Westward

Ok, this is a long one. The documentation continues at the Lawrence, Kansas show at the Jackpot Saloon. Tiny little place. More like a bar with a stage, but the crowd was sizable considering the demographic. Some great fans attended, including Megan Do; a long time superfan of the band. She baked some of the best cookies I've ever had in my life. Kudos! We topped off the evening with a great bonding event with Justin, Colin, and Andrew of Walter Meego at our hotel that night. Check em out at http://myspace.com/waltermeego. They absolutely rock, and are really fun people.

Moving to Denver, the sunrise was breathtaking... and the one in Salt Lake that we woke up to in our 17th store balcony hotel room blew my mind. Picture below. Attendance was great in Denver. In fact, I believe it sold out, or almost sold out. Salt Lake City's show was probably the most unique show on the tour so far. The venue was actually not a venue, but an interesting cul de sac that has been transformed into a garage-concert-complex. Separate stage, green room, and merch table sheds make up "Kilby Court," all surrounding the dead end of the humble neighborhood road. In our time before the show, we enjoyed a fantastic spectacle, in which Mat and Wes riffed at the ping pong table. It has officially become a highlight of the tour that I catch them doing the silliest of things on film without their knowledge. The show was cool though, and the crowd was a unique, genuine collection of music fans.

Boise took us into the beautiful mountainous region of the country; Although we opted to drive around them because of our high gas consumption and heavy freight. Regardless, the views were incredible. We played an in-store performance at The Record Exchange, which is attached to Neurolux, the venue in Boise.

Our through-the-night drive to Seattle was a rough one. Another floor slumber for me. But damn, Seattle is a cool city. I've never been, and instantly fell in love with the way it feels. The air is refreshing and the geography is unique. The streets are clean, the trees are green, and there seem to be so many different nooks and neighborhoods throughout. I could do without the constant drizzling rain though. We played live on air at KEPX, Seattle's biggest radio station. The performance was a bit nerve racking given its large live audience, but it was solid nonethless. Ra Ra Riot's newest "family members" at Barsuk Records trickled into our travels throughout the first day in Seattle. Josh, Adam, Vanessa, Grant, Becca, Gabe, Milo, Elise, and myself went to see Menomena (a Barsuk band as well) and The National perform at the Moore Theater in downtown Seattle. After that, went out for some late night sushi and drinks. The other stragglers of the band opted for a rivaling McDonalds run and hot tub session at the hotel that night.

The next morning, we had brunch at the lovely home of Josh Rosenfeld (Barsuk Records' founder). Bagels, lox, tomato, basil, and cream cheese later, we left for King Cobra, the Seattle show that drew a very complete, 300-person crowd. The Barsuk staff and Ryan Hadlock (Producer of The Rhumb Line) all loved the show. It was a proud night for sure.

We're now on our way to VanCouver. Josh Roth and I are joking on BBM right now about how incredibly armed we are going to be for any attempted robbery. Don't even try. Actually, we just decided that we're going to return to the US border after the show.

See you somewhere down the west coast!