Summer Tour- Part 3 (+ band update)

HEY FAITHFUL READER OF THE BLOG.  Just a quick dip into reality and current goings-on before we finally get to part 3 of 4 of this tour blog, that's now old news.

Sorry for the lack of finishing this up.  We had a bit of a rough week on the family home-front that started last Friday with the passing of a family member, and is continuing with the hospitalization and recovery of another brick mower family member.  Things could be a lot worse, but after a hectic week, they're starting to look up, and we're getting our feet back under us. 

This has put a crimp in finishing up this already long-winded blog, and, more importantly, caused us to cancel some shows this past week, which we never take lightly.  We regretfully had to pull out of our show in Fredericksburg, VA this past Thursday with our friends Trust Fall (the 2nd time we've had to cancel playing in VA with them). We will also, unfortunately will not be able to make it down to Blacksburg, VA to play I Got Brains! fest tomorrow through Flannel Gurl Records (today, at this point).     We're very sorry about this, and just wanted to thank Flannel Gurl for asking us to play, Trust Fall, and Janus Chidester for helping us out with other shows. Thanks for the support and kind words we've received from our friends over the past week who've been on the beat.  It's greatly appreciated.  We will hopefully play some VA shows that we can actually make, very soon. 

ANYWAY, let's cheer the hell up, shall we?   A release date will be up for our new LP, My Hateable Face shortly, along with soon-to-be pre-order on Don Giovanni Records. .   We are also planning out a 3 week tour going down to the southeast, cutting through Texas, and up into the mid-west before looping home.  

SO, here's part 3 of the tour blog.  Thanks for hanging with us.  Again, we truly  appreciate the support from everyone!  

Day 14- Oakland, CA-  We finally make it to sunny California.  And sunny it freakin' was.  Humid, sunbaked, hot as a fried egg on fresh blacktop.  That is, until we hit the bay, and the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped about 90 degrees to 20 below zero.  We arrived at Megan and John from Street Eaters apartment, and it felt like a cold spring NJ day outside.  Absolutely loved it, although I wish I didn't leave my sweatshirt next to the front door with the laundry detergent 2 weeks prior.   Played a rad show with said Street Eaters and Schande at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records in Oakland that night.  Had a great time listening to the security guard cracking jokes at The Safeway too after the show. Ya had ta be there.

 Steet Eaters!

Day 15- Pomona, CA-  Drove south back into scorching heat, and breath robbing humidity.  Through the mountains into Los Angeles. The city of angels (and Dodgers).  The smog was breath taking too (and possibly cancerous). And the palm trees were really palming the hell out of the sky that day.  Played at the VLHS thanks to Marty Ploy, the raddest man in the west.  We met the legendary Party Marty in Dayton, OH last April along with the best guys ever from Horror Squad and Dudes Night, some of which were at the show.  Pomona was such a great night all around. One of the best nights on tour.   Also, Tara (J. from Black Wine's fiance) got to fly out to LA due to a super, secret family airline deal and hung out on the west for 2 days.

"Back to Haunt Me" off of the new LP live at V(ince) L(ombardi) H(igh) S(chool) in Pamona, CA

Cash Crop

Miranda, Kristin, and Tara.  A marvelous trio. 

Day 16- San Diego, CA-  Got up, got some snacks at Whole Foods where we saw Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Jurassic Park), buying groceries.  Huh?  That was cool. Almost missed this show because we took an ill advised detour to Huntington Beach to see the Pacific ocean and see J.'s boyhood home.  Steve went swimming.  Kristin sat in the car. I sat in Black Wine's van with my beach towel talking to Jeff about how I hate the beach and how we're gonna miss the show, and I ended up never swimming the whole tour.  Well, we made it to the show!  Played with Cash Crop (who we also played with in Pomona). They are amazing, and Charlie from Cash Crop is one of the greatest guys we've met doing brick mower.   He first booked us in Allston, MA back in 2010 at his house, now we're playing with him in San Diego? Shit.

LA

Let's be specific. That's the Pacific. 

Black Wine!

* BEST SIDE NOTE of tour:  My great friend, Eric Gieg (band mate of one of my older bands, Atlas at Least, and engineer for such brick mower recordings as the Floors EP, Box Turtle 7'', and the 3 Song Tape we sold on tour),   rode his bike over the course of 100 days from Sayreville, NJ down to San Diego, CA.  A few days prior to us, he arrived in San Diego and we got to reunite on the west coast, 6 minutes before we played out set.  It was a bizarre, and wonderful time.

 Charlie from Cash Crop and Eric Gieg, from NJ!

Gettin' sappy. Steve was driving home drunk people in another car at this time.  Sorry Steve. 

Day 17- Tucson, AZ-  Doin' some desert living.  First time driving through the Tatooine terrain.  Saw some cacti. Saw some dead armadillos on the shoulder of the highway. Not happy about that last one.   First time at the Border Patrol stops.  It was riveting, I guess..   Had a great time at The Pound in Tucson thanks to our new pal Logan Greene, who played some amazingly, well-written, jarring pop songs (that's no dis, ya imbecile kids) during his set with Logan Greene Electric.  He's a hell of a songwriter. Look out Marshall Crenshsaw.  Your days are numbered.

 Tucson (outside The Pound)

Black Wine again! 

Day 18- Las Cruces, NM- Played at The TrainYard in Las Cruces thanks to Andy Moore and his rad band Pregnant Again.  Las Curces is one of my favorite spots we've stopped at. Thanks to Andy, I got to run the door at our own show after he handed me door cash and said "I don't know. Run the show." It was cool. I got to ask people for money to pay us to drive around some more, including Chris Mason's wife, Lizzy who gave me shit, paid anyway, and hung out the rest of the night shootin' the shit. It was awesome!  Lots of bugs in New Mexico. Giant ones.  J. and Steve climbed on a roof somewhere at some point.  I went to bed.  It was hotttttt.

Outside the laundromat in Tucson. 

 We all paid a dollar each to see The Thing? Black Wine drove past it. DO NOT TELL THEM WHAT THE THING? IS!!!, please. 

Las Cruces  picture taken dangerously.  Johnny Dangerously. 

Day 19- Austin, TX-  We drove a long, long, long, long, long, long time through west Texas.  Saw the fabled 80 MPH signs, that NJ does not offer, yet everyone seems to drive it anyway.  Played at The Red 7 in Austin that night.  J., Kristin, and I ate Indian Food from a food truck 2 hours before playing.  Think I drank half a beer and played 2 songs before I felt like throwing up.  Sweated like a polio victim spread out on an equatorial beach, but we made it through.  No pain, no gain.  No wait.  No pain, no paneer or papadam.

The only thing to do off I-10 in West Texas.  How many great bands have stopped at Jack's in Fort Stockton, TX on tour? I'd say every one of them. 

Day 20- Denton, TX-  Denton was a rad as hell place.  It was in Denton we met up with our best band buds The Young Leaves, who were on tour from Massachusetts.  If you haven't heard the Young Leaves, do so now.  They're amazing, and are the best dudes.  Thanks to Avery for setting us up with the FIRST punk show at Andy's Bar, a great place that very much looked liked they never had a punk show there before, but nonetheless showed us a great time.  The Young Leaves rule.

 The Young Leaves in Denton!

The Young Leaves on a park Bench in Denton (w/ Bovio).  They payed 75 cents to hear these filthy jokes from the guy on the right.  One out of the 3 were mildly clever, and I will continue to tell it to people other than my mother.

To be continued.....  (this will finish soon, I swear...)

-Eric