Tales from the Road - The Adventures of Keyz with Slammin Jack and Hippy Killer

Another Temp-Agency Night Shift

2006-03-14T08:45:13Z

Here we go with another installment in the continuing adventures that constitute my experiences working for a temporary employment agency. This time I was working the night shift in a plant that manufactures steel and aluminum items for a very large American owned chain of home renovation superstores. The factory itself is pretty small, super laid back, and surprisingly easy on the body. I got to work at three thirty, and promptly started my first paid break. from three thirty to four. We worked for two hours, and had another break from six to six thirty. After another hour and a half of work, we took an hour for lunch. From nine to ten we worked, and from ten to ten ten thirty it was break time, again. We then did our final push, a total of a half an hour, before ending the day, eleven to eleven thirty, with one final break. All in all, eight hours paid for five hours work. Not bad, huh?

The workers were extremely welcoming and concerned that we didn't work to hard. That being said, there was of course the emphasis on efficiency that comes with all manufacturing and production type industries. Having grown up working on farms, it's kind of second nature to try to minimize non-productive movement, so once I got into the rhythm, it went pretty smoothly. As always, there was a job offer. "You seem to have some competence for this kind of work. Have you worked in manufacturing before," said my supervisor, in the thick accent of the Chinese proletariat. I could only chuckle as I said no, not really, and continued to package roof edge flashing into bundles of ten, as fast as the machine spit them out, which was a pretty comfortable pace, actually: just enough to keep warm in the cold warehouse.

During the dinner break, the Filipinos all brought out different dishes, heated them, and proceeded to have a potluck feast. I think the sharing of food in the Filipino fashion is one of the most interesting and positive cultural traits I have observed in my four years in this diverse city of Vancouver. What a great idea. One person brings chicken and rice, one brings those steamed pork buns, one brings something I can't really explain (but it smelled great), and they all get to have a quality, homecooked meal. It sure looked a hell of a lot better than my Pizza Pop (I was rushed).

Anyway, after only a minimal moment of soul searching, I decided not to fill out the application; instead, I'll continue to make the small bucks, and have the freedom to pursue my musical ambitions, while at the same time getting these excellent little glimpses into the lives of the blue collar Vancouverite in his element.
Scott

88keyz88 @ 2006-03-10T12:52:00

2006-03-10T12:55:33Z

So.... it's 4:55 am.... I just finished drinking a coffee and I'm about to eat a chunk of tofu fried with a peice of onion, two old mushrooms and a clove of garlic, all mixed into a little penne. No sauce.

I didn't sleep, I couldn't. Just finished a nice painting project at the beginning of the week. Got a quote out half an hour ago. Did a piano lesson yesterday.

I'm about to leave the house and head out to Labour Ready. Gotta do something between contracts.

Hmm

Some notes on the Cumberland Shows

2006-03-08T23:34:55Z

I realized the other day that I had not written anything about the Cumberland shows, the two show weekend that capped off the end of our tour. I was thinking that it wasn't really fair that they be left out, even though, since we were home for five days before we left for those shows, it seemed as if they weren't actually a part of the tour at all, but a sort of quick weekend trip. Regardless, they deserve mention.

We seemed a little rushed leaving town. I had worked until midnight at the UPS plant the night before, for some extra cash, and I was a little harried as we left. Well, we were all together en-route to the ferry, when I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten my keyboard stand. There was no turning back.... it's not like I forgot my keyboard (which I have done before, at the start of the last tour no less). As we drove, I tried to find a solution. Two stools? No.... A table? Too much room on stage, doesn't look professional.... I had it! When we got to the ferry terminal, I called Jim (collect) and said, "I have no keyboard stand, or amp (long story, the amp)! But, if you bring the Hammond, I can put my keyboard on top! Then, if you borrow that Fender head and cab that we used for the album, I can put that on the leslie!" He didn't sound as enthusiastic about it as I was, but when I got there, sure enough, there was a hammond and leslie for me! We set up, and then set out to get some food.

As it turns out, there was a Taiwanese culture festival in town. Apparently, each year, this festival of paper arts, food, and Taiwanese culture, comes to Canada, and visits three towns, including Cumberland. Apparently, Cumberland was once the largest Taiwanese settlement in Canada! Who knew! (While we were learning this, we also learned another interesting but unrelated fact: that Texada Island, of all places, once had the only opera house north of San Francisco!) The story goes that a small Taiwanese town was once entirely employed making clothes for Barbie Dolls, and when Mattel (I think) pulled out, they were left with no source of income. Realizing that the only thing they did better than everyone else was make craft type things, they started making paper lanterns and doll clothes out of paper, and eventually hit the road, with great success. I tried their food; it was excellent (except the squid balls, which were free with the purchase of any three items). I especially liked the sausage, but apparently the resulting burps affected the entire stage later. The fish fries were pretty rad too: made of fish, taste like fries.

We went back to J and G's for a while. Laverne and the girls came, we set up our sleeping arrangements (I snagged a private room... wink, wink... sorry Heath) and then headed back to the bar.

The show was quite busy, partially, at least, due to Jim's local celebrity status as the bassist from Vitamin L and the Relentless Couchmen! Dance floor packed, we rocked until the bar closed.

The next day, Gretchen came to me looking somewhat perturbed. She said she had something to confess and she looked quite disturbed about it. Apparently, she'd come our room during the night, and was greeted by the shocking sight of me, naked, unconscious, and spread eagled, balls facing the door. Shocking! She had to tell me, she said, because she didn't want me hearing from someone else!

For the bulk of the day we hung out, eating fantastic Gretchen food, and watching Debbie take top honours at the poker tournament, after going heads up with Jeffrey. I gotta say, the girls are representing at poker these days!

All day, the snow just dumped on us. We were nervous that the show would be dead. On the way there, we hit a roadblock, and of course, they pulled us over, since we didn't all have seatbelts on. That was because there aren't any on the bench seats in the back of the van, but they still pulled us over. A cop came over and checked Sean's license. "From Vancouver?" she said.

"Yes," he replied.

"You're all from Vancouver?"

"Yup."

"Is this a road trip for you guys?" she asked.

"We're a band," someone said.

"We're playing at the Waverly tonight." I quipped from the back.

"Oh, are we holding you up?" she said, with what sounded like actual concern in her voice."

"Well, we're late for soundcheck," I said, from the back again. She hesitated for a second.

"Okay, be on your way," and just like that we were taking off in the snow, everyone warning Sean to "take it easy," "don't spin the tires," etc. Whew, being a band got us out of another one. We sure didn't want to get searched, even if pot is the major industry on the island.

We got the the bar and quickly called the house, warning everyone about the roadblock. The message got through and all of the rest of our crew was prepared.

The show was not slow at all! In fact, despite the snow and the travelling distance, we had a packed house. Rich's brother, who'd hitch-hiked from Victoria, opened the show. He played some jems, including a mini acoustic Beaver, and some French language song that sounded sweet and romantic but that Rich told us was quite vulgar.

There was a bit of tension as Verney and I listened to some redneck assholes insult us "hippies" (although why I get lumped in with the hippies I'm not sure) but soon the bar was jumpin', even the rednecks, minus a couple who had to try to act aloof as they had already stated their hatred of us. Must suck for them, having to hold back from grooving out of pride. It was fun to watch them hit on our girlfriends and get stuffed.

After the show we headed home, noting that some poor sap had been pulled over. Thank goodness that isn't us we thought as we drove by. It wasn't until we got home that we found out it was Gretchen and Andy and company.... Andy had been hanging out with Alice all night too! He pulled through like a champ.

All's well that ends well, and we headed back to Vancouver the next day. And that's that!

Making Regular Shaped Piles From Irregularly Shaped Boxes

2006-03-02T22:31:51Z

I've just spent the last few days working the night shift at a very large and well known shipping company's sorting plant, loading trailers. I am amazed at the shear volume of freight that is processed at this particular airport-area Vancouver facility. There are several other things that I found somewhat (but not entirely) surprising.

The first thing is maybe not entirely surprising: putting a 'fragile,' 'do not stack,' or 'this side up' sticker on a package makes entirely no difference in how the package is handled and really only serves to make the package the butt of various jokes (and even mishandling, in some cases).

Freight sent using Expedited, Express, Standard, or Economy service, is loaded side by side in the very same trailers, implying that higher service levels are only different from lower service levels in their price, not in their handling or their speed, unless the lower priced service levels are intentionally held on to for a couple of days at the end of the line.

Thankfully, I was working through a temp agency, and so I have no obligation to return. Although I was repeatedly offered permanent work (the supervisors were amazed at my natural ability to stack irregular packages into regular piles) I turned it down, as the pay rate is not in line with the wear and tear on the body.

This morning I woke up sore, and realized that this past week of manual labour has done wonders to undo the damage wrought by the last Slammin Jack tour. However, I don't think I could spend ten years stacking heavy boxes, working my way up from nine bucks and hour to about thirteen, no matter how good the benefits are, once they kick in after my first year.

Wheezing..... The Effects of Rock and Roll on My Belt Size and Lung Capacity

2006-02-21T20:38:13Z

One thing I never thought of when I decided I wanted to be a rock star was how quickly the lifestyle can take its toll on your health. I'm not talking about cocaine and rye filled nights, or the dangers of sleeping with groupies of dubious cleanliness. No doubt these dangers do exist, and although I wouldn't be admitting to taking part in such activities even if I had done so at any given time (I can neither confirm nor deny any such charges), I will admit to a somewhat less lecherous rock and roll lifestyle which is affecting my health in a noticeable way.

Some of you may be aware that on this past tour, the average age of Slammin Jack was approximately thirty years old. I was told all my life that my "fast metabolism" wouldn't last forever, and that one day I would start to notice the effects of eating however much I wanted, whenever I wanted. Now, I may have been able to squeeze a few more years out of that state of affairs, were it not for the long haul tours across this wide, wide country we call Canada. The major health effectors on these tours (at least for an independent, self financed band) are not drugs and STD's, they are beer, bar food, and eight hour van rides!

At the beginning of this tour, our bassist Jim stated his goal: to break two hundred pounds for the first time. Now, being 6' 5", two hundred isn't that fat; in fact, he is usually pretty much a rail of a man. About halfway through, we realized he was going to pull it off with no problems at all. Between homemade perogies and banana cream pie in Thunder Bay, thick cuts of wild meat in Belleville, numerous East Coast lobsters, mountainous plates of spaghetti and St. Andrew's cheese in Cornwall, burgers, fries, pizza and tacos in the bars, and beer all day every day, it was inevitable that we were going to put on some weight. Add smoking and sitting still for hours on end to the equation, and you can imagine the damage that can be done in only five or six weeks.

And it all comes down to this: I just came back from a twenty minute run. The last time I ran for exercise sake was when I played Rugby for Port Perry High. Back then I could run for ninety minutes with only momentary rests to catch my breath. Now, after about ten minutes I'm coughing and wheezing and spitting thick phlegm on the sidewalk. Oh, the horror in that young mother's eyes as I struggled round the corner and almost hawked a loogie on the child she was pushing in her stroller!

So, it may be a little past new years, but I've already gone for a run every day this week (starting yesterday), and I intend to right the wrongs I've done to my formerly healthy body. I know the repair will take much longer than the damage, but at least this past tour was only six weeks or so, and not six months. Maybe I'll be able to fit into those awesome bell-bottom cords by the next tour!

88keyz88 @ 2006-02-20T11:17:00

2006-02-20T19:43:10Z

Okay, now that I am back in Vancouver for a few days, I can update the tour blog.

A lot has happened since the last update.

Our two shows in Saskatoon were absolutely fantastic. Since this update is going on the official tour blog as well I can only say that, in addition to our best Saskatoon turnouts yet, the events of the weekend were such that I wouldn't even have been able to make them up. You wouldn't believe me if I wrote them anyway, and so, I won't.

Valentine's Day in the Slocan Valley was excellent. The Little Slocan Lodge is something very special. Check them out before reading on:

http://www.littleslocanlodge.com/

When we got there, some volunteers were hard at work painting a giant Jack of Hearts for the show. We got our stuff inside and settled in for the night, feeling great to be in such a comfortable location among such great people. The lodge is truly amazing, and we just love it!

The next day I was up earlier than anyone, and I decided to go for a walk in the cold winter air, to maybe work off a bit of the beer and burger fat I built up this tour. I walked up the path, and there was a yellow toboggan beside the trail. I took a few steps past it, and stopped. I turned around, and looked at it.

"Might as well take it up the hill, just in case," I thought to myself. I took it by the string, and started up the long, steep trail. It took me a while and I was a little out of breath when I got to the clearing at the top of the hill. I looked forward. It was beautiful! I looked backward. It was steep. I breathed heavily, and then made a decision: screw the walk! I hopped in the toboggan and headed down the hill.

The trail had been worn into the snow in the shape of an icy bobsled track, and thank goodness for that, because before long I was moving faster than I had ever been on a toboggan. With a twenty foot drop to my right I made a hard left turn and started the long descent back to the lodge. About halfway down I started giggling and by the time I hit the bottom I was laughing like a maniac. My thirst for the outdoors slaked, I headed inside.

We spent the day lazing about, eating fine vegetarian food, and setting up for the show. Before long, friends old and new were arriving at the lodge. Our good friend Alice arrived too, and as you know, when she parties with us, the parties can get weird! We played four sets and a two song encore. The highlights for me were the weirdest Black Creek drum solo ever (Sean was somewhere in the cosmos that he's probably never been before) and Juice Pig. Gretchen and Earl seemed particularly affected by the skull-scraping sounds in the middle of A Hole...... There was talk of some Space Frog.....

After the show, a whole bunch of people went tobogganing again! This time, Brody pulled them down the trail on a huge toboggan, diving out of the way at the last minute! I wasn't going to go, in fact I had recently decided that I would never use a muscle again, and was having excellent luck getting people to pull me around on the floor, and turn my head to different angles when I wanted to look at something. Sometime after I decided I was only going to communicate through zipper sounds for the rest of my life, Gretched convinced me to go out by dressing me up in wings and a thneed (invented by Dr. Seuss, see the Lorax) and dragging me into the cold night. When I got there I realized the craziness that was going on. Jim had been chugging a beer every time he climbed to the top of the trail (and they had already been out there for hours), smashing the can, pocketing it, and heading down the hill...... you fill in the rest. We tobogganed until eight or nine in the morning.

I didn't sleep at all, so at around one in the afternoon I woke everyone up and made us leave. I wanted to get home to Verny more than anything, and the ride home may have been one of the longest eight hour trips I've ever been on. Thank goodness I was able to sleep for the first half.

This past weekend we played Sonar, here in Vancouver, and The Boot Pub in Whistler.

Sonar was excellent, although the double booking with the regular saturday Richard's on Richards urban top forty hip-hop night (which is moving residency to Sonar on Fridays) made for some weirdness. In the end all was good, and we had the opportunity to hang out with Baked Potato, Vancouver's newest jamband, and a good one at that!

Then, it was off to Whistler for what turned out to be a fantastic night. It was Jay Guthrie's birthday which basically meant debauchery for all. And oh, what debauchery. Once again, I can't put it in the blog... sorry, you'll have to use your imaginations (and unless you have one like mine, your imagining is likely to fall short of the truth).

Now, five days off, and then off to the island for a couple shows. I'll keep you posted.

Scott

Cloud Driving

2006-02-13T19:28:33Z

I've only got a few seconds to update this blog.... I am way behind as I tend to get near the end of a tour. Things have been a little hectic as of late.

It is perhaps not a very well known fact that the praries in winter actually take on indeterminate physical dimensions, especially at night. As you drive along, time and space change form and you enter a limbo world where you simply move through the void much like a hamster on a cosmic exercise wheel. At times, the ground disappears underneath you and you are suddenly driving on a seething white cloud, going nowhere, not sure when the earth is going to spring back up underneath you. All you can do is hope that when it does, it is the road that jumps up to meet your tires. Sometimes, and this is infinitelymore exciting and frightening, the whole world disappears and you are flying, floating through the middle of a boiling, rolling, white cloud. At these times, all reference points are lost, and as the cloud is usually moving at right angles to your trajectory, it is very disorienting. When that happens you just hope to maintain your sense of which direction forward is, and keep pointed that way, so that when the earth returns, you are still heading towards your direction.

That's how it was on the long haul from Thunder Bay to Saskatoon. We were in and out of the clouds, alternately flying, and trying to maintain traction on the ice-rink roads. As we travelled across the plane that is the plains (I think prarie folk must have a propensity towards Euclidian imaginings), the only evidence of human habitation was lone earthbound stars, at unknown and unmeasurable distances from the road and us. Rich and I drove for eight and a half hours through this void, listening to the radio host tell us how the #1 was closed between Winnepeg and Regina, and how the #16 (which we were on) was under severe warnings of white outs and icy patches. Finally, Legba, or whoever it is that controls the Canadian roads and pathways (Legba can't have that much work in Haiti) decided we'd proven ourselves, and let us out of the limbo purgatory road system, and into Saskatoon.

That's it for now, I'll have to update more later. Tonight we head off to the Slocan Valley Lodge for the last show before I get to see Laverne again. I can't wait!
Scott

I'm about to fight the cold weather with a hot tub!

2006-02-08T18:27:24Z

I am about to get in a hot tub. It's cold here. I can't wait to see you all back in Van! We play Thunder Bay tonight!

It's -30 outside

2006-02-08T03:37:02Z

We survived the Maritimes and are back out in Thunder Bay. Every maritime show was fantastic! Here's the quick update.

Moncton was fantastic, the crowd was great, and the after party was fantastic too! The same goes for Antigonish. Maritimer's hospitality is legendary for a reason, and we were welcomed into homes and had a great old time!

Halifax was a blast as usual! The Attic crowd was enthusiastic and danced until the end. Afterwards we went to Craig Mercer's place and there we jammed and ripped it up on a sweet Rhodes 54, guitars, percussion, electric drums...

Saint John was a blast, arguably the best show of the tour. The kids came out and they ripped it up. The bar there, Nep-Tunes, was perhaps the oldest building we've ever played in. Aftwerwards, we again ripped it up with the locals until the boys had to call it; they wanted to make it to Quebec and stop for the superbowl.

It was a rough ride but we did make it to some highway motel minutes before they kicked off. We gambled and watched the game, and then slept for twelve hours.... the most sleep we'd had since before Moncton. That highway is like a Bermuda triangle; you can only go Nord or Sud, but there are different things on the side of the road depending on which way you go and what time it is. We actually got lost twice on the road without making a turn other than 180 degrees......

The next afternoon, we left the motel and drove straight through to the next evening, about thirty hours. Now here we are, in Thunder Bay, in -30 degree weather, fresh out of the pool and hot tub.... ready to rest for another night.

A few more shows, eight days, and I'll love every minute of it, but I've gotta admit that I've never had the itch to get back home to Vancouver like I do right now....

Scott

Antigonish- Julia's Birthday!!!

2006-02-03T09:32:53Z

We're partying in the Nish. Meagan tells me that the afterparties here are as legendary as this one...... Julia's birthday is as shaggy as this red carpet. We're all just trying to keep it real.... feelin' it..... find it in fifth..... Antigonish, potatoes and fish!

What do they have against Gonish?

2006-02-03T00:42:07Z

We pulled into Antigonish a few hours ago..... all tired and hung over. In Moncton we played the Paramount, a little place that's part of a large bar complex. The Trews were playing in Oxygen, the large bar that makes up the centre-piece of the building. They had a massive crowd, and we got a little spillover. We seemed to sell a lot of CD's (the bootleg is moving quickly.....) and we were happy with the show. Afterwards we drank and partied a little in our hotel room before passing out.

This morning we woke grouchy and hung over, had breakfast in another hotel restaurant, where Jim was told he couldn't buy a drink from the vending machine because it was for guests only, which is pretty wierd really. The rest we got on the four days off is gone now.... I guess you can't save it up!

Right now I am full and tired and set up, and waiting for sound check, in the lobby of our hotel. I'm too tired to keep writing so I'll get back to you all tomorrow if possible.

Scott

Maritime Storm Season......

2006-02-01T21:42:40Z

We made up fifty copies of the Toronto show on our last day in Cornwall. It took all day and I think that Rich's mom has never seen her computer work so hard! Thanks to Pierre and Pierrette for letting us make an assembly line in their computer room.

Since I've been raving about all the meals, I must include a mention of the most delicious prime rib dinner ever, complete with salads, mashed potatoes, au jus, gravy, vegetables, and (for Jeffrey) veggie lasagna. That was our final meal in Cornwall, and boy, was it a doozy. We ended the night watching six episodes of 24 back to back before passing out.

The next morning I held us up for a half hour or so, as I had to do laundry. Jeffrey and Sean were none to pleased, but as it turned out it made no difference at all. On the way to Sean's dad's place, which is an hour past Moncton, we started hearing stories about a killer storm hitting PEI and headed our way. Winds gusting up to 120km/h, Confederation Bridge closed..... it didn't sound like travelling weather. With semi's all around us pulling over to weather the storm, we decided to head straight for it, and hunker down in Moncton, until the show.

Here in Moncton, we rented the last available room in town (there is some big figure skating thing or something in town right now) and then went to the mall to kill time until it became available. While at the mall, Jim picked up a DVD player with two screens, four headphone jacks, 25 video games, a rechargeable battery, and a whole lot of other crazy accessories. Maybe that will last us a while; Jeffrey's FUN-TV portable DVD player has fallen prey to the curse of the Slammin Jack stereo..... we just cannot keep a sound system working in the van!

A few hours until the Moncton show, and I can't wait. I hope the storm doesn't keep people away. Also, the Trews are playing next door, which may hurt ticket sales..... oh well, they're Canadian too, I think, and if so, more power to them.

Scott

ponder this

2006-01-31T03:01:35Z

It's funny, when you go away on tour you start to see who really has an interest in being your friend. It's often the ones you thought for sure would keep in touch that don't, and sometimes the people you least expect are the ones that end up sincerely interested in where you are and what you are doing.......

Bluegrass Jams and Big Feasts

2006-01-30T20:31:19Z

On our last night in Belleville, Jim's parents invited a whole bunch of bluegrass players over. With an average age of over sixty, we were somewhat intimidated; these guys played real bluegrass, not the electrified version we sometimes subject our unsuspecting audiences to. I was especially wary; since the real piano was so loud as to be overpowering, my only chance to sit in was to play the synth.... ahem, not only are there no pianos in bluegrass, there are certainly no synthesizers (no matter how good the piano sound), and there are certainly no electric instruments anyway..... Well, they were good sports about it and soon enough we were all jamming, learning old bluegrass favorites and teaching some of our creations to them. It was a bridging of generation gaps that left us all feeling satisfied.

The next day we woke up late, got steamed in the best sauna ever built (man, I didn't know the meaning of heat until now), and hit the road. On the way out the door we were handed bags of venison sandwiches, boxes of crackers, three kinds of cheese already cut into blocks, whiskey, beer, pop, many bags of chips, two massive boxes of batteries, peanut butter, salt and pepper.... it just kept coming, until Jim had to tell his mom to stop in fear that we'd clean out their cupboards and have no place to sit!

We arrived that night in Cornwall, and we sat down to another feast: spaghetti, caesar salad, garlic bread, and our favorite Cornwall food, St. Albert's cheese. St. Albert's cheese is an un-aged "squeaky" cheese, kind of like cheese curds, and we all look forward to it every year when we visit. After dinner we played poker, Sean won as usual, and then watched highlights of the Dakar Rally, which I believe to be the greatest auto race that still occurs in our modern world. I've always loved the big multi-stage races, on any vehicle, and and the Dakar Rally is on par with the Tour de France in my books.

Today we spent the day eating, doing laundry, checking hockey pools, and sitting around. Actually much of my day was taken up editing and mastering our Elmocombo show for copying. We are trying to get more live stuff out and this one seemed like a good opportunity as the quality is quite good. It should be available for a minimal cost by the time we get to Moncton.

Stay tuned.....
Scott

A Long Overdue Update

2006-01-28T22:09:14Z

So we haven't updated the Tour Blog since Hamilton's aftermath. Let's see if I can't remember the many things that have happened since then......

Guelph was a fantastic show. We played the venerable old Albion Hotel, a fixture from Rich and my days in University, where we had many pints and Fatman burgers, and where I saw some of my favorite jam shows.

Before the show we hung out at a huge old victorian style brick house, the kind that basically make up the bulk of Guelph's older neighborhoods. The house was kindly donated for the night to us and our good friend Bobby, who once again cooked us a ridiculous feast. There was a point at which I was not sure I would be able to play, I was so full of chicken and peanut sauce, delicious soup, pasta.... you name it, we ate and drank it!

Upstairs at the Albion it is fairly small, and we did our own sound. It took a while to set up, and the vocals never really got off the ground, but otherwise I think the show was excellent. There were a lot of new faces there, and I caught some music students counting some of our odd time signature peices. I always get a kick out of watching the classically trained people trying to count something in 7/8 or better yet, 13/8. It just seems so unnatural when you've been working in threes or fours all of your life! Even funnier is the dancing people, wondering why every so often it seems like their feet shifted a beat. Finally most get it, and some of the dances they come up with are excellent!

After Guelph, we went back to Bobby's friends' house again, and drank a bit before we crashed out for a few hours. I remember laying on a couch and hearing Jeffrey say, "Time to get up! Pack your stuff, we gotta go!"

"I didn't unpack," I replied with a groan. "My stuff is still in the van."

"Well, then, get dressed, we're late," he said from the other room.

"I'm dressed. I didn't even take off my shoes. Come get me when you walk out the door...." I pulled the covers over my face. A few minutes later he was back, telling me that we were indeed walking out the door. I got up, ate ten oreos, chugged half a bottle of white wine to cure my hangover, and got in the van.

The reason we had to get up early was because that day we had two shows. Now I realize that it seems difficult to fit two shows in one day, and it is. What makes it possible is that the first of the two shows was to take place in the Student Union building at Fanshaw College. It's a fourty five minute set, starting at noon, it pays a mint, and they treat us like gold. We do that show every tour and I must say that I would recommend it to every travelling band in Canada. They feed us excellent food, too! It may seem odd to be playing in the middle of the afternoon to a few studying students and a lot of people walking by on their way to classes, but I tell you, it's worth it.

The second show of the day was in Peterborough, and damn was it cold. In Peterborough you can still smoke in the bars, and since the bar we played at, the Red Dog, had a separate lounge for the smokers, for once we didn't mind. Outside was out of the question! We were a bit dubious coming into the show, we were a little worried about dealing with a gilted promoter, but in the end no problems materialized.

I've been told that the Red Dog is the home of Ronnie Hawkins, but I saw no evidence of his passing through, just stories of his band playing there fairly regularly. It's the kind of place that people tend to come to think of as their living room, and so we were a bit worried when our door guy was late and the bar was already full. I mean, we had a door deal and most of the people coming were already in the door. However, I was unaware of the magic that our friend Big Friendly was about to work.

Big Friendly is the tour manager for the New Deal, Jamie Sheilds' improv dance band (Jamie is formerly of One Step Beyond). The first time I ever heard his name was at a show in which Jeffrey said with some excitement, "Big Friendly is coming tonight!" Well, the minute I saw the gigantic, bearded, smiling man walk through the door, I knew right away that this was the guy. I've never met someone with a more apt nickname!

When he arrived, he set up the door, got a float, and then did something I've never seen before. He walked around the room, smiling, and asked everyone in the bar for their cover charge. How do you walk around a bar full of locals who have never seen you before, who've been there for hours already, who are in the middle of their pool games and conversations, who are halfway through their third or fourth beer, and tell them that they have to pay five dollars or they can't stay in the bar? I tell you what, I would have been lucky to collect a black eye and twenty bucks. Friendly came back with a smile and a wad of money that you wouldn't have believed if you'd have seen it. I mean, in ten minutes he collected more money than we make at some shows, and he did it without even making anyone angry! He is truly a force of nature!

The show was opened by Heather, a powerful dready girl in Carhaart coveralls, shoulders like an oil-rigger, and a voice like an angel. Her guitar playing is excellent and she put on a show that had the audience alternately swooning and grooving. She really warmed the crowd up!

Our show was excellent. The sound guy turned out to be very capable and the system itself was pretty good. We played to a full dancefloor, and I felt that Eat More Pie and Beaver were particularly well received. Things were going great right up until the last note of the last song, when Gretchen came running up to us, crying, and saying that someone had stolen our Kermit the Frog and our Animal, two fixtures of our merch table. We were livid and sickened. We've played hundreds of shows and never lost a stuffed animal, and those particular muppets have a lot of sentimental value to us and to Gretchen.

We did some detective work but it seemed that the trail was a little cold. Dismayed, we went to our friend Curtis' house to party. Once again, Alice came to play with us and it was great. For once, it was Sean who called her up and invited her, which was a little different as Sean is not one of the harder core partiers in the band! ;)

Later, we went to Big Friendly's brother's house, and it was really fun. We sat and listened to the best Playin' in the Band ever, while making fun of Bob Weir. I think that he and Donna could pretty much wreck any song if left to their own devices, and Playin' (the singing part) has to be the whitest, cheesiest song in the history of the jam...... but there were people who disagreed with me.... We discussed whether or not the sick, sick jams in that particular rendition really had anything to do with Playin' at all, or whether they could have came out of any song (which of course they could have). I will say in all fairness though, that Bobby redeems himself with Estimated Prophet.....

The next morning we packed our gear and went to breakfast. Heather showed up to join us, and in her arms was a blue gift bag. I read the hand written and decorated card: "Dear Slammin Jack, Sorry for being drunken assholes. We have learned our lesson and will never kidnap muppets again. Signed, The Muppet Theives." Inside the bag were Kermit and Animal, and My eyes welled up and I had to munch down some eggs so nobody would see. Apparently, someone had called Heather that morning, crying, saying they had the muppets and they didn't know what to do.....

We were so happy, and it was only then when we could laugh about our efforts to find the missing dolls. We were clutching our stomachs listening to Gretchen tell us how she ran up to a police officer crying, "Someone stole Kermit!" He could only throw up his hands, shake his head in confusion, and back away, saying, "It's not a bad place....." Just as funny was the mental picture of the gargantuan Big Friendly, chasing someone down the street, yelling "Where's the muppets." The guy just ran, probably thinking, "Who is this guy, what the hell is he yelling at me about muppets for." He didn't stop to figure it out though, he just ran!

So with two shows and almost no sleep we headed off to Kingston, stopping briefly at Jim's parents house for a delicious feast and some true open-armed hospitality! The shower and food made the world of difference to me and the boys, I tell you!

We got to the Scherzo in Kingston, and we were very surprised to see that there was an all ages death metal show going on where we were about to load in. With with aggressive underage drinkers all around us we trying to make sense of the situation. Nobody knew what was happening, there was nobody in charge that we could talk to, and there was about a hundred and fifty drunken kids smashing bottles and moshing around us. Wow! Jim's mom and Gretchen were in there and I tell you, they looked wide eyed and terrified.... I almost laughed except I was tired and angry and frustrated at a bar that would book a huge travelling death metal extravaganza on the same night as a jamband show. We had a door deal which means that we were probably going to get shafted, as anyone that came to see us was quickly hightailing out of there, figuring (rightly) that they were not at a Slammin Jack show. I was pissed, and so was the rest of the boys. I was actually afraid Rich was going to go all French on their asses, and he was wearing a postie jacket which made it seem all the more likely that he might go postal......

But the metallers didn't care. They played on and on, until finally the bar girl had to cut their power and kick them off the stage. The promoter called us dicks and we had a bit of a stare down, but I was pretty livid and there was no way I was going to put up with any bullshit. In tours past there would have been a scene but I am proud to say that I held my tongue this time and we did things the right way, diplomatically. [See, there is a new leaf.]

When I noticed that the bar was not clearing out, and not looking forward to trying to win over an agro crowd of drunken, sweaty fifteen-year-olds, I got a Robert Walters CD from Jeffrey and put it on. It worked. I guess death metallers don't like funky saxaphone solos.

Our crowd was sparse, we didn't make enough money to cover our gas, and we were tired, but we played a good set, and went home to Jim's parents house. There we gorged on cheese and banana bread and ham and fruit salad and anything we could find that would taste good cold. Soon after, heads hit pillows and all was forgotten, until this afternoon when we got up twelve hours later.

So that's where it stands. I'm writing this blog from Jim's parents' office in Belleville, about to head back to their home for a hot tub and a fat meal, followed by what I hear is going to be a fantastic bluegrass jamboree in the living room. The neighbors are coming to play!

Jeffrey is in Toronto at his sister's engagement party, Gretchen and Heather have left to go back to BC, and we have a few days of much needed rest.

The tour is half over, we miss you all in Vancouver. I miss you most of all Verny...... <3

Scott

Hamilton After Hours and the Squids

2006-01-24T15:03:46Z

The Hamilton show was excellent. It was our biggest turn out here yet, and despite fatigue associated with the Elmocombo and its aftermath, we played well. It was excellent for me to be able to lend my keyboard to Jeff Heschelt who I feel is a superb keyboard player.

The real story in Hamilton was the after party. It raged! It's a bit blurry but I do remember trying on an excellent red and white dress, which I pretty much stuck to wearing from that point forward. Once Lucy showed up everything got wierd! I remember my band leaving, and I remember that I wasn't going with them, and I overheard Jeffrey telling someone, "Please, please, just make sure we get him back by Tuesday!" New leaf notwithstanding, I got into a bit of trouble a few times, at which point I made sure to mention that my name was Jim, the effeminate bass player from Slammin Jack..... [sly laughter].

It got light, it got dark, and it got light again.... and I remembered I was in the wrong city! Thankfully, Cully drove me back to Jeffrey's place in Toronto, just in time to get ready for a side-gig I had volunteered for.

Sean used to play with a guy named Guy, back in the day. Guy Earle is in fact the name of the guy, and the band they had was called the Squids. You can check out the Squids by pointing your browser to www.guyearle.ca. On Monday night I was fortunate enough to be a part of the second Squids Reunion show (or third Squids show altogether, whichever you prefer) at a little Irish pub in downtown Toronto! Legends in our own minds, we rocked that little upstairs watering hole with psychedelic blues rock the likes of which may never be seen again! The best part is, it was all captured on video for use in the Squids rockumentary! I can't wait to see it! Funny, I'm pretty sure that the Squids will come out with a DVD before Slammin Jack! Along the way I managed to pick up a new rock handle, The Golden Idol. Sweet. If only I still had my fuzzy yellow shirt.......

I just got out of the awesome steam room at Jeffrey's place, which has finally warmed my freezing bones. We got home a little late from our Squids date (in true rockstar form we watched the entire concert footage after the show) and we were unable to get into Jeffrey's house. It made for a bit of a cold night, huddled under blankets against the cold Ontario winter night.... That's the price of glory, baby.

Scott

PS Hang in there baby, I'll be home soon.... I miss you! <3

The Big City

2006-01-21T20:37:28Z

So, here we are in the lap of luxury again, the home away from home we all call Jeffrey's parents house. It comes (as I have mentioned many times in past tours' blogs) complete with steam room, pool, satellite tv, billiards, all the amenities that we don't have at home.

Yesterday's show at the Elmocombo was another dream come true in a long list of goals and dreams that have been fulfilled with Slammin Jack. I grew up seeing bands play the Elmo, dreaming one day of being on tour like those bands, travelling from city to city, packing dancefloors. So it was especially satisfying to be on stage, ripping the roof off of one of the most venerated venues in Toronto, and definitely one of the venues most influential to my personal musical goals. The other part of the dream come true almost seems funny now.

Ten years ago, when I thought I would never even get to where we are right now, I used to go to Fat Cats shows and dream of being in a real band, playing with talented players, and being a part of making those special symbiotic energy sharing moments that make jam music so special. Well, it was very satisfying, ten years after my first Fatties show, to share a stage with a band who has possibly had the most direct influence on my ambition to do what we are doing. (It was at a Fat Cats show in Hamiltion in '98 I think, where the swirling, rich sound of Tyler's organ opened my mind to the possibility that maybe I didn't want to be a piano purist after all). Having Todd on stage with us for Shakedown was fantastic. He just blazes on the guitar.

Being Southern Ontario boys (except for Sean) we had a lot of family out at the show. My parents and my sister were there. The Fatties brought out a lot of people, and I was both excited and impressed by the turn-out. We got the overflow from the sold out Keller Williams show, too, and all in all, it made for a large and enthusiastic dance floor. It was possibly the best Toronto show we've played, and even the recording turned out well.

I forgot write about our epic thirty eight hour drive from Banff to Sudbury, so I'll go over the highlights. Jim was piloting us through some pretty rough snowy weather on the Trans-Canada, and I was in shotgun, a little sleepy, when I heard him yell "Woah!" and suddenly we were fishtailing out of control on black ice! I tried to stay calm and encourage him by saying, "You got it, you got it," and, really, he did get it under control pretty well. It was pretty hairy though, we did a 450 degree spin, almost rolled, and ended up backed into a snow bank. That was the closest we've ever came to an accident in all of our tours, and we just piled out of the van, shaking, and laughing with relief and excitement. Jim gave up the rest of his shift.

We stopped in Sault Saint Marie that night. We found a hotel with the best water slide ever! It was an indoor pool, but the slide wound outside the building and back in and out again a few times before dumping its rider in the water. On my first climb up the tower, I realized that the slide was going to be pretty sweet, as the stairs wound round and round, four stories up into the cold Soo night, until it ended in a little room, complete with bored high school-aged lifeguard and a blue hole in the wall that led straight to an adrenaline rush. We took that slippery ride quite a few times that night, laughing like children and trading tips for getting more speed. It was awesome, but Jeffrey, in his efforts to throw his weight up the sides of the turns (for the extra speed) strained his groin! Hah! That waterslide was something spectacular, and to top it off, Jeffrey 'King o' the Deals' Kornblum got the room for twenty five bucks less than the next cheapest motel (which had no waterslide at all).

The next morning we headed out after what was probably worst breakfast buffet in the history of all you can eat eggs and bacon.

So, we are off to Hamilton to play yet another Ontario show... we picked up an extra show on Tuesday in Toronto at the Gypsy Co-op, and after that it's back to Guelph, where some bouncers from a previous altercation at a show will probably have a price on my head, I mean, these guys wanted to kick my ass bad...... looks like I may go in disguise.

Drinking Coffee and trying to make sense of myself

2006-01-20T15:05:48Z

Well, I'm in Sudbury, it's 10 am, I've been guarding the gear and the van all night... the rest of the guys are asleep.. i checked the Canmore blog and realized I forgot to mention how me and james plowed this chick over in the hall, then I drank with her and her husband, then they stole my wallet.... the sudbury show ruled, they even bleached the countries most disgusting band shower for us, the crowd was new to us but we won them over with our charisma and witty banter.... haha i am so tired i can't wait to play the el mocambo tonight i cannot type more i have a lot to do talk to you soon

scott

Canmore

2006-01-16T23:23:09Z

There's something about Canmore that fills me with positive energy. Maybe it's the clear air here, or the sunny blue skies, or maybe it's the way the mountains tower all around, snow covered and sparkling. Whatever it is, I feel it every time I walk around this town. I just cannot help being overwhelmed by the beauty and power of nature here, and the days just seem so full of potential.

We played Friday and Saturday at the Canmore Hotel. I love the Ho, it's so dingy but it has a real place in my heart. I feel at home there. However, the bar is very smokey, so much so that we keep our clothes for the Canmore shows separate, and wash them as soon as possible afterwards. The audiences were good sized and responsive, so all in all, we left feeling pretty darn good.

I've been trying to turn over a new leaf this year. I want to be more responsible and a little less out of control at times. I've been doing pretty good, but the Ho parties are legendary, and sometimes familiar faces and familiar places bring out the old patterns. Such was the case on Saturday night and now I have a bruised rib to contend with, from playfighting with Jim. In truth, the party started for me somewhat accidentally, when I drank a couple big swigs from the "wrong" wine bottle.... after that it was too late!

Last night we played the Rose and Crown in Banff. The early audience here is a little older, a tourist crowd mainly. But after midnight the kids come out and the dancefloor starts to get moving. Tom Green and his rap project were playing accross the street and apparently the show was a little weak. He started late and ended early so we got the spillover from his crowd, and they seemed eager to get some funk on! Tonight we are looking forward to another great show at the Rose and Crown, and then it's straight through to Sudbury. Here comes a long haul!
Scott

Waking up, getting ready for the ho

2006-01-13T19:05:49Z

Well, its the crack of noon and Jeffrey and I are up and ready to rouse the troops. I can't write much because I want to get a jump on the shower, but suffice it to say that our show in Calgary last night was very well recieved, despite our early tour sloppiness. We sold a surprising amount of merch too!

After the show someone said to me, "I've seen Meatloaf, Deep Purple, Nirvana.... and you guys are the best live band I've ever seen!" Man, when someone likes you better than Meatloaf, Deep Purple, or Nirvana, you've gotta be doing something right!

Tonight it is the legendary Canmore Hotel! The Ho boys and girls, the Ho, our home away from home.

(Only two more days of smoking in the bar, thank goodness, and then we can do laundry.)

Calgary Carnivores

2006-01-13T03:39:27Z

Here we are in Calgary, about to take part in an Elk Ribs and Burgers Carnivore Fest at our friend James' house. James' beautiful little six month old daughter Scarlet is sitting beside me in her tie died shirt, watching the band and trying to talk to us a little.So much for my plan to not eat too much meat. Oh well, while in Calgary, do as the Calgarians do! Truthfully, I can't wait to indulge.

Once again the Slammin Jack stereo curse has hit us. Do you all realize that we've never made it across the country one single time with a working stereo? This year I thought I had it under control when I traded a little MP3 player for an FM transmitter that plugs into a headphone jack. I knew we only had a radio installed in the van; what I didn't know was that it was an AM radio only. Doh!

At the Chilliwack Wallmart we picked up a fifty dollar CD player/speaker combo, and we stocked up with forty AA batteries! We were set... it was working great for a while, until Jeffrey decided to try to save a little battery life by seeing if it would work with the adapter from his FunTV (a nifty little DVD player and portable screen). Well, it worked for a second and then BOOM, smoke was pouring out of the speaker. We lost our stereo in order to try to save a few battery hours.... Typical Slammin Jack fashion: "Look at all our new toys! Let's hook them all up together!" We have a better battery supply than we've ever had, too! So it's a grand total of one hour of music in the van so far this tour. Lucky for me the guys have seen the wisdom of letting me listen to psytrance all day on the portable with my headphones. That way they don't have to listen to me or to the delicious four on the floor beats! Hehe.

[Oh... here's the food.... mmm..... Elk..... mmmm this is delicious! Hold on, I gotta eat a few bites.....]

Rich would like me to take a moment to mourn the loss of another bit of gadgetry, his laptop. With no computer, he's gonna crack before the tour is over, I predict.

It wasn't a total loss. In Kamloops, we stopped in at the Wallmart again. "I don't know what happened," said Jeffrey, earnestly, to the customer service girl. "We were listening to it for about twenty minutes and Bang! It just blew up and started smoking!"

"Wow, I'll just give you your money back," she replied. "That sounds pretty crazy!"

It's really too bad we have no music, though, because we really needed something to drown out the incredibly loud hum of the roof-box's straps on the top of the van. I mean, holy cow, it's two notes, in harmony no less! We thought we were losing our luggage the first time we hit the highway! By now though, we've got it dialed with motel faceclothes underneath the straps as dampeners.

Running the passes at night can be a little hair-raising sometimes. The new van is not nearly as frightening as the old red beast, but she got a little slippery on the way up. On the way down the roads cleared and then we were in a patch of fog so dense visibility was down to only a few metres. The boys had no problems though.

We stopped just outside Revelstoke and got a motel room. I shared a double bed with Jim, who sleep-headbutted me full force right in the nose! It was actually my yell that woke him! Later on, he got his giant body into a nice comfy fetal position that almost shoved me off the bed. I rolled over and was about to spoon him when I came to my senses, jumped out of bed, and took a quick walk around the room to remind myself I wasn't back in Vancouver under a big red duvee, with a nice (small) warm body beside me.

The show starts in two hours. Our openers cancelled this morning, which is too bad. They opened for us last year, and they were awesome, as were their fans. Oh well, we'll rock the house, anyway....

Scott

Whistler Tour Kickoff and CD Release party!

2006-01-10T23:17:21Z

Whistler was covered in snow as we pulled up to the Boot. Thankful that I remembered winter boots this time, I happily slogged throught the slushy parking lot, loading our gear onto the stage.

There seemed to be a bit of a buzz about the show, and I was pretty excited to be getting back on stage. There was an excellent article in one of the local papers; it talked about the new album and our live show, and it seemed that the travellers, weary from a great day of fresh snow on the mountain, were interested in what we might have to offer.

We kicked back and had a few drinks, made a set list, and then headed on stage. The Boot is always a bit loud, the old soldiers of bar sound tend to have more hearing loss than some younger guys, and our friendly sound-man at the boot is never an exception. He turned us up, loud! It was okay though, I felt I was off to a bit of a shaky start; I felt I was struggling with my vocals for some of the show, but we got in Harbinger, Lando, Lucy and The Girl in the Dress.... Lucy pleased the crowd as it always does.

The jams were fantastic. We're all sporting pared down rigs (except of course the drummers) and I think everyone was really digging their equipment. I know Rich had to argue with the Q-Tron a bit, but that's par for the course with the dubious electrical at the Boot. Jim had recently discovered a button on his rental amp that switched between 4 string and 5 string. He selected the nickel option and the tone was fatter than ever; and all on an amp smaller than mine, and with wheels and a pull handle! I am pretty jealous of that amp.

The Motif of course was excellent, my newly designed organ patches definitely changed some minds as to the quality of digital synthesis..... but I won't go on about my axe.... hehe.

After the show I surprised myself by being packed up before I left the stage to party! I think that it was the first time ever!

The party was boozy but otherwise pretty tame for us... I got a little drunk and started telling people how I'd turned over a new leaf.... No more raging for me, at least not as much! (Although I did get my fair share of mischeif in) ;)

We headed to Brian's house for a bit, braving the silver dollar sized snowflakes for a change of scenery and the possibility of some added value craziness. The travelling was pretty much the most fun of the night, Duggan fishtailing around the deserted snowy roads, pulling emergency brake Dukes of Hazzard moves in the cold night.

This morning I left the boys early and headed back to Van with no breakfast. I wanted to get here as soon as possible to get my "affairs" in order before I head off for five weeks. I'll be seeing the boys tomorrow morning, and many of you in the weeks to come!

See you all soon,
Scott

Winter Tour Eve

2006-01-09T08:37:11Z

So, here we are, Winter Tour Eve has come again! There is no day like the day before you leave for tour. Technically, tomorrow's show in Whistler kicks off our 2006 Cross-Canada Winter Tour, but actually, since we have to come back through Vancouver before we start working our way east, I get one more night in Vancouver. I hope to spend that night with Laverne, hanging out, maybe going to the movies. I have mixed feelings about this tour.... I know how it is to cross the praries in January now.... But I also know how it is to play to a packed Halifax crowd.... or to hang out and have drinks in stylish Montreal....

This year though, I have something really special waiting for me back here in Terminal City. I have found it once again, something some people look for all their lives and never find, something I've been blessed with again, against all odds, and that is True Love. **** WARNING, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE SAPPY STUFF SKIP THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH**** ;-) It's so sweet to look at someone and feel like you don't even know how you could have gotten so lucky as to be sharing this time and space with them. That's why they call it "head-over-heels," because it mixes you up a bit. Strong passion brings out extremes in all emotional states; sometimes it feels so good and sometimes it hurts so much you can hardly stand it. But that's the price, it's scary and exciting and it overwhelms you sometimes. And in the end it is entirely, and unequivokably, worth it. When I look at Laverne I resolve to improve myself, to put aside the weaknesses I have lived with all my life, to step up and be the person I always wished I was, while I was too busy medicating away my past and my present. Those of you who have been reading my tour journal for a while (since the bulk email days) may remember my three life's wishes (true love, to be a rock to support my friends, and to make people dance). Well, I've had the third one in control for a while, but the other two have been fleeting at best. Now that the first one is real for me, I can use that as an inpsiration to work on the middle one, the one I have failed at so dismally over the years it's almost a joke to some people. I have hope for this one, folks, I have hope!

Late night honesty becomes us (and if you don't think so, don't read it). I feel the call of the road as strong as ever, but now I have something very special back here to think of while I'm gone.

This year's one keyboard rig (I have written about this keyboard more than any other that I have ever used) is still really exciting to me. I can't wait to walk up the fire escape at Le Swimming. This year my rig will take two trips! Hah! Last time, it took several guys several trips, struggling on the icy metal stairs, freezing our soft Vancouver asses off. To tell you the truth, I just looked at the itinerary and there is no Le Swimming.... damn! Oh well, the principle still stands, carrying my weight just got a lot easier!

Down to the nitty gritty, here's the itinerary:

January - 2006
9-Mon The Boot Pub, Whistler, BC
12-Thu Brew Brothers, Calgary, AB
13-Fri Canmore Hotel, Canmore, AB
14-Sat Canmore Hotel, Canmore, AB
15-Sun Rose and Crown, Banff, AB
16-Mon Rose and Crown, Banff, AB
19-Thu The Townhouse, Sudbury, ON
20-Fri El Mocambo, Toronto, ON
21-Sat Pepper Jack's, Hamilton, ON
25-Wed The Albion, Guelph, ON
26-Thu Fanshawe (12pm) London, ON
26-Thu Red Dog Peterborough, ON
27-Fri Scherzo Pub, Kingston, ON
28-Sat TBA
30-Tue TBA

February - 2006
01-Wed Paramount, Moncton, NB
02-Thu Chuggles Antigonish, NS
03-Fri The Attic, Halifax, NS
04-Sat Nep-tunes, St. John, NB
08-Wed Kilroys, Thunder Bay, ON
10-Fri Lydia's, Saskatoon, SK
11-Sat Lydia's, Saskatoon, SK
12-Sun TBA
14-Tue Slocan Lodge, Slocan, BC

MORE DATES TO COME.

I can't wait for you easterners to hear the new CD. Boss did a bang up job!

I love you all, and I will see some of you soon, and some of you when I get back. B-D

88keyz88 @ 2006-01-07T19:49:00

2006-01-08T03:49:19Z

I have the most beautiful and wonderful girlfriend in the history of the world!

Midnight Raving

2006-01-06T11:11:24Z

This raving is the stark mad kind, not the other kind of midnight raving that is actually pretty fun, or used to be anyway when there were designer things like Mitsubishis and White Doves around to make our eyes sparkle.... This type of raving is more like ranting, only I have no real topic, so it's a mindless rant.... Wait... a pointless rant, as my mind is there; it's just a little tired. And yet, I cannot sleep.

What are you all doing? Is there anyone out there who even cares what I write in the middle of the night? This blogging phenomenon sure has led to a great rise in narcissism, methinks! When it was chisels and rock tablets (ala Flinstones), or even papyrus and clay tablets like the great Egyptians, or even when it was quills and flowery calligraphy, you had to be damn sure what you were writing down was worth writing. You sure as hell would never have wasted the parchment to put down for the ages a small, insignificant diatribe on the worthlessness of the very words you were writing.....

HAH!

The irony is just about excellent, I think.

I have spent days working with the Motif ES..... I am learning its ins and its outs. I am having a great time doing it too, despite the frustrations of a learning curve so very steep I'd be afraid to ride my bike down it, although you'd be riding your bike up any learning curve, unless you could figure out how to ride your bike back in time, in which case, look out, cause it's fucking steep! Today I learned about the Slice effect which has excellent applications in psytrance and techno...... Come to think of it, I'm wasting valuable awake time writing this. Back to the Motif!