Sunday, August 9/09, West Edmonton Mall AB If only they’d look closer… Things I have found over years of pestering people about my band, interupting conversations, meals, making them late for whatever errand, are the diverse reactions to having 2 or 3, or even all 4 of us, our clearly out-of-town garb, demeanor and lingo, approach them with ipods out of the seemingly regular blue. Almost all of the time, we look pretty haggard and desperate (and we are) and we feel bad for disturbing such tranquility, but like most of the population, we gotta make a living somehow. Whether it be peddling cheap cd’s and music online, shirts, promoting the evening’s and future events, it is all relevant. Most people are unassuming and easy-going, don’t usually mind being asked >> read more

Saturday, August 8th/09, GCFB’S, St. Albert AB Camping rules. The whole process, the tents, the fire, the vulnerable foliage, the wildlife, it’s pretty amazing to me. Most of the time there’s swimming or fishing involved, and lots of partying, hard. For some reason, we have this compulsion to go to the nearest outdoor gear store, spend hefty dollars, drive out to the middle of nowhere, or sometimes collectively to places they have dubbed “campgrounds,” light a fire in the middle of a severely flammable area of the world and drink a small village’s worth of alcohol, pass out under the stars. The next morning you probably feel pretty haggard, eat breakfast or something, but that’s the point. It is very reminiscent of a tour. I’ve always enjoyed camping, the time >> read more

Friday, August 7th/09, The Pawn Shop, Edmonton AB I am very surprised at us this tour, about our musical tastes and the arrangement of songs we have selected for our own personal tour mixes, another ritual in which we share. I went pretty mellow this time around, choosing bands like The Decemberists, The Format, Attack In Black, Mother Mother, Wilco, Get Up Kids, as well as many others (indiefuck) Dan firmly adheres to metal and rock n roll, something he’s done for years, but still manages to sneak in “Life is a highway” before any of us get a hold of the stereo, within the first 5 minutes of driving. I don’t know though, somehow we decided to listen to a vast selection of R&B, Rap and hip-hop, something we >> read more

Thursday, August 6/09, The Taphouse, St.Albert, AB Everyone eventually forgets to bring something when they are going on a trip, especially a long one. I am notorious for putting things down and leaving them there.  Anything, really. The items could be very small or very large, I would still forget where I left them. We were tempted to name this tour the “Keys? Wallet? Phone?” tour, due to the amount of times I’ve already left my shit in random places… let’s just say I found my keys on the front lawn this morning and I was stone-cold sober last night. Now, I don’t think we have forgotten anything. What I own is minimal, a bed, a desk, a tv, a bookshelf, everything else usually comes with me, items I store >> read more

Tuesday, August 5/09, The Road, BC And the tour begins, like always, with a ferry-ride! Yes, that’s right! We have paid our $66 Canadian dollars to cross a body of water, which has always been $112, but thanks to the spectacular summer sales, the greatest of promotional tools, we were spared the injustice and boarded on what was the most excellent ride to the mainland we have ever experienced (no, really) The ritual continues, the spritz to the cafeteria, the over-priced meal, the complaining about the over-priced meal, the half-conscious walk around the inner and outer decks, the search for something captivating, anything at all, and inevitably ending up in the van after setting a couple of car alarms off in the process. I don’t know why we even bother >> read more