Tour Diary 2019 - TSWYCSOT

TSWYCSOT = The Sixth Word You Can't Say On Television

Which is the only way I can give you the band name here...

After a years hiatus in 2017, while the singer did Spartan races (which is stupid, they don't run naked, and they aren't allowed to attack the other runners, that's not Sparta...) we broke with our usual eastern tour, and brought some friends from down east out to the left coast for a short tour in 2018.

This year we go back east.

Per the guitar player, we've already started tour, a few shows in nearby towns over the past couple weekends, but for me, it's not tour until the next drive is out of province, so the first four shows on the back of the tour shirt I'll be putting up later, don't count to me, but do to the guitar player, and he does most of the promo too.

But I'll digress into the general shortcomings of any musician who doesn't play bass if I stay on that tack so...

Kick off tonight at a local BBQ joint, the Palomino...
The Palomino

The Palomino does right by the talent, we'll be fed and watered, and they stepped up when the original venue for the show lost their entertainment license. The place has two floors and there is some kind of metal show going on the in basement, with a punk show upstairs, one admission gets you into either show or back and forth as you like. First time I think they've done this, and much appreciated... But, the owner also is big-time into pinball, so are the guitar player and I, and we spend much time at his pinball bar, and Matt (Guitar player) played in the league there. Networking isn't always at live music venues with bands folks...

I've been excreting bricks all week, I woke up Monday with a ferocious pain in my right wrist and thumb, I'm a predominantly pick player, but I couldn't hold a pick, and trying to play finger-style, too much pain... We have a sub, but he'd only have been able to cover the first show, maybe the second...

But I had a doctors appointment already set up yesterday to go over some test results (no bladder or kidney stones, no strange shadows or growths, Yay!) so I brought it up to him. His first take, was maybe gout, since there was swelling, redness and the area was warmer than it should. But he also sent me for an X-ray, but when he was examining my hand, he dug in pretty good at the base of the thumb, which was excruciating, followed by a little numb, followed by a weird almost tingling going up from the wrist to the shoulder. I've popped my shoulder a few times, and it was pretty much the same thing, so I guess I dislocated something in that area and the doc unwittingly fixed it. Today, full motion, no pain, but I've added Voltaren, A535, a microwavable hot compress and an ace bandage to the road kit.

Like I said I'll upload the back of the tour shirt later, but the towns we'll be hitting:
Calgary
Regina
Winnipeg
Thunder Bay
Sudbury
Toronto
Ajax
Ottawa
Montreal
Oshawa
Hamilton

This year, we decided not to do any prospecting other than Ajax, and we're dead-heading home after Hamilton.

But the best part of tour this year? It got me out of going to my brother-in-laws wedding, he's a phenomenal musician and composer, but infuriating in any other context, and being around him is a constant exercise in checking my tongue... However Mrs. Tedious is not so lucky, so she get's to fly to Vegas (which she hates, she doesn't gamble, and she could care less about the shopping, and more than a month out from Punk Rock Bowling...)

Anyways, time to stop slacking at work, I'll be posting photos later tonight, or more likely tomorrow from 'the road.'

 

So a bunch of exterior shots of the venue. My tablet is misbehaving, I'm gonna kick it over and try getting the rest up.

 

Moving on, some various interior shots:
Upstairs first




Stairwell

I realize now I shot the wrong angle for this shot, behind me the wall is papered with show posters.
Downstairs:



So I didn't get as many interior shots as I wanted but we were providing partial backline so, I was busy.

Small stage, small board upstairs, so kick and vocals in the mains, and carry the room boys. Honestly, punk shows can really shine in that format, the energy level is...different. Last night was one of those times.

I think Matt got a picture with these guys that were watching us load in. Older gentlemen, one of whom asked if we did a version of House Of New Orleans. Sorry gents, we might butcher Mama Tried, or train wreck Suicide (lost a guitar player that way) but, not too many standards in our playlist...

I have more to come, but load in beckons....

 

Wait, small city, no rush, first band:
No Brainer



So, the drummer is Tom, he subbed for Tim, or regular drummer one tour.

Oķ, now I have to go, more to come.

 

Wow, great nite, but I should finish up last nite...

Second band,

Oh yeah, this would be Cheap Beer, but back to the pics




Oķ, I'm falling behind, but I'm wiped and it's crash time.

Have to try and catch up tomorrow...

 

Ok back to it, Riefer Madness out of Edmonton:




And finally, Crystal Mess:

The set times up and down stairs:
More to come!

 

I managed to get some shots of Time Rift:



Yours truly, in my Time Rift/Road Rash tour shirt:

Shoulda shot video of the building across the street, nice light show:

Finally Dinner:
Things have changed, the meal is scaled back, the food is still great though. Frankly, I would be too full with the old meal plan, the sandwich was just the right amount. But, more beer on the rider so it evens out.

Overall a good show, I had put new GHS exposed cores on, but didn't realize the diameters had changed, just enough to get some unwanted fret buzz. Annoying for me, but no one else seemed to notice or care.

Cheap Beer left before getting paid, we got a hold of them, but they just ceded their packet to the cause. The venue itself was giving us a hard time, because we haven't played there in years...Long story there, mostly the old promoter, so I think we will make sure Cheap Beer rides the coat tails when we do. Nice to see a band that was worried they were running over time...

Crystal Mess reunited for this show, sounds like they are going to be a going proposition again, so more good news, the local scene always needs good bands. And Dave, their lead guitar player was one of the guys we had join us on stage for our anniversary show. He also plays in Mandible Klaw, who are playing the next two shows with us.

During our set, the metal show emptied, I have no idea what happened, but the guys in Villain were staring daggers at each other, and the lead guitar and singer nearly gave us a fisticuffs demonstration at the end of the nite. But with the metal kids streaming past the stage, our cover of Slave to the Grind was apropos.

The only real hitch of the nite was Tim ripping his snare head, but he has a second snare drum, and the tear happened on the first hit of the song, so, pretty tame problem.

Time for breakfast, then off to Winnipeg, and some posts from last night show.

 

Moving along, an art piece for y'all:

And I had to take a second shot of the tour shirt, the first had the band name a little too prominently for the moderators....

On to last night, we actually played The Club, which is the small venue at the Exchange.

The entrance is off an alley which has train tracks running along it


Green 'room'

A couple from the throne:

Small room, but we always play small room's here, and they generally work out well.


Matt is on the right, the other gentleman is Jason, who was the lead guitar player in Royal Red Brigade, who are no more. We did a bunch of shows with RRB back when, good to see J again.

Gonna post this now, before this tablet loses the post again...

 

Three band bill, starting Regina's own Bats Out!


The singer, Scott, and Dan (our singer) have one tattoo apiece, head to toe. Scott is also the huggiest guy you'll meet, at least until we get to Winnipeg...

The joke is when Scott and Dan hug, their tattoos make a Mad magazine fold out picture...

Bats' new bass player, and to my shame, his name escapes me, brought his son to the show

He got tired and found a piggy back later in the show:

Next post Mandible Klaw

 

Some of you may remember Mandible Klaw from last year's Western tour. They couldn't make the kick off, but they played last night in Regina and will be playing in Winnipeg tonight.

Steve, the singer, is the human amphetamine, constantly in motion, patrolling the stage, striding into the crowd, knocking stuff over. Silly bugger has a brad nail somewhere in his leg, docs can't get it out, and it's not slowing him down one bit.
Dave (also of Crystal Mess) on the left, he came up during our set to play No Way, which we did for the anniversary show, and not since...but we all pulled it off.

Steve doing the blur thing again...

Niall, the bass player, recently has become published, he's a phenomenal player as well. He and I frequently gear share, and during the Medecine Hat show warming up for tour, I broke my A string halfway through a song, Niall had his out of case, strapped up and waiting by the side of the stage by the time I finished demonstrating how bad I am at transposing on the fly...
He's also gear-inept, but we're working on that, ohm is now more than a transcendental meditation thing. Last night it was the function of the Range dial on his YBA 200.
Borrowed Niall's head last night. Dumb of me, tube bug got me again. I forget how much I like Traynor lead sleds. I don't know about touring, but I'm thinking for home, or short shots....stupid GAS...

Good shot of Mikey (drummer) and his brother Justin, and no I can't recall ever seeing them bickering.

Sorry @dbase dinner was just pizza, pretty good pizza, but one cheese covered pie looks much like any other cheese covered pie...

In the van at the moment, headed for Winnipeg, see for yourselves

We haven't found a new bobble head yet, but we will, and it will be mounted with the others, tradition.

Thanks for the distraction, the prairie drives can be

Rather monotonous...

Now I suppose I should mind my sewing, picked up some patches over the first couple shows, and they won't sew themselves to my kilt front panel....

 

Yep, more on that later, how about a quick shot of what is happening right now?