New Cumberland: End of the line ... or not

We had a very long slog to New Cumberland: 7 solid hours. It was the longest trip of the entire tour, and maybe somehow fitting, seeing as how it was the last that would end with us playing a show.

Lisa hadn't been feeling well since the day before, so it was up to Jenny & I to handle the whole drive. Luckily for me, Jenny likes to be behind the wheel and seemed up to the task: she put in close to 5 of the 7 hours.

We had to go to extreme measures to stay awake, though: unlike other drives, the conversation for this one mostly revolved around "lighter" topics, such as cable TV stars we'd like to bed, etc.

Somehow we made it through to PA and finally to New Cumberland. NC is a tiny little town with four bars and only a couple of regular live music spots. The venue we were playing, The Local Beat, is a welcome addition to the landscape: it's an alt coffeeshop/bistro, a gallery space, a performance space, and something of a community gathering space. We learned after the show that a group of people had traveled 45 minutes by car to come out and see us. It seems in small-town America, it's not uncommon for people to go out of their way for the arts without even thinking about it. Quite different from the big city, where people often can't be bothered to leave their apartments.

The venue had kindly printed up flyers for the show, and posted them in every window:


The crew who run The Local Beat were incredibly gracious, and even treated us to a scrumptious free dinner, including a shrimp bisque for me (yes, shrimp bisque!).

I must admit I had reservations about playing at our usual ear-splitting volume, as a few folks seemed to be on hand just to grab a quiet meal and enjoy the solo acoustic guy who went on first. Plus, the space is just kind of nice, at least compared to what we're used to: it's a new spot, well-decorated, with crafts and artwork available for sale and, for god sakes, shrimp bisque!

I think I may have even gone so far as to say, "This is gonna be a disaster," to the rest of the band shortly before we took the stage -- which, by the way, looked like this (notice the flowers on the tables):


I actually went around the room prior to our set to give out earplugs, but to my surprise was turned down by almost everyone, including one-half of the well-dressed couple still eating dinner as we were about to start.

For all my fears, our performance turned out to be a strong one and the crowd very responsive. The sound was good and we all played quite well.

That said, Jenny & I agreed afterward that the set was oddly non-emotional -- cerebral, in fact. Being it was not only the final show of tour, but also the final show we'd be playing with Jenny for the foreseeable future, we were all a bit astonished by our own stoicism.

Jenny later commented that perhaps it was a sign that this wasn't the end of the line, that we'd be working together again in the future.

I don't tend to get caught up in thinking about the future too much, but I'd like to believe Jenny's explanation for why the set affected (or, rather, did not affect) us in the way it did was spot on.

In the meantime, here's to much success for all of us in the next phase of our artistic careers, whatever they look like.
**

As an aside to J&L, here are some things I won't forget:

Sharthouse
Footsie's
Somebody ...
Arlette
Shiets/Copp/Pickle/Fangboner
Dukes
Are you close?
Is this Waffle House?
What about the ...
Buffalo Face
Bye now!
Bad

Toledo Pride?

We hit a lot of traffic getting out of Chicago. 5 hours later, we finally pulled into Toledo. We saw a sign hanging on an overpass as we entered the city that said Toledo Pride, which seemed fortuitous. You see, we were all really excited about the prospects of this show because it was taking place at OutSKIRTS, the local gay bar in town, and we were ready to get some love from our community.

When we first arrived at the club, it all looked promising. The club had a bar and tables, and a mid-size dance floor. Blank CDs were hung all over the walls, creating a cool shiny effect, and Tori, the bartender, was really sweet. There was also a huge outdoor patio. We did notice that the first band had already set up their gear. They decided to play in a corner of the club that is boxed off with railings, probably where the go-go dancers do their thing on a bumpin' nite. We didn't think anything of it at first, and we went to grab some more 5 dollar footlongs for dinner.


When we came back to get ready for the show, we met the first band, Cheap Celebutantes. They were very nice and explained that they tried setting up and playing in different spots around the club, but decided that playing in the go-go pit was best because they could play to the audience sitting at the bar and in the tables section.

Before their set, a few dudes drinking at the bar were complaining to the bouncer about having to pay the $3 cover charge. The bouncer explained that there were bands playing tonite, and hence the cover. One of the drunk dudes was getting sore about it and said the music hadn't started while they were there. The bouncer tried to aplogize, but the drunk guy cut him off, saying, "Thanks for nothing." Perhaps that was foreshadowing.

Cheap Celebutantes soon got going, and we realized they were a cover band. They opened with Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone." The only reason I know that song is because I had to play it for a benefit concert.


Anyhow, they played a solid hour of cover songs, and then we were up to bat. I asked if we could play out on the open floor, but the mic lines couldn't stretch the distance, so we had to play in the go-go pit. I kind of had a weird feeling since I don't like playing in caged-off areas, but there was nothing I could do about it. I also was a little wary because I noticed that there were only 2 outlets, and everything was being powered by them (lights, mixer, PA).

We got started with our set. After our first song, a few people said, "Rock on, play them drums!"

Shortly after, however, most of the people moved outside to the patio. We played the best we could, but during the set, my fear about the shortage of power outlets came true. My guitar amp was not getting enough steady power and my volume was cutting in and out. It's hard to focus and give 100% when one is having technical difficulties, but I trudged on through it as best as possible.

While we were playing, I heard a lady yell out, "Everyone is outside!" By the end of our set, we were playing to the bartender and a couple of courteous people.

After the show, someone slinked behind the mixer and turned on the stereo with hip-hop, and the bartender yelled out, "Turn that shit up!" SMV, J and I felt a bit confused as to what had happened. I felt abandoned by the audience. It hurt even more because it was from our own community, and we all had such high hopes for the show. But then SMV made a keen observation: most of the people in the club just wanted to drink and have a good time, and they all probably listen to mainstream music. They are not interested in a band doing edgy, noisy, envelope-pushing art rock. This theory came true when, moments later, a group of ten people started line dancing to a hip-hop song. I really felt like a fish out of water at that point.

I wasn't feeling too hot, so we opted to stay in a hotel that night. SMV and Jenny dropped me off so I could settle in, then they went back out, hunting for beer. Nothing was open, so they decided to go back to outSKIRTS. Tori was still hooking them up with free drinks, and then they played pool. Right before 2am, Tori gave Jenny one last Bud and said, "You better drink all that right now." Jenny was a bit confused by what she said, but moments later, rent-a-cops barged in and literally started taking drinks out of people's hands. Wow.

Finally, SMV and Jenny headed back to the hotel, but ended up continuing the party in the Prius in the hotel parking lot. Eventually, they got busted by more rent-a-cops when Jenny cranked the stereo on a Tracy Chapman song!!! Ah, the many ironies.

Interesting times in Toledo, no doubt.

Last show of tour, New Cumberland, PA, next.

Trippin' in Chicago

Our 6-hour ride from Ames to Chicago was one of our longer stretches of the tour. Turned out I did most of the driving because SMV and Jenny didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before. I really wanted to get to Chicago as fast as we could because I wanted to see our good friend Mark:


SMV and Jenny were getting really hungry for lunch so we stopped at a Subway in Illinois. SMV asked for the 5 dollar footlong, and the Subway lady said they didn't participate in the program. It was funny to watch this exchange. SMV was really confused and was saying emphatically that she still wanted her sandwich! Turns out, instead of being 5 dollars, her footlong was 6 bucks.

SMV and Jenny ate their subs in the car while I powered us through to Chicago. We finally made it and Mark met us on the street. M and J go way back, but hadn't really talked in a long time. Mark apparently had no idea that Jenny was touring with us, and was shocked to see her. His mouth fell to the floor.

We finally made it up to the apartment and it was nice to have a few hours to chill before the show.

We then dropped off our gear at The Darkroom and we all grabbed dinner at a local pub in the next hood, Wicker Park. I called up my friend Joe to join us and it was great to see him:


Joe played bass in my first band (Danger, Giant Ranger!). It felt really good catching up with him. Really glad to hear that he's still playing, and is doing a bunch of reunion shows with his old hardcore band, Supertouch.

We went back to The Darkroom to get ready for our set. It was a very cool club (seats with red vinyl) and the stage and soundsystem were top-notch. We were the last band to play for the night at midnight, and we still had a good crowd watching us. As a band, we played a really solid set. As a personal experience, the Chicago set was really magical for me. It felt like I was floating away -- I knew I was playing but it felt so effortless, I could see myself outside of myself. I wasn't concerned if I was rocking or not, I just knew that I was. My self-awareness was at its peak, and I had no fear, no desires, I was just existing. It was a religious experience for me; after the set I felt so cleansed, like I had just fasted or come out of a deep, long meditation. I felt at peace.

The audience loved our set. A lot of people came up to us after the show and thanked us for playing. That was really amazing: even on a random Wed night at midnight, there was so much love for us. Some guy offered to comp dinner for us if we came to his restaurant the next night. Wow. Meanwhile, Arunas, who booked the show for us, was such a sweetheart and invited us back to play whenever we return. Yeah! RENMINBI has big Chicago love!

But really, Chicago has always had a special place in my heart, since it was where I was born.

After the set, we went back to Mark's apartment and he told us to park in the lot behind the building. I was pretty tired from the day of driving and playing, so I hit the sack shortly after we got back. SMV and Jenny kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning since our next day was a day off.

SMV went to the bathroom around 8am the next morning, and I couldn't fall back asleep. I decided to get dressed and get something to eat. Since Mark doesn't keep any food in the house, I had to venture out. As I was walking down the stairs, I noticed that our car was missing. I frantically ran back up to the apartment and asked Jenny if she moved the car, and she of course said no. Our car had been towed during the night! I told Mark about the news, and he was furious about it because our parking space had been approved by the landlord. We were all pretty pissed about it -- to bail our car out would be $170! The landlord talked the private towing company down so we only had to be pay $85 in the end, but it was still a stressful situation involving heated negotiation. Mark illustrates our feelings here:

We finally made our way over to the tow lot, payed the $ and left. Crisis averted, I guess -- it could have been a lot worse. It it had to happen, thank god it happened on our day off.

We were all really exhausted by the situation, and slept most of the day away. By night, we decided to eat locally in the hood at a Mexican restaurant. SMV and Jenny ventured out to a bar afterward, but I was pretty tired and decided to kick it in the apartment. I watched one of Mark's DVDs, a French movie called "Grand Ecole." It was a classic French movie where there are mind games galore, and everyone is competing to sleep with each other. Not so far from real life.

SMV and Jenny came back shortly after, and we all crashed out since we were all exhausted from the drama of the car towing.

Toledo next!

Amped up in Ames

The drive from KC to Ames was another stunner, skies big enough to swallow you whole:


We ultimately pulled into Ames a few hours before load in, so we tried looking around for a place to eat. We had our eye fixed on an Indian restaurant, but we had an hour to kill before that opened, so we decided to kick it in a coffeeshop so SMV could get her WiFi fix. Finally the Indian restaurant opened and we were really excited to have a change of pace; as much as we appreciate Subway's 5 dollar footlong, we needed a break! There are only so many "veggie delights on honey oat" I can take.

It was time to load in, and we met the first band (Datagun) in the parking lot. One of the band members looked really familiar to me, and it turned out to be Andre! Andre booked a show for us last year in Iowa City, and I had no idea he was playing on the bill with us. It was a pleasant surprise. Nate, who booked the show, finally rolled up to open AP:


Nate's a really cool, chill guy. Apparently hula-hooping is all the rage in Ames right now, so while we were setting up he would chat to us while practicing his moves on the hoop. The Ames Progressive space was awesome -- it felt like a living room-cum-recording studio: couches everywhere and an upright piano!! It had a really warm vibe to it.


Datagun went on first, and they were a great opener. They are 2 keyboardists and 1 guitar, no drums. They played a compelling set -- kind of reminded me of Joy Division and Interpol.

We went on second, and we played one of the best sets ever on tour. I felt we were really locked in musically, and there was a lightning, magnetic energy in the air. It was another transcendental set, akin to Nashville.


The room was filled to the brim with people -- a lot of them were sitting on the floor, gaze fixed upon us, and I could feel they were so focused on what we were doing and tuned in. There was one tall guy who was dancing right next to me during the whole set and getting really into it. That was awesome! I could definitely use more noise dancers!

After we played, one girl came up to me and said that we were the first all-female noise band to play in Ames, and she really appreciated us being there. At first I was kind of shocked to hear that; living in NYC there are so many female musicians that I sometimes take that for granted. But her comment made me realize just how few women musicians there are when you get outside the major metro areas. Hearing that made me feel really good about my work. After all these years, there are still so many more walls to break down for women.

Between sets I ran out to the bodega to get some water. Lo and behold the waiter from the Indian restaurant was working the counter, and gave me a huge jug of water for $1.50. Score!

The last band was Porno Galatica and they were two dudes: 1 on a laptop and the other on a Microkorg. They played instrumental dance music, and they got everyone in the room dancing and pumped up. The lights were turned off, and it reminded me of the secret all-night dance parties I used to go to when I was living back in L.A. It was really awesome to see all the people grooving -- it felt really pure, no posing -- they were just getting down to the music.

After the show, Nate said we could stay and crash at the space. We were super stoked about that. Before we settled in for the night though, Jenny was still really hungry and we got some tacos down the street.

When we got back to the space, however, the place smelled like a lot of sweaty bodies. We didn't notice it before, but for some reason it was really rank when we got back. I found a couch where it didn't smell so bad and passed out. But SMV and Jenny had a real hard time falling asleep. Jenny made the mistake of looking in the fridge and got freaked out by the food that had turned into science projects, and SMV was having a hard time with the smell. When I woke up the next morning, I found my jug of water filled will soap next to the fan. Apparently SMV soaked paper towels in the soapy jug and hung them on the fan as a form of ghetto air freshener.

Somehow we survived. Nate came promptly at 8:45a the next morning to pick up his keys. Then we were off to Chicago!

Kansas City here I come

Gotta find a friendly city
And that's the reason why,
I'm going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.
-Wilbert Harrison

Before we left St. Louis, Matt cooked us an amazing breakfast of eggs and toast. We then said goodbye to him and his hyper dog Roscoe and got on our way to Kansas City, MO. SMV drove most of the way there. As ever, the drive was filled with many stretches of gorgeous scenery.


We got into town plenty early, so we went straight over to Tara's white-picket-fenced house:


Tara lives right on the border of Kansas and Missouri on a street called State Line Road. (Right on!) The house is really beautiful -- it's an old house with a lot of character that creaks whenever you walk around. We met her lovely 2-year-old daughter Lydia, who is a sponge for knowledge, and her awesome dog Ninners and cat WC (World's Coolest -- yeah!).


Tara's band Ste. Simone was originally supposed to play on the bill with us that night, but their guitarist quit the band only a couple weeks earlier. We were super bummed that they weren't playing with us, and it was clear that the wounds of the band breaking up were still fresh. Nevertheless, Tara was a gracious host and cooked us an amazing dinner of tofu and vegetables.

It was time to leave for the show, and we pulled up to The Emerald in the "West Bottoms" district of KC. West Bottoms has a very industrial feel to it that actually reminded me of home: the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. A little desolate with a lot of abandoned buildings and tons of railroad tracks criss-crossing the area. It felt very peaceful there -- a lot of open space to breathe and think. Recently a lot of art/DIY spaces have opened up in West Bottoms, which also highlighted the Williamsburg connection.


KC band Mr. History set up the show for us and they were there to greet us with open arms. Matt and Patrick are awesome!

SMV was pretty exhausted, so she chilled in the car before the show. Meanwhile, J and I hung out on the street kickin' it with the local folks. It seemed like a lot of people were on some powerful intoxicants that nite, lending to some very interesting conversation.

Restless Breed, a trio of guitar/keys, keys, and drums, took the stage first.


They played a strong set of experimental/ambient music. However, their down-tempo tunes felt more suited to an after-party: even though it was totally solid, we were a little sleepy by the time we had to go on.

We roused ourselves and took the stage. It was another really solid set of the tour for us. We felt a connection with the audience, who were really diggin' us. It felt raw and raucous.

After the show, Joe (who runs a DIY space called The Pistol down the street) came up to us and said, "That was some of the best feedback I heard in awhile." I felt honored. The soundguy also came up to us after and said that he saw Thurston Moore play the week before, and our set was better! Woah! That went straight to the heart. Better than Thurston?!?!?! Wow. I was floored by the compliments.

Jenny, meanwhile, attracted an entourage of gay guys who were really diggin' us, too. One said the music made him feel like he should just lay down and die.... KC has definitely got some interesting folks!

Mr. History were up to bat last. When we saw them last summer, they had around 7 members in the band. Now, they were stripped down to a trio. I actually prefer them as a 3 piece -- I felt their music was more raw and pure. They played an honest, touching set. Matt is a really great guitar player -- he was throwing in some jazz voicings/chords that I was really getting into.

After Mr. History's set, there was some more hanging out outside the venue. We met Nate, who was one of the founders of The Emerald. I felt a real connection with him. He said he was inspired by the scene in NYC, and he actually tried to start a similar DIY space on the Lower East Side of NYC, but couldn't afford it, so he came back to KC to do it instead. I felt really at home at The Emerald, and it's clear why!

Joe (from The Pistol) was awesome to hang out with, too. I have a lot of respect for these folks who run DIY spaces. They're trying to put on a pure musical experience for everyone, where money isn't the bottom line. It's just about art and the connection with people. Right on!

After the show, we headed back to Tara's place to crash for the night. Her bathroom was upstairs and we had a hard time navigating her baby-gates. I felt so bad because our fumbling about eventually woke Tara up, and she had to give us a tutorial on how to open the baby-gate!

The next morning, Tara recommended we have breakfast at one of the classic diners in KC, Mama's. It was right next door to a gay bar, my kind of diner!!! We treated Tara to the breakfast because it was her birthday. We had a sweet transvestite serving us, and the place even made Mickey Mouse pancakes for Lydia. So sweet.

After breakfast we went back to Tara's and she talked more about being a Doula (someone who helps coach a mother through the birthing process) and the important and awesome work she does for pregnant mothers. I really don't know anything about childbirth, but somehow Tara was able to explain the magical, transforming experience of it in a way that made it seem more tangible to me. Childbirth is so clinical in mainstream culture, and Tara broke it down to a personal level where I could actually connect and relate to it, even though I have never experienced it. She also had a sticker on her car that said "Rock 'n' Roll Doula." Rock on!!!!!

After breakfast, we came back to the house and had some more intense and meaningful conversation. I felt that I was really getting a sense of who Tara is, and just how deep, edgy, and amazing she is.

Sadly, it wasn't long before we had to pack up and hit the road.

Ames, Iowa next!

St. Louis Blues

On the way to St. Louis we had an experience similar to the one we had last year while driving from KC to Omaha: we got caught in a massive downpour and had to pull off the road for a while to sit the worst of it out. Luckily, it finally started to abate and we were able to continue merrily on our way.

Our show in St. Louis last summer was a bit weird, but this one was unspeakably so. Somehow we ended up on a bill with two very offensive, testosterone-bleeding bands. One featured a twisted and creepy lead singer whose lyrics were frighteningly violent and misogynistic. The other was ostensibly a "joke" band, but that didn't make their use of a blow-up doll for part of their show any less reprehensible.

We were appalled to share the stage with bands who devalue, objectify and -- worst of all -- seem to promote aggression toward women, but on the other hand we knew it made our set all the more important. All we could do was let loose on stage and hope to open a few minds. The crowd actually seemed quite taken with our performance, and we received many compliments following -- including quite a few from members of the two aforementioned bands. Of course, one guy made it a point to say he was "really surprised" by how good we were, seeming to imply he didn't expect to be impressed by an all-girl trio (although, to be fair, maybe he was just surprised to be impressed by an experimental indie rock group from Brooklyn -- who knows?).

Obviously it was hard not to have extremely mixed feelings about the entire evening and the response we got -- but it did feel necessary on some level to be there and to do what we always come to do: blow people away.

We also bonded with the one band on the bill that was made up of a bunch of very decent guys making very solid music: My New Knife.

Guitarist Matt actually put us up at his place that night, and drummer Phil took some fantastic photos of us during our set.

Matt's place was about 25 minutes out of the city, but was worth the drive. He's in a quiet neighborhood and has a great shower! The only complication was his sweet but overly rambunctious dog, Roscoe. Only a year old, Roscoe has way too much energy and not enough training. He was bouncing off the walls all evening and made it difficult to relax.

Still, it was great to hang with Matt and his girl Ani, who is a musician in her own right and also an active participant in the underground noise rock and experimental scene in St. Louis. We were glad to find out there IS such a scene in STL, and hope next time to be playing on a much better bill with a much better crowd!

Next up: Kansas City!

Nashville Skyline

We got into Nashville a little early, but were able to load right into the large, multi-roomed DIY space we were playing that night, Little Hamilton. There was a zine lending library/store in the front area of the space, and Jenny picked up a great little zine called "The Yeast of Your Worries: A Yeast Infection Survival Handbook." It has great girlie pictures throughout.

Two little boys were riding their skateboards in and out of each room as we started to stash away the gear in a corner of the performance area. Jenny decided not to set up her kit until it was closer to showtime in case the boys got "curious."

We asked Ryan, who helps run Little Hamilton, for some recommendations for food and we jetted off to a funky cafe near Vanderbilt University called Cafe Coco. The place has a great alt vibe and lightning-fast WiFi, which allowed us to catch up on the blog and other things. Plus, the food was tasty. We had the "hippy dippy" hummus bagels and spent about two hours hanging out.

Believe it or not, from there it was onto a shabby Mexican place called La Hacienda for dinner. Yes, it was only two hours after lunch, but we knew we had a long night ahead of us (four bands) and likely would not get another chance to chow.

La Hacienda was awesome -- kind of grubby, but in a good way -- and we thoroughly enjoyed the basic, authentic fare.

Returning to the venue, we met up with Jenny's old college friend Laura, who had just arrived from the airport via cab. Laura lives in California but had been in NYC for a retreat and decided to "stop by" Nashville for a couple of nights on her way back to L.A.

The first band, Looks Like A Snake, started around 10. The band consists of three brothers (Caleb, Luke and Samuel) and their good friend Patrick. We knew Caleb from his days in Poet Named Revolver, a band we had played with years ago and whose music we hold dear to our hearts. (Look them up and download what you can!)

Not surprisingly, Caleb's new band was top-notch. Samuel sings and plays guitar and he projects a compelling Tom Waits meets Dylan vibe while the rest of the band tears it up with their outlaw country meets shambling rock.


Next up was a young band by the name of Gnarwhal. They played an ass-kicking brand of alt-thrash that had the crowd headbanging and moshing all the way through.

We followed and played a set none of us will ever forget. It's hard to put your finger on all the elements that must combine to create just the right mix of energy, emotion and precision needed to catapult a show from good to transcendent, but those elements came together in Nashville on this night. We played our hearts out, working up an industrial-sized sweat the industrial-sized fan just couldn't combat. The audience was with us from start to finish, and we felt the momentum of that feedback loop lifting us all and propelling us forward. We kept the set fast and furious so there would be no opportunity for the energy to sag. It didn't, and by the end we'd acheived that rare experience of ecstatic peace brought on when music reaches down from above and moves through a room full of people. Rad.


An excellent '60s garage rock-styled band closed out the show with a solid set of tunes that put a nice cap on the evening. The only thing the guys need to change is their name, Natural Child -- seems a bit too quaint for their Stonesy stomp.

After the show we dropped Laura and Jenny off at a hotel in downtown. They were planning to spend the next day -- our first free day of the tour -- together, catching up and reminiscing about old times. Lisa and I were staying with Caleb, Luke and Patrick, who rent a great little house (with great art on the walls -- see below) that's a short ride outside the city center (Samuel lives nearby and dropped in and out over the next 24 hours).


The next day was all about country music, rockabilly, juke joints, homemade ice cream, the Cumberland River and a little more WiFi.


We had a great time ambling around Music City and learning more about its rich history. Some highlights included a tour of RCA's "Studio B" (a recording studio on Music Row where Elvis recorded more than half of his catalog), a Williams Family (as in Hank, Hank Jr. and Hank III) exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame, and learning that Nashville has more than 700 churches -- the highest per-capita density in America. Hello, Jesus!

Next up: St. Louis.