Show Journal 2006-09-11
Day 2 – This morning we got up, got breakfast and headed off the Missoula. At some point we got suckered into entering “Idaho’s largest Army surplus store” by Dave. It was kind of boring but we literally didn’t have anything to do until tomorrow night so no one complained. We maximized Justin’s investment into an iPod radio adapter and dug deep into my collection with bad 80’s and questionable hip hop choices. The phrase “try and catch me ridin dirty” has come out of my mouth at least 100 times since this drive. Eventually we arrived in Missoula to stay with our friend Marty whom we’ve known for years. He booked our very first out of town Portland show for us back in 1997 in his garage. He has been friends with Dustin for even longer so it was good to see a familiar face. Their house was rad and they made us some of the best hamburgers I’ve ever had. We ended playing his Xbox until about 2 AM. At this point Dustin got sick of losing and decided to challenge Justing to a Greco-roman wrestling match. That was the sign to call in a night.
Show Journal 2006-09-10
Day 1 – I’m reluctant to even call this a tour since we’ll be home in 5 days. The drive started off in typical fashion, bad music with Fat Boys style freestlye thrown in by all. At some point Dustin busted out a Billy Ocean CD and proceeded to rock out behind the wheel. I’m tempted to call him the Caribbean Queen from here on out. Gas prices are insane. Fill up’s are around $90 which isn’t going to be very kind on our wallets. The weather was perfect about 80 degrees and no clouds in the sky. Typically when we drive this way it’s after work in the dark and in rainy conditions so it’s nice to look around. At some point there was a bad smell of burning electronics and plastic but we haven’t located it so far. Eventually we rolled into Twin Falls and stopped to check out the Snake River Canyon. There is a little memorial indicating that this is where Evel Knievel attempted his mile long jump but no success. We did see a bunch of people base jump off the bridge which was way cool. We pulled up to the venue and it had the sketchiest loading area ever. The back dock was full of rusty nails and teetering hand rails. Good thing my tetanus shot is current. This was the first time we got to meet Top Of The Fair and Morningstar and we did our introductions even though I know I won’t possibly get everyone’s name. The opening band was pretty cool. They were call Trinomikon and played a very Tiger Army-ish punk and rockabilly set. Not bad for being so young. We played second and I think we rocked it. The kids started a pit and sang along where they could even through no one had ever seen or heard of us before. Totally fun. Mourningstar was up next and they were great. The guitar player fell through the stage so you know you are rocking when you break the ground upon which you stand. Top Of The Fair was up last and sounded great as well. We’ve got our work cut out for us if we have to follow them this whole week. All four bands wrapped up in under 2 and a half hours so we had lots of time to kill. After the show we would up going to Shari’s and eventually decided to just get a hotel. Normally we just sleep in the van to save money and time, but since there wasn’t a show the next day we heeded the call of the $45 motel.
Show Journal 2006-09-08
Small venue, small turnout and lots of fun. Ironically enough we talked at great length on the drive down about how people ask us “why do we waste our time on these small shows” or “why do we play in towns that won’t really help get you signed”. This show was a perfect example of why we do it. You get to play for people that want to see a show and have fun, and we get to bring along two friend’s bands to see play. Hanging out, seeing bands, playing music, what’s not to love about that? I love playing big shows with big bands, but to do this for as long as we have you gotta enjoy playing to 25 people in a basement too. This was one of those shows. Go Get The Scissors came down from Olympia for the show and did really well. I wish a few more people were there to see them but they sounded great. Eat Your Heart Out was second was up second and was a night and day difference from the last time I saw them. Of course last time was their very first show ever so there’s only way to go from there. They seemed so much more at ease up there and really have found their own sound. Our set was fun. Some people knew the words and that’s a plus. It’s worth mentioning that Dustin’s grandma came to the show which makes here the coolest grandma ever. Thanks to Zelan and everyone else who helps make shows at Outpost happen.
Some record labels actually do things.
Well, we’re getting ready to leave to play the NW dates of the New School Records tour. Should be cool and we’re stoked to meet the other bands. If you are in the NW try and check out a show!
Shows outside of Portland?
Not much new here. Played a few shows last week so thanks to those who checked them out. Next shows should be in September for a few dates on the still evolving New School Records tour.
Show Journal 2006-07-29
Well, not nearly the same crowd as our last trip to Salem, but the show was every bit as fun. The Hornswogglers were up first and sadly I missed them as Justin and I made a run for food. It took forever to find something which is ironic seeing that it was “The Bite of Salem” that night. What’s with that term anyway? Why does every town have “A Taste” or “A Bite”? How about calling it what it really is … “the night people use as a catalyst for drunken fights on the city streets of Salem”. Anyway, we did get back in time to see BXF who sounded pretty damn tough. The slower song (‘voice’?) sounded particularly impressive in the cozy confines of the basement. It’s always cool seeing someone who can really belt out a song up so close. We were up third and chose to play a set of songs we never play live. Why? No idea, just seemed like a good idea. Some selections included Destination Space, Holiday, Everybody, Beachhead and even Get In The Van. There were 10 oldies in there and it’s safe to say it had been years since we performed most of them. In fact I don’t think Justin has ever even played Holiday live and I know Dustin has touched a few of them outside the practice space. We had a good time playing them (mistakes and all) but it was easy to tell why they aren’t the crowd pleasers as people’s energy level drained quickly after a few songs. Still with only 30 people in attendance (most of whom we knew) it was all good. Kill The Kids were last and sounded great despite the lack of their singer. I meant to ask what happened but forgot. Oh well. Giving the crowd a microphone is always a scary move, but everyone there knew all the words so they wound up having about a dozen singers. With the exception of the song where Justin accompanied them on cowbell it was a cool show. Thanks to Andy, The Sip, KTK, BXF, the Hornswogglers and Salem P.D. for the advice on what the ticketing laws are for public sidewalks. Happy birthday Derek and thanks for the invite to play!
Album Review
A message to Detroiters: Not all things that come out of Portland, Oregon are a complete waste. Ok, the Trailblazers are terrible, and mentioning the name Joey Harrington is bound to drive Lions fans to tears. But blasting out of Portland, 800 Octane is proving that punk and fury can exist in one of the
Show Journal 2006-07-22
The show tonight was a benefit for a kid named River who was killed in a drunk driving accident. The family and friends setup a benefit in his honor to raise some money and awareness. We were told he had actually seen our band a few times and Dave actually recalled meeting him in Longview so it was flattering to be invited to play. From a feel good point of view event it was a pretty cool night. Nice vibe, nice stage, and lots of effort put into promoting and running the show. From a band waiting to play it was admittedly pretty frustrating. I don’t want to tarnish the memory or upset anyone but we arrived and setup at 5:00 PM. There were 4 bands before us and the first band (one guy playing acoustic) started around 6:00. Everyone’s gear was backlined (ie- already set up and plugged in) so if you do the math we should have been on by 9:30 or 10:00 at the absolute latest. We didn’t even get to play a note until 11:00. For the millionth time if there are 5 bands you have to keep that shit moving. You do not need to play 45+ minutes when there are 5 bands after you. Ever. How long do bands play at the Warped Tour play? 30 minutes. Ozzfest? 30 minutes. The times we’ve gotten to play large shows in big venues it’s often 25 minutes or even 20 minutes. I guess it’s one of those things you can’t truly appreciate unless you’d watched helplessly as people file out the door because a show is running late. Given the circumstances surrounding the show we just kept our mouths shut and tried to make the most of it. On a positive note (finally) it was a blast playing again and it was cool to see how much River’s dad and family appreciated it. Dustin did well despite performing double duty with his cover band called DTP. Thanks to the people that did stay late, everyone who helped setup and run the show and the other bands for dedicating their time as well.
News. Not really.
We added two shows for late July. One is a benefit show in a town we’ve never even heard of and the other is a birthday party for Derek from Kill The Kids. Beyond that we’re just hanging out and writing.
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