Texas Is The Reason, the quartet that helped hardcore punk mature into emo and broke up in 1997 on the verge of major-label success, have announced a one-night-only reunion show at New York's Irving Plaza on November 25 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving). A press release explains:
The band… decided it would be the best way to offer closure on the whole experience–on both a personal level and for their fans. "Texas Is The Reason did everything in broad strokes," explains guitarist Norman Brannon, "so breaking up when we did, quickly and silently, felt like an extension of that. The one thing we all agreed on, even back then, was that our last show should have been in New York City. We've had reunion offers in other states, but we turned them down. This show has been in the back of our minds for a long time."
With their past clearly behind them, the original members are excited to play for the right reasons again. "This is the first time in ten years that we've actually found ourselves living in the same city at the same time," Brannon says. "But ultimately, we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think we could do it right. It's that 'broad strokes' thing, really–we're thinking of this as less of a concert and more of a spectacle."
And in an era when Kiss (the kings of reunions, no?) still brag about just workin' hard for the fans, isn't that a refreshing admission?