The sun is setting behind us on a perfect day topped with a perfect sky. The backs of 18-wheelers ignite with reflected incandescence and the beautiful autumn colours of trees on these Illinois plains are a beautiful contrast to the sharp shadows. Cast long and strong, the fingers of tonight are reaching and meeting and we’re having an exquisite drive. I wish it was one of those things my camera could capture. Some setting that allows for heightened LCD response in the monitor. It’s the one thing that oil paintings will always have over photographs – that ability to capture the light of a sunset.
A funny way to advertise. Ideally, in the men’s room your poster’s over the urinal because that way you’re getting at least 90% of the clientely. Over the sink or the hand dryer? 50% at BEST. At Stagger I imagine that percentage is perhaps not quite that high. Still, I imagine there weren’t TOO many guys who didn’t notice the picture of Heather in that dress…. Heather and I performing at the Stagger Inn…. Again in Edwardsville, IL. Thank you to Susan and Jeff for always being there to support, dance, drum and photograph!
This beautiful evening courtesy of rob screwing up the departure time. Yup. rob who’s always so fucking anal about how long it takes to get between points A and B. rob who hates being late so much that he mentions in a song. Yup – I was thinking the hour difference in the time zones betwixt Belleville, IL and Louisville, KY went the other way and planned accordingly.
I wish you could see this better. It was quite a dynamic pose, I assure you. I don’t remember what had captured my enthusiasm at Stagger that night. Maybe I was recognizing one of those “half way there and no Zebra Girl!” moments…. An awkward creature, a woman who was manic and difficult and later revealed to literally be “off her meds” left us a rose and a ring that didn’t look unprecious. I didn’t take it with us, left it in the hands of the bar who knew the character well.
Because I tend to always build some leeway into the schedule we’ll still be fine (knocks on wood) but the hour padding in the drive was eaten up before we even left and now we’ve got no backup plan if there’s traffic or chaos.
Fortunately, the drive’s been beautiful and I have little to complain about. I-64, contrary to the last time we drove it, is completely above water and completely built and people aren’t driving like idiots for a change.
The Bard in Blue, Matthew Presley, performing at the Sub Rosa Gypsy open mic, hosted by Divinity Rose at a bar in Louisville, KY. Heather was taking the night off so I went to perform by myself. Unnerving as it was, I got a great response and I think it’s probably important for me to, every once in a while, get out and remind myself that I can rock too!
We just crossed the Indiana line and there are oil wells (interesting typo – visualize just for a moment an “eel well”) burning gas in the fields to our left and right. Mechanical fury churning away, their paint and rust and rising flame matching the sunset perfectly.
Sub Rosa also boasts firespinning! I see a LOT of firespinners nowadays, but this guy was still pretty satisfying! Still, it made me a little homesick, thinking of the bass player and theremin player from Petal Blight, who are our neighbourhood spinners.
Last night’s show at Stagger Inn was surprisingly good. We’d never played a weekday at that bar in Edwardsville before, but we got a turnout of nearly 300 people and hate a decently appreciative (if not actually attentive) audience for much of the night. We had one woman in particular who needed to dance and leap right up close to the stage. We nearly reached the end of our collective patience with her and it didn’t help to have it explained to us that she was bipolar and ignoring her medication. The woman was still trying to give us roses and her diamond ring while showering my pedals with glitter and tiny paper stars at around 1.30am until some drunk-enough-not-to-care individual took her home with him. Hopefully some kind soul took care of her belongings.
Sorry America. I believe in forced medication and dire consequences for refusal – at least STARTING with the fact that the police should’ve carried her away hours before.
An exhausting night. Maybe that’s the reason for my egregious error in counting today. As with many things in my Life, perhaps it’s not a good excuse, but at least it makes for a good story.
Jenn Stout, one of our opening acts at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge in Louisville, KY. She brought a great, enthusiastic crowd with her and performed passionately for them on her Luna Henna 6 string. Jenn Stout signin’ boobs. It was that kind of show. Not that I got to sign any boobs. Sigh. This dog was excitedly running to and also fro at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge all during our show. He’d pop up on the stage and then race off and share his canine Love with all who would accept it. He was affection personified. On four legs. Also – very fuzzy. And also out-of-focus.
Man, I just don’t know what to make of Stagger. Every time we play there something….colourful happens. Women’s underwear on the counter and a woman trying to give me a ring doesn’t quite compete with the interrupted sex (well, it’s not really interrupted if they don’t stop, right?) and Zebra-girl dancing of the last show… if I can wrap my brain around the concept of just being EXCITED about seeing what happens next, it’d probably be a much more positive experience.
Chaos at Columbus Bar, assisted by a Bunnicula provided by Divinity Rose back in Kentucky. He’s my new road pet, at least until I work up the nerve and funds for a sugar glider.
In any case – the sky is deepening through shades of grey and purple and there are no hills to capture the last of the waning light. Darkness will fall fast soon and we’ll go speeding off into the night. On the other hand, America, damn you look good.
