Started the day early so I could see Marci and the kids before I don't get to see them for 2 weeks. Marci had the day off again as her infusion got messed up yesterday, so she had to go back today. Kids were both working early, so I got to see them and then finish packing.
I took care of my stuff, then got picked up by Simon, who plays rhythm guitar in Forest Ray. Since Peter lives up in Northgate and Miles lives in White Center, with me on the other side of the lake, it was easier to get picked up and then leave all at the same time.
We got through traffic, and arrived at Peter's to help him pack. Sadly, we had to take out a bench from the van, which meant the four of us would be traveling in the first two rows. Between us all, we have at least 4 guitars, a drum set, a small PA, merch, 3 amps, and merch and other things, plus our personal items.
I wanted to be well prepared, so I brought my bass (THE HOG), a rolling suitcase with a bunch of clothes, a giant duffel to consolidate my sleeping bag, sleeping mat and pillow. In a pro move, I also brought a towel. Add in my backpack and gear case, I have about 5 items to manage. I'm also a little paranoid about leaving our stuff in the car, but that didn't matter much as we would be in the van for several hours.
It took a bit to get packed, then Simon drove us down to White Center. We picked up Miles and got his stuff in the van, then headed to the freeway. We did stop quickly in Federal Way to get gas, which, for this giant van, cost $120. And then it was all the way down to Portland non-stop.
We parked in front of the club, called the Lollipop Shoppe around 5pm. Though the van was close to the club, it was out of sight as we walked up and down the block a bit to stretch our legs. That part of town was a little interesting, to say the least. Enough people doing their day to day there, and lots of people experiencing homelessness as well. Miles, Peter and I walked around for a bit and saw a few police cars chasing a guy, and finally apprehending him in front of us. It was all pretty anticlimactic.
After waiting around some more, we got the green light to order food, which was free from the club. We all ordered burgers and fries, which were delicious. Much appreciated after only having a bowl of cereal (Lucky Charms), a PBJ (on wheat), a protein bar (Kirkland Sig) and an apple for the day. From then, it was hurry up and wait.
I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The other dudes were all dressed like the late 20's/early 30's rockers that they are. Skinny jeans, trucker hats and beanies. I felt like a dad; over-prepared and over-packed. But then I realized that... I DIDN'T CARE. I wanted to be comfy on the ride down.
I ended up bringing all my stuff into the club. I didn't want to leave my backpack (with computer, Kindle, etc) in the van, or my suitcase. Even though it was mainly clothes, last thing I wanted was a broken into van and my clothes missing. Out of sight, out of mind. I also did some job hunting with the bar WIFI, so tried to stay productive.
I finally changed into gig wear and sat around to wait some more. For some reason, as the traveling band, we were also the headlining band. Mainly because the other two bands were local and friends of Peter's, and one of them was allowing us to stay at their house for the night. Add in the fact that Portland shows start an hour later than Seattle shows (9pm vs 8pm) and a long night was in the making.
The first band took the stage just after 9. They were a power trio called Dean the Dog. Songs like Nirvana, but even more indie. The bassist played a beautiful white/black Peavey T-40 and it sounded super gnarly. We backlined a vintage Fender Bassman Ten 410 combo for the bass and the soundguy had it on so loud. Drowned out the guitar a bit. They also had a woman singing some harmonies on some tunes and it sounded pretty good.
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| Dean the Dog |
Next up was a group called Horse Pills (I love that name!) and as they did soundcheck, I simply fell in love with the singer's voice. Her voice was clear and true and so beautiful. They were a 5 piece, with the singer on acoustic guitar, a lead guitar on a white Tele, a bassist playing a white MusicMaster strung up under his chin, and an Asian looking drummer. The same woman from Dean the Dog also did some backing harmonies. They were really really good and I learned the singer, Hailey, was so endearing on stage, with a huge laugh and humility as she was messing up some parts. They were country, but with more of a singer/songwriter slant to me, and I love them. Followed them on IG immediately. And though I got video of them, I forgot to take a picture of them.
We took the stage and got to work. Me and Simon were on top of each other to the ride cymbal side of Miles. Peter took center stage so we had to adapt. The Bassman amp was super midsy and loud. I couldn't get a tone that I liked too much on stage, so I just made sure the volume was OK and trusted the soundguy to get it right out front.
I tried to keep the playing simple and solid. We had rehearsed backing vocals the night before, but there was no mic available for me, so I just practiced in my head as the songs came up. Overall, I think I played pretty well; it was sort of nice to take the training wheels off and play with some energy. The rehearsals were a little subdued, with all the learning and practicing going on. Miles really dialed up the drumming energy and Peter and Simon were solid as usual. Of the 8 songs we had for our set, we did 7 of them and then tore stuff down. Because Peter's been setting everything up, he was networking and chatting with his friends, so it wasn't until 1am that we arrived at Nathan's house (he was guitar player in Dean the Dog).
We hung out for a minute upstairs, and then Simon and I headed downstairs to the rehersal space/rec room, where I set up my sleeping bag and got to work trying to sleep. Thankfully I brought a sleeping pad, because otherwise, it would've been simply a tile floor under my bag. It wasn't terrible. It didn't help that some people were upstairs chatting and, well, listening to music, at 2:30am, but I eventually fell asleep and made it until about 6:30, when I drifted in and out before finally getting up around 8:45 or so.
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| A roof to sleep under? Yes, please! |
Adjacent to where I slept was a bathroom and, unbeknownst to me until this morning, a shower in the corner. Without knowing if I could or not, I grabbed my stuff and took a shower. It was tiny but functional and, at my age, I'm a guy that needs a shower on the regular. After that and packing out, we are in the van and headed to Redding. We are about 90 minutes in, with another 4-5 hours to go. Apparently it's going to be 105°F or higher there today. Should be great. :/
So, after the last 24 hours, what are my thoughts?
- Is touring for me? TBD.
- I'm getting along with the guys. They are pretty chill. Miles and Peter are pretty chatty. Simon is pretty quiet, but he's had some issues with allergies and headaches, so not sure if he's feeling all that great.
- I haven't spent a penny yet, which is ideal.
- I'm helping schlep gear, pack/unpack, etc, but no driving. I want to help with stuff, but I'm also looking at it as me being the hired gun, and not expected to do much more.
- Though Peter had mentioned before that gas/food/lodging was all handled, in a sense it is, but it is also Peter flying by the seat of his pants. He is paying for gas. He has coupons for food and though dinner was free last night, I am realizing his "taking care" of food is hoping we get comped at clubs. For lunches and breakfasts I think we will be all paying our own ways unless he says otherwise. And for places to stay, it's him asking his contacts if we can crash on floors. Not super glamorous, but I wasn't expecting that either.
