Camel Ridin' in Richmond

We pulled into Richmond around 6pm and set straight to loading in. We were playing a venue called The Camel, which we highly recommend for cheap beers, good grub and a great atmosphere.


The bartender was playing great tunes on the stereo and chatted us up about all sorts of things, including the Michael Jackson Memorial, which he had watched before coming into work that day. He said he arrived at The Camel with red eyes.

We had all day to get our gear together, as we weren't going on til 9:30. We were supposed to be the third of four bands, but two bands bailed without giving the venue any warning, so we ended up opening the night. Here's what the stage area looked like:


Luckily, some people had filed in by the time we were getting ready to hit the stage, including two of Jennny's cousins, whom she hadn't seen in at least 20 years! It was awkward when they first "reunited," but as the night wore on and the alcohol flowed, it became all in the family.


We played a very solid set and got a lot of compliments, especially from the band who followed us (and closed the night): Yardwork.

After the show, we decided to crash with Jenny's cousin Lauren, who it turns out lives about 25 minutes out of town in an opulently decorated mini-mansion located within a Country Club! Check out her master bathroom (and shy cat):


The drive to her place was completely bizarre, especially since we ran into 30 different streets with the name Muirfield Glen in her development as we tried to GPS our way to her house. There was a Muirfield Glen Place, a Muirfield Glen Road, a Muirfield Glen Street, a Muirfield Glen Terrace, a Muirfield Glen Circle, etc., etc. -- all interconnected in some surreal maze-like configuration that reminded us of The Shining, which we'd just been talking about in the car earlier that day.

Once we unloaded everything, Jenny decided to hit a local bar with her cousins and Lauren's boyfriend. [And now Jenny is writing.] Yeah, we peeled out of the Muirfield Glen Shining-maze around 12:30a, drove fast through some twists and turns and ended up in a cozy neighborhood billiards bar shrouded in smoke, the sweet smell of draft beer and flavored vodka, and the friendly laughter of old friends. My cousins and their entourage could not have been more hospitable--hooking me up with endless refills (I couldn't quite hack the Creamsicle shot, the blueberry vodka, or the Jager bombs, but the cold pints of Sam were a welcome treat after a sweaty show!), cracking me up with stories from our childhood (apparently I was the one who broke the news to my cousins that there is no Tooth Fairy? WTF?), and introducing me to the colorful folks at the pool tables--including a guy with the words "BEEF CAKE" tattooed across his torso. It was quite a time.

After last call, we headed back to Lauren's sweet pad and hung out on the full-room sofa. I think it was about 4am or so before I finally started to crash, but I do remember being introduced to the pet racoons out on the back porch and seeing some of the amazing visual art Lauren has collected over the years. I'm still blown away--despite the fact that it's been this long since we've seen one another, I can still feel some fundamental family connections: the love of art, music, and raucous good times. Thanks again, y'all. Cheers. [Jenny passes the laptop back to SMV]

The next morning, we tried to shower, but surprisingly the mini-mansion seemed to be out of hot water! It was a little rough, but we couldn't really complain after getting to sleep in big, comfy beds in a quiet, giant house the night before.

Then it was time for goodbyes and we were off to Asheville!