Bat-THUMB!

Things are coming along nicely in bus-land. Tonight Thor will take his maiden voyage. SURE!... The Boathouse 'is' just around the corner, but you have to start small and think big. Perhaps not think at all. Who knows? Not I.

Come and see The Free Press...... you will not regret it. Buy their CD. Buy them beer. Make them feel at home.

r.

P.S. Paul is: Spruce Wayne

Bat-THUMB!

Gettin' Schmitt-faced

As Greg explained. We have been hanging with our good friend 'Schmitty', from the transcendental hours of 8 and 9am. He is a master... Thor is transforming. I can hear the primal roar of his inner bus being unleashed..... until his battery is dead and we can't get him to start again... and we end up having to get the neighbor to help us push him back in the driveway after a failed jump start, leaving hand prints all over the back.

yes. we are cool

r.
Notice the florescent orange goodness that is Cheese Whiz. Nothing gets done without it.

Schmitty routes and bevels. Paul steadies board. Thor waits patiently.

Propane powered truck. Hells yeah. Yes it is from GTA. And, no you can't touch it.

The foundation for what will become the gear box. Guitars and amps and other shiznit.
Schmitty takes in the specs. Notice as Paul looks on with shear amazement.

The Office. T-shirt design studio / Email launchpad.

Hand prints and embarrassment.
More Handprints.
Stupid F-ing Battery.

Gettin' Schmitt-faced

Bus Building

Sleep is an asset. We've all been getting up at 9am, helping Schmitty with the bus, going home for an afternoon nap, then heading to purgatory for midnight rehearsals. Long days and nights yield results. Schmitty says cut wood, we say how long.

The Master at Work

Thor's Control Panel

Rob's got some cool pictures of construction. He'll post them shortly.

g.

Bus Building

Ownership is a heavy anchor.

Our year end class trip in grade 8 was to an amusement park called Canada's Wonderland. Paul, Emeri and I went on a ride - I don't remember what it was called, but to this day Emeri was convinced that he was sliding out of the harness. In the past I've been known to doubt the strength of his conviction, but needless to say, it was a close call.

Rob, Paul, Emeri and I went to high school together. We were in a band then too. That was almost a decade ago. We used to salivate collectively about buying a 'band house'. A few years ago, we bought the house on Victoria street. We lived in the house for 3 years and produced almost no music. We got into debt and life got murky and though we didn't quite get 'sucked into the machine' - it reminded me of Emeri's experience at Wonderland - it was a close call.

We've since vacated such house on Victoria street for loftier pastures - parent's basements, girlfriend's houses, our bandhall and soon, our bus; Thor and a combination of floors and beds across the continent. We still own the house - ownership is a heavy anchor. Renting it out has proven to be quite the task. We've met and delt with a lot of sketchy people. We've been royally fucked over. It's a drag, but you pick up the pieces and you move on. Last week we spent a day cleaning up about half a ton of garbage from the property. We've got some quality people, that we know, moving into the place. All appears to be proper in this department.

If you've been out to a show since the release of 'Blanket Sky', I certainly hope you've seen our good friend, Jamie Usas, mixing live video in tandem with our music. We've been friends and working with Jamie since 'Come On Get Real'. He has recently left us for a short while for schooling in Rome. He'll be back though. Farewell Jamie. You are missed already.

There is a lot going on in Vacuity Land this week. Our friend (and my roomate) Elena has locked herself into her sweatshop while she manufactures bags and patches for us. They are going to be very cool. Stay tuned for more on that. We also met with our 'marketing guy' - Dan - yesterday. Now that we can say 'our marketing guy' we're hotshots. In all seriousness though, Dan is going to help us get the most out of this tour. He is helping us help ourselves. Great guy, great insights. Tomorrow at 8am, we are meeting another friend of ours, John Schmitt. Schmitty, will be helping us get Thor ready for the toil and strife on life on the road. He has an amazing bus himself. I haven't seen that ungodly hour of 8am since my father took me shopping for a suit a few months ago. it is early, but the coffee will taste great. (I hate suits.)

Another day I'll tell you about the time I saved Emeri from drowning - nearly at the cost of my own life!

Night.

G

Ownership is a heavy anchor.