For the second time in 2009, we’re getting in the van and driving across this great country of ours in hopes of making some new friends, playing some fun shows, and basking in the summer sunshine.

We’re fortunate to be sharing the stage with some amazing bands on the first part of the tour, so here’s a couple links you might want to check out before coming to see us in your hometown: Mapping The Escape, The Artist Life, Brights, The Ripperz, Making Waves, Immaculate Machine, Maurice, Vince Vaccaro.

The following is a list of the first bunch of dates taking us from Victoria to the nation’s capital in Ottawa…

July 31 – Sidney, BC @ Charles Dickens Pub w/ Immaculate Machine
Aug 3 – Victoria, BC @ St. Ann’s Academy – BC Day Celebration w/ Maurice, Vince Vaccaro
Aug 6 – St. Albert, AB @ The Taphouse w/ MTE
Aug 7 – Edmonton, AB @ Pawnshop w/ MTE – CD Release
Aug 8 – St Albert, AB @ GCFB’s (AA) w/ MTE
Aug 10 – Edmonton, AB @ Avenue Theater (AA)
Aug 11 – Leduc, AB @ Burnsy O’Flannagan’s w/ MTE
Aug 13 – Vegreville, AB @ The Social Centre (AA) w/ MTE
Aug 14 – Regina, SK @ Ohanlon’s Pub
Aug 15 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Zoo w/ The Ripperz, Making Waves
Aug 17 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Black Pirates Pub
Aug 19 – Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Decuf w/ Artist Life, Brights

More Ontario/Quebec dates, as well as dates on our way back west, will be announced soon.

To keep up to date on the latest, sign up for our Cross Canada Tour Event on Facebook or keep checking out the Tour Dates page of our website.

Sunday, July 5th/09, The Perfect Game Bowling Alley, Hinton AB

And now, the end to something that should have been much longer.

We were disappointed to find that this tour was the shortest one we have ever went on in our history as a band and as always, wished hard it was infinite. Sharing this experience with such great people, such great friends, really means alot to us, and although this was not the first time we have been on the road with A Trophy Life, it is always the biggest bummer (man) when it is over… but it won’t be the last time we duo the Canadian outback! This time, it was more of a vacation. We shared beverages, cigarettes ( DON’T SMOKE, EVER), songs, beds, bathrooms, clothes, vehicles, guitars, microphones, toiletries… and the list goes on… the important thing is, we learned to be strong and love eachother for what we are: vagrants, bards, jesters, bandits, musicians, American Apparel models, whatever you want to call us, our science is tight and we enjoy eachothers company and the company of everyone we meet along the way. It is very much like a relationship with 10 people involved and we are all different aspects of the personality.

For our last show, we played in Hinton AB at The Perfect Game bowling alley, hosted by a Crazy Carla, an great gal we met through other bands who puts on wicked shows out in Hinton (and she is putting together her own venue that used to be a casino, so get ready for that) I was still in a great deal of pain, but managed to suck it up enough to operate. We were all pretty stoked on bowling at this point so obviously, we did for quite awhile. The show was pretty rad and we made a few friends afterwards, including the band that opened, “Treading Through Darkness,” who were amazing and probably have the best band name you’ve ever heard. While watching A Trophy Life I realized for the first time how much they are more like a really dope posse you want to be a part of than just a great, hard-working band… I mean, check it out, you got the amazingly good-looking guitar and singing duo, a veteran bass-player who can drink you under the table, a drummer who can beat up your dad, a tall thin Australian operating a lighting system who gets you into it (or hard, depending on how deep you look into his eyes) and a cowboy that hangs out, takes pictures and is the best man you will ever meet… how could you not want to be a part of that?

Anyways, after the show, we said goodbye for now, and both of our vans drove off into the night, just after midnight, and rolled into Vancouver about noon the next day, road weary and I’m sure, all with matching headaches. It was a good week. Until next tour friends… take care of yourselves and keep checking back here for news… we hope to meet everyone ever the next time we go out, so come to our shows!

Love, Acres of Lions

Saturday, July 4th/09, Burnsy O’Flannagan’s, Leduc AB

Today was an interesting day. I woke up to find a rather astonishing pain in my shoulder, probably something I did while hauling our combined band’s gear (or “lifting beer” according to Nick) up flights of stairs BY MYSELF CAUSE I’M THAT BAD ASSED… anyways, for real though, strained muscle, no big thing. We loaded in to the venue early afternoon to get everything ready for the evening’s event, which included us, A Trophy Life and Drive By Punch, a sold out show, which had the greatest connotations leading up to an amazing night! The pain in my shoulder got worse throughout soundcheck, spreading to my arm and back, worriesome now. We all decided to head into Edmonton for the day to hang out, hit the mall, sell some cd’s. Tyson also had his nephew’s birthday party to attend, so we made a stop and felt out of place at Toys’r'us, where we settled on a some kind of Tonka truck and a plastic elephant for the little tyke. I eventually decided I should check out a clinic to make sure I didn’t destroy anything in my shoulder, none were open. Instead, Dan, Cody and I went to Starbucks, of all places, to get coffee and free internet and ended up making friends with the Baristas, Maria and Kuwani, and let them unload all of their fine corporate pastries onto us. It was the single most random and delicious thing I have experienced yet, and, we made fans.  The show was great, although I was in a lot of pain, it was most excellent, lots of stoked people and the best of friends, and thanks to Travis, wicked sound. The bands were great, and we were honored to have shared this with Drive By Punch and A Trophy Life.

Unfortunately, following the show, instead of drinking and being merry as was suggested from every band on stage at once, I had trouble breathing and went to the emergency room, where they told me I had pulled two muscles in my shoulder and chest and that I should do nothing for the next week (normally, I would not detest the idea, but I’m on tour, c’mon!) I crashed early, but the party went on well into the AM. The next morning there were talks of Dan Ball operating machinery and urinating names on the sidewalk for money, depending on accuracy and creativity, that is all I know.