carrot chasers

motivation and inspiration have eluded me the last few days. the days have been fine - slightly boring at worst. Nothing a good book cannot fight off. I've been fully immersed in a book my sister gave me a while back, 'Confessions of an Economic Hitman' by John Perkins. A first hand account of how the author convinced many developing nations to accept massive loans based on falsified economic predictions. The loans come with strict terms that funnel the money right back into the US. That synopsis does the book no justice. I wish I could hold a straight thought these days.

the gypsy caravan has setup a camp in a big box plaza. semi discreet at best, but we don't care. last night we didn't end up playing night one at the apollo. we had some vehicle problems and arrived late. we were lucky to be welcomed with open arms by sheila, tina and alex. a home cooked meal is a very welcome change at this point. on top of the food, the band that was playing, Flowers of Hell, were amazing. trumpet, flute, saw, guitar, bass, drums, synth, sequencer. It was mind blowing.

as for the vehicles problems, nothing Paul and his sidekick/hold this here person Emeri could not handle. The starter was replaced quickly and Atlas came back to life.

We are headed home very soon. This tour set a lot of things right from our tour in the fall. we learned a lot, met some very cool people and had a blast. However, 6 weeks of living off shitty food, bad sleeping arrangements and a lot lot lot of stimulation wears a person out. The band is tired. Last tour we were so tired, we started getting sloppy. That hasn't happened on this tour, but with everyday that goes by I can see us fading. It's normal and natural. Time for us to retreat into the studio (notice I did not say disappear) and work in a quiet and controlled environment for a while. recharge if you will. my mind moves faster than I can keep up with. I get bored easily so a change is welcome. talk to me 2 weeks into recording and I'll be ready to tour again but that is just the way it goes. we all chase after our own carrots I suppose.

I'm looking forward to tonight. We haven't played since Saturday. We were joking, for too many reasons to list here, that everywhere we go a black thunder cloud follows us around. When we get on stage is pretty much the only time the sun comes out. Feeling sorry for ourselves. Another sign it's time for a break from the road.

I will do my best to post some of our adventures from here until we get home. We have a lot of km to cover... who knows what will happen?

g.

carrot chasers

Deer eater

After the show at Clancy's in Brandon we went to a house party. Did some jamming, played ping-pong, drank JD. Retired to Thor for the night.

Rob's shoes are ready to fall off his feet. Thor's battery was dead again - quick boost. Bumped into some of the people from the party the night before. They gave us a crash course on the unicycle and then we hit the road.

Our ultimate destination is Thunder Bay for two nights at The Apollo. We're taking our time through this stretch and decided Kenora was enough of a trek for the bus convoy. We could perhaps rename Thor and Atlas - Yin and Yang.

Night driving is highly dangerous in this part of Ontario. You are pretty much certain to hit something. As the evening gave way to night, deer flooded the sides of the highway. I must have counted at least 30 along the last 200km to Kenora. Just as we entered the city limits I passed a deer backed against a large rock wall. I noticed it tense up as Paul and I whizzed by in Atlas. At the last second I saw it dash. Behind us Thor slowed down, but it was already too late. Bambi's larger, older aunt was crushed under Thor's massive chasis. The only trace was hair matted into the tire treads and a single streak of blood. Our license plate holder was slightly damaged.

We pushed on to a 24 hour fueling station to sleep for the night. Today we have splurged for a hotel. Laundry, shower, pool, sleep. It always shocks me how large northern ontario is. We drove almost 500km yesterday and we still have over 500km to go to Thunder Bay.

Crazy. Peace.

g.

Deer eater

Thor was on fire

Woke up in Saskatoon how many days ago? Eyes blind from the brightness, stumbled across the street. You have aquired coffee: add +1 to strength and intelligence. Load Atlas. Clockwork. Thor has a dead battery again. Boost. Drive to Swift Current. No PA at the venue. A few gentlemen try to cut us a deal, pay them for a PA or let them "jam out" on our stuff. No thanks. Bar owner takes care of everything, PA shows up. Quick jaunt next door for a sketch buffet. Pizza crust and dried out unidentified meat substance. Wet salad. Yum.

Drink beer and play for 30 VLT machines. I thought bands made big money in the casinos? Very drunk man from Kitchener entertains us with stories from his past. We must still be on the path. I can hear the rats shuffling inside the walls when I lay down to sleep.

Wake up, hit the road early for Brandon, Manitoba. Electrical fire breaks out in Thor. Emeri is excited to finally use the fire extinguisher we have been carrying for all these miles, but it proves to be unnecessary.

Arrive in Brandon. The bus convoy is still intact. Now what day is it? I'm not so sure myself. A shower would be nice though. Play a decent show with no fear of being stabbed afterwards. Dan, the man behind the soundboard for the evening, really likes our music. Invites us to a house party afterwards. At a house owned by a band. I get to be the stranger at the band house after so many times on the other end at our place on Victoria Street. Neat reminder of that period of my life/Vacuity's life. Lotsa cool people there. Favorite moment was Emeri getting on the drums and Paul on the bass, two other gentlemen playing guitars. Everyone at the party, drawn by the music, finds their way downstairs to listen.

Currently holed up in Kenora, Ontario. Another post tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

g.

Thor was on fire