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.