Stuff that got draw'd on tour.

So yah, some drawings were done while we were far and away. Armed only with black sharpies, a pen and 2 colour markers - here's 18 noodles of the art variety. . .

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.
.........................................................................................................................................................................

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

This is a No Touch Lake

Day 34 – Fresno

We awoke late and headed out with Josh to enjoy breakfast on his recommendation – chilaquiles (a traditional Mexican dish) with scrambled eggs. So good. After a quick coffee at Peets' (a Californian chain) we parted ways with Josh and headed off into Fresno.

The temperature rose to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius) as we drove there. And this heat was much more intense than the 40 C we'd experienced in Minneapolis. Lacking decent humidity, it consisted solely of a scorching sun. I almost threw up and passed out at one point.

This guy is wearing skin tight gold pants. Considering the heat, I don't think he'll get them off without taking a couple layers of skin.

We played in a tiny sweat box with about 7 metal / hardcore bands. People were going crazy and I was amazed that they didn't drop like flies. They are more used to the heat, but even they thought it was pretty devastating.

After the show ended we piled into the van and drove fast over a hilly pass towards San Jose. It was much cooler when we finally stopped in a small town called Gilroy – home of a yearly garlic festival that has international clout. San Jose next up, and then only three days left on this tour . .

Day 35 – San Jose

We woke in a parking lot, which is now the norm I'd say. And I never thought I'd say this – after being employed at both hellish places at some point in my life – but thank goodness for Starbucks and McDonalds ubiquitously placed in monolithic shopping centres. Free wifi and clean washrooms; times may change, but standards must remain.

Our goal for the morning was a body of water in which to jump. This proved very difficult in the County of Santa Clara. Everywhere we went we were told that it was a “no-touch lake”. Apparently boats, fishermen and wakeboarders are okay, but we can't stick our toes in under penalty of fines and possible beatings. Swimming is for pools and waterparks here, so we made our way to the San Jose University Aquatic Centre. Julian was forced to buy actual shorts as swimming in your numerous-day-old boxer shorts is frowned upon.

The venue for the evening was The Blank Club, and we shared the stage with a band called cermak (who wrote songs entirely about architecture) – pretty jazzy stuff, and nice peoples to boot.

Julian messin' about on their drums! -

After the sets we drank delicious pbr and then headed out with a gang of folks – including Leslie, the promoter who'd hooked up the show and was ever so nice to us. We grabbed some burritos from a local favourite spot and ate them in a park. We were also fortunate enough to meet a fellow named Jamie who let us park in his driveway for the evening snooze. He had a very nice cat that would play fetch, and a pretty sweet in-home recording studio (like everyone down here it seems).

Day 36 – San Jose redux

We awoke late and Jamie helped Julian with some amp tube replacement, then we headed to a place called Stacks for breakfast. I had the special, which consisted of french toast and raspberry compote. And it was good.

Thoroughly satiated we headed to Jamie's work – Guitar Showcase – two buildings (one consignment, one new gear) and a museum of guitars and basses (including a '61 Precision Bass listed at $18,000). Guitar Shangri-La.

After a lengthy noodling around in the shop we received a call from Leslie (the local promoter). We actually didn't have a show booked and had planned to begin the driving to friday's gig in Portland. The call changed all that – a last minute show offer at the Caravan Lounge – which was actually a block away from the previous night's gig. We said hell yeah, immediately drove to another music gear shop (aptly named the Starving Musician) and noodled some more before going to a local Asian restaurant and eating noodles.

The gig was with two bands, Twelve Gauge Shotgun and INFM – both loud punk bands of a very friendly sort. The bar was awesome and all the people that we met were incredibly fun, we laughed and drank and laughed and high-fived extensively. INFM was particularly fun to watch – their bass played Matt is one hilarious dude.

After all was said and done, the gear was loaded and we'd loitered on the sidewalk for a sufficient amount of time, it was 2:30am - we hopped in the van and started the drive to Portland.

Here's Mt. Shasta in Northern California. Time to go sleep in the back of the van!

Look Mom No Brakes!

Day 30 – The Ocean, San Francisco, and the great faultering

In the morning we all roused and made for the record shop where Josh works – an astonishing selection of vinyl lay before us. We perused extensively. After sufficient time with the vinyl we follow Casey and Travis to a sandwich store where we purchased intense sandos – very delicious – and then headed to Bodega Bay. Here we watched the ocean, breathed in the salty air, and revelled in the splendour that is life on the road.

Here's Masa looking cool -

We took the curvy coastal highway towards San Francisco, breezed through traffic and located a reasonable parking space.

It was at this point that things took a brief detour from the plan.

While parking, a loud and unidentified noise was emitted from the Safari, resulting in the loss of brakes and power steering. Compounding the cruel twist of fate was that it was 6pm on Friday of the fourth of July weekend. Fortunately we broke down directly outside a mechanic type shop who agreed to service old Nick on Saturday morning (although its repute was called into question). We loaded in the gear to the venue and left the van in their garage.

The show was very enjoyable, Killa Ghost Bastard twisted sound, You Are Plural made beautiful music, and Oakland locals Clarissa Explains It All tech-freaked my brain place (again). After all was said and done, we stashed gear at a friendly fellow named Henry's place and headed to Oakland with the gents from Clarrisa to party on. And on and on and on.

Here's come lazer snaps of Clarissa -

Their van has track lighting. . .

Day 31 – Off and On and Off

Back to the garage to try and sort out Nick and maybe get to our San Diego show that evening? Unfortunately that would not be the case. We spent the entire day between the bar across the street and the garage. It was frustrating to miss the show, but we were very thankful to be alive and well – we could have easily lost the brakes and power steering on the coastal highway, and that really could have been the end.

Travis of The Americas was a rad enough dude to stick around with us, feeding us beer and providing splendid conversation. Such a good soul.

Julian got dug in with the mechanics, hoping to expedite the process, but it came time for all to go home for the evening. Henry was nice enough to let us crash at his place and I slept very heavily.

Day 32 – On and Off and On

We arrived at the garage early, but ended up waiting a while for the mechanics to arrive. We had all consumed a decent amount of beer the day before and assumed they were still sleeping it off. I ate a large piece of bread shaped like a turtle and it was delicious.

Once the mechanics showed up things started moving, and things were looking good. Tragically not good enough for us to make the 8 hour drive to LA for our gig there, but it looked like the van would ride again. In that we took much comfort.

Here's one of the garage's owners posing with another local -

By 5pm we were ready to roll, and after an attempt at jumping on a couple bills, we headed to the best burrito shop known to us - Dona Teres Market (21st and Florida in the Mission District) - and gorged our selves on the most amazing super burritos.

After we were sufficiently gorged we rolled with Travis to Petaluma (Casey's home) and the comfort of a place to lay our heads and 20 cold Tecates.

Day 33 – The fourth.

Unable to secure a show on the this most auspicious of American holidays, we were left to ponder what to do with ourselves. Pilar (one of Casey's roommate) was so kind, making us vegan french toast and potatos. The most delicious. After breaky and dishes we procured directions to a nearby swimming ground and made our departure. As we were leaving an invitation was extended to a party for the fourth. We heartily accepted.

Swimming was splendid (and we did much better with the sunscreen). The roads here are so twisty and turny, and every time you come around a corner another gorgeous vista is exposed.

After a short drive and some grabbing of offerings at a local grocery store, we headed to the aforementioned party.

Justin and Cara were the hosts of an annual fourth of july party at what amounts to a colonial mansion. They play in a band together, run a studio out of the house, and have a lemon tree, a MASSIVE dog and a splendid garden. The party included local beer, foods and desserts, sangria, music and carnival games. They certainly went all out.

Highlights included a hilarious balloon toss, a toss-the-sack-and-knock-down-the-hand-made-doll game, and a flexibility challenge (where you had to pick up a box with you mouth and both feet on the ground). Canada was represented by our own Scott Petrie, who made it to the semi finals, but was ultimately knocked out (despite stripping to his underpants to enhance flexibility).

Numerous beers later we all climbed the hill behind their house and watched distant fireworks. We lit sparklers and laughed and laughed and laughed and then hugged and went our separate ways. We again felt so fortunate to be invited to such a wonderful party with such delightful people.

Josh and Sarah had again offered up their house for us to crash at; we returned there to talk about album art, drink beers, watch comedy dvds, and sleep more than comfortably.

Skin is for suckers anyways

Overheard:

Dude 1: Dude, there's dudes on your couch!

Dude 2: Shut up dude, they're from Canada and they're trying to sleep.

Dude 1: I fucking hate Canadians.

Day 27 – Portland

We rolled into Portland in the early afternoon and set about accomplishing things. Most of these things included napping and eating, but we also visited a great music gear shop (Old Town Music) to look at pedals and odds 'n ends. Very nice cats working there.

We procured groceries from a local emporium and made some very satisfactory sandwiches while drinking astonishingly cheap beer (yah Oregon lack of sales tax).

The show was at the Ella Street Social Club – we played with The Harvey Girls (a one man loop scene) and Amos Val (a two piece of post rockery).

Here's some Amos Val -

Very fun and we hung out with a fellow named Chris whom we'd met and played with on our last trip down this way. We met some other very friendly people also, chatted for a few hours and then went on our way, headed for Chico and the Californian sun. We stopped in a monster shopping centre and camped outside of a Starbucks, which ended up being incredibly busy in the morning.

Day 28 – Chico

Sweet mother of peaches it is hot here. We arrived early and spent some time by a pool that's actually a diverted part of the river. We ate food and lounged around. Such heat requires a serious lounge.

Later we headed for the show – at a place called the Origami Lounge – and set up for the first of three shows with two bands – You Are Plural (from Olympia) and The Americas (Chico / Petaluma). Another local act called Birds of Prey rounded out the bill.

Travis and Casey laying it down (below) -

The venue was basically a barn / warehouse space. I saw a lot of spiders, but no one would confirm my sightings (although Scott did notice some webs on his gear at the end of the night). Efram and Jenn (You are Plural) made some beautiful wurlitzer / cello music; their excellence was stunning. Travis and Casey (the Americas) were a no holds barred attack of drums and guitar. Great dudes and Casey is one of the best drummers I've ever seen live.

After the gig we got some pizza at a busy local haunt, watched some locals be yokels, and then travelled to Casey's parents place for some snoozin'.

Day 29 – Sunburning and Santa Rosa

In the morning we were greeted with delicious eggs, kale and chick pea salad and peaches whipped up by Casey's mother Mo. Such a lovely lady and crazy delicious food. We were given directions to a local swimming hole in Upper Bidwell Park and set off on an adventure.

The vultures are circling!

The swimming hole was at the mouth of a canyon made up of volcanic rock. We jumped in, washed up and lay on the surrounding rocks. Unfortunately we'd left the sunscreen in the van and our incredible level of comfort precluded a journey back. Somehow we thought a little baking under the unrelenting California sun would do us good.

We were very wrong. About an hour after leaving the swimming hole we began to feel the severity of the burn. Aloe Vera has been frequently and liberally applied.

It's a lizarD

We drove in discomfort to Santa Rosa, headed for the Arlene Francis Centre for the second night of You Are Plural and The Americas, and joining us was a friend of theirs from Tokyo – Masa – who did some solo experimental music under the moniker Killa Ghost Bastard. The evening was grand and we loitered extensively.

Killa Ghost Bastard tweaking the dials -

You Are Plural making with the beauty -

We were lucky enough to get hooked up with a place to stay at a couple named Josh and Sarah's place - they play together with some other cats in a band called The New Trust; Josh also plays in a band called The Velvet Teen. They lived in a sweet old house with a dog named Murray (Bill) and 2 cats. All the bands ended up crashing there and we carried on into the evening, drinking home brew beer and talking music.

Heeeeeeere's Murray!

All of these cats were great, friendly and generous people – we felt pretty damn fortunate. The next day we were all headed for San Francisco with high anticipation – the best burrito joint we'd ever eaten lies in the Mission district.