TOUR RECAP
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Got back from the big tour yesterday, I'm still exhausted. To paraphrase Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon,
"I'm getting too old for this shit."
Still, I'll do it any time we can.
It's not easy for a little regional band to scrape together a tour that
actually almost breaks even. It's far
from glamorous and fun as hell.
HUGE thanks to everybody who helped pull it off. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to
make a quixotic tour moderate successful.
Primarily, Shay, Pam and Demetri.
To not thank them in every paragraph is ridiculous.
But also thanks to many others: my mom, Matt, Carrie; Mike, Jen, Pete
in LA; Susie & Adam in SF; Josh, Brad and Kathy (still drunk) in OR and all
of the bookers, bartenders and fellow musicians in every spot. Everybody couldn't have been nicer, which is
a real change of pace from musicians getting abused in San Diego.
Perhaps I'll write a real account of the tour later, but here are some
awards and shout outs.
COOLEST GIG
Anderson's General Store, Guemes Island, WA
Playing outside on a tiny island to enthusiastic crowd on a moonlight
night & what truly felt like the last night of summer was
unforgettable. It's an island off that
requires a wacky ferry ride from Anacortes, features dogs running free,
questionable police jurisdiction and super friendly owner, bartenders, cooks
and patrons. Every band that has never
had an experience like this one should be jealous: who knew as a band you could
be paid well, treated well, sell CDs, find new fans, and have folks really wanting
more after seeing you for 3 hours.
WORST GIG
Element, Oak Harbor, WA
Let me put it this way, when the guy who books you is still
speculating a couple of days before if Jim can find a speaker or a microphone
for the club, turn and run. My mom (who lives
in this town) warned me about it. Mom
knew best.
THE NEW GUY
Demetri Enriquez on bass in Portland
What a treat. Demetri was up for
this from day one and it couldn't have worked out better. Find him and befriend him if you're on
Bigfellas MySpace or Charlie's Facebook.
He's good people.
DRUNKEST
Sam Bond's Garage, Eugene OR
Is it a bad sign when everybody thinks the other person is the
designated driver? Pam was drunk hours
before the gig. Shay and Charlie
swilling Jameson's before the show, different patrons sending back jumbo shots
of questionable tequila to the stage ... and ended up being arguably our best
playing onstage. With all of that, Shay,
Pam and Charlie didn't crack the top 2 of drunkest in our group. Demetri and Kathy were BOMBED. (Kathy flew up from Ashland for this - you rock!) Over bloody marys in bar early the next AM,
Demetri found another barfly to drive him from Eugene back to Portland that
afternoon. Meanwhile, the rest of us
slept in cars at the gig, tried to drive a little, then slept at rest stop
before dawn drive back to Portland. I
swear to God, I've developed a relapsing case of vertigo ever since this
night/morning.
DRUNKEST (Runner-Up)
Manager at Shanachie Pub, Willits CA
Shaun and I had a little Bigfellas reunion show and we kept getting paid in drinks, but even trying hard to capitalize
on that left us way behind the manager in booziness (she was also pretty hot, but too thin
to hold her liquor). She was so drunk
that Pam seemed relatively sober in Eugene just 48 hours before.
THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T DO WHILE ON TOUR (tie)
Help a friend move ...
Shay's moving experience from San Diego to Portland is a whole other
saga that cannot be told in brief; just a near-unbelievable tale of
professional scam artists posing as a moving company. It's a nightmare and at least Shay has most
of his stuff at this point. It doesn't
help to be in the middle of a music tour (loading, driving, unloading, playing,
drinking, unloading ... repeat each day) then have to unload a moving truck.
Continue working ...
In that every day schedule of driving, loading, playing, drinking, etc.
throw in the concept of still working your job on the computer, writing code, forming documents and emailing during the day
to continue making a living. I know in
this economy I shouldn't complain about having an income and the flexibility to
do it while I travel ... but I'm officially complaining. Two weeks of this whole schedule pretty much ruined me;
everything below the waist is KAPUT!
BEST FOOD
Pot Stickers at Genghis Cohen, Los Angeles CA
My friends and I all agree that Genghis Cohen's old school Chinese food
is best in southern CA. Their pot
stickers might crack my top 5 of best appetizers anywhere. It really is a fun place to play, once
described as "a cross between a church and a Chinese brothel during the
Gold Rush."
BEST FOOD DISCOVERY
Biscuits, gravy, bacon at Pine State Bakery, Portland OR
My credentials as a bacon aficionado are unquestioned. My two favorite bacons of the year are from
Milton's in Del Mar and the bacon on these McMuffin type lovelies. Demetri turned me on to this one. When in Portland, get over there in the
Southeast. Yes, Portland people move
slower than even San Diego people, but it's worth the wait.
BEST DRUG DISCOVERY
Flexeril
With a really tight back and sleeping on some couches and unfamiliar
beds, you couldn't draw up a better drug than Flexeril. Normally it just loosens some muscles
perfectly. Taken with a few drinks (I'm
officially not condoning this and not responsible for your experience) it's the
greatest thing I could do on tour. After
1 great Flexy night in SF, I slept in and woke up in a Flexy fog, walking
around the Mission District with my iPod and every song sounded sublime.
WHAT AM I DOING MOMENT I
C&P Coffee, West Seattle WA
For those of you booking a tour, try not to go too far out of your way
to play a coffeehouse … at least at 6pm.
With no native crowd hanging out, just random parents and dogs once in a
while, you'll feel pretty ridiculous that this is a part of a "tour",
no matter how nice the few people there are.
When you're more concerned with not annoying the guy on the laptop than
your performance, you need a better booking agent. (I wish I could fire myself from that job.)
WHAT AM I DOING MOMENT II
Hung-over in Portland after Eugene show
I slept about 30 minutes in the morning on Shay's floor amidst moving
boxes for a grand total of about 2 hours of sleep that night. Somehow simultaneously drunk, hungover and
dizzy, about to have solo shows the next 3 nights in cities each about 300
miles apart and just weary to my soul.
This was the spiritual moment of doubt about touring. What's the point? Why don't I have a bed? Why did I have tequila? Why do we try so hard to play music? Is it some weird addiction? An affliction? I miss my DVR. These are the real grind-it-out moments of a
tour that separate the dilettantes from the professionals. I think I'm just short of being a pro, but
god damn if I didn't find my work ethic.
Shay too, he's a trouper in every sense of the word.
DUMBEST LOAD-IN
Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival, San Francisco, CA
I opened the festival at Noon on a drizzly Saturday, the last of my 15
days on the tour and was so tired that I wasn't brooking any nonsense. Unfortunately, nonsense I got with the most
idiotic parking, load-in set up behind the stage. There’s nothing like playing and singing with
staff wanting you to move your car within 10 seconds "or else". I don't want to give a bad impression of the
show - it was fun, people were nice and families listening were very pleasant. But the prospect of me being delayed by the
car getting hemmed in for even 30 seconds after I was done had become a
nightmare thought at the end of 15 days.
I think I wrapped up "Moving Day" at the end of a two-hour
show in mid-chorus with a clearly audible "Fuck it, I'll move the car
myself. Thanks, people - enjoy the next
act!" It was the low-rent
equivalent of Van Morrison throwing his mike on the ground and walking away in
the middle of "Cypress Avenue" (which he's apparently done often).
REUNIONS ALONG THE WAY
One of the really cool things is to see old friends along the way. What a bonus.
Mike, Jen and Pete in LA is no brainer.
Staying with Susie and Adam and getting QT in SF. Seeing Josh for 2nd time in 15 years in
Portland. Rob in Seattle before the
show. Seeing Shaun & Sara's place in
Arcata and playing with Shaun while soaking up Sue & Tim's hospitality in
Willits. Brad coming down from the
mountains to Twin Paradox coffeehouse in Portland. Catching Andy & Val & family in Fresno. All of that stuff is what it's all
about. Playing solo in a vacuum on a
tour would be a horrible grind. Getting
to spend time with old friends in new places makes it all 180 degrees better. Then also getting to recharge the batteries
for a couple of days up at my mom's house on Whidbey Island north of Seattle
was essential, with a bonus of being around for my aunt's birthday. Catching a
movie, eating ribs, and getting in some family QT amidst a rock n' roll tour is
really shooting the moon.
SOUTHERN CA vs. THE REST OF THE MUSIC LOVING WORLD
I shouldn't rag on San Diego too hard, but I've really come to the
conclusion that music generally blows here.
Too many bands and clubs putting all marketing onus on the bands makes
San Diego truly pitiful musically. There
just is no scene to speak of. Our Guemes
Island experience and playing at colleges is better than 99% of San Diego
gigs. I didn't know soundmen were
friendly before? Didn't know that other
musicians actually stay and watch your act without acting like bitchy
magpies. Didn't know a city (Portland)
could have a "sound" where songwriting and banjos are
encouraged. Didn't know a city (Seattle)
could feature friendly musicians.
THE FAN I WANTED TO PUNCH
Crazy lady at Piecora's, Seattle WA
OK, I really wasn't gonna punch her.
I'm about 90% sure of that. She
was clearly mentally ill. But why do
crazy people always get a pass? When a
band is playing, is it normal to stand 9 inches in front of singer during a show asking
stupid questions while he's singing? We
later found out that she took a dump in the middle of the parking lot. By the way, the load in through the Italian
restaurant backroom and kitchen at Piecora's was just like that long
single-camera shot in Goodfellas ... except we each had to make 5-6 trips during the rain to
get all the gear in. For those of you
who don't play in a band, just please consider how the band has to get their gear
where you're seeing them play before you think $10 is too high a price for
their CD.
BEST LISTENING & VIEWING ALONG THE WAYPodcastsI've added Doug Benson's podcast to my steady diet of Bill Simmons & Adam Carolla. If you love movies, try it and you'll start playing the Leonard Maltin game.
TVJerry Lewis' 1969
Hook, Line & Sinker ranks up there with his most retarded work ever, which is really saying something. US Open Tennis was damn good as well.
WORST LISTENING & VIEWING ALONG THE WAY
Radio
Demetri and I heard some Canadian schtick on CBC up north about rap that set Canada and comedy back several years. Honestly, this crap made NPR seem edgy.
TV
Whitney Houston's return and live appearance on Good Morning America was putrid. Even more embarrassing than being on crack needing to take a dootie on Being Bobby Brown.
CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE, YIKES
Pacific University, OR
I know it's a tiny school and freshman orientation week but these kids
don't have a prayer in the real world.
Have they spent their first 18 years in an incubator? I've never seen more disoriented, confused,
zombie-looking kids in my life. But you
know what? We are playing at that school
any chance we get. The worst college
audience is better than just about all other audiences.
NUTTIEST LITTLE SHOW
Black Cat Bar, Penngrove CA
Playing solo still doesn't feel natural for me. And with a solo act that's really the
destitute man's Randy Newman, Ben Folds or Warren Zevon, it's funny to find
yourself at what looks like a shit-kicking bar in Nowheretown U.S.A. The shocker to this one is that this rural
watering hole with old-timey slogans and bar signs all around turns out to be a
lesbian hotspot and plenty of great white wine.
I caught them on a Sunday night so not tons of folks there but everybody
was SO nice there it was unbelievable.
I'm dedicating myself to playing there every time I come through with a
piano.
OVERALL
Seriously, for the 2 rude door people and 2 dopey engineers we had on
the whole trip, we had about 20 great bartenders, 8 great owners/managers, 6
great soundmen, free booze, free food, 100+ nice folks talk to us after shows,
new fans, some CD sales, mailing list signups and enough good vibes to want to
keep hitting this circuit in the future.
Yes, it really is hard work, but completely worth it to get out there in the world.
LAST KUDOS
My car, "Don Diego" (aka "Donnie"), Ford Explorer
Donnie held together like a champ.
Logged 3600 miles with a packed car, had room for Demetri and gear in
Northwest, decent mileage, A/C, and played music and podcasts the whole
way. Thank heaven the jerk at smog check
place fucked up "Murph" (my Audi) the day before I started on tour ...
Donnie was the way to go.
Thanks again, everybody.
Bigfellas will be back soon, we promise.
Twitter feed
here. Photos going up
here at
Bigfellas site (
http://www.bigfellas.net) soon.
(leave a comment on this blog if you can, just so we know some folks are reading)