From October 3 through October 27th, Birds & Batteries went on tour as Mike Sempert, Brian Michelson, Jill Heinke and Julie Thomasson. This tour blog is being written mostly in retrospect. It would have been nice to document the tour as we went along, but it was hard to find the time on the road. Now I'm realizing that we took very few pictures and that this might be my only hope of recording some of these memories. Here goes, show by show. The time in parenthesis is a rough estimate of driving time between shows, or what it should have taken (barring traffic, tangential pitstops and forgotten equipment that we had to turn back for). Eating is always an important part of tour and this blog seems to be as much about food as anything else. There's also a little bit about what music we listened to and when. Enjoy!10.03 Reno- Fort Ryland--> The Green Room (4:30 hours)
The one that got away.
We were all scrambling to get ready for tour and as hard as we worked to prepare for it, we still found ourselves running late for our first show 4 hours away in Reno. When I called the place we were playing, which is actually the basement of some very friendly teenagers (Fort Ryland), they informed me that music wasn't allowed to go past 11 because of their neighbors and house mates. With a 7:30pm departure from SF, we were shit out of luck. I called a place I'd heard of in Reno called the Green Room and explained our situation. The owner was really nice and said "Sure, come on down, we'll plug you in and you can do your thing." We were excited that we managed to pull another show together with such short notice. But, when we arrived at the bar, the owner wasn't there and the bartender said she hadn't been told about any band coming in to play, there was no sound guy etc. Easy come easy go.
At that point we were pretty fried, there was basically no one there to watch us play, so we were OK with it. I talked the bartender into comping us some beers which she gladly did and we played some bad pool and headed to Julie's parent's house in Reno.
10.04 Salt Lake City- Jordan's House (8 hours)
New gear, dark basement, late night problems. problem. problem.
We played with a band from Salt Lake City called Band of Annuals when they were in Pacifica. They're great folks and they make very pretty, melancholy alt. country music. Trever, the bassist wanted to help us put a show together in SLC but all the clubs in town were booked up. He offered up the house of Jordan (drummer for B of A) for a house party show and it ended being a great scene. Lots of young people hanging out drinking beer, checking out the music. It was a little weird for us at that point. With a shiny new van and some new gear that we'd actually never used before, we felt a little out of place in their basement. Some snide kid made a comment about our "expensive equipment" and it felt, well a little weird. We were not used to the new equipment and the new van and I know I felt self-conscious about it. That said, we played a decent set and seemed to win some people over. Jill got nice and aggressive on the mailing list and got a lot of drunk email addresses added, some of which were completely legible. All in all we felt good about the show, but decided we needed to cover some ground that night towards Denver, so we hit the road.
About an hour or so into the drive, we realized that nobody had packed our synthesizer amplifier. We were still tired from all our tour prep and the drive that day, so we were not psyched about heading back, but we had no choice and thats what we did. Both Julie and Jill saved the day on that one and drove us back to SLC, Brian and I retrieved the amp and the girls continued to drive through the night. I was very impressed by their "get 'er done" attitude and was too tired to argue. I passed out in the back.
At around 3:30 in the morning I asked them to pull over for a piss. I got out of the van and walked just off the pavement, on what looked to be more pavement of a lighter hue. It was in fact liquid mud. Both my shoes were engulfed in this gray muck. I yelped and jumped out of the mud and laughed. "Oh my god, are you kidding me?" It was all too perfect.
I knew I had another pair of shoes for the trip and that the ones I'd trashed were old and almost dead anyways. But the overwhelming smell of cow shit made me think I'd actually stepped in a pile of wet dung. I removed the yoohoo-colored muck-drenched victims from my feet, and upon smelling them, I realized that eau du cow methane wasn't on my shoes, that it's just what that part of Utah smells like (like much of California and any cattle industry based areas). I'd hoped to photograph these shoes for the blog, but threw them out before I got a chance. Think chocolate milkshake shoe surprise.
At around 5:30 we pulled off to sleep and woke up at around 10 am and I picked up the driving responsibilities. On our way through Wyoming, we found ourselves desperately low on diesel fuel. When we finally found a gas station with diesel, they were closed. We'd been on empty for a good while at that point. We managed to coast into a diesel station after driving about 40 miles on an empty tank and for what felt like an eternity. We got lucky. For those driving out there, make sure to fuel up when you can, there's not a lot in Wyoming. Between forgetting the amp, the mud fiasco, and the near breakdown in Wyoming, we were glad to make it to Denver.
Might as well get all the bad stuff out of the way early on, and after all it could have been worse (please ignore any ominous connotations.)
10.05 Denver- The Lion's Lair (8:30 hours)
A Family Affair
My girlfriend Liz has a lot of family in Denver. She told her father Larry to come and check out our show with the idea that she would fly out and surprise him. She also invited her uncle, aunt, Grandmother, Grandfather and best friend from grade school to come see the show and take part in the surprise. Needless to say, I was nervous about meeting Larry and performing in front of her folks. My aunt Elaine and uncle Jeff also attended. Jeff took some great pictures (see below). Meanwhile, friends of mine from college, Travis and Courtney opened up the bill with their new band King's Cattle (as well as two other great local acts, Dormir and Still City.) It ended up being an amazing show for us. It was really great to play for Liz' family. It felt like I was sort of introducing myself through the music. And it helps to have such a tight and talented band to drive the point home: we're not slacker musicians, we're good at this. It was a great show and just a really enjoyable experience as a performer.
10.06 Omaha- The Saddle Creek Bar (7:30 hours)
Indie Rock Capital of hawah?
We arrived in Omaha still high off the Denver show.
The Saddle Creek Bar is one of the more authentic, roadside-style bars I've ever played at. The owner runs sound there, and the sound system is great. This is actually the bar from which Saddle Creek Record Label gets its name. Apparently, those guys all used to drink there and daydream out loud about starting up a label.
Unfortunately, no one was at the show, due to some rock show/event going on downtown that at an Urban Outfitters store. It was dissappointing, but again, just to play was fun. I had the feeling that we're actually getting to a point where we can put on a great show in front of 4 people. When I was younger, I remember thinking that it would be great to be able to do that someday, but I had no idea what it meant. A few tours later, now I do. Its really fun to play shows.
I found it interesting and sort of ironic that a show at a great venue such as the Saddle Creek Bar, in an indie-rock epicenter such as Omaha, should be so completely overshadowed by some event at a clothing chain.
We went our for gyros at a place called Amsterdam's. We caught them just as they were closing and we begged them to make us gyros, which the rad gentlemen that worked there kindly did. We preceded to eat one of best gyro-pita sandwich I've ever had. It was so good that even scraps that hit the pavement were consumed. Amazing food.
10.07 Madison, WI- The Klinic Bar (7 hours)
Beef-A-Roo is good. Thats all I have to say.
We were fortunate that Jill's parents live in Rockford Illinois. They showed us immense hospitality and stuffed us with platters of cold cuts, 7 different kinds of mustard, pickles and incredible, fresh-baked dessert. We played at a place called the Klinic where the booking agent who had assured me we'd play with a local, stuck us with another touring band. Fortunately for us, they were very nice folks called Bugs In The Dark. We both played our set for each other. The owner gave us lots of beer to compensate for an almost completely empty house. We performed for Jill's parents as well, which was nice but the sound was loud and bad and we knew it. Otherwise, it was fun and sleeping in a bed was a beautiful thing. The next day the Heinke's sent us to Beef-A-Roo. Holy crap! That place is amazing. I wish I had Beef-A-Roo right now. Thanks again Mr. and Mrs. Heinke!
10.08 Chicago- The Empty Bottle (3 hours)
Great show at a great place.
The Empty Bottle is a real venue with great sound, a guarantee for touring bands and a built in Monday night crowd. We played with a band called The Besnard Lakes and another artist called White Williams. They were both great. The Besnard Lakes were especially fun to talk to. One of the guitarists informed me that this fall is the busiest touring season of all time, which explains a lot. Because of myspace and lowered standards in home recording, the DIY ethic has morphed and given way to some ridiculous flock of mediocrity and to put it mildly, there's an over saturation of bands. That said, there's a lot of really amazing music being made by people who you've never heard of and maybe never will. These are the bands which the WarOfVines blog is devoted to celebrating, so if you read this you will hear of them and hopefully check them out. Hopefully for your sake.
Mike Novak, who did all the layout work for I'll Never Sleep Again came out to say hi and support. Also, my old high school friend Andy B came out to the show and it was great to see him. One of the coolest thing about going on tour is catching up with the diaspora of friends and family that have scattered about this immense country.
10.09 Lansing MI- Mac's (5 hours)
Electro DJs, Jailbird club debut, a Cleetus sighting.
The last time we played Lansing we were at Mac's as well and we had one of the funnier experiences ever. We were aggressively heckled by a black-out drunk redneck named Cleetus, who actually got up in my face during the quiet part of "Toothache" and said this,
"You are the worst band I have ever heard in my life."
It was pretty funny. We traded insults for a while and by the end of the night he was buying us shots and admitting to us that he'd always wanted to be in a band. It was kind of pathetic and endearing. He also claimed he would get a tattoo of our band name on his chest, but he couldn't remember what we were called. Anyway, that was last time in Lansing.
This time around we were playing in between DJ sets spinning retro and electro stuff. It was a pretty relaxed night and we played our dancier set to fit ourselves into the "dance party". Before we started our set, Cleetus walked in. I said hey to him and gave him a pat on the back. He was friendly and clearly did not recognize me. He stuck around for part of our set, then disappeared. I have no idea if he even remembered our band or if he was thrown off by the different lineup. I was hoping to talk to him, oh well.
At the end of the set to transition into the DJ stuff, I pressed play on the newest remix of After A Flood by Jailbird. I must admit, it was fun to hear it through giant speakers at a dance party, even if it was a fledgling dance party. I'm sure their DJ night will pickup, I guess its sort of a new thing there.
John Presner (formerly of Porches on The Autobahn) came out and supported the show. Thanks John! Jill's friends Maureen and Kit also came to the show and put us up in Detroit the next night. They are both french horn players and great people. Kit made pizza from scratch and we drank red wine and beer and watched the Karate Kid. We felt very content.
10.11 Pittsburgh, PA- The Lava Lounge (4.5 hours)
Pittsburgh is a beautiful city, sliced by rivers and stitched together by myriad bridges. Everything is brick, and there's a real old-school, blue-collar, east-coast feel to the place. The Lava Lounge is a great spot with great sound thanks to their rad sound man, Luke.
We played with a band of nice dudes called Death By Bubbles. The turnout was not bad, better than last time we played there, and we seemed win over the people that were there. We spent that night at the D by B house and we all caught ring-worm.
10.12 Manhattan, NY- Lit Lounge (6 hours)
This was a great show for us. Great turnout and lots of familiar faces. My friend since the fourth grade, Dan S came out to the show. He was also kind enough to let us shower at his apartment before the show, which was a life saver (thanks Dan).
Just before playing, one of the synths crapped out, I guess the power supply got squashed. We made due and played what felt like a very solid show with out said synth, thanks to Julie's musicianship and ability to adapt. Our set had to be cut short a bit because of the first band starting late and playing long. Then they kicked us out at midnight so they could have an after party. I was a little annoyed at being rushed out of the venue, but we were ready to go anyways, so it was fine. I just needed to get paid.
And thats when things got really frustrating. After wading through crowds of drunk people, I finally found the door lady who had been taking money all night and she informed me that the owner had taken the door money. So I went looking for him, but all the bartenders claimed that he was not at the bar yet and would be there later. (?) It took about an hour before he actually showed up and paid me. Fortunately, he gave us a solid wad of cash and it made me feel a little better about the whole thing. But you should never have to pull teeth just to get paid at a club, even if you're a relatively unknown independent band.
That night we stayed at the house of my Grandmother in New Rochelle. We got in at around
2:30 am and she woke up to greet us, as if it was completely natural to be interacting with people in her bathrobe in the middle of the night. I think she was happy to see us. She embodies part of the subtext of "I'll Never Sleep Again" because as she's gotten older, she seems to need less and less sleep. (This is the case for many elderly people, and we experienced a repeat of this when we met Brian's grandma at 4 in the morning in San Diego). Lillian is now 92 and sharp as a tack. She encourages me in my choice to pursue music and she's very fun to be around- lots of joi de vivre. She often reminds me that we are very lucky, which I think is true. I feel lucky for a lot of reasons, and one is that I'm doing what I love to do. It's a privilege to make music and travel around and perform and to do it with such great people doesn't hurt either. Lillian took some photos of the band in her bathroom, which is completely covered, ceiling and walls in giant, silver paisley. She loves paisley. Anyways, here's a couple of those photos.
10.13 Somerville, MA- P.A.'s Lounge
The boys and girls are back in town. (4 hours)
This was a real homecoming for me. The Sox game was on, and some of my dearest friends and family were at the show including my mom and dad, my godfather Joe A, my best friend Dave W, his fiance Jesse M and her brother Gareth, their father and many more. A bunch of folks from the Planetary Group came out and supported. Christine, Ben, Greg and Jess: thanks for everything guys!
We had a great turnout and a fun time playing. We went to Dave's house after the show for a little bit. It was just like last year, but with fewer bibles. We listened to the new Radiohead album and Dave and I criticized the drum sounds, while everyone got pissed at us. We also played Dave the Jailbird Remix which he enjoyed. He's always been a big influence on me and we've had a musical dialogue going for as long as we've been friends (9th grade). Its exciting to share new music with friends and thats something Dave and I always do when we see each other.
That night we stayed at my parent's house and concocted a late night snack of tortellini in cream sauce, shredded turkey breast, garnished with teriyaki marinade. I highly recommend it.
10.14 Brooklyn, NY- Goodbye-Blue-Mondays
Hello Happy Tuesdays. (4 hours)
This was a free show in Brooklyn at a cool little spot. It felt like a tornado blew through a massive yard sale and then time stopped and everything was frozen in mid air. Somehow, all this crazy old stuff is mounted to the walls, and stacked on top of itself and it all manages to teeter on the brink of insanity quite comfortably. We had another large and attentive crowd and my sister Nicole and her boyfriend Jonathan came to the show. They were also at the Manhattan show and have always been big Birds & Batteries supporters. Love you guys! Also, Owen (The Guitar Zeros) who we share a rehearsal space with back in SF, just happened to be in NY while we there and came out the show. He bought us hot cocoa and it was good.
One of the bands on the bill was pop-punk band from Australia. It turns out that Low Red Land played with them a few days earlier at the Klinic in Madison. Alright.
10.15 Washington, DC- The Velvet Lounge
Sometimes the bar eats you and then barfs. (4 hours)
We stopped in at Soul Vegetarian near Howard University for vegan sandwiches which were immaculate.
Before we were even done unloading, we got a $100 parking ticket for standing with the hazards on in a tow zone. It was a really horrible way to start the night. Fortunately, we were on a really neat bill with some very talented people, including DC's own hip-hop duo, Rosetta Stoned and Maine's banjo-weilding, beat-looping troubadoress/MC, Dilly Dilly. Both artists put on amazing shows. Rosetta Stoned brought so much energy to their set: emotional, aggressive, manic and ultimately very inspiring. It definitely got me excited to play, and I'm glad they stuck around to check it out. And Rob C, the soundguy/booking agent was great as usual and filmed our set. I havn't yet figured out how to turn the dvd he gave us into a movie to be viewed online. It will eventually be posted on our myspace page.
10.16 Raleigh, NC- The Pour House Music Hall
We are you're second favorite band! (4.5 hours)
I somehow finagled Birds & Batteries onto this bill opening for "Your Favorite Band" the Red Elvises, who describe themselves as Siberian Surf Rock. They are the sweetest party band I've seen in a long time and very nice people as well. We had an enjoyable set playing for a mostly Russian-speaking audience opening up the show. They seemed to like it. Our sound guy was hilarious and had a belt buckle that said "ROCKSTAR" on it and he had the attitude to match. He was a die-hard Red Elvises fan, and for that, I can't blame him.
That night was stayed at my aunt Marilyn's home in Chapel Hill. Thanks Marylin and Kerry!
10.17 Athens, Georgia- Tasty World (6 hours)
Tastes like world.
Back in the indie rock capital of the south. We were welcomed by a friendly and familiar face, Fritz who booked us this time and last time. He put on his Low Red Land shirt and we talked about dogs.
We played with a guy named J Boozer, the world's drunkest band. He is a one man band, with acoustic guitar and an all-foot operated drum kit. He was real drunk.
The other band was called Richard Sherfey and All God's Childrenand included members of a well-known Athens act called the Modern Skirts. They were talented dudes and very kind. The bassist, Jason put us up in his house and we got to know his beagle, Stewart. Thanks Jason!
10.18 Pensacola, Florida- Sluggo's (6.5 hours)
Three-Tornado Touchdowns, Torrential Rain, Dance Party!
Sluggo's was one of the best show of tour. The last time we played in Pensacola we had an amazing time and I ranked it as possibly the best show of our 2006 national tour. There were probably about 15 kids there, but they all got really into the show, got up close to the stage and behaved the way people should at a show. Its clear that these kids are hungry for new music and serious about supporting live music. We were hoping for a repeat and we got it ten-fold. Another thing to mention is that the last time we were in Pensacola, it was below freezing, easily the coldest day of our tour, and the coldest day Pensacola had had in years.
This time around we got word that three tornadoes had ripped through Pensacola that day. It was also raining so hard that just getting in and out of Sluggo's meant being soggy. It seemed fitting that we would have crazy weather again and that we would perform to an audience that came out to the show in spite of inclement weather.
After a pretty smooth drive through Alabama, over swamps while listening to most of the Steely Dan discography, I felt very content to be at Sluggo's, where Ryan was preparing us delicious (and free!) vegan burritos (and later, a vegan turkey rueben). Yet another Australian punk band called A Death In The Family was sleeping in the back room, the rain was pouring and I was just proud of us for making it that far. I felt very relaxed. It was Jill's birthday and I had high hopes for the night.
Before the show we payed a visit to the wonderful and lovely Valerie G who was kind enough to host us at her house that night. She and her boyfriend Thom have a band called Wake Up Together who were supposed to play that night, but unfortunately, Valerie has a slipped disc which frequently interferes with her ability to play drums and make her art. If any one has $5,000 kicking around, you should invest it in treatment for Valerie, it will be the best money you ever spent. She's an incredibly talented artist and she teaches art at the U. of W. Florida. She encouraged all of her students to come to our show and they did.
Many of those students were at our last show and there were a lot of new faces as well. Like last time, they got up close to the non-stage (the main performance space was shut down on account of the tornadoes) but this time the show was a little different: they danced like crazy people. Really silly stuff too, renaissance-fair disco-fever, no-holds barred funk wrestling and random hootin' and hollerin'. I've only played a couple of Birds & Batteries sets-turned full-on dance parties and I think this takes the proverbial cake, eats some and smashes the rest on your face.
We crashed like babies, woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast burritos a la Val, wolfed some food down, then hit the road. Thank you so much again Valerie!
10.19- Driving Through Louisiana (8 hours)
Scaryoke.
We stopped to stay at a Super 8 in Shreveport, LA. Little did we know that the motel was the sweetest party spot in all of Louisiana. We ate dinner at Waffle House and then we hit the karaoke bar. Hard. The karaoke bar at the Super 8 in Shreveport has its own cast of regulars and a real scene of weirdos, heavy jokers and karaoke stars. I caught one such long-haired old trucker doing an impassioned version of Elton John's "Rocket Man". He stumbled and wailed and his inflections invoked Neil Young and Lou Reed. I was inspired. So I got up there and attempted to sing"Red Red Wine." The song got off to a good start, but I forgot that the UB40 version has an extensive reggae-rap and that I don't really know those particular lyrics very well, except for the part about the monkey and at the end when he repeats "I'll surely find. . ."
I should have asked for the original Neil Diamond version. Of course, if there'd been any Steely Dan songs in the book, I coulda really done something there in Shreveport. Ashamed and humiliated, I passed the mic on to Julie, who blew everyone away with her rendition of Lorreta Lynn's "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' With Lovin' On Your Mind". It was great to hear her sing a country song like that: she can really sing. After some more darts, Brian got up on the mic and cranked out a soul-shattering rendition of "Space Oddity." After talking to some of the regulars and determining that at least one of them was an unabashed racist pig we took our party upstairs and eventually went to sleep. He was the guy that sang Hank Jr's "A Country Boy Will Survive". Scaryoke. We woke up the next morning and ate Waffle House again.
10.20 Ft. Worth- The Moon (4 hours)
Telegraph Canyon rules- we love you!
I found a band called Telegraph Canyon through a Dallas band called Slider Pines (who we played with in 2006). I connected with Telegraph Canyon and set up a couple of shows in Texas together based on mutual appreciation for each other's music. I feel very lucky that we came across Telegraph Canyon and by the time we arrived in Ft. Worth, I already felt like I sort of knew their lead-singer and songwriter, Chris Johnson. He and his wife Adrienne showed us some of the best hospitality I've ever seen. We went out for food and when I attempted to buy their burritos, I got so firmly shut down, I was a little embarassed. When Chris later attempted to pay for one of our t-shirts I had to enforce with a similar authority. He is crazy like a saint and an authentic Louisiana country boy, anti-racist, fisherman and songsmith.
They own a beautiful house in a serene neighborhood in Fort Worth. I sat on the porch and took a deep breath. Its been a while since I've had a good sit on a porch and I do think its one of the healthiest things a person can do, especially around dusk with a warm breeze. I found myself going to that peaceful place I went to in Pensacola, awaiting vegan-burritos and listening to slamming rain. I realize how hectic my life in the city of San Francisco is, and I envy the space and time that people like Chris have in a place like Ft. Worth.
We played a show that night at a great little spot called The Moon. The owner and sound guy, Mike was very generous and took great care of all the bands that night. Telegraph Canyon played a beautiful set of songs, with a real Hammond B3 in tow. Man, that thing sounds incredible. There is so much mood and ambiance to the arrangements of their songs which the Hammond contributes to immensely as well as the sensitivity of the players and the haunting songs themselves. And I didn't even see them with their violinist who is currently on tour with another band who I refuse to mention. TC is just a great band and if you haven't heard them, go check them out and buy their music. Telegraph Canyon
The show at the Moon turned into a party at Chris' house which was a trip. It was a late night.
10.21 Dallas- The Barley House (40 minutes)
Go Sox.
We played a modest show with TC in Dallas and watched the Sox game. But not before we had a completely epic barbeque at the home of Adrian from Oso Sloso, who also played at the Moon the night before.
Five lbs. of thick steak, asparagus, zuchini, garlic potatoes, mushroom sauce, talapia all on the grill and cookie-bar casserole with marshmallow for dessert and some great company. It was a pretty lethargic day and we were thanking our lucky stars. After the show we ate grilled cheese with baked beans, dorritos and bbq sauce.10.22 Albuquerque- The Atomic Cantina (12 hours)
Monstrous pre-show drive+altitude=attitude.
We woke up early and attacked what turned out to be a monstrous 12 hour drive to Albuquerque. By the time we got there, I was completely delirious from the drive and almost no sleep. The altitude didn't really help. Fortunately, our old compatriot Stue was doing sound for us again. He worked sound the last time we played there and is rad. Its always great to see a familiar face on tour.
Unfortunately, the way that place is set up, there's no need for anyone in the bar to come into the room where the stage is and actually support whats going on. And most people are simply not adventurous enough to pull themselves away from their conversation to check out a touring band. We played our asses off nonetheless and made our way to a motel for "seepy time".
10.23 Truth Or Consequences- Brian's Birthday (2.5 hours)
Any man left on the Rio Grande is the king of the world, as far as I know.
This was our completely epic day off. I try to swim (aka get jumpy) whenever possible on tour. We got jumpy at Elephant Butte lake and stayed through dusky sunset. Here's some pictures from that day. We decided to check out an inexpensive hot spring I found online and ended up staying the night there after much soaking and some tequila. We sat in the moonlight, right on the Rio Grande and soaked for a good hour and half. It was the best day off I could have possibly asked for, and it happened to coincide nicely with B-snuggles' birthday.
10.24 Tucson- Cafe Passe (4.5 hours)
Almost busking.
We played a show at this little cafe on 4th st. A lovely person named Adrienne (thats 2!) was working and fed us fresh and delicious sandwiches: wasabe tuna, ham and brie with honey, avocado and tomato. She was real nice. That night we drove to San Diego. The moonlight was so luminous that we could see the sand dunes and mountains around us as if it were early morning. We listened to one of my favorite albums, Wayne Shorter's "Native Dancer" and when we made it to Calexico, we listened the "Feast of Wires", a masterful album by the band of the citie's namesake. As we neared San Diego we could smell the smoke from the forest fires and we eventually saw the smoke cloud hovering over the lights of the city. We found ourselves driving right into the cloud itself, at least thats how it felt. We stayed at Brian's mom's house.
10.25 San Diego- Scolari's Office
Into the smoke.
Brian's Grandmother cooked Chicken A La King the night before and a lot of it. We ended up eating it for breakfast, late night snack and breakfast again the next day. It was really good with eggs and biscuits. I got the recipe directly from the source herself.
We found out that one of Brian's cats has feline HIV. And thats not funny.
We played that night at Scolari's. This time, unlike last time, we were playing for more than just Brian's parents. The opening band River City brought out some kids and were very nice guys. Also, my old friend from college, Ian G (also a former member of Porches On The Autobahn) came and brought other people from his school where he's getting a masters in neuroscience. He's a great guy to talk to about any old thing.
Our set was really fun. Some people seemed to like it.
10. 26 Los Angeles- Pehr Space Gallery (2 hours)
We made sure to get sandwiches at Micky's Deli like our last time in Hermosa Beach. We were feeling perhaps more silly than we've ever felt collectively. And going fourth on an all acoustic bill will only escalate wacky behaviour. I'm not going into specifics, but it was goofy and there was definitely a moment when we were the only people laughing. Uncontrollably.
Thanks to JAX for having us on the bill, thanks to Akshay for seeing us on two coasts in one tour, thanks to Jack from Mezzanine Owls for visiting us, thanks to Eric D for being a very reliable friend and groupie. That night we drove back and had a sing-along to Squeeze' "Tempted". In retrospect, it was pretty bad.
10.27 Long Beach- The Prospector (40 minutes)
We stayed both nights in LA with Leah and Chris, college friends of Jill and Julie. They have a place in Hermosa Beach, walking distance from the water. Brian and I got jumpy in the chilly Pacific and it was very refreshing.
That night we played what may have been our strongest set of tour. It was a great way to finish. As the designated driver, I promptly went to sleep in the van while Jill, Julie and Brian got sauced and put B&B stickers on the backs of every person at the bar. No one seemed to notice or care.
Conclusion
Thank you to all the people that hosted us, cooked for us, and let us sleep and/or shower in their homes. It's amazing how much better being on tour is when you experience that kind of kindness. And thanks to everyone that supported the tour by coming out to the shows or sending your friends to check out Birds & Batteries.
Hope to see you next time,
-Mike