(from Mike, more at KBD’s MySpace)

(from C. Randolph C.)

The mini tour ended on extreme high notes. Due in part to the hospitality of Soundlab in Buffalo, we were able to leave our equipment in the space over night and pack up leisurely in the morning. So, following our breakfast, during which Mike ran into an old friend randomly on the street (a member of the newly-reformed Earth Crisis), we headed over to Soundlab to pack and prep for our drive. It was a nice quick drive.

We did an early, all-electronic show at Bella Dubby (their coffee is fantastic and the muffin I ate was pretty spectacular as well). Afterwards, we high-tailed it over to The Language Foundry, a pretty amazing non-profit poetry, art, and music, collective run by a guy named Joseph. The show went well, the poetry was wonderful and delivered without pretension, the soup prepared by Jose was inspirational*, and the evening seemed to be endless.

The Language Foundry is a great example of a young and working non-profit. Joseph makes his own books, is really interested in creating an active dialogue between Cleveland and other “forgotten cities” such as New Orleans, and really knows how to make traveling musicians, artists, and writers feel welcome.

* Jose’s soup inspired me to make my own day-long-cooking vat of bean soup (pictured above) in celebration of the autumnal weather outside and as a rather tasty tool of procrastination.

Tomorrow, I work…

From colinhelb.com pictures

We had a beautiful drive from the weird and gross motel we stayed in outside of Bard. We found a diner we liked so much, we ate there twice. Once at 3 am and again at 11 am. Thankfully, we visited during two different shifts and didn’t have the same waitress.

Early fall in upstate New York is something pretty spectacular.

Mike is from Buffalo, so we got a fifty-cent tour of the city as we rolled in.

Soundlab is an old Cheer’s chain bar with great black and white tiles. Nice space.

The guys from Tentet/Octet (old touring buddies of Gabe and Mike) met us and helped us load in and/or ate some dinner with us.

Unfortunately, no one really showed up for the gig. Seriously, like 6 people or so.

Fortunately, we took the opportunity to do a little experimentation within the experimentation. 

We decided to try playing with five of us (the three of us and the two from Tentet/Octet) to see what it sounded like. Before we knew it, more than two hours had passed in which we somewhat organically morphed between different configurations of the two bands.

1st: KBD + Tentet/Octet
2nd: KBD
3rd KBD to Tentet/Octet transistion
4th: Tentet/Octet
5th: Tentet/Octet + KBD
6th: different and ever-changing versions of the above, complete with interpretive bar stool tossing and manipulation by Michael the bartender.

Stayed up far too late, crashed at the Tentet/Octet house, and now we slowly make our way to Cleveland for two gigs in one night and the final leg of this Mini Tour.

(added October 29, 2008: the above picture is from the Sonic Circuits Festival in Washington, DC. Taken by Joe Smith)

If you are a young man or woman in charge of booking independent, experimental, alternative-venue, free, avant garde, and/or non-commercial shows with at least one out-of-town group on the bill, or you hope to be such a person, let me offer a dime’s-worth of advice.

1. The band coming in from out of town probably has no idea where the venue and/or the town is. This becomes increasingly so as the venue and/or town is more obscure and more non-traditional. Guide them in.

2. If you are aware of approximately what time the band is getting to the venue, make sure someone is there to meet them or try to get to the venue to meet up with them as soon as humanly possible following their arrival.

3. The band does not know anyone there. Try to be friendly and cordial and encourage others to do the same. 

4. The band has likely been in a van and/or car for the better part of the day. Offer them something to eat and/or a beer. A clean bathroom. A glass of water. 

5. The band is likely on tour first and foremost because they want to do what they are doing. If they weren’t enjoying themselves, they wouldn’t be doing it. This is specially true in regards to playing in alternative and non-commercial venues. The band does not expect to make much money, but they likely spent a fair amount of money to get to the gig and expect to get something. “Indie Rock Rule of Thumb” states you give the out-of-town bands something for their troubles. If there is a cover, this goes to the out-of-towers. If there is not a cover, other methods of compensation should be sought. This may include, but is not limited to: something towards gas and tolls (this can be as little as forty or fifty dollars and can be accrued by way of passing a hat around the room, purchasing some of their merchandise, and/or paying out-of-pocket), a place to stay (in the form of a cheap motel room, a guest bedroom, or some floor-space), a meal, a sandwich, and an attentive audience.

Karma is a bitch and word gets around. Most touring bands also have some pull in their respective home towns. 

Alternative venues are a rarity in this country. Interesting and unusual places are usually a joy to visit and to perform in, but just because something is non-commercial and free to attend, does not mean that the performance is also free. 

Lesson over.

Our set went real well. We played third. We contact mic’ed the steel cables of the garage doors and had fun playing with the lively and active room. 

Paul Goodwin is a good guy and does some interesting stuff. If you are in or near Brooklyn tonight, go see him at a place called something like The Dead Herring. 

The duo that did the tapes and guitar work was very cool too and Scott (right, Scott?) did some interesting stuff to open the show.

“My Old School” has new meaning to all of us following our first trip to Annendale-on-Hudson.