Wednesday, April 20, 2011
April 19 - Edmonton
We were at the DV8 again last night. It was awesome! If anyone is planning on being/playing in Edmonton visit the DV8. Rod, who promotes there, is really cool. Pop in and say hi!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
April 16th and 17th - Vancouver
We were lucky to have the chance to hang out in Vancouver for 3 days and play 3 shows! I fell in love with Vancouver when I was there. I just love everything about it, especially the people.
On Saturday we played at Pat's Pub with Loose Tooth and Raised by Apes. This was a full-out skater crowd and included some pro long-boarders. It was crazy fun! Loose Tooth and Raised by Apes put on an awesome show... they were hilarious! We were supposed to play a house keg party before the Pat's Pub show but everything got screwed up with that and the time-line. We opted to stay at Pat's Pub rather then risk missing our set time. After the Pat's Pub show just about everyone who was there went to the keg party... we of course went too. We were hoping to catch up with our good friend from back home, Cam, because his band Real Problems was playing at the party but we arrived too late to catch him. In fact we were so late that the kegs were empty when we got there. Dennis who lives at the house, let us stay over... People are so nice to touring bands :) Brando and Will stayed in the house and Jan and I stayed in the van... I'm really getting used to my gypsy lifestyle and I'm going to be sad to give it up when I get home. Brando said that just as they were trying to get to sleep there was this super drunk guy at the party and Dennis thought this guy might barf so he lead him to the toilet. Once at the toilet the guy pulled down his pants and starting pooping... in front of everyone... farting all slumped over. Brando said it was hilarious. Gonna be a while before that guy lives that one down. Jan and I woke up to banging on the van window... it was Dennis waking us up because there was a guy trying to give us a ticket for not parking on the right part of the street. Luckily Dennis talked him out of the ticket... and for the record I don't think there was anything wrong with where we parked. Dennis said that guy shows up every Sunday morning just to write tickets... GET A LIFE!
Our Sunday night show that was booked at a venue called Bully's was canceled... well it wasn't canceled but the venue backed out. Noelle, the promoter for that show, worked crazy hard trying to hook up another venue but nothing really panned out. Luckily Todd (The Rebel Spell) was able to hook us up with an existing bill at a place called The Railway Club. I was a little unsure about this show at first but since we were already in Vancouver might as well play as much as possible. We were on first at 8:15pm but surprisingly there were quite a few people there and people were really into it... I didn't think they were going to be into it at all, just a different kind of music and when we showed up there was an open jam going on full out blues. But our set was awesome and the show was awesome! Actually it was really cool... Loads of friends came out too. Noelle, Todd, Cam and Zack came out to show their support (Thanks guys!) but we also saw some old friends we haven't seen in as much as 8 years. The most surprising was the band Mongoose... We played with these guys about 8 years ago at this tiny venue at the University of Waterloo. The promoter was friends with Mongoose so when we were added to the bill she sent out a message that we were now playing. He said his jaw hit the floor when he figured out we were The Rotten from Ontario, the same Rotten from 8 years ago!!! It was really cool catching up with them... and learning that they opened, TWICE, for Steel Panther... I'm jealous
We stayed at Noelle's place in Surrey for the night. We spent all day today driving to Banff and right now I'm sitting in our hotel room with free wi-fi!! We opted not to stay in the van tonight as its -10 tonight! Oh, just as we were parking we were driving around the block to our spot and we saw about 5 deer grazing on the sidewalk! Can't wait to check out Banff tomorrow.
On Saturday we played at Pat's Pub with Loose Tooth and Raised by Apes. This was a full-out skater crowd and included some pro long-boarders. It was crazy fun! Loose Tooth and Raised by Apes put on an awesome show... they were hilarious! We were supposed to play a house keg party before the Pat's Pub show but everything got screwed up with that and the time-line. We opted to stay at Pat's Pub rather then risk missing our set time. After the Pat's Pub show just about everyone who was there went to the keg party... we of course went too. We were hoping to catch up with our good friend from back home, Cam, because his band Real Problems was playing at the party but we arrived too late to catch him. In fact we were so late that the kegs were empty when we got there. Dennis who lives at the house, let us stay over... People are so nice to touring bands :) Brando and Will stayed in the house and Jan and I stayed in the van... I'm really getting used to my gypsy lifestyle and I'm going to be sad to give it up when I get home. Brando said that just as they were trying to get to sleep there was this super drunk guy at the party and Dennis thought this guy might barf so he lead him to the toilet. Once at the toilet the guy pulled down his pants and starting pooping... in front of everyone... farting all slumped over. Brando said it was hilarious. Gonna be a while before that guy lives that one down. Jan and I woke up to banging on the van window... it was Dennis waking us up because there was a guy trying to give us a ticket for not parking on the right part of the street. Luckily Dennis talked him out of the ticket... and for the record I don't think there was anything wrong with where we parked. Dennis said that guy shows up every Sunday morning just to write tickets... GET A LIFE!
Our Sunday night show that was booked at a venue called Bully's was canceled... well it wasn't canceled but the venue backed out. Noelle, the promoter for that show, worked crazy hard trying to hook up another venue but nothing really panned out. Luckily Todd (The Rebel Spell) was able to hook us up with an existing bill at a place called The Railway Club. I was a little unsure about this show at first but since we were already in Vancouver might as well play as much as possible. We were on first at 8:15pm but surprisingly there were quite a few people there and people were really into it... I didn't think they were going to be into it at all, just a different kind of music and when we showed up there was an open jam going on full out blues. But our set was awesome and the show was awesome! Actually it was really cool... Loads of friends came out too. Noelle, Todd, Cam and Zack came out to show their support (Thanks guys!) but we also saw some old friends we haven't seen in as much as 8 years. The most surprising was the band Mongoose... We played with these guys about 8 years ago at this tiny venue at the University of Waterloo. The promoter was friends with Mongoose so when we were added to the bill she sent out a message that we were now playing. He said his jaw hit the floor when he figured out we were The Rotten from Ontario, the same Rotten from 8 years ago!!! It was really cool catching up with them... and learning that they opened, TWICE, for Steel Panther... I'm jealous
We stayed at Noelle's place in Surrey for the night. We spent all day today driving to Banff and right now I'm sitting in our hotel room with free wi-fi!! We opted not to stay in the van tonight as its -10 tonight! Oh, just as we were parking we were driving around the block to our spot and we saw about 5 deer grazing on the sidewalk! Can't wait to check out Banff tomorrow.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
April 14 - Victoria and April 15 - Vancouver
We arrived on the island at about 3pm (I think). That morning was foggy... I mean I was foggy. We had driven from Prince George the day before and made it as far as a town called Hope (about an hour from Vancouver) and decided to crash for the night. Thinking that even if we did get to Vancouver that night it would be too late to find a place to sleep so we'd be staying in the van anyway. Hope is a very small town and appeared to be a safe place to stay over. In Hope, we popped in for a pint at a local pub. The waitress asked us if we were a touring band (its that obvious eh that we don't come from Hope). We told her “yeah” and that we were called The Rotten. When she left the woman sitting by herself having a coffee at the table next to us asked us again what our band was called. Turns out that a show we played in Montreal a few years ago was actually a benefit show for her son. It was to raise money to send his remains back to Hope after he died of an overdose. She was so happy to see us and share some stories about Tom (her son). She said it was like all the starts aligned and sent us to that tiny pub in Hope, BC as a gift to her from Tom. I can see that. We sat with her for a couple hours then went to a truck stop for the night.
Although our van is equipped to sleep 4 people that does not mean that it sleeps 4 people comfortably. The weather was crap and raining and the bed were cramped. We all didn't sleep much that night and were super tired.
We woke up at 7am and decided to just start driving to warm up the van and ourselves. We caught a morning ferry to Victoria and were arrived at Hoon's place (Lesbian Fist Magnet) early afternoon. Hoon we met while he was on tour with Dayglo Abortions and have been friends ever since. It was really great to see him and catch up. We hung out for the day with Hoon and friends... and lots of dogs that helped me fill my doggy void. I miss my little munchkins. Everyone we met in Victoria was really awesome and we had a great time. The show was at Logan's pub. Awesome venue but not a great turn out. There was some confusion with this show and almost had it cancelled a few days before we left for tour so the fact that the show still happened, regardless of attendance, was cool. We played with two bands, Gastric Acid and Smoked Out Brainzzz. Really cool guys and good bands.
We went back to Hoon's place after the show and got to sleep in beds!! Yay!! We were so, so, so tired by that point and slept until 11am. We hung our for a bit in the morning then wandered Victoria for about an hour and then headed back to the ferry. I was excited on the ferry this time because they were doing a overboard rescue drill that was got to watch. Also, I watched the waters for any kind of sea life but didn't see anything aside from birds. That reminds, I still need to touch the ocean before we leave.
We arrived at Funky Winker Beans a little ahead of schedule and walked Hastings street for something to do. It is insanely depressing on Hastings with all the homeless addicts collecting bottles and asking for change. It is like nothing I've ever seen before (aside from on Hastings street as a kid).
The show we played was a 5 band bill (we got added to the bill last minute because we couldn't nail down a Vancouver date for Friday. Wendy13 and Hoon put us on last nights bill. Originally we thought we would have to play last and as a first time touring band its not always the best spot but one of the bands was late for their set so we played 2nd instead. It was really cool. There were lots of people there including our Rebel Spell friends, Cam and Marco (in Vancouver for a week vacation). I really like that bar.
We slept in the van last night again but Will was not with us because he stayed with a friend. The van is 1000000000 times more comfortable with just 3 people and we slept parked on the street by Stepha's house until 11am.
I wish I had more interesting things to blog about but its been pretty low key today. Just resting up for the long haul home... 8 shows in 9 days.
Although our van is equipped to sleep 4 people that does not mean that it sleeps 4 people comfortably. The weather was crap and raining and the bed were cramped. We all didn't sleep much that night and were super tired.
We woke up at 7am and decided to just start driving to warm up the van and ourselves. We caught a morning ferry to Victoria and were arrived at Hoon's place (Lesbian Fist Magnet) early afternoon. Hoon we met while he was on tour with Dayglo Abortions and have been friends ever since. It was really great to see him and catch up. We hung out for the day with Hoon and friends... and lots of dogs that helped me fill my doggy void. I miss my little munchkins. Everyone we met in Victoria was really awesome and we had a great time. The show was at Logan's pub. Awesome venue but not a great turn out. There was some confusion with this show and almost had it cancelled a few days before we left for tour so the fact that the show still happened, regardless of attendance, was cool. We played with two bands, Gastric Acid and Smoked Out Brainzzz. Really cool guys and good bands.
We went back to Hoon's place after the show and got to sleep in beds!! Yay!! We were so, so, so tired by that point and slept until 11am. We hung our for a bit in the morning then wandered Victoria for about an hour and then headed back to the ferry. I was excited on the ferry this time because they were doing a overboard rescue drill that was got to watch. Also, I watched the waters for any kind of sea life but didn't see anything aside from birds. That reminds, I still need to touch the ocean before we leave.
We arrived at Funky Winker Beans a little ahead of schedule and walked Hastings street for something to do. It is insanely depressing on Hastings with all the homeless addicts collecting bottles and asking for change. It is like nothing I've ever seen before (aside from on Hastings street as a kid).
The show we played was a 5 band bill (we got added to the bill last minute because we couldn't nail down a Vancouver date for Friday. Wendy13 and Hoon put us on last nights bill. Originally we thought we would have to play last and as a first time touring band its not always the best spot but one of the bands was late for their set so we played 2nd instead. It was really cool. There were lots of people there including our Rebel Spell friends, Cam and Marco (in Vancouver for a week vacation). I really like that bar.
We slept in the van last night again but Will was not with us because he stayed with a friend. The van is 1000000000 times more comfortable with just 3 people and we slept parked on the street by Stepha's house until 11am.
I wish I had more interesting things to blog about but its been pretty low key today. Just resting up for the long haul home... 8 shows in 9 days.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
April 12 - Prince George
Its 10am and we are still in Prince George. We better hit the road soon if we hope to be in Vancouver by tonight. We have another day off so the plan is to find one of the ancient forests they have here in BC and explore a little bit. I would like to see one of those giant redwood trees.
The show last night was killer! It was at a place called Third on 3rd. It is an anarchist collective run by an awesome bunch of anarchist punks. The place is set up really cool. There is a single entrance with doors to the right and to the left. The door to the right leads into a lounge area with books and supplies to make tea and coffee. It was a nice and relaxed environment to hang out in. The door to the left led to the venue... a really cool venue. I was noticing that when a venue is set up by musicians everything is exactly the way it should be. The stage is the right size, the PA has plenty of power, everyone gets a monitor, there are lights on the stage, etc. When a musician gets to set up a venue its easy because they just think about how they would want the venue to be and make it just like that. Its not like that when a non-musician sets up a venue... at all. This place was really kick-ass though. There was even a green room in the back for the bands. There was a back load in door, no stairs and actual parking behind the venue. Its the little things that make the evening flow a little easier.
Before the doors open Jeff (the promoter for the night) supplied us with loads of delicious homemade pizza. There was so much of it that we will be enjoying the left overs on our travels today. Until you are on the road you don't really realize how incredibly important feeding the band is. We really appreciate it.
It was a three band bill. In my opinion three bands is a perfect show. Just short enough to not get bored but long enough to get your moneys worth. Three bands is the way to go. The first band called Nonshalant was a punk/ska sort of Leftover Crack sound. They were really cool and it was their first real show (they said they played New Years somewhere but where too drunk to play well or even remember). They ruled though! They did covers of NOFX and really got the crowd pumped. They said they played in lots of different bands but think that they finally found that winning combination with this trio... I totally agree! The second band up was called Illicit Dissent and they were also really wicked. Sometimes you play a show and you don't always dig all the bands but last night wasn't one of those nights. Actually, the whole tour has been pretty good. I can't think of any bands we've played with that I didn't dig. Awesome! We played after Illicit Dissent. The crowd response was great. When we were booking this tour everyone told us to play Prince George even though its a little outta the way its worth it.... and they weren't lying. For a town of only 80 000 or so there was a big crowd and everyone was really into it. And we played a killer set!
After the show we packed up our gear and headed out to Jay's place for a chill, wind down night. We've been going strong for a week now so it was nice to have a chill night for a change.
I just want to say this about Prince George. I've never seen so many second hand stores in one area in my whole life. I would need a few days to go through all of them (too bad I don't have that kind of time). We went into a few when we first arrived and Brando picked up 6 or so classic books for 50 cents each like To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn. Great deal! Other notable things about PG... Jan, Will and Brando walked to the liquor store before the show started and they said that everyone on their walk was really friendly smiling at them and saying hello. One well dressed guy, they said, nodded at them and simply said “yeah, beer!” As they were on their way back to the venue. Lol. Even this morning at Tim Hortons people were going out of the way to hold the door for us. Amazing!
If you are a touring band and are going through BC I would recommend looking up Third on 3rd and booking a show with them.
The show last night was killer! It was at a place called Third on 3rd. It is an anarchist collective run by an awesome bunch of anarchist punks. The place is set up really cool. There is a single entrance with doors to the right and to the left. The door to the right leads into a lounge area with books and supplies to make tea and coffee. It was a nice and relaxed environment to hang out in. The door to the left led to the venue... a really cool venue. I was noticing that when a venue is set up by musicians everything is exactly the way it should be. The stage is the right size, the PA has plenty of power, everyone gets a monitor, there are lights on the stage, etc. When a musician gets to set up a venue its easy because they just think about how they would want the venue to be and make it just like that. Its not like that when a non-musician sets up a venue... at all. This place was really kick-ass though. There was even a green room in the back for the bands. There was a back load in door, no stairs and actual parking behind the venue. Its the little things that make the evening flow a little easier.
Before the doors open Jeff (the promoter for the night) supplied us with loads of delicious homemade pizza. There was so much of it that we will be enjoying the left overs on our travels today. Until you are on the road you don't really realize how incredibly important feeding the band is. We really appreciate it.
It was a three band bill. In my opinion three bands is a perfect show. Just short enough to not get bored but long enough to get your moneys worth. Three bands is the way to go. The first band called Nonshalant was a punk/ska sort of Leftover Crack sound. They were really cool and it was their first real show (they said they played New Years somewhere but where too drunk to play well or even remember). They ruled though! They did covers of NOFX and really got the crowd pumped. They said they played in lots of different bands but think that they finally found that winning combination with this trio... I totally agree! The second band up was called Illicit Dissent and they were also really wicked. Sometimes you play a show and you don't always dig all the bands but last night wasn't one of those nights. Actually, the whole tour has been pretty good. I can't think of any bands we've played with that I didn't dig. Awesome! We played after Illicit Dissent. The crowd response was great. When we were booking this tour everyone told us to play Prince George even though its a little outta the way its worth it.... and they weren't lying. For a town of only 80 000 or so there was a big crowd and everyone was really into it. And we played a killer set!
After the show we packed up our gear and headed out to Jay's place for a chill, wind down night. We've been going strong for a week now so it was nice to have a chill night for a change.
I just want to say this about Prince George. I've never seen so many second hand stores in one area in my whole life. I would need a few days to go through all of them (too bad I don't have that kind of time). We went into a few when we first arrived and Brando picked up 6 or so classic books for 50 cents each like To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn. Great deal! Other notable things about PG... Jan, Will and Brando walked to the liquor store before the show started and they said that everyone on their walk was really friendly smiling at them and saying hello. One well dressed guy, they said, nodded at them and simply said “yeah, beer!” As they were on their way back to the venue. Lol. Even this morning at Tim Hortons people were going out of the way to hold the door for us. Amazing!
If you are a touring band and are going through BC I would recommend looking up Third on 3rd and booking a show with them.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
April 11 - Jasper
We spent last night in Jasper... what an amazing place. Since we didn't have a show I was sure we didn't have a place to stay when we got to Jasper but held on to the idea that maybe we would meet someone that might give us a place to stay.
Approaching Jasper was amazing. I have been through the mountains before but never really appreciated them like I do now. They are huge and incredible! When we got to the Jasper National Park border we had to pay $20 to get in for the night. I was unaware of this fee and at first like “WTF? Why do we have to pay to get in” but as we drove towards Jasper it became more and more apparent why it might cost to visit. Within 5 minutes of being in the park we saw a herd of elk. Its hard to describe the reaction you have seeing something like that. Like you want to stop and make friends with the animals. Brando said “I just want to get out and hug them”. Its exactly the kind of reaction I'm talking about. We saw another herd about 10 minutes up the road. I'd pay $20 just for that!
We also saw a bunch of deer but ye ole moose still eludes me :( Not even today during our drive out of Jasper to Prince George... Where there are constant moose warnings did I see one. I just wanna see a moose.
Anyway, when we got to Jasper we did a short tour of the town... I mean its really, really a tiny town so the tour is very short and ended up at a pub called The Whistle Stop. It was nice to just sit down and share a pitcher without worrying about when we are playing, where is the promoter, who is watching the merch. Also, we could have a conversation without loud music drowning us out.... Don't get me wrong, we love loud music but a break from it is sometimes a nice change.
I love the idea of Jasper. It seems like a really laid back town where no one is in a great rush. There also seems like there should be a lot of interesting people there. I mean we have all heard the stories about how people have left to visit a place like Jasper and got a job there and never went home. I figured we might meet some people like that. First guy that sat at our table was not one of those people however he was an interesting dude. He was a train conductor and has been for the last 31 years but he was also D-R-U-N-K!! He offered for us to stay at his place but we were a little reluctant about that. Shortly after Jan met a guy our age at the bar named Jeff. He was really awesome and offered to have us stay at his place. OF COURSE!!! As the temperatures were dropping to -6 last night in Jasper we weren't really looking forward to sleeping in the van and we were a little worried about getting caught by the RCMP. I'm not sure if you are allowed to sleep in your van or not.. we obviously do anyway but we have no idea the laws on that. We went back to Jeff's place and hung out a little. We listened to some of his records on vinyl then we all crashed. Another nice and warm sleep on a bed. We are spoiled. I slept almost the whole night through and only woke up to Brando saying “stop fucking snoring!” and pushing Will around. I also watched him move to sleeping on the floor rather than the love seat he was on. I wanna add that I offered him my bed and I could have the love seat but he declined. I learned also in the morning that not only did he tell Will to shut the fuck up and throw pillows and blankets at him but he punched him a few times.... And the punches made Will stop snoring. Hahahaha
We woke up to fresh coffee brewing! Thanks a million Jeff. And again I will say, you meet the most amazing people on the road. We had a quick breakfast in a little Jasper cafe and wandered around a little bit before we hit the road again.
We took our time driving today... basically looking for Moose the whole time and arrived in Prince George at around 3pm and we've been here at the venue since. Its called Third on 3rd and its an anarchist center with a really cool venue attached to it. The first band is about to go on so I think I will post this and get inside.
Approaching Jasper was amazing. I have been through the mountains before but never really appreciated them like I do now. They are huge and incredible! When we got to the Jasper National Park border we had to pay $20 to get in for the night. I was unaware of this fee and at first like “WTF? Why do we have to pay to get in” but as we drove towards Jasper it became more and more apparent why it might cost to visit. Within 5 minutes of being in the park we saw a herd of elk. Its hard to describe the reaction you have seeing something like that. Like you want to stop and make friends with the animals. Brando said “I just want to get out and hug them”. Its exactly the kind of reaction I'm talking about. We saw another herd about 10 minutes up the road. I'd pay $20 just for that!
We also saw a bunch of deer but ye ole moose still eludes me :( Not even today during our drive out of Jasper to Prince George... Where there are constant moose warnings did I see one. I just wanna see a moose.
Anyway, when we got to Jasper we did a short tour of the town... I mean its really, really a tiny town so the tour is very short and ended up at a pub called The Whistle Stop. It was nice to just sit down and share a pitcher without worrying about when we are playing, where is the promoter, who is watching the merch. Also, we could have a conversation without loud music drowning us out.... Don't get me wrong, we love loud music but a break from it is sometimes a nice change.
I love the idea of Jasper. It seems like a really laid back town where no one is in a great rush. There also seems like there should be a lot of interesting people there. I mean we have all heard the stories about how people have left to visit a place like Jasper and got a job there and never went home. I figured we might meet some people like that. First guy that sat at our table was not one of those people however he was an interesting dude. He was a train conductor and has been for the last 31 years but he was also D-R-U-N-K!! He offered for us to stay at his place but we were a little reluctant about that. Shortly after Jan met a guy our age at the bar named Jeff. He was really awesome and offered to have us stay at his place. OF COURSE!!! As the temperatures were dropping to -6 last night in Jasper we weren't really looking forward to sleeping in the van and we were a little worried about getting caught by the RCMP. I'm not sure if you are allowed to sleep in your van or not.. we obviously do anyway but we have no idea the laws on that. We went back to Jeff's place and hung out a little. We listened to some of his records on vinyl then we all crashed. Another nice and warm sleep on a bed. We are spoiled. I slept almost the whole night through and only woke up to Brando saying “stop fucking snoring!” and pushing Will around. I also watched him move to sleeping on the floor rather than the love seat he was on. I wanna add that I offered him my bed and I could have the love seat but he declined. I learned also in the morning that not only did he tell Will to shut the fuck up and throw pillows and blankets at him but he punched him a few times.... And the punches made Will stop snoring. Hahahaha
We woke up to fresh coffee brewing! Thanks a million Jeff. And again I will say, you meet the most amazing people on the road. We had a quick breakfast in a little Jasper cafe and wandered around a little bit before we hit the road again.
We took our time driving today... basically looking for Moose the whole time and arrived in Prince George at around 3pm and we've been here at the venue since. Its called Third on 3rd and its an anarchist center with a really cool venue attached to it. The first band is about to go on so I think I will post this and get inside.
Monday, April 11, 2011
April 10 - Edmonton
We are about 200 kms from Jasper and we have a night off!. Our intention was to head to Jasper for our night off and hit up some hot springs. The hot water would feel so nice on my hurting rocker arms and shoulders... but I don't think they are open :( Damn! We will see when we get there though... maybe if we stop in at a hostel they will give us the DL on where we can visit a hot spring thats actually open and preferably free... but thats tomorrows blog.
Last night we played at the DV8 Tavern and holy cow, it was awesome!!! Edmonton, and more specifially the DV8 really know how to treat a band. Like they treated us so nice that it felt like we were swindling them somehow. Rod, who does the show promotion among many other things, is a wealth of knowledge and experience on the punk scene. He could talk for hours about all the cool punk legends he knows and he's got an entertaining story about all of them. Rod also plays in a band called Kroovy Rookers. They opened up the night. They play a cool punk/oi mix. I would definitely recommend checking them out. Second up, our friends from Calgary (whom we played with in Saskatoon) Off The Rails. The third band, Bastards Son (Edmonton locals) ruled! In fact they rocked so hard the drummer passed out... totally unconscious... during the last song. It was crazy! But these guys play a sort of early Metallica/punk loads of technical fills and time changes... They also take no breaks during their set. I think I would have passed out too. He came to shortly after though and was feeling better. We later found out that (from the mouth of the lead singer Morgan),
“we are the laziest band in the world. Like we only practice when we have a show coming up. I guess we should practice more so the drummer doesn't tire so easily.” Hahaha.
Morgan was awesome!
We went up and played our set. The crowd was awesome! The other bands were awesome! The staff was awesome! The venue was awesome!
After the show Morgan (Bastards Son) offered us a place to stay. He said he and his room mates share an old group home. They had loads of spare beds and lots of extra space. We made a quick stop at the liquor store (open until 2am in Edmonton!!) and headed to his place. He wasn't lying, it was this massive house with a million bedrooms and livingrooms. We each got a bed (or futon couch bed) to sleep on and we all slept like babies through the whole night.
We LOVE Edmonton! In fact we love it so much we are going to play the DV8 again on our way back through on April 19th. Can't wait to hang out with that crew again.
Since we have the day off today we took this opportunity to sleep in even though Morgan had to be up and out of the house by 6:30am... ouch! We met up with Rod again and went out for breakfast at a greasy spoon close to the venue called Route 99. Yummy egg, homefries and toast breakfast.
After breakfast we stopped off at a music store to pick up an input jack for Will's bass since his is only working now when its reefed over and taped down to the bass body. I thought since I was at a music store I would also try to get my bass pedal fixed.. finally! The problem was that the wing-nut bolt thing was too short so I could never tighten my pedal to the bass drum. The guys at the music store fixed it by epoxy gluing a nickel to reduce he size of the gap. Genius! I don't know why I never thought of doing something like that.
Our last stop before heading out of town was The West Edmonton Mall. It was pretty cool and gigantic. We got some video and pics of it. They have a full size pirate ship right in the mall! And a huge wave pool! Crazy. There is also a roller coaster that we were going to ride but decided to skip it when we found out it costs $10.50 each. Geez, we are a punk band on tour... We don't have that kind of money! We didn't go in any stores but we did make a wish at the wishing well. Lets hope they all come true! Oh yeah! Also there is a shooting range in the mall but it was too expensive to try. But seriously... a shooting range?
I am really looking forward to spending the night chilling out in Jasper then off to Prince George in the morning!
Last night we played at the DV8 Tavern and holy cow, it was awesome!!! Edmonton, and more specifially the DV8 really know how to treat a band. Like they treated us so nice that it felt like we were swindling them somehow. Rod, who does the show promotion among many other things, is a wealth of knowledge and experience on the punk scene. He could talk for hours about all the cool punk legends he knows and he's got an entertaining story about all of them. Rod also plays in a band called Kroovy Rookers. They opened up the night. They play a cool punk/oi mix. I would definitely recommend checking them out. Second up, our friends from Calgary (whom we played with in Saskatoon) Off The Rails. The third band, Bastards Son (Edmonton locals) ruled! In fact they rocked so hard the drummer passed out... totally unconscious... during the last song. It was crazy! But these guys play a sort of early Metallica/punk loads of technical fills and time changes... They also take no breaks during their set. I think I would have passed out too. He came to shortly after though and was feeling better. We later found out that (from the mouth of the lead singer Morgan),
“we are the laziest band in the world. Like we only practice when we have a show coming up. I guess we should practice more so the drummer doesn't tire so easily.” Hahaha.
Morgan was awesome!
We went up and played our set. The crowd was awesome! The other bands were awesome! The staff was awesome! The venue was awesome!
After the show Morgan (Bastards Son) offered us a place to stay. He said he and his room mates share an old group home. They had loads of spare beds and lots of extra space. We made a quick stop at the liquor store (open until 2am in Edmonton!!) and headed to his place. He wasn't lying, it was this massive house with a million bedrooms and livingrooms. We each got a bed (or futon couch bed) to sleep on and we all slept like babies through the whole night.
We LOVE Edmonton! In fact we love it so much we are going to play the DV8 again on our way back through on April 19th. Can't wait to hang out with that crew again.
Since we have the day off today we took this opportunity to sleep in even though Morgan had to be up and out of the house by 6:30am... ouch! We met up with Rod again and went out for breakfast at a greasy spoon close to the venue called Route 99. Yummy egg, homefries and toast breakfast.
After breakfast we stopped off at a music store to pick up an input jack for Will's bass since his is only working now when its reefed over and taped down to the bass body. I thought since I was at a music store I would also try to get my bass pedal fixed.. finally! The problem was that the wing-nut bolt thing was too short so I could never tighten my pedal to the bass drum. The guys at the music store fixed it by epoxy gluing a nickel to reduce he size of the gap. Genius! I don't know why I never thought of doing something like that.
Our last stop before heading out of town was The West Edmonton Mall. It was pretty cool and gigantic. We got some video and pics of it. They have a full size pirate ship right in the mall! And a huge wave pool! Crazy. There is also a roller coaster that we were going to ride but decided to skip it when we found out it costs $10.50 each. Geez, we are a punk band on tour... We don't have that kind of money! We didn't go in any stores but we did make a wish at the wishing well. Lets hope they all come true! Oh yeah! Also there is a shooting range in the mall but it was too expensive to try. But seriously... a shooting range?
I am really looking forward to spending the night chilling out in Jasper then off to Prince George in the morning!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
April 8 - Winnipeg and April 9 - Saskatoon
I'm so far behind in my blogging because I figured that since I have so many hours in the car I could write my blog in the car... NOPE! Seriously, the roads out here are so freaking bumpy you can't do anything in the van. And being that we spend about 8 hours driving a day it leaves little time for blogging.
So here it is... two in one.
Winnipeg - So amazing! We arrived a head of schedule (around 4pm) so had some time to chill before we had to head to the venue. We have some friends in Winnipeg (formerly The Crackdown, currently High Class Low Lifes). When they toured as The Crackdown a few years back we gave them a place to stay at the farm and it was an awesome week of hanging out and making some really good friends. They figured this time as we were passing through their neck of the woods they would return the favour. We arrived at Dan's place and he had chili cooking in the crockpot for us. YES! Hot meail!! He handed us a beer as we walked in. This is awesome! He told us we have just a few minutes before we head to the university for a radio interview they had set up. COOL!! We did our interview first and then he ande Scott did an acoustic live performance of some High Class Low Lifes songs.
We got back to Dan's and ate chili... that was SOOO delicious! We have been talking about it ever since then. Thanks again for the delicious hot mail you guys!
The show was at an all ages venue called Death Trap. It was a dingy basement but was totally awesome. We played with Animalistics and High Class Low Lifes... more great bands you should check out if you have a chance. Although it was a no alcohol event everyone at the venue brought some beer and were drinking. It was hilarious listening to Dan (HCLL) sarcastically thanking the audience, his friends, for obeying the no alcohol rule... while everyone in the crowd was enjoying a beer. We went back to Rob's (drummer from HCLL) place to sleep... in a bed! Woo Hoo! They also got us some pizza and more beer. These guys are truly amazing and I miss them already. Hopefully we can pop by and visit with them on our way back through Winnipeg. Before we left Winnipeg we also visited with my sister, Catharine, and her family. They made us some breakfast and coffee and we had a nice visit for about an hour. What an awesome time was had in Winnipeg.....
10 hours drive later....... *sigh*
We arrive in Saskatoon.... oh wait... on the drive we saw tons and tons of live deer which was exciting however we also passed what looked like the deer massacre of 2011 on highway 1 in Manitoba. We figure they were hit in the winter and as the snow melts it reveals more and more deer carcasses. EWWWW!!! But the live deer were awesome!
Saskatoon... once again we arrive at the venue and its not open. We walk around and blow off some steam... tension can arise when there are 4 people in close quarters for 10+ hours. We need a little alone time sometimes. Also, all the batteries for all my gadgets are dead at this point. I hate that! Can't go on my computer, cell phone, play DS, nothing....ERRR!! I was ultimately looking for an internet cafe or something but the area of Saskatoon that we were in was like a ghost town... I had my doubts about the show. Finally we found a parking lot with block heater plugs so my intention was to hang out there and charge every one of my gadgets and then head to the venue since it still wasn't open but just as we were heading to the plug we saw the venue was open. Finally! I got to charge my laptop in the venue... I was a little less of a bitch when I was able to do that. We played at a venue called Walkers. It was a really cool basement venue that reminded me of volcano crossed with Phils. It was the perfect punk venue. We played with 4 other bands - Off the Rails, Chimp Change, The Chuds and Later Day Saints. All very awesome! We were offered a place to stay with Lacey, Blake, their little girl and two pit bulls. Much to my liking Lacey is a clothing designer and had all the tools I needed to fix up the hole that ripped in the crotch of my pants the other day. Phew! Thanks again Lacey. We also got a really great original painting of Duane Peters that Blake did. Those two were really awesome! Its great to meet people like that on the road.
The next morning we made a quick stop at the Superstore and went on our way to Edmonton. Now I'm sitting in the DV8 lounge waiting for the show to start and thankfully they have WI-FI!!!
So here it is... two in one.
Winnipeg - So amazing! We arrived a head of schedule (around 4pm) so had some time to chill before we had to head to the venue. We have some friends in Winnipeg (formerly The Crackdown, currently High Class Low Lifes). When they toured as The Crackdown a few years back we gave them a place to stay at the farm and it was an awesome week of hanging out and making some really good friends. They figured this time as we were passing through their neck of the woods they would return the favour. We arrived at Dan's place and he had chili cooking in the crockpot for us. YES! Hot meail!! He handed us a beer as we walked in. This is awesome! He told us we have just a few minutes before we head to the university for a radio interview they had set up. COOL!! We did our interview first and then he ande Scott did an acoustic live performance of some High Class Low Lifes songs.
We got back to Dan's and ate chili... that was SOOO delicious! We have been talking about it ever since then. Thanks again for the delicious hot mail you guys!
The show was at an all ages venue called Death Trap. It was a dingy basement but was totally awesome. We played with Animalistics and High Class Low Lifes... more great bands you should check out if you have a chance. Although it was a no alcohol event everyone at the venue brought some beer and were drinking. It was hilarious listening to Dan (HCLL) sarcastically thanking the audience, his friends, for obeying the no alcohol rule... while everyone in the crowd was enjoying a beer. We went back to Rob's (drummer from HCLL) place to sleep... in a bed! Woo Hoo! They also got us some pizza and more beer. These guys are truly amazing and I miss them already. Hopefully we can pop by and visit with them on our way back through Winnipeg. Before we left Winnipeg we also visited with my sister, Catharine, and her family. They made us some breakfast and coffee and we had a nice visit for about an hour. What an awesome time was had in Winnipeg.....
10 hours drive later....... *sigh*
We arrive in Saskatoon.... oh wait... on the drive we saw tons and tons of live deer which was exciting however we also passed what looked like the deer massacre of 2011 on highway 1 in Manitoba. We figure they were hit in the winter and as the snow melts it reveals more and more deer carcasses. EWWWW!!! But the live deer were awesome!
Saskatoon... once again we arrive at the venue and its not open. We walk around and blow off some steam... tension can arise when there are 4 people in close quarters for 10+ hours. We need a little alone time sometimes. Also, all the batteries for all my gadgets are dead at this point. I hate that! Can't go on my computer, cell phone, play DS, nothing....ERRR!! I was ultimately looking for an internet cafe or something but the area of Saskatoon that we were in was like a ghost town... I had my doubts about the show. Finally we found a parking lot with block heater plugs so my intention was to hang out there and charge every one of my gadgets and then head to the venue since it still wasn't open but just as we were heading to the plug we saw the venue was open. Finally! I got to charge my laptop in the venue... I was a little less of a bitch when I was able to do that. We played at a venue called Walkers. It was a really cool basement venue that reminded me of volcano crossed with Phils. It was the perfect punk venue. We played with 4 other bands - Off the Rails, Chimp Change, The Chuds and Later Day Saints. All very awesome! We were offered a place to stay with Lacey, Blake, their little girl and two pit bulls. Much to my liking Lacey is a clothing designer and had all the tools I needed to fix up the hole that ripped in the crotch of my pants the other day. Phew! Thanks again Lacey. We also got a really great original painting of Duane Peters that Blake did. Those two were really awesome! Its great to meet people like that on the road.
The next morning we made a quick stop at the Superstore and went on our way to Edmonton. Now I'm sitting in the DV8 lounge waiting for the show to start and thankfully they have WI-FI!!!
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