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.