Northwest America and Vancouver

Vancouver was a smooth ride. No thefts. 'Twas a quick drive up from Seattle, despite a little traffic jam at the Canadian border. Customs were surprisingly easier here than on our entrance to Montreal a few weeks back. Vancouver's city line is quite remarkable. The most fascinating thing about it is that almost all of the high rise buildings look the same... as if they were designed by the same architect. Mountains topped in fog are just off to the side, and the view over the water is really cool. We had about an hour to kill before the show at The Media Club. Wes, Mat, and I walked around downtown and encountered two of the strangest, strangest things we had ever seen:

A young woman, eclectically dressed, shouts at us as we walk by on the sidewalk, REALLY rapidly, "hey hey, you guys have any change? I know you have some I hear it clinking around in your pocket! C'mon c'mon I'm not gonna spend it on crack or anything I just want to do ACID tonight c'mon c'mon" (we are now passing her) "no? no change? ok. ok thats cool AT LEAST IM NOT F#@&ING EMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I don't think she liked us. We later realized that we should have arrogantly refuted; "WE'RE NOT EMO, WE'RE INDIE."

Right after that, we witnessed a man scavenging the streets for used cigarettes. He had a little bag full of butts, and kneeled down just in our path on the sidewalk, took a cigarette out of his collection, put it on the ground, picked up another one, and placed it in his bag. It seemed that he had made a good decision.

We drove back into the US after the show and stayed in Bellingham, WA, where we would depart from the next morning down to Portland. The Doug Fir Lounge is a restaurant/bar/venue/hotel complex, decorated in an interesting, contemporary-rustic vibe. The facility is actually incredibly nice, the stage is spacious, and the PA is extremely well built. While the performance was great, the crowd actually wasn't too interested in making a party of the show. It was a Monday night, so I think everyone was a bit tired. Apparently Ra Ra Riot and Walter Meego weren't though. We extended the night up at the bar and hotel rooms. Oh, and make sure you check out Wes' sweet V-Drums Power Ranger illustration on the hotel door chalk board in the pictures below.

We then drove down to Oakland by late the next night, just outside of San Franscisco because the hotel rate was cheaper there. The next day, we drove in over the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge and up to Ghiradelli Square, where we got some super decadent shakes. Gabe noticed that his body ached afterwards. I think we all sort of agreed, but they were damn tasty. We then climbed all the way through the city to the center where the venue was. Rickshaw Stop was a delightful place to play because of its large room, dual balcony, and comfy backstage. Our sound check was particularly successful, which made me happy. The show would go on to sell out, hosting about 350 AWESOME audience members who danced, jumped, shouted, sang, and rocked out the whole time. Great night.

We are now heading down I-5 to LA. I'm hella excited to get there, play a show, and then enjoy two days off to catch up with all my Syracuse film/TV grad-mates who moved out here. And go to the beach. And hang out with Walter Meego at their house. Because they have a pool. Yes.

(For those of you who follow this blog in "real time," pardon the one or two day delay in story telling. Internet is sort of hard to come by on the road)