2008-04-23
New York City
New York City was a major success. We played Sullivan Hall, an awesome venue on Sullivan and Bleeker, right by Washington Square Park. The show was part of the multi-venue, city-wide Green Apple Music Festival. The Hall has been renovated since last time we played there three months ago, and they added a sweet underground greenroom with a stocked bar. Unfortunately, the band that played before Calhoun, a jam band called Heavy Petters or something like that stole all the beer. Thanks guys! They also have created an uber-hip underground dance club (the kind that are cool because they don't have a sign) underneath the hall. The greenroom shared a back exit with the dance club, so I got to go stand in there for a little while, and get stared at, and feel really Texan and un-hip. However, I was wearing my spandex suit, so it's possible that I was just too hip for everyone there to handle.
Calhoun played an awesome show, to the crowd's dancing pleasure. There were some interesting conversations during the soundcheck, courtesy of the former Motorhead roadie sound guy, who later fondly reminisced about staying up for six days straight on speed. The levels eventually got somewhat figured out, and we put on a really tight, intense show. I had a really good time. Almost every song was at a pretty urgent tempo, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, when the crowd needs to dance.
It was awesome to see a lot of our friends from high school at the show who are now living in NYC, making a place for themselves in the city. I got to see Steph, Kristin, Laura, Edward Landreth, James Gorski, as well as a lot of our NYC friends who I only get to see every few months like Emma, Sarah, Graham, and, most of all, the incredible Emily Skipper who always lets us wake her up at 530 in the morning to come downstairs, let us in, and give us a place to stay.
Lowpoint of NYC? Driving in with a trailor is INSANE. We also parked the van in a parking garage which was INSANE. Most frustrating experience ever, check! The parking garage also had a magically increasing price scale. The initial quote advertised on the outside sign said 12 dollars for 12 hours, plus 5 for oversize vehicles. However, the shift manager at 5:30 in the morning when we arrived in the city from the overnight drive from DC, informed us that our trailor qualified us for Extra-EXTRA Oversize status which meant that we had to pay 37 dollars for overnight. I thought this was kind of bs, but said I would pay in the morning when I could talk to the main manager, since we already had the van halfway in the garage, and I was about to pass out from exhaustion. In the morning the main manager couldn't understand how the night-time manager could have possibly quoted me such a low price, since the the trailor and the van together meant TWO extra-extra oversize charges, adding up to 67 dollars for the night. We ended up paying 48 dollars. I'm not really sure how we got to that number, but I'm pretty sure I got screwed.
We received our second parking ticket of the trip, although the sign appeared to say everything was totally legal, and the club managers encouraged us to park there. Calhoun also got a ticket.
Good news is, we are making way more money at the shows the past few days. At least half of it is going to parking tickets and towing companies, but we actually have a pretty nice stash of gas money going. Our success in not getting a single hotel room the whole trip, and frequently crashing in the car, has saved us a lot of cash. So despite the HUGE hassle of driving our own van and trailor around NYC, the show was awesome, there was a great crowd, and it was totally worth it.
Travis
Calhoun played an awesome show, to the crowd's dancing pleasure. There were some interesting conversations during the soundcheck, courtesy of the former Motorhead roadie sound guy, who later fondly reminisced about staying up for six days straight on speed. The levels eventually got somewhat figured out, and we put on a really tight, intense show. I had a really good time. Almost every song was at a pretty urgent tempo, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, when the crowd needs to dance.
It was awesome to see a lot of our friends from high school at the show who are now living in NYC, making a place for themselves in the city. I got to see Steph, Kristin, Laura, Edward Landreth, James Gorski, as well as a lot of our NYC friends who I only get to see every few months like Emma, Sarah, Graham, and, most of all, the incredible Emily Skipper who always lets us wake her up at 530 in the morning to come downstairs, let us in, and give us a place to stay.
Lowpoint of NYC? Driving in with a trailor is INSANE. We also parked the van in a parking garage which was INSANE. Most frustrating experience ever, check! The parking garage also had a magically increasing price scale. The initial quote advertised on the outside sign said 12 dollars for 12 hours, plus 5 for oversize vehicles. However, the shift manager at 5:30 in the morning when we arrived in the city from the overnight drive from DC, informed us that our trailor qualified us for Extra-EXTRA Oversize status which meant that we had to pay 37 dollars for overnight. I thought this was kind of bs, but said I would pay in the morning when I could talk to the main manager, since we already had the van halfway in the garage, and I was about to pass out from exhaustion. In the morning the main manager couldn't understand how the night-time manager could have possibly quoted me such a low price, since the the trailor and the van together meant TWO extra-extra oversize charges, adding up to 67 dollars for the night. We ended up paying 48 dollars. I'm not really sure how we got to that number, but I'm pretty sure I got screwed.
We received our second parking ticket of the trip, although the sign appeared to say everything was totally legal, and the club managers encouraged us to park there. Calhoun also got a ticket.
Good news is, we are making way more money at the shows the past few days. At least half of it is going to parking tickets and towing companies, but we actually have a pretty nice stash of gas money going. Our success in not getting a single hotel room the whole trip, and frequently crashing in the car, has saved us a lot of cash. So despite the HUGE hassle of driving our own van and trailor around NYC, the show was awesome, there was a great crowd, and it was totally worth it.
Travis
2008-04-21
Our Friends
My stomach hurts after last night. We picked up a six pack of what Philadelphians simply call "lager" (yeungling) and a half dozen shots of something. The show was - well - we ended up playing very late. Dipping into some TFB history, we performed Space and Christmasville. I'm reluctant to call them rarities but whatever - we have rarities!
So I was thinking about our friends. Here are some.
Our tourmates and a very very good band:
Calhoun's Myspace
A phenomenal music venue with very hospitable staff
The Fire - Philly
The best band at Duke University, according to me.
Smooch and the Big Hug
The restaurant that made me sick. Even thinking about those chili cheese hot dogs...
The Varsity (Gross)
A multinational music broadcast powered by a half-broken 80's Peavey Mixer.
CNN Espanol
Rock.
2008-04-20
I fall asleep at the bar.
Philadelphia, arguably the hardest city to spell. We're here playing "The Fire," which is so named because of the firehouse next door. I'm writing this post from the green room, a second story apartment which will be our lodging for the night. Yes - we are sleeping at the bar. Whats more, we have tomorrow off. Lets take a look at the situation.
Apartment above the bar - check.
Tomorrow off - check.
Drink tickets - check.
Yes, it looks like the ingredients are all there. Its time to get bibulous.
Apartment above the bar - check.
Tomorrow off - check.
Drink tickets - check.
Yes, it looks like the ingredients are all there. Its time to get bibulous.
DC - The Iota Club
We arrived in DC at the same time as the Pope, but surprisingly didn't have much trouble with traffic. Amazingly enough, although we made no attempt to get there on time, we actually made it to the venue at exactly 6:01, when we were supposed to be there at 6. If we had spent 1 less minute yelling obscenities at the front of Turks Towing, then we would have been there exactly on time.
There was a super small stage at Club Iota, with awesome onstage sound, leading to a really tight energetic show. I like being close enough to see Brett's hands on the keys. Screw big stadiums, I'm all about the basements.
Club Iota gave us free food before the show. They had bowls of pasta, and seriously the best cauliflower I have ever tasted in my life..for free! My compliments to the chef.
After our show I met Tim from Calhoun's Aunt who was super nice.
Also after the show, a couple came up to tell me that our set had inspired them to go home and rent the movie Willow. I deemed this the highest compliment that we have ever received after a set, considering that Mad Martigan from Willow is my lifetime hero, as well as the greatest swordsman of all time.
Right after the show, we decided to drive straight through the night to New York City at midnight cause we didn't have a place to stay in DC. Nick, the keyboard player for Calhoun, and the Polyphonic Spree, decided to roll with us to get to NYC a little bit earlier and was great company on the allnighter drive since Brett and Marshall passed out soon after we got on the road. I saw the Washington Monument off the highway, driving out of the city at night after the show. I thought it would be bigger.
It was an intense, but fun, all night drive. We got to NYC at 5:30 in the morning, and watched the sun rise over the New York skyline from the roof of our friend Emily Skipper's apartment building. It may have been the greatest moment of my life so far. It was really beautiful.
There was a super small stage at Club Iota, with awesome onstage sound, leading to a really tight energetic show. I like being close enough to see Brett's hands on the keys. Screw big stadiums, I'm all about the basements.
Club Iota gave us free food before the show. They had bowls of pasta, and seriously the best cauliflower I have ever tasted in my life..for free! My compliments to the chef.
After our show I met Tim from Calhoun's Aunt who was super nice.
Also after the show, a couple came up to tell me that our set had inspired them to go home and rent the movie Willow. I deemed this the highest compliment that we have ever received after a set, considering that Mad Martigan from Willow is my lifetime hero, as well as the greatest swordsman of all time.
Right after the show, we decided to drive straight through the night to New York City at midnight cause we didn't have a place to stay in DC. Nick, the keyboard player for Calhoun, and the Polyphonic Spree, decided to roll with us to get to NYC a little bit earlier and was great company on the allnighter drive since Brett and Marshall passed out soon after we got on the road. I saw the Washington Monument off the highway, driving out of the city at night after the show. I thought it would be bigger.
It was an intense, but fun, all night drive. We got to NYC at 5:30 in the morning, and watched the sun rise over the New York skyline from the roof of our friend Emily Skipper's apartment building. It may have been the greatest moment of my life so far. It was really beautiful.
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