Happy Coquitomas

A quick look back

I scritched a kangaroo’s chin earlier this month.

And Waxahatchee played at the Sydney Opera House. What the hell? What insane privileges this band has had this year.

We played 81 shows and I played 135 overall in 2024. It ain’t about the numbers, but it’s satisfying to see them anyway. That’s a lot of schlepping around and putting songs across.

Of course, the opportunities the Tigers Blood band had are totally based on Katie’s extremely hard work and wise steering of the ship. It doesn’t just happen… You know that. I can’t thank Katie enough for bringing me along and our roadmates for being such kind people to travel with. Locked in arms, circling the globe, picking each other up.

Walking outside the Opera House before our show, I felt like the guy in the “they don’t know…” meme. Hundreds of tourists milling around, buying souvenirs and taking photos, and they didn’t know the victorious, triumphant artíst centerpieces of the building they admired were standing mere feet away from them, hours away from giving a tour de force inside its walls. It was almost like they were there to see the historic architecture and not us! Almost!

Had to do it to ’em with the full width photo. Credit: Jess Clarke.

My impression of Australia, having gone there once before: such kind people, such good food (even in the airports). Pretty simple, straightforward pleasantness. I agree with what Warren Ellis said in a recent TCI interview about an Australian mindset. It’s irreverent, lighthearted, and a little tough. Maybe the two poles musically, at least among young bands, are Good Morning and The Chats.¹ Kinda punks, kinda just playing around. The whole country’s coastal, after all.

I wish I had documented the wildlife sanctuary’s info panel of colonists’ hateful quotes about Tasmanian Devils. Brutal.

When I got home from Australia, I headed straight into shows with my framily siblings, Sima Cunningham and Liam Kazar. (Sima and Liam are real-life siblings, for those keeping track at home.) Sima’s was the long-awaited release show for her beautiful album High Roller. Sold out on our home turf, Constellation Chicago, a club she helped open more than ten years ago, full of our closest friends and family. (Max Subar opened. You should keep an eye on Max for his new music.) There are stone-cold classics on Sima’s record, like “Both Ways,” and I cry every time we play “Adonai.”

Liam reunited our trio with Lane Beckstrom to parachute in to night two of Neal Francis at Thalia Hall. In my biased, proud opinion, the Liam trio can do amazing things… I leave our shows thinking, “I didn’t know we’d play it like that.” It’s really nice to feel that surprise. (We’re playing Feb 8 near Chicago, too.)

Next in this recap omnibus: I produced a session with Elizabeth Moen, at the studio my friend Jason and I have been building for the past four years. My first-ish time producing a full-length record for someone who isn’t Casey or Henry. More to say when the album is closer to release, but I loved working with Lizzie from the ground up, shepherding us through a recording process, all of it.

And I headed straight from the Elizabeth session to St. Louis, where I celebrated Christmas with Casey’s family (and, at their strong encouragement, celebrated Hanukkah, too). Casey and her mom and sister made empanadas and arroz con gandules (no tostones this year because we forgot to buy plantains, oops). We sat around and drank coquito and played songs with Casey’s aunt Ellen and her sweet boyfriend, John, and felt a type of peace I wish everyone on the planet could experience.

Casey got an Instax camera for Christmas :)

Now the Tweedy clan has traveled to LA to visit our relatives and for my dad’s solo acoustic shows at Largo. We’re also sticking around for Katie and Allison Crutchfield’s Sweet Sixteen twin birthday show at Largo on the fourth.

I’m very grateful to be together.

I hope you’re well.

Remember, the only things babies innately fear are heights!

XO,
Spoon

P.S. Watch Waxahatchee’s Tiny Desk Concert.

P.P.S. Recording Academy members can participate in final round Grammy voting until January 3 :-)

1. I looooove that new Good Morning album. We toured with them all spring and I love them, musically and personally.