3 months ago Panhandle started booking our first tour. We just got back.
11 days, 8 shows,1700 miles (with two vehicles) later, we are ready to kick festival ass. We sold over 100 copies of our all new completely original 12 song cd. For a band that nobody has ever heard of to sell 100 copies on its first tour is amazing.
Our first stop was in Fairfax, Ca where we played at place called Peri's Silver Dollar(www.perislounge.com ). Peri's was great and the crowd looked like they were having a good time. But, Rudy is what made Fairfax. Rudy is a Bronx New Yorker that lives close to the bar. Rudy loves americana. Anything americana, including americana music. Rudy has one of the most amazing houses I've ever seen. For a taste of what Rudy's house looks like and what Rudy is all about just Google: Peri's Elvis Bathroom Rudy is an amazing person. Thank you Rudy.
Our next night we stayed at our good friend Cori's house in Ol' Santa Rose where we quickly learned who the snorers were(Chandler and Dave) and who could deal with it and who couldn't-.Thank you Cori for making the trek down to Fairfax to support us and letting 6 stinky bastards stay at your house.
We then made our way out to TJ and Linda's house in Jenner,Ca. 2300 ft. straight up a dirt road from the beach. It was amazing. The view was enough to spin your head around. TJ has built a studio on his property with his horses and wild pigs but its not just any studio its a "Yert" a circular free standing building that you can customize to your liking.Google: Yert
-I've known TJ for years from the Strawberry Music Festival but I never knew he was such a cool mf'er. He treated us like kings. We actually ate a wild pig that he killed while hunting on horseback on his property a week before we got there.
Thank you TJ and Linda. Hope your ready for another visit soon. heh heh
I'm already making plans to go back and stay and record at the studio after fall Strawberry.
We made our way up to Humboldt and played for the cooks, Marisa and Stella at the Six Rivers Brewery but nonetheless had a good time. Even at the end of the night when we were thrown out of a campground by the host for some reason, I think he was just mad because he couldn't find his teeth. 2 twelve packs later the very nice local sherriff directed us to the nearest rest stop where we "slept" for the night all 8 of us. I think Chandler slept the most comfortable in his sleeping bag on the park bench. Thank you Marisa and Stella for driving all that way and hanging out with us, it made the adventure even more adventurous.
Ahh, Crescent City. A little piece of heaven. This is where the tour starts to get better.
Straight away we found one of the most beautiful vista points off of the highway( Chandler took a million pictures, I'm sure we'll be posting some soon) This where Jacob and I helped a couple of heroin addicts get their keys out of there trunk.
We drove for a minute and found one of the most killer campgrounds ever.Complete with a large pile of firewood,active electric cattle fence and only a few hundred yards from the beach.
The beach was about 3 miles long and shortly after dusk and a kick ass game of driftwood baseball we were the only people for 3 miles.
Back in April I went down to Texas and on my way back through New Mexico I picked up about $150 worth of illegal -in-california fireworks, some of which we let off on the 4th but some I saved for tour and this where we let them off. It was friggin amazing. The sky lit up for a total of about 3 minutes. We had a huge jug o' wine and with our large gift we received from our good friend in Fairfax the fireworks were....well, you can guess.
-Crescent City was amazing. Watch out for electrified cattle fences. I learned my lesson. yikes. heh heh heh
In the morning we made our way to Oregon along the Smith River stopping to wade around in some of the bluest of blue water you've ever seen passing through Grants Pass and in to Ashland Oregon to our good friend Tara (not terra)'s cool little house. We did a little busqueing downtown and a made a little dinner money and stayed a couple more nights. Our first show in Ashland was on wednesday night at the WildGoose -we love the Wildgoose- we love breakfast and dinner at the Goose. We love playing at the Wildgoose. www.wildgoosecafe.com
Tara is an awesome promoter in the making. It seemed like every shop window in downtown Ashland had a PanHandle tour poster. Whenever we getting ready to play she'd be on the phone calling every one she knew to get their asses down to see us play.
She's also a good friend to me and the band. We love Tara.Tara is good people. I think she has THE best music taste of anyone around.
Sam Bonds Garage www.sambonds.com in Eugene was a lot of fun. We had a few hours to kill so we found the river in town and skips some stones for awhile and messed with the geese in the park. Did I forget to mention that Barnes and Noble is a great place to hang out when on tour. Its nice and cool, they usually have a coffee shop and just about any magazine or book you'd care to read and as Cole put it " You can read anybook you want and not have to pay for it, just go in and sit down in the next town!"
We met Nyimi and Heather at Sam Bonds Garage. They have a band called Badmitten- I think they have a myspace, I think. Check 'em out.
Cottage Grove was beautiful. Billy and Leigh are friggin amazing. Axe and Fiddle rocked and Donny Sevilla is a superb sound engineer. This is where we discovered Tilt. Don't ever drink Tilt. They sell it in the store in Oregon for 99 cents. Its like crank and night train mixed with fucking wheatgrass. It might as well be Soylent Green. Ray and I drank a half each just before we played. I felt like I was an electrified octopus and I've NEVER heard Ray play drums like that.
Billy warned us and I seem to recall Leigh just looking at Billy and shaking her head.
Billy and Leigh must have knocked on every door in Cottage Grove and threatened whoever answered the door to come to our show at Axe and Fiddle ( www.axeandfiddle.com) because there was a shitload of people there. I'd say a third of them were dancing right up front.
We already miss Cottage Grove. The people in that town were like our long lost friends and treated us like it.
Billy and Leigh you have a beautiful home. Thank you so much for letting us stay with you. Sorry about the damn loofa sponge in the shower. I still don't know who the hells it is.
Love you guys- thanks again.
Portland was nice. This where we slept at our second rest stop after the show. After our very very very late lack lustre set we started to make our way up to our friend Heidi's house to stay for the night. With our packs on our backs, sleeping bag and pillow in hand and the cars all locked up we noticed a CITY posted sign stating that this was "high car theft area" and not to be a victim of car theft. Well, I don't think I have enough room here to list all of our equipment that we were travelling around with but it totals about $6000 in gear. Needless to say, we got back in the car and left Portland and drove for a couple of hours before resigned ourselves to sleeping in the car at a rest stop. I think Jacob slept the most comfortable on the grass in front of the car.
The Someday Lounge is an awesome venue. www.somedaylounge.com
Thank you Brenna for trying to help us find a place to sleep for the night and thank you Ryan for a great job on the sound.
After a couple of hours of roasting in the car, we collected ourselves and just decided to hoof it back to Ashland (about a 4 hour trek) to Tara's house for our show the next night at the Jefferson State Pub.
We love Tara. We love Ashland.
We played at the Jefferson and after we headed to the Beau Club where Tara proceeded to get us bombed. While outside we met an incredible blues guitar player named Robert. This guy floored Cole, Ray and myself. I kinda have a feeling that he floors anyone who listens to him play and sing the blues.
Thank you to Nick, Dominique,Jake, Katy and everybody that came down to listen to us play at the Jefferson and at the Wildgoose and to Tara for letting us piss off your neighbors and sleep on your lawn,drink your beer, use up all of your toilet paper and play you some music. You're welcome down here any ol' time.
I think I'm done writing for now. This is just a little bit of some of the great stuff we experienced that can be recalled or explained. Thank you to every person that cheered, danced,bought a cd or smiled at us. We hope to see you soon.
Don't forget to make your way over to the www.FremontFestival.net Saturday August 4th. We play from 12 to 1 pm on the main stage. This is THE largest outdoor festival in California with nearly 400,000 people attending in just over 2 days.....should be a pretty good crowd and its totally free.
-Hope to see all of you there.
Ice Road Truckers...roll out.
dave