Tour Diary 2019 - TSWYCSOT

[tedious1]

So we are going to start with Grit:

Best description, Math Punk. It wasn't Metal, it had all the hall marks of Math Metal, but under the hood, it was Math presentation of Punk riffs, and not especially Hardcore Punk riffs. I enjoyed, but I'm eclectic, I listen to literally everything, even some Pop/EDM stuff, but only from the guy who sucked me into punk in the first place...although, in all fairness, he was equally into New Wave, and I suppose it's one way for a drummer to get off the training pad... (seesome damn previous post for all-in-fun-deragotory drum carpet reference).

You may have noticed the haze, yes, that is the cigarette smoke in the bar, yes it's an underground venue, yes that's why I don't have any exterior posts, and limited interior posts. I think a previous tour diary, the 2016 edition would include some exterior shots. Not much has changed, but this time the load in was in the rain.
The last two shots are kids up on the 'balcony' over the stage, which I took some photos from, and always get a kick out of. Sometimes floor level shots have legs and feet in them.
Ok two more bands, on the bill, one before us, one after, so... two posts, methinks.

EDIT, one more picture of Grit:

 

[tedious1]

Next up:

Wow, lots of stories here, we've played with these guys in their home-town, ours and various locations between. After this show, they all left for Europe (with a 4-way split LP that we are on...awfully canny of us if I say so myself...). Wawa, the bass player, not the town in Ontario, had, may still have a folk punk act called Hard Up that was really good. That's how I met Scott from Grit, he was subbing in Hard Up, and they stopped through on their tour for showers, toilets, some food and beverages.

One more post for Montreal, but first Mrs. Tedious wants to see the pics to date.

 

[DirtDog]

OK,

Sorry about the long delay, I'll let the narrative handle it as we go.

But it *IS* much easier to do this from my home computer than a tablet or phone...

Right, onwards, TARG in Ottawa, the exterior:
View attachment 3402177View attachment 3402178
View attachment 3402179
Then the entryway and general interior:
View attachment 3402180 View attachment 3402181
View attachment 3402183 View attachment 3402184 For Matt and I, The Promised Land:
View attachment 3402185The stage, note the 2x4 in front of the kick, despite the carpet. There must be a lot of serious heavy hitters out here...
View attachment 3402186 View attachment 3402187House rig, usually I play every rig I come across, and this is not the same head that was at the venue last time, but apart from the YBA, which is now full up GAS, but I digress, I've largely played my own head, I may use the house cabs, but...
View attachment 3402188
The opening band, The Lindbergh Babies:
View attachment 3402189 View attachment 3402191 View attachment 3402192 View attachment 3402193 View attachment 3402194
@DirtDog these folks are local to you, not that my questionable photography skills are going to help identify anyone... I rather enjoyed their set, and Dan (our singer) knows someone in the band, although I'll be damned if I ever did find out who.

Staying chronological, dinner at the venue:
View attachment 3402190
4 perogies covered in Montreal smoked meat, swiss cheese and a pretty decent mustard, pickle on the side.

Hit the photo limit so, next post.

Hells yah! TARG perogies! Excellent choice. Don’t know those guys - I’m a little older and play the country scene mostly out in the Valley towns.

But I did go to school down the street (Carleton) and lived in that hood for a number of years - right across the street from TARG to be precise!

 

[bassboysam]

The house amp is an SVT VR which is being repaired. long overdue, it has sounded like absolute garbage for the past 2 years. i always bring my own amps to Targ but use the house cab.

OK,

Sorry about the long delay, I'll let the narrative handle it as we go.

But it *IS* much easier to do this from my home computer than a tablet or phone...

Right, onwards, TARG in Ottawa, the exterior:
View attachment 3402177View attachment 3402178
View attachment 3402179
Then the entryway and general interior:
View attachment 3402180 View attachment 3402181
View attachment 3402183 View attachment 3402184 For Matt and I, The Promised Land:
View attachment 3402185The stage, note the 2x4 in front of the kick, despite the carpet. There must be a lot of serious heavy hitters out here...
View attachment 3402186 View attachment 3402187House rig, usually I play every rig I come across, and this is not the same head that was at the venue last time, but apart from the YBA, which is now full up GAS, but I digress, I've largely played my own head, I may use the house cabs, but...
View attachment 3402188
The opening band, The Lindbergh Babies:
View attachment 3402189 View attachment 3402191 View attachment 3402192 View attachment 3402193 View attachment 3402194
@DirtDog these folks are local to you, not that my questionable photography skills are going to help identify anyone... I rather enjoyed their set, and Dan (our singer) knows someone in the band, although I'll be damned if I ever did find out who.

Staying chronological, dinner at the venue:
View attachment 3402190
4 perogies covered in Montreal smoked meat, swiss cheese and a pretty decent mustard, pickle on the side.

Hit the photo limit so, next post.

 

[tedious1]

looks like my kinda crowd!

The house amp is an SVT VR which is being repaired. long overdue, it has sounded like absolute garbage for the past 2 years. i always bring my own amps to Targ but use the house cab.

Ahh, I got bad info then, six of one, half dozen of the other, I used the VT and iNuke, I got it copping the YBA-200 tone (guess who is GASsing) or as close as it will get, so I wasn't deviating from there.

Hells yah! TARG perogies! Excellent choice. Don’t know those guys - I’m a little older and play the country scene mostly out in the Valley towns.

But I did go to school down the street (Carleton) and lived in that hood for a number of years - right across the street from TARG to be precise!

Then I guess I should bring up Lucky Ron? Presuming I got the handle right, my singer did his Journalism internship out in Ottawa and he spent a lot of time at the LaFayette watching him.

I really like Ottawa, we've had... uneven luck with shows, our first tour, many lineups (i.e. pre-Matt) in 2008 we played somewhere whose name I forget, but they did Punk and Pizza, or vice versa, and Four Stroke was also on the bill, but in 2014, it fell through, despite the best efforts of a lot of folks in the scene to try and find somewhere. We stayed with Matt's family and got spoiled...so...cut the losses. 2015, we found TARG. 2016, we couldn't make it work, and 2017 we had hiatus, and last year was short, on the left coast with the Ripcordz.

Since I'm here, the last band from Montreal? Since they are listed as a Montreal band (none of them live there anymore) and they just took possession of their brand new shiny album:

OK.

More to come, but Mrs. Tedious is done work, and I have been on the road. I'm not going to get too ahead of the narrative, but dinner awaits, and well, I will have a sudden uptake of energy about a set before set-time...

 

[DirtDog]

Ahh, I got bad info then, six of one, half dozen of the other, I used the VT and iNuke, I got it copping the YBA-200 tone (guess who is GASsing) or as close as it will get, so I wasn't deviating from there.



Then I guess I should bring up Lucky Ron? Presuming I got the handle right, my singer did his Journalism internship out in Ottawa and he spent a lot of time at the LaFayette watching him.

I really like Ottawa, we've had... uneven luck with shows, our first tour, many lineups (i.e. pre-Matt) in 2008 we played somewhere whose name I forget, but they did Punk and Pizza, or vice versa, and Four Stroke was also on the bill, but in 2014, it fell through, despite the best efforts of a lot of folks in the scene to try and find somewhere. We stayed with Matt's family and got spoiled...so...cut the losses. 2015, we found TARG. 2016, we couldn't make it work, and 2017 we had hiatus, and last year was short, on the left coast with the Ripcordz.

Since I'm here, the last band from Montreal? Since they are listed as a Montreal band (none of them live there anymore) and they just took possession of their brand new shiny album:
View attachment 3402446 View attachment 3402447 View attachment 3402448 View attachment 3402449 View attachment 3402450 View attachment 3402451 View attachment 3402452 View attachment 3402453 View attachment 3402454
OK.

More to come, but Mrs. Tedious is done work, and I have been on the road. I'm not going to get too ahead of the narrative, but dinner awaits, and well, I will have a sudden uptake of energy about a set before set-time...

Oh, yeah, Lucky Ron - seen him perform a bunch of times at the Laf, the Downstairs Club, Irene’s, etc over the last couple of decades. Always a hell of a time!

Aside from TARG, the originals/indie/punk/hardcore scene usually finds audiences at Mavericks, Cafe Dekcuf, Dominion Tavern, Live on Elgin...I’m sure there’s a few more.

BTW, great write up and pics in this thread! Been enjoying it immensely.

 

[tedious1]

Oh, yeah, Lucky Ron - seen him perform a bunch of times at the Laf, the Downstairs Club, Irene’s, etc over the last couple of decades. Always a hell of a time!

Aside from TARG, the originals/indie/punk/hardcore scene usually finds audiences at Mavericks, Cafe Dekcuf, Dominion Tavern, Live on Elgin...I’m sure there’s a few more.

BTW, great write up and pics in this thread! Been enjoying it immensely.

Thanks for the tips! I'll pass that info along to Matt.

 

[tedious1]

OK, so we're on to Oshawa, another favorite place, mostly this guy:

Meet Boneless, who I've shared stages with now in both his and our home towns, as he took the drummer spot for Random Killing. The first time I shared a stage with him he was playing bass, but that's a long story. Boneless is another one that promotes, puts us up, feeds us, let's us defile his laundry appliances. Frequently he'll invite one of the opening bands over before the show, a little more networking without having to compete with the bar sounds.
His home is always well stocked with toilet paper as well, having done the same kind of tours himself, he really has a good grip on the priorities...

The outside of the venue:

And on to the inside:

The opening band:

I should think y'all are fairly well acquainted with these jokers by now...

The second act, well, they had no merch, but go by E.L.E. (Everyone loves Everybody or something similar. Pretty eclectic, but really tight and solid:

Third band:

Tight stage for that many guys, but they pulled it off with no casualties. Pretty solid act, and nice guys, a couple of them showed up in Hamilton the next day.

We played, fourth on a five band bill, IMHO, the cat-bird seat. The headliner dates back to 1982, and they are the next post.

 

[tedious1]

In the last shot, you can see our singer Dan, he's belting out one of the choruses for one of the songs, I put my phone away, walked back to the merch/pool table and turned around just as the singer of Random Killing stuck the mic in his face to sing one of the verses as well. Dan is a bit of a fan...

This was a really fun night, but strange. The GM plant is shutting down, slowly but surely, and the whole strip along King was just muted and not what we're used to. As far as I know, there wasn't even any displays of fisticuffs by the local on the street, something we had grown accustomed to. Boneless was also pissing and moaning that none of the usual suspects came out, some of the guys we'd played with previously mostly, but the show did fine, we got paid, sold a bunch of merch.

One last show on the tour, I'm going to save that for tomorrow. The pace seems more natural, even though I was much delayed getting a lot of this up. As you can see, the later part of tour we spend mostly with good friends, so I put the tablet it away, never mind it was driving me around the bend, and basically hung and socialized. Boneless had Random Killing over, and also put up the Whiskey crew. We had evacuated Montreal after the show, so we showed up at his place first thing in the morning, most of us just crashed out for a few hours, but the rest of the day was spent with old friends and making new ones over beers and huge meal.

Anyways, Hamilton tomorrow and I'll wrap this diary up.

 

[tedious1]

OK, so the last show, I know I have a lot of favorite shows, but Sunday Slamfest...
Anyways, we left Oshawa early, Matt and Dan wanted to see folk, the rest of us wanted to eat, so we left the van at the venue and walked up to the Pheasant Plucker for brunch:

Breakfast poutine, pan fries, gravy, bacon, cheese (unfortunately, not cheese curds, but I digress) and poached egg, marble rye toast on the side. Pretty good, with the exception of the missing curds...

The outside of the venue:

Loading door for gear, the entrance is through the patio area.

Under the sign, then down the other (non-entry side) of the building:

Interior, starting with the stage:

Looking back from the stage:

I got fixated on the bar and wall, and didn't tke a good shot of the back, instead zooming to the back wall, probably because I was delighted to notice a pinball machine there, one of the few I can beat Matt at with some regularity.

And looking back across the room from the back wall:

First band, Ditchbanger:

The bass rig is the house rig, same series Hartke cabs, so one presumes Hartke did the math. I again deferred to my own rack over the house amp, but I have played this one before and found it...sterile.

20 picture limit, so, new post.

 

[tedious1]

Alrighty then so after Ditchbanger I went back outside and shot this:

This of course, is so that I get the bands right... So this is Abrasive Measures:

Both of the opening bands were really good 3 piece acts, actually all three of the opening bands were 3 piece acts and all were really good, although very different acts.

Before we move on to the next band, found someone in the bar. Note, I check with the parent/guardian to make sure it's cool, and usually I try to take pictures that don't get faces of the kids...this was a pointless waste of effort as you will see:

Then, I remembered, I didn't shoot the green area, Our armory for the show:

Remember the door that read "This Ain't the Entrance"? That's it, and no, I don't know why we don't load through it.

Everything is "This Ain't"

Father/Son circle pit between bands:

During this intermission, I also noticed the BA Johnston is my weekend Dad sticker, I had to shoot it, so may as well include it. BA is one of a kind, and was on tour out West still at this point IIRC.

Third band, Candy Hangover, also the name of the singer (on the left) the band will get it's own & The ... when they pick one, it's been a bit of a tough road for her to find a solid lineup.

So I guess I didn't have to worry about taking a picture of the kids face...

You've already met the little blur at the bottom of the shot, he was also the one man pit when we were playing.

One more post, and done.

 

[tedious1]

Which brings us to the last band, we again got to play fourth, more on that after the photos, with this being their fourth outing with us...

You probably notice one conspicuous absence, Mongo, their singer. His voice started going after Friday's show in Montreal. Dan used to have the problem, so he kept feeding him lozenges and ssshhhhhing him when he started to talk, but in the end, Saturday did him in, but they have a set worth that they can do as a three piece, so, they went with it.

The boys flew out to the coast the next day, unfortunately Mongo's ID showed up too late so his flight was pushed back 24 hours, but his voice needed it, and he made the rest of their shows out West. A lot of fun to play a bunch with these guys, and we may well figure out how to do something out our way, now that everyone's ID is sorted...

The promoter generally has put us up in the past when we've gone through, and fed us as well, but we had been getting reports from home that they got pounded with snow, and more reports that it was coming to meet us, and we did have the shield, which was still fairly cold when we came through... So we hit the road right after the show, dead-heading home. We had intended a more leisurely pace, but we did have a finite limit before some of had to go back to work, yours truly included. So 30 something hours driving time, breaks for food and facilities along the way, and home.

I did get this shot, woke up, not sure where, but I think Dryden, we stopped to eat, and before I started driving, took this picture. When you tell the GPS to take you home, it doesn't matter where you are, just where you gotta go to get there.

In any case, we arrived in Calgary early Monday morning, although the last load out, I tweaked something in my hip lifting the drummers stand bag into the van, driving was ok, front seat was ok, first row seat though is pretty much shot and it was torture trying to sit there, so rotations got screwed up, but whatever. It may well be something we can grab at a wreckers cheap enough, presuming we keep the thing. There have been conversations around looking to see what a new van (to us) is going to run, and what we might reasonably expect to fetch for ours.

Another story for another time, the tour diary after it happens, if it does... Suffice to say, I got home safe and sound to Mrs. Tedious' cabbage rolls which are as good an end to a diary as I can think of.

Thanks guys for following along, we might do a little road trip later in the year, left-coast, but we'll have to see who we can swindle into coming out...

 

[tedious1]

UPDATE:

I got pinged by Matt last night after I crashed, it very much looks like I'll get another chance to polish my tour diary skills in August! Either Ripcordz, or Artificial Dissemination, I sincerely hope Matty doesn't get ambitious and try both!

See you in the forums!

 

[BassCliff]

Hi @tedious1,

You sure do play some interesting places with lots of character. That was a fun romp through the country. I'm glad you made it home safely. I'll be looking forward to your August trip.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[tedious1]

Hi @tedious1,

You sure do play some interesting places with lots of character. That was a fun romp through the country. I'm glad you made it home safely. I'll be looking forward to your August trip.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

I've said it before, I will probably say it again, Thank You, your Gig reports got this idea germinating for me, and I keep trying to attain the consistency you seem to hit flawlessly, particularly on the food and crowd and venue. One thing I keep meaning, but always forget to do, is shoot the crowd from stage (after suitable prompting for effect...).

Be all that as it is, everyone who enjoys these threads can thank BassCliff, he inspired them, and I know he has inspired some others to try, and I encourage everyone who has read a BassCliff thread, or one of mine, to try it! It's fun, it gives a perspective from yourself on your gigs that comes from reflection after the fact, not just the reaction at the time...
...and this community is one that wants, and maybe even needs that affirmation that good Gigs still happen, and that the art of original music isn't dead (but you may need to change genre to get belly rubs for it...)

Thanks BassCliff again! Good luck to you in all your ventures! And may you get the same kudos from the others you've inspired to share their gig/tour experiences. (And if you were inpsired by another member yourself, this would be a good time to rat them out!)

 

[McG]

I thoroughly enjoyed virtually experiencing all those Canadian dive bars. Definitely some interesting places and cast of characters. You certainly had enough stairs to last a while. Looking forward to your August run too!

Be all that as it is, everyone who enjoys these threads can thank BassCliff, he inspired them, and I know he has inspired some others to try, and I encourage everyone who has read a BassCliff thread, or one of mine, to try it! It's fun, it gives a perspective from yourself on your gigs that comes from reflection after the fact, not just the reaction at the time...

That is such a true statement. It was Cliff's reports that inspired me to toss mine in. We have such a diverse community here. So many genres and types of venues. I truly enjoy reading all of them. Thanks for sharing yours!!

 

[Sore Thumb]

I've said it before, I will probably say it again, Thank You, your Gig reports got this idea germinating for me, and I keep trying to attain the consistency you seem to hit flawlessly, particularly on the food and crowd and venue. One thing I keep meaning, but always forget to do, is shoot the crowd from stage (after suitable prompting for effect...).

Be all that as it is, everyone who enjoys these threads can thank BassCliff, he inspired them, and I know he has inspired some others to try, and I encourage everyone who has read a BassCliff thread, or one of mine, to try it! It's fun, it gives a perspective from yourself on your gigs that comes from reflection after the fact, not just the reaction at the time...
...and this community is one that wants, and maybe even needs that affirmation that good Gigs still happen, and that the art of original music isn't dead (but you may need to change genre to get belly rubs for it...)

Thanks BassCliff again! Good luck to you in all your ventures! And may you get the same kudos from the others you've inspired to share their gig/tour experiences. (And if you were inpsired by another member yourself, this would be a good time to rat them out!)

Thanks so much for sharing. I really enjoyed seeing the people and places. It looked like a lot of work for a lot of fun. I'm glad you made it home safe, as you put on a lot of miles in a short amount of time.
I totally agree on how you feel about gig reports. I really enjoy the retrospection of looking back at the night. I always end up thinking I should've taken a picture of this or that. I too am greatly appreciative of the example that BassCliff has given us. I enjoy all the gig reports and like hearing what's going on in other corners of this world.