(I wrote this when we first got back from playing at the Athens Popfest. I posted it on MySpace, but totally forgot to put it here as well. Sorry. I’ve been really busy. But I love you. Really.)
It’s now very early into Monday morning. I’ve just returned from our “four day, two state tour”, which was quite wonderful. Many of my qualms about touring have flown out of the window, and while there are still logistical issues out the wazoo for going “on the road” for extended periods of time, I’m very excited about doing it again quite soon, hopefully. Even though I somehow returned home with about a million more aches and pains than I’ve ever experienced in my life, it was worth every second.
Chris and I set out on Thursday to the faraway land of Maitland, Florida to partake in a “Road To Nerdapalooza” show. We played with the very nice Magitek and the superfun RPG. The club was very nice with some of the cleanest restrooms I have ever seen in my life. It took me awhile to “wake up” onstage, but once I did, I think we played pretty well. The crowd seemed to enjoy it as well.
SETLIST FOR COPPER ROCKET, MAITLAND, FL, 8/14/08:
Hot Topic Kids
Stuck With Me
What The Hell Were You On?
All My Drug Use Is Accidental
Born Vintage
Jessica, I Heard You Like The Who
Honda Civic Paint Rocket
Blowjob Queen
Laura, I Need Medicine
Nerdy Girls (solo)
Life’s So Hard (solo)
ENCORE:
Breakin’ Out
Then we packed up and spent an entire day in a very tightly packed car, heading off to Athens, GA. We learned many things on that first day in transit, probably most notably that Lamar might be the greatest billboard company in the history of billboard companies. We also found that gas is much cheaper in Georgia and that Chris’s car is a force to be reckoned with. When we arrived in Athens late that night, we quickly ran over to the 40 Watt to catch Fishboy’s final performance of their Albatross rock opera, which kinda blew us away.
On the second day we did some record shopping and also discovered that food at Huddle House is much better than you’d ever imagine. I especially recommend the chicken fried steak. But… around dinner time, people started pouring back into the downtown strip for the final day of the Athens Popfest, and it was time for us to play…
Our set was at the Flicker Theater, which got more and more packed with each consecutive song we did. We were very flattered by the reception, and the oddest part was looking out into the crowd and seeing so many people that have made records that I adore looking back at us and bopping along. In the front row, my line of sight consisted of our pal John Thomason, his friend Paul, Nate from Cars Can Be Blue (yup), Eric from Fishboy (yup), Jason Nesmith (yup), and someone I’d never seen in my entire life that seemed to know all of the new songs by heart. It was a short set, but we were treated so warmly that I simply can’t wait to go back and play there again. The fact that we threw Pop Tarts into the crowd probably didn’t hurt either. Athens might just be my favorite town that I’ve ever stepped foot into.
SETLIST FOR ATHENS POPFEST, ATHENS, GA, 8/16/08:
Classic Country Wasn’t Multitracked In ‘61
All My Drug Use Is Accidental
Stuck With Me
Born Vintage
Jessica, I Heard You Like The Who
Nerdy Girls (solo)
I’m In Love With Everyone I Know (solo)
We quickly packed up our relatively small setup and watched Hot Lava’s set. I just played their record and I love it. After some rest and some dinner, Chris and i made it back to the fest to see Pipes You See Pipes You Don’t, Andy From Denver, and what seemed like an onstage meltdown during Circulatory System… but maybe that was just my imagination. We were absolutely exhausted, so we went back to the hotel, missing Elf Power and The Music Tapes in the process. I also read that Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel fame was in the building, but… I’ll believe it when I see some evidence. i certainly didn’t run into him, if that report from Three Imaginary Girls was true.
On the drive home, we waved a teary goodbye to the warm embrace of Athens, found a Huddle House in Macon, tried to find some non-existant flea markets, and saw a billboard for the “Crime & Punishment Museum” – which also housed the “Last Meal Cafe”. We tried to go to it, even though we had bellies filled with Huddle House goodness… but to no avail.
Even though I’ve somehow become so sore that every move seems regrettable afterwards… if this is touring, I’ll take it. Creatively, I feel rejuvenated, and I’m excited to get back to working on new songs. I’m excited to play some more pop songs with Chris on Friday with Cars Can Be Blue in Orlando. I just feel very, very lucky in general. I’m happy to be at home with my family now, but I also can’t wait to get back onto a highway to play some more concerts.
Now, I’m off to watch a DVD of Baby Snakes and get some much needed rest. Then I’m gonna see a damned chiropractor. Hope to see you all soon!
Love,
Marc
