A League Of Their Own
Messing With Texas lets it be known that "You're not from Ortonville. You're not going to get it."

Story appeared in High Plains Reader (www.hpr1.com), July 10, 2003 issue
Story & photo by Randy Schwartz, music editor

erik.dale.matt.jon

As an outsider, to sit in the same circle as Messing With Texas is very much like entering foreign territory. It's a Bizarro-esque land where the more irreverent the humor is, the more it is appreciated. Here Nintendo meets ninjas, while whimsical words such as "Bamf" and "Snikt" actually mean something (at least to one member). A land where friendships remain high priorities, and all things "Ortonville" are golden.

In less than a year's time, the quartet of "mess-ups" that comprise Messing With Texas have created a very positive buzz within the F-M underground, mainly due to two factors: their fervent live shows and a scorching, five-song EP entitled, "…So Pretty in Pieces."

"Pieces," which was recorded in a one-night, one-shot marathon session, could be the most brutally sincere work to spring up in the Valley within the last year -- or more. Musically, the album floats in a limbo between catchy hooks and melodies, hardcore sentiment, and punk sensibility. With lead vocalist Jon Hartman engulfing every track in his signature gravelly voice, the boys manage to impress the listener in the closing moments of "My Last Breath" with an ardent three-part harmony, singing, "My tears taste so familiar / They come to cool me off in Hell."

Explaining their approach to writing music, drummer Erik Block states, "It's like a business meeting … we hash songs out over two to three practices. There will be long periods where we don't even play instruments; we just talk about what we can do. It takes a long time for us to write our songs, but we really like the way they come together."

Extrapolating on the subject, Jon Hartman notes, "When I've played the album for other people … when I played it for my mom [everyone laughs], she asked, 'Who wrote this song?' The only thing I could say was 'Messing With Texas.' We have to say that. No one person writes anything … we all write everything."

Continuing, Block demands to bring attention to the fact that MWT guitarist, Dale Wentland, is "a great singer, a great songwriter, a great guitar player … a great musician, overall, but he doesn't listen to music."

Not disagreeing with the point, Wentland admits, "It's true. But I've been writing music now for over 10 years. I've had enormous amounts of time on my hands because I am very, very lazy. Truth be told, it's nice to be with guys who really strive to write music … who really enjoy doing it."

Another activity (probably more than anything else) that the foursome enjoys doing is reminiscing about their mutual hometown of Ortonville. Located in the southern region of Minnesota, with a population of about 2200, it seems odd that an establishing F-M band would maintain such devotion to their former stomping ground. When asked why there is so much emphasis put on Ortonville, Block replies, "It was important to make an 'all-Ortonville' band because we knew the talent that was there. And the friendships were there to hold us together. Trying to be in a band with someone you can't say what you want to just does not work. We've known each other since we were kids, and we can say whatever we want. If someone writes a riff or a vocal part, we can say things like, 'That's not that good. We can do better.'"

"Erik tells me that I write crap all the time," says Wentland, trying to give an example. "I take it with a grain of salt."

"Honestly," Hartman interjects, "growing up with each other is really what matters. I look at Matt [Novak] playing bass on stage and I think of my first memory of him, chasing me around on the playground. I was in the 3rd grade. It's just weird to look over and see the two of us standing on a stage together … having the time of our lives. This is the first band that I've been in and it's the only band that I EVER want to be in."

"Every cog in the band is irreplaceable," says Block. "We're not the kind of band that would be like, 'Well, we lost our bass player. Let's find another.' It wouldn't work. I wouldn't want it to work."

Still, I do not receive an explanation for their undying love of Ortonville, MN.  It isn't until MWT's bass player (and - by far - quietest member) Matt Novak speaks up that I start to gain somewhat of an understanding … somewhat. "One thing that can be said about the Ortonville attitude is that there's not one of us that are pompous … like, 'I'm the shit.' But together, we ARE the shit."

With a resounding agreement, Block adds, "We're all failures in our own right. We all know that. That's something that we've always kind of prided ourselves on, in a strange way. We're just a bunch of homeless drunks. But, when the Ortonville crew gets together, we are f**king awesome! [everyone laughs] We love ourselves!"

"Isn't that elitist?" I ask, quite puzzled. Novak attempts to clarify by stating, "It's more 'exclusive' than it is 'elitist.'"

 "It isn't so much that we TRY to exclude people. It's that we inadvertently exclude people," explains Block. "Our sense of humor IS Ortonville. We try to explain that to other people. We'll say, 'You're not from Ortonville. You're not going to get it.'

We come across more like elitists than we really are. We're all about 25 years old, and we've been hanging out since the 3rd grade. I mean, how many people still hang out, everyday, with their friends from elementary school, you know?"  I finally start to understand. It is with this faith in their comradeship -- this "keeping in touch with your roots" perspective -- that Ortonville's Messing With Texas continues down the unknown path that all local, original bands must follow.

Stating it plainly, Erik Block confesses, "We're a relatively young band still, but I, myself, am impressed with the songs we've done so far. Who knows where the f**k it's going to go … but I'm very excited about it."

Messing With Texas:
A Band & Their Thongs
Appeared in High Plains Reader, Aug 7, 2003
Story & photo by Randy Schwartz, music editor

By far, the winners of the "Most Unique Piece of Local Band Merchandise," Ortonville's Messing With Texas are peddling their own, labeled thongs.

Now female fans of the rock group can nestle themselves into a variety of colored undies, all branded with a small, bracketed bomb - the Messing With Texas logo - and the band's name.

Erik Block, MWT's drummer (and clothing designer), explained how this peculiar piece of product was produced.

"Actually, it was Jon [Hartman, MWT's vocalist]'s idea. We were just standing outside having a cigarette and [the idea] popped into Jon's head. And the funny thing is, he left right then and there. He hopped into the car, went down to Wal Mart and bought some thongs."

Continuing, Block stated, that "it seemed like a natural progression to us, I guess, after we started making stuff. We were trying to think of everything we could do." Undoubtedly.

And where is it going from here?

"It's just taking that same idea further, but I think it would be cool to have a matching bra and panty set. I haven't really figured out what we would do for a design on something like that, yet. A bomb on the front of each breast would look pretty ridiculous! [laughs] But, who knows?"