Thanks to Zac’s mom’s Jeep we made it to NYC and back with no problems. It was quite possibly the most relaxing trip we’ve had. Zac, Cushman, and I left bright and early with plans to see the city before the show.
We arrived in Manhattan around 4:30pm and drove in circles looking for Ground Zero. I love my Garmin, but sometimes it’s just a pain. We gave up pretty quickly and headed for Arlene’s to load in.
The show was great. Arlene’s has amazing sound. We got to meet up with our buddy Bryan from Indie On The Move. You should check out his site btw. It’s a great resource for Indie Bands that are touring, as well as for venues looking for bands.
After the show we ventured a few blocks north to catch Kate Tucker playing a free show at 11th St Bar.
Though we had made plans to catch the city in the morning, we ended up sleeping in, grabbed some delicious bagel sandwiches from “Bagel Works” and headed back to Akron.
We’ve posted some new pictures from the trip. Check them out here.
I just got word from my friend David that our song was used in a Promotional Video for an independent documentary called “Driven on Reels”. The documentary is about 4 film school graduates and their trip from Orlando to L.A. following their dreams of working in show business. The new trailer is up at the the Driven On Reels site, as well as on YouTube. And yes, the song on the promo is from a backlog of demos from summer of 2006. Check it out.
It was definitely an interesting night in Pittsburgh at the Smiling Moose.
Starting with what has become a tour tradition of stopping 10 miles out of town to fix something on the station wagon. Last night the muffler of the old 95 toyota corolla wasn’t doin so hot. We tried to tie it up before we left, but with little luck we decided we could make it to Pittsburgh and back as is. Boy were we wrong.
Cushman, JCK, and I were driving the toyota while Zac followed behind with his wife. I get a call a few miles outside of Akron that my tailpipe is definitely sparking and dragging on the ground. I pull over when the grinding noise becomes too loud to ignore. We tried a coat hanger at first. It only took 5 minutes and we patted ourselves on the back for our genius repair. We made it all of 500 when the familiar sound of 15 year old metal sparking and grinding along the asphalt road pierced through the night.
This time we found an old bungie. I layed down on the wet asphalt, and wedged my hand between the tire and wheel well while Cushman held up the muffler with his foot. 3 good wraps around the tailpipe and tie-rod later we were off again, but wait. . .I left my lights on without the engine running. The battery was dead.
Thankfully we had 2 cars and were able to jump the toyota relatively quickly after unpacking the trunk in search of jumper cables. Off again we go.
About an hour later, just West of the WV, OH border I get a call from Zac again, warning me that the muffler is hanging on like a 6 years olds loose front tooth. Just a few more pulls and the muffler fairy would be paying us a visit. 2 Miles down the road we started to hear it again. That 15 year old muffler skipping across the pavement like a stone on water, and then it happened. It broke loose! Hanging by the coat hanger alone, we dragged that muffler down the highway like a can behind a newly weds limo.
Pulling over one more time, we made the split decision to go ahead and cut the hanger, and well. . .we plead the fifth as to what happened next.
With no muffler and an hour left to drive, it was surprising how little of a difference the noise of the engine was. It turns out that the rusted holes may have actually amplified the sound of the engine rather than muffle anything at all.
We made the rest of the trip without a hitch (well actually, considering the content of this post i may want to clarify that the hitch actually stayed with the car).
The gig was a blast. We met some cool bands, some of whom enjoyed giving us a hard time for our total un-punk rockness. But we had a good time, and would like to thank Atlas for having us out.
One day, some higher-up at a prestigious beverage company turns to his buddy and says. “You know what Fred, remember that 3.2 beer we used to buy when we were in high school?”
“Yeah, that stuff tasted like dirty water. Why do you ask?” says Fred.
“Well, how much do you want to bet I could put it back on the market and get people in their 40’s to actually buy it!”
Fred laughs. “Ha, you’re on. No one of the legal age would buy that watered down junk.”
And so was the birth of MGD 64, and Bud Select 55.
Hey Ya’ll. So we haven’t been blogging (well I haven’t been blogging lately) so I thought that I would catch you up on what’s been going on over the past month or so.
As you may or may not know, while Dolson has started very much as a solo endeavor, it was never my intention to remain a solo act. We’ve been working hard to put a solid band together for a year now, and I think we seem to have stumbled on something that’s pretty great. The last 2 shows, Philly, and NYC, were the first shows of many with the new line up. JCK, (Maid Myriad, Apres Vous) is playing Guitar, Zac Hall (Chasing Chariots) is tearing it up on the drums, and Andrew Cushman (Blush, End Times Band) is layin down the bass. The 4 of us traveled for the first time together out of state in my 15 year old station wagon pulling a 1/2 ton trailer filled with gear and Coke Zero. For those of you who don’t know of my Coke Zero addiction, it has recently caused much pain and frustration as the freezing weather caused the cans to explode all over everyone’s luggage but mine. haha. sorry guys.
Well we’re back in Akron for a bit, but gearing up to hit the road again in less than a week for Pittsburgh and NYC, but we’re most excited about our next show back in Akron. We’ll be opening up for one of our favorite bands Green River Ordinance at Musica on February 18. If you were at the Album Release show in November, you know that the place was packed. We really appreciate your support for making that night amazing, and. . .well we want to do it again. Here’s how you can help. Advanced tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster. Here’s the link. Order your tickets now and help us pack that place again!
Oh, and while you’re waiting for your ticket sales to process, check out these highlights from last week.
Here’s Zac repacking the trailer on a highway exit ramp. We heard the tires rubbing on the wheel wells, so we figured we might need a little better weight distribution.
JCK pullin a DiCaprio somewhere off the Penna Turn Pike
Murph’s “A Comfortable Place To Be”
Gettin schooled on our nations history. Did you know the Liberty Bell is like 260 years old! Geez.
Yeah, that’s a Marlin.
Strawberry Fields Forever.
leaving Manhattan, just before JCK hit a cop with the trailer
Velvet Paintings!? This truck stop had everything!
Thanks again to all of you who came out to the shows in Philly and NYC. A Special thanks to Mr. Santos, Nat, Lyndsay, and friends, for showing us such tremendous hospitality. It was great meeting all of you.
