Last tour blog of the winter.

Well, I have absolutely no idea where to start. Exactly a week from this morning we were on our way to drop off Algernon Cadwallader at an airport just outside of Seattle. The big bye bye. This morning I'm sitting at the corner of 1st and Market in San Francisco writing this on the back of a coupon waiting for work to begin. It's taken a while get things rolling on the final chapter of our tour blog since getting back home and it's mostly do to my not wanting to acknowledge that tour really is over. After solidifying relationships with three awesome dudes through 2 weeks of playing raging shows up the coast every night and waking up every morning free of almost all responsibility we were forced to say good bye with no certain plans in the future to meet up again. Bummer, I guess.

LOOKIN LIKE A BUNCH OF FUCKING SNOWBOARDERS

This January awarded me the greatest winter vacation I've ever had and no amount of bullshit that I experience at work, no debt collectors or exorbitant overdraft fees, not even my broken teeth or any of the stupid relationships I'm sure to engage in come spring, nothing, can ever take these memories away from me. And I guess that's what being in a band is really all about for me. Making lifelong friends and rocking out in the process. Collecting good times and building a shelter to dream in when life is shit.

TOTAL ROCKERS

PORTLAND: DAY ONE

Anyway... The last time I posted to the blog was right after tripping on a bunch of mushrooms in Weed, California. That was the day before driving up to Portland for a radio show with Chelsea at KPSU and a lot has happened and been forgotten since then. Anyway... the KPSU thing consisted of us mostly playing music and not knowing what to say in between songs. Algernon did pretty much the same thing, but Peter said more funny stuff than me between songs. There was not a single slice of pizza at the studio(LAME), but a bunch of strange kids came to hang out and watch us look old which was cool. Chelsea let Joe and I play a song from our other band Weed Hotel. Jackson, from Yi said that our song was extremely disorianting and didn't make any sense. The full set of us and Algernon on the radio plus the Weed Hotel single are going to be put out on a split tape available sometime in the future when I can get my shit togetehr.

Weirdos + Algernon

After the show we got to hang out with some of our favorite people who currently live in the northwest. It's true that every single time we stay at their house on tour, something breaks and the place smells funny when we leave, but they never complain about it and always invite us back. Pizza and drinks. Arcade and Pinball. More drinks. More drinks.

BEST PICTURE I COULD FIND

Walked into a shitty hipster/yuppie bar because I was drunk and dillusional enough to think that it was going to be awesome and we were going to make a bunch of friends. I was wrong and that place was weird in a bad way. Caught the end of a friend's show somewhere else. Danced with strangers. Awesome. Brum got kicked out for I don't know what, but the bouncer was wearing a sailors outfit on and I'm glad he didn't beat me up when I made fun of him for being tough. Back at the house we had a van party in the driveway and pissed off some of the neighbors even though we weren't even really being that loud. Weak. Blah blah blah. Slipped in the mud, couldn't find my headphones, fell asleep to pinnocio and Jacob complaining about how drunk everyone else was.

BLAH BLAH BLAH

PORTLAND: DAY TWO

In the morning I took my first shower of the tour before meeting up with my friend Chrissy for breakfast.

Afterwards, we rode her tandem bicycle to the bluffs and then to Mississippi Records where everyone

else was already thinking about spending money they didn't have. Picked up some awesome tapes including And Justice For All

and Mama Said Know You Out. Drank too much coffee and more blah blahs. Tour was ruling

and everyone was excited about having some time to hang out without a long drive waiting for us at

the end of the day.

MORE PIZZA BEFORE MORE PIZZA

Our show at the Aristery ruled. The people who live their rule. I have crushes on most of them. I would hang out with them on a regular basis if we didn't live 700 miles apart. Epic food fight after the show ruled. Hitting people trying to buy merch with pastries? Multiple times? Too good. Blah blah blah. Cory did an amazing job setting us up this show and I couldn't be happier to have a friend like him in Portland. Actually, everyone that we've formed friendships with in Portland rule and I hope they all know how much their support is appreciated.

It took a while to collect ourselves once the show was over, but after the longest food fight ever with the folks that live there and some extra awesome shit talking we finally got to packing up our stuff. Cool. Dropped off the van at our base for the night and walked to a bar where Chrissy was working. I don't remember how many drinks we actually paid for, but I know we all drank a lot. And I know there was quite a few broken glasses and a lot of public urinating and some bro wanted to fight me, but I don't remember why and did we really bring the flag into the fucking bar? I think I was supposed to go hang out with this total babe, but Al accidentally peed on me in front of her and I think that killed the mood. Maybe? Peter definitely did... go home with someone. I think this entry is making us sound like assholes. Oops. Can we stay at your house?

NOT MY BAND

DONT PISS ON THE FLAG DUDE

OLYMPIA: DAY WHATEVER

The next morning all that I wanted to do was get some rest and a good breakfast before taking off for Olympia. Ended up getting up earlier than I thought, but it was for the best and I spent a good part of the morning catching up with my personal journal before going to breakfast. Also tried to read the news, but after just a week and a half of being disconnected I had already began to feel like out of touch while sifting through the headlines.

WE AREN'T THIS BORING IN REAL LIFE

OLYMPIA: DAY WHATEVER

The next morning all that I wanted to do was get some rest and a good breakfast before taking off for Olympia. Ended up getting up earlier than I thought, but it was for the best and I spent a good part of the morning catching up with my personal journal before going to breakfast. I also tried to read the news, but after just a week and a half of not paying attention I was already already feeling severely disconnected while sifting through the headlines.

SEE LOOK ALMOST A HUMAN PYRAMID

Joe and Tank got up fairly early to get breakfast(which ended up just being a bar that serves food) and we misplaced them until we had to leave at the show around 4. It was raining when we got there. The drive to Olympia was interesting. At one of the gas station stops Joe was feeling sick and after walking into to find the bathroom with puke in his beard, all eyes were on him and off me, buying enough time to walk out the door with a case of beer unnoticed.

About an hour outside of Olympia I got a call from the guy putting on our show. He wanted to let me know that the show was still on and that it should be an awesome time, but also that a tree had fallen on the house and. Whatever. By the way, not that it really should matter or anything, but the guy who I was talking to on the phone: Kevin Bacon's son. TRUTH. I'd heard the rumors as far back as 2007 and even have a Choose Your Poison record that he'd put out on Bacon Towne Records, but I wasn't sure if it was a real thing. Well. It is. The offspring of the dude from quicksilver is a punk or whatever. And he did a great job with the show.

SOME SHIT HUH?

The lineup...

Algernon Cadwallader, RVIVR, Big Kids, Foreign Objects, Pink Nightmare, and Outlook.

You've got to be fucking kidding me right? One of the most amazing house shows I've ever been a part of or even just been to for that matter. Everyone who lives at The Swamp House that I met was awesome and I can't thank them enough for helping make this happen and putting up with the overwhelming amount of people that showed up. Thanks!

I was't able to catch too many pictures because I was too busy having a good time and the lens kept fogging up, but here's a few...

HELLA MOIST HELLA AWESOME

(and just cuz... lately I've been getting bummed on people trying way too hard to crowd surf or whatever. Please don't try and do that shit if you're not as light as a beach ball and please don't kick people while they're being forced to hold you up and please be as good at it as Al is)

OUTLOOK IS REAL GOOD

DIDN'T GET CLOSE ENOUGH FOR RVIVR, FOREIGN OBJECTS OR PINK NIGHTMARE FOR PICS, BUT I DID RECORD THEM WITH THIS DUDE

WHO CARES

After the show: Van got stuck in the mud. Old friends had a reunion. A ton of people from the show were at the diner we went to. Insane downpour that lasted all of 60 seconds at the most. Lots of Seahawks jerseys.

SPACESHIP FOOD

SEATTLE: LAST SHOW WITH ALGERNON

Morning was a short drive. Arrived in Seattle before the afternoon was over. Drove by the venue, but didn't stick around. Went to the park and took pictures that tourist like to take. Ran laps around the big fountain near the space needle. Thought about food. Mini band fight. Shoplifted a disposable camera from the waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced sound museum. Did stuff with it.

THE FIGHT

LOOKING TOURIST COOL

ROCKER GUY

I GUESS THINGS ARE GOING TO WORK OUT

Chris was feeling like shit, so he went back to the van and passed out. I felt pretty bad for him since it was our last day to trip around with our east coast buddies, but I think at this point in the tour almost everyone had been sick at one point or another and it was bound to hit Chris at some point.

We took the van back to a friend's house and lounged.

LOOKS LIKE SOME AMERICAN APPAREL SHIT TO ME

PETE MADE UP SONGS ON A 5ISH STRING GUITAR

IT WAS KIND OF SAD

We also ate pizza, failed at charades, Joe, Al, and I went on a journey, Tank and I smoked in the rain, shared moments of premature nostalgia, got ready to leave for the show really late.

By the time we got to the show people were already showed up, which I guess is never a bad thing. Our contacts at The Black Lodge, Jeff and Kieth, are legit as fuck and had done a bunch of work to the place since the last time that I played there. A small stage now was set up on the wall alongside the windows and I think some extra space was added. Cool. Once again all the bands were awesome. Pink Nightmare got added last second and played first. Livingston Seagull and Jason Clackley were next. By the time we were getting ready to set up, party time had gone into overdrive and Chris had started feeling better.

TIGHT

DISPOSABLE TIGHT

BAND PHOTO

WUTEVER

JASON CLACKLEY WRITES JAMZ

BEER IN YOUR ASS

Show was over. Jeff got Joe and I high. Awesome trip. That night we this happened. No, seriously. We're commandos.

This is examining what "happened" the night before before heading to the airport.

We said good bye, shit was sad.

Joe, Peter, and Tank are amazing dudes.

Hopefully round two happens this Summer with them, 1994!, and Snowing.

We'll see.

PLEASE READ THE TOP OF THIS BLOG FOR EMO STUFF ABOUT SAYING GOODBYE OR WHATEVER.

PS> new songs are on the internet.