August 1st, '02

Solidarity Books, Indianapolis, IN

           What can I say? We played with good friends of ours at this great bookstore and no one showed. Nevertheless, it's always a pleasure to get to hang out with our friends in Wack Trucks, The Big Wheels, and North Lincoln. Nice to see more bookstores like this popping up too.

August 2nd, '02

Terre Haute, IN

           This show was incredible. When we got there the night before, the owner of the bar started lighting everyone up with free drinks (always a plus). We got our own little apartment to sleep in (shared with the Wack Trucks) and all crashed pretty early (still tired from the drive). The owner of the bar, Dave, was one of Nic's old friends and is one of the nicest guys in the world. The night of the show, his band, Argyle, opened and sounded incredible. It's hard to describe them....Kind of reminds me of early REM mixed with emotions that Michael Stipe never dreamed of feeling. Second was Wack Trucks, one of our favorites, with their blend of Pirate Punk. Super energetic...I always walk away from one of their sets feeling good (despite the occasional guitar solo). We all started getting fucked up pretty early this night, so I'm still not sure what we sounded like, but it felt good and we had a great time. After the show, we all continued to sink further into our bottles until we had to try to sleep it off. The AV guys that were with us (Dave and Matt-- both great people), me, and a few others were up talking when Ben from Wack Trucks bursted in the apartment riding a small light purple and pink Huffy. It's difficult to recall what he was screaming when he entered, but I am sure it made little sense. Eventually he was cajoled into returning the Huffy to the porch from whence it came...Probably the funniest "theft" I have ever witnessed.

August 3rd, '02

East Side Live, Columbia, MO

           Here we met up with our friends in the Patcee Deecline and played with a punk band that I could definitely do without seeing again. Before the show, we were interviewed about our band name by some guys doing an indie flick. Afterwards we dressed up the East Side Live fuck dummy in our shirt and crucified it off of their balcony. Next was a couple days of rest and relazation with the Patcee Deecline. We also decided that it would be a good idea to take them with us on the rest of our tour. Nothing else of note happened while we were there except spending way too much money at a local radical bookstore there called 'The Peacenook'.

August 6th, '02

The Bluebird, Bloomington, IL

           Unfortunately the Bluebird is a bar, so when our friends, Sean and Cera, showed up we couldn't smuggle them into the place. We played with the Neophytes this night. Their sound has changed quite a bit, but we all thoroughly enjoyed the new set they played. Afterwards, I hung out a bit with my friend, Alan Beaver, though I doubt if he remembers it. I left for Muncie for a few days with the AV guys, Matt Sharp and 'Dave'. Nic and Andy stayed with Alan Beaver.

December 5, '02

Hangar 9, Carbondale, Il

           Playing shows in Carbondale has become a lot more like visiting with old family and friends than playing a show. This time we had the fortune of playing with The Hateful Dead and my partner in crime's (Marty Moore) band, The Plus. It was interesting to play with the Hateful Dead again. The last time we played with them they sounded very guitar-driven and sludgy...noisy in a mean-spirited kind of way. I let them borrow my guitar after they had some string problems and after their set it was handed back to me with only two strings on it. Their set was pretty brutal (as you might well imagine) and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This time, however, they decided to play their set sans distortion. It was a strange experience. When I heard we were playing with them I expected another sonic assault. Instead I was confronted with a clean-toned guitar that sounded mature and insightful. I'm all about them playing clean now (though I am sure they could give a fuck less)...Hope to see it again soon.

           The Plus played next and I was a bit surprised by their style. Having heard Marty's bands 'Vehicle' and 'Shelf-life 6000', I was confident that this would be another heroin band, complete with sugar noise with hooks sprinkled on top like so many red hot candies on a birthday cake. I was wrong. He has adapted nicely to this style as well. It was mostly driven pop, with the occasional foray into the experimental. The band has quite a stage presence, which is nice to see...They would never be mistaken for an art band just because of the politically incorrect banter in between songs. Anyway, here the painkillers started kicking in so I felt like I was on a tame ride throughout their set-- Kind of felt like riding the Beastie and not even caring that you are too frightened to ride the Beast.

           We played an unimpressive, but fun set next. I'm not sure what has happened to us in Carbondale. Maybe it's the cough syrup or copious amounts of booze? Anyway, we always have a great time, but we never play our best set there. Such is life.

           After the show we went to the infamous Lost Cross house where I watched some of the kids there (who will remain unnamed) shove some of my crushed painkillers up their noses. It was nice to see Jonny again and hang out in a familiar environment. All in all, a good time.