the besties ain't skeered

L.A. & San Diego via Marisa

2008-04-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

* We are - despite repeated promises to not let this happen - woefully out of date. It's my fault. So, in an attempt to at least finish what we started, we've divided up the remaining catch-up posts among band members. Sigh. - Kelly

One of the first things we did when we got to LA was go to Hollywood Forever cemetery to pay our respects to DeeDee Ramone. We also saw Johnny Ramone's grave, which is totally nuts! Check out this picture of Rikky with it! But if you're going to look at famous graves, you should first go to Griddle and eat a pancake. I say "a" pancake because you could not possibly eat more than one, if that. Check out this other picture- that huckleberry flapjack was bigger than my plate!

The first of our two LA shows was at a place called The Derby, which is not the kind of place we usually play. We were in The Lounge, the smaller of two performance spaces there. I wouldn't recommend it to any of the bands we know- it's plush in a stuffy way, the staff aren't as nice as other places, the sound was not so great, they didn't pay us, etc. Plus the other people we played with (all John Mayer-style singer/songwriter dudes) were mostly ignored by the patrons, who talked so loudly over the performance that it was hard to hear it at times. It was really, really depressing listening to these guys singing their hearts out and and plugging their myspace pages, and absolutely no one cared. That said, we definitely made the best of it. Luckily, we were too loud for anyone to talk over and we actually managed to win over a few folks, who formed a Peanuts-style dance pit. Plus, we got to perform for some really good friends who came out and were incredibly supportive. Overall, successful show!

Our next show was in San Diego at a house/studio/venue called The Habitat, which is considered to be the best place to play in town and I can see why! The sound there is really great (the owner, Roy, is an audio engineer), the turnout was fantastic and we had lots of fun meeting people and enjoying the other bands. Plus it has the cleanest bathrooms ever! One bummer was that they had us go on first, and a bunch of people showed up later to see us and missed us- including Joao, who had driven over 3 hours! But we still had a really good time. Thanks to the other bands (The Facets who were playing their first show, and the Modlins, who were so so good), Roy, and all the San Diegoans we met.

Our second LA show was part of The Tomorrow Show, a weekly comedy night at the Steve Allen Theater that features one band playing at the top and bottom of the show. We were really looking forward to it, and it totally delivered. The comedians were awesome and we were well received- people actually stuck around till 2am to see our second set. It as also really nice to break out of the indie-rock-show mentality and see other types of performance. Plus, our awesome friend Mike Singer (who works at a cupcake shop) brought dozens of cupcakes to share with the crowd! Once again, a bunch of old friends came out to see us- it was really touching to see how supportive people can be. Our friends are the best.

California California here we cooooooommmme

2008-03-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

After today - I hope! - I'm (we're) trying to adopt a new philosophy re: tour blogging. At this point I should be writing about Austin and SXSW, but... it was so long ago! And by "so long ago" I mean less than a week. So, in the interest of adopting this new strategy, which involves not letting days and weeks and memories pass between entries, I'm going to write about what's on my mind (and then maybe about Austin...) which is Joshua Tree.
Have you been to Joshua Tree? If not, let me recommend it with all of my heart. I literally feel altered after our stay there. We took a serious detour on our drive from Tucson to Los Angeles to stay with our - up until a few days ago - acquaintance Matthew, who lives in Joshua Tree, CA with Waldo, A.J. and Ophelia (ferrets!), a mysterious cat who was too shy to hang out, and Xena and Elvis (dogs!). It was - for me, at least - the favorite tour stop so far. Even before entering the National Park, the landscape and town of Joshua Tree had completely won my heart. We were welcomed with Indian food and a late-night excursion to To Pioneer Town - a "Wild West" film/television set on top of a mountain, where people now live? It was wild! We strolled around the streets in the bright California moonlight, kicking up dust and taking photos in the dark. The next day it seemed like one of the best, most surreal dreams I've ever had.
Tuesday we headed into Joshua Tree National Park, and our minds were completely blown. Spiritual, other-worldly, somehow campy and cliche -- the park had a really huge effect on us. I've never seen landscape like it. We climbed huge boulders, scraped ourselves up real good on cactuses and rocks, and had an incredible day. We can't thank Matthew enough for everything he did for us, and we can't wait to go back.
Prior to Joshua Tree, we played what was, on the surface at least, the least successful show of tour. There was another huge show going on the same night, and it seems that everyone in town was seeing Matt Pond PA and Aloha (a good show, we had to admit). Since it was St. Patrick's day, we had tried to invent some drinking games with which to engage the audience, but... there wasn't really an audience to engage with. BUT we still managed to have an awesome show (ask Salty, who liked it the best so far!) and had a great time hanging out at Grill in Tucson (a great venue!). Thanks to Luke, and to Malarky (who showed up late, but with enthusiasm!). We loved Tucson and can't wait to go back.

Austin, SXSW:
I'll be honest - I don't LOVE South by Southwest. There's too much going on, I feel like I can't focus on anything. All of those parties and shows with long lines and lists (and they always sort of suck once you get inside...). Not my thing, really (I'm speaking only for me, here, not other Besties). HOWEVER, I had a great week (or so) in Austin, thanks to our dear friend Gates, who showed us an awesome time, awesome food, and threw the rowdiest party we'd ever seen (which is saying a lot). We also all obtained "migas bellies" (which were, I think, actually "beer and tortilla chip bellies") from the copious amounts of Tex-Mex we were eating. Sigh.
Our SXSW shows were both great - Thanks so much to Chris for the house party (where we played with friends and favorites Poison Control Center and Fishboy) and to Michael for the great show at Waterloo Cycles. The highlight of the Waterloo Cycles show was, by far, being upstaged completely by a three-year-old who grabbed the mic after our set and proceeded to deliver the most soulful vocal performance we'd heard since Richmond, VA. Amazing!
I'll let someone else (Marisa? Salty?) say more about Austin later. We had fun, we love Texas, etc.

I've run out of time - we play LA tonight! I meant to upload more pictures but the internet is suddenly not cooperating. Sorry!
xoxo Kelly

Introducing... Marisa, AKA Bilbo Bloggins

2008-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Marisa begins her blogging career below!

The next morning we tore ourselves away from the sweet life of chillin’ with moms and hauled ass northward for a 3-day stint in Tallahassee. We went straight to V89, the beloved college radio station at FSU where many of our friends dj'd when we lived there, and played a live on-air set. It felt real homey and comfortable since we had played there on our last tour and were working with the same awesome dudes- music director Will and engineer Donovan. We happened to be there during their pledge drive and helped (right?) solicit donations from listeners. This we did by making loads of bad jokes and possibly shaming ourselves, but hey, it was for a very good cause. And truly, we hardly need any excuse to shame ourselves.

Tallahassee is always a much-anticipated stop on any Besties tour for lots of reasons (food, friends, etc). This time we were particularly stoked because Tally was the rendezvous point for picking up our Road Dog- the inimitable Salty Ron who has already proven himself in the arenas of merch set-up/sales and driving the van, not to mention being the ultimate dude to want to have around in any situation. We couldn’t be happier to have him along.

Friday night the 7th was our show at Krank It Up!, a community bike shop in a warehouse district called Railroad Square, which is full of galleries, antique and junk shops, etc. We were really impressed by Krank It Up!, which really seems to have flourished under the leadership of our good friend Justin. The show ruled too! Tons of kids came out, the other bands were great, and we got to see lots of old friends. Thanks Justin for making it happen!

The following day, we all made sure to shower and put on our “tour best” to attend a family wedding, where The Besties were actually invited to play a few tunes! I was totally flattered when Ted asked us- what an honor to be part of their marriage ceremony. Needless to say, we had an absolute blast (see above photos of Kelly and Rikky getting raw on the dance floor).

The following morning-my birthday!- we (somewhat reluctantly) traded the familiar comforts of Tallahassee for the relatively uncharted territory of Gainesville. Having spent a lot of time there growing up, but never having played there as a band, we weren’t sure what to expect. Turns out it’s the same great rock’n’roll town it always was. First, our friends had a bbq for us, which RULED complete with delicious eats, cute babies, a rooster, 2 cats, and a pit bull that stole our hearts. Then we rolled over to the show at The Kickstand, a new community bike shop (yup, that’s 2 bike shop shows in a row for us!) that has recently started doing shows. Highly recommended! Six-band bills can be a bit of a mellow harsher, but this time it worked beautifully with quick changeovers and everyone playing shorter sets. Some high school buddies came out to the show, and it was really a treat to get to see them.

After the show, our good friends Annette and Todd took us to a super-fun Valley Girl-themed party, which ruled. The next morning they also took us to Second Street Bakery, which you should go to if you get a chance. Tight coffee, sandwiches featuring locally-made tempeh, pastries, the works. The weather was so beautiful and perfect we decided to hit the Lachua trail just south of town after meeting up with our awesome new friends The Measure, who got into town that afternoon. With them being Yankees from New Jersey and all, we felt we had to show them a seldom-seen slice of Florida. The Lachua trail runs through Payne’s Prairie and takes you through some beautiful old oak groves and eventually to some swampy areas that are just crawling with gators. We got some pretty sweet photos and had an amazing time bro’ing down with our new friends.

By the way, The Measure had to cancel their tour just two days after we saw them due to a death in the family. You should definitely check them out and seek out their new record ASAP.

And now… to Austin!!!

Xoxo-Marisa

Epic!

2008-03-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

The fact that we haven't posted anything in a while should be a testament to what a rockin time we're having --- not any sort of indication of laziness or ambivalence on our part. We continue to think that this not-widely-read blog is IMPORTANT.

When we last left you we were (I think?) about to play in Atlanta at The Earl. I feel like Atlanta isn't nearly as beloved by most people as it should be (the traffic! the heat!) but let me tell you - Atlanta is beautiful. Especially if you're staying at Mike and Leslie's house in Grant Park, where you can sit on the front porch barefoot, drinking beer and playing guitar. It's also beautiful when you're eating bbq tofu burritos at El Myr or drinking coffee ordering "The Heap" at Thumbs Up Diner. ATLANTA IS SO GREAT. The Earl is an awesome place to play (fried okra! ultimate bartenders!) and though we were initially intimidated by such a huge room on a Monday night, the show ended up being pretty great. Plus, the sound guy recorded our set for us, and though we initially didn't want to listen to it (really, what could be worse than thinking that the show was really awesome only to discover, via brutal audio, that it wasn't actually that awesome...), it sounded great. Thanks, sound guy (Jason??)! Also, as evidenced by the photo above, we had a HILARIOUS time pretending to smoke the cigarettes that the Camel promo girl gave us in Chapel Hill. Pretending to smoke is funny... right?

11:30pm EST, after our Atlanta show, we find out that our Orlando show came through, last minute! For the next night! We had planned on hanging out in Atlanta another day, but after sending out a bunch of pleading late-night text messages and crossing our fingers, we left early the next morning for not-so-beautiful central Florida. Best decision we ever made! Much like our show last summer in Bradenton, FL, this one was dreamy and great, with loads of old friends and family. My mom is the ultimate fan, by the way, and I really think we should bring her on the road with us for added enthusiasm. Thanks to Earl for helping with the show... best.

Our day off was spent in Bradenton and on Anna Maria Island, playing with puppies, getting loads of hugs, eating fried grouper sandwiches, etc etc. It was basically paradise and, as usual, we didn't want to leave. Enough said, I guess.

We are currently in Sulpher, Louisiana (!) at a Day's Inn, getting ready to complete our epic drive to Austin. For the first time ever (!) Marisa was going to finish up this blog post, writing about Tallahassee, Gainesville, weddings, gators, etc -- but we need to get on the road, and blogging is tedious... So all of that will come later. Get ready! You can get a little preview, since I already uploaded the pictures.

Also, we've been passing the time in the van by perfecting the fine, delicate art of prank texting... so if you received a suspicious photo, it totally wasn't us!

South!

2008-03-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Athens feels like home. This morning, as we watched Davey (a top contender for #1 best dude of all time) ride his yellow moped while we lounged in the grass behind The Grit, it really felt like there was nowhere on earth we'd rather be. You know that movie that's out right now with Hayden Christiansen, where he teleports to like, the top of the Sphinx's head? If I had a choice between chilling on a lounge chair on top of the Sphinx or hanging out eating biscuits in Athens, my choice would be clear. Biscuits, friends, bands and Georgia would win every time.

Our show here last night - with King of Prussia and Spring Tigers - was, of course, great. Though I'm starting to feel a little crummy, Marisa's voice is getting better (Note: I realized after I originally posted this that I hadn't mentioned how ill we've been thus far. Marisa has had a terrible cold/cough that won't go away. She hasn't been able to sing much, so I've been doing most of the singing. Worst ever!) and we're able to play a more balanced set. Though we were competing against the Jonathan Richman show next door at the 40 Watt, there were thankfully a few brave and awesome souls who decided to see us instead (a tough decision, I know!). Thank you to those guys. And to Mike T. for tag-teaming the shows. And thank you thank you thank you to Brandon for setting up the show, and to Dave P. and Dave B. for being our favorites, and to Michael for sharing his empty house. Sorry for all the thank you's, I just realized that it's sort of obnoxious. I should just say "You rocked my life!" to pretty much everyone we meet, like that French girl at the Oscars. Athens rocked our life.

And prior to Athens rocking our life, Chapel Hill/Durham rocked our life in a really serious way. We'd never been there before (maybe some of us had? I certainly hadn't) and we fell pretty deeply in love with it. Like the kind of love where we just want to lie in bed all day staring deeply into the eyes of Durham, talking about our childhood and forgetting to eat. Our first show, in Chapel Hill, was at The Cave - the ultimate bar! We knew it was our kind of place when we saw the lazy pit bull draped across the bar itself as we were loading in. Bartender Matt was really fun, and we met loads of great new people. Notably Betsy (AKA Lam!Lam!) who played with us and blew our minds! Dance moves like no other! Dance songs we loved! We love her. Best part of her set was when a giant Rottweiler (who we later learned was named Camilla) came barreling through the bar and immediately ran to lick Betsy's bare inner thigh as she was playing. She didn't even flinch! Thanks to Alex for helping us out with the show - it ruled!

Our love affair continued the next night with one of the best house shows ever at Craig's place in Durham. The house itself was almost too nice - we were worried everyone was going to party on it too hard! We played with Americans in France and Reed from the band Schooner - both of whom were really, really awesome. We drank, we made new friends, we ate guacamole,
we danced to Make Out Club... party! Thanks, Craig!

Two more things about Durham: Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen and Locopops (we even got iconic Locopop band photo #2!). I realize that saying that a biscuit is the best biscuit you've ever had is a pretty intense and grand statement, but... we're saying it. Life-altering.

When we left you last, we had yet to play the Spazzatorium in Greenville. Greenville, NC is sort of a weird town -- there's a college but it doesn't seem college-y, it's a little in the middle of nowhere... Which makes it all the crazier that a venue like the Spazzatorium is able to exist. It's one of the coolest DIY spaces we've played, and Jeff really took care of us, buying loads of free beer and finding us a place to stay (also thanks to Jake and his night-cuddling dog Pony). The best part of the night - which was, admittedly, a little weird - was meeting the improv/sketch comedy duo Superkiids, who are wacky and awesome, and who we will hopefully hang with (and play with) again really soon. They also helped us think of some new Stumpies... which, sadly, I don't remember now! But they were so great! Superkiids, if you're reading this... help us out! The band that played between was a bit of a mellow-harsher... but we definitely had a great night in Greenville.

We're heading to Atlanta tonight, taking a night off before playing there tomorrow at The Earl. Can't wait.

And, finally: a few pics.

God Bless New Jersey

2008-02-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you something. You may think that someone has treated you nicely at some point in your life. Maybe they brought you some Thai food when you weren’t feeling good, maybe they told you that your new haircut looked nice even when you knew deep down that you looked like a member of Herman’s Hermits. But I think – maybe – that you don’t really know what someone treating you awesomely is like until you’ve played a basement show with the kids in New Brunswick, NJ. It’s incomparable. Our new favorite person Jay (roadie for Besties’ heroes The Ergs! and generally incredible dude) truly rolled out the Jersey red carpet for us, and we really can’t thank him enough. The show was loads of fun, everyone was astoundingly supportive and cool, and we spent an epic night hanging out and singing along with the jukebox at McCormick’s after the show. WE LOVE NEW JERSEY. And we’ve been listening to show-mates Full of Fancy – who rocked that basement so hard! – pretty incessantly in the van. Mikey says he loves you, Mikey says he cares….

We reluctantly left Jersey on Tuesday morning and drove the long, hard road to Richmond, VA. The journey took much longer than it should have thanks to terrible traffic outside of DC, so we ended up not having much time to hang out before the show (at Rumor’s Boutique, where you should definitely shop if you live in Richmond because they have the best t-shirts ever…). Richmond is a really rad city, by the way. I was the only band member who had never been, and I totally fell in love with it. We met some amazing people at the show – Brian! Julie! Maddy! Kathryn! – and (hopefully) helped lovely Wendy have a fun birthday. Julie opened the show – it was her first show ever!! – and we were completely blown away by her voice. Beautiful!

We’re now in Greenville, SC, hanging out prior to our show at the Spazzatorium. Best moment of the day: We got pulled over in Emporia, VA (which, crazily, Maddy had warned us about, saying that they had the highest rate of pull-overs in the country). We were really curious as to what the officer was going to say, since we were literally doing nothing wrong. Not speeding. No expired anything. The cop comes to the window and says,
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
“No, sir,”
“See those fuzzy dice in the mirror? Those are illegal in Virginia.”

We got pulled over for illegal use of fuzzy dice!!! Best ever. Luckily, he let us off with a warning.

My mom sent us a Stumpy joke that I can’t believe we forgot: Stumpy Old Men.

We still haven't been able to upload any pictures --- soon.

Correction!

2008-02-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

Rikky just corrected me -- The name of this year's tour is Purple Haze/Home Free/Straight Stumpin'.

I apologize for any confusion.

Purple Haze/Home Free/Stumpin' Tour 2008

2008-02-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

West End Cafe, New Brunswick:
If I had any excuse for not starting the tour blog until now, it would be that it - for whatever reason - doesn't seem like tour yet. Maybe because we're still so close to home? Maybe because road dog 2.0 Salty isn't yet on board? I don't know. We had a day off too soon, I think, and though hanging out for a day in Philly was awesome... we're ready to get out of the northeast.

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who made our New York show so incredible. Everyone in the band has been out of town/busy/checked out of real life for a while, so it was really amazing to see everyone in one place (though also sort of awkward and sad... "We should hang out more!" "We will... when I get home in two months"). The Toothaches were, as expected, amazing (and right now I'm going to start my tour blogging resolution to use the following words really sparingly: amazing, awesome, incredible). Their cover of M.I.A.'s 'Paper Planes' blew everyone's collective mind (in a way that our cover - which we thought would go over so well! - sort of didn't). And Sex Robots and Pants Yell! were perfect. We have the best friends.

The band slept at my house our last night at home, in close proximity to my new-ish kitty roommate, Stumpy. Stumpy has become the inspiration for our new ultimate tour bored-game, "Stumpin.'" It's easy to play! Just insert "Stumpy" (or "Stump," or "Stumpito", or whatever) into popular song lyrics, movie titles, etc. For example, "White Men Can't Stump," "Gotta be Startin' Stumpin", "Stumpin 2: Electric Bugaloo," "Stump Up the Jam" "Stump and Grind"... Please help us play this game. We've done so many that at this point we're sort of stumped. Stumped, get it? Always funny!

Philadelphia was, as usual, great. Thanks so much to our friend Jimmy for setting up the show with his band, Cordova Academy Glee Club, who ruled! North Star Bar in Philly is a really cool venue. Highly reccomended! Yesterday we had a day off in Philly, and we spent it exploring the Mutter Museum, which Marisa and Rikky really liked. Frank and I, not so much. I think my issue was that I don't like to be reminded in such a brutal way that we're all just blood and bones. It's depressing. Frank wasn't as into it because, even though as a nurse he sees crazy stuff every day, he doesn't like to see it in a non-clinical setting. Also, the gift shop - which seemed like it should have been great! - was not so great. I did get some postcards and some temporary tattoos. But Marisa and Rikky - who aren't blogging (maybe soon?) and therefore don't get to say so - really liked it.

Most of us (all except Rikky, who went out for jazz and soul food) crashed early at our friend Jason's house (thanks Jason!) and half-heartedly watched the Oscars. Pretty awful aside from the french girl who cried "You rocked my life! You rocked my life!!!!"

We're now in New Brunswick, NJ, getting ready for a hopefully rockin house show. Pictures soon. We miss everyone already!

2007-07-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

Time to fess up -- I'm actually a terrible, inconsistent blogger.

First, the post that should have come before Europe that's been sitting in "drafts":

It's a testament to how truly amazing our US tour was that I'm only 60% psyched to leave for Sweden today - the other 40% is mourning the end of the US leg. Intense!

Once again, packing and waiting.

The last four shows of our tour - Rochester, Burlington, Boston and Portland - were incredible. Rochester was a total surprise - who knew how awesome it was? Not only is the city beautiful (a waterfall downtown?), but everyone there had this really incredible talent for making us feel completely at home. Hanging at the Bug Jar in Rochester was like hanging out with our oldest, sweetest friends in NYC. Everyone danced, the other bands - Gaybot and Science vs. Witchcraft - ruled, and we had an awesome, epic night. Thanks to everyone who helped with the show, especially Brian. The best!

Burlington was, of course, awesome. I got to live my ultimate fantsay in life by playing tambourine and singing 'Moped Rally' with the Magogs, David had (I hope?) an awesome birthday party, The Smittens ruled, we ruled... it was a really fun show. The Smittens really know how to party. But we knew that. Plus, first ever 'You Got Served'-style dance off! Thanks to Holly and the guy who totally served her!

You know what's beautiful? New England.

And.... I finally had an awesome time in Boston. Finally! Frank's entire family showed up, and his grandma danced harder than anyone during our set. Literally. We bonded pretty hard with The Sammies, who share my North Carolina pedigree and who rock really hard (even though when Marisa tried to give Gymmy a highfive during their set she was... denied!). Everyone else was so great, Ashley had the ultimate birthday party and, once again (and of course most importantly) I finally had fun in Boston. Can we just play birthday parties from now on? Yes? Thanks.

We were all really emotional about the last show of tour... which creates a weird sort of pressure. This past month has been so unbelievable - we're better friends, and a better band, and I very literally don't ever want to go home. Portland, though, helped us through our tour-ending drama. The best city. We all want to move. I think partly (at least for me) it has to do with identifying with a seaside town (like the island where Marisa and I lived) but experiencing it in this completely different way -- instead of palm trees and seat turtles there are lighthouses and fog and rocky shores. So the smells and the sounds are sort of the same... I don't know if that makes any sense. But we really loved it there.

We spent the night before our show at the drive in - the 2nd oldest still-running drive in in the country, according to the sign. Best double feature ever - Ratatouille and Harry Potter!

The show we played at Sound Post in Portland was the perfect end to the US tour. The 500's and The Rattlesnakes were both incredible, and everyone at the show was unbelievably sweet and supportive. We had a really great time playing, and - somehow- the amazing crowd and perfect city made our last show not nearly as sad as we would have predicted. Thanks so much to Nick and Karina for letting us stay in the most amazing (like if Wes Anderson created a giant dollhouse on the sea...) house ever and being incredibly gracious hosts. We love Portland.

This month was so amazing. Thanks so much to everyone who helped us and showed us around the country - we have so many awesome new friends. We loved every single town we played and can't wait to see you guys again.

*So, techinically we're in Sweden now and I should be posting about Sweden. I will soon! And since I don't have my laptop there won't be any photos until we get back.

Midbest

2007-07-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

We’ve been listening to the same good-time-oldies radio station for 2 hours, driving through Ohio – soon it will be Pennsylvania, then New York.

The last four days or so have been so great that I haven’t had time to post anything, due in no small part to the INCREDIBLE band Poison Control Center, who we played with in Grand Rapids, Ypsilanti and Dayton. We’re all so in love with them – both as a band and as awesome dudes – that the prospect of finishing up the next week without them is daunting. We’ll learn to cope, I guess.

First, Chicago. South Union Arts is, in theory, a really amazing and interesting venue – an old Baptist church converted (only slightly) into a performance space. There’s a giant neon Jesus above the pulpit/stage, a Baptismal pool, pews. We loved playing in Chicago, and were really excited to see all of our friends who came out, but the show was a little weird – the stage setup is such that we were all really far apart, and since there are pews, people tend to sit rather than stand. Regardless, we had an awesome time, thanks to Kate, Ashley, Kristen, Leigh, Dan, Matt, Jake, Jeremiah and everyone else there – including Tom, who amazingly came to Chicago to surprise me. The best.

The two shows in Grand Rapids ruled. We really liked being the bar band at 'Juke's' - it's sort of nice when there's not a lot of pressure and people are just hanging out listening to your set. We also saw a guy break up with his lady over the phone and then punch a wall! At the DAAC the next night we played a really fun (if sort of cranky on my end - sorry guys!) show with Poison Control Center and a Canadian band called DD/MM/YYYY. Though the shows were great, we had the most fun hanging out (and swimming!) with Shawn and Emily, the ultimate sweeties of Michigan. And meeting PCC, the ultimate dudes.

I don't really know what to say about Ypsilanti. Incredible? Yes. Bizarre? Indeed. Awful? Sometimes. The show itself was intense and great - my favorite of tour, for sure. We got a little crazy during PCC's set, and were really psyched to find that we had met our match in the 'gettin crazy' (and naked) department. Again, the best.

Then things got a little weird? I won't say too much, only that there were some intense smells and that we were suddenly kicked out at 7:30am (after a long, long night of the aforementioned craziness). We love our Ypsilanti show.... but didn't really love Ypsilanti.

Did I mention that we went to Detroit and it blew our collective mind? Even knowing - sort of - what to expect, it was still devastating to see a city so broken. The abandoned skyscrapers and ruinous Ford factory... for whatever reason we didn't take many pictures.

Dayton! We enjoyed awesome hospitality (and more swimming) from our new friend Zach, who set up the show, and once again partied really hard with PCC. It was so great. Though we were really sad to leave them... the rest of tour we'll have less bruises, for sure.

Tonight we play Rochester... only four more shows. So sad.

Catch up!

2007-07-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

I think this post will have to be mostly pictures, but quickly:

We had the 4th of July of our lives in St. Louis. Cyndi Lauper under the arch! So, so amazing! Matt and Sarah were so incredibly hospitable - our love affair with St. Louis is well under way.
The show at CBGB was so great, and the bar was awesome. We had a great time - I only lament that we wore ourselves out going to the St. Louis zoo prior to the show and couldn't physically party as hard as we wanted to. Hence the new tour policy - no zoos before shows. Like bros before hos.

The drive from St. Louis to Chicago today took way longer than it should have, mostly due to our side excursion to Lincoln's tomb. I'm currently wearing my new "Land of Lincoln" shirt and Rikky and Frank are wearing sparkling new civil war hats.

Do you see the puppy experience I'm having in the photo above?

We're about to play in Chicago!

I miss everyone. And I also don't ever want tour to end.

Freedom 90 (I won't let you down, so please don't give me up)

2007-07-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in Matt from Bunnygrunt's kitchen, anticipating all of the awesome stuff that will happen today: BBQ, bottle rockets, finally eating the tomatoes we bought in Kentucky, partying with our new St. Louis friends, seeing Cyndi Lauper under the arch (!!), fireworks.

We fell hard for Lexington, KY. The show was incredible - free ice cream, Kentucky bourban, the best venue ever (The Icehouse, an old icehouse that's like the KY version of 79 Lorimer - only exponentially better). We met some great people who we felt like we'd known forever (Ross, Matt, Brandon, Bailey, everyone!). Marisa and I also played with 7 four week old boxer puppies - an experience which was life-altering. I know everyone's sick of hearing us talk about these puppies, but they were SO UNBELIEVABLY CUTE. I'll post the pictures tomorrow, along with more on our St. Louis EXPERIENCE. Last night's show ruled hard, and I expect today to follow suit. But right now I've got some serious partying to do.

Freedom!

Tennessee, Punks & Ice Cream

2007-06-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 6:00pm - finally taking advantage of some Wi-fi (or, as we now refer to it, wee-fee - thanks to Rikky, Marisa and Michael's French roommate Antoine) on a street that's very similar to Tennesee Street in Tallahassee - college town gone to sleep for the summer.

Florida is finally a distant memory, after a show in Pensacola (where we played at Sluggo's and ate delicious free burritos, lusted after yachts and stayed in yet another Red Roof Inn) and an amazing 2nd show in Tallahassee where we played alongside our friends Ben, Spike and their respective bands. Before the show we hiked through the Florida woods, picking blackberries and stopping to watch sleepy armadillos emerging from their holes before taking an amazing swim with our friends in the 'Sisters' sink hole. So, so incredible. The 60 degree water was so clear that I could see the goosebumps on my toes. Afterwards we felt reborn.

Last night we played in Birmingham - Alabama is awesome, and Cave 9 (where we played) is especially awesome. Our show was sort of under-attended thanks to a last-minute Jello Biafra performance down the street. Highlights: Meeting a bunch of amazing Bama hardcore kids, cooking rice and tomatoes at the venue, selling a CD to the ice cream man who was selling treats outside the club, staying with our friend Robert's INCREDIBLE sister Rebecca, who has a lovely apartment and woke us up with the sizzle of honey wheat pancakes. Alabama is beautiful.

The drives are getting better - we're learning to be more efficient, stopping less and seeing more. Today we stopped at a cheese farm - bought cheese, ice cream, and pecan honey jelly. I wanted to go somewhere called 'Lost Sea,' an underground lake, but we didn't have time. We also were excited to listen to an episode of 'This American Life' entitled 'Road Trips,' but it was the most BORING EPISODE EVER.

Tonight we play Knoxville, and with any luck some of my family will be able to come.

We miss everyone in New York. I miss Tom especially.

Tally

2007-06-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Still Florida. Last night we snuck into an impossibly nice apartment complex pool to swim after the show with a few members of Voxtrot, hopping the fence, happy to get away from smoke and dusty parking lots and vast numbers of college kids. I felt terrible and spent a bit of the night lying on a lounge chair, looking at the stars and sleeping while everyone else cannonballed.

The show was as good as it could have been with our inflated expectations of PLAYING IN TALLAHASSEE (3/4 of us used to live here). Voxtrot were amazing, and watching them was sort of inspiring... We're leaving for Pensacola momentarily, playing tonight at Sluggo's with Vena Cava and then coming back to Tally on Thursday to swim in a sinkhole.

We did an in-studio performance on V89, which was truly awesome. Having not been in the studio to record anything in such a long time, it was nice to hear each other sing. We took pictures of grafitti about our friends and picked out too-big t-shirts.

1st new/invented game of tour - Shark Ball. Sadly, no pictures.

I miss New York a little.

F-L-O-R-I-D-A

2007-06-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

By the way, in case you were wondering - Florida is incredible.
The crowd in Jacksonville blew our collective mind - even with a spotty sound system and creepily reverbed vocals, the kids at Club TSI rallied, danced, blew bubbles (!) and made us feel like total rock stars. THANK YOU JACKSONVILLE. We were sad to leave.

We've been in mama territory the past few days - first staying with road dog Michael's mom in Orlando (hi Debbie!) and then with Marisa's mom (hi Madeline!) in Bradenton. We're pretty chubby right now (biscuits and gravy, beans and rice!), like little tour bears getting ready to hibernate in the midwest, where we don't have any mamas to keep us fed.

We played Uncle Lou's in Orlando, which was a truly awesome surprise. I never thought that having our (presumed) delicate family members would have such a rockin time in one of the divey-est bars I've ever seen. Thank you to the long-haired, gap-toothed dude who alternately cheered and heckled us during our set, referring to us both as "The Go Go's" and "Lesbos." Also, Orlando kids totally know how to party. For future reference, we like it a lot when people get on other people's shoulders during our set. Also, it's ridiculous that the band we played with, our good friends For Ex Lovers Only, are not hugely famous and rich. Please make them so.

Our hometown show was mind blowing. It was like a weird dream - "Yeah, so in my dream we played this show in Bradenton, at this crazy Roadhouse-esque place with Nascar on a screen above the stage. All of our parents were there, and all of these people from high school? And our indie ex-dean at high school, Mr. Moates was there? And there was a dance party." It was surreal and great. Why did we ever leave here? Post show skinny dipping in the Gulf of Mexico and grouper sandwiches at the legendary Rod n Reel pier made us feel ridiculous for ever living anywhere besides Anna Maria Island.

Tomorrow night we play Tallahassee with Voxtrot!

Loco

2007-06-21T22:47:00.001-07:00

Last night, as the five of us collapsed on cheap mattresses in room 335 of the Red Roof Inn in Alexandria, VA, I asked Marisa if Red Roof Inns were drastically cheaper than other just-off-the-interstate motels – she said no. I said, ‘They should be.’
It was 3:30am, and we’d been driving since 10:30pm, packing ourselves, tetris-like, into our glistening new tour van (referred to from this point on as ‘Pheobs’) after a weary, sloppy practice. Frank is still bleary-eyed from 2 weeks in China, and the rest of us are exhausted from the WAITING. We all had trouble falling asleep. There was no continental breakfast.

It’s now 4:40pm, and we’re hustling down I-85 with full bellies from ‘Locopops’ in Durham, NC. Let me tell you about Locopops – they’re the most incredible popsicles we’ve ever had. We want them to be our band sponsors. We tried: chocolate rosemary, avocado (!), cucumber chile, peanut butter banana, summer peach, rootbeer float, pomegranate blueberry, passionfruit margarita, mojito… etc. We ate a lot of popsicles. It made everything a lot better.

We want to make it to Athens sooner rather than later. Our first show isn’t until tomorrow night in Jacksonville, bur we wanted to take our time and hang in Athens for a while – at the rate we’re going, our Athens time is quickly dwindling. Thanks to pea-sized bladders and insatiable appetites, we’ve been stopping every 45 minutes. We can’t help it.

Note Marisa sipping sun tea (sweet! We’re back in the south!) purchased from a man on the side of the road (also in Durham) who was also selling incense.

La Primera Dia

2007-06-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

It's raining and awful out. I've gone to the library to return books (unread), and my bag is half packed, with the rest of my tour things in a pile on the bed. I know that I'm bringing the wrong clothes, but I don't feel like there's any avoiding it. The wrong shoes, too.
Mostly I'm sitting and looking at the house, periodically eating Cheerios and finishing up the 'Mangodesh' ice cream in the freezer. Waiting.
Tour!