La Snacks and other local bands Connect The Dots in Beaumont
La Snacks
Article Tools
Not to be confused with the region of Southeast Asia that pumps the world full of opium, or the British research universities that pump the world full of knowledge, Texas' Golden Triangle is so named for the Spindletop oil strike of 1901, and the soft light of the gas flares from the many oil refineries that sprung up in the strike's wake. These days, there's more than black gold buried under the ground in the Golden Triangle—there's musical gold as well, but the constantly shuttering live music venues of the region's largest city, Beaumont, have prevented any sort of rock 'n' roll gusher from erupting. And if an act of note does manage to make it to the surface—like drone-masters Ringo Deathstarr and smart-ass college rock revivalists La Snacks—they're usually headed straight to Austin or Denton.
But the members of La Snacks have not forgotten their roots, and that's why they're organizing—and headlining—the second annual Connect The Dots Festival in Beaumont. Set for Sept. 11 and 12, the festival brings the band's fellow Austinites Mothfight, The Midgetmen, The Boxing Lesson, and Death Is Not A Joyride to the Southeastern Texas city to mix it up with locals like post-hardcore yelpers The Roaring 20s and sepia-toned blues-rock romantics The Amorist. It's certainly a showcase of what's happening some 240 miles to the west, but organizers are hoping that it's also a preview of what could happen in Beaumont should the festival prove to be a success—namely, more reason for touring acts to visit, more places for local acts to play, and, as event coordinator Joe Deshotel told Lamar University's University Press, the mobilization of a scene that could eventually incorporate visual arts and fashion as well. Overly ambitious, for sure, but people probably said the same thing about Austin way back when.
