(Kelleigh: in better times)
It all came apart in Houston. Ten miles out we noticed gas leaking from the van. On closer inspection we saw that the U joint was about to fall apart. We had to get to Houston to get the van fixed and get ready to play. We decided to load out the equipment and then take the van to the shop.
We found the club in a desolate strip mall on the outskirts of Houston.
When I asked the bartender where the mikes and mike-stands were, he said he didn't even know
a band was playing. Oh shit! I called the guy who booked the gig and he had forgotten. So
we had one mike that we brought with a stand. Nothing for Kelleigh, no mikes or direct boxes
for her to play through. She asked me If she could bag the gig. I said okay. I didn't know
what else to do and I still had to get the van to the shop. We unloaded the equipment and
went looking for a garage. It was Sunday and everything was closed. We were in Houston for
the night. We hadn't planned on being there overnight so we were a half a day behind.
Trouble finally hit and it looked like we would be playing for no one.
So we had to play without Kelleigh. Just the four boys managed to make a righteous sound. We
had a few very dedicated fans, Including Dave, and especially Barbara and Julie. It ended
up being fun and we did fine without the girl. I wish Kelleigh had been there from a
solidarity point of view but I guess a night off sounded good to her and who could blame her.
The guy who booked the club, Robert, was a total loser and left us high and dry - offering us
nothing in return for his failure to live up to his promises. We barely made 40 dollars and
probably wouldn't have made that if it weren't for St. Patrick's Day. We had fun and beer was
the legal tender that was given out most freely. The club owner came by and was very nice.
He gave us more beer and we took it. There was one crazy guy who pulled a chair up to the
stage and started acting like a fool. I thought Paul might kick him in the head and hoped he
would. There is something freeing about an impossible situation and we had a good time in
spite of all the problems. The next day David and I were up at 6:30 to get the van fixed
so we could drive 24 hours straight to get to our gig in Greenville NC.
kelleigh wussed.
pp
Some may say I wussed out, but come on! With no microphone and no line into the
p.a. for my instruments, my role in the band would have basically been reduced to eye candy.
Hmm...Let's see...a bogus gig or a private evening with a hot bath
and warm bed (on the eve of a 24 hour drive)... tough choice.
[Editor's note: Bravo Kelleigh!]
wowee - another gig w/ no advertisements and about half of the p.a. stuff that we were
expecting - it turned out that a fair amount of locals came out anyway -
it was patty's day and they dug the stuff - we just turned up enough to fill the room
and played all loud and boisterous
turned out to be a lot of fun - met some groovy folks and rocked out - drank good beer
levine and i stayed up all night with some folks we met - went out to galveston to
try and see the oil spill - and went to the firestone place at 6:30 to get the u-joint fixed
so we could make it to the next gig in north carolina - it worked - we got the van
fixed and checked out of the lo-fi travel lodge - and ate ihop food and decided we'd hit
it a little harder next time - all in all a blast
thanks shaggy...
dl
We played the Blue Iguana II in Houston. That's after discovering a massive leak in the van's
gas tank and that the "U" joint that holds the drive shaft was holding on by a thread.
The
club forgot to get a microphone setup for us and so kelleigh decided to abstain from playing.
I was disappointed, but we played anyway and it seemed to go over well. It was a small crowd,
but appreciative. Thanks to the guys from Starbucks Coffee who were playing a rousing pool
tournament - they made a point of letting us know they dug the show. It's a nice room. The
bartender told me they're making a break from the Blue Iguana and changing their name. Good luck
to them. Can't wait to get home to Kate and the cats where hissy fits are a part of instinct
instead of personality.
This is the true grit side of the tour: leaking gas tank, leaf springs popping off down the
highway, the universal joint cracking up and after a super lo-fi 39 dollar gig in Houston and
a couple hours in a double room at Travelodge with the manager practically peeking in the window,
a 25 hour non-stop ride to Greenville NC while tornados and baseball size hail are touching down
in every state in the southeast. Stopped back at Glen's Cheveron at exit 8 near the Texas - Louisiana border to stock up on the most mackinest cajun beef jerky you ever set your teeth into.
Hey Justin and Edie if you're reading this, thanks for putting us up in Austin, now get back to
work you Tecate swilling bums!
...the next day