Full Service  

November 6, 2009

Friday 10:00pm

Detail:

One way to get an opening slot for a popular band is to open for them without their permission. That's just what Austin-based Full Service did on last year's 311 tour. Setting up a generator-powered stage in parking lots of arenas and amphitheaters from Boston all the way back to Texas, the band, whose sound draws from a variety of genres including rock, reggae and metal, played spontaneous shows, which they dubbed "takeovers." Although the Austin scene features a range of musical genres, there doesn't seem to be a ton of room for a group of dreadlocked rockers that veers dangerously close to the oft ridiculed category "jam band." "It's hard for us to find a place in the scene," says drummer David Kepner, better known as "Hoag." Existing outside the mainstream might not be such a bad thing. Bands such as 311, Guster and Widespread Panic exist largely under the radar but perform across the country to packed audiences of cult-like fans. Hoag is at home with the idea. "The live show, the traveling, is where it's at. It's about connecting with the fans," Hoag says.