Lemmon's Aid

In preparation for our last show of the tour, we found a movie theather. Steve Garvey and lucky slept in the van while o3 and I watched Sky Captain and the Land of Tomorrow. I think Lucky and Steve Garvey were more thoroughly entertained, but o3 and I were more comfortable.

We drove back to St. Louis and loaded in at Lemmon's. We've played there twice before, but both times the music was downstairs. Since we've been back, they've built a pretty cool stage upstairs. We played with one of our favorite bands thin St Louis, The Highway Matrons. They're a trio that's unlike any band I've heard in Austin. At any moment during the 40 minute set, it seemed like the whole thing was going to fall apart, and they were going to throw down their instruments in disgust, and yet it never did fall apart. It ambled, rumbled, and at times soared along with some of the most chaotic beauty I've ever seen in a band. Add the fact that the drummer started off the set playing spoons with a mic seat-belted to his leg, then took a moment to extinguish his cigarette on his tongue before settling behind the kit, and you get an idea of the kind of band this is.

After our set, the Good Greifs played... this is a band that we've known the members of since our first visit to St. Louis 2 years ago, but this was our first time to play with them. Also a great band, the create something unlike anything we've seen in Austin. It was a great way to finish the tour.

Hello, Springfield

A short drive to Springfield, IL allowed enough time during the afternoon for Stu, Heather and me to visit the Anheiser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis. The big highlight of the tour is the end, when they let you drink two free beers brewed within the last 24 hours. Rarely do you get to taste a bud that is so fresh and so cold. Ahhhh.



Springfield turned out to be more than we ever expected. We played with our friends The Phonocaptors, who are a great St. Louis band. Their bass player lives in Springfield, and works at a bar called Cafe Konichi-Wa, which is where we played. It's a tiny little bar, but it filled up with some rock and roll fans, and between the phonocaptors and us, we blew the place up.

When the bar closed at 1:30, we headed to the Downtown Hilton, where the bar on the 30th floor stays open till 3. As pilot of the van, I defered all jagerbombs to lucky. The view from the top was pretty cool, aside from the captial building, the next tallest building is probably about 10 stories tall.

When the 3 oclock bar closed, we headed to our friends' house, which was stocked with over 30 Stag beers in cans. When o3 woke up, Steve Garvey was still giggling. When I woke up, steve garvey was asleep in the back porch, using a book for a pillow.

A Kick in St. Louis

Our second day off of the tour came in St. Louis, where our good Friend Stu lives. . We spent the day with him and Heather, then went that night to see The Kicks, who are on tour right now with Robert Shimp, who just produced our record. We got to spend a bit of time with Robert catching up on a patio down the street from the Creepy Crawl. He had a new digital camera, and he and o3 began to compare.

A woman came out of the bar and explained that there was a bet inside the bar on the color of Heather's shirt, which was white. Someone in the bar swore it was pink. After the matter was settled, she stayed, swaying on the porch. She talked about her job at the Hilton, and explained that she'd been drinking since she got off work (5 hours ago) and didn't even know who the people were that she'd made the bet with. At about this time, those very people came up to the window, and one of the women pulled the band of her underwear out of her pants and snapped them. This reminded our visitor that she was supposed to ask the color of Heather's underwear as well.

At this moment, o3, and Robert, who had stopped paying attention long ago, were lining up a their cameras to take pictures of each other taking pictures of each other etc. Our visitor assumed the cameras were for her, and volunteered to allow her boobs to be photographed. Without Robert's knowledge, she joined in the photograph. O3's photo is included below.



It was time to leave, and we walked back to the Creepy Crawl to say hello to the Kicks. We took one more picture, in which Robert is looking at his own camera, rather than the one taking the picture, and said good bye.

Good MoJo

After a 10 hour drive to Columbia, MO, we were pretty punch drunk. We played first of 3 bands. The bar is called MoJo's, and is the booked by the same folks who book The Blue Note. Columbia is a college town, and most of the kids were at the Blue Note this night, as the Wailers were in town. We saw the line going around the block as we looked for the club.

A small crowd didn't keep us from rocking, of course, and we had a great show. Met lots of cool folks in Columbia, and stayed the night there with a belly full of Miller Hi Life (a nice change from the string of PBR clubs that we've played).

Gooding played a guitar solo on two guitars, and our friend Acopolis and Nina (sometimes known as "The New Acopolis") came out to the show, which was a blast.

Can't wait to get back to Columbia.

Crank County Calls

Back to Michigan, this time Ypsilanti, to play at the Elbow Room. Two local bands opened, one of whom was celebrating their first show ever, the other had been playing 5 or 6 months.

This was our 4th time to play here, and the stage had been worked on a ton since our last visit. We played with a band from Ashville, NC called The Crank County Daredevils. They were just getting started on a tour, and had driven in from Buffalo, NY They were heavy as hell, and kick ass. Lots of leather, and torn denim, metal jewelry with skulls and bullets woven into everything from boots to bracelets. The inbetween song banter flowed effortlessly into the songs. For example:

"This song is about a true story of a friend of ours who blew up his trailer making meth 1 2 3 4 Speed Kills but it pays the bills..."

Later he would say: "This song is about my ex-wife, it's called "Bitch, be cool 1 2 3 4 'Bitch be cool...'"

They're coming to Austin and playing the same festival we are in a week or so. I'm planning on taking Catalina to see the show. We got a picture with them afterward.

Subterranian

Last night we played in Chicago... it was a late added show with two bands we'd played with on previous tours: American Minor and Cisco Pike. Another band called Ladies and Gentlemen also played. We played first, and were able to really enjoy all three sets afterward. It was easily our best show in Chicago to date. We even had some new friends from Champaign make the trip up for the show. We're looking forward to playing more shows with all of those bands.

We can see the homestretch coming now. We'll be back in Austin in less than a week.

Being Served by a Warrant

Sunday brought us to Cleveland, and the Hi Fi Club. It was our second time to play there We met some more cool people. The bar is owned by the guitar player from Warrant, Billy Morris. He showed me pictures from a tour he'd done in Japan 5 years ago, and talked a lot about football. He also tried to get steve garvey to drink a shot of hot sauce and whiskey, but after sampling the hot sauce, garvey decided the dare was not worth an intestinal transplant, and he passed (for more information on Steve Garvey's decisions, see his published works).

You Have To Believe

Bedford Drive made this a terrific night. 2 local bands played before us, and kids kept coming in the whole time. I'd played at the Magic Stick about 10 years before with another band, but I hardly recognized the place. They moved the bowling lanes downstairs, kept the fancy restaurant on the side, and added a kick ass stage and sound system upstairs.

Someone recently told me that the Magic Stick got it's name because Harry Houdini died there. The story goes that he was sucker punched at a bar in Toronto then travelled to Detroit. Two days later, while leaving the club in Detroit, he died from hemorrhaging. Creepy, like most stories you hear in Detroit.

This was the first time we'd seen Bedford Drive since they got a new drummer (Ryan Looney) and we were curious how they could possibly replace Jay Croft, who played incredible parts over their songs. Our question was answered quickly during soundcheck, and more completely during their show. Ryan is a bad bad man... and damn good looking too. We didn't miss out on seeing Jay, though. He is now playing guitar in another band, Keep Manhatten, and they opened the show.



Afterward, we all headed to the DRC (Down River Coney) where I ate a sandwich called the Slim Jim, and my buddy Ed (guitar player for Bedford Drive) ordered the Downriver Coney Island Special. (for information on Steve Garvey and Lucky's meal, see Steve Garvey's published works) Michelle (bass player) and I watched with growing interest as three women at a both across the restaurant began moving from table to table, striking up conversations with some drunk kids that looked to have spent the night in clubs At one point, one of the women left for the parking lot with one of the guys, leaving both their companions to guess loudly where they'd gone. Michelle (who whipped out a pair of reflective glasses) and I compared our predictions then the two re-appeared in the window. The girl leaned against a car and put her hair in a pony tail, while the guy started dancing by himself in the parking lot. It reminded me of a scene from "Cool as Ice" (with Vanilla Ice), and became more surreal the longer he danced to no music, with no beat, for no apparent reason. The girl tried to dance with him for a minute but had trouble keeping up. She finally just lit a cigarette and watched. The Slim Jim was long gone and it was 4:30 so we paid our bill and left.

Day of Rest

After 11 shows in 10 days, we welcomed a day off after the Champaign show. All of our gear needed some tending to, and so did our laundry. We slept, ate, strung guitars and tuned drums for most of the day. I called my mom to wish her a happy birthday. We then headed out the next morning for Detroit Part II.

The Champagne of Champaigns

Thursday we headed to Champaign, IL for a free show at Cowboy Monkey. We weren't sure what to expect, but things looked good from the beginning. The bar doubles as a restaurant, and has a nice patio. The wait staff were cool to us from the start. Joe, the soundman, had done some traveling with Brutal Juice, a band that some friends of mine from Denton played in during the mid 90's. We had fun trading stories and filling each other in on what we knew about where some of those guys were now. In addition to having great taste in punk bands, Joe is a phenomenal sound guy, and we had a terrific show, able to hear everything each other was doing. A good crowd watched thanks to the show being free, and a blurb in the local "Buzz" paper about the show from our friend Todd, who's been to our last three shows. We made a ton of friends, including Jiggsaw, the Champaign band that followed us, and Leslie, an Austin transplant who is in Champaign, and her friend Maura, who let us crash in her warehouse apartment. (I should mention that her apartment included a jump rope that was the source of some intensely funny entertainment...

Things I learned:
- Lucky has springs for leg
- Steve Garvey knows all sorts of school yard rhymes that I've never heard before.

One Will Make You Small's

Wednesday brought us to Detroit. . The sound man hit a bicyclist on the way to work, so he was a bit distracted for a while. He was riding a motorcycle, squeezed through a yellow light, and clipped some kid who witnesses conjectured was on drugs. We heard the story plenty.

Scott from Bedford Drive came out with his wife Hilary, and we had fun playing 11 ball while we waited for the show to start. Kat (our first friend in Detroit) also made it to the show despite the fact that she was getting ready to leave for Greece the next day. After seeing her again, within 5 seconds, we were reminded why we love her so much.

Retro Firehouse

By Tuesday, we were at The Firehouse in North Manchester, IN. Here we played with two bands that were beginning a two month tour together. The Sunshine Fix (from Athens, GA) and Saturday Looks Good to Me (from Detroit) played along with a band from Pittsburgh called Lewis and Clark. It was a great, diverse night of music. Sunshine Fix had a Beatlesish sound with some really kick ass vocal harmonies and great melodies. Saturday Looks Good To Me had sort of a 60's Beach Party sound. A keyboard and saxophone accentuated sugary melodies sung in call and answer by a male and female vocalist. Lots of fun to see. As always, we loved seeing Jabin and Jessica. The Inn was good to us, even without free fries.

Gabe's Desolate Oasis

In IA, we played with yet another Texas band, Those Peabodies... it was a good thing they were there, because without them, we would have just played for the bartender. Because they are a three-piece and us a four piece, they had a 25% bigger crowd than us, but we didn't complain. An after party at the bartender's house gave us a chance to hang out more than we ever have in Austin. They're a great band, and they rocked us.

The Wabash Cannonball

The shows have come fast and furious since I last wrote. Lincoln was a great surprise. We played at Duffy's on Sunday with a local band called Hymn from the Hurricane and a band from TX called The Fluffer's Union. Hymn from the Hurricane captivated us with lilting songs arranged with some unusual instrumentation... cello, keyboard, violin, guitar, bass and drums.

We quickly made friends with Charlie, who was running sound, and he ended up letting us stay at his place with his room mates. Charlie plays in a band called Last One Standing and lives with some great guys who go to school at Nebraska. We had a good time hanging out with them, then headed out the next morning for Iowa City.

Rocky Mountain High

Today we're driving across Nebraska, very similar to driving across Kansas, except for the shape of the highway signs. 3 shows in the last two days at a total of 18,000 feet took a toll on us... especially when coupled with the PBRs.

The Hi-Dive show was cool. We played with a great band from Portland called Desperately Waiting. They're a three-piece band with some intensely strange and fun to listen to songs.

We stayed with Roxanna Roll, at her kick ass house in Denver. We played miniature golf on the course in her back yard, and drank even more PBR.

The next morning we got up early to drive into the mountains for the Southpark Music Festival. The drive was breathtaking on account of the changing leaves on the Aspens, although I think I'm the only one who saw it. The guys caught up on some sleep while I steered the van up to Fairplay.

The relationship between the TV show Southpark and this town was a little hard to figure out. They had an old west town set up, complete with locals dressed up in cowboy garb re-in-acting hourly gun duels. There were also lots of plywood boards painted with southpark characters that had holes cut where the faces would go so tourists could fill the void with their own mug. We talked about taking a picture, but after a grueling load in over winding dirt trails, no one wanted it bad enough to brave the hike back to the van to get the camera.

The festival itself was a big change from the usual bars. We followed a two blue grass bands, and went in front of a solo acoustic guy from Indianapolis. The power source in Southpark was not a good one, and irregular power sent flames and sparks into Steve Garvey's volitaile amp, which shattered a brand new tube. The soundman loaned us a replacement amp, but by the time it arrived, we were past our set time, and they cut us down to only 6 songs. A bit disappointing after such a difficult load in. The disappointment ended quickly, however, when we met several cool kids from Southpark that had watched the show.

The other rock and roll band scheduled to perform was Josh Todd (former lead singer from the band Buck Cherry) who decided not to even show up for his headlining slot. Rumor among the staff was that he was in town the night before, but had mysteriously disappeared well before his scheduled load in time. It's hard to know if that rumor was true, since o3 was mistaken for Josh Todd twice.

We got back in the van, and drove back to Denver for one more show that night at the Lion's Lair. Exhausted we got there a bit early to see if Garvey's amp would still work. With some better power, it did, and a few PBRs helped us begin to feel ourselves again.

From the first note, we all knew that it would be a great set. Everything sounded just the way it was supposed to, and we entered one of those rare moments in time when we could do no wrong. All of the new songs seemed to take life under my fingers, and the shortness of breath that had plagued me since climbing into Denver yesterday disappeared beneath the roar of the stage volume.

It was a fun time to have a good night. Our friends Nathanial and Joe from Born in the Flood had come out to see the show. We also made friends with Hervis, who took the stage after us, and assaulted the club with some of the tightest, heaviest, most kick ass Kentucky-fried rock I've ever seen.

When the show was over, Roxanna Roll took me down the street and introduced me to Anika from Hemi-Cuda, who told some great stories about car trouble in Wyoming, and a Bridal Party from hell that had just visited her at the bar she tended.

Back at Roxanna's compound, more miniature golf ensued, and this morning we piled into the van early once again to head East. Steve Garvey still hasn't emerged from his "room", and Lucky is only now starting to move around. We've been in the van for about six hours with three more to go.

Rock and roll,
chopper

Kansas Plain Rocks

Today we're driving across Kansas. Steve Garvey and Lucky are sleeping, and o3's driving. I'm taking a break from sending booking emails to admire how flat this state is.

Shows in Lawrence and KC were great. We played the Replay in Lawrence where Lucky knocked a spaceship off of the ceiling, and o3 heard what it sounds like when a piano explodes. The people who work at the Replay are, perhaps, the coolest bar staff in the entire country. We had a great time, then went back to our friend Adam and Jessica's house and sipped on Lone Star's. Adam played a song that Steve Garvey wrote and blew us all away.

The next day we played in KC and the infamous Cobra came to see us. Cobra at one time was Steve Garvey's arch nemesis, so we were all a little nervous. Luckily, thinks didn't go nearly as badly as the first time they met

We got to hang out with the Brick's owner, Sheri on the night that she celebrated owning the club for five years. It was a momentus night. The band Drone played their last show ever, and the first band, Undimmed, played their fist show in 11 months. We were given Pabst Blue Ribbon for the second night in the row.

We just got a call from Hip Williams. He did some snooping on line, and find out that we'll be playing with two great bands next Tuesday. Saturday Looks Good to Me and Sunshine Fix are playing with at the Firehouse on the 18th. It will be a blast to see tthose bands and play at one of our favorite places.

Time to get a sandwich and some sleep. Three shows in the next two days... all of them at least a mile high.

Rock and roll,
chopper

I'm Goin to Wichita

On our way to Kirby's Beer store in Wichita, we stopped at a sporting good store. Steve Garvey and Lucky each bought a pair of shoes with retractable skates (for $10... $70 off!). They skated in the parking lot for a while. Then, after checking for any broken bones, we headed to Kirby's for some rock.

We played with a great band from Little Rock call the American Princes. They were on their way to Minneapolis today, so we feel lucky to only be driving 2 hours to Lawrence.

Melissa and Chad from the band The Den Mothers came out to the show, and even put us up. They also filmed the show for the TV station at KBTL in El Dorado. Thanks to both of them for making our stay in Wichita kick ass (yet again).

We fell asleep watching Chad's video of Nirvana doing two sold out stadium shows in Brazil. Who needs stadiums when you have Kirby's?

Rock and roll,
chopper