Archive Sunday #20

SD: In late March we made our way down south to play several shows on the west coast. I think the first day was a straight travel day to Redding CA. I remember we all played 20 questions in the van on the way down to curb the boredom. About 10 hours in things got heated when the guys got mad that I picked something outside the traditional three states of matter, but thankfully we were almost there. We found a pretty sweet mexican spot on the side of a gas station for dinner, then settled in the for the night.

The next day we finished the rest of the scenic drive through the Californian forests to get to Reno. We loaded-in at a cool community art/music venue called the Holland Project, and got to check out some inspiring art in the gallery in front before the show. We stayed the night in a cheap old casino in neighboring Sparks where it seemed like we were the only patrons under 60. We roamed the casino floor a bit and watched Will play Keno and Andrew almost get kicked out from the Craps table for having too many hands on the table.

Our next show was in San Francisco at the Rickshaw Stop. I think this was our first show playing with the band Mothers. The crowd seemed to enjoy the blend of both our styles, and it turned out to be a great night. Next, we headed down to LA to play at the Natural History Museum. The stage was set up in a large exhibit hall flanked with dioramas of bison, eagles, and cavemen. We got to explore the museum a bit after soundcheck and saw some interesting dinosaur fossils and rock exhibits. It was pretty surreal playing in front stuffed figures of our ancestors, but we made the best of it.

The following afternoon we played at a barbecue in someone's backyard with Mothers. We played a short set before we headed back up north towards Santa Cruz. I'm pretty sure this was my first time trying barbecue jackfruit, and it was way better than I expected. On our way back up through California we stopped at a random park to play some basketball and catch some sun. I can't remember who won, but it definitely wasn't my team.

Our last show was at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz. It was mostly a cozy crepe restaurant, but they moved some tables around inside for shows after dinner service. I think we got a discounted meal out in the patio when we arrived, and it was probably the best meal we had all trip. The show was small and cramped with no stage for separation, but I kinda enjoyed the intimate feel.

AK: I don't remember much from this leg. I do remember playing the Natural History Museum because we played BLID and I completely fucked up the ending because I couldn't hear shit on stage. It was back when we used wedge monitors on stage and you basically had to just blast that thing into the side of your head to overpower the sound of the drums in front of you. It all just becomes a mish mash and it's really hard to hear individual instruments past the wall of sound when songs get loud and heavy. So I missed my cue and kept playing. Thankfully the rest of the guys just said fuck it and kept playing with me and we finished it out strong. But it was funny/memorable/frightening.

The backyard part I sort of remember too. If I recall correctly it was just like the record label doing some people a favor? I remember Will Arnet was there or something? Maybe I'm making that up.

WT: I don't think we met Will Arnett until later, a UK show he happened to be at. Very nice guy. The barbecue was one of those Hollywood meetup deals, but I don't remember actually meeting anyone there.

Museum shows - what kind of crazy idea is that? It probably sounded terrible with the echoing cavernous room we were in, but it was fun enough to play. The Holland Project is an arts and music space in Reno that happened to be displaying a series of paintings by Hojin Jung the day we played. That series, "The Lady", captivated me, as did the message recorded by Hojin I got when I dialed the number on the plaque. For the rest of the tour, when Beach Life-in-Death hit part 2 and everyone dropped out but Ethan, I would dial up the number and play back the message holding my phone up to the mic. Who knows if anyone heard it. In any case, it's that message you hear at the end of "High to Death" on Twin Fantasy Face to Face, and the "Lady" paintings are featured in the CD booklet. Hojin is selling prints of the art here, if you want some great wall art.