KEXP STATION & CHOP SUEY- TOUR DAY 4

KEXP STATION SEATTLE, WA

I WOKE UP A LITTLE GROGGY FROM TWO HOURS SLEEP. AFTER GATHERING EVERYTHING FOR THE TRIP, THE BAND AND MYSELF LOADED INTO A SUPER SHUTTLE AND WENT TO LAX. THE CHECK IN WENT PRETTY SMOOTH, AND SO DID THE FLIGHT.

WE LANDED AROUND 9AM AND I PICKED UP THE VAN FOR THE DAY TO TAKE THE BAND TO KEXP STATION FOR THEIR INTERVIEW/ON-AIR PERFORMANCE. THE VAN WAS A LITTLE SMALLER THEN EXPECTED AND THE BAND WASN’T TOO CRAZY ABOUT THAT SINCE I SUPPOSE THEY DID A TOUR IN CANADA AND RECEIVED A 15 PASSANGER VAN FOR ALL THEIR GIGS. HOWEVER THEIR BUDGET WAS PROBABLY DIFFERENT FOR THIS AND VANS MIGHT BE CHEAPER TO RENT IN CANADA THEN THE STATES.

WE GOT TO THE STATION AFTER GETTING LOST A BIT. I REALLY HAVE NO GOOD DRIVING SKILLS, IT’S OFFICIAL AND I’M NOT AFRAID TO ADMIT IT. I’M SURE BY THE END OF THIS TRIP THEY’LL ALL BE SICK OF MY DRIVING SKILLS OR LACK THERE OF.

AT KEXP I COULDN’T TELL YOU HOW THIS EVENT REALLY WENT. I DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST TO DROP OFF ALL THE LUGGAGE FOR THE BAND AT THE HOTEL AND CHECK IN WHILE THEY WERE DOING THEIR THING HERE. BUT FROM WHAT I HEARD FROM ALL THE DJ’S IT WAS PRETTY DOPE. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT ISABELLE HAS A RECORDING OF THE PERFORMANCE, WHICH I’LL HAVE TO SNAG SOMETIME.

ANYWAYS, I WENT TO THE HOTEL BOUT 20MINS DOWN THE ROAD, IT WASN’T THE BEST PLACE TO STAY AND THEY CHARGED US EXTRA FOR ANOTHER PERSON AND A COTT BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS DOABLE FOR THE BAND TO HAVE.

AFTER DEALING WITH THE HOTEL AND BAGGAGE I WENT TO PICK UP THE BAND AND MET UP WITH SHANNON A DJ I WAS KEEPING IN CONTACT WITH DURING THE WHOLE ADVANCING FOR THIS. SHE WAS SUPER COOL AND HAD JUST GOT THIS AWESOME TATTOO ON HER SHOULDER WHICH REPRESENTED SOME BAND SHE WAS INTO (I CAN’T REMEMBER THEIR NAME). AFTER SAYING GOODBYES’ AND ‘CATCH YA LATERS’ TO THE KEXP PEOPLE WE HEADED TO THE HOTEL.

AGAIN THE BAND PUSHED FOR A LINECHECK SO THEY COULD GET SOME SLEEP, I CAN’T BLAME THEM I WAS PRETTY BEAT TOO. HOWEVER TROUBLE AROSE ONCE WE ARRIVED AT THE VENUE. I SUPPOSE THAT FRANCOIS IS VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT THE SLEEPING CONDITIONS FOR THE BAND, AND WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT, HAS DISCS IN HIS BACK…SO HE WASN’T VERY DOWN WITH SLEEPING ON THE COT. STEPHANE ASKED IF THE BUDGET HAD ROOM FOR AN EXTRA BEDROOM AND I TOLD HIM NO, I ALSO SAID I’D TAKE THE COT, BECAUSE FRANKLY I DON’T CARE, I EXPECTED THIS TO BE A ROUGH AND TUMBLE TOUR. FRANCOIS HOWEVER ENDED UP GETTING HIS OWN ROOM ON HIS OWN DIME THAT EVENING. I FELT BAD, AND TOLD ANTHONY AT THE LABEL, BUT ANTHONY WAS REALISTIC ABOUT IT, WHICH I AM TOO. WE CAN’T GO SPENDING EXTRA MONEY AT THIS POINT FOR ANOTHER BEDROOM WHEN WE CAN ROOM PEOPLE CHEAPER.

PEOPLE THEN WENT TO SLEEP ETC. I STAYED UP AND JUST WORKED ON GETTING THINGS DONE. AT THIS POINT I WAS A LITTLE DELIRIOUS AND THE TASK OF GETTING A RENTAL VAN FOR CHICAGO AND EXTENDING THE RENTAL ON OUR AUSTIN GIGS WAS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TASK TO ME.

I HAD MY THIRD WIND AFTER WE GOT TO THE GIG THOUGH. WE PULLED UP RIGHT NEXT TO THE LOADING DOCK, MOVED ALL OUR STUFF IN AND THE BAND JUST HUNG OUT FOR A BIT WITH YOUNG KNIVES AND FUJIYA & MIYAGI. BOTH BANDS WERE AWESOME AND SUPER NICE PEOPLE. I HOPE AT SXSW WE’LL GET TO HANG WITH THEM AGAIN. I KNOW WE’RE PLAYING WITH BOTH BANDS AGAIN, I THINK THE YOUNG KNIVES MORE SO THEN FUJIYA & MIYAGI.

THE VENUE WAS ALSO REALLY AWESOME AND HAD A NICE DARK ASIAN VIBE TO IT. COLIN THE REP THERE KNEW HIS SHIT, AND WAS REALLY EASY GOING ABOUT EVERYTHING.. I CAUGHT SOME OF THE YOUNG KNIVES PLAYING, BUT MOSTLY CHECKED ON THE BAND TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE GOOD. I ALSO FOUND A VERSION OF THE VAN WE ARE GOING TO GET FOR OUR SXSW DATES. I RAN IT BY FRANCOIS AND HE WAS A LITTLE HESITANT ABOUT IT AND STILL WANTED THE 15 PERSON VAN, BUT I THINK THAT THE STOW AND GO IS GONNA BE PERFECT TO BE QUITE HONEST.

WITH THAT LITTLE WORRY TAKEN CARE OF I WAITED TILL THE BAND WENT ON AND TOOK PICTURES FOR HALF OF THEIR PERFORMANCE, THEN I SOLD MERCH FOR THE REST OF THE PERFORMANCE. WE MADE 209 ON MERCH, I KINDA WISH I STUCK AROUND MORE, WE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY SOLD MORE.

AFTER THE GIG I TRIED TO TAKE THE BAND TO GET SUSHI DOWN THE ROAD. TURNS OUT IT WAS WICKED FAR DOWN THE ROAD WHICH THEY WERE NOT ALL ABOUT WALKING FOR. SO WE BACK TRACKED AND THEY ATE PIZZA NEAR THE VENUE. THEY ALSO HAD THE BILL TAKEN CARE OF FOR THEM BY SOME AMERICAN/FRENCH FAN. HE LOVED THE SHOW AND SAID ‘LET ME SHOW YOU HOW ALL AMERICANS AREN’T ASS HOLES’ AND PAID FOR THEIR TAB. THEY WERE TOTALLY THRILLED BY THIS, WHICH MADE ME HAPPY. I REALLY WANT THEM TO HAVE A GOOD TIME WHILE THEY’RE HEAR IN AMERICA.

ALEX AND I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF LOADING THE VAN BACK UP BECAUSE CHOP SUEY HAD ANOTHER SHOW AND WAS KICKING EVERYONE OUT. WE MAD ABOUT 144 EXTRA BUCKS ON THE VENUE CUTT, AND AFTER THIS SHOW I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GIVE OUT SOME PER DIEM TO EVERYONE, WHICH REALLY MADE ME HAPPY.

WE LEFT THE GIG, WENT BACK TO THE HOTEL AND THE BAND CRASHED FOR THE NIGHT. AROUND THIS POINT THOUGH I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MY BUDDY PETER SZYLAGI. HE HEARD THROUGH MY ROOMMATE DAN I WOULD BE IN SEATTLE WHEN HIIM AND HIS FRIEND ALEX WERE GOING TO BE THERE. I WAS THINKING OF BAILING ON THIS INVITE TO HANG SEEING AS HOW I WAS ON THE END OF MY THIRD WIND, BUT I THOUGHT ‘FUCK IT’ MIGHT AS WELL HANG, NOT GONNA HAVE TOO MUCH TIME TO DO SO ON THE ROAD. SO I MET UP WITH THEM AT THE PIKE BAR. I CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT STREET IT WAS ON BUT IT WAS A NICE HANG.

PETER AND ALEX WERE THERE FOR A BIG LEBOWSKI CONVENTION OR SHOWING THEY HAD AT THE THEATER ACROSS FROM THE BAR WHICH WAS AWESOME. I CAUGHT UP WITH ALEX WHO I HADN’T SEEN IN FOREVER AND HE TOLD ME HE DROPPED OUTTA THE ENTERTAINMENT SCENE AND WAS DOING MORE COMPUTER BASED WORK, PROBABLY A SMART IDEA, I ONLY WISH I WAS SAVVY TO COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE SO I MIGHT TRY AND DO THAT WITH WEB DESIGN OR SOMETHING. ALEX IS ALSO APPARENTLY MOVING UP TO SAN FRAN AND IS HAVING SOME GOING AWAY PARTY AT THE END OF THE MONTH, WHICH I’LL TRY TO ATTEND. PETER WAS DOING WELL, STILL AT COMEDY CENTRAL I BELIEVE, IT WAS GOOD TO SEE HIIM AND HANG FOR A BIT.

I ONLY STAYED FOR 30MNS BUT IT WAS WELL SPENT OVERALL. I THEN WENT BACK TO THE HOTEL AND CRASHED FOR THE NIGHT.