Wowboy

The last post included “palace” in the name because the hotel was really, REALLY nice.

Last night was the first House of Blues show that we’ve had so far. The venue was six months new, and was built very nicely. The place was like a freaking maze though, and I seriously couldn’t figure out how to get to where I wanted to go. I ended up just wandering the halls for a long while.

My table was outside of the main room unfortunately, so I was left unable to watch the show. I didn’t even have a chair to sit on, so I was stuck on top of one of the bins the whole night. It turned out to be not so bad.

This was the Spree’s hometown, and it was obvious. There were plenty of people there to see them, including friends and family. It’s always kind of strange seeing where these people come from and whom they relate with.

HOUSE OF BLUES
November 6, 2007
Dallas, TX

The show went well from what I could tell! Like I said I was outside the main room, so the best I can do is assume they did well. I have no doubt.


The view from the hotel.


The hotel.


Some cool building right near where we stayed.


Me and Justine, whom I met the night of the show.


The HOB.

Pictureless

The pictures for the next few posts will be up soon, I need to upload those suckers.

The Dallas Palace

So a day off, what’s to do? One of the first things we did is head out to a little BBQ joint called Sonny’s. It was only Andrew, Rob and me, but it turned out great nonetheless. Pulled pork sandwich with this really tangy and awesome sauce. Yum.

Afterwards we spent some time digesting in the hotel room before Audrey from the Polyphonic Spree came and picked us up to take us out on the town. First we went to a restaurant where a very nice friend of hers was working, hung out for a bit, a couple people recognized The Redwalls and eventually decided to move on.

Next was the Dubliner, a little bar right next-door where we spent some time just discussing tour politics. Third was Cosmos, a hip little place that got pretty fuzzy towards the end of the night. There was a fireplace surrounded by plush couches and a coffee table, and it had more of a café feel than a typical bar.

When we left we headed over to the Polyphonic’s practice space, which is actually a house, and it was awesome to see how they had everything set up. I guess they fit all 25 or so members into those tiny rooms, the choir practices upstairs, rhythm in the main room and guitars all go together somewhere else. Goes to show that it’s not much different than your average band everywhere else, but they take it way more seriously. And talent maybe has something to do with it.


Manchovies.


The practice space.

In Transit.

Right now I’m sitting in the van, minus drummer Rob, because he decided to join the boys in the Rooney van. They left the venue last night to hit the road for an hour or so, get a bit of a head start. We got in the van this morning to do the distance. After about an hour, it was time to appease hungry band members, so we hit a McDonalds off the highway.

What’s the first thing we hear while we’re standing in line?

“R-dubs!” is Scotty’s, Rooney’s tour manager, coined term to refer to these guys. He’s been in the business for 25 years doing anything from Smash Mouth to baseball. He knows his stuff. Just happened to be off that exit and at the same fast food place as us.

Rob and Shannon were there, as well. They’re Rooney’s sound guys. Rob also lives like 20 blocks from me in Philadelphia. This is becoming a trend. We had a relaxed lunch and eventually when the clock ran out on eating time, we hit the road again. As you can see below, we had a bit of a drag race. We won; Rono just drives too fast for those guys.


Rob driving the van.


Left in the dust.


Pretty cool!


Scotty himself.


Sunset #1.


Sunset #2.

I Want To Go Baaaaack!

Wow. I think LA was the culmination of coolness on the west coast. I reinforced new friendships with so many people, re-met others in a strange bought of coincidence (or is it?), and just generally had a kick ass time. Not to mention it was the best night for the guys so far. Now that is a market to return to!

I was in the lobby again, but did I mind this time? No. I had too much going on to even think about it. Talk about busy and cramped behind that tiny booth, but hey we had fun with it. There were plenty of fans there that had been at either one of the past two shows, or both. It was nice to see them again, and again, and in some cases again.

I hope that this night wasn’t the pinnacle of the tour. To talk about talking, I need to talk more. That’s why I’m here right?

MUSIC BOX (HENRY FONDA THEATRE)
November 2, 2007
Los Angeles, CA

I guess LA is just one of those places where something is always happening, and the people that are there to experience it are there for exactly that. The experience? I really don’t know where I was going with that…

From the front of the theatre I could see the Capitol Records building, a pretty cool piece of architecture, historical monument and a landmark for the entire industry. Not to mention The Redwalls old stomping ground. Fitting after seeing Dig!

I went and got Chinese food with the Rooney merch girls, instead of Rosco’s Chicken and Waffles, which I’m still curious whether I should be regretting or not? I feel like everybody else went and ate fried chicken. I’ll have to save it for next time.

I’m selling a lot more shirts than I thought I’d be. Well a lot more of everything in general. I wish my band could sell merch like this. It can literally support the entire tour. One thing that I’m seeing is that the business is less of an exact science that I had originally assumed. Much of it comes as it goes, or happens as it’s happening. There’s always a skeleton there, but the sheer array of details we’re dealing with can alone show you how much can alter between a booked date and the actual performance. Percentages, budgets and more can all change on the contracts. Getting that stuff down shouldn’t be a problem; I’m a bit of a perfectionist in strange ways. But most importantly, I’m in the business of meeting people. Can I deal with that?

According to Radiohead, meeting people is easy…


Capitol Records.


Outside the box.


#1.


#2.


A couple Redwalls fans wanted a picture with ME!


Me and the Rooney girls.

A Whale's...

You know the rest. San Diego is way up there in my favorite places to go. I have friends there, so I always feel welcome, the weather is gorgeous, surfing, beaches, what more can you ask for?

Last night was the first 21+ show of the tour so far, and the turnout was surprisingly good! I didn’t expect to see so many there because most of the people this tour is reaching out to are in the younger demographic. You got me again, San Diego.

BELLY UP
November 1, 2007
San Diego, CA

This venue was small, and looked more like a bar with a stage than a true to the music venue. But it ended up turning into a great show. My table was placed in a very convenient position, better than usual, so not only did I get to watch the show, but there were constantly people walking by eying up the merchandise. Is that really how you spell eying? Weird.

There was also a giant shark hovering above the bar. Now is it coincidence that I'm watching Jaws on TV right now?

The end of the night came quickly, and we had a bit of a drive back up North, so we were off!


Duuuuuun-dun, duuuuuun-dun, duuun-dun duun-dun dun-dun dun-dun!

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I like this picture.

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Playing the 'struments.

Halloweenie!

I never thought I’d be in San Francisco for Halloween. Before hitting the venue we made a pit stop at a costume store to try and work out some quick suits for the evening. I think for the limited amount of time and resources, they did a pretty good job! Logan was a girl, Justin the pope, Rob some sort of wolf dog thing and Andrew a bow tied Viking. We got there fairly early and loaded the stuff up this rickety elevator to the second floor of The Fillmore.

THE FILLMORE
October 31, 2007
San Francisco, CA

Tonight was the second occasion when the venue had designated someone for my job. There was a built in merch guy, which left me with what?! Well I occupied my time with taking pictures, and hopefully you enjoy them. After sound check, the boys had an interview with an Internet TV station for one of the first episodes. It seemed to go over pretty well; maybe we’ll get to see that in the near future.

A quick rundown of the costumes of the evening:

The Redwalls – Various characters.
Rooney – The Beach Boys, complete with a cover of “California Girls”.
The Polyphonic Spree – For the first time ever wore street clothes to the stage.
Rono – ???
Me – I bought a knight helmet, but decided it was tacky and chose not to wear it.
Audience – Ranged from furries (if you know what those are) in the middle to David Bowie on the outskirts. I think I saw a Wonder Woman in there too. What is with all these wonderful women lately?

Overall the show was a hit! It was one of the largest ones to date, and everyone was there for a good time. The fact it was Halloween definitely riled everyone up. I’ll keep this short and let the pictures do the talking!


Bay Bridge picturesque.


SF in all it's beauty.


The fog just... floated.


One of the many walls saturated with old tour posters. I want them all.


Sound check.


Gesundheit. I mean bless you.


Tip o' the cup.


Andrew disappeared before the show started, so while we were looking for him we found this norseman frozen in a block of ice. Luckily he knew how to play the guitar.


Logan.


Go Pope!


It was a full moon that night... surprised to see what a werewolf ACTUALLY looks like?


Andrew holding conversation with Bowie.


Freshening up.


What is he supposed to be?


Ahhhhh... brothers.


Aerial.


Rob perched above the crowd recovering from that stint of werewolfiness.