OK, so something I missed from Ottawa, I started getting texts from Mrs. Tedious checking to see if I was OK, if the show had been cancelled... I asked why and apparently she had heard on the news that the mayor had declared a State of Emergency and the Forces were sending 400 some odd troops to assist. News to me, although I suspect maybe the locals knew, the only alerts I got over my cell were for two different child abductions...
But parts of Ontario and Quebec had been, may still be, going through some pretty serious flooding, I was pretty sure I had a photo of it, and I'll double check my phone in case it didn't backup from there. But the water was pretty close, not to the bridge decks so much as flooding the abutments.
So there were questions marks, we know the venue is on high ground, and the place we had offered to us to stay as well, but the discussion started, should we just dead head after the show, that ended up being the consensus decision, so the roadie slept during the show.
The roadie for anyone wondering was getting paid, it made sense, he's a friend of all of ours, but we tried a less formal arrangement and it wasn't smooth, say pay X, with specific expectations and specific days off and it worked a treat. Particularly coming home.
So on arrival in Montreal, there first order of business is food. I don't know how many are familiar with the city, and specifically Schwartz's, which has traditionally been our destination of choice...Not this time. This time we went to the Main Deli, which is across and down the street aways.
Frankly, I think we'll keep going to the Main, the only thing I missed from Schwartz's was the olives, and the pickles were better at Schwartz's but the slaw...:
The price point was lower as well, and we didn't have to line up outside waiting, nor share a table, which is usually the case at Schwartz's and the line certainly was on this occassion.
From there, it was off to meet the bass player from Grit, who we will see later, but first a picture of Scott and Nat with your's truly:
This was at Nat's place, which she generously volunteers to us every time we play there, it's a few blocks from the venue, Nat stays with Scott that night. They feed us, they lay in a few beers, so after lunch, pickup Scott, head to Nat's, some folk nap, some have a beer, some head to the Dep (short for Dépanneur - basically a convenience store, just in Quebec, the convenience stores sell beer and wine, well the Dep generally does) to stock up on beer and cigarettes (the show was also BYOB, although they would happily sell you beer as well). Quebec tends to have the lowest 'Sin Taxes' in the country so...
Dinner has usually been Vegetarian Chili and was again, I have no problem with the dish, but I eat meat, and Chili is our word.
So Venue and opening band in the next post.
