we are excited to play with one of our favorite bands next week..
PETER BJORN AND JOHN!!

at The House oF Blues Weds Nov 18th with El Perro Del Mar

and in Los Angeles at NOKIA Theater Saturday Nov 18th!!!

see you there....

This is pretty cool
http://hypem.com/popular/lastweek/1/

The drive from Las Cruces to El Paso TX was the shortest of the trip.  We rolled into the sprawling Texas town with ample sunshine and drove straight to the venue.  Once we started to get our bearings on the city we concluded close to an hour long search for a hotel with a pool, after some swimming, minor auto repair, in room rehearsal and naps we headed over to a Barbecue across the street form the venue for dinner with Writer.  This A framed joint had giant picnic tables and benches, complete with with a wooden rustic feel amid neon beers signs and basketball on a myriad of television screens.  Andy and I found vegetarian fare, while the rest of the crew indulged in some real Texas BBQ.  After dinner we pushed along to Zeppelins, which was just across the street.  By the early evening people were starting to come out of the wood work wearing ridiculous green beaded shamrock necklaces emblazoned with bud light logos and the like, and skimpy kelly green dresses that get wore once a year.  El Paso  clearly very excited to embrace it's Irish heritage on St. Patrick's day, or perhaps is was just a good reason to party.  The venue was a good size place, two stories, tonight the upstairs room would be hosting live hip hop, featuring Yak Balls from NY.  Tonight we played ahead of Writer, our first set without our beloved dragon,  this was also first night we ever played with Kyle live on lead vocals singing about being the devil, was was a hoot!  During Writer's set our dragon appeared on stage, Brooke made a dash for the stage and snatched it back.  The night ended with no sign of the Anns, however a fight did breakout in front of the club, we were not involved and I not sure how or why it went down.  Tonight ended pretty mundane, no after party, much to Kyle and Andrew's chagrin, back to the hotel for some sleep.  The next morning we hit the IHOP for some grub.  Andrew ordered some funky chicken that was not happenin', while we discussed our plans for Austin and ironed out some kinks we were encountering from the previous gigs, we got a late start for the mammoth all day drive ahead of us, we departed El Paso after 1pm this would get us into Austin close to midnight, straight to the beds...             

We tried to get on the road at noon, but Tucson decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day early and threw a parade which block the street we were parked both directions.  We were going to be running late again, sorry Writer.  While waiting for the parade to end we hang out on the sidewalk went we met an old cotton headed, pot belly, blue blocker wearing dude told us that Kyle went both ways and Andrew dug dudes, tripper!  Next we rolled up to a janky ass gas station with red ants and 50's style orange tractor that Brooke jumped up on for a bit, we fueled up and were ready to roll when, (to protect his identity we will call him) Mr. Meth, comes strolling up to us he scabs and tattoos on his face. He was carrying what appeared to be a box of trash and asked us for some change, we had none, turns out the box was full of cold beer which he offer to the boys, Tim whipped out his camera to film this character at which point Mr.Meth's switch was flipped spazzing out a bit saying, "None of that shit!" and he split.  Rode on to New Mexico only stopping for a quick bite at Sonic, arriving late again, at the Atomic Cantina..  The Bill was Writer, Lights On, and Oh No Not Stereo.  Sunday night produced a light crowd, dark rock & roll den, red lights a solid collection of beers.  We played second again due to our tardiness, it was a rocky set, we were at about 75% at best, however strong finish as usual led by Mike Kamoo, closing with Fields.  Spent the night at the Imperial Motel, bed bugs?  Holes burned through sheets, stale cigarettes, busted down old joint, we rested our heads for a full night of shut eye.  The next morning we scored a meal at a old diner called Hurricanes, wolfed down some eggs and orange juice, made a quick pit stop to a thrift shop a couple of doors down, the find of the day goes to Andrew's Sugar Daddy swim trucks, which I suspect with be yanked off him as quickly as he pulls them up.  Las Cruces was a sleep South Western town, we when to straight to the venue, El Patio to survey the scene, the part of town we were playing looked like Old Town in San Diego.  Large stage and western art on the walls.  Tim asked the locals about were we could get a bite for dinner, one old guy said, " I bet these boys want to go to Applebee's"  Not what we had in mind.  El Patio, where do a begin 2:34 am, Great sets from Writer and Lights On. The short version, Treason!  The Red Coats attack America in New Mexico!  Light ons plans revenge.  This British kid from the Seattle based band The Raggedy Anns raped a flag pole pulling down the flag and left it laying on the ground, outrageous.  Once the bar closed we piled into Christan's truck which now had one working headlight and drove down to the Comfort Inn a mile down the dusty roads of Las Cruces for a night of cooking up plans for masturbation retribution, Mr.X's(he shall remain un-named) journey to the restroom and imaginary dance party.  Once back at the hotel Christan relayed the flagpole incident to the band for those of us that did not witness the Anns frontman shimmy up the pole pulling old glory down and and tossing it on the ground.  Christan did not want to jeopardize the tour by throwing down with the skinny blonde lad that had just sung a song about Obama 30 minutes prior and end up in some jail cell, so we put our heads together for the good of the country with an alternative plan to make things right.  Our chances to see the Anns would the very next night, St. Patrick's at Zeppelin's in El Paso Texas.  After some deep thought and a couple of cervazas we stumbled on a stroke of genius, just before the Anns set the boys in the band would visit the men's room with a pint glass and take turns extracting the best of their protein and give it a quick toss into the face of our new favorite singer.  That night we all crashed out in the wee hours.  The next moring, Brooke recounted the craziest story from the middle of the night she awoke to find Mr. X atempting to locate the toilet, failing miserably, as he was peeing on Christan's chest.  As Mr.X finished up Brooke ask him what he was doing,  he mudder something about going to a dance party, while making two or three attempts to climb into bed with Christan where he had just urinated, fortunately Christan had not woken up.  The next morning Christan was pissed.  He took the first shower.                               

Next stop checking in to the historic Hotel Congress a few blocks down from the Red Room.  This amazing piece of old Tucson was build in 1919.  In 1934 John Dillinger and his gang was staying at the Congress attempting to lay low when a fire broke out in the basement which worked it's way up to the third floor forcing their evacuation which ultimately led to their capture.  The hotel is also allegedly haunted.  Hanging out in our room with the door swung wide our war wounded Eddie glowed on  a top the oak stained bureau in the corner of the room, a couple of passerby's could not resist  Eddie's glow and dropped in, to say hello, turns out that this was Dan, the booking agent for the hotel's music venue and a friend of his.  I was stoked to learn that Dan worked for the hotel and began to pick his brain about the haunting, he had some firsthand experiences from unusual  temperature drops in hotel rooms to hearing childrens' laughter at odd hours when no kids were staying at the the inn that night.  After a putting down a couple of Red Stripes Dan offered to drive us to an after party that was take place at an old hot sauce factory.  Some of the band stayed behind for rest and the rest of us piled into Dan's Volvo station wagon, were Andrew fell in love amongst the smell of gas fumes, stale capachino and latin spices.  The sauce factory was a dance party "alamo style" as Tim likes to put it.  The boys from Writer were already there soaking in the Arizona moonlight and everything in the fridge.  The best photo from the tour was taken here, it features Writer's Andy with his new found love the Virgin Mary getting acquainted.  The dusty  dance floor was jumping the DJ bumped some goofy electro disco funk.  Andrew toured the chairs and bathroom of this hot sauce hot spot and recomends them, look for him in the background in photos from this affair.  Back at the hotel with some new friends we learn of one Tim's many talents in the early morn' he moonlights as a counselor to lost souls.  Blast the hangers on, I'll give $5.00!  Goodnight.  The following morning led to Bloody Marys from the Bloody Mary buffet, Kyle's looked like a garden.  Eight hours to the next gig really need to hit the road....        

Meanwhile Kyle, Andrew and I  walked a  block down to a gas station for snacks and drinks, when a circa 83 beat up Gray Cutlass flying through the fueling station scrapes by Kyle coming a mere 6 inches from becoming the tours next victim.  The driver does not appear see nor care Kyle was right there, Wow!  Our trusty roadie/match maker is awe struck and ready for a red bull.  At the counter Andrew shared a story about the dangers of putting icy drops meant for your breath into your eyes, it does not cool them down...
With the Yukon down plan B is under way renting a van quick and hitting the road.  Tim hit the phone lines he call every rental company in town, all sold out, spring break in San Diego, Plan C had Christan coming to the rescue, who had planned to caravan with us out to Austin and score a gig or two along the way, he had offered to haul our gear with his truck and I would drive my Dodge Caliber.  We high tailed it to Tucson jamming to the Kinks, we were supposed to play to play first, but we rolled into town at 10:30pm, Writer was already there and ready to play, they played a killer set filmed by Daggart.  The Red Room was a bar/diner with great beers and handful of eager to rock revelers.  When it was time to play, I noticed we were missing our Dragon aka Eddie aka Puff, he had been left in the car, so Andrew quickly sprinted out to grabbing him and get started.  Eddie was perched in all his glowing glory on the Red Room piano, and we launched into our first set feeling good and sounding right, blasting through Fever Caress Eddie decided to fly off the piano and came crashing down loosing a wing in the process, he's so rock n roll, seeing this Andrew slashed open his fingers on his axe as a blood offering.  We were just getting started....        

Saturday March 14th 2009 day one of the Texas Death March, lead by orange cones, smoking dragons and sun burnt bloody rock n rollers.  The morning sun cooked down as we embarked on our first stop of the tour, Uhaul El Cajon.  The first casualty came early, it was the all important tour vehicle, Tim's new jet black GMC Yukon.  We spent a good 20 minutes surveying the right 5 by 8 trailer, it needed to by weather proof, had good tires and most importantly some bad ass Uhaul art on the side, like a fighter jet, or a shark...we had a drag of a time finding a decent trailer that suited our needs, and once we did the damn thing did not have working  blinker lights.  About that time the Yukon shit the bed, either by the Uhaul guys monkeying with the fuses under the hood or from a faulty fuel pump.  Time was wearing on and we needed to get on the road we were playing Saturday night with Writer at the Red Room in Tucson AZ, a six hour drive.  The snafu at the Uhaul place was jeopardizing our chances of getting to the gig in time.  Tim ran over to an auto shop and grabs Wally, a mechanic(think James Franco in Pineapple Express with prison tats emblazoned on his oil and grease encrusted hands) as he leaned in under the hood to survey our crisis, which ultimately he could not solve.  More very soon to come....       

Check out this cool mention of Lights On from Tim Pyles, local San Diego DJ and music guru on 94.9 fm in the latest issue of San Diego City Beat. Very cool, thanks Tim.
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/the_ambassador/7822/