tour journal

So it is hard to say right now but I am pretty sure I left off with Portland or seattle in the last blog. Or maybe it was san fransisco. Oh ya it was san fransisco because I remember talking about how I got to see evan and ike. Hahahahaha I love how I write these things as if I am a columnist or something at a magazine… apologies… there I go again. Well after san fransisco we had to be in Portland the next day for a radio show at eleven a.m. every one wanted to hang out and go to the after party at the beauty bar but we had a crazy drive ahead of us so we reluctantly declined and said goodbye to our good friends of san fransisco. I was feeling pretty good so I decided to take the first driving shift. I love the night drives for some reason. Everyone eventually falls asleep and you get to listen to whatever music you want and there is nothing really to bother you or cause you stress. It is so peaceful. I feel like something I am constantly searching for is moments like these. Times like this you can actually feel the weight of your thoughts. When most of the time you feel like your thoughts just bounce around in your head until they find a way out, on long night drives you can actually spend time with yourself and your thoughts. You can take them somewhere without any distractions. I wonder if the fact that I enjoy just thinking so much is why I can be such a recluse sometimes. So back to night drives…. Music plays a HUGE part in this. For example, I think that most people who have spent a good amount of time listening to bob Dylan can say what their favorite ‘dylan era’ is. It is like how everyone can name his or her favorite beatle. (I try not to read into these things too much but It is interesting). I am the only one in the band who likes the early Dylan the most. I mean early though, like first three albums early. Desire is my favorite album but that was a little later. There was just something so pure and uninhibited about his voice and guitar and the songs he played. On long night drives I can really spend good time with the music that I really connect with. This is another reason these drives are a rare joy.
The only downfall to them really is how when you get to the end of say, five… six… hours of driving and drinking coffee and chewing gum and smoking and anything else to keep yourself occupied, the sun is coming up and you feel nauseous because you are so tired; all you want to do is crash out but that is usually when everyone else wakes up and wants to get food. I literally had to stop driving because I felt like I was going to vomit. I mean the feeling is just numbing. It’s not even that you feel weak or tired, it’s just that you can’t do… anything. Add to that the dirt and grime and old sweat that you have covering your body. For some reason (those of you who know me well already know this) I fall on the more effeminately clean side of the spectrum when it comes to personal hygiene. So when I go a day or two without a shower it makes me go kind of insane.
It goes without having to say, but when we arrived at the radio station in Portland that next morning I was a ball of sunshine and joy.
I probably find all too much joy in walking into these sterile radio station cubic-communities looking like we just got the shit beat out of us by oscar the grouch and his gang of garbage pail kids. Sorry about that last sentence… It was much too self-indulgent.
At the station we did the usual routine. Played a few songs for them acoustic and a quick interview.
That night the show was at a place called Roseland Grill. This venue was pretty cool. The whole downstairs was a bunch of spacious dressing rooms filled with goodies. That night was probably one of the best and wildest shows on the tour to date. Portland is generally a pretty wild place for us, mainly because of the friends we have there. By the end of the show I was just dripping with sweat and blood. I was delirious but never felt better. There were probably only about fifty people there but I guarantee you that we all had an amazing time. I was watching this jack white interview a few days ago in Detroit and he was talking about how one thing that is hard about being in a band and performing live these days is that most people treat going to see a show like they would going to see a movie. A good show is when a band puts on a good performance and plays well. An amazing show has to be more than the band putting out the effort though. There has to be an exchange of energy. The audience involvement and energy and vibe is vital to empowering the band to put on an amazing performance. Most people these days show up and expect to be blown away without any involvement. The only reason this Portland show was so good was because the audience was feelin it. That kind of energy from a crowd is more potent and powerful than any drug. It is an amazing and beautiful thing.
We had all kinds of friends at the show too which only added to the good vibes. There was even a cousin of mine that I haven’t seen in probably fifteen years who showed up to the show! I had no idea he was coming or even that he lived in Portland. I was walking by and he called my name. Thank God I recognized him instantly.
It is cool to see our old friends who’ve moved up there and made new friends. Sean zaps and zach wenchel were both there and through them I got to meet all kinds of new people which brings me to a girl named Friday and the beginning of a new life lesson I am being taught on this tour.
Ok… how do I describe Friday. Let me start with the first impression and then I will give you the last impression to show the contrast and help to communicate the situation. When I first met Friday I thought she was one of those kind of people that are just essential in a town like Portland. Friday looks like the manifestation of culture and youth only found in a city as unique and Portland. she was kind of hard to miss because she looked like and indie version of a dr. zeuss character. After the show she came up to me and go really close and began to tell me how much she enjoyed the show and couldn’t take her eyes off of us. Then, without missing a beat, she furrowed her eyebrows and said, “ you were in that one band right? The colour? You played guitar right?” these situations are always fun. It gives you an instant right to mess with the person. ….to be continued