Kings & Queens

done with Annapolis, back on the bus for a few hours. Then back in th eair for a bit. Then HOME.

Yes!, originally uploaded by Rich in Orderly Manor.

Sitting around on the bus trying to pass the time. later show tonight… support group for once. will catch them soon. HOB is a good venue with a decent stage and real show vibe. No more ‘dinner and a band’ vibe, thank god. Feeling tired. Having a redbull to reawaken. I need a bicycle on the bus. Took a wander on the boardwalk – it’s like the Blackpool of America. People are kipping everywhere. I just wanna rock. I’m a terrible napper; I can’t sleep right before a show. Maybe i’ll go have a beer somewhere. Richard and I had a good reminise about some 60’s psyche last night – he’s a Love fan. And Soft Machine. Did i already say that?

I wish i could reconfigure my pedals but we’re too far in… Yogi and a sound dude did bass for soundcheck today. Tim was late cause of picking up Robyn. There was some green room shit being given for that. All bands are the same. It’s hilarious to witness actually.

Ok, Paul and Richard are up and there’s fake scottish accents flying.

Does this place give you the creeps or what? Garisto.

Happy birthday dad.

show was ok tonight. not great but the public was very happy so i expect the shortcomings i heard were band-only. PiP, LMW and Dumb Waiters for encore. Bit of a sonic white out at the end there… it makes me happy to brings some modulation into the mix for a second. It suits.

Watched some Basket Ball with Mars in the Rams Tavern. He’s rooting for Orlando. I got a free beer and called Andi.

Spent the last couple of hours chatting with Rich about some inspirations and song origins. He’s big on Soft Machine and we share a love of Love, Pinups and Blonde on Blonde. I need to get Soft Machine II. Good to hear LMW was written really quick on stilophone, hungover – supposed to be preparing songs with John and had nothing ready.

Sat up front with Darren for a bit. Good view of the road from this horse…

time of the season with RB… good times. of the season.

the bunk is small, dark, super comfortable and has a private DVD player. Now if only i had some dvds… Awoke in sunny Farmingdale, Long Island. Refreshed after watching Iron Maiden Flight 666 with Richard, Yogi and Trisha. I’m trying not to consider the weirdness of some of this stuff.

Apparently people think i’m John Ashton. There’s been a few times i wish he were with me – all these songs have at least two guitar parts. Let’s make that more than a few times.

Butterflies with two minutes to go.

Last night was awesome; no major mistakes, happy audience (i forget its not my usual crowd – lots more polo shirts) and some real highlights. In fact the live show somehow summoned up better playing than rehearsal – couple of parts that had been giving me trouble were easy. People are not happy that we’re not doing Love My Way. But they are happy that we’re out there; signed a bunch of autographs on hands, tshirts, tickets and posters… Furs fans are intense – one lady was recounting how she and her husband got together through the band, another was recounting how the Furs saved him from depression. Super fans. Two dudes were even asking about my technique – thought i was doing something special with my thumb. They are all stoked that we are coming back in the fall. As am I.

On the bus an hour out of Foxboro, MA. Just played the first show with the Furs. Good time. Too tired to get in to it and wanna just hang with Yogi and Trisha for a minute before cabin sleep. Talk sound etc.. But it was good.

So Run Down

Happy birthday rb. So we just had the last day of rehearsal. All went good. Some changes to Mr Jones at the last second which is not awesome for me but doable. Bit of bus rehearsal tomorrow will be in order. But ready to be back on a stage and doing things for real. Also ready to be out of here… Danbury is not really doing it for me – no sidewalks and Walmart is the main hangout spot. Bob appears to have contracted some flu thing which is bad cause we’re all in the bus for the next 8 days. Anyway, here’s the dates…

June 6 / FOXBOROUGH, MA
June 7 / FARMINGDALE, NY
June 8 / LONDONDERRY, NH
June 9 / FAIRFIELD, CT
June 11 / BALTIMORE, MD
June 12 / ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
June 13 / MONTCLAIR, NJ
June 14 / BALTIMORE, MD

July 19 / BENICASSIM, SPAIN
Benicassim Fesival

will post more later about this week. too tired.

Imagine your fingers were tentacles at this point.

Awake after not enough sleep at 8. I meet Paul (Garisto – drums with Furs back in the 80s) at the hotel breakfast. He’s freaking a little over being back in. I’m just freaking a little about being in. I’ll miss seeing Frank this tour but he’s a cool guy and is more original lineup… This is going to be interesting. This morn i’m a bit aimless; seem to be constantly looking for things, checking where things are, changing clothes, fiddling with guitars, shuffling notes, going to the lobby for toothpaste. California and my life seem very far away. I put on the green converse and head to the lobby. Turns out Richard is arriving earlier than anyone thought so the band has no time to settle in let alone play anything before he joins us. It doesn’t really matter to me – what, i’m going to play So Run Down without the vocals? So finally after all this preparation in my house, I’m in the van with Mars, Amanda, Paul and Bob Dallas. It feel like a band. I feel like the kid. I feel like a kid in a band. They tease me about the flight missing incident but its gentle and for every dig they have ten stories about their wild days – some not so long ago. Mars should write a book.

The day is long. The studio is a nice size and the owner Dave is a sweet guy who won some shredder award in SF a few years back. He has a Michael Schenker-signed white Flying V from some time when they played together.

The deep-end factor of today is brutal. I get tired thinking about it. There’s so much to deal with in terms of mind-bending factors. Pedals, arrangements, the manager Rob D lounging on the couch staring, Richard sitting there singing, the
“what are you playing there?” moments on ‘I wanna sleep with you” etc… not to mention a bunch of songs being added “Goodbye, Shadow, Believe, My Time” that none of us had any idea about. Somehow the email went awry. Not to worry – we got through it somehow and i like all those songs.

We have chips and salsa in the weird town of Brewster and Mars, Amanda and I discuss things – seems we’re doing ok. Wish we had more time but so does everyone. Mars gets more hilarious. California is a problem.

Amanda, Mars and I stay on to mess with pedals and settings. Back at hotel by 10. Knackered. Tonight i will sleep.

Can’t sleep but I’m here in overcast Danbury. Got in at 1am last night after hilariously terrifying drive from Newark with Bob and Yogi… Those guys have some stories. Excess with Lou Reed! Slayer, Extreme, Jonas bros? Lou Reed! Took a couple of hours and a diner takeout to wind-down from the joy of the airport day. What a crappy beginning. What’s the chords to Ghost in You again? Where are the cats?