Portland, home, and wrapping things up with a nice little bow

Day 37 - Portland

The drive to Portland from where we had abandoned all pretense of being awake enough to drive and passed out in a McDonald's parking lot was still about 9 hours. That long on the I5 is enough to put anyone to sleep, regardless of any 5 hours or so of sleep you may or may not have had earlier.

Plenty of coffee and jerky later, we arrived outside the venue - Ella Street Social Club (again!) and got some food from nearby Panda Express. Less than impressive unfortunately, and - as if to add insult to injury - my fortune cookie lacked a fortune. I took that as a bad sign.

We sat on the curb and drank ESBs' (I took that as a good sign) until the other bands starting showing up. The evening's line up included our pal Chris' most excellent band Bearcubbin' and another local called Symmetry / Symmetry. Both were stand out; an intensely enjoyable bill to be a part of! There was a small dog in the bar that liked to bark, which was quite humourous; we were able to acquire numerous beers as well, which always helps things go smoothly.

bearcubbin' it:

symmetry / symmetry:

After things were wrapped up we headed with Chris and his drummer Mike to a local pasta joint which specialized in spicy macaroni. They also had alligator on the menu. Rich.

Chris kindly put us up at his parent's place; I slept in a bed that was more comfortable than my own.

Day 38 - Vancouver

In the morning we had coffee, eggs and orange juice - compliments of Chris' father. Such hospitality! After excessive dallying at that local music store we love - Old Town! - we got a late start on the drive back to Vancouver.

Luckily we were still in America and able to speed ridiculously to keep pace with traffic. And the border was a pretty easy breeze.

Arriving outside the Anza Club at about half 6, we loaded in and immediately went to get something we really desired - sushi. It was satisfying beyond my hopes. Getting back to the venue, we began to meet friends and compatriots, drink beverages and catch up. I love catching up - seeing your friends and fam after a period of gone-ness can't really be compared to anything else - it's as heart warming as whiskey? as comforting as soup? as satisfying as removing that long lodged piece of mango from between your back 2 molars? stretching the comparisons to fit I'd say. High-5s were liberally applied on all fronts (and some backs).

The Party Heroes put this show together, and bands on the bill included Edmonton's The Fight, Vancouver's long hiatus'd Ghost House, the Killing Time Quartet, and our friends the majestic SSRIs. We had over the legal limit of fun. So much fun that we didn't really take any photos of the going-ons. Thanks Jason Low for this one -



Day - After

So we're back - 38 days, 1 kg of peanut butter, innumerable burritos, and 16,280 kilometres of driving later...

First things - THANKS TO EVERYONE EVERYWHERE FOR EVERYTHING

Seriously, this entire escapade would be well nigh impossible without the friendliness, hospitality, and generosity of the people we met all along the way. From stellar bands that completely destroyed and then gave us places to lay our heads - to distant family with packed lunches ready in the mornings - to former strangers now coerced into friendship - to roommates of people who we'd only just met cooking us breakfasts - to rad guitarists hanging out for 2 days while we got the van fixed instead of going home - to long time friends going beyond the bar to make our lives a little easier. THANKS THE MOST ALWAYS.

And come out to Vancouver - we return favours.

Also, I've mentioned a lot of bands along the way. Now, a real blogger would have hot-linked those mentions and given you quick and expedient access to said bands. Well, nuts to that! Here's a big ole list of bands we played with or stayed with or were recommended to us along the way. It's not at all comprehensive; eat me:

bearcubbin' you are plural
yourself and the air
the americas
symmetry / symmetry
clarissa explains it all
ontario plates
the SSRIs
pollens
bangers & mash
the velvet teen
moggs
oddbird
the bulletproof tiger
not to reason why
enjoy your pumas
noxious foxes
wah wah exit wound
hardcore crayons
good news
multitudes
crabe
young boys
panther attack
x-ray press
ghost house
günther
girth
worn out tigers
the new trust
amos val
cinema l'amour
in the wake of giants
scary bear soundtrack
worker bee
the hussy
INFM
red red run

And a few more things:

Driving in America and Montreal - if you see a car and it's all alone on the road, it is your civic duty to tailgate the hell out of that car. No ifs, ands, or buttttttttts. Tailgate them to within an inch of their and your lives. That's driving. Also - WHENEVER POSSIBLE - cross at least three lanes of traffic in one smooth line. Just wait for the break in cars to appear. Even if you don't need to - it's the best.

If you get heat blisters because you burnt yourself real bad and it's still really hot and you now look like that alligator mutant guy that fights spiderman - just rub your skin. They totally disappear.

Wet wipes and baby powder = shower on the go. With that in mind - beware the edge of sinks in gas station restrooms across North America.

Peaches with hole next to the stem? Possible earwig nest.

1 kg of peanut butter will last two people approximately 38 days, assuming you become sick of it somewhere along the line and take a brief break from eating it all the time.
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Alright, that's pretty much it for now I'd say. I hope this business has been either entertaining or informative. Or both (learning can be fun). But not neither. Thanks for rolling your eyeballs over it, it means a lot to know that the time ain't wasted; keep on being excellent - to each other, yourself, in the things you do, the places you go, the way you put on pants (or shorts), when you're on the phone, signalling left, or making ants on a log. It's all gravy after that anyways.
hungrily yours,
Calum, Scott & Julian