The Stills Day 17, Buffalo, NY to New York, NY

I got up a little early today, hoping to get to the airport early enough to get bumped to an earlier flight. Success! After a scary ride in a cab that had bullet holes in the side, no seat belts, doors that jammed shut and a chain smoking driver, I got my 4pm flight bumped up to 11am. Totally worth it.

I got to the gate for the 11:01am departure, and waited... waited... waited... waited... 11:01am comes and goes... There's no plane at the gate. Apparently the plane we're supposed to have is schedule to arrive, on time no less, at 11:20am. Brilliant. Do the math on that one. Thank you US Airways. I'm no quantum physicist, but even I know you can't warp time like that.

So the plane shows up, people get off, we get on and we wait... wait... wait some more... Announcement: LaGuardia airport in NYC is shut down, please wait patiently for further details. After a few minutes they told us we could get off the plane, cause it could be a while. They looked in to rerouting us, but because LGA was down, it backed up every other airport in the northeast, even out to Boston and Philly. Great. Eventually, we got out about 2 hrs later. Fortunately, I didn't have to make any connections, so once we hit the ground all I had to do was grab my bags and run.

We got in around 2:30pm, so I was a little worried about traffic on the BQE back to the apartment, which could easily turn my 30min ride into 90 min. I don't really know how or why, but traffic and construction included, my ride only took about 30 mins. It was kind of a miracle, even the cabbie was in shock. He thought for sure he'd ring me up for $75, but I got out at $39. Killer deal.

Finally, RV is done, flights are over and tomorrow I can wake up and not have to run off anywhere. Can't wait. I now have 4 days off, then I start a new tour with a band called Morcheeba. They're from the UK, haven't worked with them before and just started checking out the music today. Sounds pretty cool, they sound like cool people too, and I have friends on the crew. Should be a good time. In a bus. I don't have to drive. Amazing.

The Stills Day 16, Louisville, KY to Buffalo, NY

Another day of RV fun to be had by all. I can't wait to get out of this damn thing, much like everyone else on board. Again, we found a Starbucks to start off, but no Cracker Barrel. We instead happened upon a tiny bakery that made great sandwiches and it was sooo good to have a taste of real food again. You just can't understand unless you've done the Cracker Barrel - Subway diet for 2 weeks. It was awesome.

So, coffees in hand, we got back on the road and drove. For a while. Hours even. And then we got to Buffalo. The plan was to stay there for the night; we had 3 rooms booked. Instead, I just got dropped off there and the guys decided to keep on going to try to get to Montreal. After 4 days of driving everyone just wanted to go home. I had a flight from Buffalo to New York the next day. Again, we got in a little early, so I just relaxed, ordered a pizza and waited for morning to hop in a cab. I'm finally out of the RV.

The Stills Day 15, Memphis, TN to Louisville, KY

Again with the driving. Today we had Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Life is good again. We even found a Starbucks. Can't go wrong. I will however take this moment to clarify a couple things. 1) Cracker Barrel sucks, but it's consistent. They have a good pancake but nothing else. It settles well in the stomach, which is good for traveling, and the staff is nice. It provides us with daily humour looking at the other patrons, and we always get a kick out of the "Best of Conway Twitty" CD's in the store section. 2) Starbucks sucks, but it's consistent. We usually have to tell the servers how to make the coffee properly, but at least we know what we're getting. At least we can get espresso, cause we're all coffee snobs and the drip stuff just doesn't do it. We get some daily humour when giving them our name for our orders. It's fun when they call out Heath, Chooth, Mort, Jewels, Caleb, etc... and we walk up to grab our drink. Somehow, in the corn syrup riddled food of the south, we've found a couple places we can count on in the worst of times, that, if nothing else, help us start our day properly.

And so we drove, all the way to Louisville. We got in a little earlier than usual, and the Gods were smiling because as we pulled off the interstate, we came face to face with The Liquor Barn. Amazing. After stopping at a Subway where the kid couldn't operate the cash, and somehow making it through Arkansas (which is a dry state on Sundays, shocking, I know), this was truly incredible. We were able to grab some supplies for the night for our own St. Patty's celebration. All is good again, and we'll be able to sleep well for the drive to Buffalo.

The Stills Day 14, Austin TX to Memphis, TN

We slowly pulled ourselves out of bed around noon for the deadly drive to Memphis. We just weren't ready to spend the day and night in the RV, but it had to happen. We tried to stop at Cracker Barrel for our usual breakfast, but Sunday's aren't a good time for that, so we had to keep on trucking, and with no food in sight, we gave up, morale crushed, and went to Denny's. It was one of the worst things I've ever eaten, and I only had chicken noodle soup. It really wasn't the right way to start the day. Thankfully we found a Starbucks a block away, so at least we were able to sort of get back on track.

We drove all day, into the night, stopping only at Wal-Mart to buy cases of water, and Subway for dinner. I swear after this is done, I will never eat Subway again. When you get to the southern states, it's the only place where you can get vegetables with your food, so it's at least moderately healthy. But, after 2 weeks of the stuff, it's just too much. It gets pretty gross after a while. Anyways, we eventually made it to Memphis and crashed. Just another hotel, just another night...

The Stills Day 13, Austin TX, Pt. 3

Today is a long one. 2 shows, one in the afternoon, then another at 1am. Fearing parking yet again, we left a little early, which again was a good idea, and for more than one reason. On our way to the Beauty Bar (for the Rachel Ray party), we were told that our set time was moved up one hour, so our buffer zone evaporated. It was pretty hectic once we got there, but we seemed to have found a back alley where we could leave the RV, so we didn't have to worry about parking. Or so we thought.

After pulling up and starting to unload, we were told that our set time changed again, back to it's original time. Amazing. Now we at least had time to grab some food. So, we ate, had a coffee, waited around for 2 hours enjoying the sun and the fantastic temperature. I even had the chance to go see another friend from Europe a couple blocks away. At 3pm, we start unloading and setting up again for our show at 4pm. At 3:15, a cop comes by on a golf cart and kindly informs us that if we don't move our vehicle within 20 minutes, he's having us towed. We had a brief chat and he left, so we kept on doing our thing. We were willing to take a chance and get a ticket, figuring you can't really tow a 49' RV and trailer combo. How wrong we were. 20 mins before we have to start the show, he comes back with a tow truck waiting around the corner. We begged and pleaded our case, but to no avail. Apparently, they didn't think it was a big deal for the first 2 hours we were sitting around doing nothing, with plenty of time to move around, but now with no time left on the clock, they were ready to tow us. So after trying to compromise and figure out some sort of solution, I had to jump behind the wheel 10 mins before show time and try to find parking. Not easy at the best of times. I drove for about 7 minutes, parked illegally at some bagged meters 10 blocks away, and ran back in the Texas heat to try and make the show on time. I got to the tent right when they were about to hit the first note and got their manager to get me a bottle of water and a Mojito. I'd really rather not run back to a show like that ever again, especially when it's 94°F outside. Not fun!

I made it through the 30 min set, it went really well, and I slowly took my time walking back to the RV, no ticket or tow, and came back to get the gear. We took our time loading out, and figured as long as we're down here, we may as well drop off our stuff for the late show at the other club, which we got done fairly painlessly. I was able to take my time parking the RV a few blocks away, and walked back to the club to get some dinner. We had a bit of time before the show at The Parish, so after eating I tried to hook up with a couple other friends, and then eventually went back to the club.

The Parish is a nice room and it sounds great. Even at 1am there was still a full house to see the show and the guys put on their best show of the festival. Thankfully there were loaders to help get our gear down the stairs and back outside, and I got some help from some sympathetic police officers who actually opened blocked roads for me to drive out. The saw the size of the vehicle and had a bit of pity for us.

We went straight back to the hotel, thoroughly exhausted and hoping 12pm would wait a little longer before showing up the next day...

The Stills Day 12, Austin, TX, Pt. 2

Day 2 of SXSW and there are no signs of things slowing down. We went in to town early again today, fearing the worst for parking, and it was a good thing we did. We pulled up at the Levi's Fader Fort Party and all they had was a small gate off the sidewalk to load through, no parking at all. So, after quickly unloading everything, I had to take the RV back to the hotel and then grab a cab back for the show. You'd think that at 3pm it wouldn't be too hard, but no such luck. The hotel was only about 4 miles away, but it took almost an hour and a half to get back to the club! Traffic was more than jammed and not moving at all. The 2 shows tomorrow could be pretty rough...

I eventually got back for the show, a bit of time to spare and it went pretty well. It was a disaster of a Mackie PA, but I somehow made something intelligible out of it and everyone was happy. It was only a 25 min set today, so we were out of there pretty fast. Also ran in to a friend from Europe who was with the band playing after us (Duffy). The one cool thing about the festival is that it's a like a really big homecoming for all the touring folk of the world. We all meet in Austin for a couple days and then head back out in to the world...

So. After getting away from the Levi's party, we went to the Canadian BBQ, held for all the Canucks at SXSW. By the time we got there, there wasn't any food left, and almost no beer, so we didn't stay too long. We ditched the RV at the hotel again and went back in to eat at Stubb's, the best BBQ joint in America. It was amazing. After eating, we went to the backyard to check out MGMT, one of the major buzz bands of the festival. They were ok I guess, but I don't really get it. After their set, I decided I had had enough of seeing bands for the day, so I went to a place called the Side Bar, which had no bands playing at all. It was a good choice. I spent the evening hanging out with the guy who did sound for The Stills before I got the job, good guy, good stories... I had a new plan for a grabbing a cab today that worked out quite well and in no time at all I was back "home" for the night.

The Stills Day 11, Austin, TX Pt. 1

Day one in Austin at SXSW, the biggest music festival in the US, and one of the most important in the world. We have 4 shows in the next 3 days. Normally that would just be slightly annoying, but it's different here. You're not allowed to park anywhere, no soundchecks, set times change constantly, etc... To say it's a non-stop pain in the ass is an understatement.

Today we only have 1 show and it's at Emo's, a place we've been before, so at least we know what we're getting in to. We pulled up beside the venue to load in a couple hours before our set and then managed to leave the RV in the loading area for a little while before we were threatened with towing. Fortunately for us, the club owner really likes the band, so he personally stood by and kept the parking people away while we were playing. It would've been a complete nightmare to have to move the thing and then go back and get it, etc...

Anyways, the show went pretty well and it was even broadcast live on CBC Radio back in Canada. Pretty cool... After we were done, we packed up and headed out as fast as possible, to avoid turning the parking people against us even more, and we ditched the RV and gear at our hotel 50 blocks away and rested for a bit before heading back in to town for the night.

I was able to meet up with people I haven't seen in a long time, checked out a few bands and overall had a pretty good night. Stopped by Army of Freshmen, Martha Wainwright and Bowling For Soup, who were surprisingly great. Before I knew it, it was about 2:30am so I tried to catch a cab to the hotel, which sounds easier than it was. Took about 45mins. There arent' many cabs in Austin, and when a couple thousand people try to grab them all at once, it doesn't really work out... Anyways, I made it back and got some much needed sleep.

The Stills Day 10, Drive to Austin, TX

Well, we made it to Texas. After stops at Cracker Barrel, Starbucks and a really bad fake Japanese steak house (Iron Chefs, just outside Dallas on I-635- DON'T GO!!!), we made it in one piece.

That's pretty much all the excitement for today. We got in so late that we didn't bother going out. The RV can kind of suck the life out of you after a while, and after 4 days of driving, we were spent. We've had a bit of a cold bug going around the last couple days so it just made sense for us to crash and rest. With 4 shows in the next 3 days, and a boatload of friends to hang out with, we need all the rest we can get, cause there won't be any sleep in the next few days...

The Stills Day 9, Drive to Little Rock, AR

After another decent night of rest, we went in to Nashville with one of the KoL guys for lunch and hit the road to Arkansas. I'm sort of excited I guess because Arkansas is the last mainland state I need to visit to have a full set. I can then say I've really seen America. I am getting pretty tired of relying on Subway for meals though... it really is the best option in most cases.

We knew Little Rock would be, let's say... interesting, when we saw a gigantic billboard on the way in to town that said "JESUS", but it's definitely better than being buried in snow in Canada right now. That and the 10 minute conversation at the hotel that we needed to convince the guy at the desk that 7 guys need 7 beds. It's pretty special. At least we're only here til 12pm tomorrow...

The Stills Day 8, Nashville and Lebanon, TN

After stopping in Morristown last night, we made another quick drive over to Nashville to spend a day off. Actually, it was Lebanon, TN, but close enough. Checked in to the hotel, rested for a little while and then went to hang out on a farm.

The guys are really good friends with the guys in Kings of Leon, who we've done a couple tours with last year, and they have a farm, so we went to enjoy the clean country air with a big bonfire. It was nice to sit around with our feet up, and it was going quite well until the soles of my shoes melted. Not exactly a highlight for me and walking is now a little on the uncomfortable side. Overall a good relaxing day though, which was nice after the crazy running around the northeast last week.

The Stills Day 7, Drive to Tennessee

We started the day with a fairly lame breakfast at Chili's, and hit the road to Tennessee. It took about 10 hours. It was amazing. For dinner we stopped at a Jimmy Johns sandwich shop in Virginia, where we were informed "WE make sandwiches. YOU eat sandwiches. GOD bless America." Real feel good comfort food I guess... Other than that, we pretty much just spent the day in the RV... Good times.

The Stills Day 6, New York, NY

We got up feeling a little refreshed this morning, and promptly headed out for breakfast and coffee at a place called Brownstone, and it was good. Fully satisfied, we jumped in to the RV for our 2 hour drive across the river to Manhattan.

The Bowery Ballroom is only 3 miles from us, but because the RV has propane on board for the fridge, and it needs 12' of vertical clearance, the various road restrictions mean that we have to go all the way to the George Washington bridge at the northern tip of Manhattan, and then go all the way back down to the lower east side. It's kind of a massive pain in the ass, but at least we knew what was going to happen, unlike the last time we came through here...

So, all things considered, it wasn't so bad. It took a little over 2 hours, thankfully there was no traffic, and we only showed up about 30 minutes late. We didn't really do a full soundcheck today because the lead singer has a throat infection, and for a while we actually considered canceling the show.

After spending the day resting, he felt up to it, so the show went on, and it was a good one. The Bowery is an incredible sounding room and they have a great crew there. I'm always happy to see that venue on an itinerary.

After the show we hung out for a little bit, sampled some Nino's pizza, one of the best in the city, and then made the long and painful drive back to Jersey City. It only took and hour and a half on the way back, but with the time change we only got in at 6:15am. That hurt a little...

The Stills Day 5, Hoboken, NJ

We made our triumphant return to lovely Hoboken, NJ today. Maxwell's is just a small club / restaurant, but it's one of those places that everyone plays at least 5 times on their way up the ladder. It's not the best, not the worst, just a club...

We got in just in time for soundcheck and got right to it. In the process, we sort of forgot our RV and trailer were double-parked outside the side of the club, but we were quickly reminded when the cops showed up and there was a line of traffic 2 blocks long...

The show was pretty good tonight and for once we didn't have to rush to drive anywhere, so we kind of took our time after and eventually made it back to the hotel. It was good to have a relatively early night because tomorrow it will take us about 2 hours to drive the 3 miles in to NYC... More on that later.

The Stills Day 4, Pittsburgh, PA

We had to rise a little early than we would've liked in order to get to the club on time. It's an all ages show tonight, so that means we have to be there by 2pm (oops), and it's an early show, done by 10:30, hopefully (oops again).

We got in at 4pm, had a quick soundcheck and then had to make way for the 2 opening bands who had 20 mins left for their setup, after we were done. It all worked out, not our first BBQ... The trade off was that we didn't have much time for dinner or anything before we had to be back for the show.

The Diesel Club is an interesting place. Really more of a trendy night club than music club, but it was sort of nice. I had a weird night though; never a good thing when the sound booth is directly over the speakers. I couldn't tell what was going on, couldn't hear a thing. In the end I think it worked out...

Again tonight, no time to hang out after, which was too bad because the neighbourhood the club was in was pretty cool. There were lots of places for us to hang out, but alas... Next time. We had to drive 2 hours back towards New Jersey to break up our 7 hour drive tomorrow... Living the dream folks... Living the dream...

The Stills Day 3, Philadelphia, PA

We were pretty happy to go to Philly today. It's a town we all like a lot and we had a craving for the classic Philly CheeseSteak. What we didn't expect, however, was that Johnny Brenda's is in a pretty nasty part of town, where haute-cuisine is the dilapidated McDonalds across the street. We were told it might not be a good idea to wander too much...

Thankfully the club had a great kitchen so we had a decent meal after all. The show was good too, and the place was pretty full, which is always nice.

No time to hang out tonight; had to drive an hour after the show to break up the 6 hr drive to Pittsburgh tomorrow.

The Stills Day 2, Towson, MD

It always nice to wake up in the city where the show is. We had time to have a decent lunch, get coffee, etc... before heading over to the Recher Theatre for load-in.

It was a decent club, nice folks, and lots of Jack Daniels. They were the sponsor for the show, and they made sure we left with a few bottles and a bag full of shirts we could wear to show off the logo everywhere we go.

Felt good to finally be back at it again. After the show, we got ripped off by a cab driver who took the long way around to get us to a friends bar, where we had a couple drinks to finish off the first night.

The Stills Day 1, Drive to Baltimore (March 2, 2008)

I got up painfully early today to get on a train to Montreal, where I was to meet up with everyone and start the drive to Baltimore. It seemed simple enough: Meet at 12pm, pack the trailer and drive.

Well, the trailer place didn't have the right trailer for us, so that took some extra time to sort out, and by the time that was done, and we had everything packed and ready to go, it was almost 4pm. Nice. I was able to kill some time by meeting a friend for lunch, but leaving 4 hours late on a 900+ km drive can hurt.

The border was remarkably painless, and there wasn't much else to talk about, other than the fact we were thrilled to be away from snow and it was a balmy 19 degrees at our final destination. Only thing was we got in a 5am. That was rough...
Just what I needed: a good, solid 22 hr. day to start off the tour.