WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE WERE, WHERE WE'RE GOING

I am in Minneapolis, MI waiting for our show to start. I have been seriously lacking in textual
documentation of this trip -- my attempts have been a MESS of false starts, so in a way, I love that there will only be low quality cell phone pictures to remember this leg of the tour by.

SO, I will give you a brief overview. Since I last wrote, we picked up two more humans, one James Roemer, back from a season living in Antarctica, who plays music under the name "Glochids", and Daniel Martin, a very active artist and co-founder of Bike Saviours Bike Co-op from Tempe, who is documenting this trip with field recordings and writings. You can find his blog here.



This tour has been good. Flawed, but good. I always forget the difficulties of being a general unknown musician in some areas of the country, and trying to keep my proverbial head up despite of it. It's so strange to have to maintain the balance of humility, grace, and self-respect, especially when I find myself in uncomfortable personal situations. Blindly trusting someone to hold up their end of an agreement and to match your effort is a scary a scary crapshoot.



Last week I had an awful encounter with a venue that made absolutely no effort in the ways of promotion or preparation, and when I calmly approached them to address the problem, I was received with so much irrational anger at the notion that they might give us a few bucks for gas, or even ask for a donation from attendees at the door. Their response was only this: "I don't know if you about the D.I.Y. movement, but we're D.I.Y. and we don't fuck around with money, and if that's all you care about, maybe you shouldn't have booked a show here." Feeling officially and totally deceived, we just left, depressed and empty handed, holding tightly to our dignity.



This kind of insinuation bugs me more than anything, however, I don't feel any need to validate myself. Anyone who knows me knows my true intent and my lifestyle, and that I don't give two shits about making money. I just want to get by on the most basic level like everyone else on the planet is.



Though, more than not, we've been met with much hospitality and warmth. Here is a SHORT, UNCOMPREHENSIVE list of amazing experiences:

1. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Not in my whole time traveling have I met such a wonderful community of kids. Our friend Jacob set us up three shows in Charlottesville that went over wonderfully; such a great mix of fun, honest professionalism, matched with a sort of exuberance I've never seen. After the three days we spent there, we continually kept in touch, and when some shows were cancelled in Ohio, they invited us to come back and play two more shows, in Charlottesville. The last two shows were some of the best of the whole tour, including the most visceral house show I've ever attended/played. Thank you Charlottesville.

2. BALL HALL, CHICAGO, IL - This place is the most beautiful punk house/art space I've ever been. On par with Rhinoceropolis in Denver, this place has all the means to be a legendary showspace. The building has wonderful acoustics, the highest quality supply of dumpster food, a billion awesome cats, nine really friendly residents who all showed us the definition of kindness. If you live in Chicago, check this place out! If you are on tour, try to book a show there. You seriously won't be disappointed.

3. GREG, BUFFALO, NY - We made a new friend in Buffalo, NY after our show. He showed us around town, then took us to his house, which he bought for $800. Insane! Apparently, home abandonment is rampant in Buffalo, and the city is selling houses for next to nothing. We spent the night in his huge renovated home, and he told us about the Buffalo housing market, told his traveling stories, and showed us his awesome songs. What a wonderful human.

4. CAMBODIAN SNAKE WINE

5. TEAGUE'S MOM AND DAD - Thanks again, guys. Sorry I had bronchitis and I scared you. T

6. MATH THE BAND & LIMA RESEARCH SOCIETY - These guys are the coolest, most wonderful, and str8 up funniest people you'll ever meet. We played a few shows with them in New England that ended in a two hour search for a Burger King in the middle of nowhere. Go see them on tour now! Apparently they are the 2nd best Andrew W.K. cover band in the northeast, but they're number one in my book.



And this is only the the beginning. On the 19th, I fly to Portland, OR to record a new record with Teague Cullen and Bri White, and then we are going to tour down the west coast together as a band. Here are the dates, including some awesome shows with ALAK, Calvin Johnson, Iji, Polka Dot Dot Dot, LAKE, Watercolor Paintings, and many, many more.

ALL SHOWS W/ FOOT OX
6/25 - Portland, OR - Da Punx Palace w/ Bri White
6/26 - Olympia, WA - ABC House W/ Polka Dot Dot Dot, LAKE
6/27 - Seattle, WA - Healthy Times Fun Club w/ iji, Your Heart Breaks, Calvin Johnson
6/29 - Arcata, CA - The Green House w/ Watercolor Paintings
7/01 - Sacramento, CA - Cosmic Cafe w/ ALAK
7/02 - Davis, CA - Robot Rocket House w/ ALAK
7/03 - San Francisco, CA - The Oven
7/06 - Isla Vista, CA - Isla Vista Food Co-op
7/07 - Los Angeles, CA - Women w/ Whitman
7/08 - Long Beach, CA - The Hickey Underworld
7/09 - San Diego, CA - The Boat House
7/10 - Tucson, AZ - The HangArt
7/11 - Flagstaff, AZ - Killian and Jonathan's House
7/12 - Phoenix, AZ - The Trunk Space w/ Bri White

That's about it for now. I will write more soon, I promise. I love you.

-Stephen