The Canadian Front

Fucking FALL 2007 PYGMALION TOUR YA'LL

2007-09-21T20:30:00.001-07:00

Following in the footsteps of the wonderful Cotton Jones Basket Ride, we wanted to let everyone know that we are playing at this year's CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. We are playing at The Cake Shop on October 19th. More details to come and when it comes we'll let you know but we can let you know something now and that is that we are playing with some really great bands that night and that you won't want to miss it.

Tomorrow night we are playing at the Pygmalion Music Festival in Champaign, Illinois. We are playing at Cowboy Monkey with the lovely St. Louis band Gentelmen Auction House and another lovely band called The Foundary Field Recordings and some other bands too. Come out if you are there. We are playing some reggae and dub and some of our favorite Red hot Chili Peppers songs and Steven might get a tattoo and Amy and Kaylan are going to wear tube socks on their boobies. That shit is going to be crazy as all hell.

Also, its really hot today and I was really excited that it was cooling off but now its hot again. We just played at the DAAC in Grand Rapids with Sycamore Smith, who was fucking brilliant. Thank you all for coming and standing in that hot room and listening to us sans Puhpuh Saul. We had lots of fun and now we're hot from all the fun we had. That's it. Thanks for reading. Sorry it was long. It wasn't going to be long but it ended up being long.

Love to you,
The five boys and two girls of our band that is called Canada.

The rooms, they smell like diesel, and you take on the dreams of the ones that have slept there.

2007-07-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Dear devils, dove petals and derelicts,

Mine eyelids are turning against me and my brain is soon to follow, but my fingers had an itch in them. I try to get on this strange machine each night to empty my mind of my memories before the become broken things and thus jagged and dangerous and hard to follow. These for me are strange times and trying times and very sad times for many reasons and I have had trouble with smiles lately, only appearing to do so while on stage singing songs and looking over to Amy who promptly flips me off no matter what may be happening. My face bends to smiling then. Grey clouds shadow my eyeballs. It has been hard days, some nights easier than others, but thankfully I'm surrounded by friends and fellow soldiers, my band mates. Do you know them? They are Aaron, Kaylan, Amy and Ryan at the moment, though Saul and Joe are continuously in my heart. They lift me in their warrior arms and carry me through deep waters, sometimes with a simple glance of knowing. I love them and owe them each my life, though they will read this and consider me drunk on wine or on whiskies, though dreams of curly locks cannot be drunk from bottles.

North Carolina. We woke up on the beach this morning outside of Wilmington and there were deer everywhere, Buddha summoned them before our very eyes before the sun rose. They had eyes that see things I cannot, though I would be willing to try. There is a lot of water in the ocean. We played Hey Garland for only the second time in our lives last night and also As Dry As Bone. It was great fun and my heart was in every note and syllable, every goat and tin cymbal. I wish you could have seen it.

Chapel Hill tomorrow. Meeting the Red Eye folksies and touring the factory where This Cursed House was fashioned. I picture vast cauldrons of molten metals, converging into a garden of white peonies and soon the petals drop from their thin frames all that is left is a shining disc of sounds me and my friends made. Its silly, I know, but I like how it fits.

I am looking foward to NYC and the farm house. I'm going to sleep now.

Nighty nighty.

S

Locomotive 8, Southern Crescent, hear the bells ring again...

2007-07-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

We are in Athens, GA. Our first show without Joe and Saul in Atlanta, GA went surprisingly well. It was, in fact, entirely surreal. We played at this festival called Corndogorama, where basically the really push these $5 corndogs. We were supposed to be there at 5pm and on stage at 7pm....we pulled into the parking lot at 7:03pm and literally ran into the building and right onto stage and almost immediately started playing. We played Hooray For Shipwreck, The Farthest Shore, Look To The Trees and finally Hexenhaus and the crowd was totally amazing. They were very much into what we were doing. It was a great and mighty release of worry and nervousness and stress and tension. Now we are in Athens and have the fuel for the coming days ahead. We are playing at the old 40 Watt Club tomorrow, where my lovelies R.E.M. got their start....things couldn't be going better. Well, they could, but then things wouldn't be as they are, and things as they are are quite fine.

We went to this 24 hour diner tonight once we were in town for beers and vegetarian fare (our bodies need the vitamins) and I slipped some whiskey into my coca-cola when no one was looking and soon felt great. The neon signs were singing to me, the air vents above were humming their melodies and for at least 45 minutes it felt great to be in a touring band from Michigan.

Somewhere in the future I am remembering today. I'll bet you I'm remembering how I walked into the park at five thirty, my favorite time of day, and how I found two cold pitchers of just poured beer, sitting there on the bench. I am remembering how my friend Chip showed up with a catcher's mask hanging from his belt and how I said "Great to see you, sit down, have a beer, how are you?" and how he turned to me with the sunset reflecting off his contacts and said, "Wonderful, how are you?"

S

Aaron Shaul's Scorecard

2007-07-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Wooden Glockenspiel Mallets Broken: 2
Rubber Glockenspiel Mallets Broken: 2
Tambourines Broken: 1
Times Hand Has Been Cut and Bleeding By Tambourine: 3
Groupies Hearts Broken: 0
CDs Purchased: 50 (!!!)

Homes and Jewells

2007-07-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

At long last, in my own bedroom for a few days. Sam is amazing. My clothes were so worn and dirty I threw them into the street and lit them afire. Leaving on Thursday for the East Coast. Dreams mean my brains on break. SLEEP IN A BED! BRILLIANT! Later.

S

St. Louis

2007-07-07T00:15:00.000-07:00

"Well the smart moneys on Harlow
and the moon is in the street
And the shadow boys are breaking all the laws
And you're east of east St. Louis
and the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause..."

Oh St. Louis, St. Louis. We just returned from one of the best show we have played since embarking on this strange and lengthy voyage. Oh St. Louis how we love you....we played here once before with Page France and Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos at Blueberry Hill, and that show was great....but this show, there are no words. Thank you everyone who came out and lifted up our spirits and swayed with us in the sweaty golden lights of Off Broadway.

Bands you need to know about who helped make the night so magickal....

Gentleman Auction House

Jumbling Towers

Both amazing and nice and both worth your time. Please befriend them and listen.

Its strange knowing that after tomorrow the first leg of our tour will be at it's end. It seems entirely surreal to me that soon we'll be back in Ferndale with California, all those mountains and that terrible desert behind us. But then comes the East Coast and more shows and more people and more sights and sounds and songs. And floors, those unforgiving floors. And then Ann Arbor and a new album. Then icy winter will cloak our streets and we'll gather in Phrendz Sentral to watch dark movies while drinking blood red port under wool blankets together. And then there is what comes next.

St. Louis, you shall be missed.

S

I was enjoying a bowl of chicken noodle soup....

2007-07-03T00:40:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to write about anymore. So many horrifically magical events and occurances have taken place since I thought about writing last...we are in Austin which is in Texas which is vast and sandy and where the air is water and the land is cruel and I think we just played at Emos and we were under water and now there is Hercules the Squid. Death in the desert, fire in the flask, ribbon in the wing, fissures in the skulls, Arizona turned my skin a deep burnt sienna my bones are baked a Payne's grey. Even saltwater pools in breezy backyards barely eased the murderous figs, though the trees are so beautiful I cried and I cry. Tucson, no no. Puh Puh Saul ass naked watering his frame in Phoenix time. Oh god I miss him and love him so. Going backwards, Houston, yes. Abilene we miss your streets and your knitted skins, the drinks and the smokes and you were all so nice, Oh Abilene Abilene, the endpoint of the Chisholm Trail, you were all incredibly kind and incredibly beautiful and your beds are the softest to me. Listenlisten put their lips on my heart and we spent the night with its Ben and his Lisa in Houston they were so kind and true. Driving through the desert non-stop through the night the landscape does not move but sits still and semi-trucks float alongside you and the sky is as if a Peach. I think I pissed my pants. I definitely pissed my pants.

I hear people talking a lot but I hear near to nothing. My eyes no longer see colors or shapes but instead I taste nothing but chicken noodle soup. I don't miss the sound of pianos but I miss the sound of Chicken? No chicken. Puh Puh. But listen, I am distracted. We, meaning Joe and Aaron, drove Saul to the airport at 4:30am last night and I won't see him again for a bit. We performed our first show minus our Puh Puh and it was scary and sad but sounded better than we thought it would and we now have the reserve of confidence and hope to get us through the next phase I can't believe we still have until the end of July until this madness comes to its final end I forgot what its like there though we'll be there and we have new songs and the songs are called Fuck The Origami Children and The Dreaming Sweaters and This Road Is So Old That Our Scars Have Grown Cold and I can't wait for you to hear them though let me tell you I do not ever want to eat Mexican food again and I never want to hear the words Mexican Food together again because of things I can't repeat that have happened though really I just want a salad and an ENORMOUS glass of iced water and a shower and my Sam.

We are going to Denton tomorrow which is in Texas which is vast and sandy and where the air is water and the land is cruel. The shows have been deeeeeply nefarious in the best possible way if you can think of things being that kind of way. My eyes hurt because I cry all day long from how happy and beautiful I feel. My light which is inside my bones and my skin and my veins it like vibrates more now than it ever has and all I want is to keep doing this forever and to go home and see the things I know and love.

S

hello! more updates!

2007-06-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

there is, i think, a strange phenomenon that takes place in the south desert sky at night. it's not so much a convergence of stars (this, you'll recall, is actually more common at lat.'s +45.000, esp. 52.884-53.220 ), as it is a convergence of sound, like a great vacuum has come to claim (reclaim?) all the scattered dull hisses, clicks, and whistles that have been misplaced all over the solar system, has sucked them all up, compressed them into the tiniest little piece of pure matter, pure being, and then gently rolled the whole ball out against the sky. that's how hot and quiet it is down here.

and underneath this suffocating tarp, hundreds of thousands of miles below, the human wavelength is violently out of sync with itself... all drunk in the parking lot, running back and forth, and beer cans getting tossed one way or maybe another i'm not quite sure to be honest, and naked men, naked grown men pouring gallons of water over their beautiful bodies in the middle of the street while beautiful friends laugh and beg for them to pause please just pause just one more moment so that i can get this so that i can keep it and have it forever.

and underneath that, even, the emotional wavelength (operational at 3-30mHz (see: "Basic Radio", Lowell et. al.)), yes underneath the sheets, the emotional wavelength confronts the world in confusion and asks, its hands thrown toward the sky in disbelief: why am i here? why am I here? in this desert wasteland? why are my stumpy little legs buried to the shins in this seaside breeze? wherefore mountains? why M on that, L on this? why 2% and not 20? and somehow, the single endless infinite voice calls out in response across an unbridgeable abyss to tell, to try to tell us, to try so earnestly, and so meaningfully and so urgently to tell us how it is we've ended up passed out fuckedup and overheated under fluorescent lights, to shake our bodies by the shoulders and say isn't it,isn't it because you love us? and because we love you? and we say well yes that's what we thought, but i'm so fucking hot how is it that you're not hot? and they tell us the heat, well, i guess you just get used to it, but i can understand if you're just passing through for the night, surely it must make you uncomfortable. perhaps it does and perhaps we do get tired. but friends, here is our greatest secret, our secretpower: we have not forgotten just as you have not forgotten that our love sings out every night, and like everything else in this desert gets sucked up into that strange fucking sky vacuum and trapped there and so take it and have it here to keep - for our love is now your love! - and if you wish, take your clothes off, until you are completely naked, and lay on your back in your outdoor swimming pool, and with the whole of this love spread out across the night sky and with your ears underneath the surface of the water listen carefully to the shifting gears of the great white superwagon and the distant barking of lost mountain dogs and the chorus of other various jetplanes and oceanliners, all of which are all somewhere, right now, still working tirelessly to carry love toward some of the many ends on this earth.

3 days in LA followed by one in Pheonix.

2007-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hello.
You'll all be thrilled to know that our three L.A. shows were wonderful, painful, and also stretched us to the limits of what we are able to percieve as reality. Sometimes I have to call people and ask for advice on how to tour and not lose my mind.
We drove to Arizona yesterday and kept the air conditioning on the whole time. When we finally got out of the van, we were in the middle of the desert, and it was 110 degrees outside (literally). I thought I would have a stroke and die right then and there. But I didn't, and almost 5 liters of water and only two trips to the bathroom later I'm doing much better.
The show last night was at a small-ish art gallery, which was pretty nice for a change of pace from playing in bars. The people were extremely nice. That's really all I can say about that. We're staying with Kaylan's Aunt Peg, and she's been feeding us enough food that I imagine it's not out of the realm of possibility that she's getting us all fat so she can try and eat a few of us. Hopefully I make it back alive. We go to Tuscon today. Wish us luck. -J.

Los Angeles, Day Two.

2007-06-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello people who read our blog.
This is my first post to said blog.
Enjoy.

Today I woke up and decided that my tolerance for being eaten by a shark was at an all-time low, so I stayed in while the rest of my bandmates went to the beach. It was awesome, I didn't get eaten by a shark once. We play at a place called Spaceland tonight. I'm told it should be a great time, and I'm inclined not to disagree with people when they are being reassuring. Everything here is bigger than it is in Michigan. I'm not sure if that means it's also better, but everything is relative so I'm also not sure if that matters.

We went to a museum yesterday, and I met the actress who plays John Cusack's crazy girlfriend in High Fidelity. You know, when he leaves her apartment halfway through, he looks at the camera and whispers, "I could've had sex just then", yeah that girl. She was short and still talked with her raspy voice which I always thought was fake but isn't. It was great because I was in the garden and surrounded by flowers and trees and also a waterfall. Man-made, but a waterfall none the less.

I'm having fun on tour. I think that it's a good thing for me to be doing, because when I'm at home I don't really go out too much unless I'm playing or know someone who is, so being forced to interact with a wide variety of people every day is great. We're staying with people and they are all being fantastically hospitable. One woman bought us pizza and beers and let us watch movies on her big TV. We ate at the oldest bar in Montana a few days ago. It had the largest buffalo head I've ever seen. Judging by the size of it's head, the buffalo must have been 10 feet tall. Maybe not, I don't really know anything about buffalo. But it was big, I can say that.

Anyways, I'm going to go change clothes and get ready to go to the bar. Wish us luck, we need all that we can get.

Love - J.

Somebody Put King James In The Backseat (Reno - L.A.)

2007-06-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles. I feel like I'm back in Greece enjoying another apéritif with Chloe or Sean, driving around looking for the brightest patch of sky to die behind. Is the weather and temperature REALLY like this year round? I keep getting nervous and at least once every hour or two find myself counting the bodies around me....one, two, three, four, five, six...oh yeah, me, seven, we're all here, Canada still endures. It makes me feel a bit crazy while making me feel a bit secure.

We were riding the tram car up the mountainside today to the Getty Center and I marveled at the surrounding hills with their mile high palm trees and secluded private sanctuaries behind who's pillared halls my deepest thoughts could hardly guess what took place, and I thought about how earthquakes happen here. Like real earthquakes. I imagined Canada tumbling down the mountainside to the 405 below, our bodies glistening red and broken in the afternoon light, cracks in the earth cradling our bodies, our final embraces. We made it up to the museum though and we parted ways with eachother, and our good friend Pat whom we are staying with for four days, whom Amy has been friends with for 15 years and who no longer has a beard, though it is now starting to grow back. I fell in love with the architecture, designed by Richard Meier, whos cold white Le Corbusier style I really didn't dig when I first learned about him and his work in school, but now that I've seen the Getty, I truly am seeing it in a new light. It is very gorgeous, made of rough cut travertine with whispers of fossils, and when the Californian light hits it it looks like heaven. The gardens are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The zig zagging path that leads you down to the circular labyrinthine hedges almost made me faint. I know I am bordering on boring, so let me just say that the only other thing worth mentioning from my experience at the Getty was falling in love with the photographer Peter Henry Emerson. He blew my mind. It was some of the most beautiful photography I have ever seen. I bought his book.

We did some touristy things and had a great meal at Souplantation. Back at Pat's we watched a disturbing documentary on LA gangs. Drank some beers. But I see I forgot to mention Reno.

Reno was a sad and crazy place. We were stunned by the beaten citizens of this city, chipped teeth and whiskey breaths, violent atmosphere. We traversed a maze of slot machines in one casino to the back of the top floor where a secret hidden diner was located and had a very greasy but very satisfying meal. No money was won.

Our dear and lovely old cellist Eileen, who is from Reno, was in town and made it out to our show. We even managed to get her on stage for two songs, Record Function and Asleep In Leaves. It was so incredible and so fun and so nice to play with her again, even if for two songs. Thank you Kaylan for the fabulous idea! It was a very sweet moment for us all.

Other than driving through the desert and having some of the best laughs of our lives, the rest must remain secret. Some things cannot be explained or even attempted as justice cannot be done to them. We are definitely closer as friends and as bandmates than ever before and this fact fills me with white hot love. One last thing though, we all have nicknames now. I am Steve Z The Squirrel, Joe is Pokey Joe, Saul is Pappa Saul, Ryan is Baby, Shaul is Buddha, Amy is Freddie the Face, and Kaylan is Cupcake, or Cuppy.

My hands hurt from typing. All of this has been so beautiful....it reminds me of that moment when you take off your sunglasses after a long drive and realize it's earlier and lighter out than you had accounted for.

S

San Francisco via Portland via Seattle

2007-06-22T02:08:00.000-07:00

There is still love here in San Francisco. This city danced me until my feet hurt and took me home in its arms. But first,

Seattle. A city I could live in. Hip kids in cute clothes, delicious coffees, histories and stories....we played a crazy set at Atlas Clothing with Calvin Johnson and Julie Doiron, which was completely insane to me. Calvin Johnson put on one of the most interesting shows I've ever seen, and Julie won my heart over three dozen times during her set. She has such control over her voice and her fingers and her body, it was gorgeous to see an hear. I had no idea what we were doing playing with either of them, we felt like kids in an adult talent show.

Stayed with the lovely Terri of 826 Seattle. Her apartment was just about the coolest and most gorgeous place I had ever seen let alone slept in. I spent three hours that night walking around in the dark just looking....again with the eyes hurting.

Portland was nice. Our show with old Ann Arborite Dustin was very fun. Played in the middle of the floor, sipping whiskey in the dark. A great band called The Neighborhood Choir were really great, and you should check them out. They are from Philadelphia.

It is a 12 hour drive from Portland to San Francisco, which is where we had to be next. Ryan and Aaron, bless their hearts, took it upon themselves to drive us through the night non-stop so we could get to San Francisco with time to actually see the city. Around 4am we tragically had an accident with a dog in the middle of the freeway somewhere in the mountains and we were all startled and shaken to our cores. We had to stop in a very small town called Wolf Creek for gas and the attendant who came out to pump our gas had sunglasses on even though it was almost 5am. The only other thing I can recall from the trip was waking up just as the sun was rising over the fog shrouded mountains and loving Aaron Shaul more than I ever have, which is quite a whole lot, if you must know. It was a glorious thing to behold and I again felt like the luckiest person alive.

San Francisco, you've won my heart, I give in. This city, with its scarily steep streets and characters, has enthralled me. Lots of walking, lots of looking, lots of loving. 826 Valencia, with its Pirate Supply Store, was just about the cats meow as far as places to see.

We played the most amazing show, let me tell you about it. It was at this bar called Amnesia and their beer is deadly good. We met the band we were playing with, Or, The Whale and they were so nice. They said the show was going to be great, so I was excited. By the time we took the stage the entire place was crammed with the most beautiful and attentive people I have ever seen. I wanted to hug them all. The stage was wobbely and small and we had an incident with a bass guitar string, but the show ended up being one of the best we have ever played, in no small part to the lovely audience and the amazing kids of Or, The Whale. And let me tell you the next part of the tale, and that is this, when they took the stage I almost couldn't believe it. They were so fucking incredible, their songs and melodies and stage antics and presence were a mix that damn near ended my life. They are by far one of the very best live bands I have ever seen. They all have such wonderful voices, and the lyrics are so perfect for the music and they are all so kind and so beautiful....I felt like we were playing with a band that one day we would look back on and say we played with them back when....I didn't want the night to end. Please check out their website and listen to them and buy their music and be their friends....we are playing with them in August at Chris Bathgate's farm house and I can tell you this, dear lads and ladies, I am couting down the days....

So here we are in Le Duke's apartment, taking turns showering, Aaron, bless his heart, is hopefully fast asleep....he still hasn't slept since leaving Seattle two days ago....our minds are full of things we have seen and done and I am about ready to burst....and there is still so much more coming. Tomorrow is Reno and after that a couple days off....and then LA. I can only imagine it will be worth writing about.

Now it's the desert at dusk. The sky is blue chrome. I pick one sequin from your dress and then kiss it. I put the sequin into the sky. "That's my star," I say. "And I'm your cowboy."

S

Missoula pt. 2, or I'm Missing You Missoula

2007-06-19T02:20:00.000-07:00

It is 3:21 am and, once again, I am in the wonderful basement from the previous post. I am moving to Missoula. We had the entire day to wander this glorious city and I fell so swiftly and violently in love with this place, no words can rightfully describe it. The hills call out to me. The river calls out to me. The people call out to me. The streets, food, smells, sounds and sights call out to me. My six senses are overwhelmed and overcome. I drown in this paradise. This is by far the best day (two technically) of tour so far. Monday night show and the entire city comes out, in no small part to Mike and the wonderful kids who run the scene here. They know what they are doing. We love them so dearly. Played billards and pinball and drank many beers prior to the show in this wonderful underground pool hall where Mike worked. Whiskey, vodka and breakfast at Oxford's again. Saul wins $150 playing Keno. Crazy discussions about Salinger and monsters with guitars. I drink too much PBR and by six o'clock end up wandering the streets looking at the buildings, which are made of gold and glass and air and glitter in the mountain light. I hear angels singing from passing taxi cabs, they have their sleeves rolled up and their arms are tattooed with the most beautiful images I have ever seen. The homeless here look they have been to hell and back, but are as kind as mothers and if they hugged me I'd never let them go. I love them all. I am moving to Missoula.

The Loft is incredible. Another encore night. It felt so good to finally play with such a great band, whom you should check out called The Good Neighbor Policy. It was even better playing to an actual crowd of people instead of just the sound guy and the door lady (Oh, Salt Lake!). And even MORE wonderful that they seemed to really enjoy our show. It was like our old days at The Blind Pig, people really seemed to dig us and see us and get what we are about. If I could marry them all, or one at a time, I'd do so and not look back. Bless the hearts of those beautiful kids of Missoula, Montana. They are all so stunning. I'm moving here, did I mention that?

Back after the show, our host bought us pizza and a case of PBR. We chatted with her for a bit and I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be alive and breathing, seeing and doing what I am doing and seeing. Quite possibly two of the best days of my life have just been lived and here I am still ticking, Oh Lords of Fate! Oh Missoula, I miss you already, and I haven't even gone.

You are a jewel in the crown of our summer tour, and you shall always shine bright.

S

Missoula

2007-06-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

It is 2am and we are in the basement of this wonderful lady's house whose name is Liz. She is putting us up for two nights here in Missoula, Montana. The last week has been one of the most amazing and unexplainable weeks I've ever lived. Just traveling through Montana and Wyoming alone, through vast misty mountains and valleys as wide as entire oceans, whose deep dense forests threaten to lure me into their dark paths never to be seen again, has made this escapade worth it. There are no words, my children, for how beautiful this country really is. All the tv programs and photographs I have ever seen did not prepare me for the grandeur and beauty that is spread thick upon this incredibly wide and majestic land.

My eyes hurt from looking, and do not open wide enough to take it all in.

From Fargo, where we rescued an inflatable Godzilla from the green room after drinking a case of Heineken, to Omaha, whose pizza parlours have in-house drum circles and where we met the bass player from 4 Non Blondes, to Lawrence whose heat was brutal and where we met the nicest punk rock kids ever, to Denver where White Rabbits slew in their fancy NYC blazers and tight jeans and disappeared without a trace back into whatever hat they came from, to Salt Lake City where, surrounded by mountains, and full of the weakest PBR we've ever tasted, we stayed up late talking about dreams and sounds with our new wonderful friend Will and yet another lovely Swedish girl....every show has been amazing. The audiences have been generally small, but every person in attendance has been so responsive and SO kind and so nice and has bought shirts and cds and even cassette tapes to help us on our way. In Milwaukee, where we met many Hannas and one very kind Spencer who put us up for the night, one guy even paid forty dollars for a cd and refused change. The crowd demanded an encore...these are the kinds of nights that greet us at the end of beauteous travels on so many roads....one day Amy even grew a beard from screaming too loud....

Anyway, its late and we have a town to explore tomorrow. If you ever get the chance to drive to Missoula, Montana, do so, for the view alone. This city is gorgeous and is a lovely end to a lovely first week. We can't wait to wake up and open our eyes again and resume taking it all in. From the plane of slumber and the realm of smiling faces, we bid thee goodnight.

S

Beat Kitchen, we love you....

2007-06-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Canada loves Chicago. Canada loves The Beat Kitchen....our first official show of tour was quite lovely. We got into Chicago after our first drive in our new van, lovingly called Mothra (for the time being), and made it to beautiful Mollie's apartment (Mollie being beautiful, not her apartment, though her apartment is quite nice too). Steven's folks were in town so he went down to Grant Park to devour Chicago style hotdogs and plastic cups of beer at the Blues Fest. Some Canadians continued the time honored tradition of spending four hours at Reckless Records....others napped, others got tattoos of dragons snaking down their spines, and it was rumored that others were arrested for trying to smuggle rare cacti into the city, though they continue to deny it.

We got a call from The Word Play who were in the city to play a show. Their van broke down and they wanted to hang out, so when we got to the Beat Kitchen they were relaxing outside with their luggage. Sucks so bad, the poor kids. Break problems. It was lovely to see them though, they are such wonderful peoples. Brent has such a lovely beard, I wanted to roll around in it and coo like a wounded dove.

The Beat Kitchen is so wonderful. Frank, the sound man, made us sound so good I couldn't believe it was actually us playing. Bless his heart, I wish he could come with us on the rest of our tour and do our sound. John is always so kind and helpful, and the food is so delicious, and the beer is cold and fills you with a powerful sense of love and energy. We played with some very fun bands, very interesting shit. The first band was led by an accordian wielding singer and reminded me of my favorite Tom Waits moments. The turnout was not as good as last time (we played with Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos and those lovely bastards sold the place out), but it was great fun. Lots of old friends came out whome we hand't seen in ages (so brilliant seeing you Jarvis, Becki, Danielle, Brent, Ian, Kevin, Brandon). Stevens parents were in attendance, which was very nice. We had to play sans Joe as his brother is graduating from the Marines, and though he was greatly missed, we had a VERY fun time on stage, one of the funnest shows in a long time and a great way to start such a long trek. Ryan played the ever lovely Garden Wall and it sounded better than ever. Can't wait to start pulling out new songs we are still finishing, like Old Road and another song Ryan wrote that makes me cry.

It was a late night, and a lovely night, and we had trouble saying goodbye to everyone as we knew we wouldn't be seeing most of them for a very long time. But it was a magic mystical evening and it couldn't have gone better. We even sold three cassette tapes, our minds were ripped.

Its morning now and Amy and Mollie are making us golden eggs and heaven toast and this coffee from the White Hen is delicious. The sun is shining bright and my benedryl is kicking in and I couldn't feel any better. We're off to Milwaukee now and our faces hurt from smiling.

Croquet-Sunday, and all the balls I sink are really sunsets so all around me night flies. The sky is crazy blue. The sky is crazy blue.

S

Brief CMJ Tour update....or, We Don't Know Why Our Mothers Worry, pt. 1

2006-10-30T19:36:00.000-08:00

For example, at a show in Buffalo the other night, we loaded in at 7pm. First, Kaylan and I knitted (we're knitting scarves for the band this tour; she's working on Joe's and I'm working on Ryan's), Saul and Ryan played cards, Steven read, Joe talked to his girlfriend, and Shaul did a crossword. Then Kaylan and I continued to knit, Steve and Ryan read, Saul was lost in a maze in some choose-your-own-adventure book, and Shaul continued his crossword. Ryan and I played cards for a bit. Joe slept in the car for a while; Saul slept in a chair.

Then, Scott David Herman, who does a bunch of sweet websites, including the 826mi site, and with whom I correspond almost daily but have never actually met, showed up with his wife. He is awesome, and it was a huge joy to finally meet him and hang out.

Long story short, we changed into our Halloween costumes (did I mention the whole band is the Royal Tenenbaums this year?), and rocked the shit out. Drinks were on the house. You know.

In Rochester, we played LESTER, our new favorite game, until we were all giddy. We played at the Bug Jar, and they basically have a kitchen apoxyed to the ceiling (including dishes in the sink and food on the plates). After the show, Kaylan and I went to the bar to get a drink. Some guy came up and offered to "buy this round," and the bartender pointed to a gentleman further down the bar and said, "It's already been bought." I only mention it because shit like this doesn't usually happen, and it was pretty hilarious.

Assorted, because I have to get back to, you know, tour:
*Touring is about the best way you can spend your time. I don't ever want to come back. Hoo-rah for spending 24/7 with your favorite people.
*Saul is still eating weird.
*One night, we sold almost $200 in merch. Woo!
*Last night we played in an actual castle in Waltham. We also ate at a place called Joe Sent Me.
*In Providence, RI, some bars give away free hot dogs. These bars also have jukeboxes that play lots of Steely Dan, strong drinks, and horseradish mustard.
*RISD has a sweet art museum.
*4am is going to bed early.
*Highlights: eating at OCB, trying to throw things into one another's drinks, apologizing to Kaylan almost contantly for our crassness, Saul "stalling for time" on stage last night, signing a CD for a 10-year-old girl, convincing Saul that the van was towed, Ryan cutting some fat bastard off to get a sweet parking spot, talking too much about gross things (will not repeat in print). Oh yeah, also: every minute of every day.
*Headlights are very, very nice.
*CMJ is right around the corner, where we will get free shoes and see tons of awesome bands!!!

Also, it should be mentioned that earlier today, Steven PICKED UP A DIRTY LEAF OFF THE SIDEWALK, SHOVED IT IN MY MOUTH, AND PHYSICALLY FORCED ME TO CHEW ON IT. Unrelatedly, he later said that because I'd chosen the band over Revenge of the Book Eaters, he would never mention the French fry incident again. I have a witness. (A collective sigh of relief goes up. He's started mentioning it on stage.)

Alright, I've got people I'd like to hang out with. Bitches got our drink on before the show tonight. Saul's lovely lady (hi Sarah!) specifically asked that I try to blog from the road, so I'm doing the best I can...

And that's the weather, kids, from the mystral planes of endless skies, the skyless ends of earth in flames! (I didn't write that.)

- Amelia

Canada Looks Good To Me (as told by Amy, w/ pictures)

2006-06-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Some of you are bound to ask me over the next few weeks as we run into each other how the tour went. I will most likely say, "It was awesome!" and leave it at that. For those of you who this is not enough for, here's a recap. For those of you who want more info than "It was awesome!" but don't want to read this whole thing, I'll just say: I laughed a lot, ate a lot of good food, and played some sweet shows.

(Also, the wonderful Kaylan wrote her own marvelous take on the whole trip, which you can read by clicking HERE).

TUESDAY NIGHT:
SLGTM at the Pig. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Steven and I felt like proud parents watching our boys up there. Furthermore, I got very drunk, talked too much (Steve was giving me "the look" at one point), and wound up with the phone number of a very pretty girl. She wrote it in a matchbook, of all places.

WEDNESDAY:
Kaylan arrived with free pizza. (There was also a dead squirrel in front ofthe Canada house that apparently fell out of a tree. It was sad. Steven was worried about this omen.) We hit the road and drove for what seemed like a long time. We thanked Kaylan very much for coming. We were worried for what might've happened to Eileen if we hadn't found a replacement. Saul said, "Joe would've crawled inside her and busted his way back out." I wrote it down. It was just the first of many funny things Saul said. We were worried about being late, but got there in time. The bar was great. They gave us free food and free drinks and Saul continued his tradition of eating nothing but mussels while on the road. These mussels were cajun. The bartender was probably the nicest bartender I've ever met. We played well. There were some people there. Some of them bought things. During SLGTMs set, one of those kind of people came up and yelled at us because we weren't dancing. Hey, I was dancing. Apparently not enough. At the end of the night, she came up to us and said, "Next time, dance! Music is supposed to be fun!" There were a hundred things I wanted to say in response to that.

Saul purchased a velvet Elvis drapery from this store downstairs from the bar. It is gorgeous. Some drunk guy approached us in the parking lot. I drove away. We drove for a while. We stayed somewhere in western Pennsylvania at a Quality Inn. I slept like a baby, but not for a very long time. Actually, I guess that is sleeping like a baby.

THURSDAY:
Got up, drove to NYC. It was a long, hilarious, and at times wonderful drive. We arrived nice and early. The Northsix is large and lovely, and had an amazing SLGTM/Canada poster that had a tree made out of deer on it. We ate at a ridiculous restaurant called Sea. They had TVs in the bathroom stalls that showed you what was going on in the restaurant, a large pond, and a Buddha statue, among other things. I had maybe the best pad thai Ive ever had, though, and it only cost $7. Also, it's a lot of fun to have dinner with a bunch of Canadians.

The show was, well, amazing. One of our best shows. I had more fun than I've probably ever had in front of that many people. My dear friend Erik came with his wife. He said it was an awesome set, and this time I believed him. He saw us last time we played in NYC, and said it was great, but without too much enthusiasm. SLGTM also played an amazing set. I got to watch it with my dear friend Laura Tisdel. We laughed at some people showing off up front. Mostly I stared at the drummer. We stayed at Justin's. Justin is a very nice man. I like him a lot. Aaron received a sweet haircut from our friend Song, part of which took place on the sidewalk outside the Northsix. Steven became greatly jealous. I got a running start and smacked him right across his face. He cried, so I hit him again.

FRIDAY:
Slept late. Hooray! Drove to Maryland. Some notes: 1. It took a really long time. 2. We had no idea where we were going once we got there. 3. It's a little anticlimactic to play a show inside a small radiator after a kick-ass show in Brooklyn. (I don't want to become one of those people, though. I think it was mostly that the room was uncomfortably small and uncomfortably hot.) We played at the radio station of the University of Maryland. The crowd was very, very kind. We ate at a diner afterward. It was delicious. Saul left with Sarah, which was sad. When Saul and Ryan hugged, all you could hear was bones clacking together. This still makes me laugh. Had some trouble finding a room, but eventually found one. After I parked the car, Steven almost succeeded in killing me. Death by seat belt. It hurt so bad that instead of crying I laughed. (Note: never drop his cell phone out of a car window, no matter what.) We got into bed, and I was giddy, and couldn't stop giggling.

SATURDAY:
The drive back to NYC took a long time, and it was my fault. We got there late; we had trouble finding parking. The amphitheater was gorgeous. It was right on the water in Manhattan, and the acoustics were so perfect I could hear every little thing. The drums have never sounded so good. It was a great SLGTM show. Someone had to be dragged off stage. Apparently he wanted to hear some reggae. We went back to Williamsburg, had a good meal, and started to drink much whiskey. It was a long and crazy night, and that's all I'll say. Wait, I'll say this too: I have a large scab on my elbow where Joe pushed me into a wall (I think. I mean, I think I got pushed into a wall. I know it was Joe.). He is a belligerent drunk. That's a joke. I just want to illustrate that life on the road can be painful, what with the seatbelts and the brick walls and all. Oh yeah, and all the hotel rooms we trashed. But doing coke off a supermodel's ass makes up for it, I'll tell you that for sure.

SUNDAY:
The drive home happened mostly in silence. I slept with my mouth open for part of it. Also, I finished a Suduko puzzle for the first time. When we got back into Detroit, the sky was a dark mass of storm clouds which made the fact that our tour was at its end all the sadder.

Other things of note: My new favorite Canadian is Aaron Shaul. That kid flies under the radar, but he's something else. My new favorite honorary Canadian is Kaylan Mitchell. She's pretty great.

And there you have it. More details than you wanted about stuff you don't so much care about, and not enough details about most of the hilarious adventures we had. Alas. I've done the best I can.