the ongoing saga...

Music at its best is about time and place. It's a feeling that is hard to describe and it's intensely personal. Sometimes when you least expect it a record can change your life. Sometimes your life changes dramatically and its the music you are listening to at that time that will stay with you forever. That being said, it's hard when a band you hold in very high esteem changes from what originally drew you to them. I understand, I've had bands break my heart before.

The last thing I expected from our friend Josh (who has been the subject of my last few blogs) was an apology. He sent us a very nice email explaining that our first record means a lot to him and he was sorry for what he said. However, I just checked our email tonight and found another message where Josh takes back his apology. He then goes on to say Dallas looks like a "gay biker" and I look like "a human version of the Kool Aid guy." If anything motherfucker Dallas looks like a creepy shop teacher and I look like the hamburgler. This will be the last blog about schizophrenic Josh. Now here is a story about when a Jamaican guy called me The Hamburgler.

We had just finished filming the video for Rough Hands. Unlike all of our other videos this was a pretty easy day. We set up in a warehouse in Toronto and ran through the song 10 or 15 times. The director Marc filmed us on a few different cameras and then had to go project the footage all over the city. I was done around 6:30 and made my way downtown to go see Damian Marley play at a club called the Phoenix. I got there and met up with the Bedouin Soundclash boys. We downed some rum and cokes while the openers played. It was my turn to buy the round right before Damian Marley went on. The club had completely filled in and it was packed an hot. I managed to order a few more and made my way back over to the fellas. I must point out at this time that I was wearing a fedora and a long sleeved black and white stripped shirt. I got bumped into from behind and spilled most of the drinks onto this huge Jamiacan guy. At first I was worried I was gonna get stomped. But, instead he blurted out "easy now ammburgla" and him and his friends all started laughing their asses off. I couldn't help but laugh myself and patted him on the back and delivered what was left of the drinks. To fully appreciate this you must imagine his thick accent, you must imagine the punky reggae vibes, you have to taste the coconut rum and smell the weed in the air.

Jah Bless,
wade and the boys. thanks to DMC for the drawing.

Dear Josh,

After a long day of beating up nerds and hassling homosexuals George and I headed back to the bus to celebrate. Today, we signed a multi-million dollar contract with MTV. We will be hosting a brand new reality TV show sponsored by our good friends at McDonalds and Nike. The show will take us across the United States to numerous republican conventions as we follow and aid Sarah Palin in her quest to become the 1st Female President! So, check us out this fall as we travel the country decked out in the latest Nike fashion and spread the word about the tasty new McSkillet Buritto!

So, to wrap things up we are now fabulously wealthy. Enjoy living at your parents house Josh.
McLexisonNike

Hate Mail

I thought I would share this with all of you. It is the second time we have gotten this exact email. We first received it while we were in Vancouver making the record, and it popped up in our inbox again today. It makes me smile. Hopefully, it brightens up your day as well.

Subject : Important

Body: When i first starting listening to you guys on your first release i thought it was amazing.It was something different from all that mainstream pretentiousness out there.It helped kids who felt like they outcasts that they weren't alone and that someone understood them.All that glamor and shallowness didn't matter just honest music with integrity.Now you guys are all into being fake and into the money instead of having integrity or fighting for what you believe in.If you even believe in anything anymore all that fame has gotten to you guys when that stuff doesn't matter.The honesty in your first release has gone and you guys have completely sold out for money,for fame blending in with all the jocks and kids who are fake and shallow who you once despised.Or maybe you guys were always in it for the money the girls and fame.Never in it for the passion or honesty or the ability to touch people in different ways or help them threw there hardships.All i see is a band that was once good.A band that is now nothing but a bunch of sellouts and pretty boys.More concerned about looking cool on camera with your tattoos then being real and honest.Punk Rock is about being yourself not being pressured into dressing or acting a certain way.It,s about being an individual and not labeling yourself like a genre.But being a person with rights beliefs and values that should be there own and not based off of peer pressure.Or bowing like a slave to the mainstream masses or to Mtv.Listening to everything they say how to dress how to sound what to write songs about how your hair should look in a video.That stuff doesn't matter if you loose your integrity its like losing your soul its your heart your honor without that your just a puppet on a string doing everyone's bidding's without truly being alive without being an individual or yourselves just letting people control you and twist you the way they want you to twist and turn.Alexisonfire is dead in my eyes now its just a pop rock band now your just like the pretentious mainstream music you once hated and rebelled against

Josh (X Alexisonfire Fan)

P.S being macho doesn't make you a man being sensitive and not caring what other people think and having integrity does.

Say it aint so Shane

Hell has officially frozen over. Shane MacGowan lead singer of legendary band the Pogues has fixed his teeth! I blame the Jonas brothers. I blame George Bush. I blame that police state known as Disneyland. Times change thats for sure. A couple of days ago when I was sitting around aimlessly at merch I heard someone doing an At the Drive In cover. I found my way over to the skullcandy stage and checked out a band called Therefor I Am. They did a great cover of Arc Arsenal and I stuck around for the rest of the set. They have a cool small brown bike meets seaweed vibe. We did a signing right before their set this afternoon so we all had a chance to catch their show. They are great and really energetic. Ill definitely be checking them out again. They have a new record out on our old label Equal Vision. Go check them out. www.myspace.com/thereforeiam

Straight to VHS

Dallas is a fountain of 1980's movie knowledge. I don't know when exactly his mind switched over to a mode of strictly guitar riffs and 80's cinema. But, it is intense and he has never looked back. Obscure quotes pour out of him at all times of the day. Ranging from sci-fi gems such as Space Balls to fun for the whole family epics like Mom and Dad Save the Wold. His repertoire never ceases to amaze. On Warped Tour, Dallas has brought a big CD booklet full of 80's obscura. Most of us had seen quite a few of these films that he had drawn out of his collection, with the sole exception of Eric the Viking. He said it will change our minds! We have embarked on a riotous drive to Virginia Beach and we are all up watching the film. It is strange as hell. A calm quiet has grown over the five of us as we watch their viking ship sail through space. Even stranger is when Dall quotes lines from a movie that probably was straight to VHS. The bus continues to shake harshly down the road on our way to VA. I know at some time we will cross that long freestanding bridge over the water. It just isn't the same when you do it at night.

love,
wade.

Woooooooaaaaaaaaahhhh!

give us a chance

"You people need to start moving around out there or I'm gonna go drown myself in a port-o-potty." George definitely had the quote of the day from our 11:15 set in NYC. When he is completely deprived of sleep George is often at his most hilarious. The set was good. It was at least as good as a rock concert can be before noon. As I touched on briefly in our last blog, a monsoon hit Philly so we weren't able to play. A bunch of people made the trip from Philadelphia to NY to see us and still and missed the set. I sat at the merch tent for a couple of hours and got yelled for most of it. Believe it or not the people who were the most irate were those who missed the set because they were drinking in the parking lot. They gave me an ear full! The set time changes everyday so get there before 11:00AM to be safe.

The next day in New Jersey was great. We were on later and everything was back as it should be. We have added Heading for the Sun to the set and it's been getting a good response. #2 from Anti-Flag came out and sang the end of This Could Be Anywhere in the World and POS came out and sang the end of Accidents with us. It was a star studded affair.

up the pop punx,
wade.

My Mom and I are Cats and We Screw One Another

"My mom and I are cats and we screw one another" - Jordan Hastings on watching the movie Sleepwalkers.

George, Jordan and I are holed up in the front of the bus watching horror movies. On our last day off I picked up some great old slasher films in a bargain bin. I grabbed Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1 and 2, The Hitcher, From Hell and Sleepwalkers. As I write this we are tumbling down the road on our way to Uniondale NY and are a few minutes into Sleepwalkers. We got the lights turned down low and everything. Sleepwalkers is probably one of Stephen Kings worst books. But, it is definitely one of the best films adapted from one of his novels. I guess the three of us watched a lot of horror movies when we were younger. I have always liked being scared. However, the same can't be said about anyone else on the bus. The front lounge clears out real quick when any horror films go on. Everyone is still reeling from when we had Hellraiser 2 on the other day.

I take it back. We are about a half hour into this film and it's fucking ridiculous. It doesn't make any sense and when they turn into the cats it's the worst. No actually I take that back. The part where she stabs the corkscrew in his eye is is still amazing!

On a more serious note, anyone that had tickets to today's show you are able to get in free to Uniondale. The rain beat down and got the best of Warped Tour today. We were all standing on the side of the stage ready to play. But, when there is lightning the stages are obligated by law to close down. So, sorry if you made the trip specifically for us. We would have played if we could.

wade and the boys.

WE NEED A MONTAGE

Groundhog Day

Not everyday is strange or fantastic. There are somedays where all you do is play the show. We have long days in the sun with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Don't get me wrong, we live for those 30 minutes on stage. But, on a tour like this there is a lot of downtime. All of us spend our days killing time in one way or another. Here is what we have been up to..............

Jordan got an old motorcycle off his Dad before the tour started. So, I brought my Vespa along for good measure. We have them both crudely strapped in the the back of the trailer with boxes of t-shirts falling all over the place and a few bmx bikes thrown on top of the pile. The two of us have been taking a lot of rides. In Memphis we took a spin and saw a lot of the city. In Montreal we both drove around all day in the pissing rain. But, at night when we were soaked to the bone we parked the bikes on a bridge and saw a late night fireworks display. George busy's himself by playing dominoes, listening to the blues and slowly nursing beers. Generally doing anything befitting the normal day of a 70 year old man. Steele disappears early in the morning almost everyday. I imagine his days are infinitely more interesting than ours. However, I have no idea where he is at any given moment nor do I have any idea what he spends his time doing. After nearly eight years in this band with him, he is still an enigma to all of us. Dallas has taken to teaching himself how to play slide guitar. He is always sitting around in a shady area picking away at his national resonator. It's only been a few weeks but he is getting real good already.

Our next show is in Buffalo and Everytime I Die is coming to hang out. I imagine the blog will be better tomorrow night.
Sweet Dreams,
wade.

City and Colour Fans Hate Me

"City and Colour!" he screamed as I tuned my guitar and got my microphone in place.
"Play Coming Home!" he yelled as we rang out at the beginning of the set.
"Fuck This!" he said as he threw a large cup filled with ice directly at my face.

So many questions running through my mind.
Who threw it?
Do I put down my guitar and punch the guy?
I wonder if he is big?
Are the guys gonna get mad if I stop the set to beat up some kid?

I decide I'm going to do it and I take my guitar off to go into the crowd. Just as I go to get off the stage George pushes me out of the way and hops down to the barrier. He spits in the guys face and throws his microphone at him. Then security comes out of nowhere and drags the kid off.

But, George didn't stop there. During the last song a Canadian flag lawn chair got passed up to the front. Not only did George manage to sit on the lawn chair on top of the crowd. But, then he somehow managed to stand on top of it and even jump off onto the crowd.

Bruno was pretty funny,
wade.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

I met Chris Steele when I was around 9 years old. Both of our dads coached a baseball team that we played on together called Green Machine. It was a strange start for Chris and I as we both were under the impression that we didn't like one another. Chris would give me blank stares which I interpreted as disliking me and as a result of those stares I refused to talk to him. We would play baseball together for a couple of years and barely talk. However, the last year we played together we would win the season undefeated and Chris would have the most stolen bases on the team.

Some time passed and Chris and I realized we lived around the corner from each other. We would see each other out skateboarding at St. Annes School or sneaking cigarettes by the corner store on Martindale Road. We first really spoke at length when we were taking the cross town bus home. Chris and I had both bought tickets to see the newly reformed misfits play the following weekend. We planned to meet up after school the following Friday and head downtown together. That night would change both of our lives.

It was the first big punk show that either of us had been too. Neither of us could believe that this world existed. Tons of weirdos with their faces pierced shut covered in tattoo's drinking, fighting, singing, dancing and being utterly reckless. It was an eye opening evening to say the least. That night I also found out that Steele had a band without a bass player. He found out I had a bass and a couple microphones. We set a practice for the following Monday and we have been playing music together for the last 11 years.

Chris is the energy of this band. He pushes us to play harder and to play better each night we step on stage. He often walks that fine line between brilliance and insanity. And he has even turned into a fine golfer.

Happy 25Th Birthday Steele,
wade.

Home Sweet Home

The Toronto show my god! The Toronto show my god! THE TORONTO SHOW MY GOD! Thanks for welcoming us back home with open arms. Just a big sweaty hug from all our Ontario friends.

Today in Montreal was the first day it has rained on the tour. It really came down. Fucking torrential downpour. Because of the layout of the site our bus was parked on the other side of the world. I'm pretty sure we were parked in Hull. However, the rain let up in time for us to play and after a couple of songs the sun even came out. Montreal is always crazy for us and today was no different. So, thanks for braving the rain, singing along and falling in the mud with us.

cheers,
wade.

Two Week Wrap Up

We have been on Warped for a couple weeks now. I've had a chance to see a lot of bands, and these in my humble opinion are the best ones. So, if you are coming out sometime to see us this summer make sure you check these bands out too.

1. GALLOWS www.myspace.com/gallows

The gallows play harder than everybody everyday (except for Chris Steele). They are crass, loud and brilliant. I haven't missed a set yet. They more than any other band inspire me to play everyday.

2.POS www.myspace.com/pos

I was introduced to Steph from POS the first or second day. I saw his set the next morning. He plays the whole show in the crowd and blows minds. He carries himself hard for a rapper. It feels more like he is fronting a punk band. I had always heard great things about him from The Bled and now I know why.

3.ANTI FLAG www.myspace.com/antiflag

Our favorite political punks from Pittsburg. We have toured most of the world with them and I even sing on their new record. Don't skin your knee's in the circle pit.

4.SHAD www.myspace.com/shad

Shad is a Canadian MC who we have been fans of for a while now. Him and his crew are on our bus. They spend the day making beats and Shad just starts freestyling every once in a while. Make sure you check him out he is the best.

I was planning on making this a list of 5 but I'm afraid I just can't. So, go check out these bands and save the rest for us.

cheers,
wade.

breakfast, eggs, rock concert

Lately, we have been opening the set with Young Cardinals. Dallas rings out a long stoner intro and then we blast into it. George summed things up rather well right before we crashed into the song. Standing on the stack off speakers in front of the stage George yelled "11:15 in the morning are you fucking kidding me?!" Thats right at 11:15 this morning while some of you were at work and others were still tucked soundly into their beds we were playing really loud. Something often feels strange when you take music out of clubs and play it outside when the sun is still in the sky. But, before noon give me a break!!!

We had a team meeting a decided that we would play some more chill songs in the set. We figured nobody would be there at all.
But, somehow in the 15 minutes from when doors opened up to when we played a few hundred of you managed to find us. It turned out to be a great show and we promptly removed the slow jams from the setlist. So, thanks for waking us up this morning Indiana.

wade and the boys

Memphis, TN

We had big plans to go to Graceland today, but after the amount of BBQ we ate not much got done. We met up with some friends and they took us to a little spot called Pig on Beale. According to them this tiny place is the best BBQ joint in Memphis. Beale Street in Memphis is tourist central. Half the street is made up of souvenir shops hocking Elvis memorabilia and the other half is bars boasting live blues and jazz. The street is closed down, so its just foot traffic. We breeze down the street poking our heads in the dive bars and eventually stop in a bizarre collectibles place. They have a pretty large occult section where you can buy anything from cemetery dirt for $6.00 to a mojo bag for the low low price of $9.99. We tried on some the goofy hats in the back and I left with a Cramps flyer.

Pig on Beale was just a couple shops up. We pushed some tables together and ordered a round of sweet tea's. The place is a little hole in the wall. It's just perfect. Most people either went for ribs or for the pulled pork sandwich. It was fantastic way to end our last day in the South.

Tomorrows show is in Indianapolis. A place we haven't played in at least 5 years. The only thing I can remember about our last time there is that it was St.Patricks Day. Steele had bought this dirt cheap 60 oz of corn Liquor and it gave him a rash all over his face and chest! So, tomorrow has to be better that that.

Love,
wade.

LIES

I'd say the most surprising thing about this tour is the amount of bands that are faking it. Straight up lip-syncing nonsense!
To begin with Millionaires don't sing at all, and the one dude from brokeNCYDE is up there just pretending. I digress...........

Todays show was the best one yet. Big crowd, big pit and everybody knew the words to This Could Be Anywhere in the World. Texas has been great place for us to play ever since George got into a fight during our set a couple of years ago. George had jumped into the crowd to stop a scrap and somehow ended up in the fight himself. He got in a couple of good shots and the guy got kicked out of the club. George triumphantly climbed back onstage proclaimed the was the most dangerous man in San Antonio and we kicked right back into waterwings. Ever since then our shows in Texas have been bananas.

I Name You Gamblor

Walking around Warped Tour we are running into more and more old friends everyday. Dallas was telling me how over the course of the day in Phoenix both Will and Angel from Aiden came up to him and gave him a hard time. They both asked if he was still taking everyones money playing dice. Dallas winning a huge roll in Buffalo off those dudes meant little to him. But, it was the last time anyone in Aiden gambled. From time to time Alexisonfire likes to roll some trips and we do tend to get carried away.

Angel said to Dallas, that he always heard you should never gamble with anyone whose first name is a city. I should have taken that advice because I just lost about $50.00 in twenty minutes.

Happy Belated Canada Day,
wade and the boys.