US Tour Part 4

At the end of our tour, we returned to the east coast, where we played New York, Philadelphia, Vermont and Boston. After that we flew south again, this time to spend a few days recording in Austin, TX.

In Philadelphia, at the World Cafe, we recorded a live radio session in the basement of the venue. The walls outside the studio were covered in the hand-written names of bands that had visited before us. My favourite was “Flight of the Conchords” in wonky futuristic computer writing. During the show, I wandered outside during the David Mayfield Parade set and watched them through the huge windows at the side of the stage; they looked cinematic under the stage-lights. After that show, we had a spooky drive through deserted roads into the misty countryside, where we finally found our hotel. The next day was Vermont, where the turnout was small but attentive, and we had good chats with some of the audience members after the show. While most of us chose to go back to our rooms and sleep that night, a few people drove back for the last few songs of the Pink Floyd tribute band that had played next door during our set-rock and roll!

We played at the Mercury Lounge again in New York and had a rollicking show that ended with most of the audience joining us on stage, at David’s behest. In Boston, we went out for a meal and sampled some of the famous local seafood and chowder, complete with creatively-worn lobster bibs. It was our final gig with the D.M.P. and that night we said our sorry goodbyes before they flew down to Orlando for an afternoon show the next day. We watched with sadness as they left for the airport in the van we had grown to love and we’ve missed their hilarity and warmth ever since.

After resting up for a couple of days we journeyed to Austin. Here we walked out of the airport and back into the warmth and humidity that we remembered from our week in SXSW earlier this year. We took a shuttle to our new temporary home, right next to the studio, and found that it was small but “vibey”. Unfortunately, we soon realised that the absent dog that lived there had left us a legacy of fleas, and they were hungry. From then on we were at their mercy, and I think I was their favourite flavour, judging by the hundreds of bites I counted after we left.

Aside from the domestic situation we were really excited to have the chance to record some new songs with Matt Oliver. We first met him through playing a Daytrotter session in SXSW in March, and really liked the finished tracks. This time, we had a limited number of days for recording but Matt didn’t let us feel anxious about that; the atmosphere was simultaneously relaxed and focused. Matt records to tape and there isn’t a computer in sight in his studio, which is really refreshing. We won’t hear the finished songs for a while but we’re pretty excited about them. Because Matt liked to start the tracks off with drums, banjo and guitar, Dave and I had a few hours of free time over a couple of days to explore Austin. We went up a mountain, out to a natural spring and we also blitzed the vintage shops on South Congress, an area across the “bat bridge” over the river that we discovered on our first visit.

While we were recording, we got used to popping out for a breakfast taco or a midnight burrito, or a pumpkin pie milkshake. Tommy even got to know the very friendly man who runs “Loveballs”, a fantastic Asian street-food stand just up the road. I got into the habit of a midmorning run by the river and up through the weird and wonderful one-story houses of east Austin, which all look like they’ve been built and customised by its occupier, in varying shapes, sizes and degrees of stability. One night we wandered into a gallery that was part of a walking tour of a whole constellation of East Austin art spaces. Another night we heard the evocative chords of a Green Day song in the distance, as the band had been recording in the city and decided to play a packed-out gig. On Saturday, the already animated streets really came to life with markets and events, and in the evening we danced to the regatton blasting out of the club across the street. It seems like there is always something going on in Austin and you don’t have to search very hard to find it.

As I’m writing this, we are on a night flight from Atlanta back to London. We are worn out and flea bitten but satisfied to have completed such an exhaustive tour and an EP, and there will be many memories to mull over and savour when we are back. For now, it’s time to say goodbye to the immensely diverse country of the U.S. and fall back into the sweet southern hospitality of Delta Airlines, who will carry us safely home.

 

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US Tour Part 3

The weekend before Halloween we traveled through Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. Among the notable sights were a few giant spiders perched over porches and on roofs, cobwebs stretched across front lawns, little tableaus of pumpkins and scarecrows posed for passers-by and of course early-evening trick-or-treaters. We also saw a witch eating in a Subway window, which was a novelty for us.
Minneapolis was where we said goodbye to our tour manager, Zac. It was his home town for a while and he took us to eat at a burrito place where he used to work and we watched his football team win a rare game, while trying to cram down an enormous pile of beans and rice. When we played the show, the audience was great and Tom even handed them out bits of percussion to play during the encore. Also, I got to meet up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years, which made me happy.

In Illinois, we played at a really nice venue/recording studio, where we had a massive green room that looked and felt like a small apartment, complete with record collection and player, kitchenette and too many seats for us all to use (which is a very rare thing!). The next day we stayed in the state but moved to the home of Daytrotter, where they record and stream live sessions with touring bands. We played a nice gig in Rozz Tox, a venue with lovingly prepared coffee in the middle of what seemed like a deserted area of town. However, the venue itself was lively and the audience was very nice. The next day we played our live session with Daytrotter and it was fun to see the actual rooms where the sessions are all recorded (Dave, as a life-long fan, was especially excited, as you can see from the photograph).

Another full day of traveling followed and then a night off in St. Louis. Before we got there, we were pulled over in our little white car by a police officer for speeding. He took about 20 minutes looking at our IDs, and when he found out we were in a band I think he took pity and decided not to write us up. After that adventure, we pulled into Helen’s parents’ house and enjoyed a long stretch of good food and relaxation. It was bliss- thank you the Tierneys!
The venue we played at in St. Louis, called Blueberry Hill, is run by Jo Edwards, who also runs the Pageant, where we played in June, and who seems to run most things on that strip. The building is like a museum that holds various collections of stuff: vintage toys and comic books, stuffed animal heads, baseball memorabilia. There is a corridor filled with photographs of the owner with a wide range of celebrities who have visited the venue. We played downstairs in the “Duck Room”, plastered with pictures of said animal and apparently named after the venue’s most famous and regular performer, Chuck Berry, and his signature walk. His image festoons the rest of the venue in various different forms, including a pair of disembodied plaster cast hands playing an electric guitar.

Now we are in our second-to-last gig, in Vermont, where the ice cream comes from and it is suddenly very cold outside. Tomorrow we’ll be in Boston, and then we’ll say goodbye to the DMP and Lauren Shera- but for now, we’ll enjoy the last couple of shows.

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US Tour Part 2

In the past week we’ve traveled from LA up to Seattle and now we are on our way to Denver. It’s strange that most of this tour is being spent on the road; we are learning how to sit in a car or a van for 12 hour stints. The David Mayfield Parade has a great old van that is towing all of our luggage and instruments in a trailer, while M&TA’s ride is a tiny white car, that is cramped but can go quicker-so the choice is between comfort and speed. We’ve been taking turns to share with the generous and tolerant D.M.P., and are very thankful that they’ve given up their coveted bench space to take us in. We’ve been gazing out our windows at dramatic landscapes rolling past, as well as filling the road time with reading, some Youtube watching (if we’re lucky), some music-sharing and some chat. Sitting on the front bench next to Joe, with David and Wes taking turns to drive, I got to listen in on a good stretch of Roy Orbison, who’d I’d never really listened to before, complete with Wes’s own renditions and intermittent insights about who played what and where it was recorded. Together with David’s choice of the new Tom Waits record, it was a very pleasant way to watch the Oregon hills unfolding as the sun went down.
We had some good shows in California before that drive. I loved getting to see San Francisco because that’s where my dad comes from, so for me it carries in it’s streets and venues many stories from his late 1960′s youth. We didn’t get to explore the city much, but the area we played in had a nice hum to it.
We had the chance the next day to record a live webcast session in Bob Weir’s state-of-the-art studio which was very exciting, even if the thought was a little overwhelming. However, everyone there was so friendly and made us feel completely at ease that it was less nerve-wracking than it might have been. We had a good time playing and watching Lauren Shera and the D.M.P. in high definition- it was pretty surreal.
The next stop was in Big Sur, which was another magical place that we could have spent a week soaking up. It was warm and clear and on the drive there were iconic views of the Pacific coast at every turn in the road. Pine trees towered over us while we played and the mountains loomed behind us.
After that, we left the balmy climbs of California and headed north, through breath-taking valleys and ridges covered in pines, with some flaming deciduous trees heralding the beginning of autumn. The farther up we went, the more the season showed itself, in the air and the leaves, which, strangely, was a welcome change, for me at least. Driving to Seattle was a long sojourn: we popped a tyre and had to get it changed and we also stopped off in an Oregon town straight out of a soft-focus sitcom. In the spirit of the weather, I ate a toffee apple and took some pictures of the changing leaves. In Seattle, we wandered down to the docks and drank some of its famed coffee, which was very tasty, and we all reminisced about grunge. In Portland, we rummaged in a vintage shop and drank some local ale, before playing in the cosy venue, with great sound and a nice audience. Dave kept an eye out for his favourite hometown band, the Thermals, but they didn’t show.
Now we are about an hour away from the hotel and I am writing with a flashlight. Today was a typical road day, filled with Bugels, Cheetos and Subway, some terrible radio stations and some falling asleep in the back. As we cross over the flat, tree-less plains, I can see a single light in a rare island of green, where dull white buildings are still just visible.

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US Tour Part 1

Two nights ago we played the first official gig of the tour with Lauren Shera and the David Mayfield Parade. It was at the Hotel Cafe in LA and, despite some glitches, we held it together and really enjoyed the night.
We played our first gig in Arkansas, where they have insects that look like twigs called “walking sticks” (one flew onto Matt’s face while he was re-stringing his guitar). We also saw one that looked like a fresh green rolled-up leaf and huge crickets or grasshoppers that flutter their wings like moths when they fly. It was a bluegrass festival and there was an abundance of tie-dye and Deadhead stalls, as well as some deft hoola-hooping, a craze that has yet to hit the UK in a big way, as far as I know. The weather was beautiful and you could just see the rise of another hill and a valley below us under the cover of dense forest.
We played our second gig in Austin, TX, with our support for the tour, Lauren Shera. It was strange being in the city outside of SXSW-6th street was so calm! We spent a day rehearsing in Matt Oliver’s converted-barn studio, who recorded our session for Daytrotter, and went out for some TexMex. The next day, we got to hang out with the David Mayfield Parade backstage after they supported the Avett Brothers. We drank some beers and chatted and went through a few of the songs we would play together for the first tine at the LA show. We were nervous because that was the only rehearsal with Lauren and the two bands, but we were also really excited to be playing with such talented musicians!

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Scottish Tour: Stornoway and Beyond

What I first noticed on our way to the Isle of Lewis was the clouds. It was a bright day and these clouds were monumental and sculpted in deep curves and folds, layered one above the other in a massive expanse of sky. I tried to draw them in my tiny sketchbook, but they were hard to capture with a black biro. Despite the three hours of rest the night before in Inverness, after a coffee I felt too wired to sleep, so I wandered around the ferry, watching mountains and islands float past, and then joined Tom and Harry for some cards in the cafeteria.

When we arrived at our hostel in Stornoway, it was a blissful haven of cleanliness and calm. We walked around the town in the sunshine and had a beer in the back garden before heading over to the venue, which was in the grounds of a castle, for sound check. At the show, we had a full house and were brought single malts by some friendly audience members-it was perfect. Before we caught the ferry the next day, we managed to drive out to the UK’s second largest standing stones after Stonehenge, in Callanish on Lewis. I haven’t been anywhere so silent and still for a long time: no road noise in the background, no planes flying overhead, hardly any signs of life even in the lonely houses round about. We were surrounded by sodden peat bogs, the sea-water forming pools and lakes, and mountain peaks in the far distance.

The next night, we played in a small venue in Ullapool with carpets and tables that made it feel like someone’s living room. Before the music started, my eye was caught by the sunset reflecting on the hills behind the venue. I took some pictures and then followed the rosy glow around the corner to a bay where the sun was sinking past the hills and into the horizon. It was so beautiful that I grabbed the rest of the band and we all stood for a while taking it in.

Because there was no local support band booked, Dave and I each got to perform our solo stuff that night, which was really fun, although also very nerve-wracking. Then the band played through some new songs and, in such a cosy setting and with such a nice audience, it seemed like we felt the most relaxed and at ease that we had for the tour. Finishing the night off by sampling some single malts, we crashed out and slept through to mid-morning, when we started our journey back to Inverness. We had some time to spare, so we stopped off at a magical place called Rogie Falls. The forest there was covered by the soft purple heather and the pale green mosses hanging in the trees, colours that were too subtle for my little camera to really pick up on. We rambled along the paths and stood on the hanging bridge to watch the falls. Dave got his foot stuck in a bog and had to search for his shoe, in the process acquiring a “staff” that we carried with us for the rest of the trip.

 

In Inverness, Harry opened up for us with his solo set and it was wonderful to sit back and listen to his songs. We ate some amazing Thai food and enjoyed the show and by the end of the night had a much better picture of the town than we’d had before. The next day, we drove up to a cosy pub in Aviemore, where we were greeted with coffee and embarked on a fierce game of Scrabble, which together almost made up for the non-stop rain outside. It was our last night of the Scottish tour, and we had to end it with a whiskey or two. Less predictably, I got to try a homemade strawberry daiquiri, made by a very nice man behind the bar, which was amazing and pretty much made my night.

The Scottish Tour might have only lasted a week, but it was enough to make us all vow to come back and visit these places again; we would have gladly trouped around the highlands and islands for much longer. Thanks to all those who came along to the shows and to Dougie for looking after us, and of course to Thor for carrying us there and back without giving up.

 

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Scottish Tour: Aberdeen

After a beautiful sunny drive along the coast, our driver (Dave) decided that we had grossly overestimated the distance between Edinburgh and Aberdeen and were due a nice break by the sea. We parked up in Stonehaven and sat in the harbour before setting off in different directions, heading into the cliffs or the town or the beach. I walked into the town, where I’d been once before, and into an old fashioned sweet shop. There I bought some tablet so the band could taste a typical Scottish treat, and then nibbled quite a bit of it whilst watching the waves break. We arrived at the Tunnels in Aberdeen in plenty of time and were able to set up and soundcheck without any stress at all. Just before we were about to play, someone in the bar called out my name-my cousin, Stephen, who I’d only met once before. It was great to have a family member in the audience in a place that felt so far from home.

That same night, after the gig, we made the long drive on dark country roads to Inverness. We arrived just as the clubs were emptying out their revelers and parked up so Matt could go out to look for our hostel. We sat, tired and confused, as what looked like school children straggled out of a small doorway flanked by bored-looking bouncers. A few of the kids were sitting on the sidewalk when a pair of drunks stumbled up to them, one of whom had a massive bleeding cut above his eye and could barely stand upright. Welcome to Inverness! When he tried, and managed, to prize open our van door to ask us for cigarettes, we thought it was time to head up the road and look for Matt, who was still wandering the streets. He was fine, of course, but the search for a place to sleep turned into a wild goose chase and we finished up in a sort of abandoned office block/squat-hostel. The next morning, bright and early, we set off for Ullapool, where we would catch the ferry to Lewis.

Warming up in the Tunnels

New van, Thor

Scottish Tour: Edinburgh

Here are some memories of our Scottish tour (23-28 August)-I wrote them as we drove across a landscape dramatic and captivating, stopping off every now and then to walk on the coast or in the forest. We were without computers or internet for much of that week, which I didn’t mind at all, but it meant that my notes have waited a while to be posted; here is the first of a few entries.

We are leaving Edinburgh. The guys stopped by in the van to pick me up from my grandmother’s house where we were sitting in the sunshine of the front yard-you have to catch it while you can here. Last night we played the first date in our Scottish tour in Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, a small and respectfully dingy venue set in the subterranean fold of the Cowgate. For me, returning to the city has been like visiting a good old friend; I was a student in the city for five years and my mother’s family is from here, so it feels like home. It was a pleasure to know my way around, for once, and to point out important landmarks, such as much-loved curry and falafel joints, the first bar I ever played in and the pubs and shops where I worked as a student. It was a flying visit and we didn’t really get a taste of the festival madness, unfortunately. I am sorry to leave the city but I’m sure we’ll come back again. Now it’s time to gaze out the window of our new van-Dave’s just decided we’ll take the coastal route- and look forward to Aberdeen.

4/5 posing in Stonehaven

Festivals

Since we returned from the US, we have been lucky enough to play at some UK festivals. In July we went to the Larmer Tree Festival, which was in the same grounds as End of the Road and came complete with beautiful peacocks wandering around and squawking territorially at all the strange visitors. Here we played twice, first on a stage in a tent and secondly within a kind of picturesque folly, with a painted wall as a backdrop and a classical archway flanked by pilasters. It felt regal to be on such as stage and we enjoyed playing to our happily sun-soaked audience on the lawn below. In between the two days we spent there, we retired to Matt’s dad’s caravan which happened to be close by. It was more like a luxurious miniature house and we spent some time exploring the nearbycoast and getting a bit lost.

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The next festival was Wickerman, in the southwest of Scotland, which was a bit of a slog. We drove about 10 hours to get there and when we arrived, no one really knew where we should go to play. The show went fine, but we were tired and hungry and, due to a very loud reggae band, didn’t get to sleep until the small hours of the morning. In fact, Dave gave up and sat smoking and looking at the stars all night. The next day, we drove to north Yorkshire to play at Deershed, which was like a breath of fresh air. It was a supremely friendly festival, with enthusiastic listeners and great people running the show.

In August, we played at the Applecart Festival in Victoria Park, London. We shared our stage with the folks at Fence Collective, which was a treat, as it meant we got to see the likes of Rozi Plain and Pictish Trail play. Also, they gave out free apples all over the place, and, although it rained, our stage was nice and cozy under a tent.

We also travelled across the channel to the Haldern Pop festival, which might be my favourite so far.  We saw some fantastic music that weekend, my highlights being Johnny Flynn, My Brightest Diamond, Josh T Pearson, the Low Anthem and Fleet Foxes.  The only downside to the weekend were the mosquitos that had also set up camp alongside us in our caravans and who seemed immune to our puny English bug repellant.

Finally, just before we set off for Scotland, we played at the Green Man festival. It was my fourth time there, and it always has a relaxed atmosphere and audiences that are really there to see music. The landscape around there is pretty spectacular too. We were on the main stage, which was quite a big event for all of us, and I tried not to think about our faces being broadcast on the huge screens by the side of the stage as we played.

Green Man rehearsal (with our new van!)

Back Home

On Sunday we all stepped out of the van at the airport and said goodbye to Zac, who has been our sterling tour manager for these last few weeks. We played at the Great Scott in Boston the night before to a very rowdy bar and in Brooklyn the night before that. When I arrived home, jet lag and the strangeness of being in an actual house, rather than a motel room or moving vehicle, combined to make writing a blog quite a confusing process, so I decided to hold off from posting until I’d caught up on some sleep. Now I can say that we had a wonderful and amazing tour and got to play alongside bands that we love listening to and in places that we never thought we would even get to visit. I’ll leave you with some final snapshots:

Boonville, our favourite small town in Missouri,

Our favourite American veggie breakfast

New York

Our first day in NY we had another day off! We explored the city but I admit that I was a little overwhelmed after the quiet openness of the Colorado mountains. My favourite part of the day was sitting in Central Park watching softball games and sipping on a draft beer in the coolness of the evening.

The next night, we played our gig in the Mercury lounge and had a lot of fun. I got to visit the Cake Shop for the first time, even though I didn’t get to see a gig there, and to walk around the Bowery area, which seemed very happening. It’s great just watching all the different people around there. Now we’re on our way to the venue in New Jersey and Dave has stuck on a Metallica covers album. Hopefully we’ll all still have our hearing by the time we get there…