Back East

Well, we are now headed back East, and this time for good. I'll have to make this short, as I'm writing from our show in Phoenix, AZ. Actually, it just ended, and we are to now embark on a 7 hour overnight drive to Albuquerque. Not that it's anything we can't handle. In fact, Maguire already entered the Quik Trip in as a stop on our route, so I think we'll make the drive with no problem.

As for California, it was by and large an overwhelmingly great experience. We made some new friends, met up with some old ones we hadn't seen in a while, and had a good time regardless. We ate at IN and OUT, Greg ate a 4x4 (or course). We ate Del Taco. We were treated to a night at a casino resort and Greg at liver and onions. Yes, he is not one to shy away from a culinary challenge. After our show in Hollywood, we watched one bum do karate, and another one smoke crack at a bus stop. I think I preferred the karate.

Anyhow, it's pack up time, then snack time, and then driving. I'll write again soon.

California

Well, it's been a hectic past few days, but I do believe things are about to calm down a little bit. Although, the new transmission was a huge deal, we've been having a few other minor problems that have just been adding insult to injury. For example, when we stopped for gas in KS, the wind was so strong that it blew the door open with such force it bent the front panel of the van. So, now the passenger side door is inoperable. Great. That's convenient. Then, our trailer door decided to fall off the hinges. Luckily I noticed it and we were able to repair it easily, but it could have been disastrous. And, just when we thought we were in the clear, we opened up the trailer yesterday to find all our equipment covered in a layer of dust. Perhaps we should stay on paved roads from now on.

But enough complaining. Although the drives have been pretty taxing, things have been pretty good. After the KS show, we stayed with Greg's good buddy Jesse in Boulder, CO. The views were amazing, and with our lack of AC, it was good to get into some cooler air. The next day we navigated our way through the mountains to our show in Utah. The crowd was small, but it was a good vibe, and also good to play a show again with everyone feeling a little better. Knowing we had a long drive ahead, we woke up at 7 am the next day to make our way to Fallon, NV. Now, it just so happened that we needed to take a combination of state roads to get there. Some of them were paved. Some, much to our surprise, were not. There were plenty of cattle crossings, as they have lots of open ranges in the area. For part of the trip, we were on a road called the Extraterrestrial Highway. In general, though, it totally blew our minds just how open and unpopulated this area of the country actually was. We stopped a few times for photos and such, but I don't even think they can come close to capturing how crazy things were.

In other news, we rolled up to the Nevada show plenty earlier and finally met Seth and Andrew. They're the guys who worked really hard to make all these west coast shows happen. It was a good time. Andrew's parents fed us, gave us a place to sleep, and then fed us again. I think we all benefited from the much need rest and repair.

So now, it's off to CA and maybe a music store along the way. Somehow, Greg managed to break all his cables last night, and take a nice chip out of the back of his guitar. Perhaps we need to calm down a bit.

The New Transmission

Well, things have gotten interesting lately. We finally met up with the Little Compass dudes in TX, and things have, for the most part, been going very well. I have to say, Texas was pretty good to us. At our first show with LC, we played a Catholic College and enjoyed pizza and soda. Not bad after a 9.5 hr drive from Little Rock, AR. Then next day, we drove through the desert from San Antonio to Lubbock. We passed cacti, oil pumps, and expansive cattle ranches. It was hot, as our AC is broken, but it was enjoyable just the same. The show in Lubbock was great, and it's been good to actually play for some people here and there.

So at this point, things started to get a bit interesting. We had had some problems with the van stalling out the other day. After that, it had trouble going into the lower gears. So we took the van to get checked out in Lubbock. The guys were helpful, but since it was a weekend, they wouldn't be able to start any work until Monday. Weighing all the options, we decided to not go to Waco, and instead, drive up to Oklahoma City to get there for the show the next day. We drove almost all the way to the City that night, treated ourselves to huge, yet reasonably priced dinners at Montana Mike's (aka Oklahoma Omar's), and crashed for the night.

Well, the next morning, the van was not happy. We tried to drive up a slight hill to get on the interstate, and we just couldn't make it. Greg had to roll it back into a parking lot. We unhitched the trailer and gave it another go. This time we got onto the highway, but it topped out at about 30 mph. So we had to pull over and get towed. We spent the rest of the day getting pretty bored at a Wal-Mart. Eventually, the LC guys came to pick up our trailer and us, which was a huge help. We were able to play the show.

So, I should hurry along as it's almost time to head out today. The guys at Cottman Trans were super accommodating, and finished our trans rebuild in a day. So, we were able to get on the road last night, and make it just in time for our show in Lawrence, KS. The downside was, Maguire came down with so type of terrible digestive ailment, and was severely under the weather. I have give him a lot of credit, though. We got up there and played 3 songs with us. I think he's feeling a little better today, but we are still all going to be looking out for him.

Alright, we that's about it. We are off to Colorado. I'll post again when there's more time.

hello again, deep south.

Well, the Outsmarting Simon full US tour is officially underway. We haven't had quite a full schedule as of yet, but things are shaping up every day. We started things off with a Hurricane Katrina benefit show in New Brunswick. Things got interesting when we wound up doing an impromptu collaboration with an MC named Kosher Dills. I think that's right anyway. For a few reasons, I decided it would make Fred Feldman proud. Playing the show was a bit of a struggle, since there wasn't enough power for us, but I'd say it all worked out in the end. Afterwards, it was a trip to the grease trucks, and then some hanging out in New Brunswick.

The past few days have been fine as well. We played in Norfolk, which is always a blast, and we made it back to Ladson, SC. It was Greg's birthday, so we all celebrating by going out for oysters and alligator tail (among other things). I thoroughly enjoyed both. Our show at the hole was an amazing time, and later on we had a blast hanging out with Ford, the Aslan dudes, and everyone else.

From there we started off to Atlanta, ate boiled peanuts again, and made it to Swayze's in Marietta. By some chance, we would up playing with Philly's own Jena Berlin. There great dudes and a great band, and it was good to see them all so far from home. Aaron 084 set up the show and played as well, and it's always good to see him.

Now, it's off to Birmingham to stay for the night, and then I think we're meeting up with our good friends Marigold and In Pieces to play a show in MS. That certainly worked out for the better, because I believe we would have had a few days off otherwise. Not to mention, they are some of our favorite bands of all time. From there, I guess we will cautiously attempt to make it to Houston, but that's pretty touch and go considering the hurricane. Well, that's a few days off at least.

I wanna eat a burrito

So much excitement in the past few days, and just to think, this is supposed to be our time at home to rest up before the next tour. Well, I can't complain too much, because we did get to play two amazing shows with our good friends Marigold and In Pieces. Before I get too far along explaining the fun times had, I'd like to strongly recommend that everyone check out Marigold and In Pieces and start making them your favorite bands. They are currently starting a 6 week, full US tour, and would certainly appreciate any support. So check them out on the interweb, come out to some shows if you can, maybe even give them all a place to stay--I know they would all appreciate it.

The past 2 days, however, have been both awesome and exhausting. It's always a little rough juggling shows and work, and these past 2 days have been no exception. On Tuesday, we made the muti-stage journey up to SUNY Purchase to play at their Student Center. We got to see the Marigold dudes again, and finally see all the In Pieces guys since our tour with them. We also had the chance to catch up with some old buddies: Lea, Joe, Lexie, Bethany(feverfew), and all the Ambition Free guys. Our friend Pinagio, now a Purchase student, was also able to make it out. The show itself was great. Thanks to everyone for sticking around and making it so.

Afterwards, it was a bit of a trek back home, and I got back at 3 am, only to wake up 3 hours later and head to work. Maguire had a tough time too, and I'm sure the other guys as well. Consequently, Maguire and I were pretty spent when we met up yesterday to head up to the show in Montclair. Still, it all worked out. Again it was great to play with both Marigold and In Pieces and it was a very pleasant surprise to see some of our friends. Amit and Chris stopped by, and Tiffany and Becca came bearing snacks. It was a much needed pick me up. Although the show was a little long, and went a little late, people actually stuck around. Thanks so much.

From here on, it's about a week more at home until we embark on our own 6 week, full US tour. It is exciting, though I must admit we are all a bit concerned about high fuel prices, and the general scope of the trip. If we can, we might meet up with In Pieces and Marigold on the West coast. Scotty and I decided we'd have to do token Cali things like surf, bleach our hair, and eat burritos. Some of those sound fine to me.

Finally, please check back here soon. I think there is a fair chance we'll be playing a show in NJ the day before we leave. Regardless, I look forward to seeing everyone when we get back in November. Thanks and take care.

Greetings from New Brunswick

Hey everyone. Well, I was all set to post a long blog relating the events of the past couple days, and then the web browser decided to refresh the page. That irritated me quite a bit. But, in an act of protest, I'm going to try my best to do it again. So here it goes.

Right now, I'm using a computer in the library of Fredricton, New Brunswick, Canada. Yes, we've been making lots of "New Brunswick" jokes and yes, they are only funny to us. Yet, it keeps us amused and that's the important part.

So, we left at 7:30 pm on Saturday to head up to Pictou, Nova Scotia for our first show. By early morning, we were driving through the middle of nowhere, Maine, and the rising sun and dense white fog made it a pretty, yet slightly taxing drive. There were also plenty of moose crossing signs, which worried me a bit. We didn't see any moose, although I really would like to see one at some point. Then again, I'd much rather avoid hitting one above all else, so I'll gladly stick with not seeing on if that's what it takes.

By about 7:30 am, we were at the Canadian border. By some big coincidence, the We're all Broken dudes were right ahead of us going through customs. After showing our IDs, filling out some paperwork, and paying some taxes and duties, we were legally allowed in Canada. We have a plan for next time that involves Mountain Dew Pitch Black and a kayak, but that's for next time.

Regardless, we were in a new country. Since we were all pretty exhausted from the long drive, we treated ourselves to some food (A@W root bear and Quizno's) and then proceeded to drive to Pictou. If my memory serves me right, Pictou is a smaller fishing town, separated from the mainland by a 7 mile causeway. Maguire and I agreed that it reminded us a lot of a small New England fishing town. We all enjoyed some surprisingly decent Canadian pizza, and I made the first foray into one of the many new flavors of potato chips: Roast Chicken. We all agreed that they were pretty good and tasted a lot like stove top stuffing.

The show itself was good, and despite being very tired, I think we all pulled through and had fun. Afterwards, we went to our new friend Dylan's house to stay with him and his Mom. It turned out that they run a gravel business on their property. They also live in a trailer, and consequently, couldn't really fit us inside. So, most of us had to camp it up for the night. It was all well and good though. We were also so beat from the long drive and we at least got the chance to finally get some rest. In the morning, Dylan gave Greg and me a tour of the operation. He even ran some of the machines. It was like an episode of "Extreme Machines" but in real life.

From there, it was off on the road again. We stopped by the Tim Horton's for some breakfast and undersized coffees, and then proceeded to drive to Saint John. Saint John was more urban and more interesting than Pictou. As soon as we got to the show, Paul and his wife Karen had some pasta waiting for us. The show itself was a blast, and afterwards I got even more Canadian pizza. After the show, we wound up caravanning to the beach to hangout and crash. Wait, are we even aloud to sleep on the beach here? I'll admit, getting arrested in a foreign country is certainly something I wish to avoid. Well, it turned into us sleeping in the dirt parking lot, and, after PJ had a pleasant conversation with a police officer, everything seemed to be in order. As entertainment for the night, some of the dudes rode the ferry across the river and were even aloud into the "authorized personnel only" area. To top it off, I think the captain let PJ drive it. How does that happen? I don't know, but it did, and I'm sure it was awesome.

So the sleeping worked out pretty well, that is until it started pouring. PJ and Greg were outside and they got woken up, wet, and pretty pissed off. Well, I give them credit for toughing it out; it was a pretty bad deal. In an effort to do something other than be uncomfortable, we decided to start the drive and possibly get some food along the way. After a stop for gas and at a supermarket, we made it to Fredricton, New Brunswick. Of course, more "New Brunswick" jokes ensued and were generally silly. PJ decided to blow a few more Z's in the van, and other 3 of us started off to find some food. We eventually decided on a pretty cool place, and I got a breakfast the was somehow both English and French. It was a lot of food, and I was happy about that.

Then, with a little help from the friendly townspeople, we made it over to the library. The library was pretty serious, but then again, maybe that's were the 11% sales tax goes. I sure hope so, because it seems pretty worth it.

And the about does it for now. I'm glad I got to repost, even if it was bothersome. I'll try to post again if the opportunity presents itself. Until then.

dudes bein dudes...

so warped tour is sort of ridiculous. and i guess so are we? we played broadway joe's in buffalo, packed up and got on the road around 1am, drove all night, and got to northampton mass around 7am and checked in. we spent all morning trying to figure out where we were supposed to be, and then finally pulled in and settled down. i was about to go to try and get a few hours of sleep but then the first stage started about 100 feet from our van. fuuuuuuuck. so instead we stole two cases of energy drink and that got me through the day. while it was sort of intimidating to be part of this huge event where no one seemed to know what was going on, it was made much better by the fact that we got to play with several of our friends and labelmates. hit the lights from ohio went on pretty early and are apparently the newest triple crown bros. good band, really nice dudes. check them out if you get a chance. then we played and kids actually watched which always surprises me and i was a bit of a mess due to a lack of sleep but i think we pulled it off. anterabae was up after us and they were incredible. i've only seen them a few times and never really met them before but they blew my mind and were rad dudes. and yankee fans which is a plus. folly was up after them and let me just say i love them. i love them! incredible dudes, really really good set. kids went pretty nuts. i think we still owe john money for the beer run. sorry dude. then it was lux courageous who sound better and better every time i see them. they were dead on and their songs are dangerously catchy. we'll be playing with them in a few weeks in philly which i'm looking forward to.
okay so the last band on our stage was bane. and yeah this got me psyched. my apologies for sounding like a jaded old man but at a festival of 8 million bands i just wanted to see my friends and go to sleep. but they're one of those bands that i got in to five or six years ago and kept me psyched on punk/hardcore/indie whatever you want to call it and i haven't seen them in forever so i went nuts. the barrier was a bummer but maybe its better that way cause i'm too old to stage dive. they had a lot to say and played all the hits. good times.
so then we packed up, drove around forever and finally found a place to sleep. i can say with some certainty that i had never been so tired in my life. yeah yeah, i'm a big whiner. its cool.
so now we're in cortland new york hanging out. show tonight, then head to boston to see the lock and key dudes which i am very very excited for, then up to vermont and then hooooooome. tour has been incredible but i'm pretty eager to get home and sleep and have friends again. so i'll see all of you in jersey in a couple days. later!





brian.