oh, canada

in an early-morning happyexcited haze yesterday, i wrote a big long blog entry about the incredible time we were having at the fest.

i mentioned the mandatory evacuation, and how some shows were shut down before they got to start, but that we ignored it all and continued to find open spots with great music.  i even got my dance on to some dirty, gritty nyc beats.  (goddamn, it was delicious.)

we were so fucking stoked to have two more days of music, inspiration, and fun.

my blog entry got erased, and i was too spent to re-write it, so i went back to sleep instead.

i awoke a couple hours later to the news that sled island was cancelled.  images filled our motel tv screen... a roof getting carried down the river, parts of downtown under several feet of water.  oh shit, that evacuation thing was no joke.

we ambled around our neighborhood in a stupor, feeling lost, confused, and horribly disappointed.  no explosions in the sky!?  no more bouncing from bar to bar catching random shows and unexpected finds (like the Chairs show in the Palamino basement)?  no more shaking my booty at the club at the end of the night?  no artist lounge?  but we didn't even use all of our free drink and food tickets!  and so on. 

but then the sun came out.  hope returned.  we discovered that 17th ave still had power, and many of its bars and restaurants were open (though not tubby dog, dammit, where we might have still cashed in on a free pint and two mini dogs.)  we bumped into other bands that didn't get to play at all and were scrambling together last minute shows.  i felt very lucky that we got to play our show (and might i add- the sound man was fantastic, and the venue was intimate and warm and wonderful.)

we ended up at a bar in the burbs, where many sled island artists migrated for a last-minute show.  biblical, from toronto, closed the night, and they might be my favorite band of the whole festival.

so, the rock doesn't stop. 

and, because our motel won't refund our money if we check out early (WTF), we're here for another day. 

we'll see what shakes out.

until the next,

s

home

tour is awesome.

being home pretty much sucks.

at least by comparison.

we still have a record to finish, don't we?

july.  it's all going to be finished in july.

(for release in october.)

(according to the current plan.)

(don't be angry if it's not out until november.)

and other nonsense.



reno, music video race, canada!  see you this month!



and until the next,
s

currently listening to:  a seasonal disguise

p.s.

we're on tour!

we've been through Southern California and Arizona, finishing up with two shows in Southern Arizona this weekend.

it's been great!  so great, that i've abandoned the internet almost entirely.

almost.

Tin Can Alehouse in San Diego is an absolute gem, we had such a great time there and played with two fantastic bands.  we also stopped by KSDT radio on the UCSD campus, and hung out with El and played music.  for three hours.  watch for highlights, available soon hopefully.

We played our first of three shows with Former Friends of Young Americans at the Trunk Space in Phoenix, and tomorrow we'll be heading south, almost to the border, to play in Sierra Vista.

now to get hiking.

until the next,

s


currently listening to:  the sound of the air conditioner

sedona

yesterday we hiked to Cathedral rock, and plunged ourselves in the cold refreshing water

us, in our swimsuits, surrounded by people fully clothed and cameras flashing.

we continued up the trail

doing our best to get beyond the beaten path.

out into the river we waded, then perched on a large flat rock as the water rushed passed on all sides

and the sun went down

and the tourists vanished.

our mission today is to find a cool spot that none of the tourists know about.

i love analog

balls!  i just wrote this big long entry extolling the tascam reel-to-reel machine we got fixed (after many years of deliberation), and my computer did some crazy shit and erased all of it. 

so i'll keep it short:  we dug back into recording over the weekend.  analog is inspiring as shit.  put down three songs.  we're pumped. tape rules.



until the next,

s

west side

day two in west seattle.  set up in our friend's dope ass pad.  (many thanks to you Kelli!)  playing music, recording, filming.

brandon cahoon (the one who made the films for "Dead to Me" and "Alone") is here with us.

hopefully all the footage will result in some new stuff to put on the youtube, and also a promo video for our new album.

the sun is shining at this moment, and i am in love with seattle.



currently listening to:  paul banks

s

outside the confines

it's a perfect portland gray outside. 

today is our first day off after three shows. 

we are resting, and showering, and snacking, and doing nothing in particular.

every show so far has been unique in its vibe and cast of characters. 

i love being on tour.

i love the people we meet and the music we get to hear. 

i love that i can go to bed at 4am and sleep until 2pm two days in a row and not feel one bit guilty about it.

i love walking through neighborhoods i've never been in before and seeing the interesting ways in which buildings are decorated and gardens are designed. 

mostly i love feeling like i am living outside the confines of society. 



currently listening to:  this amazing tape by Nulla Cur.  ambient and tribal and totally delicious.  watching him create those sounds live at his house last night was definitely a tour highlight.



until the next,

s