The Auburn Rooster and The Red Stick

We showed up to Roosters in Auburn, AL Wednesday night......Web showed us around, Maurice cooked us some food, Jody made some drinks, and we played some pool. They also have that quarter game where a MILLION quarters are just sitting at the end of this ledge waiting to be pushed off. You put in a quarter of your own and hope that it winds up pushing one quarter into another, eventually off the ledge. Somehow this stupid little game will make ANYBODY an addicted gambler! I don't understand it.....the most you might win on a given try is MAYBE 75 cents, but somehow you just HAVE to win it....you can't quit cuz it's always just SOOOOOO close. I'm ashamed.

Ben and his crew were at the show telling us all about Fred's Pickin' Parlor (a barn attic hay loft where people come to "jam" on thursday nights)....maybe next time guys! We also realized we left all our shirts and cds at The Nick in Birmingham :( We had to wake up early, drive 3 hours, and grab them out of the sound guy's pick-up truck the next morning. About 6 hours later we rolled up to Baton Rouge, LA. Po' Boys and Hush Puppies!!

The Click's was a a good club with plenty of pool tables, darts, and Air Hockey.....yup. Air Hockey.

Holly, Kayla, and Patrick were taking care of us at the bar and Adele, Fridge, Leah, and Greg were Reppin' hard (thanks for driving an hour to get there Greg!) Now we're getting back into the van for a solid 12 hours.........will most likely involve another panel discussion on the morality of Odysseus (justice or revenge) and the origins/relevance of "Archetypes."

We're either bored or nerds...you decide.

Discovering our Birmingham Fan Base (Adam)

So we left Orlando after a night at the Social, a place we'll definitely revisit. Had a good time with Buffalo Gun, No Circus, and The Wildbirds (who are single handedly saving the planet with their vegetable oil powered tour bus). It' s good 'ol Southern Eco-Rock. Orlando is weird cuz it has a large homeless population (just like NYC), but they're all wearing ripped and faded Mickey Mouse T-Shirts. Just kinda throws yer senses of nostalgia and destitution all together in one. Anyway, thanks to Dave, Patty, Jesse, Amanda, Sarah, and Jules for coming out!

Our drive to Statesboro, GA the next morning proved to be fruitless when we got word the show was cancelled :( We were looking forward to playing with The Finals and Baumer again, but instead we had to entertain ourselves at a roach infested Ho Jo's with a huge Jacuzzi????


We had all our bags stacked on top of any raised surface we could find...We discovered Brewy has a knack for acting (most notably the role of Southern Indignantary) so we recorded some short films at the SONIC across the street. He came out with an Emmy-Award Winning performance in our film "Midnight or Later," but due to inappropriate content we're unable to give you a preview at this time. K happens to be deathly afraid of cockroaches so the poor guy slept with all his clothes on and one eye open.

The scent of choice at this particular spot happened to be "Slice of Mildew," so we stopped by the local K-mart for a candle, a new Frisbee, a phone charger and pair of shoes for Zac (a handsome pair of Anchor Bay's). Next stop was the lighted field on the Georgia University Campus for some action with the new disc. The field was covered with students running drills so we were confined to the side by side basketball courts. We came up with some new catches/tosses including the Spectator, The Georgian Terrace, The Harlem Globetrotter, and the action play Body in Motion Stays in Motion.
We also met our new friends Ashley and Kayla at the local Daylight Donuts.



Our drive the next day was to Birmingham, AL. "The Knights Inn" proved to be less inhabited by roaches, however, the pool was murky with MANY a wrapped/unwrapped candy bar floating around, a toilet we had to flush with a hanger, a smell of burning plastic, and shady locals playing their own variation of Deal, or No Deal.

We stopped for dinner at The Garage Cafe, taunted a sculpture of Poseidon, and headed to our show at The Nick. Danny did a great job on sound, Brian kept the PBR's flowing all night, we played some pool, and then rocked it for our Birmingham Fan Base, Adam. The Nick is a great hang and we'll be coming back for sure.

The Birth of Beefo Brady

this is the original postcard purchased here at the Ho Jo's lobby. (2007... Really?)


We played Buddha again with a really great band (Cinder) and then headed back to the hotel. We were scheduled to play some random place called K&K Concert Hall in Ocala Saturday night so we left for Kissimmee that morning.



After some Perkins and a couple of beef jerky pit stops we stumbled upon an old tavern by the name of "Beef O'Brady's." This giant sign seemed too good a name to just pass by only to be forgotten moments later. We decided to let the name live on by assigning it to a member of the band. It was a no-brainer that the prestigious title should be awarded to K. Two reasons: One- Ben already has a nickname, Brewy Brewerton, which he picked up on our Canadian Tour. Two- K has been obsessed with trying Taco Bell's new "Cheesey Beefy." So much so, that he even bought a round of Cheesey Beefys for the whole van in a state of happy delirium. From here on in, K's "spirit name" shall be Beefo Brady.

When we got to the next hotel, we immediately began running some more Frisbee drills. Ben stumbled upon a new catch called "The Thriller" and we got to document Zac on video demonstrating the aforementioned, "When You're a Jet, Your're a Jet."



Our excersises for the day came to a sudden halt when Beefo threw the flying disc of joy over the barbed wire fence :( We're still looking for a replacement. Why are the Howard Johnson's in Florida enclosed with barbed wire fence?? We don't know. But I mean let's think about this. Howard Johnson's.....Barbed Wire Fence. Howard Johnson's....and a perimeter of Barbed F-ing WIRE?!?!?! REALLY????


We swam in the pool a bit...played one of Zac's classic pool games called "Shark Attack"....then headed out for the show. Ocala is about one hour away from the hotel, so when we pulled up to the "venue" at midnight, found it hiding behind "Shucker's Oyster Bar," and heard things were running 3 hours behind.....we got right back in the van and drove the hour back. SORRY OCALA!!!!! We'll have to make up for it next time :)

Brewy and Zac got a couple drinks for the hotel room, Beefo and Mocha started recording some synth lines into the new sampler, and I chased an armadillo around the parking lot. (Florida Ho Jo's. Barbed wire and armadillos)

Day 8

photo by Leah Muse

So we left off with the band in a South Carolina hotel room....that ended up with a few UFC challenges in which K ended up the victor. Zac and I turned out a "draw," although I walked away with a SEVERE rugburn (thanks to Zac's dirty fighting and the influence of Wild Irish Rose). The only fighting combo that did not come to pass was that of Ben vs. K. We felt that the weight class vs. capoeira training would prove to be too dangerous a fight, and possibly jeopardize band moral.

The show that night at New Brookland Tavern was a special one. The very first time we EVER played a touring show where ALL the bands sounded great and made sense together. We played with SHAPIRO, TODAY THE MOON, TOMORROW THE SUN, and BAUMER. A great night of music filled with good people...we got to hang with Randy, Katie and Bethany....Sarah and jessica at the coffee house next door...and the bartenders kept everyone happy all night. After we watched BAUMER give it all they had, even Josh rocked through some sickness, we jumped in the van and headed for Savannah,GA. Don't remember much of that other than blasting some Pinback then passing out. We drove past some houses and then got on the road for Ft. Myers.

While driving the 8 hours we listened to ELO, the Kooks, Bee-Gees, James Brown, Shuggie Otis, and we made some pit stops. One that comes to mind is a gas station with a big parking lot. Ben, Zac, and I got out to work up some more Frisbee manuevers when the attendant came out from the Kwik-Mart and called us "punks." Seriously?? Really??! For throwing a neon green frisbee... we're punks???? Wow. We did, however, give birth to some great new catches: The Proud Soldier, Lady Liberty, Dr. Phil, The Allstate, and my personal new favorite, Zac's very own "When You're a Jet, You're a Jet."

We rolled up to the Club, BUDDHA BAR, in Ft. Myers and thought, 'This is a bar. We're in the south.' An old friend of mine happened to be in the area and asked me, "So. How do you think your brand of synth-pop will be received here in Ft. Myers?" I didn't have an optimistic response. But we were mistaken.....the best crowd we've seen yet! 'Jersey' Kim, Felix, and Mike were keeping the front of the stage "lively" ;) , Steve Farst and Wonderful Johnson opened up the night and hung with us afterwards, the bartenders (Connie, Lee, Iris, and Jocelyn) kept the spirits flowing. They asked us back tonight (we originally had the night off) so we're looking forward to playing again......

ATL Baby!

HOTLANTA GEORGIA

So we played our first show in Atlanta GA and met a really great band called QUIET COMPANY...they rocked, told us all about the "Luftkin", and didn;t kick me off the stage when I jumped on with a tambourine. Mike and Meghan showed up and are coming along for the next couple shows to sell Merch...


We ate some Southern cooking at Mathew's in Tucker, stopped by Galaxy for some strings, then headed for STONE MOUNTAIN. We walked up to the top while practicing our Frisbee Playbook. We have some great offensive maneuvers called The Mount Brolympus, The River Runs Fastest in the Center, The Steal From the Rich, Give to the Poor (Robin Hood), and our most effective play The Tempest (seen below)


I'm not sure most of the locals were used to seeing a shiny blue speedo, but by the end of the day...they were broken in.


We rolled up to Columbia, SC around midnight blasting Yes's 'Heart of the Sunrise'...stopped by a Lil Cricket for some drinks, which included a "Wild Irish Rose," and met a local named Drew. Upon inquiring to Drew about the quality of "Wild Irish Rose" I was informed that "It's Wino-Swill, but it'll get the job done." He was buying a Yoo-Hoo and some Rolaids. Right now we're at room 102 of the "Shining Pineapple MASTER's INN" getting ridiculous on said Swill...talk soon x

DAY 4 of THE TOUR

Good Bye VA!

IOTA is always a J-1 Favorite and this past show was no exception...Dave was holding down the bar, Mike was working the door and Meaghan filled us in on the best burger joint VA has to offer...5 GUYS. A few other honorable mentions go out to "Suzy" for the dance, and Suki for "supporting the arts" :)
Thanks STEVE!

We left the next morning for Miller's in Charlottesville....THE smallest stage ever, but we just considered it intimate... Jayon and Jay-Jay hooked us up (along with the rest of the Ex-Starhill crew)...thanks for the beers guys!!!! Sorry we missed you at the corner Rosie and Jesse :( Zac was inspired by the crowd and played some drums...smacked the "hard 4", Ben on guitar, me on keys, .....paying homage to the great PRINCE (a.k.a. The Artist Formerly Known As God)


Today we checked into America's Best Value Inn, played a new style of Frisbee (stand as close as possible and throw the frisbee as hard as you can....Zac's arm took some shots and I have a giant, horizontal welt on my lower abdomen). After trying to figure out what a "Bojangles" is, we went to BLEND, our first North Carolina venue in Chapel Hill. The ONLY thing I can say about tonight's show is, Thank Heavens for Jenny and John....REPRESENTING!

going to bed now.... (we have an important meeting at Waffle House in the morning)...... then headed to Atlanta!

cheers
Dave, Zac, Ben, K, and Mocha

Jupiter One on tour

and so it begins...

Our first night of this 3 week run was spent at the Jewish Mother in VA beach. Despite it's awkward name, this place had a cool sound guy, waiters that knew how to "do the corpse" during our Thriller interlude, and a crew of Japanese students rockin the stage in front. Employee of the month, My Violet, was there with some friends...bobby Amped with a shirt ready to become our canvas....Steve and the rest of I'm Turning hung till they got kicked out.

K, amidst a mid-Countdown freak out, was blinded by the stage light and somehow wound up with his back on top of the monitors...out first Battle Wound! (just some minor cuts on the elbow) The Ishibahi's hooked us up with rice balls, foot and back masages, and a piano with which Zac and Ben amused themselves via Interpertive dance (a la Reggae-ton Pink Floyd).

As usual Ben is driving the van like a champ..me and Zac are DJ's...and K and Mocha are trying to "not get in the way."

We're stealing wireless right now from the ever-generous and best club EVER, IOTA in Arlington, VA.,,can;t wait to play here in an hour....we LOVE this place!!!

cheers,
Dave, Zac, K, Mocha, and Ben

Sweet Tater!

Our good friends at Sweet Tater put our music "Moon Won't Turn" into their promotional video for their new line of clothing.
They have a very nice cozy shop in Soho (nolita?).