Stop The Truck

Suppose you want to be a successful band in the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin, Texas. One of the most important ingredients you will need is an identity, a personality.

Unless, of course, your band has more than one identity.

Out On the Porch, Jim Swift, on an Austin band with a severe case of split personality.

(The following is a transcript of Out On the Porch.)

Reggae music.

Moe Monsarrat's musical career began when he was a kid in church.

Monsarrat says: "I'd stand next to my mom and dad and I was greatly offended because they sang out of key. And so they got tired of hearing me whine about it, so they made me join a choir."

Reggae music.

David Roach was also just a kid when his dad gave him a guitar.

Roach says, "I was a folky at that point. And you know, when rock and roll first came around, I wasn't a real big fan of it. That changed."

Monsarrat sings: "People, I say, get up and stand up."

By 1969, Monsarrat and Roach had become friends and had discovered the music of a fellow named Bob Marley.

Roach says: "Moe went out and bought this record and we liked the pictures on it. And we couldn't figure out the music at all."

Monsarrat says: "It irritated me because I couldn't figure out what they were doing."

Roach sings: "Get up, yeah, don't get down."

But by the late 70's, they had figured it out so well, their band, The Lotions, was one of the most popular in Austin.

Monsarrat says: "But in Austin, Texas, it pays to be versatile. And you know, for a while we made good money playing reggae; then for a while, we didn't."

Monsarrat sings: "I get in the truck, I put the pedal to the metal, to bring it on down the redneck level."

Thus was born a country band, called, Stop the Truck. but the guys missed reggae.

Band sings: "Simmer down."

Thus was born another band with roughly the same personnel called, the Mau Mau Chaplains.

Monsarrat says: "Austin, Texas, is as diverse and as multi-racial, multi-ethnic as you can get. And I think it's been proven that anybody can play just about anything, if they put their mind to it and if they get into the spirit of it."

Mau Mau Chaplains sing: "And let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, oh Fari."

Monsarrat says: "Give thanks and praise, we thank you."

Monsarrat says: "Mau Mau Chaplains, you all, yeah!"

You can often find Stop the Truck at Gino's Italian Grill in South Austin and the Mau Mau Chaplains at Flamingo Cantina on Sixth Street.
For more information, check out http://kxan.com/Global/story.asp?s=3202311 - Jim Swift