Witchita, KS Shakes the Clown!

Tuesday March 23rd from Kansas City, Missouri to Witchita, KS.

While driving across Kansas you sort of wonder, "What do people do out here?" Other then the couple big cities, Kansas City, Witchita, ect. there is a lot of open space. I saw some cows. I guess maybe it's too early for crops to start peaking out of the ground but..... One of the things I did this trip was buy postcards and send them out to friends as a way to pass the time. One of those Kansas postcards said Kansas is known for wheat and sunflowers.

VANessa, that's what we call our van, pulled up in front of Kirby's Beer Store about 5pmish. The "club" is right next to a laundromat and about the size of maybe a studio apartment. Looking around the room you see posters for old shows, beer signs, book shelves up high filled with old books, a jukebox filled with old 45's that people are still pumping money into, lots of locals, regulars, musicians. I believe one of the only things holding this place together maybe all of the stickers on the walls. Smoking in bars is still legal in Kansas so the room has the fresh scent of smoke as well as the stale smoke smell that you get in most clubs.

After hanging with the locals for awhile they start moving the tables off the stage so we can set up. People start filing into the small space as we begin to play. The room sounds great and feels great. The "tip" bucket starts filling up. By the sets end when we are playing Siouxsie Please Come Home the crowd is singing along.

Immediately after we stop I jump off the stage to man the merch. Tonight is good, we sell CDs and we've started this thing called the name your own price for a t-shirt. Our merch box exploded during load out one night and the one we bought before leaving Missouri is too small. In other words, we gotta move some tees. After things die down a little bit a man approaches the merch table. He's shorter, stocky, wearing a hat like mine and Buddy Holly glasses. He says, "You guys were great, I REALLY like your band."

I probably say something dumb like, "Cool man, thanks. "

He says, "My name is Bob.......Bobcat Goldthwait."

I take a closer look and through the glasses and the hat I start to see who he really is! Shakes the Clown, One Crazy Summer, Police Academy. What is he doing here! He doesn't really talk in his crazy voice.

I play it cool, "Cool, it's nice to meet you."

He turns around and I start freaking out. Pull out my phone and start texting everyone. I grab Pat and I am like, "Do you know who that is!?"

Bobcat ends up introducing himself to Pat as well and they begin to start talking about powerpop from the 70's and 80's, records he is looking for and music in general. Super nice cool guy. He says he's coming to Portland for something soon but can't remember. The next band starts up and Bob's ready to leave. I make sure he has a way to get hold of us because he wants guides to go record shopping or have drinks in a rock bar when he comes. Here's to hoping he e-mails us.

Witichita, KS, Bobcat Goththwait, a small hole in the wall dive bar. Crazy.

To Be Continued......?

VAC in Boise

It was the last stop. We stayed with our good friends, April and Travis. We laughed a lot. We had home cooked lasagne. We played with Low Fi and With Child. Low Fi is starting to stretch the old boundaries. It's exciting to see the expansion.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Pretty People
If I Wanted You Back
Your Hair Changes
Taking Advantage
Embracing the Modern Age
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Oh! I can't forget! Amazing and friendly audience at VAC. We will return soon.

Heading home to finish the next, as of now, untitled record.

the Pneumonia Story.......

When you pack for a long tour you know at some point you will need to do laundry. For this, "the 24 hours to Awesome Tour," it was pack for about nine days and do laundry when we get to Austin. The hotel in Austin had no guest laundry sevices and I was either too sick or too busy going from show to show to get to a laundromat. Needless to say, heading to Tulsa, OK, I was wearing clothes that had a couple days use out of them already. The plan, make it to Tulsa early, do laundry, change clothes and head to the gig fresh as a daisy.
The drive into Oklaholma proved difficult with a lot of construction delays and backroad detours. We were all worried we might not make it to the gig on time. It was about 8 or 8:30pm when we pulled up in front of the Sound Pony hungry and ready to GET OUT OF THE VAN! Myself, I had a fever and felt worse then ever. I just laid in the van trying to sleep. At some point after the guys loaded in, Pat came out to check on me and felt my forehead. We discussed what I had already started thinking, this "cold" that I had was possibly turning into pneumonia.
Band teamwork went into action. Pat took my health insurance card to find an urgent care clinic to take me to first thing in the morning. Mike walked up the street to grab something for me to eat. I took a swig off the Robitussin bottle that was rolling around in the van while being lulled to sleep to the sounds of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, whom were playing a couple doors down. The guys set up everything while I slept. I went in and out of consciousness tripping out on Robitussin dreams. The show went well from what I know through my haze. Finn Riggins was great.
Next morning, I check into the Warren Clinic about 9:30 am. Not too long of a wait, although my oberservations of the state of healthcare and what's going on these days are planned for a blog at a later date. Dr. Christopher Sorrels comes walking in; a younger doctor, maybe mid-thirties, a cool looking guy. I tell him I'm a musician on the road, I've had a cold for about 2 weeks, a fever for about 2 days and was begining to think it might be morphing into pneumonia. "Dr. Sorrels, life on the road isn't the healthiest what with the lack of sleep, proper food or regular schedule, alcohol, drugs, women....... you know." He gets excited and starts asking questions about the band and what kind of music we play. After examining me, he sends me to XRAY to confirm pneumonia.
I head back upstairs to await results and treatment. The doctor confirms my fears are true and says a shot of antibiotics are in order followed by pills for a week. The doctor asks a couple more questions about the band and shakes my hand reassuring me that I will be feeling better in no time.
About 5 minutes later the nurse comes in smiling at me. She says playfully, "I hear you are a rock-n-roll musician?"
"I am."
"The nurses and I were drawing straws out there to see who was going to get to come in and give you your shot, " she said in the same playful tone.
All I could think was here I am, about to pull my pants down for a shot in the ass, wearing underwear that is going on it's third day now. Some prize this woman is getting.

Knotty Pine in Victor, ID with Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons

After a long drive through desolate Wyoming, spotting deer, big horn, elk, antelope and moose, we passed through Jackson and over Teton Pass into Victor, Idaho. Jerry, Steve and Junior were already sound checking when we arrived. It was a real treat for us to open for these road dogs. I had the rare and awesome opportunity to watch them work out the second set backstage. I love the way they play off each other in order to whip up a massive sound that the packed in audience jigged and twirled to. Mike sat in and played aggressive second guitar with The Jackmormons on Golden American.

Thanks Jerry and Carson for taking care of us at the end of the night. And a big thanks to Jeff Lord Alge and Abbott for the killer sound.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Can't Fall in Love
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
A Wirld Without Love
Embracing the Modern Age
The More You Say You Know
Jenny and Steve
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Hi Dive, Denver

In order to avoid getting stuck in a snow storm and missing our show, we left for Denver very early, changed our route three times, and arrived four hours early. No problem, it gave us time to eat at the club, explore Broadway, and discover that Colorado, like California, is very progressive when it comes to their medical marijuana laws.

The Hi Dive staff is awesome. Friendly, yet full of the dry humor Blue Skies shares. The audience danced and wanted to talk about Portland after our set. We'll be back before too long.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Back to New Orleans
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
Your Hair Changes
Jenny and Steve
Embracing the Modern Age
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Kirby's Beer Store in Wichita, Kansas

Bobcat Goldthwait was in town performing. After his show, he came to ours. We hung out and talked about powerpop.

The Sitch
Sitting on the Edge
Your Hair Changes
Majoring in the Arts
The More You Say You Know
Taking Advantage
Pretty People
Here Comes the Rain
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Wichita was fantastic! We loved the club and the peeps.

We ain't in Kansas anymore. Hello Kansas City!

Jerry's Bait Shop, in Missouri.

The Sitch
Your Hair Changes
Jenny and Steve
The More You Say You Know
Embracing the Modern Age
Pretty People
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
Siouxsie Please Come Home

The Soundpony in Tulsa

The Sitch
A World Without Love
Embracing the Modern Age
Your Hair Changes
I Still Wish That You Were Around
The More You Say
Majoring in the Arts
Here Comes the Rain
Jenny and Steve
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Austin, you were beautiful even though it was 38 degrees.

Rainbow Quartz party at Sonny's vintage.

The Sitch
A World Without Love
Here Comes the Rain
Embracing the Modern Age
Taking Advantage
Ambition
If I Wanted You Back
Majoring in the Arts
Pretty People
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Night show - 6 Stages Over Texas @ Hole in the Wall

Sitting on the Edge
A World Without Love
Ambition
Here Comes the Rain
The Sitch
Pretty People
The More You Say You Know
Majoring in the Arts
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Bombardiers in El Paso

Alex Chilton, rip.....

The Sitch
Back to New Orleans
Ambition
Jenny and Steve
Can't Fall in Love
Taking Advantage
Majoring in the Arts
Pretty People
Siouxsie Please Come Home

encore:
When Your Heart Breaks
Your Hair Changes

Holy Fuckin' El Paso

God bless the bartender at Bombadiers. Let us work the jukebox. Bought us pitchers. Poured stiff drinks.

Cortinas Verdas and the Zsa Zsa Gabors had a ton of heart. Santana, the bassist, held it all together. And they were fuuuuccked up. We saw ourselves in them . . . you can see it too at East End when we get back.

Bad Assets brought it.

But, you know, so did we. Signed autographs. Wore green. Wandered back to the lodge.

They cleared a parking spot when we arrived at the hotel.

El Paso, mi casa. Y hasta.

The Hut in Tucson

Sitting on the Edge
A World Without Love
Ambition
Embracing the Modern Age
Taking Advantage
The More You Say You Know
Here Comes the Rain
Majoring in the Arts
Pretty People
Siouxsie Please Come Home

The Desert is Green

One of the cool things about traveling through Arizona this time of year is that the desert is carpeted with a layer of new growth fueled by spring rains.

Left LA early this morning. At the tour’s commencement, Pat jumped in the van with a flu bug, which has since been passed on to the rest of the band, so we are currently the walking dead housed in a rolling pharmacy. There’s enough pseudoephedrine on board to start our own meth lab, which, is always an option I suppose for a few extra bucks for the gas tank.

Last night, we rocked so hard at the Silverlake Lounge that we actually shook the city to the tune of 4.4 on the Richter Scale. Quite literally, in fact. LA, in its usual fashion, was a big wet blanket. Oh LA, have your senses become so overloaded, your outlook so jaded, that you can’t manage to muster up the smallest amount of true joy for the very art you so readily pimp?

I guess it makes me thankful for Portland . . . filled with amazing artists who create out of love for the craft.

But enough of such things. After a lovely night staying with our good friends Oh Darling in Echo Park, we are on our way to The Hut in Tucson. It’s a tiki bar shaped like the head statues of Easter Island. I am beside myself in excitement.

Sick in Tuscon

Last night we were in Tuscon at a place called the Hut. Pat with his love for Tiki bars was in heaven. Having left Portland with Pat being sick he now feels great and the rest of us are sick. Myself probably the worst last night. It is horrible, and the combonation cocktail of Sudafed, Robitusson and PBR is really weird. Tuscon, I like you but I feel like my head is too much in a fishbowl to enjoy you.

When I went to go retrieve the van to load out I heard live Blondie. I ran into the bar next door to see an 80's tribute band playing called 80's and Gentlemen. Text went out, "Holy cow, Blondie cover band next door." Within seconds Pat was right behind me.

Silverlake Lounge Los Angeles

The Sitch
World Without Love
Here Comes the Rain
Embracing the Modern Age
Taking Advantage
When Your Heart Breaks
The More You Say You Know
Majoring in the Arts
Pretty People
Siouxsie Please Come Home

Merced, CA

The Sitch
World Without Love
Here Comes the Rain
Embracing the Modern Age
Taking Advantage
Your Hair Changes
If I Wanted You Back
Majoring in the Arts
Pretty People
Siouxsie Please Come Home

The Magic Theater

Here Comes the Rain
The More You Say
Taking Advantage
Sitting on the Edge
If I Wanted You Back
Majoring in the Arts
World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home
Someone's After You - Deathray song with Dana Gumbiner on vocals
Only Lies - another Deathray tune with Dana
Lola - Kinks cover with Dana on lead vocals and omnichord

Deathray Rad

High in the Sierra Nevada mountains, we shook the dust off some guitars, cranked up old tube amps, and with Dana and an Omnichord at the helm, we conjured a little magic at an after hours theatre.

Before that, we enjoyed the coldest beers in town at Grandfather's Station. Crayz.

High mountain livin' . . . good times.

Tonight we're in Merced w/ Boscoe's Brood. See ya in Central.

The Knockout, San Francisco

The Sitch
I Still Wish That You Were Around
Taking Advantage
Pretty People
If I Wanted You Back
Majoring in the Arts
Can't Fall in Love
Here Comes the Rain
A World Without Love
Siouxsie Please Come Home

....it was a Smile! Night. Moomaw and Jessica Pratt opened. Bart Davenport brought it all back home with a vibes player to boot. Amazing!

Showers to South By

"It's not raining," Kelly said. "It's tears." Blue Skies left down Sandy for SxSW. Portland was crying . . . apparently. Weather is quite the news this time of year.

Vanessa has never hauled so much, but she performed with aplomb. Now it's DC Hardcores in Medford. Wake up darlings, we're coming to your town.

24 Hours To Awesome has begun.

The Hullaballoons debut single

Willamette Week gives Pat's side project, The Hullaballoons, a nice review, although totally off the mark....except for maybe the CARNIVAL ROCK tag. The debut 7" single will be available at the show.

Backspace | 115 NW 5th Ave., 248-2900 | more info
[^^^]Blue Skies for Black Hearts, Welcome Home Walker, Hey Lover, Electric Castle, Hullaballoons
[CARNIVAL ROCK] The Hullaballoons have been around for roughly nine months, and in that time the band has made some serious advances. Not only has the group produced a new single (to be released tonight) but the sprightly jangle of advance track “For the Sake of the Sun” suggests a group whose primary influences are a well-distilled mix of caffeine and Harvey Danger. With the backing of Boogie Creek Records (whose stable fills out this bill), the Hullaballoons have a more than decent chance of taking their fake-mustached shenanigans to the carnival-esque surroundings they politely demand. SHANE DANAHER. 9 pm. 115 NW 5th Ave., 248-2900. $6. All ages.