Not that I expect many people are following these posts, but sorry for the delay. It’s been busy, and Internet access has been scarce. Good stuff, bad stuff…

So, first of all, our show at the Viper Room in LA, was really great, I think. Big thanks to SESAC (specifically Josh) for organizing the event and making sure plenty of people showed up. We met a lot of nice folks, and played for an enthusiastic audience that was significantly larger than what we’ve had so far on tour. Also, the sound was extraordinarily good.

We played Bakersfield the night after LA (Friday 3/23). Polar opposite. First of all, Foreign Islands couldn’t make the show, and the venue wasn’t notified (which is understandable, considering they don’t have a phone). So, while we were supposed to play 4th of 5, we ended up having to cover FI’s slot in the bill, and played 2nd of 4. The first band stuck around and watched us, while the crowd of locals hung out outside, drinking beer (it was byob) and smoking cigarettes. One guy from the third band watched us, and was very cool.

But it was frustrating because, well, it’s like you find these places around the country where people just don’t seem to like outsiders. I mean, I’ve been trying to be really nice on these posts, but it’s kind of fucking frustrating, to be totally honest. In Memphis, we played last on a Sunday night with bands we sounded nothing like us, and people were INCREDIBLY open-minded, and we had this amazing show. In Bakersfield, people left and went out to their pick-up trucks before we started playing. Aside from the first band (who we estimate had an average age of 15), not a single person even bothered to say hello.

New York has a reputation for having an exclusive scene that’s nearly impossible to break into - and that’s mostly true. It’s true that it takes a lot of time, a lot of persistence, amibition, etc, to gain any traction in NYC. But it’s also true that most bands in NYC will say what’s up to you. Most will stick around and watch you. And when we have bands from out of town show up, it’s the NYC bands who are first out of the gate to help unload vans, offer places to crash, etc.

So it’s odd to me that when we come to a town like Bakersfield, which as far as I can tell doesn’t have a very big scene, they act more like NYC is rumored to be than NYC actually is.

I should say, though, that the guy who ran the venue was very cool to us, and made sure we got some gas money.

And then we went bowling: The alley was open till 1am (all you can bowl $18/person from 10pm to 1am), but the bar closed at 11pm. WHAT?! What’s more, it was “extreme bowling.” That means, everything was black-lit, and we had to bowl to the sounds of terrible music. I’m fairly certain we haven’t found an alley yet that’s met our expectations. For the record, those expectations are: Decent ball choice, decently maintained lanes, decent prices, and Budweiser availability.

Finally, we bedded down in a shit motel that reeked of mold, and I fucking woke up sick. We weren’t disappointed to leave the next morning.

Next up was San Francisco. I’ve never been there, but I’ve ever heard how cool it is. I must say, it immediately has a different feel than anywhere else in California that I’d been to (El Cajon, San Diego, Los Angeles, Bakersfield). It feels more like…well, it feels more like New York or Chicago. Immediately I liked it. The people also act totally different - again, more like NYC or Chicago.

Foreign Islands met us at the venue - a combination cafe/beer and wine bar/laundromat (awesome) called Brain Wash. They’d been suffering transportation problems, and it finally came to a head: They told us they were packing it in, spending their remaining money on train tickets back to NYC. They had to spend the rest of the night bubble-wrapping their gear, which would be loaded on to 2 separate trains, and then they would get on a 7am train, which would take them to Penn Station about 65 hours later.

Of course, we feel terrible that their van died (and the engine seized). They are our friends, and they are great to hang out with, and an honor to play with. Selfishly, it also sucks because we really would have liked to have played all those dates with them. But there were no other alternatives. They even attempted to buy two vans out in California, but that didn’t work out.

I will say, though, that having the drummer of Quicksand (who now plays drums for Foreing Islands) give you a hug after a set, tell you how great your set was, and then proceed to take your setlist, put it in his pocket and tell you he’s putting it in his tour-scrapboook, is something that’s just really amazing. That’s a not a knock on anyone else in Foreign Islands (all of whom have been in great bands). It’s just that Quicksand is one of those bands I’ve been listening to on a consistent basis for almost 15 years.

Well, so anyways, there it was: before we even had a chance to play with them in San Francisco, our tour with Foreign Islands was over. We wished them restful train rides, sketched plans for some NYC shows, and said goodbye.

With that, it was time for us to play a show. And we were all pleasantly surprised when old friends showed up in support of us. A quick hello to my old friend (since grade school), Meg: great to see you!

Sound-wise, the venue was a disappointment. They had a broken PA, no sound person, and very little space for a band (looking back, it’s probably better suited for the singer-songwriter types). But we were in good spirits, and played the show anyway. For how bad it should have sounded, it actually sounded pretty good, and those in attendace loved it, including the staff, who sent us away with food and water that will continue to last us for days.

But we didn’t have much time to hang around SF. In fact, we had to immediately leave and take a bite out of our 1200 mile drive from SF to Denver. We did just that, and stopped in Reno for the night.

We got to sleep around 3:30am, and were up by 11:00am - me feeling sicker than the day before.

I took some medicine, a ton of vitamins, and we hit the road. I took the first driving shift, and it was such an absolutely gorgeous and interesting drive that I didn’t let go of the wheel till 530 miles later when we hit Salt Lake City. The guys took over from there and got us into Rawlins, Wyoming where we crashed for the night. We covered approximately 800 miles in a day, and fell fast asleep by 2:30am.

I had one of the most vivid nightmares I’ve had in a long time. Which is kind of cool, in an way.

As I type this, we’re making our way into the Rocky Mountains. I feel 90% better, health-wise, and despite the dreams, I feel really well-rested.

Tonight, we meet back up with EarFarm Matt (he’s spent the last couple days with his family). Also, we get to see Kenny’s brother, who now lives there. And we get to play the Larimer Lounge - a place we’ve heard great things about. I am interested to see what the turnout is like this evening, as the Westword (Denver’s version of the village Voice) did a nice article on us, and they supplemented it online with a full transcript of their interview with me. Maybe people will be interested to check out the show. Or maybe it will make no difference, and we’ll play for 3 people.

Either way, I think the mood among us all is a rejuvinated excitement. We had some great shows in California (San Diego and LA) that’s earned us some some great press, and we’ve got some exciting shows coming up (tonight, Champaign, Chicago, and Columbus in particular - not to mention our homecoming show at the Mercury Lounge on 4/6).

Sure, it would have been awesome to have our friends Foreign Islands with us. But, really, this entire tour happened with little to no support from anyone but ourselves and our fans. So, it only makes sense that we go it on our own. We’re used to that.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 26th, 2007 at 7:08 pm and is filed under Daily, Goes Cube Winter/Spring Tour 2007. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.