Not not on tour
wild buffalo
I can’t speak for the whole band, but there were definitely some of us who, upon getting back on the bus and rolling out for the drive to Bellingham last Wednesday night, let out long mournful groans. As we headed North, I took a fistful of melatonin pills, snuggled up in my bunk inside of two sleeping bags, and slept the next 20 hours away. It hadn’t been long enough yet.
Waking midday in front of a stranger’s house, things got much better: Kati’s dad was picking us up in his conversion van and taking us to his beautiful mountain-side house for breakfast. Kati’s dad’s house is always one of the most refreshing places to visit on the road: lots of good food, coffee, showers with windows looking out on the mountains, affectionate animals to pet, and embarrassing snippets of Kati’s childhood such as dance competition uniforms to chuckle at.
Then there were the shows. Bellingham at the Wild Buffalo: the owner happened to be an aging hippie flautist, and he made quite a show of shredding on Van Morrison’s Moon Dance within earshot of the green room. I think we were supposed to invite him to sit in, but everyone knows how socially awkward our band is anyway and I don’t think any feelings were hurt. As I loaded out after the show, I witnessed the said owner cornering Luke and Kati and forcing them to sing 4 part barbershop vocal improvisations with him and the house sound tech.
seattle (ryan messick pic)
Seattle. Better show. Really nice theater. Kate came and we stayed with friends who had left over pizza and a coffee maker that brewed single cups. The options were coconut coffee or blueberry coffee. I picked blueberry and added soy nog to cut it a little. Wow.
Vancouver. Ok show. It was a gross dance club with a VIP area that featured fake snake skin upholstery and smelled like bodily fluids. The club employees’ “we don’t care if you sold your show out because Dance Party night does way better at the bar” vibe was loud and clear. They hurried us out at 10pm as the DJ started, Kate and I headed back towards our hotel, and tour officially ended. It feels good now, but I’ll start missing it in a few days.
