So, just a quick update on good 'ol Ease the Medic.  Our good friend Eric Payton has ventured off to Germany to start Ease the Medic Europe and do some other stuff.  Now that Eric is gone we are in need of a new bassist.  If you happen to be reading this and are interested and/or know someone that might be please have them contact us via myspace.  Below are a few things that we are looking for in a bassist.

mid-late 20's/early 30's in age
reliable
mature
financially stable
likes our music
can play our music
easy going
equipment = good
reliable transportation
previous band experience = played numerous shows, recorded, some travel
ability to practice 1x week and play shows few times a month
similar musical tastes - fyi - we are not fans of bands such as Godsmack and Disturbed and others in that realm

Other good news, we are in the final stages of finishing up recording our 2nd offering.  Hopefully we will have some new tunes posted in the near future and some shows to support the release, assuming we accomplish filling the open bassist position.

Anyways, hope all is well and stay tuned!

ETM

Hey All!

Check out the article that C Magazine did on us. 

http://www.columbusmag.com/section-beyond270-article.php?id=933

We have some new shows that we will be posting shortly.  We're also working on finishing up our second CD. We hope to have it released later this year.

We'll keep you posted!


ETM

Winter Makes Sailors/ Ease the Medic Tour August 30, 2008-September 1, 2008 or The Weekend I Ate Potato Salad Every Day for Four Days Straight.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28TH-
I drove to Westerville to meet up with the guys in Ease the Medic. We had to meet there so that we could pack up the vehicles and pick up a trailor/pick up Finch from work. Apparently, U-haul messed up and didn't honor our reservation that was made several months ago. So, we had to completely load-I mean fill to overflow- two SUV's with all of our crap. I thought for a moment that I'd have to drive to Dayton seperately. We had to drive these vehicles to Dayton, pick up the uhaul trailor and meet up at the show. I rode with Adam and Mike Bryant. We discussed our touring histories while listening to Band of Horses. I'm excited to get to know all of them. I've hung out with them in the past, but not for more than a few hours at a time.

We get to Dayton and arrive at our venue which is on third, around the corner from The Pearl. It's the Dayton Dirt Collective. It's a good artspace/concept and the people running it are super nice. The other bands show up about an hour after they're supposed to and want to make us play first and second. The promoter starts to bend to their wishes, but I put on my "dickhead hat" and explain that we are going to play second and third. I go back to my merch building table and make about 17 or 18 records. The band, The Salt March, partially from Columbus decides to be cool and play first. They are super good. I forgot to take pictures of them, but that's okay. We'll stay in touch. I want to set-up a Bookmobile/ ETM/The Salt March show. Aaron apparently lives in Columbus and is friends with Lisa F.

They play first and remind me of a post punk '90's version of Brainbow on a couple of songs. 'ehhhhh…maybe. It's the Anthemic instrumental indie-rock stuff, but a little more of the "aggressive/angular" description. I'm not good at describing bands. Then I started to set-up and Joe Anderl and his new girl, April, show-up, which is awesome. When I play, everyone actually seems to pay attention and get into it. The room fills up and sticks around. The mic is hard to sing into. The sound is terrible in the space. Whatever. Ease The Medic plays and sounds great. They cover a Winter Makes Sailors song, called Eleven. It's a good feeling to see somebody cover one of your songs.

After the show, we get on the road and try to find food. We already know that we're going to drive all night. We stop at a waffle house and converse with the suddenly trashiest waitress/cook I've ever met. Neck tattooed, raunchy bacon grease bitches. Hmmmm…
"That girl was my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Usually, I'd tell that bitch to fuck off but I was good this time. I even made her food…I let her borrow my car once cause she was supposed to go to the doctor get her pregnancy checked out and instead she took my car to go buy crack. "

After a terrible Waffle with bacon on it and a few cups of coffee, we leave the outskirts of Dayton—Middletown, and head towards Tupelo. Finch takes the night shift, like usual. The dude is a beast at night driving. Since I'm more accepting/used to later hours, I stay up to help keep him awake. It's nice. We talk for a while and listen to old records and some new ones. He introduces me to Bon Iver. It sounds good but it sounds like I might be better off listening to it in headphones. He drives until about 6am and I try to stay awake until then. I climb into the "bedwomb" and fall asleep for a couple of hours maybe.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29TH 2008

We make it to Tupelo by about 11:30am and eat at a local sandwich shop called Finney's. I have a pork sandwhich with potato salad (quite similar to my mom's-which is apparently southern style) and homemade coconut cream pie and freshly squeezed lemonade. Boy was that good. We check out the venue and there is a sign across the street. It says "GARDNER/WALKER" or something like that. We meant to get a picture but it didn't happen. After sandwiches/breakfast, we find the hotel. The plan is to check in at noon and sleep for 5 or 6 hours before the show. When we get there, they haven't cleaned the room yet so we can't check in. So, they point us in the direction of Elvis' birthplace. We go there and go to the gift shop. I finally find something for Chris' birthday present. It's retarded or well, perfect. We go outside and I pose next to Elvis at 13. Then I play some guitar on his porch. It's sooooo hot. Soo soooo sooooo hot. It's terrible.

We leave and make it back to the hotel and take showers and finally get to bed. 4 hours later we're up and head to the show. When we get to the venue, we decide to get some groceries from Kroger so that we can grill out behind the venue and make some fake-meat tacos. We run out of time and the first band is about to start. They are called Dharma Bums, likely named after one of my favorite Kerouac books. The singer is obviously a fan of blind melon. He's a nice guy. He hangs out with us after the show and tells us about tupelo. However, his description gives me no reason to ever come back. You can't get a beer after midnight.

Our sets go pretty terribly. There is a little cove for people to sit in, so nobody really comes up front, so it's hard to play to. The sound is ridiculously bad.

After the show, we eat tacos while sitting under the canopy of Finch's Element. We have a table, a rug, a gas burner, beer…it's great. After slapping mosquitos until just after midnight, we head back to the hotel. We sleep. It's awesome.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2008

Wrapped up like a douche in my womb of the Honda element. It's actually a comfortable ride as long as we don't take exit ramps too quickly. I awoke this morning to Finch bringing a last minute breakfast into the room. A pastrie, some coffee. Mmmmm…nice. I head to the gas station across the street to find some fingernail clippers and somebody yells at me to get a haircut. But I just had 5 inches cut-off, Asshole.

Now we're on the road apparently getting close to Alabama. The road is mighty bumpy. I think I'm done typing for now.

We get to Tuscaloosa sometime in the afternoon, I think. We drive through the campus and decide that food is the number one priority. We see a BBQ joint called Mike and Ed's BBQ. That sounds good. Nice and local. I grab a "chipped" pork sandwich and get potato salad and a sweet tea. It's lovely. After lunch we head downtown to try to get acquainted to Tuscaloosa. We find a record store and they're not familiar with the Warehouse that we're playing. We head toward campus and find a bar, called Egan's. Apparently, Mike had tried to get us on the show that night, but couldn't get a hold of the lone band on the bill. We meet Bo, the bartender. He hooks us up with some beers and plays a bunch of great music. Old Pavement, Hum, shit…just good old indie rock. This completely cheers us up and we decide to head to the college radio station. Unfortunately, the station can't help us as they are airing the first University of Alabama football game. We stop at Egan's again to see if we can get on the show that night. We're afraid we're not going to get paid at the warehouse show. He said there is no news and we should stop back later. I exchange numbers with a random dude at the bar.

We decide to find the venue as load in is at 6pm or something ridiculously early. The dude that runs it, Jamie, doesn't show up for awhile. When he does finally show up, he forgets his keys. We wait another hour. Luckily, I have some Johnny Walker (Black label) with me.

The show starts on time and I play first. It's in the middle of Alabama, late August. I'm in a warehouse. It has no electricity-no plumbing, and no light. They have to pull power from next door. It's sooooo hot. I jump up on a fake little catwalk thing and balance my pedal board on it. I balance the mic on it. I start to play and a bunch of kids come in. A bunch of kids stand outside and listen too. It's a good show…minus one girl talking pretty loudly throughout my set. I change some lyrics for her benefit. People seem to like it. I feel good about the set. Whatever. Ease the Medic plays next as usual and they're super tight. Super on. It's fun.

During their set, a kid asks me if I can hook him up with beer and I tell him to ask the blonde guy in the last band. His buddy says, "The blonde guy?" I say yes. Then the kid says "wait…blonde or (covers his eyes) blonde? I realize that because of his accent he thinks I'm saying either blonde or blind. I try not to laugh. I reply that the blonde kid's vision is fine and his hair is blonde. I chuckle a little bit. The kids walk away kind of pissed.

Then this band called Bear Head plays…they have drivin' three hours to the show. They're fucking good. The just recorded with Matt Talbot of Hum. The singer is incredible and he's hilarious and well, quite outspoken. He talks pretty bluntly about racism in the south. He says that his buddy says that since white people are called "crackers" he thinks that the Cracker Barrel should have a rival called the "Nigger Bucket". Wow. I have no comment except that I don't think I'll ever read a Cracker Barrel sign the same way again. It was pretty amazing. It's a different world down there. We watch a couple of bands and I befriend a young kid that wants to be a singer. He's super nice and we discuss bands that influence us. I don't know any of his influences and he doesn't know mine. It's crazy. Guess I'm getting old.

The Ease the Medic guys befriend somebody to let us sleep on their floor and Mike B. decides he needs sleep. The band goes to a party to appease the kind soul we're staying with and I get a call from the Egan's bar saying that they need bands to play as the band they booked didn't show up. Mike B. is feeling pretty bad and decides that he's not up for it, so I go it alone as they said we'll get paid for bailing them out. I show up alone. I don't have my normal gear with me. No capo, no amp, no looper. Luckily I brought my half-size acoustic with me. I plug into their P.A. and play about 6 songs and take a break. The dude I was hanging with at the Warehouse shows up with a couple of friends to see me play. I play a few more songs…digging out songs I haven't practiced in months. People like what they hear but say I'm a little mopey. Yeah…well,… I am.

I meet a guy from Cleveland, a girl from Dayton…find out where the best local BBQ is and get $50.


I leave the bar at 2:30 am and wander the streets trying to get a hold of the band. They have all my stuff. I have my acoustic guitar. But they are out in the country or something and there is no address and…I don't know. I start preparing for sleeping on the thrown out couches near a dumpster, the flower bed of a local fraternity, or finding a nice bench somewhere on campus. I can be homeless for a night. It probably won't kill me. Eventually, I'm told that the apartment was left open for me and I go inside and fall asleep. The band shows up soon after and the people we crash with party until about 5am. We finally sleep at 5am until about 10am.

SUNDAY AUGUST 31, 2008

I awake to the dudes telling me they are going for coffee. I say okay and wake up, but they are gone. I try to call them but their phones ring in the room I'm in. I'm in my boxers which are turned inside out so that I could wear them a second day. Yikes. It's not my usual style. I took a shower and had no clean clothes. "What's a boy to do?". I'm suddenly stranded alone with two 19 year old girls watching MTV. I decide that I'm going to pack up everyone's stuff and walk the streets cause it's better than sitting there any longer. I finally meet up with the band and we leave Tuscaloosa. The bar let me drink for free the night before, but I feel fine. Everyone feels fine. We laugh and laugh and laugh.

On our way to Chattanooga, TN we pass a sign that says Alabama Museum, Fan Club. We're confused. A State fan club? Mike B. says it's the band. So we stop. It's awesome. We gather memorabilia such as headbands, stickers…but then this super nice lady who works there, Potts she says to call her, asks what we're doing there and we say we're on tour. So, she says that the band never forgot there roots and we should make sure we don't either. She gives us a "greatest hits" record and gives us all the things we've picked out free of charge. I get my picture with her and tell her she is the nicest lady we've met on the road. We leave the museum and see the Alabama tour bus from the '80's, probably. We decide to pose for a few pictures but we only have a few "America" shirts. So, guess who decides to play for the "skins"
Team.

Then I see the most amazing bright orange '70's Chevy Pick-up. Adam grabs the camera and shoots some sweet promos for me. Damn. Nothing says sexy like these fine pictures. Hahaha….

We head to Bea's restaurant. Mike B. saw it on the Food Network. It's a southern style buffet. We walk in without know how much we're paying but we're impressed immediately. Each table has a spinning "lazy susan" type food dispenser thing. "Oh my God." I say this over and over again as I stuff in Fried Chicken, Roast Beef, pulled pork on a biscuit, potato salad, beans, coleslaw, potatoes, sweet tea, and peach cobbler. Suddenly, our smiles turn to expressions of fear. We're amazed at how quickly we feel terrible. One by one we go to the restroom. Finch wishes we could have filmed it. Literally within ten minutes we change from ecstasy to regret.

We leave for the show at another place called "The Warehouse". It's in a strip mall. It's more of a Christian Venue. It's super clean. I play first. I sell enough records that I end up with only 4, so I give the rest away. Ease the Medic plays a great show. The guys running the place give us a few bucks and asks us to sign a drum head. It's 11pm and we leave to drive all night to Dayton to drop off the U-haul trailor. Adam drives for about two hours while we watch a drunk driver barely not kill anybody on I-75. I take over at about 1am and listen to Keep It Like a Secret, Chum, Pinebender, Phoenix, and Pinback. I have an open road perfect weather, and a lead foot. I drive us all the way to Dayton.

We get to Dayton, drop off the U-haul trailor that added 3 hours to our trip and two vehicles driving to Dayton. Fuck you, U-haul.

By the time we get home, nobody can function. I'm still awake now at 2pm…writing this cause I know that if I don't do it now, I won't.

The time has finally come for our CD relase. Please join us on Friday October 27th at Little Brothers to celebrate the release of "Riot on the Gold Coast". Joining us will be three great bands:

The Slide Machine
Melty Melty
Death in the Midwest

The show will start around 9:30. It's also Halloween weekend so feel free to dress up as many others will possibly including the bands.

This should be a grand time and we hope to see you there.

Ease the Medic

www.myspace.com/easethemedic
www.myspace.com/meltymelty
www.myspace.com/theslidemachine
www.myspace.com/deathinthemidwest
www.wewantaction.com

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