October 2004 Archives
October 23, 2004 It's Luxury
Been home for several days — maybe even five of them? Post-tour is like returning from space, I'd imagine, only in reverse: one moves from a world in which bursts of frenetic human contact are the norm back into one in which you actually have control over your surroundings, relatively speaking, and things to think about besides Whatever's Gonna Happen Right Now. Enjoying the unspeakable luxuries of: a decent pot of coffee in the morning, a pizza & game 7 of the ALCS with my wife, a cat in my lap while I check e-mail in the morning; in short, the thousand little blessings that make daily life a joy too often overlooked. Thank you, all great things in my daily life! May I never take you lightly!
In Mountain Goats news, 'cause that's what this space is mainly for, I just picked up the November issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine, in which you'll find a two-page interview with me. I must say that while I've become numb to most interviews and articles, I got a huge charge out of seeing a really well-written Mountain Goats piece that featured a sidebar about my gear: what kind of guitar I play, what kind of pickup's in it, what kind of strings I favor. It's nice to feel legit, y'know?
Tour was great. Much thanks to everybody who came out, and extra shouts out to Cafe Eleven in St. Augustine, a venue run by such warm, wonderful people that it's an honor just to know them. Finally, nuff respeck to Cindytalk, a band nearly forgotten by history & unjustly so, for the title of this entry. Next dispatches from the studio or shortly before!
October 19, 2004 Sometimes it Rains in Georgia
An incredibly fun show in Atlanta last night; this morning, rain, which is kind of appropriate, 'cause we're parting ways with the Vanderslice crew in about twenty minutes. We'll be sad to see them go. Last night they sounded so huge and violent and explosive during the final three songs of the Mountain Goats set — I left the stage when my singing was done just so I could hear them hacking blasting away like a demolition crew. Now they're headed west; we're going north & east to South Carolina, and then I'm going home for a couple of weeks. After I rest up, we're going to go record a new album. I could not be more excited to go back into the studio and get my hands all bloody.
October 14, 2004 Mount St. Helen's
Out west, the volcano's at it again - last time it blew, I was in Oregon, thirteen years old and totally entranced by the huge grey plume that was visible from any given point in Portland. The ash in the streets was a foot deep. Everybody wearin' surgical masks. It was awesome.
Here, though, in Wilmington, North Carolina — well, some things defy description. Last night we played a show without a setlist and with Scott Solter guesting on pretty much every song, doing whatever he felt like doing. At one point I played drums while Peter sang Jonathan Richman's "I'm Straight." I left the stage after finishing the lyric to "Terror Song" and the band kept playing for nearly ten minutes. Mr. Solter observed that the band sounded like an admixture of Gong and P.i.L., which is just about right. The transition to jam band now seems assured.*
Went down this morning and looked at the sea grasses & so on. Three cheers for the sea grasses!
*note to people who get nervous around the term "jam band": that was a joke
October 12, 2004 Microphone Check
Is this thing on?
Hi everybody. It's me, John. I'm on tour. But today is extra-special double-good The Tour Stops Through Home day: and I'm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, just down the road from where I live, sitting here in the dressing room of the Cat's Cradle with my magnificent triple-cute wife sitting right next to me. It feels so good to be home. Tomorrow I'll have to leave, of course, since there's another week-plus of tour still to do. But tonight I sleep in my own bed, which is a righteous mid-tour luxury.
About this diary: I'll be posting any Mountain Goats-related news that occurs here; on tour, I'll stop in and say hello, and I'll send dispatches from the studio next month. Thanks for stopping by! Crazy respect to Lalitree Darnielle for designing this site and for holding down the fort. Beer on the curb for Biggie and Tupac. Mourn you 'til we join you! And so forth.
October 10, 2004 Fall US Tour
October
2 - Open End Gallery, Chicago IL
3 - Empty Bottle, Chicago IL
4 - Magic Stick, Detroit MI
6 - First Unitarian, Philadelphia PA
7 - Southpaw, Brooklyn NY
8 - Knitting Factory, New York NY
10 - The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
11 - Black Cat, Washington DC
12 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC
13 - Soapbox Laundrolounge, Wilmington, NC
15 - The Social, Orlando, FL
16 - Cafe Eleven, St Augustine, FL
17 - Club Downunder, Tallahassee FL
18 - The Earl, Atlanta GA
19 - The Village Tavern, Mt. Pleasant, SC
Most dates with John Vanderslice.
