Rosa marks Trail of Dead's first show since late November and the band's first South by Southwest appearance since their acrimonious spilt with long-time label Interscope Records. "This is our first real SXSW showcase in a long, long time," admitted a customarily animated Reece. "Turn back the clocks ten years and we're right back where we started. We don't have a label, so we're in the shop window. I guess it's like the first date after a long, unsuccessful marriage and divorce. You're excited, enthusiastic, and genuinely awkward. In the end you're just happy to be back in the game."
With his band in the midst of writing and recording sessions for their sixth full-length album, Reece feels now may be a perfect time to test the waters and try their new material in front of a live audience. "Hopefully we'll be able to play a few new songs for the crowd. I think it was something we didn't do enough with the last [few] albums. We never got feedback from the fans, from people who could give us an honest opinion and point us in the right direction," lamented Reece. "This time we've been trying to go about the whole process in a different manner. Writing, recording, touring, everything. If it all goes well at this show, we have some new material for the upcoming tour dates, if not, we're off in less than an hour."
A complete listing of the upcoming tour dates is available here.
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