2/1/2000:
I just got an email passed on with Khoi's triptych from our recent and first venture together to the US Pacific Northwest. I thought it completely worthy of inclusion, rather than some jaded post-tour drivel from my jaded rock 'n roll mind that I was preparing to write. Well, this time, at least.
ThankYous to Linda T, John Wesley Harding, Gary Bauder, Sean Haskins, and Barbara Mitchell for their help in making the trip a success.
And now....KHOI-SAN!! ****************************************************************************
A big Pacific Northwest grungy greeting to all. I've just returned from what I believe to be the first ever combination dog show/ rock n' roll tour. I'll try to get through this entire post without mentioning the unsavory weather.
Part 1: Half Sleepless in Foggy Tacoma.
Our first gig was Thursday night at the Hopvine Pub on Capitol Hill. We were joined onstage by John Wesley Harding for a few songs. Also in attendance was Scott McCaughey of REM and Minus Five fame. The next day CvS went to the studio with JWH to finish up his latest album and I went Seattle sightseeing with Linda T, our manager/ den mother/ good friend/ and owner of Page, the champion blue bitch. (yes, that's the proper term.) After a tour of the Pike Place Market area, which is kind of like a Fisherman's Wharf with lots more fish, we went coffee shop hopping starting with Coffee Messiah - a bizarre little establishment decorated only with hundreds of paintings of Jesus in different poses. Before we got to the next coffee shop we had already passed 3 other coffee shops, defying all laws of physics.
That night's gig was at the Showbox Theater opening for John Auer of the Posies. The Showbox used to be something of a hip jazz hangout in the 30s and 40s I think. It's a gigantic place with a capacity of around 1100. The main ballroom was curtained off and we performed on the side stage to a crowd of about 150. We decided to trash all of the previous arrangements that we had rehearsed and make it up as we went along. I think it was one of our better shows.
Part 2: Don't Pay the Ferryman.
Saturday was a night off and we spent it trying out several genres of the Seattle music scene. The first stop was an afternoon all ages punk show, then onto a rustic gay bar, followed by a disco dance party at the Showbox. This event actually filled the place. We found it frighteningly dull, although one wall was turned into a movie screen onto which were projected scenes from Star Wars interspersed with a Japanese porno. After that we went to another punk show which lasted us about 5 minutes or until CvS got beer dumped on him by the singer, whichever came first.
The Sunday gig was on Orcas Island - an hour and a half drive and another hour and a half ferry boat ride. (CvS and Linda insisted that I was 17 so they could save $1.25 on my ferry ticket.) The ferry ride was somewhat turbulent due to the unsavory weather. (oops) To bide my time I drew a sketch of CvS in the nude and proclaimed myself to be the king of the world. It turned out to be worth our while. The people were the most gracious and appreciative audience we've ever played for. Women were literally swooning and crying. Why they found "All The Young Dudes" to be a tear jerker I'll never understand.
The next day we did a bit of sightseeing on the Island with our host, Gary. I saw a free flying Bald Eagle for the first time in my life and it couldn't have been in a more beautiful setting. I imagine that the Island is probably some sort of paradise in the summer. I couldn't help but yell out "de plane, de plane" every time a little airplane went overhead. Gary also took us to the Rosaria mansion which has a pipe organ from the early 1900s that takes up an entire room. A big room. Normally no one is allowed into the room where the actual keyboard is kept and the organ is triggered by a computer. I guess we were considered to be celebrities of some sort because they let me in to play it. The song I chose to play on the giant antique organ? Van Halen's "Jump" of course.
Part 3: Aura Gone Trail.
We made it into Portland late Monday night. Joanne Hodges, Poptopia organizer and all around nice person graciously invited us to stay at her house. Our only scheduled show in Portland was an instore at Music Millennium. By doing this show we were entitled to a 30% employee discount so I took the opportunity to pick up the 1999 re-release of the classic Run DMC album "Raising Hell". The most amusing part of the instore for me was when some guy handed CvS a copy of "Rugby Train" and asked him to autograph it.
Later that night we were invited to sit in at Brian Berg's Tuesday night residency at the Buffalo Gap. As is the tradition on the last night of the tour, we picked a volunteer drummer from the audience and rocked out. We played right after a guy whose claim to fame was writing "Private Eyes" for Hall and Oates.
By the way, the press people managed to spell CvS's name wrong in every single city. Orcas Island referred to him as Chris Sneidern, while in Portland he is apparently known as C. Von Sneiderman.
I'll have pictures up soon.
KHOI-SAN
I just got an email passed on with Khoi's triptych from our recent and first venture together to the US Pacific Northwest. I thought it completely worthy of inclusion, rather than some jaded post-tour drivel from my jaded rock 'n roll mind that I was preparing to write. Well, this time, at least.
ThankYous to Linda T, John Wesley Harding, Gary Bauder, Sean Haskins, and Barbara Mitchell for their help in making the trip a success.
And now....KHOI-SAN!! ****************************************************************************
A big Pacific Northwest grungy greeting to all. I've just returned from what I believe to be the first ever combination dog show/ rock n' roll tour. I'll try to get through this entire post without mentioning the unsavory weather.
Part 1: Half Sleepless in Foggy Tacoma.
Our first gig was Thursday night at the Hopvine Pub on Capitol Hill. We were joined onstage by John Wesley Harding for a few songs. Also in attendance was Scott McCaughey of REM and Minus Five fame. The next day CvS went to the studio with JWH to finish up his latest album and I went Seattle sightseeing with Linda T, our manager/ den mother/ good friend/ and owner of Page, the champion blue bitch. (yes, that's the proper term.) After a tour of the Pike Place Market area, which is kind of like a Fisherman's Wharf with lots more fish, we went coffee shop hopping starting with Coffee Messiah - a bizarre little establishment decorated only with hundreds of paintings of Jesus in different poses. Before we got to the next coffee shop we had already passed 3 other coffee shops, defying all laws of physics.
That night's gig was at the Showbox Theater opening for John Auer of the Posies. The Showbox used to be something of a hip jazz hangout in the 30s and 40s I think. It's a gigantic place with a capacity of around 1100. The main ballroom was curtained off and we performed on the side stage to a crowd of about 150. We decided to trash all of the previous arrangements that we had rehearsed and make it up as we went along. I think it was one of our better shows.
Part 2: Don't Pay the Ferryman.
Saturday was a night off and we spent it trying out several genres of the Seattle music scene. The first stop was an afternoon all ages punk show, then onto a rustic gay bar, followed by a disco dance party at the Showbox. This event actually filled the place. We found it frighteningly dull, although one wall was turned into a movie screen onto which were projected scenes from Star Wars interspersed with a Japanese porno. After that we went to another punk show which lasted us about 5 minutes or until CvS got beer dumped on him by the singer, whichever came first.
The Sunday gig was on Orcas Island - an hour and a half drive and another hour and a half ferry boat ride. (CvS and Linda insisted that I was 17 so they could save $1.25 on my ferry ticket.) The ferry ride was somewhat turbulent due to the unsavory weather. (oops) To bide my time I drew a sketch of CvS in the nude and proclaimed myself to be the king of the world. It turned out to be worth our while. The people were the most gracious and appreciative audience we've ever played for. Women were literally swooning and crying. Why they found "All The Young Dudes" to be a tear jerker I'll never understand.
The next day we did a bit of sightseeing on the Island with our host, Gary. I saw a free flying Bald Eagle for the first time in my life and it couldn't have been in a more beautiful setting. I imagine that the Island is probably some sort of paradise in the summer. I couldn't help but yell out "de plane, de plane" every time a little airplane went overhead. Gary also took us to the Rosaria mansion which has a pipe organ from the early 1900s that takes up an entire room. A big room. Normally no one is allowed into the room where the actual keyboard is kept and the organ is triggered by a computer. I guess we were considered to be celebrities of some sort because they let me in to play it. The song I chose to play on the giant antique organ? Van Halen's "Jump" of course.
Part 3: Aura Gone Trail.
We made it into Portland late Monday night. Joanne Hodges, Poptopia organizer and all around nice person graciously invited us to stay at her house. Our only scheduled show in Portland was an instore at Music Millennium. By doing this show we were entitled to a 30% employee discount so I took the opportunity to pick up the 1999 re-release of the classic Run DMC album "Raising Hell". The most amusing part of the instore for me was when some guy handed CvS a copy of "Rugby Train" and asked him to autograph it.
Later that night we were invited to sit in at Brian Berg's Tuesday night residency at the Buffalo Gap. As is the tradition on the last night of the tour, we picked a volunteer drummer from the audience and rocked out. We played right after a guy whose claim to fame was writing "Private Eyes" for Hall and Oates.
By the way, the press people managed to spell CvS's name wrong in every single city. Orcas Island referred to him as Chris Sneidern, while in Portland he is apparently known as C. Von Sneiderman.
I'll have pictures up soon.
KHOI-SAN
