San Antonio Express-News

John Goodspeed: Traditional Country in Weekend Spotlight

Web Posted: 07/07/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Eleven Hundred Springs is counting on making a big splash this weekend.

After Friday nightâs show at John T. Floore Country Store, the band will tool up U.S. 281 for its first official 1100 Springs Guadalupe River Weekend, a float with fans down the Guadalupe.

But ãofficialä may not be the right word for the quintetâs laid-back approach to tubing.

ãItâd be cool to charter a bus and everything, sell tickets, make it part of the concert. But thatâs business as usual,ä singer/guitarist/co-founder Matt Hillyer said. ãWeâre going to be floating. If people want to join us, awesome.ä
 

All theyâre doing is getting a head count from their Web site, www.elevenhundredsprings.com, and trying to reserve enough tubes at the Guadalupe Canoe Livery, near 281 and the Guadalupe River bridge, and shove off around 11 a.m. Saturday.

A pet project of bass player and band co-founder Steve Berg, the float is a way to get to know fans better in a relaxed setting while sharing some fun.

ãWeâve made some of our best friends of our lives at our shows, and weâre lucky to have such passionate fans,ä Hillyer said. ãWe can spend some time together to have conversations and meet some more folks.ä

It also helps to have Lone Star Beer as a sponsor of the band.

ãJust put it this way,ä Hillyer said. ãWe get a few cases a month from them, but letâs say we havenât been drinking them, weâve been saving them for a special occasion. There wonât be a shortage of cold drinks.ä

There will be an after-float party with more beverages and barbecue at Blanco Taxidermy, a few miles north on U.S. 281 in Blanco. While music is not officially on the menu, guitars are bound to be around.

ãWe love that part of the state,ä Hillyer said of his Dallas-based band mates, ãand Flooreâs is always a lot of fun to play. But we usually turn around and go home, and we spend a lot of time driving.
 

ãThis time, we said, letâs do something fun.ä

As for the show at Flooreâs, Eleven Hundred Springs is sure to play plenty of originals off its albums, including last yearâs Bandwagon, a retro yet fresh collection of tunes with influences ranging from Buck Owens and Doug Sahm to Hank Williams and The Byrds. You can get an idea of their alternative country approach with some song titles ÷ ãThe Only Thing She Left Me Was the Blues,ä ãLong Haired Tattooed Hippie Freaksä and ãHank Williams Wouldnât Make It Now in Nashville Tennessee.ä

ãOur main goal has always been to play traditional country music the right way,ä Hillyer said. ãWe want to focus on writing good songs with good melodies with lyrics that are simple and true that strike a chord with people. But we also want songs people can sing along and dance to.ä

Hillyer, though, still has to work up a tune to float to.

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 "Hank Williams Wouldn't  Make It Now in Nashville, Tennessee"

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