A Week Under The Influence

Minneapolis, MN - Unfortunately I was unable to purify myself in the waters of lake Minnetonka or witness a single drop of Purple Rain while we were in Minneapolis, but the food at the Triple Rock made up for it. We showed up to an empty venue with an incredibly easily excited promoter/sound guy eagerly awaiting our arrival. He promptly made it well aware that we would be taken care of in the bar and restaurant for the evening. He wasn't lying. After much consideration over a well stocked menu (and bar) I ordered a BBQ Po' Boy Sandwich and a pint of New Castle. I was on my second pint when my mountain of food arrived. I dug into the delicious barbecued mounds of chicken and potatoes immediately but pulled up shy just five bites deep into my meal. Something wasn't sitting right on my stomach. I would have to save my meal for after the set, but kept the Castles coming. At some point during the three opening bands we congregated in the van with a nice dreadlocked gentleman to raise the chalice to our lord and creator. We gave thanks and praises and parted ways with the shaman of the great white north and commenced to loading our equipment to the stage. A few short walks down a short hallway later we were checking our sound and sizing up the small crowd that had begun to gather in front of the stage. By the time we played, the crowd had substantially grown in size making the large room seem a little smaller and just a smidgeon more comfortable. The set ran smoothly and Victims went on after us and killed it as per usual. After the set I was ready to tackle the pile of food waiting for me behind the merch table. This time around I was able to put it down. Good food, good times.

Des Moines, IA -  As we pulled into downtown Des Moines behind The Victims I had a hard time believing that a hardcore show was about to go down. The city seemed too innocent for that. Everywhere you looked there was a couple, hands intertwined, accompanying each other to dinner or a movie. Then the punk happened. Both vans pulled into the alley to load gear and the antics began. We played soccer with a tuna can until the dolphin bits nearly came out. Our friends John and Jeff from Modern Life is War made the trip from Marshalltown to the gig and were a pleasant surprise. Jeff's goal was to get us fucked up. Mission: Possible. He kept the Jack and Cokes coming with no end in sight. Thanks Jeff. The first band had a hard time with their set and decided to call it a night after unsuccessfully starting their third song for the 5th time. Next up were two Australian bands who had come to the states to play a grind festival in Minnesota. I don't recall the name of the first band, but I distinctly remember the use of a wah pedal for vocals. Not kosher. The second band from down under fared a little better with me. Their set was on point and the vocalist really belted out the tunes (sans vocal effects). They're called Fuck I'm Dead. Check em out if you haven't already. After they finished, we brought our stuff to the stage and played a strange, yet fun show. Three punk girls stood at the front of the stage to the left and danced like disco maniacs for the entire set. During the Victims' set a PA speaker was knocked over onto the head of one of the punkers. She complained about it and I told her that it "sounded like a personal problem." She was bummed. After the show, the three punks circled the block several times hanging out of their car window blasting Limp Bizkit and thirsting for attention that we weren't prepared to give them. Once 1999 was over for the second time, Lee and Jeff MLIW joined me and my new friend Kevin for a short drive around downtown Des Moines. We enjoyed the sights, sounds and greenery that the small midwestern metropolis had to offer. 

Evansville, IN - The sights and sounds of Evansville, Indiana are a little muted, but just three short blocks from the venue you can satisfy all of your Faygo brand soda needs. If you find yourself in Evansville do yourself a favor and head on over to the Bonkerz convenience store to get any info you need on the gathering of the juggalos or any dark carnival inquiries you might have. I'm sure one of the clowns running the store will be more than happy to help you. Between the beer out back, familiar faces and friendly strangers our shows in this town are always a blast. Our buddy Dale came out with his son Dan O and a couple buddies who were ready to party the second they pulled in to the parking lot. I'm always up for a good time so we cut straight into the 100 proof vodka they had in tow and got the party under way.  The rest of the night was pretty hazy. I remember playing, but the details aren't very clear. I remember leaving but I don't remember falling asleep. Wild times.

Louisville, KY - There were no sluggers at this show, but there were a couple kids who found themselves thigh deep in the hardwood flooring during our set. This was also our last night of tour with Victims. We already miss them greatly and are looking forward to them returning to the states later this summer. Lords played this show and like the last time I saw them, almost deafened the whole room. After saying goodbye to the Victims dudes we made our way to a high school punk house where we partied into the early morning. 

Indianapolis, IN - This was our first show headed back towards the west coast for Rain Fest and  a pretty rad house show. The basement was packed and the walls were slippery with condensation for the whole night. During our set a pipe busted, spraying a good portion of the crowd with urine, feces and h20. Sucks to be them. 

St. Louis, MO - After waiting an hour for AAA to come jump start our battery, we arrived at the show as the first band was finishing their set.  Our good friend Devastator met us in the van with party favors and we got the party started. The show went really well and we made our way to Devastator's girlfriend's house for pizza and showers, where he rolled up several blunts for us and a blunt of Spice Gold (fake weed) for himself. We hit the road around 2 am and got into Wichita at around 9:30 this morning.

Peace,

S