Top tour experiences with The Ladybug Transistor: December 2024
by Jennifer Baron (The Ladybug Transistor + The Garment District) Being a total fan girl while touring with the fantastic Lightheaded and Tony Molina band (and having Mark Robinson on the bill in Medford, MA) and sharing the stage with Ladybug members from all iterations of the band each night was absolutely dreamy—every night was a joy, with beautiful venues and fantastic audiences, and I just wish we could have lived it all in slow motion!
Here are some of my top highlights from an abbreviated tour diary of sorts:
On the drive from Keene, New Hampshire to Kingston, New York: Visiting the iconic Hogback Mountain Country Store perched atop scenic Route 9 in Marlboro, Vermont, just after a serene December snowfall. A Vermont fixture since 1936, the cozy shop is located at the Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook at 2,250 feet. The sweeping views span breathtaking Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, pointing to Mount Holyoke, where I attended college. Perusing the shop and natural history museum, with an incredible section of maple syrup, donuts, libations and apparel—that I could not fit in my suitcase.
Having the wonderful Scott McCaughey join us for our cover of Gene Clark’s “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” at the fantastic Mississippi Studios in Portland, and meeting Scott’s adorable dog Gladys during our sound check. And also seeing you there, Gail, along with dear friends from Pittsburgh and college. A beautiful venue throughout.
Two sublime, and related, vegan dinners from venues where we performed:
At The Atrium plant-based restaurant inside Public Records in Brooklyn: Hibachi grilled tamarind Jewel yams with tamarind yogurt, salsa macha, pumpkin seed gremolata, coriander and mint. From Checker Hall inside The Lodge Room in Highland Park, Los Angeles: Sticky sweet potato dish with garlic glaze, aji verde, hazelnut and harissa oil. OMG, take me back.
Reuniting with our dearest friend Alicia Vanden Heuvel for the West Coast tour; revisiting Atlas Cafe in the Mission where we used to love going for breakfast when we toured in California with friends such as The Aislers Set, the Lucksmiths and Of Montreal. This visit was WAY TOO BRIEF. Thank you for everything, Alicia and Tony!
The Ladybug Transistor cocktail made for our show by the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco and having it be exactly the kind of cocktail I love: tequila, grapefruit, lime, grenadine and soda. Loved having The Telephone Numbers plus DJs Jessica B, Coleminer and Miller Genuine Daft help to make this night so extra special.
Having Jacki from Lightheaded “play” an apple (and tambourine) while joining us for “The Swimmer” (see 1:53) at Public Records in Brooklyn, and likewise, finally getting to “play” an apple myself, after all of these years, along with Ladybug percussionist dynamo Eric Farber, who joined is for our show at The Lodge Room in LA.
Seeing the one and only, Joe Belock, aka WFMU’s Three Chord Monte, along with the ever-fabulous Jack Silbert, at our show at Public Records in Brooklyn. Thank you Joe, for spinning The Garment District!
Having original Ladybug drummer Ed Powers join us for “Rushes of Pure Spring” at Nova Arts Block in Keene, New Hampshire, where we had a blissful reunion of so many old friends from NYC and New England.
Spending the night at Gaia Hotel in Anderson CA (thank you Scott McCaughey, for the pro tip!) … but too cold for the hot tub!
Visiting the terrific Love of Fuzz music store in Troy, New York, thanks to pedal-making, van-driving and merchandise-selling Swede guru, Åke Strömer.
Random and good-natured practical jokes and snowball fights at the many rest stops we frequented along the way.
IYKYK: Enjoying the best-in-the-game, late-night Smiling Pizza and blowing a kiss to my old apartment on 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Reunions of all sorts on this tour, including a mini high school reunion and Frock reunion (Sasha from Ladybug, Annie from Spent and me!) in LA. So good for the soul, heart and spirit.
Receiving gorgeous local flowers grown by Stephen Hunking (who helped us recreate the original packaging for “The Albemarle Sound” reissue), who runs Mooncake Flower Farm in Camas Washington, which graced our stage, and van, for the West Coast shows. Check out his new band, Dew Claw!
Favorite new sparkly vintage necklace scored at a vintage and antique warehouse in Kalama, Washington.
Staying in the house where we used to live (Marlborough Farms) in Brooklyn, while hunkering down in the basement studio for rehearsals and making frequent trips to the Flatbush Food Co-op. Taking breaks to watch “The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and have Sasha do tarot readings and cook us amazing dinner!
During a few days off in Los Angeles with my cousin Sam after the tour: Being invited to control the speed of the dome at Griffith Observatory; the best pupusa breakfast ever at the Atwater Village Farmers’ Market with dear friends I first met years ago while living in NYC (thank you, Jeff Feuerzeig, Dean Warheam and Matt Chesse!); finding the Ennis House in Los Feliz; revisiting the Laurel Canyon Country Store …
It was deeply meaningful to play our music and be able to exist in a bit of an alternate universe bubble for a few weeks on both coasts during this truly multimodal tour! THANK YOU to my Ladybug bandmates and to every single person who attended these shows, listened with enthusiasm and helped us to sell out of our vinyl and T-shirts. Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records is currently planning a repress of “The Albemarle Sound” reissue and we hope to see you all again soon!
Paul Kelly (Birdie/East Village): Top Ten London Pubs I should probably keep some of these pubs secret but hopefully most readers are in the US anyway.
The Betsey Trotwood – Farringdon Road, EC1
King Charles 1st – Northdown Street, N1
The Shakespeare – Arlington Way, EC1
The Angel – St Giles High Street, WC2
The Dolphin Tavern – Red Lion Street, WC1
Hemingford Arms – Hemingford Rd, N1
Bradley’s Spanish Bar – Hanway Street, W1
The Lamb – Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1
The Blue Posts – Berwick Street, Soho
Cittie of Yorke – High Holborn, WC1
Erin Moran (A Girl Called Eddy) My Top 10 Albums of 2024 (new releases and new to me discoveries) 1. The Lemon Twigs/A Dream is All We Know
2. Laetitia Sadier/Rooting for Love
3. Jerry Merrick/Follow
4. High Llamas/ Hey Panda
5. The Cure/ Songs of a Lost World
6. Blossom Dearie/ Verve-Third Man Special Edition
7. The Pearlfishers/ Making Tapes for Girls
8. Joni Mitchell/ Hejira Demos
9. Walter Wanderley/Kee-Ka-Roo
10 Rod Stewart /Never a Dull Moment
Top 5 Dutch Artworks Visited by Jim and Emily with Belgian Beer Pairings
1. Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Pair with – St Bernardus Christmas Ale. “A strong, dark, quadrupel, It tastes of licorice, apricots and marzipan.”
2. Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring – Maurits Huis, Den Haag. Pairs well with Chimay Grande Reserve (blue) Trappist Ale. “It exhibits a considerable depth of fruity, peppery character (including hints of plum, raisin and nutmeg).”
3. Frans Hal’s The Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almhouse Haarlem – Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem. Pair with a Cherry Chouffe, “a Belgian Brown Ale – with cherries added. Ruby-tinted, it has a full cherry aroma with notes of strawberry, almond, spices, and port. Round-bodied, soft, and delicate, it has a satisfying finish, with very slight bitterness.”
4. Dom Tower and Church, Utrecht – Paired here with La Trappe Tripel, “a strong coppery-gold Trappist ale with an off-white foamy head and an enticing aroma of fruit, honey and spice. Coriander adds an herbally spicy note to its fruity, well-balanced bittersweet taste.”
5. Rietveld Schroeder Huis, Utrecht – Pairs nicely with St. Bernardus Wit “The Aroma is wheaty, with apple-like tartness; herbal-spicy notes of coriander, white pepper and orange peel are complemented by a light, honey-like sweetness.”
All descriptions taken from the Belgian Style Ales website.
+ also too: – Karaoke parties: highlight was Janice Headley’s version of Cibo Matto’s “Birthday Cake”
– Road trips: Going to Olympia with JJ, Nancy and Yvonne was super-fun (save for the drive home) and we got to see Lois and Heather Dunn play together and Lois even slayed the room as Calvin in “C Is the Heavenly Option” – EPIC!
– Timberline outing with visiting pals
– USWNT winning Olympic Gold: triple espresso FTW!
– Portland Thorns (esp. beating Orlando and witnessing 12 years of #12 Captain Christine Sinclair): Please stop trading away our favorite players and hire more women in the NWSL FFS.
– Portland Timbers (esp. beating the cup winning LA Galaxy): Please get a new owner and GM ASAP.
– West Coast Heavenly Tour; TMF 69LS friend reunions; YLT + Built to Spill; Alvvays and the Beths in the town square. Swansea Sound + meeting Hue
I had my head down most of the year making my upcoming album (shameless plug: my first “solo” album, Space, comes out 2.28 on Mother West), but when I wasn’t recording or obsessing over something or other about the record, I was loving experiencing the following things:
SONGS
“Dominoes” by Mary Timony
“A Little Longer” by Johanna Samuels
“Slim Pickings” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Girl, So Confusing” by Charli xcx (feat Lorde)
“Tiny Flame” by The Softies
“Right Back To It” by Waxahatchee feat MJ Lenderman
“Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves
FILMS
Flipside by Chris Wilcha
23 Mile by Mitch McCabe
A Complete Unknown by James Mangold
LIVE SHOWS
Magnetic Fields two nights in a row in LA with Gail Chickfactor
Mary Timony at the Lodge Room
Matthew Caws (solo) at a KCSN event at Houdini’s old mansion in LA
Kacey Musgraves in Dallas
Ladybug Transistor at Lodge Room
Mac DeMarco at the Greek with my nephew
Mitski and Sharon Van Etten at the Hollywood Bowl
The Love Hangover at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC
Matthew Edwards at SYZYGY in SF
Joni Mitchell and Friends at the Bowl
Will Sheff at this groovy stoner event at the Philosophical Research Society (and I even got to sing a song with him),
Joan Wasser at the Cha Cha Lounge in LA.
OTHER STUFF
Buying my niece her first guitar (she chose a Fender acoustic).
Hosting a residency at Hotel Cafe in October and playing every week was great for me to brush up on my act as a performer. It was also a wonderful way to gather old and new friends. Benjamin Cartel, Nicole Lawrence, Alie Byland, and Eli Wulfmeier opened the shows, and they were excellent.
Making time for long, healthy hikes with friends in and around LA (a bonus of living here).
Feeling very ladylike by joining The Huntington in Pasadena, which hosts the most beautiful art collections and has huge botanical gardens to get lost in. My friends and I took our moms there for high tea, and it was so sweet.
I spent 3 days in Palma de Mallorca for a friend’s big birthday. It was stunning, and I would love to go back. Shout out to all the pastry shops in Palma and the beautiful beaches.
I got to spend time in Detroit with my Dad and play my now annual holiday show at a little dive bar called The Polka Dot.
Wrangling many of my friends to play on my new record in LA, Detroit, and NYC, and wrangling others to make content with me and artwork and all of the things that go into making and promoting an album. Feeling very grateful.
SONGS:
Chappell Roan, ‘Good Luck, Babe!’,
Jessica Pratt, ‘Life Is’
Gigi Perez, ‘The Sailor Song’
Tess Parks, ‘California’s Dreaming’
Pet Shop Boys, ‘Loneliness’
Bruno Mars and Rosé, ‘APT.’
Claire Rousay, ‘Head’
Laurie Anderson, ‘Road to Mandalay’
Emma Anderson, ‘Taste The Air (Julia Holter Mix)’
Charley Stone, ‘Free Food’
Janis, Perez & YANIS, ‘Pharmacoliberation’
Noel, ‘Dancing is Dangerous’
Abstract Crimewave ‘The Longest Night’
Fuse ODG, ‘We Know It’s Christmas’
BOOKS (fiction):
Alan Hollinghurst, Our Evenings
Nat Reeve, Earlyfate
H. Gareth Gavin, Never Was
Khaled Alesmael, Selamlik
Chloe Michelle Howarth, Sunburn
Iain Sinclair, Pariah Genius
Justin Torres, Blackouts
Adam Macqueen Haunted Tales
Henry Van Dyke, Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes (reissue)
BOOKS (non-fiction / memoir)
Katherine Bucknell, Christopher Isherwood Inside Out
Claire Dederer, Monsters
Xiaolu Guo, My Battle of Hastings
Liam Konemann, The Appendix
Salman Rushdie, Knife
Hanif Kureishi, Shattered
Claude Cahun, Cancelled Confessions
BOOKS (poetry):
Peter Scalpello, Limbic
JP Seabright, George Parker, Jaime Lock, Not Your Orlando
Camille Ralphs, After You Were, I Am
Jen Calleja, Goblinhood (poems and essays)
FILMS / TV:
Orlando, My Political Biography
Wilding
Scala!
Poor Things
Past Lives
Feud: Capote Vs the Swans
PLACES:
The Goat Ledge Beach Cafe, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
Black Gull Books, St Leonards
Cute (exhibition), Somerset House, London
Oed Ronne (The Ocean Blue) There were four standout records I heard this year, 3 of which came from people I was hashtag blest to play shows with this year.
Bart and the Bedazzled – Blue Motel
We got to play a few shows with Bart and his band the Bedazzled this year – all charming, warm, and incredibly talented. Man, Bart has the ability to command the room. Though a few years old, this record was in the background of all year long for me. Absolutely lovely.
We also got to play a few shows with Asteroid No. 4 for a few shows this last year. Always rocking sunglasses and walls of melody and guitars. Amazing band.
Wayne plays guitar in Bart’s band and on this, his debut, he sort of reminds me of Deebank-era Felt and the Go-Betweens. I love the way the 7/4 hook of Millwood St sucks you in. I’m at risk of wearing this album out for reals.
Thank goodness there was a new Tyde record this year. Kind of stylisitically the same touchstones but also here with a dash of Mike Post and more of a tropical flavor. I love this record.
Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School) We did a bit of touring in 2024! In no particular order here’s some of our favorite food and drinks along the way:
1. Espresso and Patisserie at Le Sullyin Paris, France.
2. Picon Bière – Amer Picon (orange liqueur) mixed with Kronenbourg 1664, at Le Hasard Ludiquein Paris, France.
3. Pie and Mash; Scotch Eggs, from Tebay Farmshop, Tebay, UK.
4. “$2.95 All-Day Breakfast” at Bon’s off Broadway, Vancouver BC.
5. Anything on the menu at Salsa & Beer, Los Angeles. 6. GONZO Ramen, Carlsbad, CA. Seriously the best Ramen any of us have ever had.
7. Curry and Porotta bread from Kerala South Indian Restaurant, Coventry, UK. On the same block as Just Dropped In Records!
8. Cheeseburgers at Hattie’s Hat, Seattle, WA.
9. Buckfast Tonic Wine, Glasgow, UK, for a much needed pre-show “pick me up”!
10. Fresh salads, juices, and packet sandwiches from any and all motorway stops in the UK; they kept us healthy on tour!
Dawn Sutter Madell (Agoraphone) + Trixie Madell (Girl Scout Handbook) Best Shows We Saw Together 2024
PJ Harvey at Terminal 5
Sun Ra Arkestra at Central Park, Sony Hall
Kim Gordon Central Park
Yo La Tengo at Sony Hall
Bikini Kill at Paramount
Adrienne Lenker Music Hall of Williamsburg
Quasi at Bowery Ballroom
Off Pink at a record store
Julien Baker, Torres at Webster Hall
Bratmobile at Warsaw
X, Jon Spencer, Lydia Loveless, Finom at Square Roots Festival, Chicago
Sweeping Promises, Jessica Pratt, Brittany Howard, Grandmaster Flash, De La Soul, Mannequin Pussy, Muna at Pitchfork Chicago
Son Rompe Pera, Fishbone at Prospect Park
Favorite book: my favorite book this year was published in 1970, it’s “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, by Dee Brown. This was my choice for my non-fiction bookclub, so I also forced a few other people to read it. It was so well written, easy to read, interesting, fascinating, enlightening and unbearably tragic. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I wish I’d read it 30 years ago.
Favorite cocktail: the Hugo, which is St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Prosecco, seltzer & mint. Except I put the liquid in a blender and add ice and make a slushy, which is fabulouso, but dangerous, lol
Favorite meal: post graduation dinner at Thompson and Bleeker in Ithaca NY. Amazing pizza, fantastic salads, delicious cold beer, and not insanely expensive!!
Favorite radio shows: I love listening to two radio shows on WMBR.org, “Coffee Time” from 2-4 on Friday, and “Backwoods” from 10-12 on Saturdays. Both remind me that the weekend is coming or is here, so time to chill out!
Favorite movie: “My Old Ass” which was so sweet and lovely, see it if you can!
Favorite songs: “Gild the Lily,” by Billy Strings. It’s a country music song that reminds me of country songs that my mom would listen to on the radio when I was a kid. Plus, it’s about birds singing, which is lovely.
I also love that song “Sexy to Someone” by Clairo; it’s catchy, cute and the keyboards sound so cool.
Riley Riley (Artsick/Boyracer) – Favorites of 2024: Music in alphabetical order:
Adrianne Lenker “Bright Future” Beth Gibbons “Lives Outgrown” Billie Eilish “Hit Me Hard And Soft” The concert was amazing.
Doechii “Alligator Bites Never Heal” Kim Deal “Nobody Loves You More” Mo Dotti “Opaque” Rachel Love “Lyra” The Softies “The Bed I Made” WUT “Mingling With The Thorns”
Fav local Seaside/Monterey Bay things:
1. Mando Surf Company is a local surfboard shaper and a friend of mine. Their boards are gorgeous pieces of art, one of which ended up at SFMOMA for their “Get in the Game” exhibit.
2. Pop and Hiss is a new local venue/record shop/bar in Pacific Grove. Super cool spot to check out if in the area.
3. Captain Stoker Coffee is delicious and the best coffee in Monterey IMO
Fav things I did: 1. Oakland Weekender 2024 happened at Thee Stork Club and was amazing… again!
2. Played a PNW mini tour with my favs, All Girl Summer Fun Band and Kids On A Crime Spree. Major bonus: got to see Gail!
3. Played a couple of shows with my besties band, WUT and got to join them for a couple songs live.
4. Danced to an incredible set by Kid Frostbite with friends.
5. The new Boyracer record called “Seaside Riot” came out and I am so proud to be part of it.
6. Drove down to Big Sur with my family, parked on a cliff and saw the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet… it was breathtaking and such a memorable moment. It was last visible 80,000 years ago.
7. Read “You Better Be Lightning” by Andrea Gibson
8. Dog cuddles
9. Hiking in Big Sur
10. Got to hangout with Kim Baxter from AGSFB in Monterey… we had the best time getting some food and sitting by the water.
11. Recording new Artsick
12. Mushroom Tea…
RYLI at the 4 Star Theater! This is Yea Ming Chen’s new band & I was driven to dance. That woman knows how to write a pop song!
Watching Josh Miller play bass in Chime School AND Anna Hillburg Band, both experiences are mind-bending
Watching Ladybug Transistor reunion live in LA at the Lodge Room. Trumpets, flutes, & song craft from Sasha, Jennifer, Gary, Julia, and Jeff. What a group!
Gerard Love at Glasgoes Pop! What a voice! (And with the crowd singing along it was like the best party)
Heavenly at Glasgoes Pop dancing with Kenji (The Fairways forever) & Ari (Poastal forever)! I nearly died!
The Softies, with Anna Hillburg at Bottom of the Hill, because OMG it’s The Softies. Also, bonus, Rose sang a song with Anna & it was epic.
Galore! Anywhere they play, every time. Three part harmonies and killer melodies. I die again.
Shannon Shaw at the Fox with my buddies Noelle & The Deserters. Epic venue, epic night.
Lightheaded at the Oakland Weekender!! They ripped! I was not expecting the ferocity of pop that came our way, all the way from Jersey, I love them.
Jessica Pratt at Bimbos. Her album made my year, and seeing her perform the songs live was otherworldly.
1. Caribou- Campfire
2. Seefeel- Multifolds
3. Chris Cohen- Night and Day
4. Real Estate- Airdrop
5. Orcas- Riptide
6. Mahogany- A Scaffold
7. Bedroom- Her Ghost
8. Epic45- New Town Faded
9. Dottie- Disappearing
10. Royksopp- Camera Obscura (but actually the whole album, Nebulous Nights)
The Umbrellas: here is our end of the year list, we decided to rank gas stations!
The Umbrellas were on the road ALOT (possibly far too much) this past year. Given this, what better way to wrap up 2024 than a retrospect of where we spent a majority of our time, gas stations…?
One9 – This fueling station we believe is a newish franchise. The whole sign and exterior looks like it was designed by a silicon valley software developer. They have hot food items, a lot of car accessories you wouldn’t normally find (like hub caps), and the latest trending food items. Nick tried an Oreos Coca-cola and commented that it tasted like cleaning supplies.
Kum & Go – Ha ha ha … get your mind out of the gutter! This midwest franchise only has a few locations, but each one is more charming than the last. Generally friendly staff who don’t mind you giggling when you bring one of to their “Kum & Go” t-shirts up to the counter to purchase.
Sinclair- That dinosaur logo is cool! Maybe it has to do with the fact that these are not terribly common in the bay area, but whenever we stop into one there’s an indescribable sense of nostalgia and whimsy. It feels like an old-timey gas pump attendant dressed in all white with a newscap is going to pop out from behind the big fiberglass Dinosaur they have on display. While other chains have rebranded or updated their logo … that dino has always remained, plastered on their fueling pumps.
Buc-ees – An allegory for what America is: Large, overwhelming, and hundreds of bathroom stalls. A must-stop for anyone driving through the south or mid-west. What more is there to say that hasn’t been said by bands and short-form video influencers alike? Matt says to make sure to try the Brisket sandwich. Pro-tip: skip the prepackaged bagged jerky and go straight to the counter for the fresh stuff.
Love’s – Love’s is like a reliable old friend that will always be there for you. Love’s doesn’t judge you when you’ve had one too many hard seltzers and you stumble around looking for their mini-tacos. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to catch the Love’s x Del Taco combo. Love’s would never dream of thinking illy of you! Hot showers, hot food, and hot deals (each location has a discount food rack of unsold seasonal items). Through and through The Umbrellas are a Love’s band. So spread the love and stop into your local Love’s the next time you need to top off your tank.
Best long poems I read or reread this year:
Liu Shang, “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute”
Matthew Rohrer, “The Others”
John Ashbery, “The Wave”
Annelyse Gelman, “Vexations”
Alice Notley, “In The Pines”
Laura Henrikesen, “Laura’s Desires”
Best long songs I liked this year:
Gerard Cleaver, “The Process”
Destroyer, “Bay of Pigs”
Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell, “Mutron/Arabian Nightmare”
Nichuminu, “Aberraciones y Milagros”
Matmos, “Ultimate Care II”
Yukihiro Fukutomi, “5 Blind Boys”
Prince, “Automatic”
Caley Conway, Partner
Refrigerator, Get Lost
Jeff Parker, The Way Out Of Easy
Mountain Movers, Walking After Dark
The Special Pillow, Meets The Space Monster
Little Hag, Now That’s What I Call Little Hag
Daga Voladora, Los Manantiales
Shady Cove, Part II
Oneida, Expensive Air
Cornelius, Ethereal Essence
Roger Moutenot, Microcosm
Ava Mendoza, The Circular Train
David Nance, David Nance & Mowed Sound
Alan Sparhawk, White Roses My God
Tim Heidecker, Slipping Away
Alan Licht, Havens
Julie Beth Napolin, Only The Void Stands Between Us
Mark Robinson (Teen-Beat Records, Cotton Candy) Kali Malone, All Life Long (record)
Miranda July, All Fours (book)
Kim Gordon, The Collective (record)
Ruben Pater, Caps Lock (book)
hollAnd, Green Text (record)
Katherine Small Gallery (store)
White Manna, Hackensack, NJ (restaurant)
Henry Smith, Film No.18 (Mahagonny) (film)
Bakar, Halo (record)
Escape-ism Black Gold (record)
Mount Kimbie, The Sunset Violent (record)
Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga, The Courage to Be Disliked (book)
King Krule, Shhhhhhhh! (record)
Papa Slumber’s Top Ten Listens of 2024 (Slumberland Records) Ability II – Rediscovered (I9M)
Autocamper – Blanche (Safe Suburban Home)
Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes – Janice Long Session 11.11.86 (Precious)
Shabaka Hutchings – Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!)
Rachel Love – Lyra (The Cat Collects)
The Moment of Nightfall & Tony Jay – Winter Dream (Kilikilivilla)
Sharp Pins – Radio DDR (Sharp Pins)
Nala Sinephro – Endlessness (Warp)
The Softies – The Bed I Made (Father/Daughter)
v/a – Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Breakbeat Hardcore 1991-94 (Blank Mind)
I’m not going to get any less angry, so here we go:
Fanzines – loads of brilliant photos, pictures and writing, perhaps replacing record sales. Maybe we all need to evolve…
Clairo – get the latest lp if you haven’t already..
now..
really, are you still here?…
go… get the latest Clairo album, come back, read on…
Do not read on without that Clairo lp
YOU GOT IT? Ok, read on
Heavenly – they have returned just when we need them the most – May I be among the first to solemnly declare allegiance to the flag of FUCK YOU NO WAY
Saturday Night Fever – seen for the first time in 2024, after nearly fifty years of being told “it’s not what you think it is” it wasn’t what I thought it was. Led to me listening to a LOT of disco, good and bad, and buying a LOT of paint.
Italian exploitation soundtracks of the 70’s – turns out it’s the best music there is
Despair – we did our best, it was fun while it lasted, but the cunts have been voted in, promoting the far right, buying politicians and media networks – but remember everyone who didn’t vote for it, we stand together, we are here for each other. I don’t know what it means, but if there is anything I can help with I am here – wiaiwya on most media (fuck you billionaires, we will use your networks while we can) – please get in touch – we are here for each other…
The future – it is ours… it has to be.
FUCK YOU NO WAY
Can you say cunt in America? Hope you can’t and you will anyway- because he is one!
Some books from 2024 that I have read/am reading and thoroughly enjoy – not in hierarchical order, but I do love Joni Mitchell more than most things:
• Traveling on the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers is my fave of the new books I’ve purchased this year because, well, Joni. There is not a wasted syllable in it, and the “traveling” and “path” is an extended metaphor for both Joni and author Ann Powers.
• How Women Made Music includes two photographs by me, but that’s not why I love it. It is an important reference work of NPR dispatches with thorough curation by Alison Fensterstock. I have lost track of how many people who have received this book from me as a gift. If you still haven’t gifted anyone anything yet – I highly suggest How Women Made Music. And sharing good reads isn’t just for Christmas or year-end lists.
• In Under a Rock, Blondie’s co-founder, Chris Stein delivers a delightful valentine to the NYC of his youth. It’s no wonder Blondie was a pioneering musical project. I wish that NYC still existed.
• The surrealist next door, my former neighbor and lifetime icon of pop surrealism, Robyn Hitchcock also paints a picture of his Groover origin story in 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. He made a companion album to go along with it, which is a fave listen as well.
• The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture. I lived in NYC for 20 years, but I read the Village Voice long before and long after I lived there. What a fantastic biography of a print icon! Bravo Tricia Romano onyour widely heralded book!
• Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum I’ve worked in television, and I grew up in Santa Barbara and witnessed the Loud family open their lives to the PBS series about them – An American Family, which was the first “reality show” in the early 1970s. Emily Nussbaum nailed this on every point; she has been writing about television for a long, long time and deftly connects all the dots. I am a hard one to convince, since this particular example took place in my very hometown at the peak of my snarky teenage phase. Read for yourself, Emily got it right !
• Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius. I have a personal obsession with the films ISHTAR and REDS, which Elaine May wrote, and co-wrote (no on-screen credit for REDS), and so does the author Carrie Courogen who appropriately identifies Elaine May as “Hollywood’s Hidden Genius.” This is a phenomenal effort and it places my head in a space that helps me understand why I am happy when I’m immersed in ironic satire.
Music and Film – Mostly I was underwhelmed this year – too much hype; too little deliverance. That being said, The The in concert was impressive, with the first set being their new album, Ensoulment, and after a brief intermission, a set of hits and fan faves. Way back in January, I saw Elvis Costello & the Imposters put on the best concert (3+ hours!!) I’ve ever seen and heard.
Late stage capitalism is the worst but you can still give gifts to your loved ones when you follow our gift guide! There is no need to make purchases that will ultimately only benefit, like, three billionaires! may we suggest these gifts:
• Take your friend out to ice-skate, watch futbol, see Stuart Murdoch reading from his new book, sip boba tea, slurp noodles, or give experiential gifts like road trips, spa days, roller derby matches, or of course guitar pop festivals (but not the one in California owned by a creep!).
• Think about nature: Head to Audubon, Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Manatee, Oceana, the A C L U, and other do-gooders and buy things that benefit them! Also consider adopting a real-life rescue pup or a black cat or buying things that benefit animal sanctuaries, hummingbirds, bees, bats, and wildlife. Give seeds to grow food, make bat boxes, hummingbird feeders and give someone beekeeper classes!
• Support the greatest radio station around like WFMU by grabbing a cute T-shirt. Consider commissioning a photographer or artist to make something for you or buy something they’ve already created. Also shop at museum and gallery shops, independent book shops, small businesses and of course record shops! (We love Courtesy Desk, Jigsaw, Monorail, and Dusty Groove a lot!)
Read on for some more ideas but remember, giving more money to billionaires (and the online retail giants they own) is bad for the entire world. They are drunk on power and need to be reined in.
Glasgow’s Dancer and Portland’s Whisper Hiss Team Up for Split album and chickfactor co-interview
Whisper Hiss (Meredith Butner, Rhiannon Flowers, Jenny Rahlf, Jon Schlaffman) are a four-piece queer post-punk band from Portland, Oregon, and have been the go-to local opener on most indiepop and post-punk house and DIY shows for bands touring through Portland since 2017. Dancer (Gemma Fleet, Chris Taylor, Gavin Murdoch, Andrew Doig) are a four-piece mutant disco post-punk band from Glasgow, Scotland, that only formed in 2023. Split is a split 12-inch featuring six songs each by both Dancer and Whisper Hiss. This split release came about by chance. The label HHBTM pitched the idea of the bands recording a few extra tracks and doing a split 12-inch as a way of connecting them.
Dancer has been pretty prolific in a short time of being a band, can you tell us a little about your songwriting process? Gemma (she/they): I’d say we are all songwriters in the band and we mix up the process all the time. It might be a fully formed song brought into practice that we all add our bits to, on bass (Love) or guitar (Bluetooth hell), vocal (Passionate Sunday) or a song that started with a drum beat (rein it in) – The split LP songs were played out all together and came together in pretty much one practice apart from You Saint that Chris brought in and Gig Economy that Doig had. Chris (he/they): We’re just all fiends for a new song. We had a writing moratorium at the start of the year and the second we ended it there were 8 new songs we’d written individually for Dancer in secret from each other. It’s a compulsion for all of us I think. I’ll often be getting set up in practice or just idly playing and Andrew will suddenly ask “what’s that?”. I try to repeat what I did and 5 minutes later everyone else has turned it into a song. We just pounce on them when they appear sometimes. I think we write so much because there is no set process other than, “does anyone have something new that sounds good?” Andrew (He/Him): Yeah it can be quick, I think we are developed and there is an almost gleeful energy with the songwriting. Dare I say it’s confidence sort of propelling us? Maybe that confidence has not always been there in past projects you know? So it’s infectious. I think we all think the band is good and the prospect of another song is always exciting so they keep coming. Meredith (she/her): I love what you said about confidence! I’ve mostly played music with other women and self-taught musicians and we’ve had trouble fully owning that word. In my first bands, just being on stage itself was an act of bravery. I’ve written in bands where self doubt hovered around or we were sometimes too apologetic about our ideas with each other, and when it comes to booking or promotion I’ve also feared asking for too much or appearing too confident which has led to missed opportunities. It’s something I’m really working on looking at. It helps to have Rhiannon as a front person and co-conspirator — she’s such a force, and not a person who makes herself small. With Whisper Hiss, I feel that infectious spark you mentioned in a clear way… like I actually know that what we have is special. Rhiannon (she/her): It’s so ingrained to cut ourselves down a notch. Saying you have something special doesn’t take away from other people or mean they aren’t also special. I want to see people around me feeling empowered and celebrated. The more I witness it in others the more inspired I am to fully show up as myself. I want that feeling and I want it for those around me.
Lyrically, are there any themes that come up often or tie together your songs on Split? Gemma: Priority Girl is about the ‘Karen’ phenomenon and how distasteful it is to be pushy but remembering too that men complain all the time. The moral of the story is if you have a Karen you use them to do good. Gig economy follows this theme as is about someone ordering Deliveroo in a snow storm and complaining when it arrives then the driver in their haste to correct, gets in an accident ! I’m concerned that people working in the gig economy are not protected by employment law and sick pay is hard to claim. Rhiannon: I felt instantly connected to your lyrics Gemma, and honestly felt a kinship. I feel like we both have a storytelling aspect to our songs. My lyrics are mostly autobiographical and come from my personal and internal world, then I make connections from that to things around me. I write a lot about anxiety and breaking free. On SPLIT the songs stemmed from the song Movable Objects which is mostly about freedom from stagnation and the idea that there are many paths to get somewhere.. and how a lot of what’s pressed on to us in society literally doesn’t fit anyone or make anyone happy. Fawn tells a few stories but actually was inspired by a time I was recently assaulted on a bus. A man cornered me and it was really scary! I was able to get away with the help of another woman and got off. The song is about the lose-lose where if you are noticed you are under threat, but then when you are more invisible people also don’t respect your personal space or stomp on you. Envision Another chorus actually came to me in a dream! It had the melody and everything and I actually remembered when I woke up for once!
Do you have any before show rituals? Gemma: Shadow boxing whilst jogging a loop around the venue as the Rocky theme tune plays over the PA. In my head. Andrew: I spend some time trying to remember my parts, as they always seem to get vague in my mind around show time. Recently I have been playing the beginning of Passionate Sunday wrong every time we play it live. The mind does weird things under mild duress. Chris: For me, it has always been trying to find the perfect balance between time/coffee/food/alcohol. It feels like there’s this perfect combo for playing live and the constant variables (mostly how much time between arrival and show, and how much of that time is already planned for) keep it interesting. It sounds complicated but it’s mostly about not getting too drunk even if you have 3 hours to kill at a bar that doesn’t serve food or coffee. Rhiannon: Chris that sounds a lot like me! You’ll find me in a dark corner of the bar measuring out exactly how many sips of one cocktail I’ll have and at what hour before going on stage. And strategically eating dinner 1.5 hours before doors. It’s very precise mathematics and science! I also like to do power pose, that’s a good before show move.
You are all active in other bands, is it hard to juggle the various schedules?Gemma: I think it’s harder to juggle a full time job. I really enjoy my job and doing bands so try to keep things relaxed, In the past I’ve done mad things like played in Paris, driven back to London, slept for 3 hours then went to work or gone to work directly off of a flight from Texas. Andrew: Yes and no. There are certain weeks where every night is a band practice or a show and sometimes that feels like living a dream and sometimes it just feels like too much. Personally I have a habit of taking a lot on with music stuff. But then you think what would we all do otherwise? Chris: This is usually the case (and certainly is for everyone else in Dancer), but for the first time in my life I am in only one band and it is my only active project. I have enough freedom in Dancer that I can use pretty much all of my guitar ideas so I’m pretty satisfied with the situation. I’ve noticed recently that the only kinds of shows that get me out of the house are improv or heavy stuff, perhaps because it’s less often we play with bands like that. I’d like to do something in one of those spheres again maybe.
What do you each do for fun outside of music? Gemma: Watch YouTube videos of Idlewild at the Brat Awards with lovely big mug of tea. Oh, that’s still music. Maybe just the tea then, in silence? Andrew: See above, sometimes not much else! I force myself to read, it’s one of my favourite things to do but I rarely feel relaxed enough to concentrate. Cinema. Food is good. Riding my bike. Glasgow is very grey and rainy even in the Summer sometimes so there is tendency to stop everything and go outside if good weather happens. Chris: I’ve rekindled a childhood love of video games in recent years, which has been surprisingly rewarding. I can’t say it’s entirely unrelated to music as the soundtracks make up a lot of my listening these days. So long as you completely ignore any online community involving games whatsoever, it can be a lot of fun. I try to always play stuff that is nothing like anything I’ve played previously, which has been pretty doable mostly. There’s a lot of really great and unique stuff out there, much of it that couldn’t exist in another medium. It’s a good time for it. Other than that and music, my wife, cats, food and travel keep me happy.
What is the Portland music scene like? Supportive? Difficult to access? A bit of both?! Jon (he/they): Portland is overflowing with bands; so many bands that there’s no way that I’m aware of even a fraction of them. From teenage bands playing house shows and whatever few all ages venues there are, all the way up to dad bands and literal grandparents playing shows every single night all over town. Legit DIY venues to play are dwindling, it seems, since I moved here in ‘08 – there used to be a lot more small spaces/dive bar type of venues where you could catch a random incredible show on any given evening. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly difficult to access, but it depends on your goals, I suppose. The punk-adjacent/queer/weirdo art and music community that I feel like I’ve become a small part of has been nothing but supportive and inspiring. That said, I’m sure there are tons of other “scenes” or music communities in Portland that aren’t on my radar at all. Jenny (she/they): I think it is supportive and there are also some mini scenes within the larger Portland music scene. There are a lot of bands here— I feel like you have to know someone to get in with certain venues. Honestly, I’m the most hands off in the band when it comes to booking/ promoting— I very much appreciate my bandmates for getting us out there and making connections. Meredith: Whisper Hiss has been so well received by audiences and I generally feel so much support from other local musicians and bands but, with a large number of bands in town vying for a limited number of slots, it can feel difficult to break into larger rooms with bigger crowds. Sometimes when we don’t get on a show we’d love to play we joke that, because our band name starts with a W, we must be on the bottom of all the alphabetized booking lists. Rhiannon: Oh yes our name starting with a W has led to our obscurity, that’s gotta be it (Laughing). I feel like we have a really sweet scene of bands where shows sometimes feel like just hanging out with friends and sharing art. There’s a lot of photographers in the scene too. I met my friend Colette from the band Perimeters, because she kept posting these cool photographs of us after our shows, and one day I wrote her and was like “Come say hi next time!” And she’s such a gem.
Are there any great Portland bands that have been around forever but might not have hit the UK that we should check out? Jenny: The Prids are the only ones I can think of that have been around a while— not sure if they’ve toured the uk, but worth checking out. It seems like many bands that had been around when we first started out sadly disbanded during the pandemic. There are so many bands here and I’m sure ones I haven’t named that deserve recognition. Jon: Sad Horse. The members of that band also own one of the few remaining DIY show spaces in town – Turn, Turn, Turn Meredith: Yeah, my suggestions maybe haven’t been around forever… Yuvees just moved to Brooklyn, but they are an ex-Portland band putting out great stuff. Public Pleasure’s first full length is coming out mid-October and I’m really excited to hear that. Collate, Love in Hell, and Perimeters are all great bands and friends. I’m happy All Girl Summer Fun Band are playing shows again.
We want to know about the Glasgow scene too! Does it feel inclusive? What bands should we check out? Andrew: There is so much to say about this. Obviously there is a whole lore around Glasgow and music, it is much romanticised. Firstly none of us (now) are actually Scottish in the band, so as an English person coming into the ‘scene’ at a certain age, having lived in London for many years previously, has been fascinating. It definitely lives up to expectations in some senses, but as with all scenes the idea that everyone knows each other etc is exaggerated. But then again it can feel small and concentrated enough that you do tend to see some of the classic Glasgow characters around quite easily. There are so many different strands too – improv, electronic and clubbing scenes, beyond the expected indie pop or whatever people might think. It’s diverse and exciting, for such a small city there are loads of venues and stuff is going on all the time, but then on the flip side it can feel repetitive at times. Like there is this great venue The Glad Cafe, its ace, but I have been there like 6 times in the last couple of months and starting to get cabin fever! It’s better to get out and about though, of course, and for me and Gemma (a married couple in our 40s) it has certainly given us a fresh and new social aspect to life that we weren’t maybe getting in London so much anymore. We have met a lot of nice people who have supported Dancer and other projects we have done, so yeah it feels inclusive to us right now.
As for bands to check out there is L, Guests, Essen, Errol’s Hot wax is a cool label, Goldmold another label of note (who released our first 2 EP’s), Nightshift and Set Piece are 2 other bands I play bass in who I like haha, Come Outside, Onat Onol, Susannah Stark, Simone Antigone, Coolant, Radio Banter, Edwin Stevens, Buffet Lunch (technically Edinburgh), Nightschool records, Dragged Up, Even Sisters, Coffin Mulch, Pink Pound, R.Aggs. The list goes on and on and these are the artists within Dancer’s gravity really, there is a universe of other far out things happening. I will say that even though they don’t seem to live in Glasgow anymore, Still House Plants latest LP is pretty much my album of the year, that record blows my mind!
Is there anywhere in the world you would really like to take Whisper Hiss?Meredith: We really haven’t been many places with this project yet. Getting to know you all and working on Split has us dreaming of coming to the UK for sure. Rhiannon: Right now coming to the UK sounds dreamy and I’d also love to tour other parts of Europe. I’m basically itching to tour! Take me everywhere! Jon: Oh jeez, yeah, I’m up for whatever! I’m the most recent member of the band, so I haven’t done any touring as a Whispie yet but I’d love to get this batch of songs on the road in front of new faces. I think we’re alldreaming of a Euro tour; we’ll see what opportunities present themselves! Touring the west coast kinda sucks since there are really only a few cities over here, and there’s a great deal of distance between them. It’s basically Seattle, maybe Oly, Portland, and then nothing for over 600 miles (965 km for y’all, I googled!) until you hit the bay area. I envy east coast (and Euro) bands who can get in the van and play a ton of shows back to back in different rad cities each night for quick little tours or whatever. You don’t have to spend a whole day driving just to get to like Sacramento or something lol. Jenny: UK tour with Dancer!
Like us, you guys have maybe been in other bands previously, tell us about them and do you currently do any other projects? Rhiannon: My first band ever was called Drastic Plastic. I was only 19 and had just moved to Portland because I heard it had the most lesbians per capita. I didn’t know what per capita meant but it sounded promising. At the time there was a thriving queer punk scene, and even though I was a tad too young to have been part of riot grrrl, I was heavily influenced by all those bands from here and Olympia. I’d had this realization about being a fan. These feminist and queer bands were about building community, not hero worship. I realized I wanted to be part of a community of artists creating social change, instead of idolizing others. My next band was called Seagull and Wave, it was the first time where I played keys and sung. It was a new wavey project with just guitar, keys and drum machine. It was fun but terrifying to sing and play at the same time. It was very new. Whisper Hiss is the first band where I really found myself as a musician. I realized I can naturally play by ear, and key parts just sort of started flowing for me. Right now Whisper Hiss is my only band, but I’ve been jamming with a friend of mine on an Italo Disco/new wave inspired project that I’m excited to develop! Meredith: In college and just after, I played guitar in a riot grrrl band called Athena Starwoman. In the early 2000s I was in a pop project called 10¢ (the dimes). This was a cool time for Portland DIY and I was active in lots of stuff like zines, crafts, running a tiny venue and recording studio called the Portland Robot Steakhouse, and hosting Handmade Bazaar a backyard summer buy/sell/trade sale with food and bands. I took a bunch of time off from music and then started a band called Anther who I played with before joining Whisper Hiss. Sometimes I write and record songs with my husband at home. Jenny: My band history dates back to my late teens. I played in several bands up until my mid twenties when I fell off playing music for about 8 years! I left all my gear in my ex partner’s moms shed. When I went back to collect my gear I felt nostalgic and realized how much I missed music! Long story short, Whisper Hiss was born and that’s the only band I’ve been playing in since—unless you count Untitled Bedroom Project which really just consists of me and my girlfriend informally jamming out in the bedroom. Jon: Whisper Hiss is all I’m doing at the moment (I work full-time in comics publishing and I just don’t have the youthful energy I once had lol). I played for years in a garage-punk trio here called BOBBY PERU which morphed into another band called BARB. I did a noise rock thing called HAUNTED HEAD for a little while and there was also a dub-influenced punk-ish project called COOL FLOWERS with some homies who have all been in dozens of other bands. Getting to open a show for Anika was a major highlight of my time with that band!
Whisper Hiss is a fun band, How does it feel to play together? Rhiannon: Thank you, Dancer is very fun too! Playing together feels electric. There’s a magic that happens and we all love experimenting and being creative together. At shows we have a lot of fun. I sort of jump a lot and I like to hop over to my bandmates when I’m not behind my keyboard. Meredith: We do have fun! I can be a kind of moody or intense person when left to my own devices, but group projects bring out a different side of me and creative collaboration really helps me access joy and let go. I’m actually such a fan of my bandmates, both as musicians and people, and I feel lucky every time we play together that I get to add my ideas and energy to the mix with theirs. Jenny: We don’t call ourselves moody and the beat for nothing! We all bring our own unique brand of moodiness that I think we embrace and believe makes us special. We also have a lot of fun! I’ve never been in a band where writing songs is so exciting and I’m so incredibly proud of everything we do! I admire my bandmates—they are endlessly talented! Jon: So good! It’s all felt very natural to me and the band environment has been full of love and support. They’d been a band for a while already when I joined so there were a bunch of songs that I needed to learn right off the bat, which was a new experience for me, and a lot of fun. Going into the band, having studied and learned the songs, I knew I’d be working with talented and creative songwriters so I was super excited and I’m very proud of the work we’ve done together since then. Very much looking forward to the next batch of songs – I love the whole process of songs taking shape and seeing everybody’s ideas falling into place. For me, the excitement of building up to a recording session, and ultimately an album is hard to beat, and I feel like we’ve proven to ourselves that we can kick out the jams in a pinch, if need be lol!
How do you tend to record Whisper Hiss? Do you have someone who records you regularly? and how is Portland for rehearsal spaces and recording studios in general? Meredith: My husband is a recording engineer and we worked with him on the majority of our recordings. They were each done in different studios, I assisted and then he and I mixed at home with input from the band. Our full length tape was difficult to mix and ended up going through a lot of different drafts and taking a long time. When Jon joined the band we were still mixing that. With Jon’s new energy we quickly wrote three songs and wanted to get them recorded to have a representation of the new line up. We rent a practice space in a building that has a record store, a screen printer, rehearsal rooms and a recording studio. Jon had recorded there before and floated the idea of using it this time. It sounded so easy – we wheeled our amps down the hallway – and I loved the idea that I could just show up and play bass and wouldn’t have so many roles. Split was recorded there with Eric Crespo. He mixed at home and we went back and forth through email with notes. Rhiannon: Recording has felt really different over the years! Our sound has distinct threads that make it Whisper Hiss, but also has changed a lot over time, and that reflects in our mixes. For our cassette we were trying for a big sound, and recorded each instrument separately. For Split we went a different approach and performed live for our takes with overdubbed vocals, bells and handclaps. I actually used a front desk bell for the beginning of Come Feel Me. I wanted the feel of working behind a front desk and someone is trying to get your attention in an insistent entitled way. I got a bit bell-happy and pushed for even louder bell in the mix, but I’m glad I got convinced that less front desk bell is more front desk bell. I want to figure out a Velcro situation on my synth so I can use the bell live. We had more fun ideas of accents and noises to add this time. I hope to keep experimenting with cool sounds even more next album! Also Meredith brought a huge tin of peanuts to recording, I will be expecting that luxury item going forward.
In 2015 Gemma and myself spent 24 Hours in Portland, checked out the Donut shop, walked around in the sun and generally buzzed off of how cool it felt to be there. The city has a reputation (to us anyway) of being one of the coolest in the USA, how would you challenge this perception? Or is it in fact just very cool? Rhiannon: I love Portland, it is very cool in my opinion! There are some real issues with gentrification which has been happening for a long time. Another recent thing that’s come up is the music scene speaking out against Live Nation making a venue here. We try to support independently owned venues, and keep corporations from controlling and messing with the music scene. Portland is the last major city to not have Live Nation competing with local venues. Portland has changed a lot since I moved here as a teen in 2001, but it still holds its magic. In the spring there’s incredible cherry blossom trees with petals falling all over you like you are in an enchanted forest. There are small business like bars and cafes in old cute houses, and there are still parts of town that have the old feeling. There’s a lot of amazing people who I love here too. There’s a meandering feel on sidewalks, like no one is in a huge rush to get somewhere. A lot of music and creativity has come from here, and you can feel it.
Do you have a most memorable show? Chris: Playing Pies Pala Pop Festival in Rennes earlier this year was very special. It was our second show outside of the UK, outdoors in good weather with a crowd that was as into it as we were. The festival had a great line up and really looked after everyone too. The whole thing was like a dream. Andrew: The Pies Pala Pop fest in Rennes (France) back in June. Our second show abroad (the first was the day before in Paris) – awesome outdoor stage at a fest with loads of cool bands, good weather, big and responsive crowd. Total dream! Gemma: I loved the gigs we did supporting Dry Cleaning, it was nerve wracking because it was a big crowd but people were not there to see us and I really thought we would be ignored or people would just chat. Surprisingly people were really engaged and we were a true warm up for the gig, by the end of the set people were really buzzed.
What is your biggest challenge as a band? Chris: Getting to do it enough really. I’d get together to write, rehearse, tour or record every day if we could. Andrew: Keeping it all together I think. Maybe it’s not a secret to mention we have recently changed drummers. Bands are hard. Group dynamics are hard and being on the same page is hard. For all the 99 percent of fun and awesomeness, it’s that 1 rogue percentage that can derail everything. Gemma: Making music is always the easiest part, it’s the other stuff like organising tours and finding time to look at emails , that sort of admin stuff.
What are your live shows like? Chris: Very very fun. It sounds like a cop-out answer but it’s an honest one. The comment we got most after coming off stage in Rennes was about how “smiley” we all are. It brings me more joy than anything, and there’s plenty to go around so that’s what we project. People pick up on it, send it back our way etc. Our best shows are just joy feedback loops between us and the crowd. Andrew: Always great I think! We have definitely improved this year and have been reacting to some great crowd buzz. Gemma: I really can’t help but dance around a lot, I am definitely the Dancer in Dancer. In previous bands I’ve played the bass so it’s been really freeing and new to work on the performance, I love to use the length of the stage and jump high.
Are there any places you’d like to take Dancer on tour as well? Chris: Broadly speaking, North America as that’s where the highest concentration of people that listen to us are. I’d love to tour Japan, or really anywhere I’ve never never been. More specifically, I’d like to play The Empty Bottle in Chicago. A great deal of my favourite art and music was made in Chicago, and I hear that place in particular is a lot of fun to play. Andrew: Well USA is of course a dream, but the money it would cost to do it legally is enough to bankrupt even the wealthiest group these days. I am not sure why it costs so much to get into the USA? For me, playing on a warm Summer’s evening somewhere in Portland with Whisper Hiss would be the greatest. But they just cut creative funding here in Scotland, so the options are shrinking by the day! Gemma: Italy, it’s the most beautiful country and best food. I have played a few gigs there in the past and absolutely loved it, other countries in Europe have a bit more funding and appreciation of live music than the UK I think.
You chickfactor readers already know that Kristin Thomson and Jenny Toomey were very involved in the independent music world in Arlington/D.C. in the ’90s. Jenny cofounded Simple MachinesRecords with Brad Sigal and Derek Denckla, and then she and Kristin went on to run the label (with Pat Graham and Mickey Menard) and were involved with the Future of Music Coalition. (Our zine started around the same independent universe/era, and our festivals were surely inspired by their events.) Like many other folks at the time, I had a copy of Simple Machines’ guide to starting a record label, which made it seem like something we could all do (and many of us did!). Tsunami (which also featured John Pamer and Andrew Webster, among others) reformed in recent years to perform and have just released a big fancy box set of their music and are preparing go on a tour early next year with Ida. These two lifelong friends chatted with us recently about indie confessionals, mechanical bulls, and “shorting it up,” among other things.
Hey nerds: check out Loud Is As, the new Tsunami retrospective on Numero Group: 62 tracks over 5LPs collecting together 11 7-inches, 4-track demos, 1993’s, 1994’s The Heart’s Tremolo, plus 1997 A Brilliant Mistake on vinyl for the first time ever.
chickfactor: What did you guys do this weekend?
Kristin Thomson: On Friday night I went to see Duster, technically a labelmate. Curious to see them since I didn’t really pay attention to them when they were active in the late ’90s. Saturday I drove to Lancaster to see Jawbox, and they are a force to be reckoned with. Jenny Toomey: On Friday night, I tested the makeup for an insane little joke unboxing video, which basically is me opening the Tsunami box set, pulling them out and throwing them to the side as if I didn’t care about them at all because I’m trying to get to the electric face mask underneath. When I put it on, it burns the word Tsunami on my forehead. So I was working with an actual makeup artist, and it took about 2 1/2 hours. I went out to drinks at the little punk rock club in town. Brian, my husband, who’s a journalist, was down in North Carolina. He got home Saturday. We have this huge CSA because we live in farm country, and I always complain to Kristin that I feel like I have another child, which is all the vegetables I have to find a home for in my stomach by the end of the week. So we did a lot of cooking and watching horror films. Kristin: Baby Kohlrabi hanging out with you or something? Jenny: We got Kohlrabi, which was in the share. We’ve also got a weird new vegetable, which is a mixture of broccoli and lettuce or something. How often do you say, “I’m 56 and I’ve tasted a vegetable I never had before”?
CF: Where do John (Pamer) and Andrew (Webster) live these days? Jenny: John is a professional photographer and lives in LA. Andrew is a green architect with his own firm and lives near Amherst. CF: What are your day jobs? Tell us about your pets, kids, hobbies, whatever. Kristin:I am director of special projects at Media Democracy Fund, we’re an intermediary between the very large foundations and grantees that do work on everything from broadband access to fighting racialized disinformation. There’s a very small team, only eight of us, so we have a lot to do, whether it’s making grants and contracts or doing events or leadership development, building coalitions and things like that. My son Riley is upstairs, but he goes to Saint Joseph’s University and works in the box office at a venue in Philly. Jenny could talk about pets. Jenny: I can. One of them is currently trying to interrupt our interview. He’s our new rescue, Iggy. I’ve worked at the Ford Foundation for 16 years. I started a technology portfolio where we support organizations working to put rules in the internet environment to protect the public …. CF: That sounds easy. Jenny: You don’t know the half of it. Not only have we not managed to do that, but for many years, I watched as we ignored what was coming. Few of my peers thought what was happening in the tech space was all that important. They were all doing social justice work, so they didn’t care about “fancy technology issues,” … and I’m like, “Oh, no, it’s coming for you!” And they’d be like, “I’m not interested, and I don’t have to be.” And I’ve been like, “Oh, no, get ready for the horror film that is going to be your portfolio.” I’ve been working with the president of the foundation because he immediately got it—how dangerous tech was and all the areas we cared about so he’s kept me around. For the last five years, I have focused on building the field of Public Interest Technology. This boils down to training technologists in a more cross-disciplined way so they’re more effective in environments beyond the private sector. We’ve also been creating pathways for them to go into government and civil society so the next generation of technologists can tell their parents, “I just got this costly computer science degree, but it’s OK, I’m going to go work in government, and there is a role for me, and you don’t have to be scared that I just wasted all of that money.” I’m leaving Ford at the end of this year, and Kristin is also leaving her job. So we’re basically just Thelma and Louise-ing the next year.
CF: That’s awesome. Did you come from musical or artistic families? What were you like as teenagers? Kristin:The thing that people find most interesting is that we moved a lot. My dad was in corporate real estate, so there was bouncing back and forth from Canada to the United States. You get used to moving and starting fresh with new people and new experiences. I took regular classical piano lessons growing up, but I was listening to music and going to shows and getting more interested in bands mostly by the time I was in high school when you could maybe go to a show in some weird all ages space or listen to music based on what other people were listening to in your very small school, things like that. By the time I got to college, I was part of the college radio station at Colorado College—KRCC—and was part of the concert committee. Jenny: With regards to music, we always had music playing in the house. As soon as they came home, they put on the turntable. In junior high, I sang in a professional choir called the National Children’s Choir, which Amy Pickering and Kate Samworth were also in. It was like three practices a week, a month of summer camp and dozens of performances during the holidays. So I sang a lot, but it wasn’t until I was in college that I got into a band. I was such a punk rocker in high school. Many punks went to BCC (Bethesda Chevy Chase high school), and I was lucky to make friends with the Bloody Mannequin Orchestra guys, who would drive me to the punk rock shows in DC. Once that started, I lived from show to show. It became like the most important thing to me. Then I got into Positive Force, which also put on tons of shows. Still, I didn’t start thinking I should be in bands until Dave Grubbs and I were friends in college at Georgetown University, and he asked me, “Why aren’t you in a band?” And I hadn’t thought about it, probably because there weren’t that many girls in bands, and I didn’t see the pathway, but once he asked, it was just like, “Oh my God, sexism, there it is!” I’m doing an undergraduate degree in sexism, and I’m obsessed with punk, but I don’t know I can be in a band. I called my friend Derek Denckla and said, “We should be in a band.” That’s how Geek started, and that eventually led to Tsunami. CF: When you look at a lot of those old punk photos from DC, it looks like all men in a lot of them. I know there were women there. Jenny: There was a time before that, like before Minor Threat, where it was a smaller scene, more new wave and weird and I think there were more women in bands then. That’s why Dave Grubbs could ask me that question: Louisville also had a weird, small scene where Tara Key was one of the most influential musicians, and everyone looked up to her. So it didn’t seem odd. But it wasn’t until I was in college, or maybe close to it when I was in college, that Fire Party started. And right then what I couldn’t previously imagine was happening before my eyes.
CF: What was your first concert? The first record you bought? Kristin:I definitely know the first record. I bought the B-52s yellow record with my own money in probably 7th grade and I loved it. I mean, I must have almost worn it out playing it. I loved it so much. I think the first show I actually saw was the band Chicago, but it was free because they were playing at the New Mexico State Fair. And I just wandered through the crowd. You know how Chicago named lots of their albums numbers? They were on like #19 or something and I was like, “a band can have enough music for 19 records?” That’s amazing. I think the next one was Tom Petty. Jenny: I don’t remember seeing a lot of big concerts. The first punk shows that I went to were 9353 shows. They played all the time, at least once a month. I was obsessed with them. They are entirely undersung. Before I went out to shows, Bloody Mannequin Orchestra would play at the BCC talent show, or I would go over to Whitman and Geoff Turner from Gray Matter would be playing at the Whitman talent show. It wasn’t until the late ’90s when I started reviewing music for the Washington Post that I went to large concerts. And I think that’s the only period when I did that. Though I remember I got tickets to see the Michael Jackson Victory tour in high school. But I don’t remember going to many big shows or paying any attention to those types of bands. I never listened to The Beatles to even know what The Beatles were. Kristin: Now you can listen to The Beatles and like them. It’s a whole new thing for you. CF: What was Arlington like when you guys were there? It was so chill then. Now it might be the most expensive place to live in the D.C. area. Jenny: When I went to Georgetown, I really didn’t want to stay in the dorms. So I didn’t most of the time. I lived part-time in a group house with some of the Beefeater folks, Nicki Thomas from Fire Party and some other punks, but by freshman summer, I was staying at Positive Force. I didn’t have a car, so I would ride my bike back and forth to Georgetown from Arlington, and at 8 or 9 p.m., the streetlights would just start blinking yellow. It was that quiet a town. The streets rolled up when Sears closed for the night. Simple Machines Records started in Positive Force house and operated there for many years until we felt the need to start our own house.
CF: How many people lived there? Kristin: About 10 people at any given time. Jenny:That would be the worst-case scenario. But you know, people had sweethearts, others would crash at times. The Positive Force meetings were held in the living room. At a certain point, it felt like I’d lived there too long. So, no shade on folks we still love from the house, but we were ready to start a new chapter. I remember when we first moved to the first Simple Machines house, we’d moved in the springtime, and there was a cherry blossom tree blooming in the front yard, and I had my window open, and it was quiet and there were no dishes in the sink, and I just felt soooo happy. Kristin: I mean, the other part of it is like that we were within a 4-minute car ride or maybe 15 minutes on your bike from Teen-Beat house, Dischord, Dischord Direct, John Pamer’s parents’ house, where we practiced at the beginning, from other bandmates. So there were so many things. Yes, Mount Pleasant had named houses, lots of people lived there, but there were similar lots of connective tissue in Arlington. Jenny: I’m going to say that if it’s the most expensive place in the world, Kristin, your father gave us bad advice when we were trying to get that house. Kristin: That’s right. We were like, should we buy it here? He did say don’t buy it. It would have been worth a lot of money. It is sad to say that there were three different houses we lived in. None of them are standing anymore. They’ve all been replaced. Knocked down and something else put in there. CF: I bet Cynthia Connolly documented it all. Kristin: And our housemate Pat Graham, who took tons of photos. Pat is amazing. He took tons of Polaroids at the time.
CF: Do you have any stories about being involved with Positive Force, events or actions? Jenny: How long do you think you lived in the house, Kristin? Kristin: Maybe two? Jenny: I was there at least five years, if not more, because I also spent the summers in the first Positive Force house, which could get to like 15 inhabitants. When another house closed down, they just moved everybody into the basement if they needed a place to stay. Kristin:The show that was the most high stakes in my mind was during the March for Women’s Lives. It was April 1992 where we had Fugazi play two nights and one day it was Bikini Kill and L7 and the other night was Scrawl. I have the flier somewhere. I was already working at NOW and I thought it’d be a great way for people to be attracted to D.C. to come to the March, and also be a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. But there were also attacks on abortion clinics in the DC region that were timed with the March. So there’s high stakes clinic defense stuff going on, we were raising money for Planned Parenthood—this is where Pat took those very famous photos of Bikini Kill, the one where she’s sitting on the ground—it was a very intense show. And if you read Kathleen’s book, it was an intense day for her too. We pulled it off and it was just very intense. Jenny:For me, some of the earlier Positive Force things stick more. Events like the Dupont Circle Festival were formative. I was underage; I was too young to get a permit, but somebody older than me went to sign the documents. And we had to do everything ourselves, like building the stage. I took a bunch of bad photos of that Alternatives Festival, and it’s just so interesting to see the range of performers.You had black poets and then Julianna Luecking and then the Morning Glories and with Peter Hayes, and I think Fugazi and the Hated and also my band Geek played. Back then it was easy to do a free outdoor festival. All you had to do was imagine what you wanted, and folks would come together and make it happen. I did something similar at Georgetown. I asked Jeff Nelson to do a poster for it. He silkscreened this very complicated poster because Jeff Nelson has a predilection for very complicated things. He drew all of these people pulling on a rope as one side of a tug-o-war, and he asked Ian MacKaye to do all of the poses so that he could get the musculature right. But if you look at this poster, which I still have, it’s this beautiful multi-color screen print of 4 Ians pulling … like a woman Ian and a black Ian and a long-haired Ian. Kristin:I also liked the stuff that was very routine, like that we were on schedule for, like, spending the night at the Community for Creative Nonviolence to cover for the staff. So you’d show up at midnight and stay till 5. It was a lot of just making sure there wasn’t an emergency, but the constant working with the Emmaus Services for the Aging to help. A lot of just community service stuff and you felt good helping. Jenny: It’s a natural tendency for people to be creative and help one another. It’s so strange right now because the media and misinformation are constantly cultivating our distrust of everyone. But even so, over and over again, when there’s a crisis like a hurricane or a flood, the first thing that people want to do is to help each other. And I wonder why it’s hard for us to remember that outside of crisis.
CF: Let’s talk about Simple Machines. What were some of the challenges, proudest moments or biggest achievements? Funny stories? Jenny: Every element of it was fun, even the end. The gift Kristin gave me, though it initially felt like a punch in the stomach, was when she said, “If we keep working this way, I’m probably not going to love it anymore.” She was right, so we decided to end on a high note. There were moments near the end where it felt like a slog. It could be overwhelming at times … mostly I’m proud of everything. I’m proud of the weird cassette series that we put out. I’m super proud of the music that we put out … I mean, we put out Scrawl records! Come on, how lucky is that? All the events like Lotsa Pop Losers, Working Holiday, or the final Kick The Bucket funeral show. I particularly loved just putting together thousands and thousands of seven-inches and sending them out. Kristin: Working Holidays fest had the kissing booth too. Jenny: Kristin, you’re forgetting, though, it wasn’t a kissing booth, it was a confessional. Kristin: I stand corrected. Jenny:Different band members held court on one side while audience members sat on the other side and confessed punk rock sins. We’d announce from the stage, “Richard from Versus will be in the confessional between Eggs and the Coctails’ sets.” Kristin:During Working Holiday, we had a ghost postage situation. Franklin Bruno wrote a song about it. Because we were sending out so many 7-inches routinely, like every other month, here goes 800 packages, we had this standard Pitney Bowes you’d rent and you have to get it refilled at the post office. This is old school, people. You pay some money and they’d reset the numbers on the dial so you had X number of hundreds of dollars of postage. Well, the lady at the post office who we probably saw every other day by accident gave us not $500 but $5000 of postage just by clicking the wrong dials. We realized the error when we got it home, but we didn’t say anything so we used the postage for like 8 months. At the very end when we had no dollars left and we had to take the machine back in. Jenny: We shouldn’t have done that. We should have just said it was lost. Kristin: But we went back and it was the same postal clerk who in a panic realized that there had been an error. And I don’t know if she recognized in her handwriting or whatever, but she was like, no, you owe us $4500 and there was no getting around it. We owed them $4500, which we paid and I can’t remember how. Jenny: Jim Spellman loaned us the money. “Moneybags Spellman.” Kristin: Adventures in mail order. Otherwise one of us would have an idea, we would rev each other up like, “well, what if we also had a birthday single?” “oh, wait a minute, how about we do a special stamp?” and then … ideas became like AHH and then we would do it. Jenny: Kristin and I trigger each other’s obsessiveness around this stuff. And it was funny because when we lived in Positive Force house, I’d have to walk through her bedroom to get to my bedroom, which was a freezing sleeping porch. I’d walk through the upstairs defunct kitchen (which Simple Machines turned into our office) and through her bedroom to get to mine. So if she heard me doing Simple Machines work in the kitchen, she’d get out of bed and come out and work, too. And if I heard her going into the kitchen to work, I’d get out of bed and work. So it was this very unhealthy but productive relationship. CF: Very strong work ethic. (We talk about music categories and getting lumped in with certain artists and how indie rock is kind of a pointless term that doesn’t say anything). Discuss. Kristin: Indie rock isn’t really the sound. It’s more like the hierarchical status of the band, like they’re not signed to a big label, they’re not a pop star, all those things. So it seemed like an easy way to say like, well, they exist in this layer, even if it’s like everything from the Tinklers to Tar. There was a giant swath of bands that were on decent sized indie labels that played guitars. It’s a catch-all that doesn’t really describe the music. Jenny: We talked a lot about this on Tom Mullen’s “Washed Up Emo” podcast. For people who believe in emo—and who am I to deny that emo exists?—there have been layers, generations, and waves of music on which people have written dissertations. But being someone who was in the town watching the punk rockers before there was that terminology, it seemed like a strange joke, right? It will always seem revisionist as opposed to factually accurate. Though, of course, it is both. It’s the same thing with riot grrrl. When people put a name on a genre … tying a band to a specific type of music … I don’t mind if it’s helpful for people to encourage them to try it out … but when this happens, it’s usually because somebody is on a deadline. It’s a bit of a shortcut. Kristin: These days it’s almost like a drop-down menu of particular genres and like a UX on something being uploaded. CF: A lot of the stuff that we all cared about back then—integrity, creative control, feminism—still matters because it’s ingrained in our DNA, but feels like a luxury at a time when it’s so hard for bands to make any money. How have things changed for you? Both of you have proper jobs so it’s not like you have to take time off from bartending or whatever to go on tour. What were some of the challenges that came along the way? Jenny: One of the reasons Kristin raised the concern about whether we should continue the record label was because it got to a point where we couldn’t do anything well. We couldn’t work an interesting day job because we had to take chunks of time off to tour. We couldn’t tour enough to cover all our expenses because we had to be home to get the records out. We found ourselves in an impossible scenario. Some labels solved that problem by getting a financial partner, selling the label, or bringing someone in. The things taking up a lot of time at that point were press and promotion, which had little to do with why we wanted to put the records out in the first place. Sometimes people tell us, “It’s so cool that you didn’t sell out.” But let me tell you, there weren’t a lot of buyers. And of the people who took deals, there weren’t many great successes. I may have felt a twinge of jealousy when a band got a lot of attention, but anytime you got close to these major label people, you could see these relationships were pretty transactional. Even when I was on 4AD, the folks were nice but they’d always talk about music that “was going to happen” or music that was “over”. Everything was rated in this flat commercial binary. In the year that I got a salary from 4AD and didn’t have to work a job, the whole process killed the joy of writing music. Kristin: I wanted to insert something in the record so we don’t forget it later because we’re sort of in this category. While we were busy on tour with Tsunami—especially as we did fewer sort of elaborate projects involving many bands like a Working Holiday series or the Machine series, and it was like we’re helping the Raymond Brake or Scrawl or Franklin Bruno with the actual record—that was when it became more challenging for Tsunami to also put out records and go on tour because we had responsibilities. Pat Graham ran our mail order, Mickey Menard ran our distribution, and did tons of bookkeeping. So, when we were on tour, they were often there keeping everything going.I also think we should mention that I was not around at the beginning of Simple Machines; it was Derek and Brad who started it with Jenny. Because we’re talking about this moment where we were like, I’m not sure this can work anymore because how can you balance out all these responsibilities and do it well? Because both of us are very driven to do things as well as we can and not to blow stuff off. So there were a lot of things piling up that we were responsible for, and we had to make our decision with the label. We were trying to be responsible for the bands that were around us to make sure everybody was whole. Jenny: It was also a good time to take stock. Some of the SMR bands were getting major label interest and were beginning to leave, and we wondered, “are we going to replace these bands with other bands? Are we doing this to be a label, or are we doing this to help our friends?” And at a certain point, we realized we were ready for that next challenge. I was excited about doing the solo music—Liqorice and the Jenny Toomey stuff—and starting afresh and being in a band without carrying around all the other stuff. So, there were things we were giving up, but there was other great stuff we were getting. Kristin was getting to live in the same city with her husband Bryan, and to start that life, I was getting to move out of the group houses and work on new music.
CF: The DIY spirit, support and camaraderie were some of the great things that came out of D.C. and Arlington and the East Coast scene. Kristin: Yep. It was nice to go on tour and meet bands or pass through scenes who had similar cohesiveness to them. There was obviously a lot of stuff going on in Olympia, WA, but there were things going on in Portland and there were things going on in Chapel Hill. It was very fun to go even brush past some of those other scenes and see what their lives were like or play shows or whatever it is. Jenny: And that gets to a question you were asking before about genre. We came out of punk … earnest but also silly. The label started a year before the Geek tour with Superchunk and Seaweed. So, in the beginning, there were DIY and indie labels, and then there was this punk rock/young rock kind of thing. But we really came into ourselves when we met bands like Versus, Small Factory, Velocity Girl and, of course, Unrest. That was the beating heart moment of what we were doing with Simple Machines. CF: Did Tsunami have any preshow/postshow rituals? Special elixirs, backstage snacks? Jenny: When we toured Europe, we had a rider that was a little bigger. John Pamer put Dr. Pepper on it, which we got maybe three times. We asked for postcards and stamps, which we would get every once in a while. Kristin: Who was it who had tube socks and batteries? Jenny: That was the Butthole Surfers. They would come into the venue and refuse to load in. They’d say, “Where’s the tube socks?” And they would peel their socks off, leave them on the floor, and put the new socks on. Kristin: We didn’t have any preshow rituals. Not really, no. We were like, “there’s 75 people here, let’s stand in the front row really closely”. It became kind of a habit where if you’re not playing, you’re in the front row to support the other band.
CF: Did Tsunami have any stagewear rules? Were shorts allowed? Jenny: There were a lot of shorts. I remember the Nation of Ulysses was against shorts, but Tsunami shorted it up! CF: You know it! Velocity Girl too. Kristin:She always had great outfits and still does. Jenny, you had a pair of those classic D.C. shoes, like the canvasy ones that had the ridgy sole and if you stepped on your Rat pedal, it would get stuck in the ridge. We would swap shoes sometimes. So I would wear your shoes and you would wear mine. Jenny: We wore lots of thrift because we love thrift shopping. I loved 40s dresses … I dreamed in gabardine and rayon. Unfortunately, I can’t get into any of them anymore. Kristin: There was that amazing thrift store in Minneapolis. What’s it called? Deadstock. Ragstock. But there were times where we would thrift in the afternoon and so we would sell the merch, put the thrift stuff in the merch box and ship it home or just bring it home with us. And we come home, we’re like, there’ll be like a merch box full of thrifted things. Jenny: I remember on that first Beat Happening tour in Waukesha, WI, Pat Graham took us to an enormous thrift store, and there was a girl in front of me in the aisle who had like an armful of fabulous dresses, and I was like, “Shit, we were 10 minutes too late!” But then, even though I was following her, I got an armful myself. It was so rich back then, and those stores were a very strong argument for the Midwest to exist.
CF: So what about your songwriting process? How did that evolve over time? Jenny: Our first set of songs were in-jokes, funny, and fast. Bricks inspired us; they wrote their songs in 15 minutes, which is great. Kristin had never played guitar, I had banged a guitar with a stick in Geek, and Andrew had never played bass. We had a lot to learn. As we developed, the music began to reflect what we were experiencing: sexism in the scene and how mean people are to each other, crushes, workload and the press. The last record critiques how everything’s going, the vultures circling the independent music scene, and the gatekeepers and the people making less interesting choices, normalizing a kind of powerlessness that didn’t seem like what inspired us. We write our songs individually. We’re not a jamming band. And then we just work out stuff together in practice. It was really, really fun when we played at John’s parents’ house. We could play a couple of times a week, and because our brains were young and agile, we could learn things fast. Also, we were touring all the time; we’d get notions of new songs in the van, practice at soundcheck and then unleash them on the world. Kristin: The lyrics have stood the test of time and I don’t know if it was just coming out of your journals or if you wrote, wrote, wrote, edit, wrote, wrote. Did they come fully formed or were they heavily edited? Jenny: A few songs come fully formed. Most come as a feeling and shards of an idea that require a lot of sanding and reorganizing. I had a really difficult time remembering what was happening where, with whom and when. During Simple Machines, I was writing in my journals all the time, but looking back it was all crushes or bitching about something and clumps of confusing lyrics. Slogging through those volumes 30 years later feels like translating from a forgotten language. And it’s funny because I had breakfast with Ian recently, and we talked about all his archiving work. He figured out how to avoid ending up with useless journals like mine at an earlier age. He said he had a journal on his first tour of the West Coast. He saw all these punk shows. Instead of documenting them, he just wrote about how he missed Cynthia and how sad he was. And then, when he got home, he was like, “This is useless. I have to be more disciplined in my journal. What did we do? Who did we play with? What was the venue? What were the dates?” My journals have none of that which is incredibly frustrating, but I’m glad to have them because I still have access to the emotions, however gauzy and I can see how many different projects were happening simultaneously. So there are Tsunami lyrics next to Grenadine lyrics next to Liqorice lyrics, next to tour dates and production ideas and my Kinko’s work schedule, and it was all happening at the same time.
CF: Tell us about your friendship and how it’s evolved over the past decades and how what you’ve learned from each other? Kristin: We’re like the Wonder Twins. Once we activate, we have a lot of additive power because we are both good at different things but they complement each other. I really like logistics and spreadsheets and being organized and all that stuff. I think we’ve been lifelong friends because we not only have shared values, but also have a way we can work together to make something even bigger than ourselves than the two of us. Or even bigger than the group that we bring together to help us do something else. I’ve learned so much from being your friend. I’m always learning every day, there’s something new. Jenny: I feel the same way. Kristin is such a special person. She’s just incredibly open and generous. She shows up with no guile or angle. She’s enthusiastic and game for anything. That’s 100% true. How hard is it to be best friends with someone who’s that great? More importantly she always does what she says she’s going to do. We both have a lot of that in us, which makes it possible to imagine and execute crazy ideas because we will try to do it together. We have so much history, a shorthand and a shared sense of humor. We fill in each other’s memories about what happened. Numero asked us to do this a couple of years ago or floated the idea, and I don’t know if we knew we wanted to do it yet. We were sort of confused. It all seemed kind of strange and maybe too good to be true. Now that we’re in the middle of the work, it’s been a joy to dig through suitcases with Kristin. Kristin:In addition to the box set, Numero said, OK, we’re doing this big show last February (Numero 20) and got invited to play and we were kind of a last minute addition, it was maybe November, December, so we didn’t have a ton of time. A handful of Tsunami songs are quite simple to resurrect but as we got farther into the catalog it got harder and harder, only because we hadn’t practiced them in 25 years. I listened back to all the records in order and I was like, wow, these lyrics are good! It’s just something I hadn’t thought about in a long time. It was exciting to think about them again and re-remember all the lyrics and how dynamic and fun they are to play. Jenny: We had this thing we started doing where a bunch of the Tsunami crew were part of my wedding band. Ida was our wedding band. They learned about 35 songs, and many friends did guest spots. At our 10th wedding anniversary, Brian suggested getting the wedding band back together again to hang out. We rented this massive rocketship of a house in Rhinebeck, NY. It was so much fun. We had a karaoke machine in the living room so we could sing and play games. It was so awesome that we have gotten together every year afterward and it reconnected us all together. So we had a bit of a glide path when Numero asked us because we were already back in each other’s orbits. And then it was so much fun, like when we were practicing. I remember John Pamer said, “I just had this strange feeling like I’m 19 years old.” Playing old music does bring back the emotions, though we’ve had to do a lot of work to hit the notes again.
CF: What about sexism and hecklers? Were there any bad soundman stories or like or uncomfortable encounters on tour, weird celebrity meetings? Did you meet Perry Farrell? Jenny: We had a lot of all of that. Kristin: I felt like it wasn’t so bad. It was fairly easy to have a clever retort or avoid it if necessarily. Jenny, there was one time we played in Oberlin and you told the soundman “no reverb” and he kept adding reverb just to taunt you. Jenny: I don’t remember that kind of stuff. With the heckling, the audience wants you to win. So, it’s pretty easy to turn it around, and I can be the mean one if necessary. I’m the yang to Kristin’s yin. All that stuff washes away, though. When you are younger, it feels like everything is a nerve, a pressure cooker. You don’t yet have the wisdom you get when you’re older, where you realize that none of that stuff is all that important anymore. CF: Was that one of the most inappropriate venues for you to play? Or can you think of a place that was more inappropriate? Kristin: I was thinking about this, this was so early. We played in Gainesville, Florida, in a bar that was basically like a shot and beer bar in college town Gainesville. I was like, this doesn’t seem fun at all! It was super-early in Tsunami so we played. The crowd didn’t care—they were riding a mechanical bull next to us. It didn’t matter. Jenny: Yeah, and there’s that time we played at Notre Dame. There were three people in the audience. There was a dartboard on a wall to the right of the stage, and people were playing darts in front of us during our set.
CF: Those (Ivy League) eating clubs used to really pay the bills, though, didn’t they? Like Princeton’s Terrace Club. Jenny: Oh yeah, the Princeton Terrace shows were awesome. We’re so lucky that my old bandmate from Liquorice, Trey Many, is booking this tour that we’re doing with Ida in the spring. When we were discussing where we should play, I asked if he could throw some of those university shows in. He gently explained that students these days might want young people to play. They don’t want a 56-year-old set of indie-twins performing. As for the inappropriate venues, we were often protected because of how we were in the world. We killed people with kindness or weren’t famous enough to attract the “just coming to fuck shit up” kind of people. But I remember in the ’90s. It wasn’t too difficult to find those assholes if you strayed into the “normisphere”. I remember going for a beer at that odd enormous brewery Bardo Rodeo in Arlington. A group of frat guys did something rude to me, and I called them out. In response, they immediately circled my boyfriend at the time and were screaming, “Do you wanna go?!” He’s like, “I don’t need to go. You didn’t do anything to me, but I’d be worried … because she’s mad at you. I wouldn’t want to be in a fight with her.” So he was cool and wouldn’t take their bait. But then they physically tried to push us outside. They were picking an actual fight! In retrospect, we were often protected from so much shit just by being in counterculture. It’s not like it was perfect, but if I had gone to a fraternity party once, I bet I would have experienced far worse than I ever experienced in punk rock. CF
Earlier this autumn, the Bay Area pop group Chime School flew over the ocean for a tour of the United Kingdom and France and they documented it all for chickfactor and you can read it here.
Bandleader Andy Pastalaniec writes: From the moment “Chime School” transformed from a bedroom-pop solo project to a debut LP on Slumberland Records with a fully formed backing band, it’s been a goal of mine to take the project across the pond to the land where so much of its “formative jangle” originated.
The opportunity arrives on New Year’s Day, 2024, when we’re invited to play the Paris Popfest in September. My sophomore album, “The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel” is slated for release in August on Slumberland. Paris Popfest is exactly the anchor we need to build a tour around.
I’ve always done pretty good booking DIY tours, but I have no idea how to book a tour in the UK. Luckily, I don’t have to, as I’ve convinced Reuben Miles-Tyghe, of UK tour agency Outsider Artists, to add us to his roster. OA have been leading a sort of reverse “British Invasion” of California indie groups to the UK and Europe, booking tours for many of the contemporary indie cognoscenti: Cindy, The Umbrellas, The Reds, Pinks & Purples, Kelley Stoltz, and others. I am a bit nervous that we are not as big as those groups (our second album hasn’t even been announced yet) so this whole thing could flop in a most-embarrassing fashion. But I resolve to do what I can to make it a success.
So, over the next 9 months I’ll spend many hours making videos, posters, flyers and other promo materials for the upcoming album, and what has become an 11-show France/UK tour, beginning September 27 in Paris, and concluding October 7 in the legendary indie pop city of Bristol!
Travel Day: September 25-26 – San Francisco to London to Paris
Andy: We have about 20 hours of travel ahead of us, flying first to London, then lugging our bags and instruments from Heathrow on the tube to St Pancras station where we’ll take the Eurostar to Paris. Josh: Our travel day starts off with an important victory: we’re able to convince the people at Virgin Atlantic to let us carry on our guitars, so they can be stored in the cabin for our flight instead of having to be checked (and maybe lost). So this puts us at ease for the journey right away. Andy: Pro-tip, if you’re touring overseas, avoid connecting flights and take your instruments straight to the gate. Play dumb, and be very very polite.
Andy: We arrive in Paris on September 26 in the evening, exhausted, to a Haussman-era flat overlooking Porte Saint-Denis where Emmanuel and Joanny, our gracious hosts from Paris Popfest, have arranged for us to stay. It’s under construction (which is why it’s available) but it’s unlike anyplace we’ve stayed in Paris, so we’re totally energized as we head to night one of the Popfest.
DIY popfests are one of my favorite events to play and attend. Night one doesn’t disappoint, we’d been looking forward to catching Blue Orchids, and they are great. We are tired but the best way to beat jet lag is to stay out as late as possible, and then sleep as long as possible. We succeed on both.
Day 1: Paris Pop Fest w/ Gentle Spring, Les Freluquets, The Orchids
Andy: We have only one full day in Paris (and we sleep through most of it), but three of us have been before. We spend our limited time wandering around some cafes, eating as many pastries, bread, meats and cheeses as we can before it’s time to head to sound check. The fest is at Le Hasard Ludique, a venue built on a decommissioned Metro station with an outdoor terrace on the former train platform, overlooking the former Metro tracks, which have been transformed into a makeshift park. Josh: After our soundcheck, the fest’s official photographer asks us to take some photos outside. It’s the platonic ideal of band photo backdrops (the ne plus ultra, even). You literally could not take a bad looking picture back there. So much so that after the photographer is done, we start taking some of our own, which gets him started again.
Andy: It’s definitely surreal to be on a bill with indie pop legends the Orchids, and The Gentle Spring, they are both great. The Orchids are incredibly friendly and we really hit it off. Les Freluquets are a more obscure French indie pop group from the 1980s who have reunited for the fest, and they are fantastic as well. Josh: Everyone is great, especially The Orchids. James Hackett’s voice sounds pretty much identical to the records, and the band sounds fantastic. One of the guitars has a “Within Your Reach” level of flange on it for the entire set, which is really working for me. Late in the set they go into “It’s Only Obvious” and the crowd goes as nuts as an indie pop crowd can go, singing along. Andy: Chatting with organizers Emmanuel and Joanny before our set, they ask if we speak any French. We do not. They kind of goad me into giving an introduction in French when we take the stage. Why not? I write out something very simple on a handbill. At least the most stressful part of the tour will be over fast. I approach the mic, “Bonsoir, nous somme Chime School de San Francisco…” applause and cheers of “ouais!” erupt from the crowd as I continue my little speech, and we are off!
Andy: Our set is supercharged by the excitement of finally starting the tour, and the experience of being an “exotic” group to a foreign audience– something our friends in other California bands had told us about. We make a bunch of new friends, sell all the merch we’ve brought (the rest is waiting for us in the UK) and think, if the rest of the shows are even half as fun as this, we are going to have a great tour.
Day 2 – Cambridge, UK at NCI Centre w/ The Lord Mayor’s Horticultural Society, Garden Centre
Andy: We wake up somewhat early in Paris as we have another long travel day back to the UK on the Eurostar, then on the train from London to Cambridge. Josh: Gary, Phil and I are waiting downstairs while Andy goes back up for a final idiot check. It’s starting to rain, Phil goes out a bit into the thoroughfare to smoke. With his all black outfit, watchman’s cap and cigarette, Phil seems to fit right into this Parisian street scene. Just as Gary remarks on this, we watch as someone passing by tries to ask Phil for directions. Andy: Phil definitely looks natural, which makes sense as this is his third or fourth Euro tour. The first he did in his early 20s, in a hardcore band that toured Europe for like a month straight staying in squats and the like. In short he’s a total pro and pretty much goes with the flow the entire time. Josh: As we finally get on the train to Cambridge I start to relax a bit. I look out the window and watch England going by, looking quite a bit just like it does in movies and teevee. The band is in a state of semi-delirious giddiness. I think we’ve skipped right to being on “tour-time,” where you can’t really tell what time of day or even what day it is, you just keep moving. We arrive in Cambridge and start looking around for the tour van. We catch sight of a tall and burly dude with a wiry mane of sandy blond hair, wearing a sleeveless cutoff denim jacket over a flannel shirt. That’s our guy, Charlie Fitzgerald, aka “Fitz.” He’s recently driven our friends The Reds, Pinks & Purples, and Kelley Stoltz on their UK tours, and we’ve heard nothing but good things. Fitz leads us to his van, a large Euro-style conversion. In the back there’s four seats arranged around a wooden table, behind which is a loft with a mattress. Below the loft, a secure gear-hold. This will be our second home for the next 10 days.
Andy: The first UK show is at NCI Centre in Cambridge, a historic neighborhood social club/pub that is occasionally transformed into a DIY music space. Setting up on the stage in the back of the well-lit social hall, I’m reminded of famous photos I’ve seen of Shop Assistants, and other legendary indie groups who played similar places in the 1980s. We’re set to play two shows with Garden Centre, one of the many groups with shared members from the prolific London-based “Gob Nation” scene (The Tubs, Ex-Void, Suep, others). I read a profile about them in the Guardian that made me feel a bit intimidated, like they might beat us up and steal our lunch money. Then a small car pulls up to the venue and the band tumble out and introduce themselves. They’re all very nice and honestly, hanging with them we feel totally at home like any DIY show we’d play in SF or Oakland. Josh: You may have never guessed they all knew each other, it’s only when you notice their interactions have the quality of an endless comedy sketch built on a deep foundation of inside jokes and running bits that this was, in fact, a band. I had done no research whatsoever into any of the bands we’d be playing with, preferring to experience them fresh at the shows. Andy had told me some things about Garden Centre – Owen from The Tubs plays guitar; they’re affiliated with a scene called “Gob Nation,” which sounds not unlike our corner of the current SF music scene, which Gary describes as “13 people playing in 35 bands.” Being in around five bands myself, I’m in no position to argue. Andy: Opening the show are The Lord Mayor’s Horticultural Society, a gentle acoustic duo composed of a classical guitarist/vocalist and cello player. Their set is beautiful and I can imagine our friends back home loving it. I’m not sure what to expect from Garden Centre live. Their records are abstract and eccentric, mostly featuring Max, the lead songwriter. They set up and start playing and the live group is a fully formed powerhouse. Seriously one of the best groups any of us had seen in years! Josh: Their mix of folkish melodies and anthemic indie pop knocked me out right away. Max has a unique voice and uses it to great effect – with great pitch and a convincingly forceful delivery. Great songwriter too, with the kind of lyrics that seamlessly transmute everyday humdrum into high drama. The band is fantastic – a perfect combination of disparate musical personalities and charming stage presence. The between-song banter is a continuation of their off-stage humor. Midway through the set Max starts a bit about how he’s against Horticultural Societies, and he particularly doesn’t like the Lord-Mayor either. Then someone from the audience shouts, “I’ll kill you!” Hecklers don’t fuck around in Cambridge! When we hit the stage and Andy gives his standard introduction: “Hi, we’re Chime School from San Francisco” I have to add “Please don’t kill us.” Andy: We apologize for being the only non-plant band on the bill.
Day 3 – London, UK at The Victoria w/ Dignan Porch, Garden Centre
Andy: In the van, Gary starts talking about how we need to get a “Sunday Roast,” this English tradition where you go to the pub on Sunday and get a huge plate of meat, potatoes, gravy, etc. It’s a Sunday as we arrive in London and we have a bit of time, let’s give it a shot. We spend about an hour wandering around Dalston, trying to find one, but we fail, every pub is sold out! I guess it’s really a thing? Instead we head to The Duke of Wellington, a “classic old boozer” where Garden Centre have invited us to have a few pints and watch some footie. Our drummer Phil, is a huge football fan (we refer to him as our “English translator” on tour) so we certainly don’t have to twist his arm. The show is at The Victoria, a cozy bar with a dark, dank venue hidden behind a secret-passage bookshelf door. Josh: It’s adorable. Layout, and size-wise it’s comparable to the legendary SF venue The Hemlock Tavern. I amuse myself for the rest of the evening by privately referring to it as the “Harry Potter Hemlock.” Andy: Opening are Dignan Porch, who are on the Safe Suburban Home label, which we are fans of. They are friendly and their performance mesmerizing. Garden Centre totally rule again, and we are sad that we won’t be playing with them more on the tour. Josh: Garden Centre play basically the same set as the night before, so I’m prepared and perfectly situated to take a video of my favorite song from their set, “Chicken.” I’m fairly certain it was this video – which I posted later in the night – that led directly to a purchase of a Garden Centre album by Kevin Linn aka “Kevin Paisley” of Paisley Shirt Records, back home. Andy: That’s right! Garden Center are totally up Kevin’s alley!
Andy: At the show I finally meet Fran Carolyn, music writer and radio show host, a huge supporter of the SF Bay Area groups for the last few years.
Andy: Also in attendance is Peter Momtchiloff of Heavenly/Talulah Gosh, etc. which makes me really nervous as we play, since his playing was so influential when I was learning to write songs on the guitar. He’s a really nice guy and he digs our set so we’re feeling chuffed. We also meet Beth Arzy who says she loves the painting of the tabby cat on the cover of the new Chime School album. She asks if it’s a portrait of my cat. I tell her it’s not, but that I do have a tabby cat that my partner named Aberdeen!
Day 4 – Nottingham at JT Soar w/ Plum Jr., AHCB
Andy: It’s cold and rainy when we pull into Nottingham. First stop is “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem,” recommended by Garden Centre as it’s “thee oldest inn in England.” We spend a couple hours there, eat some steak & ale pies and have a few pints. Josh: It’s entirely possible the place is a tourist trap but it’s still pretty damn cool. Built into the side of a rock hillside, the walls in some of the rooms are actually walls of caves within the larger rock. As it rained on into the afternoon some of these walls started sweating and dripping with authentic English damp. Andy: mmm… authentic damp.
Andy: We split the pub and head to JT Soar, a DIY space that kind of feels like our practice space back home. They throw tons of shows and we see flyers for some friends’ bands on the wall. The rain is pouring, but it doesn’t stop folks from coming out, and it’s a very welcoming crowd. Josh: The space is full when we go on. “We went to the oldest pub in England today” Andy says during a mid-set tuning break. “Which one?” a few people in the crowd shout out. “The one named after a Mekons song,” I add.
Day 5 – York at The Fulford Arms w/ Vehicle, Speedreaders
Andy: We are excited to play York, as it’s home to Safe Suburban Home, a great record label. With our spare time before the show, we head into town and check out The Shambles, a street in the city center that dates back to the medieval period. Someone suggests we try something called a “Yorkie Pud” which is apparently a yorkshire pudding in wrap form. We find the place that sells them, and eventually realize the recommendation may have been sarcastic… but it gives us some fun between-song banter during the show. “Eews” abound as we share what we ate. The show is a great time and Vehicle and Speedreaders are both excellent. Josh: Between sets I meet Jim Quinn, who aside from helping to promote the show was also the proprietor of Safe Suburban Home records, who co-released the recent R.E. Seraphin record that I played on. Nice guy! We talk a bit and I get a pic with him to send to Ray and the boys back home. Andy: Perhaps my favorite part of the show is this teenage kid who dances like crazy during our set. After the show he chats me up at the merch table about how he’s getting into indie pop. He’s got no money to buy merch so I just give him a copy of everything we have.
Day 6 – Manchester at Gulliver’s w/ Autocamper, Severe Girls
Andy: Manchester is one of the shows we’re most looking forward to. We’re playing with Autocamper, one of the more exciting new indie pop groups in the UK (and new SLR labelmates!). I met Jack and Arthur two years ago when seablite and the Umbrellas played Manchester. As we catch up I learn Jack and Arthur met that night as well, and that was the night they started Autocamper!
Andy: Autocamper do not disappoint! Jack’s guitar is trebly and noisy, a great counterpart to Niamh’s gentler organ. The show is great and afterwards, they take us to Peer Hat, a low-key bar near the venue that for some reason feels like the English version of the late Cafe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz. Josh: The show is great – in my opinion the best crowd of the tour. It’s also the loudest show of the trip – I like the sound guy a lot but by the end of the night he seems almost comically gacked. Autocamper are great though – cool kids through and through, and fun to hang with. There was a cool couple who stayed upfront and danced like mad throughout the entire show – I can’t tell you how much this helps when you’re well into a tour and your energy is always in danger of flagging.
Andy: No tour of the UK is complete without a stop at Bernie’s, a Manchester institution. Part of the music scene for decades, she started hosting bands in the basement of her house about 20 years ago. Gary has stayed there a number of times over the years, and I’ve stayed there once before as well. We are lucky, as Outsider Artists have arranged our tour in such a way that we’ll be staying at Bernie’s on three separate occasions, which probably accounts for the excellent health we remain in for most of the tour. Bernie is very politically active, and it’s comforting to get the hell out of the U.S. and talk with some fellow leftists. We have some great chats and even watch a bit of footie one morning.
Josh: We didn’t make it to Syd Barret’s house in Cambridge, and we couldn’t stop by Mark E. Smith’s house in Prestwich (it’s for sale if anyone’s interested), but we did make it to Salford Lads Club and took the obligatory band picture outside the front door. Gary’s been here and done this before, sharing that they never let people inside and generally seemed suspicious of any interest people had in the place. But it’s been a while since his last visit and things have changed. As we’re milling about, a nice older man pops his head out the door, sweeps us up and takes us to see “The Smiths Room” inside the building. Clearly a pet project of his, it’s covered from floor to ceiling in Smiths and other UK punk and indie memorabilia– and lots of pictures that tourists had taken of themselves out front. Andy: Morrissey is a reprehensible nativist shitheel, but it’s cool the Salford Lads Club is able to sell memorabilia and leverage their Smiths association to fund childrens’ programs. There’s probably a bunch of working class immigrant kids who benefit from them, and I bet that makes Morrissey really mad! So that’s worthy of my support.
Day 7 – Glasgow at Mono w/ The Cords, U.S. Highball
Andy: The typical motorway stop in the UK is ten times better than most of what you’ll find in the US, with actual nutritious food options that are so incredibly crucial when you’re staying up late, getting very little sleep, and drinking more alcohol than you probably should. On the drive from Manchester to Glasgow, Gary insists we stop at Tebay, which he says is one of thee top roadside stops in the country. He’s not joking, the place is full of snacks, beers, and all kinds of fun tchotchkies. None of us are vegetarian or vegan, but throughout the trip we’re kind of obsessed with finding the craziest— err, most “authentic” local fare. Tebay has a massive assortment of Scotch Eggs, a hard-boiled egg deep fried in a sausage and breadcrumb casing. In California parlance, gnarly cuisine. We get a few of them for the van, and some meat pies. I’m glad we have plenty of spicy mustard to go along with them.
Andy: We arrive at Mono in Glasgow, load in, and hit up Monorail. Glasgow has always been such a welcoming place every time I’ve visited, Mono especially. We’re all very grateful for the work Monorail puts in to help promote DIY music and culture. It’s nice to catch up with Stephen and Dep at the counter. The show that night is terrific, one of the best of the tour. I’m nervous because there’s some indie pop icons at that show as well. After our set, friend Kenji introduces us to Katrina Mitchell, and I meet Tim Vass from the Razorcuts, who were supremely influential for Chime School.
Andy: We’ve been hearing so much about The Cords, and they are indeed great fun. I realize I have a Kitchenettes badge on my tote bag from the last time I saw them in SF. Knowing what fans The Cords are of Morgan (Kitchenettes, Umbrellas), I offer it to them and they are stoked!
Andy: It’s also fantastic meeting James and Calvin from U.S. Highball. They play a beautiful set and I really hope we can see them again someday. James is wearing a jumbo Tiger Trap badge, and I ask him about it, he says he just made it up on a button machine he bought, and offers it to me. Pin badge gifts all around! Josh: Like Manchester, Glasgow looms large in the music nerd imagination. So it was extremely gratifying to have such great shows in both places.
Day 8 – Halifax at The Grayston Unity
Andy: Halifax is the last of the smaller towns we’re playing on this tour. It’s nestled in a valley, along a river, cold and green, with a bit of a Pacific Northwest feel to it. Marc Dobson, who runs Prefect Records (and was also in the Field Mice and Northern Picture Library) says he’ll be coming out for the show. He doesn’t live in Halifax. I thought we might see him in Manchester, but he says “I’m saving my support for when you really need it.” We might need it tonight. The Grayston Unity is a small venue located in a dank basement beneath a bar. We have no idea what to expect, maybe this will be one of those shows that’s more like band practice? Josh: The owner of the bar and venue is super friendly and seems genuinely excited to be hosting bands – which is not as common as you’d hope. He’s been holding it down in Halifax for years, his claim to fame having brought Pulp there in the 90s, with several posters to prove it! Andy: We wander a bit before the show, eat some pizza with Marc and his daughter and head back to the venue to find the opener is already playing, and the show is packed! Where did all the indie pop fans in Halifax come from? It’s about time for our set to start. I walk backstage to find Gary and Phil sipping from a giant bottle of Buckfast ….uh oh! Everyone in Glasgow warned us not to drink Buckfast, a fortified wine supercharged with caffeine, so obviously Phil bought a huge bottle. We all take a big swig before we hit the stage. After a song or two, I start feeling super loose and chilled out, yet totally energized! This stuff is great! It becomes a bit of a pre-show ritual for the remainder of the tour. Everything in moderation, I guess. Halifax is a great town, and a sleeper candidate for funnest show of the tour.
Day 9 – Liverpool at The District w/ Yee Loi, Irene & The Disappointments
Andy: Our time in Liverpool is somewhat limited, but number one on Phil’s list is finding somewhere to watch the Everton F.C. match. Phil is a huge Everton fan. I don’t know anything about football, but everyone we meet seems bewildered that an American has even heard of Everton, let alone is a supporter. We had hopes of catching the match in person, but time won’t allow it. The venue is located near the Mersey river in a former industrial area. There’s a kind of outdoor market, beer garden sort of place nearby, where we can take some goofy pictures at a Beatle-bar, and find a place to watch the match and eat.
Andy: The District is one of the larger venues we’re playing on the tour, and the sound is really good. I think it’s one of our best sets of the tour. It’s good to catch up with Ade Burke who runs Carnival Brewing, a local brewery who have been making signature brews for Glas Goes Pop fest for the last few years, and also booked a seablite/Umbrellas show at the brewery back in 2022.
Andy: We also meet Ann Nazario, who does a podcast called “Ask a Drummer” (which is great, as drummers tend to be so underappreciated). She says she recently interviewed Keith from The Umbrellas and asks if I could introduce her to Phil. When I tell her there happen to be three drummers in Chime School, she lights up and we hatch a plan to do an interview with all three, so look out for that in the future.
Day 10 – Coventry at Just Dropped in Records w/ Lande Hekt
Andy: We’re thrilled to cap off the tour playing two shows with Lande Hekt and her band, and that the first show happens to be at a record shop. For the most part, we’ve been moderating our record buying for fear of spending too much money and having to lug a bunch of records around, with the exception of Josh, who we regularly lose for hours at a time to whatever record shops might be in walking distance. Josh: It’s certainly true, but I’m pretty certain I spend less money than the rest of the group, since I mainly live in the bargain bins these days – after all what’s the fun of paying today’s prices for a record you already know is going to be good, when you can buy a small stack of weird looking records you’ve never seen before for the same price? Andy: Fair point, but now that we’re close to the end, we all indulge. The folks at the shop warn us that The Umbrellas recently tore through and cleaned them out, so of course now I’m feeling competitive! We look through just about everything and find lots of really great records. I snag a bunch of Sarah, Creation, and Factory stuff, and lots more. They give us a nice “artist discount” as well, so we’re all very happy. Lande’s band is even better live than on record and they’re all lovely people, we have a great chat about the Bristol and UK DIY scene and comparisons with the US.
Andy: Our set is super fun and there’s a great crowd. I really can’t say enough about Just Dropped In and the people there. Super kind, fostering a wonderful DIY music space and also running a top-notch record shop. We are super grateful to play here and hope to come back! Josh: After the show, Joe, the promoter who runs Sink or Swim Promotions, takes us around the corner and treats us to an incredible Indian feast. I had been wanting to get some Indian food for the entire trip. Lande Hekt told us the Midlands was the best region in England for Indian food, and I don’t doubt it. Andy: It’s more of a Northern Indian style of cuisine, and the first time any of us try Parotta bread, which is very different than Naan you typically find in the states. Incredible stuff.
Day 11 – Bristol at The Cube Microplex w/ Lande Hekt, Silk Cuts
Andy: It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the last day of the tour. I’m super excited to visit Bristol, home of the Subway Organization and of course Sarah Records. Our route has us crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and even though it’s pouring rain, I insist we pull off the road and have a look. Whether you’re a Sarah nerd or not, the view from the Clifton Observatory is breathtaking.
Andy: I’m hoping to check out Temple Meads Station, but it’s clear across town, and I’m told it’s also under renovation; the whole thing covered in scaffolding. We’ll have to skip it. I suppose public spending on transit infrastructure is a fitting reason to miss a Sarah Records landmark. The Cube Microplex is a DIY venue in an old movie theater. Lande and the group were telling us about it in Coventry and we’re all really excited, as it sounds like the Bristol version of the 4-Star Theater back home.
Andy: At this point we all admit to being a bit tired. I’ve done a couple long-ish tours as a drummer, but I’ve never fronted a band playing hour-long sets every night for eleven straight days. It’s a lot of singing! I’m not sure how my voice still works, but I think I’ve got one more show in me.
Silk Cuts and Lande Hekt are both fantastic. Reuben from Outsider Artists (our booking agent), lives near Bristol so he’s come out to the show. It’s great to finally meet him in person, after we both put so much work into the tour. Of course there’s a part of me that thinks “oh shit, I hope he likes the live group.”
Andy: Backstage, Phil, Gary, Josh and I pass the bottle of Buckfast around and toast to one final show. I start to get a bit nervous as we begin our set; the venue is nearly full, everyone is politely seated far from us, and the stage is extremely well lit with no dark or dramatic lighting to hide behind. Josh: It’s always psychologically tricky to play high-energy music to a seated audience, But it’s also nice to look out at a full house, seated or not! Andy: After our third or fourth song a San Francisco sports heckler makes himself known, trying to ask us about the 49ers or something, but giving us some fun barbs to exchange and break the ice a bit. Our Bristol set goes off without a hitch, and the tour is done! We’ve done so well on this tour that we basically have nothing left to sell, which is a major relief, as hauling a box of merch home always feels like a sign of defeat. We exchange hugs with Fitz and Reuben, and go our separate ways. Noah from Lande’s band kindly hosts us for our last night in the UK. Walking to his flat from the venue, with all of our luggage and instruments, the sky completely opens up, and we get completely drenched. All of our stuff is totally soaked mere hours before a long travel day. We kind of can’t help but laugh but hey it’s ok, things dry really fast in England, right??
Andy: After another 20-hour travel day on a bus from Bristol to London and a flight back to San Francisco we’re finally home.
Thanks so much to everyone who made our first UK tour so memorable: the promoters, bands, venues, all the people who came to see us and walked away with a T-shirt or record, especially the folks who saw us on more than one occasion! We hope to visit you all again someday!
WUT is fun! We asked the Vancouver, BC riot-twee band WUT, which features members of Knife Pleats, Tough Age, Jock Tears, to document their recent West Coast tour, and we think you’ll agree that reading it makes us want to form a band and go on tour! Listen to their latest album, Mingling with the Thorns, here. Photographs courtesy of WUT
WUT are:
Tracey Vath: bass, vocals, and additional guitar
Kaity McWhinney: guitar and vocals
Lauren Smith: drums and vocals
Day 1 Seattle, WA – Vera Project The Nags, Sleeping Bag
Tracey: Whenever I travel from Canada into the states, I always get the border crossing jitters. Even if I am just going across to get a soda and a hotdog. So I wore my fancy border crossing dress and packed two lucky charms away in my backpack. But, a few short hours later, we were eating ice cream sundaes in front of an American flag the size of 17 football fields. Our show was at the Vera Project, which is a superb all ages venue right below the space needle. They run programs that teach folk how to do stage sound and recording. Before we played, we met a really sweet person named Meredith, who was at the show with their dad and they told us all their favorite songs from our two albums! Seattle locals Sleeping Bag were completely our bag, and we were jazzed to play with The Nags, also from seattle. After the show, we stayed with our friend Freddie Lee Toyoda in their rock n roll hall of fame basement. I fell asleep with visions of Frank Zappa and little Debbie treats dancing around in my head.
Lauren: We made it to America! First stop was feeding my cute band with dumplings dunked in black vinegar in Seattle’s Chinatown near the train station where my Amtrak Bus pulled into. I saw a lady eating a feast of hard boiled eggs while sitting on the exit stairs towards the street and seeing her growing tower of egg shells was getting me really hungry now. There was not a chance we were going to make soundcheck tonight! My google maps promised me that the Dough Zone was dumpling destination numero uno so I made my way there and picked up as many steamy dumplings as I could carry to the Vera Project to surprise Kaity and Tracey with who were already at the venue waiting for me. The show was “lightly attended” but there were sweet folks there. The drummer from the last band said the way I hit the crash cymbal was just like Marky Ramone, filling me with a lot of optimism for what was ahead of us. After the show, we made our way to Lake City where our sweet friend Freddie and their partner, Keegan call their home. Their cute house stood out amongst their neighbors with protest signs taped firmly into their windows. You can’t be neutral on a moving train, right? To not take a stand is to collaborate. Freddie never takes a seat and we love them for it. We left Lake city with three boxes of covid tests, a bass guitar for Tracey, an axe for Kaity, pockets full of twinkies and hearts full!
Day 2 Portland, OR- Mississippi Records Layperson, Lowland Painter
Lauren: We were warned that traffic going south on the I5 was gonna get nutty between Seattle and Portland and our comrades were right! It was a crawl past Tacoma and we decided to take it easy on ourselves and stop to fill our water bottles up with that fine artesian well water on the streets of Olympia-a-a-a! They say if you drink from the well in Olympia, you’ll come back to the city, and given WUT’s total adoration for Thurston County and specifically Olympia I’d say we’re hooked! More to come on our Oly show later…. We made it to Portland nicely hydrated with about an hour to spare, parked our van outside of Mississippi records and had time for a beer in the park before sound check got underway. The portland local rockers were so quick to jump in and help us untangle wires, and get the knobs turnt out in all the right ways, we were feeling so safe and taken care of! We decided to hit the road after the show and get some miles down as the next days drive was one of the biggest!
Tracey: In Portland, the legendary cowboy rockers, Cruise Control, helped us out with our gig at Mississippi records – even going as far as helping me turn my bass pegs while I painfully tried to tune using an unfamiliar (to me) tuner. Sometimes I need all the help I can get. Since our records were late from the printing press, I drew up a picture of what the album looks like, and we put that on the merch table, along with our stickers and baseball cards. We could still sell the album, but we just had to take people’s names and addresses so our label could mail them (thanks again, HHBTM, we love you!) After popping some beta blockers, a magical pill essential to calming the nervous shaky feelings, we were good to play our set with Layperson and Lowland Painter- all class acts.
Day 3 Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club Papas, French Tips, Color Green
Tracey: Our friend Amanda from Apollo Ghosts recommended that we check out Pendleton, Oregon, on our way to Boise, Idaho. So we stopped off in the “old west” themed city with strange brass animal sculptures on every corner. The three of us went separate ways to find toilets, stamps, water, solitude, etc, but we all ended up at the same thrift store on the end of the street. Most of the store was on sale for $1, so Lauren and I tried on a bunch of stuff- her in the change room and me just outside of the changeroom. I think being on the road for 3 days had already given me a no shame attitude about things like changing (and peeing) in public. The two of us walked away with pretty much a whole new tour wardrobe. Back on the road, we got an insta message from a random person named Scott asking if we wanted to stay at his house after the show that night. We asked if he was going to the show, and he said no. At first we thought it was a bit strange, but after looking at his IG profile, we got the impression that he housed a lot of bands, so we said yes. We arrived at the Shrine Social Club close to door time, where we met Papas and the French Tips, the two Boise bands that we were playing with. Papas are super silly and down-to-earth people who keep track of time by 4/20’s (“it was a few months before last 4/20”..), and the French Tips are so sweet and generous (not to mention total shredders). Big props to the person who kept asking me to flex and kiss my muscles. I really don’t know why that was happening, it was too loud for me to hear what she was saying, but I was stoked on it regardless. Afterwards, I found that she had bought our album and wrote us a note that said “I ❤️ you – always come back. Keep your chins up xoxoxo”. Scott from IG showed up at the end of the show, and our anxieties eased as everyone seemed to know him. He gave us directions to his house, declining our invitation to join us for Mexican food because he “doesn’t do restaurants”. Scott ended up being a total gem. Not only does he not do restaurants- he also doesn’t buy anything, at all. A true dumpster diver, sunflower sower, and great host. We added our signature to his door full of tags from the hundreds of bands he has housed over the last decade.
Lauren: Without fail we forgot about the time change between Portland and Boise adding one more hour to our already huge travel day. We did a good job of balancing “making good time” and “making good memories,” stopping in Pendleton to do some epic thrifting and to Safeway to pick up some fresh foods. We arrived at the Shrine Club with like 10 minutes to spare before sound check and man oh man was this venue COOL! We played in the basement with the coolest local bands, Papas and French Tips. Loved meeting these guys, we traded merch after our sets from behind the merch table and I left Boise with a Papas stickers and pins on like all of my belongings. There is a super special community of weirdos and rockers in Boise and we left feeling like we gotta get back! I hope we apply for Treefort Fest next spring! We made our way to Caldwell Idaho after the show to stay at Scotts rocker mansion where we met his brilliant goats. I got my picture taken feeding the mama goat a baby marijuana plant which I sent back home to my mom on Vancouver Island, who was quite impressed!
Day 4 Salt Lake City, UT- Old Cuss Café Gonk, Strog, Chalk
Tracey: In Salt Lake City, Utah, we played at a cute cafe/vintage shop called Old Cuss. All the bands that night had weird one syllable names- WUT, gonk, Chalk, and Strog. As soon as we arrived at the venue, a new friend gave me a copy of a Brendan Fraser zine to read, and I spent the next half hour lost in memories of The Mummy and George of the Jungle until we realized that the show had started and we had missed most of the first band. Apologies to gonk, it’s all Brendan Fraser’s fault! This was our first really hot show, where the temperatures felt a bit unbearable. I saw Lauren using her clip-on drum fan and wished that I had bought one to clip on the head of my bass. It isn’t until I am on stage when I remember all the things I have wanted to rig onto my bass or have on stage- a fan, a reading lamp (to see my fingers at dimly lit venues), a tuner, a stand for soda water, etc etc. At night we stayed at Lauren’s sweet friend Stan’s furniture-less apartment and ate burritos on his floor.
Lauren: Now that we were off the coast we were really feeling the difference in climate and temperature. Our last nights host, Scott, was so kind in making about a dozen recommendations of rivers and lakes to stop in at on the way to Salt Lake City to cool off in. We ended up finding a little lake outside of Falls City to eat some pasta salad at and take a dip. The band that swims together stays together, and this little pit stop had us in good spirits for our next show at the Old Cuss in SLC. This was sort of a twilight zone show for me where the drummer/singer of the local band was also named Lauren Smith, and my old dear friend, Stanislav emerged like a friendly ghost from Summers past. You know that point of tour where you kind of just give in to living the tourin lifestyle and your work inbox just kind of melts away as you forget all your passwords and you stop checking in cause you’ve gone full rocker? Well for me it happened in SLC! After this show we had a couple days off so it felt particularly timely that we turned full road dogs with Nevada and California coming in hot!
Day 5 Las Vegas – Day off- Excalibur Resort
Tracey: The road from SLC to Vegas was so curvy that we called it the squiggles. Turns out I hate driving the squiggles, Lauren loves driving the squiggles, and Kaity is indifferent to the squiggles. I asked Lauren to put on the Pee Wee’s big adventure soundtrack to help me feel my groove and concentrate while navigating the squigs. And speaking of pee wee, I perfected a way to pee somewhat modestly by sitting on the edge of the vans bumper and keeping the front part of my pants up while the back part was down low enough to stay dry and unassuming.
Lauren: That morning as we were leaving Stan’s apartment he warned us of how easy it is to steal one’s catalytic converter, which gave us all a bit of a complex the rest of the tour. Not only were we ultra conscious about carrying out our borrowed instruments into whatever building we were stopped in at, we were also covering our backpacks and belongings with Tracey’s king sized comforter. Having to consider the ease of which we allowed our van to be crawled under was a whole other worry I never really considered, but things are different in America! I was really looking forward to the drive from Utah into Nevada as it was nearly 10 years since I drove it last with my band Tough Age. The skies are expansive and the beams of light that come through the clouds down to the red earth below is beyond dreamy and reminds you about how far you are from home! We rolled into Las Vegas that afternoon around 5:30pm and wanted to catch a swim at our hotel pool before they shut it down at 7pm. After our dip we headed back to our hotel room and Kaity put on a Frank Sinatra filled Las Vegas playlist on spotify and we gleefully counted out our band fund. Kaity is our band treasurer and she is damn good at it! She doled out $10 each in gambling money to Tracey and I, and we ventured out on the strip. We had a mission: make it to Circus Circus for a triumphant celebration of gymnastics and creepy clowns. A few feet from our hotel I noticed a busker-type covering Shania Twain who I wanted to share my gambling money with, but to my dismay my $10 had turned to $2 and somehow lost my pocket full of ones and fives! I decided to hold on tight and keep my last $2 for the right moment as Tracey reminded us all that what you give to Vegas you get back 10 fold. Onwards and upwards! Vegas is such a tricky maze of smoke and mirrors and without a lot of food in our bellies we were losing steam. We found some pizza and landed at the Paris Casino where I put my $2 to the test….. and …. I won! $45! Woot woot! I excitedly dashed over to the atm to cash in on my winnings and swing my backpack atop of the machine to safely tuck in my winnings into my change purse. It wasn’t until the Bellagio fountains that I realized my backpack was missing from its groove on my shoulder. Looking into Kaity and Traceys weary eyes, I realized my backpack had become a casualty and must be left behind to forge ahead if we were ever going to make it to Circus Circus in one piece. I think it was in the fairy tale gardens inside of the Bellagio reception where we realized getting to Circus Circus on foot was going to be a lot tougher than we first expected and swiftly booked an UBER. The next day Tracey and Kaity drove me in the tour van back to Paris and I met their lost and found team who happily pulled out my backpack from their pile of black backpacks with my belongings still safely inside. Thank you Paris!
Day 6 Palm Springs -Day off
Kaity: We woke up in our Excalibur hotel room and I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. Vegas had dug its claws into us and I was desperate to pry them out. My experience of the night before had felt to me like a series of chaotic, strange and ominous events, all taking place in a night time hellscape temperature of 95 degrees. Confusing gambling machines, lost money, lost backpack, expensive food, closed attractions, endless drunk people, and an uber driver who drove with his knees while he zipped through traffic – Vegas was not for me. Tracey and Lauren really wanted to go to a place called the Omelette House for breakfast. I checked the google maps, and saw there was one just outside of Vegas, and one directly back into the eye of it. I pleaded with them that we should get out as soon as possible, but two against one, we headed back into the center of the inferno. We parked, and turned off the van, and within seconds the air became unbearable. We quickly grabbed our guitars and ran straight into the restaurant seeking shelter, this was another 104 degree day. To our relief the restaurant wasn’t that busy and the food was great. Just as we were finishing our delicious breakfasts, we decided to read our horoscopes for the day. Lauren started with Tracey, it said… that she would have to control her emotions in the face of something difficult… hmm, I didn’t like the sound of that. Then to Lauren.. in the face of difficult times that were ahead, she would need to try not to look at things as good or bad… that didn’t sound good. And finally for me.. things will not go according to plan today. I did not like these horoscopes at all, but we were still in Vegas, so I guess I wasn’t that surprised. I knew we had to get out as soon as possible. We piled into the van, me in the driver’s seat. Ready to leave this place behind, I turned the key, and nothing happened. I looked around to see if I was hallucinating in the stifling sauna-like air. Tracey and Lauren were talking about something, not paying attention. I tried again. Nothing. The heat was rising by the second as I yelled out, “The van’s dead!” We all gave a shriek and ran back into the restaurant to regain a normal temperature while we thought of what to do. I was hopeful it was just a dead battery, but Tracey was pretty sure she didn’t have jumper cables. We asked around and no one seemed to be able to help us. Finally I remembered I had BCAA (thanks Dad!) and so I gave them a call and they said they’d be there, but not for 3 hours. Things were not going as planned. Vegas, I thought, you dirty little devil… you just can’t let us leave. Tracey by this time had harnessed her emotions and worked up the courage to brave out into the heat again to search the van for jumper cables. Moments later, she returned triumphant! Lauren had been making the most of the situation, spending these moments shopping for silk shirts, and it turned out the owner of the shop was parked right beside us. He came out and connected up all the cables. We held our breath and closed our eyes as I turned the key. I can not describe to you the joy I felt when I heard the sweet rumble of that engine, and felt that stale cool air blowing out of those dusty old vents. We were on our way, but I wouldn’t be letting my guard down until we were all the way out of town.
Lauren: Once we got that car battery working again we didn’t turn off the van until we made it to California. Palm Springs to be exact. I knew of a cool hotel some friends of mine have played the roof of in pre-covid times called the Ace Hotel. Kaity was able to book a room for us and we spent the evening eating guacamole by the pole and taking underwater cellphone videos doing acrobatics in the luke warm pool until midnight. It felt good to be back in California and I was looking forward to the promise of the coast tomorrow!
Day 7 San Diego – The Brown Building Flower Animals, Kan Kan, Neutral Shirt
Lauren: We were able to make great time arriving in San Diego with the afternoon open, so we followed a recommendation from a friend back home to check out Torrey Pines Glider port and Blackbeard beach which was a full on nudie beach! We modestly got in some great swims as well as a little hike and felt so dang happy to be back on the coast! All swims aside, the best part of tour (at least the way we tour) is the connections you make with so many cool and kind and politically progressive folks. The DIY network of like minded sweethearts is as strong as ever and meeting Matty in San Diego really solidified this. We gushed over all our shared friends from back home. He’s been organizing at the Brown Building which was cool as hell throwing shows nearly every day of the week and offering harm reduction classes and supplies. We played with Kan Kan, Neutral Shirt (matty) and Flower Animals. We played with Neutral Shirt (Matty), Kan Kan, and Flower Animals. After the show we met up with the dudes in Kan Kan as we all feasted on late night burritos as big as our calves. We slept in Mattys living room that night amongst his impressive cassette tape collection of touring bands up and down the coast, so many friends from the past and present, it really felt like home there.
Tracey: All the bands we played with in San Diego were not full bands. I mean, they usually are full bands, but for various reasons, each band had a member or two that couldn’t make it. Usually, this means that a band drops out of the show completely- but not in San Diego, heck no. I was so very charmed to see that Neutral Shirt, Flower Animals, and Kan Kan, all decided to still play the show despite the lack of band members. And I am so glad they did, because the tunes were just as sweet and charming as the people making them.
Day 8 Pasadena, CA – the Old Town Pub Kids on a Crime Spree, Pillow Fight, Sugar World
Lauren: This was a real winning day of tour. We had the best breakfast of the trip, my first plate of chilaquiles and the most tasty cafe de olla. Wish we had more time in San Diego to enjoy the food but that’s tourin life. We were on our way north now from San Diego and making the most of these short drives where we stopped in Rio Del Mar at the dog beach for what I think was the number one swim of tour. The beaches in California really are the most!
Tracey: At night, we arrived at The Old Town Pub in Pasadena, California. I stayed in the van to take a nap while Lauren and Kaity went in for a drink and a looky loo to see if Kids on a Crime Spree had arrived yet. I spent most of my time on our car rides wearing only my undies, so after I awoke, I put on some jeans and a t- shirt, slammed a soda water, and walked through some streets that smelled like hot piss, and went into the pub which also smelled like hot piss. Not a big deal- most of my favourite places at home in Vancouver smell like piss. California is just a hotter smell of piss. Hot piss. Kids on a Crime Spree were there, so we all said our hellos and introductions. I felt immediately comfortable with them and was already asking to borrow various gear from Mario. We hung out under a lime tree with local treasure, Alice from Pillow Fight, who put the show on for us. My dear friend Lance was there, so we took a series of selfies together to send to his mom. If you haven’t heard Sugar World yet, I suggest you get on it, the dream poppers played a sugar sweet set that had us swooning.
Day 9 Oakland, CA- Thee Stork Slub Kids on a Crime Spree, Artsick, Monster Treasure
Kaity: We left early that morning, with a long drive ahead of us. We stopped for $1 frosty’s and Lauren did her first 1 hour shift of driving, she did great! We made good time, so we were able to grab some groceries in Alameda, and take them down to Crab Cove for a picnic. It was perfect weather, sunny with a slight breeze, and we watched the pelicans dive in the bay as we lay in the grass. Lovely. Finally we made our way to Thee Stork Club. After looking around for parking to no avail, we found a spot a few blocks away. We made our way to Telegraph Ave, where we spotted the big red sign and headed in. We walked into the main showroom and there she was, RILEY! My best friend of over 30 years, setting up on stage with her band. Riley and I met in Grade 3 when I moved to her small town in Ontario. We became best friends and spent a few years together riding bikes, climbing trees, and getting up to all sorts of small town mischief. When my family decided to make the move to BC in Grade 7, we didn’t miss a beat. We’ve visited each other almost every year since then, sometimes more than once. Growing up we listened to a lot of music together and were always messing around on instruments. When we got older, we both formed our own projects, Riley started Burnt Palms, and Tracey and I started Love Cuts. Eventually on those yearly visits, we started to write songs together. They were silly and fun and free, and we called it Drownded, a project that continues to this day and will hopefully never end. When WUT originally started, before Tracey and Lauren had officially joined, I had written a bunch of demos and sent them to Riley to play some drum tracks on, not really knowing what kind of project I wanted it to be. Tracey and I had been playing in Knife Pleats, and when that ended, I was feeling like I wanted to take a break from being in a band, and starting getting into home recording and working on songs solo. Eventually, I decided I was ready for a band with members close to home. So first I asked Tracey, and fortunately Lauren was stoked to join us, and that’s how we got to the WUT you know today. All this to say, Riley and I haven’t lived in the same town since 1997, and aside from the Love Cuts playing one show with Burnt Palms back in the day, we don’t really get many opportunities to play together, let alone shows.
So, I was VERY excited to see Riley and spend the next two days together playing shows and hanging out with her music family. The night was everything I could have hoped for! All of the people in her community are such genuine, down to earth, nice people, who truly have a love for good music! Artsick were up first and they absolutely killed it! Mike from Slumberland joined them in between his top-tier DJing, adding in some fantastic distorted guitar. For our set, we had planned for something extra special. On our new album, Riley recorded an excellent guitar track on the song Feelings, so we asked her to join us to play it, and also if she wanted to learn some of the lead guitar from a few other songs. Of course she said yes! We were able to do 1 quick green room practice before the show, and it was the most breezy, effortless, natural run through, with all 4 of us harmonizing in some kind of perfect angels stars aligned universe. It was truly a dream come true to play together. The night continued, and both Monster Treasure and Kids on a Crime Spree were incredible! I felt so happy to be sharing the stage with these amazing bands. Mike (AKA Kid Frostbite), kept the party going with his DJ set, and everyone was feeling it! So many happy people dancing and enjoying the music, it was a great energy. We danced till late, chatting with lots of people who were stoked on the album, and taking silly photos until it was time to go.
Day 10 Sacramento, CA – Phono Select Kids on a Crime Spree, Artsick, Monster Treasure
Lauren: Reunited with Monster Treasure and it feels so good! Rachel, Briana and RJ have been so incredibly good to me and all my crazy bands over the last like 10 years! Almost every time one of my projects has toured through Cali these guys have showed up huge for us, connecting my bands to the coolest underground venues and local bands… I am so lucky to call them my friends! The show at the stork club was rad!!!! What a lovely venue and kind folks. Waking up at Rachel’s house after the Stork Club show was a big highlight of tour. Here we sipped coffee next to her backyard wading pool, got some laundry done, and got hooked on this TLC show “Love after Lock-up” while stretched out on her huge couch. You really don’t get many days like this on tour and we were lapping it up!
Kaity: We spent the morning relaxing at Rachel’s lovely home, and when it was finally time to head over to Sacramento, I offered to drive. Riley joined us, sitting shotgun and playing DJ. The drive was beautiful. We took a route that followed the Sacramento River. The trees swayed in the late summer breeze, no doubt a hot breeze, as this was set to be 100 degree day. Thankfully, we remained comfortable in our air conditioned van, enjoying the winding road and quaint landscape. When we finally arrived and stepped outside, the heat immediately overwhelmed us, and we retreated into Phono Select. This is where we finally go to meet the wonderful Ilene, who organized the show. She had prepared a lovely spread of snacks and cold drinks in the back, thinking of every possible thing to make the show comfortable and keep everyone hydrated and fed. It was much appreciated! The show took place outside under cover and thankfully there was a slight breeze, but of course Ilene had fans, and popsicles ready for all! Finally, Riley’s family showed up, and we got to reconnect. Despite the heat, everyone rocked their sets, and it was another incredible show. Riley joined us again for a few songs, and I loved seeing her kids dance and cheer us on with their bubbles and glowsticks. It was again, heart warming and dreamy! We had another big drive ahead of us, so when the show ended, we took one big group photo and said our goodbyes. As we sat quietly in the van entering the hotel into the GPS, Riley ran over to my window, smacking her hands against the glass, for one last surprising farewell! We laughed and hugged one more time and said, “goodbye for now,” as we like to do.
Day 11 Arcata, CA – Outer Space Blub, Los Perdidos
Tracey: Humboldt county is my new travel vacation destination. The fog, the ocean, the forest, the cherry pie with soft serve from Toni’s, it is all absolutely dreamy. We stayed with our old friend Scotty from the now defunct punk band, B-Lines, and his automobile aficionado partner, Cynthia. It was such joy to see Scotty thriving in a town of artists and fellow weirdos. We drove to our show at Outer Space in Arcata, and I curled up in the back of the van with some crackers and hummus before entering the venue. It’s a fantastic DIY community space that seems to go on forever through back hallways and various rooms. I sat in a rocking chair, my furniture of choice while at any punk show, and drifted into nostalgia listening to locals Blub play their groovy tunes. When we played, I noticed a cuddly couple sitting near the front and felt honoured that we could be the type of music to cuddle to. Los Perididos from Arcata played beloved rock that was raw as it was real. My heart felt rapturous and my mind was racing with ideas as we drove back to Scotty’s.
Day 12 Albany – Day off
Tracey: Unfortunately, our show in Eugene, Oregon was canceled (until next time, Who Brought Opie!) but it ended up being a long day of driving anyways, arriving at our hotel in the evening, and feeling too tired to do much other than go for a swim at the pool and order pizza. Speaking of food, my tour diet pretty much consisted of a bag of sweet kale chopped salad by day, and a veggie burrito at night. Oh, and of course, flats of soda water. Last tour I had eaten cereal every day, but had trouble keeping my almond milk cool on this trip. On our drive through the redwoods and along the foggy coast, we recorded a radio blurb for the breakfast show on KAOS. I had to write down my lines, but I’m not sure how well that helped, as I still ended up saying my words all wrong until the 4th or 5th try.
Day 13 Olympia – San Francisco Bakery Trust Fall, Yarrow, Generifus
Tracey: Our show in Olympia was outdoors at San Francisco street bakery. Our friend Markly Morrison from Low Pro podcast helped us book the gig, and we presented him with a theoretical trophy. Before the show, we ate at Quality Burrito and I had an exceptional fried tofu sandwich. I made a big scene about how I always finish my meal and never need to ask for a take-out container- but then I couldn’t finish my meal, and had to ask for a take out container. Whomp whomp. A highlight of the show, for me, was when I was laying on the grass, watching Generifus, and a child came up to me, grabbed my leg, and started dancing with it. After watching Yarrow play, I decided that WUT needs a bongo/tambourine player. I lost my mind a little watching Trust Fall because they are so, so splendid. This was our first show on the tour where we had our records for sale in the flesh, so we were thrilled to touch, hold, kiss, and sell them. Our friends Freddie and Kenny from Your Daily Hour with Me (Thurston county, WA, public access tv super show) were there and Freddie filmed our entire set for a very special future episode of YDHWM. Kenny left early so he could film YDHWM in the studio, so we phoned him from the bakery and then decided to Vin Diesel it to the studio to make it onto the final 5 minutes of the tv show. What a rush. We parted ways after Kenny showed us the incredible multi-colored jumpsuit he is crocheting in his crafting group.
Day 14 Tacoma – Cush Hill Freddie Lee Toyoda, Nester
Tracey: We stayed at a hotel on the outskirts of Olympia, and I cried in front of the staff because I thought I was late to the free breakfast buffet. Turns out the make your own waffle machine was still hot to trot, so my tears, like usual, were in vain. After being told by my friend at Collective Groan that we were going to play a frat house in Tacoma, I was fully prepared to walk into some sort of party straight out of an American Pie movie.To top it off, the house was called Cush hill, and I know I’m a square but I am pretty sure that is a weed reference. However, no beer pong skills were needed, as it was just your regular sweet punk house, but with an ice box full of refreshments- thanks to Freddie Lee Toyoda. We were ecstatic to play a show with Freddie Lee and their full band, fresh haircuts and all. Tacoma locals Nester were a real joy, and we ended the show wanting to come back to Tacoma as soon as possible. But first, we wanted to leave Tacoma- as soon as possible- to get back home into our own beds. We drank Red Bulls and sang along to 90’s alternative for the 3 hour drive back across the border to Vancouver, Canada.
Day 15 Vancouver BC- Red Gate Kerkland Jerks, Muppet boys, the Drink Tickets
Kaity: After spending the day relaxing back at home, it was time for the final show of tour! Lauren picked me up in her little mini cooper, and when we got to Red Gate, I set up shop behind the merch table assembling more records. I had not seen the Drink Tickets or Muppet Boys before, and they both were amazing, putting on a great show. Kirkland Jerks as always, were incredible. It was so nice to see friends and play one last show on this home run of a tour!
Tracey: We arrived home from Tacoma around 2am, and I was greeted by my very confused dog, who probably had assumed that I was just gone forever and life without Tracey was the new normal. I slept the day away and then got ready to go to Red Gate, one of the only all ages venues in Vancouver. Apparently 15 days is long enough for me to have extreme sushi withdrawal- so I got some rolls to bring with me to the show. We are hashtag-blessed here in Vancouver to have so many top notch bands, and new ones seem to emerge every day. Pop sweethearts the Drink Tickets have totally mastered the art of breaking the 4th wall. Muppet Boys are almost as good as Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and Kerkland Jerks always reminds me that I am out of trail mix. Eirinn, who recorded and mixed Mingling with the Thorns, was there with his own WUT jersey that says TECH on the back. Right as we were about to start playing, Adrian Teacher showed up and handed Lauren and Kaity a beer, and when he held a can in my direction, I said “sorry I don’t drink!”, to which he replied “I know, that’s why I got you a SODA WATER”. Dang, it’s good to be home.