Austyn Gillette was down in San Clemente for physical therapy on Friday. He said he’d be back to his house in LA around 2:30 and invited us to meet up. His band Part Friend was playing with Swimm. all was well until I arrived and Austyn was at the Emergency room with his friend who cut his hand.
They got back two hours later, his friend Jeff had some crazy finger cast thing on now, so we had a couple drinks and we were off to the show. When we arrived the walls we’re covered in mylar and it reminded me of a haunted house. They had an open bar with two options: PBR and moonshine. I talked to Adam from Swimm the next day and he said when they were cleaning up they found several different piles of puke around the warehouse. I think the mooonshine was the culprit.
The next day I showed up to Austyn’s around 1, hungover and tired, he and friends were already drinking champagne. He was in a tuxedo and we had a conversation.
What Youth: What’s happening right now?
Austyn Gillette: Well, we’re having some afternoon soakers. We got a little champagne, we got a little orange juice, we got some friends, little laughs going around. Am I right? Yeah, ummm, played a hell of a show last night, don’t remember a thing. No one showed up. Everything’s working out really, really shitty.
What happened to Jeff yesterday (remember the ER)?
Oh! Before the show, Jeff decided to try to cut his finger off while trying to make a pedal board. Not for the show, just a pedal board for no reason, and uh, is that champagne empty? We’re gonna need more champagne. Anyway, we’re playing with vaude tonight. V A U D E.
Who played last night?
Part Friend. Nothing’s different. same band, we had different drummers for a bit. Warren Smith — and he recently bailed out on us due to a surf trip in Bali. I don’t think he plans on coming back.
So its the same people in both bands?
Michael: Me and Austyn switch from bass and guitar. Austyn sings in Part Friend. I sing in Vaude. Austyn writes all his own stuff for Part Friend. We had to find a drummer last minute so it was either Graham or a drum machine. We decided to go with Graham. Keep it real, keep a friend, a fellow cohort, a weekend kind of guy. He shines on the weekend.
So which one is your main one Austyn?
Theyre both! There’s not really a main band. Mine is Part Friend, and Mikey’s is Vaude. We’re each our own writers and then we play backup for each other, but when I’m playing Vaude I feel right at home and visa versa. Literally, right at home. We practice here, we play here, we sleep here, we sweat here, we breathe here, we sleep here, we bleed here, we wake up here. Jeff definitely bleeds here.
So who’s playing tonight?
Vaude. At hotel cafe located off of La Cienaga and sunset. I think we’re closing the deal at 12. we got some scouts coming out. Some people you might of heard of, Warner. Paramount. Ring a bell?—Michael Cukr