Where Is Erin?

I'm Ridin' Solo ... (sorta?)

2010-09-16T15:32:00.000-04:00

Sooooo, clearly a little time has passed since my last blog entry. Truth be told, I've been slacking in the blog department, but when my computer had a complete meltdown on a day off in Nashville, I lost my motivation. My first blog that was all ready to go for the Country Throwdown Tour was sacrificed to the Mac demons when I had to reinstall my operating system and I was too angry to re-write it... And then I just never got the mojo back to write more blogs over the summer. Lame, I know, but I'm just being honest. I'll post some photos from Throwdown and Warped Tour soon, as well as some photos of the last Envy On The Coast show ever in Boston.
Ok, so in more exciting news I'm getting ready to hit the road again shooting photos and videos for AOL Instant Messenger and Samsung on the Jason Derülo tour. I fly out to Philly on Sunday the 26th and will be out and about for a little over a month. Pretty cool, no? And I'll be shooting with a brand spanking new camera, too! (I'm actually waiting for it to arrive via UPS right now. The suspense is killing me; give me my baby!) I'll post a link to the work I'll be posting online for the tour. Check out the dates below if you want to come see me... or Jason... either way. (ha!)

You don't have to ride solo anymore, Jason...

09/27 : Philadelphia, PA : Theatre of Living Arts

09/28 : Boston, MA : House Of Blues

09/29 : Worcester, MA : Clark University

09/30 : New York, NY : Club Nokia

10/01 : Baltimore, MD : Ram's Head

10/03 : Chicago, IL : House Of Blues

10/05 : Detroit, MI : Royal Oak

10/06 : Allendale, MI : Fieldhouse Arena

10/08 : Indiana, PA MPC : Ohio Performance Space

10/09 : Milwaukee, WI : The Rave II

10/10 : Minneapolis, MN : First Avenue **HOME OF PRINCE, PEOPLE!**

10/12 : Orem, UT : McKay Events Center

10/13 : Seattle, : WA Moore Theatre

10/14 : Portland, OR : Roseland Theatre

10/15 : San Francisco, CA : The Regency

10/16 : Fresno, CA : Fresno Fairgrounds

10/18 : Los Angeles, CA : House of Blues

10/20 : Phoenix, AZ : Arizona State Fairgrounds

10/21 : Lexington, KY : University of Kentucky

10/22 : Lawrenceville, NJ : Rider University

10/23 : Houston, TX : Warehouse Live

10/25 : Dallas, TX : House Of Blues

10/27 : Atlanta, GA : Center Stage

10/28 : Tampa. FL : The Ritz Ybor

May 12, 2010 - I Don't Wanna Talk About It.

2010-05-12T22:06:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in a little cafe called Stardust in Winter Park, FL, across the street from an awesome record store called Park Ave. CDs, where I just dropped some non-existent lootcakes on some much-desired music. (Yeah, new Deftones!) Across the table from me is my lovely friend, Erin. We met on Warped Tour in 2007. She was kind enough to pick me up from the airport yesterday and put me up for the night. (Thank you, Erin!)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention... I had to leave the Alexisonfire/Trash Talk/Therefore I Am/La Dispute tour to join the Country Throwdown Tour. I neglected to tell you all because I was in a bit of denial. I didn't wanna leave, man! Best time ever! However, bills must be paid my friends. Plus, I get to hang with some pretty sweet people on Throwdown from my Warped family, so there you have it; the decision made itself. I don't wanna talk about it. Anyways! That being said, there's still more story to tell from the last few days, both about tour and about how awesome Erin is. My friend Erin, not me... Yeah.

So yesterday I spent the better part of the day on an airplane from San Francisco to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Orlando, where Erin picked me up and bought me a veggie burger from Burger King. Then she brought me to her band practice and serenaded me. I had never had the chance to hear any of her music before, so I was excited to get the chance to see her play live and just for me! Here are some photos of her band, The Still Voice :

Good times, my friends, good times. And now I shall backtrack to where I last left you : Anaheim, CA! Saturday, we were at a venue called The Chain Reaction. It's pretty small, but lots of bands have played there, so it was exciting for the guys to have the chance to play there. First band of the evening : La Dispute.

That's the only photo I was happy with of them. Honestly, Chain Reaction was a difficult club to shoot in! The place was small and packed full of people. Not a lot of room to maneuver and whatnot. Excuses, excuses, but it's the truth. Here's Lee writing out the set list for the evening :

Therefore I Am played second and really stirred things up in the crowd :

I've been trying to get a decent shot of Alex jumping like that for the past few tours. He's unpredictable. I'm always on the wrong side. This is the closest I came to awesome. Jim, unfortunately, looks kind of like a posessed duck - ha!

I wanted to try to shoot from side stage, which was accessible down this narrow hallway and up a few stairs. Clearly, I wasn't the only one that wanted a decent view. It was basically cramped everywhere in that club!

I was pumped and kinda nervous to watch Trash Talk. California is their turf, so it was anyone's guess what the crowd was going to be like. I was betting on brutal.

This might be one of my favorite shots of the tour :

Lee passed the mic to....

... Adam!

For as squished and crazy as that crowd was, I think they may have been the smiliest bunch of the entire tour.

Garrett likes Colin :

During Alexisonfire's set a couple of crazy doods decided to boldly go where I've never seen a crowd surfer go before : boogie boarding!

Well done, boys. I like that you opted to use a foam board, too. That's really planning ahead and being considerate of those beneath you. I definitely enjoyed watching that... twice!

A little post-show relaxation, just hanging with friends. Can't beat it.

... Although, Wade had an emotional moment ... hehehehe

After the show I spent a little time chatting with a few friends from Warped Tour; the amazingly gifted photographer, Lisa Johnson, and new photographer/videographer/bassist from Saosin, Mr. Chris Sorensen. Lisa said he looks like a paparazzo. She's kind of right, no?

That night we stayed at our merch guy / buddy / awesome dood's house in Costa Mesa : Greg Mills, baby. He and his girlfriend Alicia made us a seriously slamming breakfast in the morning : Greg's Eggs and chipotle homefries. Wish I had some of that right now!

From there we made our way to the legendary Troubadour. We arrived just as Alexisonfire started their soundcheck.

Here they're jamming out to a little Rush. I giggled because it made me think of that movie I Love You, Man. "Slappa de bass, mon!"

Some people warm up before they play. If you're Alex, you cool off.

Bumped into Brad Delava in the pit! Yeah, dood!

La Dispute. Jordan was sick, and getting sicker; you'd never know it, though.

Shooting at the Troubadour : challenging. Many a-photo was ruined by someone else's photo. (Yeah, I know I'm whining. So what?)

Trash Talk. I wasn't especially happy with my photos from that show, so this is all you get.

There were a bunch of people hanging out backstage before Alexisonfire went on. Dallas's wife was out and had her friend Hilary Duff over to visit and watch the show. Yes, that's correct, thee Hilary Duff. I was told not to ask her for photos. She had bodyguards. It was kind of weird, really. So while I was not shooting her, I shot some nice candids of the guys before they went on:

Here's a not-so-nice-but-really-funny photo of Chris and Travis hanging with our friend AJ. You may remember her from way back when we were in Toronto. She's awesome. As are the expressions on their faces here - hahaha!

Alexisonfire tore it up!

Many, many technical difficulties with the bass. Thankfully, Vass was right there to let them borrow his equipment. What a guy, eh?

There were also some crazy issue with Wade's pedals being unplugged by some very graceful security guards. No matter, though, because they played a great set.

The next day was to be my very last day. So sad. I don't wanna talk about it. Here's Al backstage at Slim's in San Francisco. Glasses provided by Sam from Trash Talk. Borderline creepy, right?

Look how nice Sam looks with that sharp haircut and those neat glasses. He's just a swell guy!

La Dispute went on first.

Therefore I Am

Do what he tells you people. Otherwise, you may wind up with a red-headed midget all up in your face, physically forcing you to do what he told you.

Next up : Trash Talk. This was their home show.

Adam and Garrett love eachother.

Here's a shot I've been trying to get all tour :

A little down time before Alexisonfire were to play. I had to get a few last hangs in there.

Awwww, Dallas...

Lee wuz here.

Garrett introduced me to his parents. Here he is with his mom, who is one of the warmest, sweetest people I've ever met. No handshakes, she just went straight for the hugs. Oh, how I love hugs. Garrett, I love your mom.

I didn't really shoot much when Alexisonfire played. I was too busy watching for one last time.

I also bothered old Juice one last time. I found him behind the merch booth with this beautiful lady. That's his girlfriend. Juice is a lucky man.

And then that was that. Poof! Show was over and it was time for me to go bye-bye. I hate how quickly the last day comes and goes on tour! Not that I'm not excited for the Country Throwdown tour, but maaaaaan! I didn't want to leave!

So, now I have to get a little sappy because that's just who I am.

To everyone on the tour, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your world.

Alexisonfire : You have to be one of the most consistently awesome live bands I've ever seen. I could, and did, watch you every day. Thank you for Olive Garden and hangs and humor. I like dancing with you, Wade. I still have my homeless guy bead, Dallas. Nobody's as much fun to watch as Steele. Someone please send Stu on a mandatory vacation (haha). And hug Juice.

Trash Talk : I love that you think I'm weird. I also really love hugging you. And making you uncomfortable. Wanna dance? Oh, and Adam - you still totally owe me that non-date. Just sayin...

La Dispute : I loved our adventure to Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain. I love your weird butt-touching thing and rose pop and the sweet hugs. I love how quickly we all became such great friends. You'd better keep in touch! And someone please get Jordan some new shoes.

Therefore I Am : I don't know if I've ever believed in a band as much as I believe in you guys. You're gross and smelly, but you're the real deal and you're worth it. I hope you'll still let me tag along when people start recognizing you in malls in the middle of nowhere. Love you, doods. Hangs for life.

... And now I bid you goodnight. I must ride into the sunset like the cowboys do, for it is country time... Wish me luck! (And expect some epic people-watching blogs to follow!)

May 8, 2010 - Big Blog! From Anaheim!

2010-05-09T02:24:00.002-04:00

Hello from backstage at the Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA. I'm sitting next to Stu, Alexisonfire's tour manager, and the bathroom. Oh, my delicate senses...

It's been a pretty eventful few days since the last time I updated my little bloggy here. We went to Austin, then an insane last minute house show in El Paso, and then an sweaty show in Mesa, AZ and met the man behind Salvation Mountain. SO much has happened! I don't even know where to begin, really. Eh, I guess I'll just go in chronological order.

Austin... I love visiting this city. Awesome people, awesome food, you really can't go wrong in Austin. We were at Emo's for the day, which you already knew because that's where I typed up my last blog. I'll just get to the part with the photos:

I found this setlist stuck to the speakers when we were loading in our equipment. Stu says it's from their Saskatoon show on the Billy Talent tour. I thought it was silly, so I had to share.

La Dispute played first.

Lee and Jim watched from side stage.

Al waiting to make his entrance when Therefore I Am began their set :

This guy was pretty amped on the band. I think his arm makes him look like one of those plastic monkeys from that barrel of monkeys game. Anyone remember that?

Have I mentioned how much I loathe polls in the middle of the stage? Arrrgh...

Everyone was in good spirits in Austin. Lots of hangs in the merch area. Here, Jordan (Ratbeard) snagged my camera and snapped this gem.

Check out these merch doods. Oh, what's up babe central? Oww! Tip your merchies, kids.

Lee getting ready to take the stage for Trash Talk's set.

It's hard to tell, but that's Adam (yep, the merch dood) working that crowd up into a frenzy, screaming into the mic.

I enjoy occasionally invading people's personal space; like Spencer.

This is Vass, La Dispute's bassist. Vass has many skills and interests, like drawing. He's quite good. It may have something to do with him drawing every day. He also really, really loves soda. Actually, "pop." In fact, he has a blog devoted to pop - Buds n Suds. Go take a little peek!

The Alexisonfire doods like to have a little group chant thing before they play. I think this one was "Men!" (I could be wrong...)

Here's Al with a couple of friends from back home, who now live in Austin : Chris Preese (former vocalist for Vanna) and Sarah. I definitely didn't recognize Chris when I first saw him. Last time I saw him, he was less... beefy? Think of how Trent Reznor went from slim guy with long hair to beefcake with a buzzcut and that's what happened here. Crazy!

Awww, Juice... He always looks so bummed out. I like to make him tell me fun or happy stuff that happened during his day with the hopes that I can help him look on the brighter side of life. I'd like to think it works. Sometimes he smiles. Be nice to Juice. Maybe give him a hug or something.

After finishing their set, the Alexisonfire guys headed straight for the outdoors to cool off, where there were plenty of excited fans who flipped when they had the chance to meet the band. Autographs all around...

... Dallas was exhausted ...

Alex lost his mind slinging CDs with Colin. It's all about the hustle, people.

This lovely lady showed Wade her Alexisonfire tattoo.

Ok, so I've just been ambushed by Adam. The following photo is from when a big group of us went to The Brixton (a bar that one of Brian's friends owns) after the show. The following words are not mine. I hope he doesn't say anything not nice about me. So yes, here's Adam :

G thinks Erin is weird.

Ok, so that statement is true. Garrett does tell me I'm weird. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that not a smile on his face? He totally likes me. We're buds. And if not, I still have a little time to win him over. Travis, however, appears to be out of time, as George has decided to do away with him.

After super fun bar time, we hopped in the van and began our long haul to El Paso, TX for a show we booked 2 days in advance at the Nay Lair with our friend, Thomas. This is Thomas :

After something like 13 hours in the van, it felt good to get out and stretch a little bit.

So, the Nay Lair is essentially just a house. Thomas and his roommates put on shows in their living room. You'd never be able to guess just by looking at it, but there's something special about the shows and the people here. El Paso has a real music community. Kids are stoked for new music and are super supportive of each other. It doesn't matter that the air conditioner was out of commission, or that it was a weeknight, or that some of these kids had never heard of Therefore I Am before. They're open-minded and full of energy. I love coming to the Nay Lair.

The first band I caught was a two-piece called DRB.

Here is something you will only ever see at a house show. This sign rules :

Alex manned the merch, which was set up ouside by the front door. It was way too crowded to set up inside.

Second band, The Avindale.

And then Therefore I Am played. Thomas put them up second to last to make sure that kids were able to see them in case the show was shut down early. (You know: weeknight, neighbors, loud stuff after a certain hour...)

Things went OFF during their set!

Ever crowdsurfed in someones living room?

They made Greg crowdsurf. I couldn't stop laughing.

... and then he joined the circle pit.

... it's like the energy from the people combined with the intense heat somehow unleashed Al's inner-caveman.

It was so insanely hot in there that we had to take a break in the middle of the set to avoid people passing out. Chris took off his pants and literally played in his skivvies.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Toast. Toast was the first person I ever met at the Nay Lair. He introduced himself with a great big hug right off the bat, and continued to hug everyone many, many times throughout the evening. Toast is good people.

Stoked.

The Nay Lair show was easily one of the best shows of the tour for Therefore I Am, and it was thrown together totally last minute. El Paso, you are something special. I hope you guys all know how lucky you are to have the amazing community that you have.

This is Blythe and her mom, Jo. They live pretty close to El Paso and told us to expect them at the Denver show... Denver! They're going to travel to watch my friends play music. That's just too cool.

Circle pit hi-fives for headlining band, Thomas and Toast's band, Barbarian.

Barbarian played the most unexpected cover song ever : "Send Me An Angel." It was a real crowd pleaser :

Next stop for the TIA party train : Mesa, AZ. Thomas from the Nay Lair warned us that the air there is so hot and thick that it feels like you're wearing a sweater. Too true, dood. Too true! The venue is called The Nile. It's an old converted theater and the actual venue part is downstairs in the basement. You'd think that it would be less hot down in a basement, but you add a few hundred bodies and even the walls will sweat.

There was a local act last night called The Constellation Branch. They had a very different sound from any of the other bands on the bill. Actually reminded me a bit of Ours or Jeff Buckley, but a little more experimental-sounding. Maybe it was just the pipes; that guy can belt it!

Totally awesome backstage hangs! It got quite loud in there, since the PA was nestled into the wall connecting the backstage to the front of the stage. The variety of facial expressions in this photo kills me. So does Colin's epic hair.

In this photo, the boys are watching a movie trailer for The Human Centipede. It sounds like one of the most twisted, disgusting movies ever. I don't even want to talk about it.

Therefore I Am played second.

Wade and Juice. Having the greatest time ever.

Random merch table shot. I just like it.

One of the things I love about this tour is how everyone watches eachother play. Here's Jordan from La Dispute taking it all in :

And here's Jordan playing a show :

Next up : Trash Talk.

It's a little tough to see it, but Lee shoved that guy's head up under his shirt and pulled him up on the stage by his head.

This might be one of my favorite stage moves : the old "pull-your-friends-shirt-over-his-head-when-he-isn't-looking" maneuver. Nice one, Lee.

Alexisonfire : Check out that girl in front of Steele in the white shirt. Losing her mind!

After the Mesa show, the La Dispute guys invited us on a little group bonding adventure. We followed them overnight and arrived around 6am in a place known as Salton Sea in California. Basically, it's a lake that's been ruined by too much salt from a military boo boo a while back. The shore was covered with dead fish and other bones and such.

Alex really seemed to connect with the land...

Brad, Colin and Lazer decided to sleep on the beach. I was too put off by the dead fish and potential creepy crawlies to even consider it. I slept back in the van.

After everyone had slept for a few hours, we followed La Dispute way out into the desert to a place known as Salvation Mountain, which is basically this crazy, colorful mountain made with 30 years worth of love and devotion, an incredible amount of adobe and lots of paint with a single message : "God is Love." Mind you, I don't consider myself a religious person, but this was pretty cool.

The man behind this amazing mountain is Leonard Knight, a 79 year old man who has lived and worked here by himself for the last 30 years. He greeted us with a kind "Hello! You are welcome!" and gave us a guided tour through what is now considered a national treasure.

These are Leonard's blue birds. This little nook and the birds were featured in the "Into The Wild" movie.

This photograph was taken by a National Geographic photographer and then mounted into an adobe wall in Salvation Mountain. He later gave me a puzzle of this photo and some magnets to share with friends.

In this little room were more blue birds, photographs of the mountain over the years, awards and articles about the Mountain.

Look at all of that paint! Leonard says it's all donations that keeps him up and running, as well as whatever materials he finds in the desert, like old tires, car windows, etc.

We sat down and chatted with him for a bit.

This is where he lives.

Colin, Brad and La Dispute - good call, friends. Thanks for inviting us. That was awesome!

... aaaaaand, show is over! And so is my blog! Time to go settle up for the night and find something fun to do. Yessss!

May 5, 2010 - Happy Cinco de Wade-O from Austin, TX.

2010-05-05T20:47:00.001-04:00

HAPPY CINCO DE WADE-O! That's right kids. Today is both Cinco de Mayo AND Wade MacNeil's birthday. Let us rejoice. The world is a much more interesting and fun place with a guy like Wade in it. Thanks for being born, buddy. Happy Birthday!

Today we are in Austin, TX at a club called Emo's. I've been here before a few times. Once or twice on a SXSW adventure, and then again one Warped Tour to see El Bronx and The Bronx tear it up for the Fourth of July. Good times. Right now I'm typing away in a little office that sits on top of the club and shakes every time someone barrels up the staircase. Beside me is this guy. His name is Guilty; for real. Guilty of what, you ask? Guilty of wearing this very shirt (or one just like it) every day for the last 12 years. Didn't Einstein have a thing for wearing the same outfit every single day?

I shall now travel back in time to a place called Hattiesburg, MS. The date was Sunday, May 2nd. The guys in La Dispute asked Therefore I Am to join them at a house show they booked there. It was a pretty good time, as could be expected when hanging with those kids. The first band on the bill was a local called "Les Doux." They couldn't tell me how to pronounce it. "Lay Doe" or "Leh Doo." Take your pick, they answer to both.

Therefore I Am played second in the tiny, carpeted living room.

The crowd participation chant was "Let's drink some beer!"

La Dispute headlined the show. Lazer was seriously stoked. Just look at him! I love this photo.

Even when he's all sweaty and making a stink face, Jordan is just as cute as a button. Awwww...

Jordan is also desperately in need of a new pair of shoes. I guess there's something to be said for a sweet pair of Vans when someone loves them so much that they'll wear them until they literally fall off of their feet. That day can't be too far away.

We all stayed at the house for the night so we could hang out together. Here the boys are bonding over beers and fart videos. Yep, I'm dead serious; fart videos. Bear in mind, we had spent something like 12 or 13 hours in the van that day before we got to Hattiesburg. Ugh.

The next day we headed to Houston, TX to a club called Warehouse Live. That was another 6 or 7 hours drive. I honestly can't remember at this point. Way too much time was spent in the van. First band on the bill : La Dispute.

Therefore I Am played second.

Truth be told, the crowd was pretty stiff. Everyone just kind of stared at the stage and didn't move around all that much. The guys really had to work to get people to wake up.

Dallas was watching side stage with Lee.

Dallas was also snuggling up side stage with Jordan. Don't you just love love?

Trash Talk played next and really got some of those kids moving. Check out this kid :

This guy looks both afraid and grossed out by what was happening to him :

I've never seen anyone get as much air as Spencer and Garrett. They claim it's the shoes.

Lee calls this his "spider" move.

After Trash Talk's set, I headed backstage to grab some water, where I found Brian, Wade and Jordan serenading Serge (though, they were singing "Sergio") with sweeter operatic stylings than the Irish Tenors.

From there I hit up the merch area to see how things were going. Adam made a new tip cup with hopes of making a few more lootcakes.

It seems to be working. Cross your fingers and open your wallets because he's promised to take me out on a non-date for dinner with his tip money. A girl's gotta eat, people!

After getting my hopes up, I made my way up front to catch Alexisonfire.

The kid propped up on the barricade and his friends were probably the most excited individuals in the whole crowd. So much fun to watch!

Meanwhile, out in the alleyway behind the venue, Colin, Jordan and Travis discussed contemporary literature... Seriously. I think they're starting a little dood book club.

The next day (yesterday) we were in Dallas. First order of business, head over to Tiger Moon Tattoo so Alex and Trav could get bro tats from their friend Adam. The tattoo shop was located right next to these two businesses. I find their placement both humorous and scandalous!

Here's Trav's new tattoo, and his friend/artist, Adam in the background :

Obligatory group photo :

The venue in Dallas is called The Door. Apparently, at another venue called Tree just around the corner, the freaking Deftones were playing a show as well. AND their new album came out that day, too. Oh, how I wanted to go to that show! Didn't happen. But our show was pretty great, so I'll just have to catch the Deftones another time.

First up : Therefore I Am.

La Dispute :

Adam came to the show when he finished Alex's tattoo back at the shop. Here he is surrounded by his work :

Backstage, Wade decided to dabble in photography by helping himself to my camera. While he's not so bad a photographer, I'm not much of a model... Unless you're into oddly creepy.

Action shot by Wade :

Just hangin'.

Trash Talk : The audience was scary excited. No way was I going into the pit for that one.

In this photo, Lee basically gave up for the rest of the song because so many crazed boys hopped up on stage and decided that they were going to scream into the mic instead of him.

Bloody nose c/o Trash Talk.

Alexisonfire :

Meanwhile, backstage...

Random personal items strewn about. Can you take a guess who they belong to?

I sat and chatted Jordan up a bit while he was trying to do some interwebbing. Check out these crazy bruises he has. They're self-inflicted. Tambourines, man. Who knew they could cause so much damage?

And these are his fire ant bites from standing outside at the house show in Hattiesburg, MS.

When I went back downstairs to settle up for the show, I discovered some pretty amazing artwork done by some homeless guy out in front of the venue. Kind of impressive, really.

... and that about wraps it up for the last few days! I'm still in Austin, it's about 7:30pm. La Dispute plays first tonight in about a half an hour. Trash Talk may or may not make it tonight; their van overheated and are currently waiting for a tow truck. Cross your fingers! Eh, I think they'll make it.

Anyways, that's all for now! Time to find me some food and get my camera ready for tonight's sights...

May 2, 2010 - Hiya from Hattiesburg, MS

2010-05-03T02:10:00.000-04:00

Man, it's been tough trying to make this blog entry happen. Much has happened by way of distractions and wonky internet connections. Biggest news is that Brian turned the big TWO-NINE yesterday. Yep, the twilight of his twenties. As a gift, I dedicate this blog entry to you, Mr. Brian "Briceps" Marquis. Happy Birthday, dood.

Right now I'm standing in the kitchen of three guys who are putting on a show in their living room in Hattiesburg, MS. It's almost 11pm. We've been here for a couple of hours now. The drive from Greensboro, NC was somewhere in the ballpark of about 14 hours, and after the show tonight we still have another 7 hours or so to Houston, TX. I'm tired, I'm wired, I'm determined to get this blog done so I feel like I've accomplished something! That being said, let's backtrack a few days, yeah?

The Social in Orlando, FL was a pretty crazy show. It was the first show Trash Talk played on the tour, so everyone was excited to see what they had in store for us. I've heard so many crazy rumors that I was anxious to see for myself. But first, La Dispute played their set. The place was packed and kids in the crowd were stoked. I, unfortunately, was not so happy with my photos of them from that show, so this is all you get (sorry) :

Therefore I Am played second. I managed to snap a few that I liked :

This particular photo is another one that falls into the category of "should-be-tossed-out-but-too-funny-not-to-share-so-I'm-gonna-post-it-anyways." Here's what's funny about this photo; the guy with the fluffy black hair and the weird look on his face. The only words you can read on his shirt are "fat kid." Made me giggle. You? Maybe?

Next up : Trash Talk. I had no idea what to expect, but I'd heard that their crowds can get pretty brutal, so I opted to plant myself side-stage. I'm glad I did because some of those kids were out of their minds!

It's a little dark here, but the singer, Lee, has actually wrapped his mic cable around that guys neck.

There was a photobooth at the club. I loooove photobooths. Juice had a couple of photostrips at his merch booth. How adorable, eh?

Alexisonfire closed out the show. The place was jam packed and there were some pretty serious super fans in the crowd, like these two doods on the far left. I loved watching them rock out!

This guy was awesome too. You could tell that the music really moved him. I love that. :)

George showed off his manly muscles when he pulled this kid up out of the crowd and threw him back into the audience.

Oh, how I love to watch Steele play. He makes THEE best faces!

From Orlando we cruised to Tampa to stay with one of the guys' friends, Chelsea. We got there pretty late and she had the living room all set up for us to crash for the night, with air mattresses and blankets and such. She even had a sweet pair of PJs for Alex to wear. Check out these sweet jams :

Tampa was pretty close to St. Pete, where the show was to be the next day, so everyone was able to sleep as much as they wanted. That's the best feeling; waking up when you're body feels rested.

Chelsea brought us over to the salon where she works with the guys' other friend, Leah. They gave everyone haircuts on the house. Even me! How sweet is that? Thank you, ladies!

From there, we zipped off to St. Pete for the show at the State Theatre. The last time I was at this venue was about 4 years ago with another band I used to work for, Head Automatica. Man, do I miss them! One of the funnest nights of the whole tour was actually the night we were at the State Theatre and went to this little bar called the Emerald or something like that just across the street. Ah, I digress... But I really do miss them.

Therefore I Am was slated to play first that night, so they were able to do a little soundcheck before doors.

Some backstage hangs before the show began...

I had a little time before doors to scope out the food situation in the area. On my quest to find a place called "Burrito Boarder" (which was delicious, by the way), I bumped into a couple familiar faces at a cigar bar around the corner.

Favorite shot of the night of Therefore I Am :

Favorite shot of La Dispute for the night :

I tried to keep a safe distance during Trash Talk's set. I managed to sneak up into the balcony to get a better view and not get whacked.

But I came back down after a bit. I was feeling a bit more brave when I realized that this crowd wasn't quite as crazy as the one in Orlando.

And a few photos from Alexisonfire's set :

George pretending to lactate all over the crowd.

After the show we went to a bar down the street to hang with some friends the guys had in the area. As luck would have it, the bar had a punching video game thing. We had some fun with that bad boy. Brian actually set a new record for the bar : 928! Woo!

Yep, even I took a whack at it. I wound up with a 4-something. I beat Travis. That's all that matters - ha! Travis lost to a girl!

The next day we were in Atlanta, GA. That was to be the day that I was going to blog. I had made the decision to do so, and I went to the backstage area and set up my work station and had a nice internet connection going and everything... And then this happened :

I mean, seriously... Could you concentrate with all of this? Um, I'm gonna go ahead and say "nope!"

These things also happened : Kevin wearing the remnants of what was to become Jordan's new shorts, and a haircut for shaggy old Alex.

So I wound up just doing a little photo editing and snapped a whole bunch of photos throughout the night, beginning with La Dispute.

Backstage hangs between sets.

Therefore I Am.

Can you find Alex in here?

The barricade situation at the Masquerade is a little wonky. It's basically just a short wall in front of the stage that you can only get into from the stage because there are giant speakers blocking both sides. So when kids started crowd surfing, the security guard started catching the kids and shoving them across the stage to go back into the audience. The kid in the photo was literally pushed into Dallas while he was playing. It wasn't the only time that happened, either. Might be time to make some improvements, Masquerade. Just saying...

Crappy barricades aside, I do like coming to the Masquerade. In fact, I look forward to it, as do the guys. One, because the food is always amazing:

Reason number two for liking the Masquerade : I get to see Brittney and Connor. They're the best! This photo is actually from after the show when we went for midnight birthday drinks for Brian. Yeah, dood!

Here's a few random backstage hangout shots. Just because I like how they turned out.

More fun from post-show bar time - Brian taking a shot. Lime and tender kisses provided by Greg Mills.

Getting weird. I'm apparently building a collection of photos of Brian smooching doods.

This is Chris's cousin, whose birthday also happens to be May 1st. Woo, double birthday party time! Brian's having a great time, haha!

When we finally left the bar and returned to the van, we found this little present on the antenna of the van. I think it may have been from Brittney and Connor, but I'm not totally sure. What a lovely way to end the evening though, eh?

The next day (which was yesterday) we were in Greensboro, NC at the Greene Street Club. When we arrived, Alexisonfire were soundchecking.

They sounded so good you couldn't help but sit and watch for a little bit.

I had never been there before, but it was pretty cool... Aside from the air conditioner being broken. The place was like a sweat lodge by the time everyone crowded in there for the show, along with the heat from the stage lights.

Ladies and gentlemen, please meet Aderik (I hope I've spelled his name right). This is Garrett from Trash Talk's nephew. He's adorable, and he isn't afraid to throw insults at adults or hold hands with older women, aka, me. In short, he is awesome.

La Dispute. It was so freaking hot in there!

I took a quick breather during their set to run outside, where I found these guys hanging out :

And when I ran past merch, I found the perfect photo opp. I like the progression from grumpy Juice, to "excuse me?" Greg, to "cheeeeese" Lazer. Yeah!

More La Dispute. I actually really like this one :

Then Trash Talk took the stage. Once again, I chickened out and hung out on the balcony. I brought little Aderick with me.

Spent a little time hanging at the merch booth before Alexisonfire's set. Awww, how cute are these boys, eh?

... And then I tried to brave the heat and the sweat to snap some photos. It didn't last too long though. I really hate being covered by the sweat of strangers. Yick.

After the show, we met up with Phil (from To Speak of Wolves) and his wife Natasha. It was Phil's birthday, too. May 1st was a popular day for being born, apparently. They took us to a North Carolinian delicacy known as "Cookout." Best milkshakes EVER! I had peanut butter, chocolate and oreos. It was so thick it kept collapsing my straw when I tried to drink it.

Alex had a milkshake too :

They let us shower up at their apartment. We also got to hang out with their awesome doggies. This is the newest edition, Bubbles:

And this is Piles. Such beautiful dogs, aren't they?

So here we are! Today! Hattiesburg, MS. It's hot and gross even though it's 1am. The bands have both just finished playing and are loading out gear and hoping to grab showers here at the house before we all depart for another long-ish drive to Houston, TX. We're looking at a sold 6 or 7 hours. Not really interested in getting back in the van at this point, but I'll be excited once we get there. I'm hoping it will be a little less humid than it is here.

Alright! I must pack up and get out of here. Until next time...

April 28, 2010 - Getting Social in Orlando

2010-04-28T19:05:00.002-04:00

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic right now as I sit here in Orlando, FL in a club called "The Social." I've been here before once upon a time when I visited my friends Olivia and Kat. We saw a band called Virgos Merlot. Oh, how I loved them. I loved my friends, too. Still do!

I've set up a little office for myself in the one nook I could find with a power strip. Travis is computing across from me. Venture Guitars keeps him very, very busy.

Trash Talk joins the tour today. They finally made it back! In the battle of Trash Talk vs. Volcanic Ash, Trash Talk totally kicked ash... (Get it? Yeah, it's bad, I know. Shut up.)

Also joining me in my little computer nook is Wade. He is being responsible today and paying his rent via the interweb. 'Atta boy, Wade!

Earlier today we managed to find a little time to hit the beach back in Daytona, where we stayed the night at they guys' friend Manly's. The sand was super fine and soft, and the sun was blazing. Such a beautiful day!

We also met up with Travis's sister, Michal. She has the best smile; such perfect, white teeth!

Beach babes: Manly, Brian and Greg.

Last night in West Palm was a good time, aside from the humidity in the club from all of the sweaty bodies and the stink of cigarettes. I really hate it when they allow smoking in bars. The club we were at, Ground Control, was actually a billiard as well. Everyone seemed to enjoy a little friendly pool-playing.

Therefore I Am played first, so I weaseled my way up to the front to snap a few photos...

... but I wound up giving up only a few songs in because I was literally dripping with sweat. It was gross, man. I couldn't bear to go up for La Dispute's set. It was so crowded and sweaty and people were moshing around and crowd surfing. I just couldn't do it. I mean, look at how soaked Brad was after playing :

Here's Stu working with the house soundboard. It seemed a little wonky to me, but he worked his magic.

While Alexisonfire was getting ready to play, some of the La Dispute and Therefore I Am guys made good use of their time and read my blog. See that, readers? You're in good company!

Travis was busy in the bar while everyone else was reading.

I braved the crowd and worked my way up to the front to try to shoot Alexisonfire.

... and that was about all I could stand. You can call me a wuss all you want, I really hate getting sweaty. Especially when you wind up drenched in other peoples' sweat. No thank you, man. Two photos is all you get today. I opted to hang at the bar in the other room with the rest of the guys.

Alex, the promoter of the club, was so stoked on the show and how cool everyone was that he bought us all a few pitchers of beer. Things got interesting...

Peoples true feelings started coming out...

... and then La Dispute showed us this weird bonding exercise of theirs where they touch their bare bottoms to each others' bare bottoms. Dood butt touching. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

... but they LOVE it!

Ok, so I admit it; the butt-touching thing is pretty hilarious. Just don't expect me to EVER participate in that group activity. Noooooo! I'll gladly take photos, though. Too funny!

The lights have just dimmed down here in the club. It's 6:59, which means doors will open within the next minute or so. Time to pack it up for the night! I'll let you know if anything cool happens tonight...

April 27, 2010 - West Palm Beach, FL. Ah, yes.

2010-04-27T19:18:00.001-04:00

Yeah, West Palm Beach! It's warm and sunny and humid and I'm blogging from atop a pool table in a club that kinda smells like the inside of a refrigerator that's been shut off for a few days. Gross. But everyone here seems pretty cool, so that makes up for it. This is my makeshift office for now behind the merch area. Just hanging out with La Dispute's TM, Colin.

Just a short while ago, before their interview, Jordan from La Dispute surprised me with this gem of an outfit:

Now, let us travel back in time to a whole two days ago, Sunday, the 25th of April, to the Canal Club Downstairs Lounge. When we arrived in the late afternoon it was still sunny and warm. The La Dispute kids were doing a little spring cleaning. Totally necessary when there are seven people in one little van.

Once we loaded all of our gear in, a group of us wandered around downtown a bit to seek out coffee and avocados.

No avocados, but I indulged in a seriously delicious iced coffee from this little joint called Cafe Gutenberg. I wish I had another one right now, man.

Alex liked this little graffitti wall, which was right in the alley of Alley Katz, where Therefore I Am played the last time we came through Richmond on the This In New England Tour.

There was a little room backstage for all of us to hang out in, for computing or texting or daydreaming...

La Dispute opened the show, and apparently Jordan's lip? Or tongue? Either way, there was a little blood. Way to suffer for your art, bro.

Therefore I Am played next...

... and this guy was STOKED! He almost knocked me over several times. Look how into it he is!

This might be my favorite photo of the evening. Ordinarily this image would never see the light of day. It's an outtake. However, I laugh at it every time I look at it and thought perhaps you might enjoy it as well. It kinda looks like Alex is creepy lounge singer, hi-fiving young men in the audience. I also really like Brian's expression in the background. So good!

I loved the beardy guy here. I think this was the moment when he realized, "Hey, you know what? I think I like these guys..."

Things got so crazy during the set that someone's dad got knocked over and trampled. Pretty intense, eh? Someone actually called for an ambulance. Here's the proof :

Here's a few snaps from Alexisonfire's set.

What a happy guy, eh? Hiya, Jordan.

They're such a fun band to watch. I like watching people in the audience while they play, too.

More hang time after the show. Chad from La Dispute thought he was messing up my photo with his peace sign here. But I am sneakier than he is because I was actually taking his photo. HA!

Less than five minutes after Alexisonfire finished their encore, a couple of very excited fans found their way back to the dressing room. Honestly, it was a little weird at first because that's kind of a no-no. However, how can you turn away a beard that glorious? And they were super nice to boot.

So the club is located underneath a whole bunch of highway overpasses that cross eachother. I thought it looked awesome, so I had to snap a little photo.

Once everyone had loaded out, we decided it'd be fun to go hang at a bar together. We went around the corner to a place called "Wonderland." There was some seriously creepy decorations. Fun times, though. Vass bought me a Woodchuck. That's him playing with my Keep A Breast bracelet. Thank you, Vass!

Here's Colin before and after consuming alcohol at the bar.

Clearly, we had fun. I love it when you can be friends with the other bands on tours. You never know if you'll all get along, so when you can party together, it's the best! Just look at all of this amazing bonding going on :

We stayed that night in Richmond with my friends Amir and Myke. I consider them some of my tour family because Myke's band, Bury Your Dead was on the Music As A Weapon tour last year, which I was also on. I love those guys.

They have a pretty sweet balcony at their apartment. We spent a little while admiring the view before turning in for the night.

Richmond is gorgeous! We lounged a bit in the sun to have some breakfast before saying our goodbyes and hitting the road for an off-day show with La Dispute in Summerville, SC.

A little pre-show fun with Greg and Al, courtesy of Four Loko. That stuff is pretty nasty, but the guys seemed to really enjoy them. Hi fives, doods.

We no sooner arrived at the hall and the promoter asked the band to play straight away. The crowd was a little stiff at first...

... but I think they won over old Summerville.

Some of the other bands on the bill were actually pretty cool. One of the bands was called Ambush! I initially was hanging out outside because it was so stinking hot indoors, but wound up wandering inside to try to snap a few photos.

La Dispute headlined. They mentioned during their set how great it felt to be back on the floor as opposed to an elevated stage, like the shows have been with Alexisonfire. It was cool to see them perform in their native habitat.

Alex was particularly excited.

Vass is so metal.

Being the gracious person that he is, Jordan hugged at least a dozen people after their set to say thank you for coming to the show. Awwww... Ok, and I just have to comment : Dwight Schrute + Jemain from Flight of the Conchords = the out of breath dood to the left in the photo here :

That Brian... He's a real S.O.B.

Say hi to Bryan and Gabe. They're in Ambush! and also happen to be former bandmates and friends of my friend Davey, who now sings/screams for Vanna. Small world, eh?

After the Summerville show we packed up and hit the road for a crazy long drive to Daytona Beach, FL. With a solid 6-hour drive ahead of us, we opted to make a quick trip to Waffle House for a little snacky snack. And some of us took a quick ride on the motor pony.

... which brings me to now! West Palm Beach, FL! The first band has taken the stage and it's beginning to get smokey in here. I guess smoking indoors hasn't been outlawed down here in Florida. Ah, well. All the more reason to take a stroll to find some dinner! Until next time...

April 25, 2010 - Emergency Room?

2010-04-25T13:35:00.002-04:00

Ah, good morning from Alexandria, VA! I'm typing to you from the kitchen table at our new friend Jess's house. We just feasted on pancakes, bacon (not me, though), eggs and french pressed coffee. I love me some french pressed coffee. Mmmmm...

This is Jess working on the orange juice, and Caitlin. Jess let me use her bathroom to shower this morning so that I could have a clean, girl-friendly place to clean up. I like her. Thank you, Jess!

The show yesterday at the Ottobar in Baltimore was pretty fun. You missed out, Trash Talk.

It was nice to have a real backstage to hang out in. I also enjoyed all of the punk rock folk art on the walls. Wade made his own little contribution.

It was a very, very early show. Load in was at 1pm and Therefore I Am went on at 3:30.

I'd like to say to the clubs of the world... Nobody likes poles that run through the stage. Seriously. This photo could have been epic if Jim wasn't stuck behind a huge POLE.

This dood is a Therefore I Am super fan. He knew every word and was stoked for the whole set. You, my dood, are awesome.

American Nightmare cover : always a crowd pleaser.

We had to load gear out immediately after the set because there was another show booked directly after ours. Loading out in daylight... kinda weird.

The place was packed and sweaty when La Dispute took the stage. It was actually pretty tough to wriggle my way through the crowd to snap a few photos.

I wound up bailing before the end of their set because it was so crowded. Check out what I stumbled upon when I returned to the backstage area:

Sweet hangs in the smoking room.

The place was packed from front to back when Alexisonfire hopped on stage.

... a little breather before an encore ...

Dallas serenaded Brian. Adorable.

After the show a bunch of us went out to eat, since it was still so early. The original plan was for all of us to go to Olive Garden, but nobody called ahead. So, a few of us went to Olive Garden and the rest went to Applebees, where the sports fans could watch the TVs in the bar area. I went with Olive Garden. I still feel stuffed. Ugh.

This guy right here is Stu. He's Alexisonfire's tour manager. He may look thin, but this guy can eat. He ate his appetizers, entree AND dessert! Tiramisu... Yeah, man.

Baltimore... 'Twas fun. Now I'm gonna wrap this up because it's 1:30 and we have to drive a couple hours to Richmond for a 4pm load in. I'm excited for tonight because I get to see my friends Myke and Amir! I'm hoping for a dance party. Cross your fingers for me...

April 24, 2010 - At The Ottobar in Baltimore, MD

2010-04-24T15:33:00.000-04:00

It's an overcast day here in Baltimore, MD. Kinda warm, kinda cool. Kinda ghetto area where the Ottobar is situated. I'm in the super secret upstairs backstage area behind the thickest door ever. There used to be a bank in this building, so it's one of those old vault doors. Check out the sweet office I've scored for myself today:

The last couple of days have been pretty awesome. The clubs were bigger than we've grown accustomed to and packed full of people. The crowd was roughly 700 strong at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit on Thursday and seemed excited to be there when Therefore I Am took the stage around 6:30pm.

Up next was La Dispute. Fun to watch, but man are they tough to shoot! Perhaps they will be my big photo challenge for the tour...

This is Juice. He's Alexisonfire's merch maestro. He's Canadian.

... and this is Serge, their guitar tech, hard at work ...

... and this is Alexisonfire doing what they do in the Motor City.

Detroit was a good time, but Buffalo was great! Some of our friends from the Kingdoms tour made the trip across the border to hang at the Town Ballroom. In this photo is my lovely friend, Carol. She's Bike Rack's (Kingdom's tour manager) mom. She let us take over her house for a few days and fed us and treated us like family. The only thing she asked was that we introduce her to Dallas Green. Mission accomplished.

Here she is again with Wade from Alexisonfire and daughter, Joanne, who's probably going to kill me for posting another photo with her in it. Ha!

When in Rome... or ya know, Buffalo.

Paul from Kingdoms also made the trip across the border with his lovely lady, Taylor, to hang out for the evening. Sweet Zoolander Blue Steel face, Brian.

Alex and Trav gave a little interview for Rock the Walls Radio backstage.

Meanwhile, La Dispute kicked off the sold out show. 1,000 screaming show-goers. Whoah, dood.

I swear I'm going to get decent shots of these guys before the end of tour.

Therefore I Am played second last night. Look how excited and professional Chris is!

Between the band and the audience, there was so much energy; it was seriously electric! Alex literally made a running start and launched himself over the barricade and into the crowd! If I had had any idea that was going to happen, I would have been ready and waiting with my camera. But I had no clue, so you'll just have to believe me when I say that it was pretty epic.

Our friend Hutton from Kingdoms popped on stage for a little cameo.

This is what a sold out thousand-person audience looks like. Not too shabby.

Backstage hangs with La Dispute.

Alex needed a little time to cool off. Modesty is not in his vocabulary. I have no idea what's wrong with Hutton.

Paul creeped out Alex for a minute there. I think he was still pantsless at this time. Maybe that had something to do with it.

If you're looking for Travis, you can typically find him doing one of two things: talking on the phone, or working on his computer.

... and then Alexisonfire took the stage.

That's a pretty sweet shirt ya got there, Wade. :)

Buffalo was such a great night! Between friends visiting and the show being sold out and all of the energy that comes with a packed house, I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. I'm excited to see how this tour will pan out!

It's just about 3:30pm now and Therefore I Am should be taking the stage any minute. Off I go!

April 22, 2010 - Part Two : Hello America and Alexisonfire

2010-04-22T22:34:00.001-04:00

America! Where Taco Bell will give you a burrito for 89 cents and distance is measured in miles, not kilometers. And you buy gas by the gallon, not the liter. And you don't have to know French to avoid dirty looks. Yep, I am glad to be back. Canada was fun, but home is home. Woo!

So! The new adventure begins! First item on the to-do list was to pick up Mr. Greggy Mills from the Cleveland airport. Longtime, dear friend of the guys in Therefore I Am and all around cool dood. He will be manning the merch booth on this tour, as well as spreading the message of non-profit, "Invisible Children." We love Greg.

From there we drove straight to the House of Blues. Greg was totally unaware, but Thrice were playing that night and I just happened to score some tickets for us all to go, courtesy of a pretty awesome friend of mine. (Thanks, Damon!)

Great show, and a great way to start the tour together.

Especially awesome was when we all realized that we had friends actually working on the Thrice tour. Random tour hangs? Yes! The guy hugging Brian here is our friend Joey:

We also saw our friend Ping!!

It was a pretty quick visit, since we had to get to Trav's friend Mike's house for the night. Lucky for us, Mike has On Demand, and the guys were finally able to watch their video on Fuse On Demand! Look how excited Travis is to see himself on TV!

The next morning, we zipped off to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was the first time for most of the guys.

My lovely friend Reena met up with us to hang out for a bit and show us around. Certain exhibits don't allow cameras, so Reena escorted me through.

May I just point out that Prince's "Purple Rain" is on the wall there? I love him. So much.

These are the little marionette guys that were used in an Alice In Chains video from way back in the whole "grunge" era. I love Alice In Chains! I can't deny my inner grunge girl.

The Pink Floyd exhibit is pretty cool, I must say. It's up a few floors in the museum and overlooks the water.

Doesn't Alex kind of look like an old hippy that used to hang out with Pink Floyd? Or is it just me?

It was so fun to get to hang out with Reena and see the sights at the museum. It's impressive to see the actual outfits and instruments of rock and roll legends and bands and artists I've loved. Awe inspiring, really. Michael Jackson's glove, Jimmy Hendrix's baby portrait, Bruce Springsteen's scrawlings in his spiral bound notebooks... Just too cool.

... not cool : almost being eaten by the Pink Floyd monster. AAAAAH!

From the Rock Hall, we made our way over to the Alternative Press headquarters to say hi to some friends we have there, and also to snag a few copies of the March issue with the feature on Therefore I Am. In this photo, we're in Scott Heisel's office with web dood, Tim Karan.

Tim walked us back to the stacks to check out old issues. I didn't realize that AP was celebrating it's 25th year! I remember being in high school and skipping lunch to save up money to buy CDs and magazines, including AP. There were some pretty old issues in there, which definitely sent me down memory lane...

When everyone had had their fill of the archives, it was time to make our way back to the van. But first, the band was invited to sign the autograph wall:

After all of that, it was time to head over to Peabody's and load in for show #1 of the Alexisonfire tour! Woo! Unfortunately, one of the bands couldn't make the show; Trash Talk is stuck over in the UK due to some crazy volcanic ash from Iceland that's messing up flights all over the place. La Dispute still made the show, though.

And then it was time for Therefore I Am to do what they do best! I felt like a proud mom sending my kids off to school. I even made them pose for a little "first day of school" photo:

Yaaaay!

Next up, headliners, Alexisonfire.

That lovely guitar Dallas is playing; that's a Venture guitar, which is Travis's company (and his friends, too). How cool is that?

Day one, done. Day two, almost done. So far, so good. There's a big crowd tonight - almost 700 people! - and they really seemed to enjoy Therefore I Am when they played. Photos will be posted, I promise. Until then, it's time to go shoot Alexisonfire before their set's over! Bye for now!

April 22, 2010 - Part One : Bye Bye Canada and Kingdoms

2010-04-22T20:29:00.002-04:00

I'm in Detroit right now, backstage at St. Andrew's Hall. It's the first time I've ever been to this venue. It seems pretty cool, so far. Everyone that works here is nice. The backstage almost looks like a place where Janis Joplin would have hung out in a big coat with a furry collar. Or maybe that's just me. You decide:

I feel like a lot has happened since my last little bloggy. We finished up the Canadian tour with Kingdoms, saw Niagara Falls, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, AP Magazine offices and began the Alexisonfire tour. That's a lot, right? Maybe I'll turn this little entry into a two-parter.

The last entry was from Oshawa, so that leaves just two shows to report on for the Kingdoms tour. The first being Sudbury, ON at the Alder Hall. Plenty of kids turned out for this show, which was awesome. The promoter who booked the show was actually an 18 year old guy, which I thought was pretty impressive. Here's a little photo from Therefore I Am's set when Hutton joined in on vocals:

Tour sickness is pretty much inevitable for band doods in vans. It especially stinks when it's the vocalist. Al wound up putting himself on vocal rest for a few days, meaning no talking whatsoever with the exception of performing. Sign language and sketchpads, that's all I have to say.

After the show in Sudbury, we drove back to London, ON to stay at Brett's house. Most of Kingdoms stayed there as well so that we could all hang together for one last night. It turned out to be a lot of fun and a new band was born by the name of "Bison Rifle." 'Twas pretty sweet. Bike Rack made a little cameo on vocals.

The next day was the last day of the tour in London, ON at a club called The London Music Hall Lounge. We had to wait a while for someone to let us into the venue to set up, so everyone killed time hanging out playing with a soccer ball and gambling for change.

First band of our last night, Counterparts.

Jim and Chuck like Counterparts.

... so does Bike Rack.

Therefore I Am played second.

Brendan from Counterparts hopped on stage to do the vocals for an American Nightmare cover.

And then it was Kingdoms' turn.

This is my favorite shot of Paul playing live from the whole tour.

Bike Rack stage dove... sorta.

Kids in the audience were going so crazy that some girl in the crowd actually lost her weave! The thing literally flew onto the stage from out of nowhere. It was hilarious!

... Of course, everyone had to play with it.

... and then, just like that, the show and the tour were over. So sad! Many hugs were exchanged, and tender lovins all around. Paul was feeling particularly affectionate... Weirdo. :)

I made everyone pose for the obligatory "last day of tour" photo.

So that was that! We camped out for the night at Brett's again in London, and hit the road to return to America! But before crossing the border, we made a stop at Niagara Falls. It was the first time that any of Therefore I Am or I had ever been.

We almost lost Alex. Fortunately, Brian was there to prevent catastrophe.

Travis and Jim discovered new lands.

Chris and Alex found dinner for everyone.

It was a great family trip. Who's cuter than us? Aaaaand why do I always look like I'm drunk when I flip the camera around to be in the picture?

... and then we crossed the border back into the United States, thus concluding our Canadian adventure. I didn't know what to expect out of the trip, but it was such a blast! Good crowds, short drives, and epic hangs with some awesome new friends. Kingdoms, I miss you guys already. Hooks. Deece. Snipe the tendy. Rattle your bucky. The best. :)

Stay tuned for part two, when I will fill you in on our trip to Alternative Press and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... And Thrice. It's going to be a good bloggy!

Until then...

April 16, 2010

2010-04-16T20:52:00.000-04:00

Hello from inside the van! We're parked behind the venue in Sudbury, ON because this is the only spot with a little wifi action. Well, at least it's quiet, right? No, I take that back. Chris, Brian and Jim are here and they're talking and I can't concentrate. Ugh!

So where did we leave off in the last blog? Ah, yes, St. Catharine! Pretty good show, and some very hilarious moments on stage and off. Chris really loves Kingdoms.

I have no idea where it came from, but someone had this magenta toy guitar and it became the greatest thing ever on our walk to find food before leaving town. Hutton, Bike Rack and Chuck from the Kingdoms camp were tossing the guitar back and forth, leaping off walls and rocking out in the middle of the empty road, squealing "MEW-WAAAW!" I haven't laughed that hard in a while!

We stayed in Mississauga, ON with Bike Rack's family after the show. I loved hanging out with his mom and sister.

I also LOVE their cat! Look at this guy!

From there we drove to the show in Guelph, ON, where a few of the Kingdoms kids are from. It was there that Jim and Hutton fell in dood love.

Cool photo of little Brett during sound check. I made him pose.

Hutton was on vocal rest before show time, so he was communicating by typing things out and showing them to whoever he was talking to. This particular statement was very true; it says, "My personality is not conducive to silence."

When I found out a little while back that Paul has a baby I made him promise that when we had a show in his hometown (Guelph) that I would get to meet and photograph him. I was so excited to finally see the wee one!

Brett was considering stealing the baby. I don't think he was really into that idea.

From Guelph, myself and a few of the doods in Therefore I Am opted to drive back into Toronto to go to a 90s hip hop night at Sneaky Dee's. Free drinks and some serious jams... Would you pass that up?

We stayed that night with our friend Travis. He's the guy that hooked us up with the free drinks and fun times. I was definitely glad we made the trip back.

As luck would have it, our friend AJ, who we know from Warped Tour, lives in Toronto and our other friend, Dylan, who we also know from Warped just happened to be in town on a different tour. So we all met up back at Sneaky Dee's for brunch.

There are few things I love more than unexpected hangs with friends who just happen to be in the same place at the same time.

After our little family brunch we headed off to Oshawa, ON for a show at The Groove Lounge. There's always plenty of time to kill before showtime. This is what it looks like:

... and then it's showtime ...

Check out the kid freaking out in the front. He's actually the drummer from Counterparts, one of the opening bands. A good American Nightmare cover can have that affect, I suppose.

And then Kingdoms played their set... just for Brian.

I was a little concerned when I went to check on Alex at the merch table and found this guy hanging around:

I know, he made me nervous, too. But I decided to just leave him be and keep an eye on him. Merch sales weren't too badly affected. Ha!

From there, we headed back into Toronto again to try to meet back up with Dylan, and some other friends of ours on the same tour, Larry and the Envy On The Coast doods. They are all Warped Tour friends of mine and I was sooooo excited to get to see them! Even if it was just for an hour. No photos to share, unfortunately. It was such a whirlwind visit, but it really made my night!

So yes... I am really enjoying this Canadian adventure. Making new friends, bumping into old friends, creating all new memories. Life is good. Only a few shows left before this leg of the tour ends and we have to say goodbye to Kingdoms. I'm not really looking forward to that, but I am stoked for the Alexisonfire tour... ah, bittersweet.

Alright, time to go back indoors. It's actually getting pretty cold here in the van!

Until next time...

April 11, 2010

2010-04-12T03:10:00.000-04:00

We're in Barrie, ON at our new friend Kristin's house settling in for the night. Chris and Trav have been playing Super Mario Bros. on the Wii for a couple of hours now and giggling like a couple of 8 year-olds. I just edited and uploaded a TON of photos!

When I last posted, it was Thursday morning just before we left for our long drive to Montreal, QC. On our way, we stopped off at the Sabian cymbal factory in Meductic, NB. Kingdoms' tour manager, Bike Rack called ahead and arranged for both bands to take a guided tour. We had to wear safety glasses.

Our tourguide has worked for Sabian for 24 years tuning the cymbals.

This man actually has a sharp tool that he uses to shave off the top layer on the cymbals and makes that swirly, grooved design. Pretty cool to watch, actually.

We couldn't go into that room. I think it has something to do with top secret alien stuff... maybe?

It was a great little stop to break up the drive, and an educational adventure. Yeah!

The next day we made our way to Montreal, QC. First order of business, find wifi.

Later, Alex dabbled in the arts when he drew Chuck and Paul.

...then he drew Bike Rack. (sorta)

The show went well. Lots of people, lots of energy.

Tender moments.

Alex stole a fry off of a couple of ladies in the front row. Gotta keep that energy level up.

Hutton from Kingdoms hopped up to do some guest vocals.

The boys in the front row were very into synchronized thrashing. They cracked me up, too.

The guy in the green here cracked me up as well. He was so stoked during Kingdoms that he couldn't stop leaping into the air and paused only to snap the occasional photo. So awesome!

That night we drove straight to Ottawa, ON after the show and stayed with our new friend Kiki, and her mom Suzanne. None of us had ever actually met them before, but they welcomed us with open arms and even made us breakfast in the morning: pancakes, coffee and eggs benedict. I love Kiki and Suzanne.

The show that night was in downtown Ottawa at a club called Cafe Dekcuf.

Travis and Brett agreed the night before that they would have Hutton use some clippers and give them both haircuts. We set up shop in the boys bathroom, since that was the only place with enough light, an electrical outlet and semi-private. Brett went first.

Travis had to wait a while for his turn.

Brian wanted to play, too. Ummmm, no.

Travis finally got his turn. I only stuck around to snap a couple photos. I had spent long enough in the boys room.

Back in the club, the rest of the guys were warming up. I like this shot a lot.

The show was sold out. Can't ask for much more than that, eh?

Unless your name is Bike Rack and you possess a Mosh Meter!

Don't worry, the Mosh Meter made a steady rise to a whopping 101% - woo! It looked something like this:

After the show we went straight back to Kiki's to crash for the night, since we had to get up and go pretty early. The drive to Barrie was about 6 hours and we had to be there for 4:30pm, so we were up and out by 9:30am and spent a good chunk of the day on the road.

I'm apparently very into shooting black and white photos these days.

Here is my favorite shot of the night:

That about wraps it up for this blog entry. Kind of a big one, but I had a little catching up to do. Tomorrow we'll make our way to St. Catharines. It's 3am. I'm calling it a night.

April 8, 2010 - Fredericton, NB

2010-04-08T10:57:00.001-04:00

It's just before 11am here in Fredericton, NB, sunny and breezy, not a cloud in the sky. I'm one of the only ones awake right now. We stayed last night and the night before with our Frederiction friends, since we had 2 days off before the next show in Montreal, QC tomorrow. The plan for today is to hit the road by noon or 1pm and drive a little ways to the Sabian cymbal factory and take a tour, then drive some more and sleep in a Wall-Mart or something for the night. It should be a good day.

Tracing my steps back to where I last left you... The Moncton, NB show was in a club called The Manhattan. The show went well, plenty of people there, lots of excited kids. It was an early show and part of this Mime Fest thing. Therefore I Am was one of about 6 bands on the bill and we were all done and out of there before 6pm. How crazy is that?

Kingdoms

After the show we met Napoleon Dynamite in the back alley while everyone was loading their gear back into their trailers. He and Alex bonded. Alex has stolen his wardrobe and is considering an alt-hip-hop side project.

Since we didn't have to be to Saint John until 8pm the next night for the show, we decided tag along with Kingdoms on their field trip to see the Flower Pot Islands the next morning. So, we all stayed the night in Moncton with our friend Corey, who we met and stayed with back in Fredericton a few shows back. He's the guy on the left here. What's cuter than twinsies, eh?

Corey's mom lives in Moncton and let both bands stay with her. We had a big barbecue and a slumber party. A teenage dream!

Brett from Kingdoms met the love of his life at our little gathering. His name is Bo.

It was a fun night, but the next morning was pretty epic. I had never heard of the Flower Pot Islands before, but the Kingdoms doods talked it up so much, how could we pass up the opportunity to check it out with our awesome new tour buddies? (That's Paul from Kingdoms, Alex, Hutton from Kingdoms)

There was some hiking involved...

... danger was present ...

...but it was well worth it!

We had to walk down a few flights of stairs and a ladder to get onto that beach. We were able to go down there because it was low tide. The tide starts to turn around 1pm and by 6pm, all of the caves and rock formations we explored would be covered back up with sea water when the tide rolls back in. I believe it's something like 20 feet?

When the water rushes out for low tide, it makes all these little lines in the sand.

We discovered mini-sea creatures in the puddles left behind.

My first attempt at the obligatory group photo... Didn't really work out.

I found a weird old guy in one of the caves, and Brian found his spirituality... or something.

Yep, it was definitely an epic adventure. Huge thank you to Kingdoms for taking us with you!

From there, we made our way to the seaside town of Saint John, NB. It sort of reminded me of New England.

Knuckle tats right before you have to play guitar at a show; usually not a good idea. Unless your a badass like Brett with an artist as gifted as Paul.

The club was really tiny and really laid back. It was an 18+ crowd as well, so it had a very different vibe. Almost like a basement show back home in Allston: dark and dirty, tiny space, crappy sound, some stoked doods.

What's with that creepy mustache guy? (haha)

... oh, hey! It's that creepy mustache guy again! Noooo, that's just Chuck.

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. Some of the guys went to see Clash of the Titans at the movie theater nearby. The rest of us mostly hung around, made food and messed around online. Lots of video games (Call of Duty is a popular one) and lots of Chat Roulette. There was also this other site like Chat Roulette, called Omegle. Lots of pervs, but also lots of funny kids from all over the world. Maybe I'm telling you stuff you already know. Point being, yesterday was a restful day. Excited for today's plans. More stories to come!

April 5, 2010 - Moncton, NB

2010-04-05T16:11:00.002-04:00

Today we're at a club called The Manhattan in Moncton, NB. I'm sitting in a little green room upstairs in the venue with a few of the guys, all of us tapping away on our computers. I am grateful for internet access. The band goes on in about a half an hour.

The past couple of days have been pretty fun. We were in Halifax on Saturday at the Pavillion, which was located right next to a skatepark. A good number of people showed up for the show.

The real fun didn't happen until after the show. Everyone was all packed up and ready to leave before 11pm, so with us being so close to the coast, only a 2 hour drive ahead of us and load-in time for the next show not until 4:30pm, we (Therefore I Am and Kingdoms, collectively) decided to find a beach to hang out on. The plan was to find a place just off the side of the road and build a fire and hang out until we were tired. I fell asleep on the drive there and awoke when the van was shaking around. Why was the van shaking? Because Kingdoms had led us down this crazy dirt road into some seriously thick forest! Sure, there were a few small shacks here and there... and their windows were all boarded up. And we had a heck of a time trying to find a place to actually back up and turn around both bands vans and trailers. It got creepy for a minute there!

Yeah, there was a minute there where we definitely thought the Kingdoms guys were messing with us. They weren't. In fact, I think they were a little more freaked out than we were by the whole thing. Ha! But it all worked out. With a little team work, both vans and trailers were turned around and ready to cruise back out of the woods whenever we were ready. So with that fiasco all taken care of, we decided to trek down to the beach and build the fire that we had been fantasizing about... and what a fire it was!

Once we'd had our fill of the fire (and responsibly killed it), everyone piled back into their vans and headed to the Walmart in Trenton, NS to camp out for the night. I had a slight panic attack in the morning when I awoke to find that the Walmart and all of the other stores in the plaza were closed. I had completely forgotten it was Easter Sunday! Bah! Fortunately, there was a Tim Horton's just down the hill. I've learned that Tim Horton's is to Canada what Dunkin Donuts is to the States. It's pretty good. Not a fan of the mocha, though. It's just coffee and cocoa. I like a little espresso in there, man! I like their newest little edition to the menu, however:

You couldn't have asked for better weather. It was so hot that some of us actually put shorts on. Who knew? I expected it to be cooler way up north, but I'll gladly take the heat!

The guys made a few new friends in the Wendy's / Tim Horton's parking lot. Hacky sack : bringing people together since 1992.

From there we still had some time to kill, so we headed over toward the venue, but stopped off at a little park by the water to soak up a few more precious moments in the sun. I felt like a cat, just laying there in the grass. The best!

And from there, it was time to get to the show. We weren't sure what to expect, being that it was Easter Sunday, but people showed up!

So far, so good. More adventures to come for sure. Kingdoms' tour manager, Bike Rack said something earlier today about parking the vans somewhere near the ocean tonight. I'm excited to see where the evening will take us! As for now, time to get downstairs for the show!

Saturday, April 3, 2010 - Charlottetown, PEI

2010-04-03T17:51:00.000-04:00

It's morning on Prince Edward Island. I've only been here once before, many moons ago for a family camping trip. I was 15 and I remember marveling over how beautiful it was; just like it appeared in those Anne of Green Gables movies. Right now it's somewhere around 10am. The sun is just starting to break through the clouds and hitting the futon I slept on last night. Travis slept on the other half.

We stayed in Charlottetown with Adam from one of the local bands called Syracuse Me, who played last night's show at the Benevolent Irish Society. So far, I'm the only person awake, except for Adam and his girlfriend. I can't wait for everyone else to wake up so we can go hunt down some breakfast!

The drive over to Charlottetown, PEI was pretty smooth sailing. We drove over the Confederation Bridge to get out onto the island, which is the world's largest free-standing bridge.

The water stretched out so far on either side that I couldn't figure out where the sea ended and the sky began.

I also learned about something called the 22 degree effect when we saw a rainbow-ish halo around the sun. It apparently has something to do with being close to the North or South Pole and hexagonal ice crystals in the air. I had never seen one before, which I suppose has something to do with living in New England, and not all that close to either Pole.

The show went pretty well yesterday. 80 - 100 kids showed up and brought their enthusiasm with them... and their wallets - ha! A good audience and decent merch sales really does wonders to boost morale. Thus far, Canada has been very welcoming and very generous. I like Canada.

The first show of tour with Kingdoms was 2 days ago in a town called Frederiction, New Brunswick. We time travelled into the future to get there, into a time known as "Atlantic Time." I never knew this time zone existed. I guess I just didn't realize how far east the continent actually extends. There was plenty of "first day" things to take care of at the show; organize the merch, re-string and tune guitars, etc.

The audience was great! Lots of kids; some even knew the words. Over 150 people showed up. I think it's fair to call the first show a success!

After the show we went to a random house party, which totally reminded me of house shows in Allston, minus the actual show. Party house, people zipping around and sitting around listening to music and yelling. The party people of Fredericton are very, very into metal; it was almost a little weird.

We stayed around the corner with some super nice guys we met at the show. They made us breakfast in the morning and everything! It always amazes me how hospitable people can be, especially toward total strangers. Part of the magic of tour, I suppose.

Someone just hopped in the shower. I wonder if this means it's almost time for food... Man, I hope so! I shall end this blog entry here so that I can prepare for a breakfast adventure! Until next time...

Therefore I Am... on the road again...

2010-03-29T14:18:00.007-04:00

Ok, so clearly I failed to blog at all on that last tour. Whoops. Well, I posted some photos on my facebook page, but that doesn't really count. This tour, I'm going to make it count!

I'm headed back out on the road with Therefore I Am for the next two months. I will be tour managing and snapping as many photos as I see fit. I leave tomorrow to meet up with everyone and start making our way to the great white north for the first leg of the tour with Kingdoms, where the doods and I shall conquer Canadia! And from there, we shall meet up in Cleveland with Alexisonfire, Trash Talk and La Dispute, as well as our awesome friend, Mr. Greggy Mills to kick some hiney across America! Yesss! Me and a bunch of doods... In a van. Can you believe I continue to willingly sign up for this?

I'm fairly certain that things will be tough at times as well as amazing. Sweet, sweet memories to come. And with this blog, I drag thee with me. Yes, please come along with me. I'm really going to blog this time! It may be more photos than words, but that's just how I do things.

So yeah... Let's hang!

Here are the dates:

CANADA with Kingdoms

04/01 - Fredericton, NB @ Kinsmen Centre
04/02 - Charlottetown, PE @ Benevolent Irish Society Hall
04/03 - Halifax, NS @ The Pavilion
04/04 - Trenton, NS @ Trenton Youth Centre
04/05 - Moncton, NB @ The Manhattan
04/06 - Saint John, NB @ The Sunstar Lounge
04/09 - Montreal, QC @ Cafe L'Inconditionnel
04/10 - Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Dekcuf
04/11 - Barrie, ON @ Barrie Native Friendship Centre
04/12 - St. Catharines, ON @ L3 Nightclub
04/13 - Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee's
04/14 - Guelph, ON @ Shadow
04/15 - Oshawa, ON @ The Groove Lounge
04/16 - Sudbury, ON @ The Adler Hall
04/17 - Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah
04/18 - London, ON @ London Music Hall

USA with Alexisonfire, Trash Talk, La Dispute

04/21 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s Down Under
04/22 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
04/23 – Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom 
04/24 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 
04/25 – Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club 
04/27 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Ground Control 
04/28 – Orlando, FL @ The Social 
04/29 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre 
04/30 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade 
05/01 – Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Club 
05/03 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live 
05/04 – Dallas, TX @ The Door 
05/05 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s 
05/07 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile 
05/08 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction 
05/09 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour 
05/10 – San Francisco, CA @ Slims 
05/12 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater 
05/13 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon 
05/14 – Boise, ID @ The Venue 
05/15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue 's Club Sound
05/16 – Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theatre 
05/18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club 
05/19 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall 
05/20 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre
05/21 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 
05/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Theatre of Living Arts 
05/23 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

Things to Come

2009-11-23T13:21:00.005-05:00

Hello out there in Bloggy Town! So it seems it's been a while since I last made a post on here. I'm thinking it might be fun to change that. I'm currently gearing up to hit the road for the This Is New England Tour with Therefore I Am, Vanna and A Loss For Words. It promises to be a pretty wild ride. I'll be zipping around helping TIA and snapping some photos here and there. I'd like to think I'll be blogging about it as well. Sort of like giving myself a homework assignment. Feel free to join me on this next little adventure. Here are the dates:

Nov 28 – Webster Underground – Hartford, CT
Nov 29 – The Loft @ The Chance – PoughKeepsie, NY
Nov 30 – Eleanor Rigby’s – Jermyn, PA
Dec 01 – The Eldolyn Terrace – Altoona, PA
Dec 03 – Mac’s Bar – Lansing, MI
Dec 04 – Frankies – Toledo, OH
Dec 05 – Mojoes Coffee House – Chicago, IL
Dec 06 – Fubar – St. Louis, MO
Dec 07 – Club Neon – Springfield, MO
Dec 08 – 4H Building – Popular Bluff, MO
Dec 09 – The Coup – Clarksville, TN
Dec 11 – The Brewery – Raleigh, NC
Dec 12 – Alley Katz – Richmond, VA
Dec 13 – Harmony Grange – Wilmington, DE
Dec 14 – Otto Bar – Baltimore, MD
Dec 15 – The Aquifer – Clinton, NJ
Dec 16 – Masquerade Club @ The Crocodile Rock – Allentown, PA
Dec 17 – The Vibe Lounge – Rockville, NY
Dec 18 – The Kave – Bangor, ME
Dec 19 – Lupo’s – Providence, RI

Hope to see some familiar faces out there, and maybe even meet a few new ones. Yesss!

More From the First Leg of the New Pornographers Tour

2007-11-18T16:20:00.001-05:00

LOS ANGELES - 9/19

In LA I shared a room with Kathryn. We had a princess room. The hotel was this massive complex with a whole bunch of buildings and she and I wound up on the top floor in a tower like Rapunzel and our beds had high posts with little over-hangy thingies. And there were duck paintings on the walls. It was very rustic royalty. So in light of the princess-ness of the room, I decided to put on a little eye makeup like the classy broad that I am.

Later that night at the show, the bands manager was in town so I was able to run inside and snap a few photos while the band was playing. A rare treat for me on this leg of the tour, so I took full advantage!

The absolute highlight of LA for me was having the opportunity to hang with one of my favorite people - the lovely miss Jeneatha! We were busmates on Warped Tour this summer and I still cannot believe how lucky I was to walk away with so many amazing friends, like this lady. Ah, I adore her!

TUCSON, AZ

As much as I hated being in that minivan trucking our way across the US, it did afford me the chance to see some things that I most definitely would have missed out on had I been cruising along in a bus. This random truckstop was so desolate and strange. There were spiders in the tank of the toilet in the ladies room - ugh. To look at the place from teh outside you would think that there hadn't been people in there in ages, but there it stood and there we made
our pit stop. Crazy.

The open road does some pretty amazing things to your hair. Don't be jealous.

There was a pretty fantastic little cafe around the corner from the venue. In fact, that was pretty much all the town had to offer where we were. I must say, though, that any place with a little Prince in it is good in my book. And the coffee was very, very tastey.

BOULDER, CO

Boulder was another highlight for me. Checking into the hotel was quite a challenge, but absolutely worth it. My room was gorgeous and it was all mine! And the best part of all - I got to spend 2 whole days with another of my Warped Tour busmate and dear friend, Erica. She's an amazing person doing amazing things for a non-profit called Keep A Breast. And just look how cute she is:

Check out the room. They gave us robes and homemade chocolates in pretty packages.

The furniture in the common areas were beautiful, so naturally I made Erica pose for a few photos.

SLC, UT

The drive to Salt Lake City was mostly pretty flat, but some of it was pretty amazing. This country really is beautiful and so very different from place to place. This was the view from a random gas station somewhere along the way.

I kidnapped Erica and brought her to Salt Lake with us and then I made her sit merch for me for a few so I could snap some photos during the show. Actually, she offered to sell for me because she's just that awesome.

BOISE, ID

Boise was the last date of the tour. I was definitely ready for it! Touring in a minivan is not all that it's cracked up to be, my friends. I really feel for all of those bands that spend so much of their time touring in vans. It can be pretty exhausting. Ugh.

On a lighter note, the city and the venue were pretty cool. I managed to run around a little bit and snap some last day photos of the band during soundcheck. I even captured John making a stinkface!

John Collins looks particularly dashing here in Kathryn's hat.

I miss the lovely people in Lavender Diamond. They played the Ronettes "Be My Baby" during soundcheck at my request and wound up enjoying it so much that they played it during the
show. I love the Ronettes!

Chris from The Awkward Stage.

Shane from The Awkward Stage and Paul Rigby sporting some serious shades.

So that about covers the first leg of the New Pornographers tour. It was a little rough and I went through a whole list of emotions on that tour - happy, sad, cranky, grumpy, hungry, tired, excited, relieved, stressed... It was definitely something. I'm glad I did it. And the second leg proved to be even better than the first because I had a BUS! YESSSS! More stories to come...

I'm in LA and Feeling Good! Yesss!

2007-09-19T22:18:00.001-04:00

Ok. So I've decided to do a quick recap. Well, I'm going to try to make it quick...

Day One : Vancouver, BC

This was a travel day. This was a long day. They went through every item in my carry on luggage in Hartford, and then I got held up at immigration because the officer wasn't sure whether or not I should have had a work permit. Ugh. But after all of that madness, I got to see my buddy Alby and we cruised around Vancouver for a bit in the new home, aka, minivan, aka Van City.

Whilst gallavanting about the city, we stopped into a 7Eleven and found this delightful beverage. Beavis, my darling sibling... This beav's for you.

That was the extent of our day one adventures. It had been a very long day and we were both pooped! And we had to get up early to take a ferry over to Victoria in the morning.

Victoria, BC

We were up and at 'em pretty early. We passed this van on the way to the ferry and I thought of my buddy Ben from Throwdown that I met on Warped Tour this summer. He set up a little gym between all of the buses every single day for himself and to do personal training sessions...
I miss that dude!

There were some cool crane-looking things in the mist out in the water where we were waiting in line to board the ferry, so I hopped out and snapped a photo. They kinda look like weird transformer dinosaur bird thingies, don't they?

We were stoked about the ferry. Clearly.

The McPherson Playhouse was really pretty inside. Just look!

It was the first time I'd heard the band. They sounded pretty great, and they seem to have some serious fans.

Seattle, WA

What up, merch. I got a shipment. I definitely wasn't expecting as much as I wound up with. I spent a few hours taking inventory and organizing. Oi!

The hotel was in thee sketchiest area ever. There were tons of trashy ladies all over the place and dudes running after them. Alby and I referred to them as herds of while buffa-hoes. Plenty of business transactions going on, if you know what I mean.

Despite the scary state of affairs surrounding the hotel, the view from my room was halfway decent...

Seattle Part 2

In the morning, Alby and I went for breakfast to this little diner called the Hurricane with Kathryn (keyboardist and vocalist) and Phil (sound dude). It was nice to get a chance to hang out with some of my tourmates.

We wound up having the very same waitress that Alby had the last time he came through Seattle with the dudes in Men Women and Children. They played a prank on him involving hash browns and she was in on the gag. How funny that we wound up at the same place with
the same waitress, eh?

I decided to snap a few during soundcheck, since all of my merch was already set up. That's the beauty of playing 2 shows in a row at the same venue.

This is Blaine. I love it when people smile for the camera.

This is Paul. Paul is the other dude that rolls with us in the minivan. A fellow citizen of Van City. Cool dude.

Inside the Showbox. Pretty cool venue. Or maybe I just like the photo.

Portland, OR

Portland was a tough one for me. I woke up feeling pretty crappy, and we were cruising along in the van for a few hours. Wound up pulling over on the side of the highway. Ugh, it was awful. But we made it to the venue on time and I managed to set up all of the merch before doors, in between trips to the bathroom. What a freaking day, man.

This is Dan, my tour manager. He used to manage Sonic Youth. How cool is that?

Paul again...

San Francisco, CA

The San Francisco show was at the Warfield Theater, which I'd been to before with Head Automatica. Still feeling crappy, I stuck around the venue the whole day, sipping water and trying to eat.

Here is my new friend, Devon. He plays in the opening band, Lavender Diamond. They're really growing on me. And Devon, he's a character for sure. He likes to use my computer and call me "asshole." Charming.

Los Angeles, CA

This brings us to today! Right now I'm sitting in the Henry Fonda Theater, also known as the Music Box. I feel back to my normal self again, which is awesome because I'm supposed to meet up with my old tour manager, Keith, for a drink tonight, as well as hang out with one of my best Warped Tour friends, Jeneatha! I'm soooo excited!

So this morning, I woke up in a wonderful hotel bed at 9am from a full night's sleep. The hotel is called Town and Country and it's HUGE. I shared a room with Kathryn and it was in this tower and the beds had frilly things over the heads and paintings of ducks. It was a princess room, haha! And when I woke up this morning feeling healthy and energized, I decided to put on some makeup to look as good as I was finally feeling! Yessss!

Later at the venue I snapped a photo of Carl, singer and guitarist in the New Pornographers.

Here is Paul as I often see him... With mandolin in hand.

Blaine was not feeling particularly photogenic during soundcheck today.

So I suppose that is all for now. There may be some nice photos later on from the show if I can get a little coverage for a few minutes during the show. I'm selling for Lavender Diamond tonight, as well. I am the lone merch mama. Fortunately, the bathroom is just steps away (ha ha). Surely, there will be photos from hanging out tonight. I'm so excited! Yay, LA!

Sleepy In Seattle.

2007-09-15T02:58:00.001-04:00

It's just about midnight here in Seattle, WA. The New Pornographers are still on stage, which means that I am still perched behind the merch booth at a venue called the Showbox. It has been a very, very long day...

Since we were in Victoria, BC for yesterday's show, we needed to take the 7am ferry back to Vancouver and then drive down to Seattle. In order to make the ferry and be sure we had a place in line, Alby and I got up at 4:30am to begin our journey. This was after making it back to the hotel around 12:30/1:00am. So I have been zipping around on roughly 3.5 or 4 hours of sleep, plus a couple of winks in the minivan on the ferry. I'm crashing in a big way!

In addition to early-morning border hopping, I was welcomed at the venue by a virtual mountain of new merch. 2 new shirt designs, 3 CDs, vinyl and a poster. I spent the better part of my afternoon and into the evening sorting through all of the new items, taking inventory and organizing like a good little worker bee. Managed to snap a few photos, but they're just of me and my merch mountain. I'll post them later. Feel free to get excited.

Ok. Brain shutting down. It's 12:07 and they started around 11, so i'm hoping it's just about over and I can go sleepies. I was going to visit with some friends from high school that live out here, but I'm thinking that has to wait! I've already promised my time to a lonely pillow and mattress that have been pining away for me all day long. You can't deny a piner, now can you? (Is that even a word? Piner? Sure it is.)

Good night... Very soon.

...and so it begins... or continues?

2007-09-13T11:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom and Dad,

I made it to Vancouver safe and sound and found my hotel with no problems. I even had some nice sushi for dinner. My friend Alby is here with me and you'd really like him. We both love Prince! Yessss!

Anyways, I'm here and I'll call you when I'm in the States again.

I love you!

erin