Show Journal 2006-04-06
Well, that was a quick one. We loaded in at 7:30, had watched 3 bands, played a set, went out for dinner at the Montage after the show and were home by 11:45. I think whoever set up the show put the bands in the wrong order. Everyone was there to see Broadway Calls and we were pretty much filler at the end. Broadway Calls did totally rock though. Josh and Ty can play pretty much any style of music well. Who knew Ty could sing so well? Damn. Matt was a good front man as well and Robby seems to be a promising addition. I’m glad there is so much buzz currently surrounding their band because they totally delivered live and are some of the most deserving folks we’ve ever run across. Daggermouth was pretty cool. Very fast and very energetic. I’d like to see them again with more crowd participation but that’s the Loveland on a weeknight for you. No Secrets Between Sailors cancelled which stunk because I wanted to see them. Thirty3 was up next. By this point so many people had left (which wasn’t very many to begin with) they invited everyone to come up on stage which was cool since it felt small and intimate which is nearly impossible in a room that big. They also covered ‘Linoleum’ by NOFX in what has to have been a tribute to the stage. They sounded great and my ears are still hurting from Chris’s mind numbingly loud guitar. We were last and by this point even more people had left. We also had everyone come on the stage but even that looked empty. Maybe 20-25 people on stage tops? Hell, even half the other bands didn’t bother coming up on stage. There were a few people that seemed to be having a good time (including us) so I guess that’s all that matters. It probably would have been a little more energetic had Justin been out of his cast but that thing just isn’t healing quickly. Anyway, thanks to King Banana and people who stuck around late. The dudes in Broadway Calls and Tre Tre should already know they are some of our favorite people in the whole world.
Show Journal 2006-04-01
Can’t believe we’ve never played in Olympia before. We’ve driven past or through it probably 100 times, but never had a show there. Too bad, since from what I can tell they have a pretty good thing going on there. The people were nice and the show was pretty fun. Starting Over started off the night well with some good songs and a Face To Face cover. Jaded 52 was up second and sounded pretty good as well. They upped the ante a bit but performing not one but two Face To Face covers. Unfortunately they covered the only two songs I know how to play on guitar so we had to rule out one of our own. Go Get The Scissors was third and sounded pretty solid too. Wish I could play that well at their age. Hell, I wish I could play that well now. No Face To Face cover but that’s ok. Go Get The Scissors are also the ones responsible for setting up the show so we’d like to thank them for that now. Our set was interesting. No one really left, but at the same time no one really looked interested either. I don’t think they knew what to think of us. It was fun to play again (after cancelling all those shows) and we actually saw a few people singing along so I’d say the night was a success. I do wish Justin had been fully mobile (he’s still in a boot for his ankle) so they could have gotten the “full experience” but maybe next time. Thanks again to the Manium folks and especially to GGTS. Next time we’ll hope to catch a pirate fight.
Justin is less fragile
Justin’s status has been downgraded from totally jacked to just mildly crippled. April’s shows will go on!
Show Journal 2006-03-15
This show was a little off right from the get go. With only two weeks promotion there was maybe 75 people there tops. This was shocking since the last few times I’ve seen DBS it was as close to chaos as you can get at a show. 75 people is probably being generous and there were far, far less than that for all of the opening bands. Maybe 30 at it’s peak? Normally I’d try to find something nice to say about each band but since we could see some members mocking us from the side room I’ve opted to say fuck it. I had a scathing monologue about substance vs. fashion outlined in my head but I have neither the time nor inclination to commit it to the computer screen. Don’t be fooled though, our set definitely wasn’t anything to write home about either. We played alright but does it matter if no one looks interested? Justin’s gimpiness didn’t help the lack of enthusiasm on stage or off. On a positive note Death By Stereo rocked it hard tonight. You can always spot the great bands because they can rock any size crowd and leave you feeling good no matter how dire the turnout may seem. I figured they would see the crowd size, play quick and bail, but they took their time, didn’t hold back anything and got everyone excited. Serious props to DBS for rocking and especially for the AWK cover. Thanks to the few that watched the earlier bands and Wishbone for the show.
Justin is very fragile
Bad news. Justin went for a follow up and the doctor said the ankle isn’t healing well. He’s been instructed not to stand without crutches and was basically told he was foolish for trying to play the shows we did. As much as it sucks we’ve had to cancel our next 4 shows including Lincoln City, Roseburg (again!), Estacada and sadly the one with 45 Grave in Portland. The promoters worked hard at setting up these shows and went out of their way to accommodate our band. We completely appreciate it so please do them a favor and check out the shows regardless. Tentatively our April shows (and tonights with DBS) are still on, but we’ll know more in two weeks with Justin’s next doctor visit.
Show Journal 2006-03-11
The word for tonight was snow. Lots of it. On the way over the mountain we kept getting ominous messages from Thirty3 about icy roads and snowy lanes. Then the clincher came when they came across a fresh accident near Warm Spings. A car in the road was totaled and another had flown over the guardrail and down a several hundred foot tall cliff. They got out their “van”, looked over the rail, saw some smoke and the car at the bottom of the cliff actually exploded. Serious. They ended up getting re-routed on some back roads. When we got to the scene almost an hour later it was still a flurry of activity. (In fact they were still pulling the wreckage out on our way home almost 6 hours later!) We ended up getting to Madras in about 3 hours (usually takes 2) but unfortunately we missed Zombie Co-Pilot. The Kronkmen were up second and started to get people moving. It had been a long time since I had seen Thirty3 and I had forgotten what I had been missing. Lots of new songs tonight and they even debuted one from their new album that Dave has a cameo on. It’s fun watching Dave seem hardcore because he always reverts to finger pointing. Don’t all hardcore singers though? Anyway, even without vocals Tre Tre killed it. We had to follow that and I think we did ok. Started off a little slow but by the half way point people started going nuts. Of course the party always starts when Larry And His Flask arrives because they know how to throw down. The set was good, the people up front were awesome and we had a blast. Knowing we had a long snowy drive ahead of us we loaded out down the icy stairs and headed over to a gas station where Jon proceeded to practice his dry docking skills. We got in formation and headed up the pass. Seems it had been snowing because there was a hell of a lot more snow on the way back up. It was even hard to see a few times with the regular head lights on. It didn’t help that Dave kept wanting to try out his camera (with flash) in the sketchy conditions. In was snowing and icy all the way to Sandy which is probably the most I’ve ever seen living here. Thanks to everyone who attended the show with extra thanks to PJ, Kaylin, Stephanie and all those who helped put on, setup and clean up the show!
Show Journal 2006-03-10
This was the first of what will be many shows with Justin on crutches and rocking an orthopedic boot. How was it? Weird. Not good, not bad, just weird. After playing so many shows with Justin jumping, running, kicking and often falling it’s strange to see him practically motionless. Oddly enough we played super tight since there was little activity. Could have done without the broken string and the failed intro to T-Minus, but overall the show was pretty cool. The only sucky parts was that Drive cancelled because the drummer had a root canal that day. It was nice to finally see Sledgeback perform. Also, the Altarboys seemed particularly wound up tonight which makes them extra entertaining to watch. Not necessarily their tightest set, but the energy was there and that’s what makes them cool. Thanks to Heather and the Ash Street and al our friends who actually showed up.
Walking can be dangerous
So in a bizarre work mishap Justin managed to tear the ligament just above his ankle. What does that mean? Serious pain coupled with 4-6 weeks in cast and crutches. That time frame pretty much encompasses all of our next 15 shows. We’re going to see how this weekend goes before we decide if anything needs to be cancelled or not. Sigh…
Show moves
Looks like our show with Death By Stereo on March 15th has been moved from Longview to Portland. Also, we’ve added a show in Lincoln City for March 17th. Lastly, our Bend show that got busted by the cops is rescheduled for April. Plenty more to choose from around the NW. Word.
Show Journal 2006-02-25
Before playing in a band I had never heard of a “grange hall”. I couldn’t describe what they looked like, what you would find inside or what strange goings on occur at them. It’s weird the things you become acquainted with being in an underground band. Anyway, this was our second trip to McMinnville. I’m surprised we made it because Dave decided to take a quick nap while helping Dustin navigate. Good thing Justin and I were paying attention or we’d still be in the van right now. Speaking of the van, it’s officially disgusting. Every time you open a door trash falls out. It’s as if someone unloaded a dumpster inside and the doors are bustling at the seams with cans, fast food packaging and crumpled up paper. I digress. To sum it up the show was just “i-ight”. Weird look and feel to the place. The stage was small and had strange lighting not becoming of a punk show. First Offense souded pretty good. I would compliment the other bands here but despite watching all their set I didn’t catch either of the other bands names. In a trend unique to McMinnille people lined the benches on either side of the room while a few people stood up and rocked out. It looked like a middle school dance, with girls on one side, boys on the other and everyone just waiting for someone to make a move. Fortunately that someone was Kill The Kids, who set up on the floor and tore it up as usual. Must be nice to play two nights in a row assholes! (Sorry, we’re still jaded after our ill fated trip to Bend last night!) Our set was pretty fun. It was hard to hear each other but some people knew the words so that was cool to see. Plus it’s impossible not to enjoy yourself with Kill The Kids in the front row. Thanks to the grange hall, those who helped make the show happen and all the new faces we met!
Latest Photos