Oct 9th, 2008
I am in Philadelphia at the moment where in 2 days this nut job Sarah Palin will be on hand for the Flyers, NY Rangers game where she will attempt to drop the game opening puck. What a disgrace!!! A complete load of turd this is and the only thing somewhat exciting about it will be the crowd response.
Oct 10th, 2008
Currently sitting in the back sit of this van while Ted is up front driving, and Scott is riding shotgun. A day off from driving-not by choice- which I am living it up. We have an Xbox here in the van soI did attempt to play some Pac-Man but ended up giving up quite quickly instead to surf the web-wireless in the van too- and pay attention to the news on the radio.
Two days ago we played the Black Cat in Washington DC which I have been to a handful of times and is a place I enjoy due to their Vegan Lasagna, Vegan Chocolate/ Peanut Butter Cake, and the Ginger Ale there. For this show I handed a guest list which included the fellows from Fugazi which was funny. Ted is old friends with all of them from his time in DC “back in the day” (haha) and from one of his prior bands Chisel touring with them. James’s brother in fact was the drummer of Fugazi who also produced the Pharmacists latest album “Living with the Living”. I am not someone who gets giddy around people in this little music thing because in fact this music is a small world so most of the time you cross paths with people/ bands that you personally like- and that have been inspirations/ influences. It happens and long story short it happens to those same people too. But yes it was cool that they came to the show and the band actually ended their set by covering an Ignition song “Kiwi Chant” with Alec Mackay doing his vocals. After Ted’s set I did go downstairs to grab some water and Ted introduced me to Ian and Guy-Fugazi who I had actually met years and years ago while helping a friend put on 4 of their shows in California.
The show in DC was also the Pharmacists show yet again. They played an amazing set once again and the fans agree as well from what I can tell by their reaction. Once they were done the temperature in the Black Cat actually seemed to drop and it turns out the reason why it did was because a lot of people left after the Pharmacists played which left Against Me! playing to a half full room.
Last night in Philly we were at the Electric Factory which is a huge room and again there weren’t that many people in it. I think the capacity of the Electrc Factory is around 1500 or so (I’d say) and there was probably 600-700 kids last night. We did get ourselves some Vegan Cheese Steaks from Govinda’s delivered which is always a must in Philly. With my order I added a slice of Pumpkin Cheese cake to enjoy the tastes of the fall/ festive season. My friend Jorge and his lady fried came out last night which is usually the case when I am in town so we had our usual “show hang” which consists of trying to talk over loud music in a venue the whole time while I am working. It sucks because I know some other people I knew wanted to come out and hang with me but our guest list last night was too big so it wasn’t possible. After the show Ted, Scott, and I drove to the Holiday Inn to lay our little heads while the other dudes went separate ways with their lady friends.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Whirly Ball #2
Oct 4th, 2008
Here at the House of Blues in Orlando, FL or shall I say Disney World Florida where outside the weather is hot, sticky and inside this very stale venue the air conditioning is on full blast and I am in a hoodie.
We arrived here in Orlando earlier this afternoon after a 2 hour drive from St. Petersburg, Florida where this tour played last night at a outdoor venue named Janis Landing. The drive today was definitely quick compared to the last couple of drives so we were all able to sleep in and take it easy this morning. Some went to Starbucks while I myself went to fill my little pot belly with a burrito from a independent burrito joint modeled after Chipotle-McDonalds burrito’s. An indy food joint mondeling themselves after a humungous chain.
Yesterdays show was definitely the best show thus far of the tour (3 days of it). Against Me is from Gainesville, Florida which was only about 2 hours away from St. Petersburg so the kids came out in full force. About 45 mins after doors opened I was wondering how well the show would do because the turn out was low indeed however through out the night things changed and the venue was absolutely packed with crazy Floridians.
The Pharmacists definitely put on a great show and there was one song where Ted actually didn’t play guitar and just went nuts on the mic which added to their intensity. Totally cool. I guess there was some issues with the kids get crushed up front due to boneheads in the crowd not respecting peoples spaces. I missed all of this and what was said but I know the band was definitely super bummed.
All in all though the show was Against Me’s.
I met a couple from Edmonton which was cool and they definitely got a kick out of me being from Grande Prairie and now here I am on tour in Florida. Most people who I come across at shows who are from random parts of Canada definitely get a kick out of me being from G. P. Also last night I was able to have my first Thai Red Curry Tofu dish of the tour which is always nice except I have had way better in other parts. Cant win them all.
So Ted Leo is currently playing here at HOB and the show just seems weird. So stagnant and stale. When it comes to this particular venue we are still 20 miles away from Orlando and in the middle of the whole Disney structure which is completely disgusting. No rock band let alone “punk” band should ever play such a place but when you are on someone else’s tour you have to kind of go with the flow and go where the tour takes you.
Oct 5th
Sitting here in our hotel room with Chris, James and myself watching Saturday Night Live. Ted was with us until about 2 mins again when he bailed to probably go too sleep however someone just knocked on the door. Who is it? Marty has just arrived from an adventure downstairs in the bar so I am sure there will be some stories.
On SNL this evening the musical guest is the Killers who I will say yet again I am definitely a fan of. I back the Killers and will always back them. Sorry ya’ll. What was cool though is once this came up Ted started talking about them and it turns out he backs them too!! Right on. The others I don’t think are too familiar with them yet however by the end of this tour they probably will be.
Something I heard a couple years ago was that when the singer of the Killers got married in Hawaii he flew their entire touring crew out for the wedding with days off. These things stoke me out because there are many o many of bands out there who would ever do things as such #1 because they can’t which is completely understandable but there are many bands that could and don’t. So when a band who can do something as such and actually does this rules for everyone involved.
So with this conversation Ted mentioned a story about Pearl Jam who they just toured with and how the band has an actual profit sharing system set up for their crew which is a cool thing to hear and I guess if you are with them for 6 years you get actual investments in their band/ project- I guess you would call this a collective of sorts…?? Rad
Oct 7, 2008
So I should first and foremost introduce the Pharmacists
Ted Leo, Chris, James, Marty, with Scott moving the dials on the sound board and myself doing some other tasks in between.
Currently we are in Greensboro, North Carolina where we arrived a couple hours ago after a 6 hour drive from Atlanta where we had spent the night after a day off yesterday. The drive was pretty much the same as any other drive although I do remember seeing and passing the most amount of police I have ever seen on the highways. In about 1 hour I swear I visibly saw at least 20 cop cars on the side of the freeway, in the middle median and others who had pulled over vehicles. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What a complete bum out. The police do more harm then good. When you are driving and come across a cop car people instantly hit their brakes and when a cop is hiding some people actually freak out on the highway. Not good for anyone behind the wheel of a moving machine. It turns out that this lady who I have been hearing so much about lately named Sarah Palin was giving a speech in these parts so now it makes sense although there always seems to be WAY TO MANY cops in these area’s. Not NEEDED!!!
So we played Gainesville 2 days ago which was nice because I have actually never been to a show there before which is hard to believe. It’s a place I have only stopped through to eat, and spend the night. My roommate Yannick and friend Phillipe actually flew down for the show to film the show, do interviews with fans, and catch some moments with Tom-Against Me! for video stuff with his new upcoming solo record. A small world eh?
The show in Gville was a benefit for Civic Media Center in the city which is a independent media outlet. The show was at the Common Grounds which I am very familiar with due to the stories from Gville and it was a nice little punk venue. The show was sold out which probably made for a good benefit for the CMC seeing how no one else took any $$....Hence the benefit.
Yesterday we had a day off so drove to Atlanta where we stayed with this nice fellow named Henry who was a friend of the bands. Henry does a zine named Chunklet which seems to be a pretty well known zine however it wa the 1st I heard of it..Hahaha. Henry was a good dude and had 2 crazy ass dogs. The dudes had also planned on doing something named Whirly Ball which I had no clue as to what it was. So after grabbing a bite in which I consumed a nice Black Bean Burger with a nice IPA beer we hopped in the van and drove a little north of Atlanta to the sight of this Whirly Ball.
So Whirly Ball in a game played in a big court with 10 (5 to a team) bumper cars. On each end of the court you have a goal elevated up near the roof (like basket ball) with a target on it. Each player is in a bumper car holding the steering of device of the car with 1 hand while the other hand is holding a sort of paddle, basket, scoop, catching device in which you use to pass, scoop and shoot a wiffle ball into the goal. Totally mind blowing I know but beyond fun. I sit here with a sore body and a mind full of good times. I played every game there was and actually did fairly well. It’s the hockey player in me.
Here at the House of Blues in Orlando, FL or shall I say Disney World Florida where outside the weather is hot, sticky and inside this very stale venue the air conditioning is on full blast and I am in a hoodie.
We arrived here in Orlando earlier this afternoon after a 2 hour drive from St. Petersburg, Florida where this tour played last night at a outdoor venue named Janis Landing. The drive today was definitely quick compared to the last couple of drives so we were all able to sleep in and take it easy this morning. Some went to Starbucks while I myself went to fill my little pot belly with a burrito from a independent burrito joint modeled after Chipotle-McDonalds burrito’s. An indy food joint mondeling themselves after a humungous chain.
Yesterdays show was definitely the best show thus far of the tour (3 days of it). Against Me is from Gainesville, Florida which was only about 2 hours away from St. Petersburg so the kids came out in full force. About 45 mins after doors opened I was wondering how well the show would do because the turn out was low indeed however through out the night things changed and the venue was absolutely packed with crazy Floridians.
The Pharmacists definitely put on a great show and there was one song where Ted actually didn’t play guitar and just went nuts on the mic which added to their intensity. Totally cool. I guess there was some issues with the kids get crushed up front due to boneheads in the crowd not respecting peoples spaces. I missed all of this and what was said but I know the band was definitely super bummed.
All in all though the show was Against Me’s.
I met a couple from Edmonton which was cool and they definitely got a kick out of me being from Grande Prairie and now here I am on tour in Florida. Most people who I come across at shows who are from random parts of Canada definitely get a kick out of me being from G. P. Also last night I was able to have my first Thai Red Curry Tofu dish of the tour which is always nice except I have had way better in other parts. Cant win them all.
So Ted Leo is currently playing here at HOB and the show just seems weird. So stagnant and stale. When it comes to this particular venue we are still 20 miles away from Orlando and in the middle of the whole Disney structure which is completely disgusting. No rock band let alone “punk” band should ever play such a place but when you are on someone else’s tour you have to kind of go with the flow and go where the tour takes you.
Oct 5th
Sitting here in our hotel room with Chris, James and myself watching Saturday Night Live. Ted was with us until about 2 mins again when he bailed to probably go too sleep however someone just knocked on the door. Who is it? Marty has just arrived from an adventure downstairs in the bar so I am sure there will be some stories.
On SNL this evening the musical guest is the Killers who I will say yet again I am definitely a fan of. I back the Killers and will always back them. Sorry ya’ll. What was cool though is once this came up Ted started talking about them and it turns out he backs them too!! Right on. The others I don’t think are too familiar with them yet however by the end of this tour they probably will be.
Something I heard a couple years ago was that when the singer of the Killers got married in Hawaii he flew their entire touring crew out for the wedding with days off. These things stoke me out because there are many o many of bands out there who would ever do things as such #1 because they can’t which is completely understandable but there are many bands that could and don’t. So when a band who can do something as such and actually does this rules for everyone involved.
So with this conversation Ted mentioned a story about Pearl Jam who they just toured with and how the band has an actual profit sharing system set up for their crew which is a cool thing to hear and I guess if you are with them for 6 years you get actual investments in their band/ project- I guess you would call this a collective of sorts…?? Rad
Oct 7, 2008
So I should first and foremost introduce the Pharmacists
Ted Leo, Chris, James, Marty, with Scott moving the dials on the sound board and myself doing some other tasks in between.
Currently we are in Greensboro, North Carolina where we arrived a couple hours ago after a 6 hour drive from Atlanta where we had spent the night after a day off yesterday. The drive was pretty much the same as any other drive although I do remember seeing and passing the most amount of police I have ever seen on the highways. In about 1 hour I swear I visibly saw at least 20 cop cars on the side of the freeway, in the middle median and others who had pulled over vehicles. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What a complete bum out. The police do more harm then good. When you are driving and come across a cop car people instantly hit their brakes and when a cop is hiding some people actually freak out on the highway. Not good for anyone behind the wheel of a moving machine. It turns out that this lady who I have been hearing so much about lately named Sarah Palin was giving a speech in these parts so now it makes sense although there always seems to be WAY TO MANY cops in these area’s. Not NEEDED!!!
So we played Gainesville 2 days ago which was nice because I have actually never been to a show there before which is hard to believe. It’s a place I have only stopped through to eat, and spend the night. My roommate Yannick and friend Phillipe actually flew down for the show to film the show, do interviews with fans, and catch some moments with Tom-Against Me! for video stuff with his new upcoming solo record. A small world eh?
The show in Gville was a benefit for Civic Media Center in the city which is a independent media outlet. The show was at the Common Grounds which I am very familiar with due to the stories from Gville and it was a nice little punk venue. The show was sold out which probably made for a good benefit for the CMC seeing how no one else took any $$....Hence the benefit.
Yesterday we had a day off so drove to Atlanta where we stayed with this nice fellow named Henry who was a friend of the bands. Henry does a zine named Chunklet which seems to be a pretty well known zine however it wa the 1st I heard of it..Hahaha. Henry was a good dude and had 2 crazy ass dogs. The dudes had also planned on doing something named Whirly Ball which I had no clue as to what it was. So after grabbing a bite in which I consumed a nice Black Bean Burger with a nice IPA beer we hopped in the van and drove a little north of Atlanta to the sight of this Whirly Ball.
So Whirly Ball in a game played in a big court with 10 (5 to a team) bumper cars. On each end of the court you have a goal elevated up near the roof (like basket ball) with a target on it. Each player is in a bumper car holding the steering of device of the car with 1 hand while the other hand is holding a sort of paddle, basket, scoop, catching device in which you use to pass, scoop and shoot a wiffle ball into the goal. Totally mind blowing I know but beyond fun. I sit here with a sore body and a mind full of good times. I played every game there was and actually did fairly well. It’s the hockey player in me.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Too Many Factors To Cover
Oct 1st, 2008-
I’m currently flying from Washington DC to Atlanta to join forces with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists who are supporting Against Me! on a 5 week tour across the troubled country known as the “United” States of America.
I have never met the Ted Leo folks before but know that they are good peeps and know that I will have fun. My good ol friend/ roommate from Richmond Mr. Nathan Plummer (comic genious folks!) has been touring with Ted Leo for the last couple of years and is responsible for this next adventure of mine. Nathan has decided to hit the books, dedicate himself more to school so he hooked me up with this tour which rules. Thanx bud! So I know due to Nathan, his vibes and the people he surrounds himself with I will be in good company.
Oct 2nd. 2008
So I sit here this evening in a bar named Stages in a city, town, weird beach community named Hilton Head, South Carolina which is located about 30 miles Northeast of Savannah, Georgia right on the coast.
Tonight is night #2 for myself on this tour and night #3 for the tour itself. On the TV screens at the bar in this venue are the Vice Presidential debates being played live. No clue what is being said, or for that matter what is even being asked but most likely nothing of any substance whatsoever. On the debate note Canada also tonight had it’s National debates which I missed and wont get to see. I have checked the Globe and Mail sight (not the best source whatsoever but I find myself checking this “news” source daily..weird) and you cant really tell anything from the article so I checked the “comments” section to read what the people are saying. Again doesn’t sound like anything of any substance whatsoever. We are in trouble people!!
Against Me! has just taken the stage and the kids are pumped as they were last night. I missed Against Me! in their “prime” which some would say was years ago however there are also a lot who would say their “prime” is now. I just know that I have heard many o many a stories about their shows “back in the day”. I know many personal friends of mine would tell me stories about when they went to see AM! and these stories always sounded so so amazing however it was something I missed and that’s how it is.
Currently they do have a good live show and I think that is a good thing when presenting live music to the fans. Are they relevant? Not sure. They are however very very sweet people which I have always thought and for that I respect them deeply.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on the other hand the last 2 nights have blown me away. This is the 3rd time I have ever seen them and it’s the raddest thing. Yes I think they are relevant very much so and YES I do think they have blown Against Me! away both nights. Again just a personal opinion. Against Me! dudes/ dudettes are some of the sweetest people out there and yes I do like them but I just feel that the Pharmacists have this tour in their hand and that’s a obviously a good thing. It was also pretty funny to watch them this evening while the debates were happening on every television screen in the house. No one cared whatsoever about the screens and people were just drawn into the music which is hard no to be with this band.
Thus far the shows have had a far different turn out then I expected. Tonights show is very ill attended as was last nights show and I am not sure why. I heard last night that the whole Atlanta/ Georgia area has a huge fuel crisis happening which I had no clue about. From what I was told you are only allowed 5 gallons of fuel at $5 a gallon and most gas stations are dry. Crazy!! Again We are in trouble!! It’s happening all around us. So that was definitely a factor last night in regards to the turn out and the reaction but as for tonight I am not sure. Yes we are in a place which seems very small and off the map but I still thought there would be a couple more people here this evening. However everyone is having fun as we all did last night and ultimately this is all the matters.!!
I’m currently flying from Washington DC to Atlanta to join forces with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists who are supporting Against Me! on a 5 week tour across the troubled country known as the “United” States of America.
I have never met the Ted Leo folks before but know that they are good peeps and know that I will have fun. My good ol friend/ roommate from Richmond Mr. Nathan Plummer (comic genious folks!) has been touring with Ted Leo for the last couple of years and is responsible for this next adventure of mine. Nathan has decided to hit the books, dedicate himself more to school so he hooked me up with this tour which rules. Thanx bud! So I know due to Nathan, his vibes and the people he surrounds himself with I will be in good company.
Oct 2nd. 2008
So I sit here this evening in a bar named Stages in a city, town, weird beach community named Hilton Head, South Carolina which is located about 30 miles Northeast of Savannah, Georgia right on the coast.
Tonight is night #2 for myself on this tour and night #3 for the tour itself. On the TV screens at the bar in this venue are the Vice Presidential debates being played live. No clue what is being said, or for that matter what is even being asked but most likely nothing of any substance whatsoever. On the debate note Canada also tonight had it’s National debates which I missed and wont get to see. I have checked the Globe and Mail sight (not the best source whatsoever but I find myself checking this “news” source daily..weird) and you cant really tell anything from the article so I checked the “comments” section to read what the people are saying. Again doesn’t sound like anything of any substance whatsoever. We are in trouble people!!
Against Me! has just taken the stage and the kids are pumped as they were last night. I missed Against Me! in their “prime” which some would say was years ago however there are also a lot who would say their “prime” is now. I just know that I have heard many o many a stories about their shows “back in the day”. I know many personal friends of mine would tell me stories about when they went to see AM! and these stories always sounded so so amazing however it was something I missed and that’s how it is.
Currently they do have a good live show and I think that is a good thing when presenting live music to the fans. Are they relevant? Not sure. They are however very very sweet people which I have always thought and for that I respect them deeply.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on the other hand the last 2 nights have blown me away. This is the 3rd time I have ever seen them and it’s the raddest thing. Yes I think they are relevant very much so and YES I do think they have blown Against Me! away both nights. Again just a personal opinion. Against Me! dudes/ dudettes are some of the sweetest people out there and yes I do like them but I just feel that the Pharmacists have this tour in their hand and that’s a obviously a good thing. It was also pretty funny to watch them this evening while the debates were happening on every television screen in the house. No one cared whatsoever about the screens and people were just drawn into the music which is hard no to be with this band.
Thus far the shows have had a far different turn out then I expected. Tonights show is very ill attended as was last nights show and I am not sure why. I heard last night that the whole Atlanta/ Georgia area has a huge fuel crisis happening which I had no clue about. From what I was told you are only allowed 5 gallons of fuel at $5 a gallon and most gas stations are dry. Crazy!! Again We are in trouble!! It’s happening all around us. So that was definitely a factor last night in regards to the turn out and the reaction but as for tonight I am not sure. Yes we are in a place which seems very small and off the map but I still thought there would be a couple more people here this evening. However everyone is having fun as we all did last night and ultimately this is all the matters.!!
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