Sunday, May 2, 2010

Arrington Tour Days 5-7

So, after finishing my last blog we started out set and it went incredibly well! Nothing went wrong with the drum set and I was happy about my playing. The band actually sounded amazing in the coffee place. It was a huge warehouse with glass windows lining the walls, a few feet of bricks and then the ceiling was made of wood.

After the set I met Ryan, a friend of James Cunningham (he lives in NY... works at trader joe's... you know him). I mentioned we'd be interested in possibly doing a basement show that night as well, seeing as how our set was done just before 9pm. He said he could get the wheels rolling on it and I said "the night is young and I'm not tired".

We loaded up and headed to this house. It was a nice place and we hung out for a bit. I was playing in the music room and a larger man asked his friend, clearly in my face, "Who's this pussy?". I laugh and introduced myself. He didn't laugh and I felt a bit strange. We end up realizing that people are not going to show up and we're more tired than we thought. Later the previously mentioned Larger Man said while walking by with one of his female friends "why do I get to hang out with hot chicks? Because I'm AWESOME!". I laugh a little bit harder and realize what a pathetic attention seeking loser this person is.

We head over to stay in the nice house owned by the nice people who set up the show. Nehemiah chooses the floor and Arrington and I share the futon. I awoke to something touching my leg... This is the first time I end up sleeping next to Arrington... I look strangely over to find a very cute and friendly orange cat.

We all wake up and Lisa, the lovely woman who hosted us, makes us and her daughter, Fern, breakfast. He husband, Steve, had to take off for work but before leaving he mentioned "your drumming sounded like a machine that was made out of Iron"... that really made me very very happy. Then we had amazing scrambled eggs, asparagus and a delicious desert. We start the drive to Denver, and it is absolutely gorgeous.

The drive was easier and more entertaining than I thought it would be. Being that Arrington had told me that the drive though Wyoming was going to be "mind numbingly boring", I was surprised at how spellbound I was the whole time. I had a chance to feel mountain style cold in May and spoke to my lovely girlfriend. Then we got to Denver.

Denver was... well... it was the Denver Noise Festival! It was kind of a teenage version of INC in Miami. I was earnestly not impressed...but we set up and ended up doing a set of the most raw, just bass and drums with vocals and the occasional bass clarinet. The audience responded well and we sold a shit ton of merch. Then we immediately loaded up and started the drive to Kansas City,MO. We were in Denver from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. So Denver was so brief I have no idea what the hell Denver is like.

I had the fortune of getting the backseat and took a serious powernap. I was awoken by Nehemiah kindly asking me if I wanted anything from the "Travel Shoppe" in Lucas,KS. I aggressively said "no!" and went back to sleep. I awoke again upon both he and Arrington driving in and I apologized for my prior tone. He laughed and I mentioned "I'm mid-power nap, I must do everything powerful" I really thought was hilarious at the time. We drive into Lucas and sleep in a park.

I have no sleeping bag or blanket in tow so I slept in the car and had an awful nightmare that all the bartenders at Ontario were absolutely horridly mean to me. The night was freezing and the morning sun cooked me in the tiny car facing east. I wake up and decide to sleep outside on the grass and my shutting the door awakens Arrington who decides it's time to see The Garden of Eden... I could write pages and pages about the Garden of Eden in Lucas,KS. There is a Skeletons album named Lucas after it. I will leave it at google search "Garden of Eden Lucas,KS". We check out Eric Abraham's gallery, a New York born but Kansas raised, interesting fellow who spoke to us about his art and anything else that would come up. The we ate food at the only restaurant that was open on Sunday's and we just beat the "post-church rush".

A few eggs and hashbrowns later we hit the road for Kansas City,MO. We got into town around 5pm and Just hang at the venue, which is in a shopping center, for a bit before hitting up the Book/Record store near by. I get a copy of RAM by Paul McCartney and, Martin Denny's "Exotica" on vinyl and Rush's "Fly By Night" on CD. Then the Kansas City show starts. "This is my Condition" opened and it was amazing! Check him out! The Conquerers play as well. Great kids.

Of course during our set my bass drum beater flies off but I covered the floor tom while taking care of the bass drum beater with only my left hand. I was happy with our set and got some very nice compliments. The Conquerers are hosting us now and I am using one of their roommate's laptop. He mentioned he had never seen the ocean until he went to Hawaii for his honey moon. He also asked that I please put his laptop away when I'm done because it has all the photos he has on his daughter on it. Shortly after, the drummer of The Conquerers asked if I've ever hung upside down and then the whole household excluding myself start jamming on instruments and it's a crazy mess.

Now, I am off to bed and preparing for a drive to Norman,OK tomorrow.

With Love & Prog,

Ruben Sindo Acosta



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