Yo Yo Yo!

It’s nine o’clock on a friday morning and the band and me are cruising down Highway 84 on our way to Salt Lake City for a show at the Urban Lounge.  We just finished a two-night stint at the Triple Door and had to immediately leave in order to make this gig on time.  So as a result, we’ve been pulling round the clock driving duties to get us there (sponsored by Red Bull).  The van’s insides are in rough shape—pillows and blankets everywhere, the smell of gourmet salami, beef jerky bits on the linoleum, an empty, pink box of Voodoo Donuts by the doorway.  We’ve been on the road for over two and a half weeks and it shows. 

But things are good.  If you’re keeping up with us here, I apologize for the lack of response on my end.  We’re just so busy traveling and documenting and doing stuff.  Things are going really well.  Let me back up and give you a city-to-city synopsis of the shows:

Los Angeles:

The endless search for the mystical organic taco stand led us into the winding roads and concrete cultural mishmash of the Hollyweird Hills.  Los Angle-eez.  Sunset Boulevard.  The Key Club.  This was our first time in L.A. and we were all very excited to play.  There was a lot of seeming pressure on this gig because a number of people that work on behalf of the band were in the crowd watching—my publicist, photographer, show reviewer, radio peeps, etc.  Needless to say, we were a little nervous.  But nothing we couldn’t handle with a little pre-show high-fives and a couple of tequila swigs in the mobile-home/dressing room. 

My manager lives in the area so we borrowed his house to freshen up and take naps before the night began.  Then we rolled down Sunset to the gig…...

Plainly stated, the show was a lot of fun.  Really…as of now, they are all and I’m really grateful that we’re getting this opportunity.  What I’m learning about this kind of playing (meaning, touring night after night) is how important the crowd is in determining the vibe of the night.  It seems an obvious observation but I can’t emphasize it enough after a dozen gigs in a row in differing towns.  And the difference between Phoenix and L.A. makes the statement as valid as ever.  One night, we’re playing to a tiny, packed room of rabid fans foaming at the mouth who seem to be cheering us on like we’re a gang of underprivileged underdogs from the Underworld.  And the next night, we’re in one of the ritzier clubs in one of the ritzier towns playing to an audience that is intent on clapping like a group of English aristocrats sipping tea, snacking crumpets, and watching polo.  I don’t mean this as an insult.  In fact, we were told by some people that the L.A. music-goers are a tough crowd.  I get it.  We got it.  It’s all good.  Next time, I’m just gonna bring a flame-thrower and torch some of them faux hawks hanging out in the crowd…..

Every night, we go out and play and the audience is basically a firing squad for us considering the fact that I’m relatively unknown right now.  And it’s really not a big deal.  I’m not doing this so people will clap and my self-esteem will be saved.  But I’ve learned on a deeper level now that it does help to have the audience with you in heart and mind and that their energy is equally as important as the energy we are putting out on stage.  I was mentioning to someone the other night that the audience is like a pretty girl you’re kissing.  You sure hope that when you lean to give it to her, she takes it and gives it back.

We’ll be back to L.A.  I can’t wait.

(thanks to NIck’s girlfriend Jamie and her parents for making a nice Migas breakfast and for opening their home up to the band for a day!)

San Diego:

The Belly Up Tavern is a cool place.  It’s a long, semi-circle arched wooden hallway with tons of floor space in front of the stage and nice, two level seating on each side.  I’d love to play there again.  We rolled into San Diego around three and just goofed around until sound check…..took some pictures of animals, made a couple of videos, hung out.  The weather was really nice and I think everyone really liked the vibe of the town.

The show was a helluva time too.  The past couple of days had left us a little short-fused temper-wise.  Call it:  Tour Agitation.  Call it:  Aargh.  Either way, by the time we took the stage, all was good.  We played a pumpin’ set.  Eli dressed up like the bastard son of Charles Manson and the whole band got a laugh out of that one.  I sweated out most of my body’s water.  It was a good time considering we were past the L.A. show and feeling free to mix it up a little bit in terms of the set-list.  Up until that point, we had been playing a pretty strict list of songs in order to tighten up our approach.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention….Wendy got to sit in with Bob’s band on his new tune “Tarantula”.  That was fun to watch.  And she did a really nice job on it although the guys in the band kidded her on bringing the Squirrel Nut Zippers vibe.  Then again, the guys in the band kid Wendy on just about everything….

San Francisco:

This was one of my favorite shows on the tour.  We played at the Independent, a medium-sized, high-ceiling, square room over on Divisadero Street.  A lot of cool bands play there.  Upon first glance, the room seems kinda boring—little seating, no suave bar, not paintings, no fluff or filler.  That impression would all change later in the night when the place was filled to capacity and the crowd was with you to the end.

The day before, the split off for a little.  Daryl and Melanie took the bus to Marin Park.  Wendy went with her family.  Nick stayed behind in L.A. to hang with his girlfriend.  And Eli and Tim and I hung out with my roommates from college.  The night we got in, they had a huge meal ready for us.  It was amazing….especially considering the kind of shit that goes down your throat after awhile.  We had vegetables with rosemary, beef cutlets, bread with special-flavored butter, good beer, and homemade scones for dessert.  Alright, I’m kinda going off a little.  And getting hungry.  Bottom line:  it was a nice night…the kind that reminds you of life without constant travel.  We stayed there that night.  I got to sleep in a bed!  (thanks Kevin & Amanda)

The next morning,  I woke up to go do an internet TV show called Mevio.  Daryl and Tim and I took a cab to downtown San Fran, met the production people, shook some hands, and headed to the basement.  I thought maybe we were being set up and this was the end.  But sure enough, we soon entered a little television performance area.  I had little time to warm up or anything.  Basically, it was say hi and go to it.  My voice was a little tired and I felt mildly self-conscious doing my songs early in the morning with a quiet crowd eyeing every move while a few cameras capture everything.  I wouldn’t say it was unnerving.  But it wasn’t paradise.  Luckily, the folks there (from Iris Distribution and BlinkerActive marketing) were really sweet and even took me out to lunch.  Yippee!

The rest of the day was spent waiting for the show.  That’s kinda how every day is.  You get there and wait.  It’s a good wait, though.  Energy and adrenaline starts to pulse like lightning through my hands as I imagine the night.  Before the show, I hung out in the bus, walked to the coffee shop, and met up with my uncles who had road tripped to the show.

Like I said, this was one of my favorite shows.  The crowd was amazing and the room filled up just right.  Tension in the band was high before we took the stage…..why?.....I’m not sure.  I think the anticipation fosters nerves and the nerves foster a heightened sensitivity to everything.  We were snapping at each other a little and I take this to be a good thing.  We got onstage, poured it out, left everything there, sold a bunch of cd’s, said goodbye to friends, packed it in and headed to Portland.  What a night.

Portland: 

Onward to the Aladdin Theater.  A good gig.  Saw a bunch of good friends.  Eli is living in Portland, so his brother came out and a number of other friends made it out there with him.

The Aladdin was interesting….sort of a turn of the century room with wooden seats and an open floor in front of the stage for the impromptu dancing crew.  The dressing was once an apartment so it had a lot of space and even a big bathroom with a shower.  We had a nice time playing.  I can’t immediately recall if there was anything super noteworthy about the set other than that we had a lot of fun….as usual.  I was a little worried about the condition of my voice.  I was having to consciously compromise my range a little bit on particular songs.  Not much sleep will take its toll on you, that’s for sure.  But…damn….it’s hard to sleep when you’re doing this night after night and then hopping in a bus and heading back on the road.  You start to feel a little weirded out.  The excitement mixed with the fatigue forms a little “crazy cocktail” that leaves you wired and tired all at once.  I can see why some musicians end up using substances to fight the unique trajectory the road lays out for your system.  I won’t be going down that road anytime soon, but I know now why it’s there.

Seattle:

Two nights at the classy dinner club/ rock venue known as The Triple Door…...

This has been easily the most interesting gig we’ve had with Bob.  I feel like, over these two nights, I integrated a lot of what I’ve been thinking about concerning performing:  poise, pacing, eye contact, energy expulsion, attention span, set-list flow, etc.  I’ve been watching Bob’s sets night after night and observing his particular style of connection with his songs and with the crowd.  I watch the way he inhabits his tunes…..either in what appears to be his own inner character or through the adoption of a certain character that may or may not represent how he feels about himself.  I mean….he’s got a lot of different kinds of tunes…..pirate songs, vaudeville murder ballads, southern rock, Tom Waits-ia piano blues, sunny pop rock, earnest love ballads, hip-hop songs about forties and shorties, electro-dance-lounge rockers about country clubs, sing-along reggae style tunes, a-capella closers…...you name it.  He does a really fine job of staying in his tunes and yet connecting with the crowd.  After all, they are his fans and they’re there to see him and his music and he gives them both.  It’s interesting to me how he, at least from my observation, has a sort of detached sensibility to him without being standoff-ish.  It’s like he’s right on the line of being with you and being away, being in on the joke and being a part of it, being the blood of heartbreak or the heartbreak itself.  It’s sort of a dual placement of intent that allows him to connect on a number of levels.  I appreciate watching it and understand that it’s probably easy for him to do but took many years of refinement that came through a lot of performances.  All I can say about it in relation to my own performance style is that it reminds me of my own personal progression into myself and my natural way of being onstage and inhabiting my tunes while at the same time working at connecting on a number of levels.
Right now, the band only has about 45 minutes each night.  So we kinda have to show up and kick ass.  There’s not a ton of time for highs and lows, murder and salvation, etc.  You can give them everything you got but you can’t give them your total creative personality…..at least it seems that way.  For instance, I’ve got a lot of slow songs that we’re not playing because we’re in favor of keeping the energy up for the short set.  So there’s these little deals I have to make with myself about performance and repertoire.  So I feel like, without imposing rules on myself in the moment, I have to deliver the song with maximum attention to lyrics and to the crowd.  I trust the band to be on with the music.  Playing night after night has instilled this and right now, we’ve got it down and it feels good.  But I’m seeing newer avenues for connection that haven’t materialized in my attention thus far.  One is just relaxing more and more and looking out into the crowd and seeing the faces of the people who came to have a good time and just connecting with them on that simple level….sort of a “Hey, I’m with you here” kind of way.  It feels good to be able to do that and not feel like I’m a performer and they are separate.  It helps me relax and not sweat as much and wonder if I’m in tune or not.

The two nights in Seattle seemed to be the nights where a lot of this observing and integrating sort of crystalized for me.  Whether anybody else saw it or felt it or heard it is anybody’s guess.  But I could tell I was there more.  I was a participant and not a dog barking or an ornament on a tree.  I felt it most on the second night.  I was singing “Maybe Mexico” and realized I was hearing the song from outside myself.  I was watching it happen like everyone else.  i almost started laughing.  In fact, I think I smiled big for sure.  I wish it was on tape because I’ve never felt that way before.  It was the feeling of confidence and alright-ness without feeling like I’m in control of anything.  I’m along for the ride, you know.  It feels right.  Seeing Bob and his band stretch out has been helpful in this respect and I’m glad I’m out here working it.

Somewhere along the way, my keyboard player, Tim Carrow, transformed into Captain James T.  Pemberton.  We don’t exactly know how it happened.  But every morning, he’s been waking up from slumber and saying things like:

“Give me mountain property.”

“Smell my couch.”

“Have you seen my beer, bleatch?”

“I have a face full of dirty poontang.”

“Sorry babe.”

......Thanks to everyone who’s come out, helped out, bought a CD or T-shirt, and liked the band.  We appreciate it all a lot.  Thank you and stay tuned for more dates ahead. 

—jason

05.15.09