24 May '08
Never go to The French Quarter. I'm serious. Now I can already hear you guys saying "what? he's out of his mind! New Orleans fuckin' rules!", but I'm actually talking about a restaurant in Nashville. Terrible food and service, and we really should have known better given that we were traveling to Louisiana the next day. We did see Rachel's friend Heather Little play there though and she was awesome.
We played at The End. Great sounding room both on and off the stage. Brad the soundguy really took care of us and we can't wait to play there again soon. Got to see some friends again and closed the night out with some whisky at the Three Crow to prepare us for the long drive to New Orleans. Sorry, that was bullshit. We never actually have a reason to drink whisky. If we really wanted to be prepared for the drive we would have gotten some sleep. But no. A radio interview that was being scheduled in New Orleans didn't come through so we were able to leave a little later than we originally scheduled and we got in at about 7:00 to load in for the show. It is hot as balls here in Louisiana right now. Also, the Federal Government needs to get off of it's fat lazy fucking ass and fix the roads here. Probably wouldn't hurt if they solved the still lingering Katrina problems either but that's another story. I do love that people in New Orleans refer to that as "The Storm" and never actually mention it by name.
John, the owner of the Hi-Ho Lounge, totally took care of us and after a beer with him we headed to the real French Quarter, which of course does not suck. We ate at Coop's on Decatur, which is always fantastic. The best gumbo and jambalaya, not to mention probably the spiciest Bloody Mary I think I have ever had. We also got blown away by Jack Wittenbrink's artwork and Wendy and I were compelled to buy some. Look him up online, it's really cool stuff.
Back at the club, we prepared to play the last show of the tour. Couldn't think of a better place than New Orleans to do it, and it worked out perfectly. We played one of the best if not the best show of the tour, the crowd was great and so was the sound. Special thanks to Chris behind the board, man you did a great job. While I'm kissing ass I'l give a shout out to Preston behind the bar and again to John for having us. Thanks to Alyson for that round too!
This is by no means the end of the story. Even if it wasn't the end of the tour it would have been a dangerous party night, mainly due to the fact that the guys from Lovehog are fucking insane. But in a totally awesome way. They played an crazy set of heavy blues entirely written for "the bass player of 54 Seconds". We drank a lot of whisky. Shocking. Jeff put the assboxers back on, put on a gorilla mask and climbed into the giant cage they have at the club. Obviously photos will be posted. Rachel and I got into a whisky,ice and water fight. Stewart's efforts to get Rachel on stage during their set led her to a hysterical onstage marriage proposal from Alex, the drummer. Naturally her pure unfiltered love for Brian forced her to decline and immediately following that her pure unfiltered love for Jameson caused her to drink more, which in turn led to her and I getting into an all out whisky,ice and water fight. I think there was some cage climbing in there too. Either Lovehog or the city of New Orleans put some ju-ju on us because all of a sudden it was almost 5 AM and it didn't feel much later than 1:00. Thanks Asher, Revel and Alex for entertaining the shit out of us.
So the tour is almost over. Right now we're heading back to Texas. I'll post the final blog of the trip tomorrow when we're all back in town. I'll also be able to get all of the photos together for Blanca so they can be posted on MySpace etc. This has been a real blast, with some really beautiful people along the way. I know there are some of you out there on the Interweb that might have found our recent stories of kindness and hospitality a little schmaltzy and lacking the overall darkness of the earlier blogs. So to those haters out there I say screw you. You try having this much fun at YOUR job.
22 May '08
So here we are back in Nashville, once again enjoying Laz's hospitality. Rachel is reunited with Brian so all is right with the world. We have a show here tonight and after that we head to New Orleans. The Houston show just got cancelled so it seems Louisiana will be our last show of the tour. Not too much to report over the last couple of days. We drove into Greenville South Carolina and were treated to way too much sushi by Wendy's friend Paul. I don't know how good of a cardiologist he is (probably pretty fuckin' good) but he sure can fix a stomach. After that we headed on to Seneca for more hospitality from Brian Keane's parents. God this tour sucks. There's just something about beautiful lake houses that makes you regret ever leaving home. We left there the next morning to head to Atlanta, stopping briefly in Marietta to visit my good friend Scott Sands in the hospital. Wonderful to see him. Hope you get better soon man and sorry you weren't able to see the show. The Star Bar in Little Five Points is a really cool room and Adrian at the bar rocks. He's from Finchley in London, and you can't fuck with that. So just as we're preparing to dig in for a night drive to Nashville, what happens? Wendy's friend E.J. invites us back to his place to spend the night and we had to endure even more blissful Southern hospitality, even if it did involve Jeff wearing assboxers (don't ask, just check the myspace page for pictures). So what did we learn? Well I discovered that there are few tour problems that a shoulder massage and a muscle relaxer can't solve, Stewart can be kind of a lightweight sometimes, Rachel misses her boyfriend even more than we knew*, Jeff can build a pretty impressive little fort for himself to sleep in, and Wendy really wants shots and chicken when she's trashed. She also has really amazing friends.
Drove by The Carter Center in Atlanta. Do you think he plants all those trees himself?
*Not true. Trust me, we all knew how much she missed him.
21 May '08
Again, here we are covering multiple days at once. It's been a crazy few days on what has truly become the Whisky (or Whiskey if you drink that Irish stuff), Cheese and Hospitality Tour. We spent three nights in New York, mostly in the wonderful company of Mandi and Jeremiah and their fantastic Brooklyn apartment. Thank you guys so much for the food, beds and mugs:). The first night we went into Manhattan to see Wendy's friends The Lowdowners play. They really kicked our asses. Check them out if you get a chance. We closed the night out at Pete's Candy Store, the coolest bar in Williamsburg.
Despite really shitty weather and the trailer coming off the back of the van, the Union Hall show in Brooklyn was fantastic. We had a great crowd, played a great show and got to see some old friends, including the one and only Brad Gilley. Awesome venue, can't wait to get back. We closed out the night at Pete's Candy Store, the coolest bar in Williamsburg.
The last night NY we played at Rehab, a cool basement club on Avenue B in the city. We discovered, and I shit you not, that the guys playing before us were a Neil Diamond cover band that performs the songs with dirty lyrics. They literally brought strippers with them. Expectations were high that we would be enormously entertained, but alas....As for our gig, same deal as the night before. Great show, old friends, you get the idea. I think there is something about basement clubs. We seem to have played a few this tour and they always have a great vibe. After the show we went over to Manitoba's where I discovered that the Vast Irish Whiskey Conspiracy ends somewhere south of Boston. It was a pleasure to be served liquor by a Scotch snob. It's also worth pointing out that Joseph and Katrina are responsible for getting me the most fucked up I have been in a while. You know what I'm talking about. As a result we did not get to close the night out at Pete's Candy Store, the coolest bar....
So what did we learn from this part of the trip. Well, Stewart and I learned that If you're trying to buy a gift flask on the Lower East Side you will be informed that you can also buy dildos at the same store. Rachel learned that if you veer from the holy path of whiskey and drink red wine before a show you'll feel crappy. Wendy I think learned that if you get really shitfaced you probably shouldn't promise to cook breakfast the next day, and Jeff without a doubt learned that when it comes to improvising dirty lyrics over classic songs, he's probably the best.
We rolled into Arlington the next day through a monster rainstorm which apparently we navigated with the trailer lights disconnected. Oops. I think I've figured out why politicians never get anything done. The roads in D.C. and Arlington are really fucked up. What gives? Even the GPS couldn't figure them out. Not surprisingly it seemed that they were even more confusing the closer you got to government buildings. Hmm. Also the streets attack you (actually Rachel) in Arlington in much the same way the carpets do in Milwaukee hotels.....
The guys at the Galaxy Hut were great and following in the footsteps of so many others on this tour were really hospitable. Thanks Larry, Bill and Chris. The awesome band Poor But Sexy played before us. They brought a great crowd. We did not. We found out after the show that they had given us all the money they made at the door. Wow. They had already left so we couldn't even try to talk them out of it. Thanks guys. Hope we can make it up to you.
We stayed at the Sheraton by the Pentagon. The same one that the FBI mysteriously removed the security cameras from just moments after 9/11. Our rooms were on the other side so we didn't actually have the Pentagon view, but I'm pretty sure I was still picking up Donald Rumsfeld's lingering odor on my pillowcase. They also pour a pretty stiff Scotch at the hotel bar. That might explain a lot too...
This is probably a good place to note that Sheetz is the greatest place ever! It's a gas station/food stop on the highways that had apparently only been on Pennsylvania. Wendy had been waiting for one as we drove through there as she was as desperate for one of their hot dogs as she was for beef sticks in Wisconsin. We finally found one on the way to Virginia, turns out they are everywhere there and in North Carolina. You custom order your food from a computer, and when it comes out it rocks! They are currently updating their stores so you will be able to order and pay from the pump. Fuckin' amazing. I think I've been on the road too long...
Next stop North Carolina. Home of Stewart Cochran, so naturally we stayed with his folks. I've never been a fan of pimento cheese, despite the outrageous amounts of dairy consumed on this trip, but Janet Cochran makes the best pimento spread ever. I'm not kidding. Stew's parents rode with us to the gig in Chapel Hill. Another basement. Probably the coolest place yet in terms of vibe. It's called The Cave and literally feels like one. You load in through a small alleyway staircase that you could miss if you weren't looking for it. Across the alley is a bar called The Cellar, which feels oddly like a cellar.
We are now on our way to Seneca, South Carolina, after stopping by DD Thornton's radio show "Deaconlight" on Error FM. We had a great time goofing off with her, Artemis and Bagel Dog:)
On a completely unrelated note, it really sucks about Ted Kennedy.
16 May '08
So here I am stuck in a Manhattan cafe. It's cold, wet and windy out there and after getting stuck on the L train for half an hour I had to endure a brain-searing rendition of Hey Jude played on the flute at Union Square. Sorry for the delay in the blog but we have had really limited internet access since Toledo. It was a long wet drive (Stewart actually drove through snow) but Asbury Park is amazing. Probably the coolest place we've been yet and without a doubt the best show so far. We played with the guys from Status Green, playing a down low show as Skinny Meatloaf, at The Saint. These guys were fantastic, not only as a band but beautifully hospitable people with great fans. We went back to their rehearsal space, which apparently was Springsteen's at one time (I get the feeling that everything in that part of Jersey was Springsteen's at one time) and partied for a while. Scott and all of those guys at The Saint really took care of us and we can't wait to get back there soon.
After that it was on to Philadelphia, a city that has serious traffic issues and the Liberty Bell. It's also the home of Rocky, and so we chose to run up the steps of the Art Museum instead of digging into our cultural heritage. At least not anything older than 1976. I had been asked to sing on a recording for David Knight, so we went over to his apartment/studio, did the session and then hung out on his amazing roof terrace for a little while. We got some great video footage of the Philly skyline. Besides Jeff pulling off a u-turn on an access road with a 9 passenger van and a trailer, the rest of the day was uneventful. We did an interview for ABC in Philly and they taped part of our show that night at World Cafe. It should air this Saturday evening.
If Philadelphia is indeed the City of Brotherly Love (which I was not feeling a whole lot of), then that would make Boston The City That Takes You Into A Dark Alley and Brutalizes Your Genitals with a Jackhammer*. My Latin is rusty, but maybe that is the literal translation. The parking/driving sucks, people are rude and there is a conspiracy against Scotch drinkers that needs to be investigated further. Not to mention, despite write-ups in the Boston Globe, Boston Metro, and a live performance on CN8, there was no one at the show. Did we suck that bad? I think not. It didn't help that we were booked as 54 Seconds and Puppet Show. I do have to say though that while I'm hatin' on Boston, the people at Comcast CN8 were absolutely incredible, the stage sounded great and the hospitality fantastic. Thanks Gary, Sara and Bill. You made our Boston day. Another positive note: It appears that if you stand on the street corner in the middle of the night drinking a bottle of Bushmills and a cop walks by, looking you right in the eye, he just keeps walking. I bet if it was a bottle of Glenlivet I would have been shot.
So that's pretty much it for now. We just got to NYC and are getting ready for our Brooklyn show. What have we learned in the last few days? Probably not a lot. Maybe that Barack Obama's life on the road is harder than ours. When he calls a girl "sweetie" he has to apologize on national TV. We just get a bag of popcorn thrown at our heads.......
* I'm just kidding about Boston. It's not that bad. we just had a bad day. I'm not that much of a hater:)
12 May '08
We have left the Mid-West. After a long rainy drive from Toledo we are sitting in a hotel in Neptune NJ. The show in Toledo went well but it was cold and wet and has been ever since. Stewart drove through snow in Pennsylvania. The Nathan Cogan Trio played before us. Really great band. Thanks to those guys and Erin at the bar, Dave on sound and Brock who promoted the show. Hope to be back soon. Sorry this is a short and boring blog, but the last 24 hours has been relatively uneventful. Special note: It's really hard to get food after 9PM on a Sunday in Toledo and your travel time from Mikwaukee will be an hour shorter if you remember the fucking time difference.....
11 May '08
Holy Fuck! Excuse my French but Wisconsin is the greatest state in the union. We stopped in Madison on the way to Milwaukee. The State St. area has the most amazing shops. Vintage clothing, antique stores, record stores. Dangerous city. You'll be seeing plenty of crazy fisheye pictures from my new camera in the near future. We played our show at the Points East Pub in Milwaukee. Great people, great crowd. Casey Stang played before us. Great songs, great voice, great guys. Hope to play with them again soon. And special thanks to Dave the soundguy, Vince the doorguy/voice of reason and Bill the bartender, who was absolutely not the voice of reason:) Bill, you rock. Bonnie once again hooked us up, this time giving us cheese curds and beef sticks for the road, turning Wendy into an insane cracked out zombie. As a result we had to track down the place she got them from and fulfill her insatiable desires. Turns out Mars Cheese Castle is the greatest place on earth. In addition to all kinds of cheese there are sandwiches and a full bar. Tyson throws down on the Bloody Marys.. In Wisconsin they serve it with a beer chaser. Smart people. If you get a chance stop by or visit www.marscheese.com. They've been in business since 1947 and highway expansion plans are threatening to close them down in the next couple of years, so give them some love. This would be the point in the blog where I would go off on some crazy rant about how this country is destroying it's heritage on a daily basis but I won't because I'm deliriously happy with the Mid-West experience and it's hard to be an ass when you're high on cheese. Incidentally you should never stay at the Hilton in downtown Mikwaukee because the carpet attacks you late at night and there are doughnuts in random places......
10 May '08
Now we're on our way to Milwaukee, with a brief stop in Madison. There really is a lot of cheese in Wisconsin. It's not a myth. Last night we played in Minneapolis. We didn't see Prince anywhere. Thanks to the band Watson for having us play their CD release with them. We did notice an interesting phenomenon about people from Minneapolis who go out to see live music. They must have the softest hands. Maybe they moisturize a lot? All the dairy from neighboring Wisconsin? It's the only way that I can explain their ability to rapidly hit one hand with the other and not have it make any sound at all......
9 May '08
This entry is two or maybe three for the price of one. We had no internet in Chicago so I'm filling in the blanks for the last couple of days. On Tuesday we played at Cicero's in St. Louis. Great club and really great guys. It seems that the election insanity in Indiana and North Carolina had people glued to their television sets instead of going to see a great band, which is almost understandable as this primary season has obviously turned into an American Idol spin-off series without the inconvenience of actually having to listen to people butcher classic songs. Just our political system. Anyway, special thanks to Robin and Jamie for coming out and seeing us.
We pulled into Chicago about 7 hours after that. Note to Chicago: Do something about your fucking rush hour traffic. Really??! Does it have to start at 5 AM? What time do you people get up to go to work? Great city though. A little windy. Would have been great to stay for a couple more days. We met some of the most hospitable people who wined us, dined us and let us stay at their place. If providing someone with a ton of wine, the best italian food and then sending them out on the road with a truckload of chocolate was a criminal offense, then Kat Camera, there would be an electric chair with your name on it. We got to see the Belmont /Clark area, Rachel bought a ton of new clothes, Stewart got to see his sister, and Jeff and I discovered that Irish pubs in Chicago are not that fond of Scotch drinkers. Our good friend and director extraordinaire Jen White took time out of her busy schedule of inundating me with Obama-mania related emails to recommend that we get a drink on the top floor of the John Hancock building. So we did. It was awesome. It overlooks the entire city and Lake Michigan Everyone should do that at least once. And maybe only once as I think the novelty of a $15 martini would wear off pretty fast...
The show last night was great. The Abbey Pub is another fantastic venue with really cool people. Thanks to everyone that came out. Bonnie, if you're reading this, see the above note about criminal behavior. That popcorn was evil. Anyway, we're in the van on the way to Minneapolis, so I'll sign off as I'm being distracted by cows and trees....
6 May '08
So here we are.. Nashville Tennessee. Loading the van as we speak to head out to St. Louis. We played our first show last night at The Basement here in Nashville. Mike Grimes, the owner, was fantastic and really took care of us. If you ever get a chance to stop by the club, check out his record store "Grimey's" upstairs. Amazing vinyl selection. We got to spend time with some old friends and rehearse for a couple of days at MEG Studios. This is a really great city with a lot of character. Can't wait to come back on the 22nd. So that's it for my first entry. I apologize if it's too upbeat and positive, stay tuned for bitterness and negativity once we leave St. Louis where we will have been driving for hours and realize we have no friends there....just kidding.
By the way, for anyone that is doing the Stickam thing, there will be no broadcast from St. Louis as there is no WiFi at the club. We'll be spending the day off tomorrow in Chicago, so I'll post again from there while simultaneously convincing Stewart that jumping off of the Sears tower is not the most productive thing to do. At least not for the next month.
Sx
|
 |
 |
