Well, that was 8 or so years ago and it appears that drugs are still REALLY popular in Eugene.  In fact, I believe someone offered to sell Mark some meth outside of the WOW Hall where we played.  Then we played the show.

Many owners of music clubs make short cuts or fail to spend enough money when it comes to bettering the sound of the venue.  The Nightlite in Bellingham is no different.  The stage is in the corner which is usually a bad idea only made worse by the surrounding stone walls.  Instead of draping a curtain across the back of the stage to prevent the sound from bouncing all around, they’ve hung foot-and-a-half wide burgundy curtains at intervals.  Not only is this pointless sound reinforcement, but it gives off a Medieval Times vibe.   An incompetent monitor engineer didn’t help matters but we put our heads down and powered through.  Jay worked out some of his frustrations by going into a spontaneous take on The Stooges “TV Eye” at the end of the set.  At least I think that’s what we attempted.  I couldn’t really hear.  Before the show, I went to the massive Fred Meyer store across from our hotel to get some coffee.  I walked what seemed like 300 yards to the other side of the store only to find the Starbucks closed.  All was made right, however, when I turned around and saw a vision in blue coming from the opposite end.  As she neared, I realized that this woman was wearing a Snuggie.  You know, just throw on a Snuggie and hit the Fred Meyer on a Saturday night for some holiday shopping.  Weird.

Jay is not phased, however.  Let’s not forget that he hails from St. Louis where bandages are fashion statements.

We had a considerable amount of time the day of the show to wander around Seattle and I made a pilgrimage to a place that has been closed the past two times we’ve been there: Amandino’s Salumi. Amandino is the father of celebrity chef Mario Batali and he specializes in cured meats.  There’s usually a line out the door but it’s well worth your time for cased meat heaven.  Since it was a cold, misty Seattle day, I opted for the warm Porchetta sandwich and a glass of wine.

In addition, I purchased a Mole Salami to take home (which has been keeping quite nicely in the van thanks to the freezing temperatures) and some sliced Finocchiona.  Being that it was sliced, the Finnocchiona didn’t fare so well in the van and the smell offended some of the dudes.  Except for Scott, that is, who loves all things meat.  I admit it wasn’t the most pleasant smell but it still was better than the jar of preserved garlic that Farrar bought in Texas.  That smell woke me from a deep slumber:

Neumo’s is a fine rock club with the excellent Pike Place Fish Fry next door.  We played a decent show despite having to go on at 10:30 which was a little late for us East Coasters.

As for Birmingham, I don’t think anyone cares to play the Workplay Theater anymore.  I’ve never been a fan of the sterile PBS Jazz Brunch vibe and it’s always been hard to get past that.  Unlike the past two times that we’ve played the Workplay, this was not a Sunday which meant The Fish Market was open.  James and I both had oysters on the half shell followed by jambalaya for him and Athenian red snapper for me.

While it’s a pity that the Georgia Theater in Athens burned down I was definitely glad to be at the 40 Watt Club.  Everyone there is super nice, sound is pretty decent and there is no lack of atmosphere.  We went on relatively late for us, 11:15, and judging by some of the YouTube clips we delivered a late-night (sloppy-good) set.  At least I did.  Thank the lord I decided not to return for the second encore with no shirt and leather jacket.  I knew that wouldn’t go over.

A late set time in Athens made for a late night and we were all pretty tired the following day.

To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for Greenville but the Handlebar turned out to be the surprise hit of the last week.  Aside from the crappy chicken wings (it’s really the best option on the menu) we had a great night.  Good crowd, good energy, and a free bottle of Bushmill’s.  Priceless.

Then there was Chattanooga.  Again, some way too intoxicated folks kinda ruined the show.  But what can you expect at the Rhythm and Brews.  Basically, 2 loaded couples standing front and center hooted and hollered and blew smoke in Jay’s face all night.  One of the, uh, ladies repeatedly fell on stage, got on stage and really needed a belt.  I’m surprised she lasted the whole set.  Kind of an anti-climactic ending but that’s usually how it works.

Choosing to put on an intimate show in the front room left Jason with only one place to set up “guitar world”, in the beer and liquor storage area behind the stage.  Thus, Jason’s two current careers collided head-on.  I’m still peeved that he ignored my request for an Old Fashioned between guitar changes.  One would think that access to various spirits might be inspiring, however, a sad few only went so far as the Jagermeister machine and that nasty beverage reappeared for the rest of the week.