Second Leg, Day Two - Chicago, Uncommon Ground. I had a horrible misconception of this place before we arrived. Since the name contains the word "ground," I figured it was a coffee house. Turns out it's the greenest restaurant in Chicago; they grow their own veggies on the roof: pretty badass. They fed us in their basement, which was different and reminded me of stories I've read where they only allow the musicians to use the back door by the dumpster. It was nice though. We all got to eat together around a big table. The food was tasty even if it was only from the "musicians' menu." Oh yeah - the show was great, mostly due to expertly dialed stage sound by soundguy Matt. We got to meet some of Jason's film making friends. A good time was had by all.
Day Three, Cleveland, Hanging with the Millers. The Millers are the reason we go to Cleveland. They welcomed us into their home last year and we've gone back every tour since. This time, they introduced us to their friends Scott and Joyce, who have a cottage on Lake Erie… and a sailboat. God damn it was awesome. We ate sloppy joes and corn on the cob. We all took turns making our way to the front of the boat (without falling off) to dip our feet in the water while Scott and Mr. Mark Miller made the boat heel. After the sun went down, we put on an impromptu show in Scott and Joyce's front yard. The whole neighborhood showed up with their lawn chairs, and we sold a bunch of CDs and tshirts.
Day four - Still with the Millers. Jason bought a mandolin with a built-in pickup at the local Guitar Center. The rest of us suffered through the awful din. Jimmie and I decided that if we thought of the sound of all the teenagers wanking on the guitars full blast as an avant garde piece, it wouldn't be so bad. That worked for about fifteen seconds. Sue Miller made everybody tacos that night, and Jimmie, John, and I had a margarita fueled conversation about god late into the night.
Day Five - Cincinatti. The show in Cincy fell through. The venue was in a terrible neighborhood and it was a Tuesday, so the bands we were to play with told us it wasn't that big of a loss. That may be, butlosing a show still sucks. It results in boredom, and boredom can be expensive. We took our time leaving Cleveland. The Millers were amazing to us, and we didn't want to say goodbye. On our way out of town we stopped by the firestation where Mark works and had lunch with the his crew. Mark gave us the grand tour, and I was viciously attacked by a meatball. That night we packed the whole band into one Motel 6 room outside of Cincinatti and went to a movie - "Moon" starring Sam Rockwell. It was fantastic.
Day six - Nashville, French Quarter Cafe. Jason woke up early and took the van to a mechanic. Turns out we have a leak in what they call the pin seal in the rear end. They said it would cost near $1000 to fix, but if we make sure it stays greased up, it should make it the rest of the trip. Here's hoping. Loaded into the French Quarter around 7:00. It was a good room, and they served good Cajun food. We played with the Million Sellers and Leadwood Folk from Nashville. Everything sounded pretty good, and the soundguy Will put us up in his apartment. It was by far my best Nashville experience yet.
More later today.
-Troy
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