I'm in love with the mountain west - but I'm getting ahead of myself. When you last heard from me I was trapped in a green room.
Salt Lake City was an amazing show. The club was greasy (In the Trailer Park Boys sense - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irt6533qLm8&NR=1 ) as you could tell by the green room but there were 400 people that all knew the lyrics, danced, and sang along. It looked to me like they had good time. I was sweating in the middle of the set because the heat from all the people in the room. It's one thing to fill a room in Portland and kill. It's another to go out of town fill the room and kill.
The requests for Miss Ohio from the audiences in Bend and Boise has made the band practice the song and now they include it in the show.
Here's the set list from Salt Lake
Go on say it
Two towns from me
I Buried a bone
Just One (new song)
Oviedo
The Story I heard
Always (Holy Road)
Paint or Pollen
*** a new song that as of yet has no official title
Bitter End
3 rounds and a sound
Half Moon (new song)
We are the tide
White Apple
Miss Ohio
and One Red Thread
After the show I drove all the way through to the next venue while the band slept. The first part out of Salt Lake is interstate but not far south of town you leave the interstate and get on a highway that climbs to 7,500 feet and then comes down the mountain range over the course of 40 or 50 miles or so before it merges with Interstate 70. I was in the Arches Canyon Lands in Utah when the sun rose.
It was so beautiful I was giddy. We crossed the Colorado River where it's about 12 feet wide.
When we got to Aspen we were 4 hours early. The venue was open so we pulled up and unloaded our equipment and I took to figuring out where we were staying. We are lucky enough to get hotel rooms in Aspen. After a couple of calls we located the joint and Ian Krist and I walked over to check in. The rooms weren't ready so I slipped off to the park for a nap and strolled back when it was time. I realized as I walked to the park that it took a lot of effort and attributed it to the drive and staying up all night but it turns out to be the elevation.
Before I forget here's the run down on Ian Krist, who I'm trying to get to change his last name to Krist-Fick because in German it - never mind. Ian is about 30ish and plays the vibraphone. He's pretty good at it but doesn't give himself enough credit for his talents - vibraphone is one of those instruments that not many people play so being proficient at it puts you in rare company. He's more than proficient. Ian plays drums for several other bands in Portland. He's from Michigan originally and has managed a venue and has toured quite a bit - which makes him and his knowledge a valuable resource for me. He's tattooed to all hell and genuinely a nice guy. I think we have similar world views and tastes. We wind up hanging out quite a bit because of the group dynamics and just the way things shake out. Ian recently married his long time girlfriend Cozette, who I don't think I've ever met, which seems strange because I bet she goes to shows in Portland.
I fell asleep as soon as I got to my room, and I mean I passed out. I didn't even climb under the blankets and when I woke up I had no idea where I was. I realized that it was around 7 or 7:30 because it was getting dark but still had no idea where I was or how I had gotten here for a couple of seconds.
I got up and got to shower then I turned on the football game and watched the Bears offensive line get crushed by the Giants pass rush. Then slipped over to the venue because we'd been promised food and I watched the last half of the game - I had a veggie pizza, which was pretty damn good. Ian showed up for the 4th Quarter and we discussed our mutual affection of and for the sport of American football and the National football league. I miss having a T.V. because I don't get to watch sporting events very often and enjoyed the Bellyup's presentation of the game. They lower a big screen and play the sound through the house PA, which is pretty damn good. After the game - The Giants beat the shit out of the Bears, as you could see happening in the first half - but contrary to what most would have expected coming into the game. The opening band came out.
For the shows in Boise, Salt Lake, now Aspen and following the tour until well San Diego will be the last show, Cory Chisel has been and will be opening for Blind Pilot. Cory Chisel currently lives in Wisconsin but is originally from Northern Minnesota - Northern Minnesota??? you say and yes I know what your thinking because I had the same question, How close to Hibbing? It turns out, two minutes from Hibbing. What? you say, yeah I know right, the next logical question is: "Is there still a Zimmerman's furniture store, in Hibbing?" And the Answer, it turns out, is yes there is but somebody else owns it now. Based on a conversation I had with Cory Chisel tonight - oh and that guy is so friggin' cool he makes - something that is notoriously cool like ice cream, look like something that is not cool like, uh World of Warcraft, Star Trek conventions, or Magic: The Gathering, - Based on our conversation tonight there are all sorts of little Zimmermans running around all over that place in Hibbing and that his good friend that also plays music, Luke Zimmerman, strongly resembles his Uncle Robert in looks and voice - and people give him shit for it. At least he comes by it honestly.
http://www.myspace.com/lukezimmerman
http://www.myspace.com/bobdylan
Corey Chisel is traveling with his key board player, and background vocalist Adriel Harris. She said that she got the job as pianist by claiming to know how to play the piano, when asked. She then went home to her father and asked him to teach her to play the blues on piano. Her style is not flashy but solid and with true feeling. Chisel's father was a baptist minister and you can tell it. When Chisel walks into a room he's compelled to make a witty comment and way way more frequently than not what comes out of his mouth is both true and fucking hilarious. He used to be a blues man but his parameters have expanded. Now he writes songs that are more folk rock than blues. His delivery is genuine and he can work a crowd. He's great to have as an opener. He takes a room full of strangers and by the end of his set he's turned them into friends. It's impressive.
He has a song that I like "I never should have loved you but it's too late now" that he straight jacked from a Bob Dylan song of the same title. He changed up the lyrics. I still like the song. It's still good. I can't easily find a sample of it on line so here's links to two other songs, both I like.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=62473101#pm_cmp=vid_OEV_P_P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLvBYvvnLVs
Aspen's an interesting place in the fall. It's dead. There was no cover for the show. I'm not very good at this but it looked like 200 to 250 people in a club that could hold, I don't know, a thousand at least. The audience was into it and the club was designed in such a way that it didn't feel empty. They were mostly in the pit grooving. The interesting thing about this show was that it had the best equipment and sound people really professional equipment and engineers. The band sounded really, really good, clean, bright but not shrill and the low end was full but not over powering. It would be nice if every venue had sound like this, or if there were a venue like this that they might have a crowd like Salt Lake.
I'm living on a graveyard schedule and I've settled into a rhythm with the bus. It has more horse power, is running better and the exhaust has started to turn from steamy and white to black which is a sign of increased efficiency. I had such a great time yesterday and today and am looking forward to tomorrow.
Cool pics, my friend. Sounds like you're having a big adventure!
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