Touch of Grey

Makeshift tour journal;
Day 0: Wake up early after not a ton of sleep and drive through ceaseless rain from Michigan to New York City. Eat indian feast with Sellwood and Dan and then pass out on Sellwood's floor for as long as possible.

Day 1: New York. Great to be walking around, hanging out and seeing all the people that I love and have missed so much. The rain is still constant, but I get to hang with a bunch of friends before, during and after the show, which feels amazing and lucky.

The show is incredible. I was really nervous about this one because I like all the bands playing so much, I just want it to go well and be a good time for everyone. I think this happened. Despite the complete shit weather, it being a Monday night, and Passover, at that, a sizable crowd still came thru, and everyone played really well. I am beyond grateful and happy.

Love Of Everything

Drawlings

Soft Circle

Day 2: More relentless rain, all day. I wake up early after a super late night and go check out the Grateful Dead exhibit at the NY Historical Society museum. It's pretty cool, but not that extensive. They do have the life-size skeleton puppets from the "Touch Of Grey" video, but the museum dude yells at me when I try to take a photo. Oh well, I will get by. (sorry.).. We drive to Philly and hang out a little bit before an early show at Danger Danger gallery. This space is awesome and all the organizers and bands are wonderful people. For a miserably grey Tuesday night, the show is not bad.

Helen came out and helped us put together our tour tapes, which I had dubbed and made covers for, but didn't assemble before tour.

We stayed at her house, and one of the people she works with lives next door and has an extensive collection of Smiths and Morrissey memorabilia, including gold records from all 7 Smiths LPs, all the posters from the 12"s and even a signed cereal box prop from Moz's "Alma Matters" video. My day was bookended with exhibits on two of my favorite bands. How often does that happen?

more springtime waves of joy

bunnies/booze

body holographic

sweater from mom (thanks mom!)

double dina

Get In The Mini-Van

Me and Ryan are driving down the 80/90 right now. I just hooked up our mobile internet jam, which means, yes, I am liveblogging in a car driving thru Ohio in a rainstorm. Following a few weekends of out-of-town jams and a hectic WCBN fundraiser show in Ann Arbor last night, our tour has officially begun. It's likely that long drives will result in endless blog posts, but for now, here are all of our tour dates for the next month. Please come out and say hi if we come thru your area. Much more to follow.

City Center Sprang/Sprung Tour 2010
03.29 Mon Brooklyn, New York. Death By Audio w/ Soft Circle, Drawlings, Love of Everything
03.30 Tue Philadelphia, PA. Danger Danger Gallery
03.31 Wed Washington, DC. DC9 w/ Ribbons
04.01 Thu Fredericksburg, Virginia. Chidester House w/ Everybody Yay
04.02 Fri Columbus, Ohio. Bourbon St
04.03 Sat Chicago, Illinois. Hideout w/ Joan Of Arc powertrio
04.04 Sun Grand Rapids, Michigan. DAAC
04.05 Mon Detroit, Michigan. Lager House w/ High Places (Free show!)
04.06 Tue Minneapolis, Minnesota. First-Avenue
04.08 Thu Missoula, Montana. Zootown Arts Community Center
04.09 Fri Seattle, Washington. Comet Tavern
04.10 Sat Portland, Oregon. East End w/ White Rainbow
04.11 Sun Olympia, Washington. Northern
04.12 Mon Salem, Oregon. The Space
04.13 Tue Eureka, California. Nocturnum
04.14 Wed San Jose, California. Blank Club
04.15 Thu Oakland, CA. TBA
04.16 Fri San Francisco, California. Hemlock Tavern
04.17 Sat Los Angeles, California. Spaceland
04.18 Sun San Diego, California. Bar Pink
04.19 Mon Isla Vista, California. Biko Garage
04.20 Tue Phoenix, Arizona. Trunk Space
04.21 Wed Santa Fe, New Mexico. High Mayhem
04.22 Thu Lubbock, Texas. Bash Riprocks
04.23 Fri Austin, Texas. Mohawk (3rd Annual Psych Fest!!)
04.24 Sat Denton, Texas Rubbergloves
04.27 Tue Lawrence, Kansas. Replay Lounge
04.28 Wed University City, MO. Cicero's
04.29 Thu Bloomington, Indiana. The Bishop
04.30 Fri Detroit, Michigan. Majestic Cafe w/ Harlem, Johnny Ill Band

springtime, coming in waves, second wave (watch me 9000)

R.I.P. Alex Chilton. You did so much.

Two shows this weekend, then monster tour begins next weekend and goes until May. If you're in Philly or Ithaca, come say hello! We play:

FRIDAY, MARCH 19: SWARTHMORE COLLEGE, OLDE CLUB
500 COLLEGE, AVENUE. SWARTHMORE, PA.
with MOUNTAINS
ALL AGES, 10PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 20: GIVING TREE CAFE
310 Stewart Avenue, Ithaca, New York 14850
with Niao and Spiral Bodies
18+, 10 PM

springtime, coming in waves (first wave)

just back from an intense four-day weekend of shows in chicago, pontiac and cleveland. so rad to be in motion again, feels like a forward motion. i somehow got no photos of our show with ted leo in michigan on friday night, or our zip to and from cleveland on saturday, but documented moments notwithstanding, it was all amazing. thanks to summercats, afternoon naps, pharmacists, very truly yours, all the bands that played at the enemy show and everyone who put things together or put us up. so much more to come!

springtime colors. photo by sarah gardiner.

the afternoon before our second chicago show we stopped by coach house sounds and did a session. there set up is rad. they have bands set up and record to a 1/2" reel-to-reel tape machine in the basement of this carriage house and then put the sets up for free on the internet. our should go up before too long, we'll post a link when it does. these shrooms grew wild and stoney in the backyard.

my mind, essentialized

Also: i woke up the second day in Chicago about three hours before everyone else and read Henry Rollin's Black Flag memoir "Get In The Van" almost in it's entirety, skimming some entries. If you ever wanna have a weird day, do this. Shows, music, fighting and the world were apparently a lot different in the Black Flag days.

still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes

We're getting ready to embark on a bunch of scattered touring, followed by all of April on the road in the U.S. Some really really exciting shows coming up, starting tomorrow in Chicago. Please come check us out if you can! More info up very soon.

WED, MARCH 10:ENEMY (last minute venue change!)

1550 N. MILWAUKEE, CHICAGO IL.

with Running, Human Hands, Tiger Hatchery & Flower Man

All Ages, FREE/Donations/Buy some records

THURS, MARCH 11: SUBTERRANEAN

2011 W. NORTH AVE, CHICAGO IL.

with Very Truly Yours & Summercats

21 and up, $8.00

FRI, MARCH 12: PIKE ROOM

1 S. SAGINAW, PONTIAC MICHIGAN.

with Ted Leo & Pharmacists, Title Tracks.

All Ages, $15 day of, hopefully less in advance

SAT, MARCH 13: BEACHLAND BALLROOM

5711 WATERLOO RD, CLEVELAND OHIO.

with Afternoon Naps & Summercats

All Ages, $7.00 show starts at 7pm.

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Show #2

Swimsuit is jamming tonight with Daytime Television, second show for both bands. The show is taking place in my bedroom!!! If you're in Ypsilanti, come over, it's free and will be rad. And check out VC's new amazing video, above.

New Band: Child

Child is the name of some stuff I started working on this past summer. Fucked up tape-loop disintegration fuzz. Knox put out the first, self titled tape on his label Green Records & Tapes in an editon of 50 copies. More sounds/cassettes/etc coming from this project really soon. You can also download the whole thing here.

love a dolph!