Tour Blog #3

Tour Day #3
Alright – so once again we had HOURS to kill in Wichita before load in. I was kind of jazzed about this “Donut Whole” place I saw online. We made our first stop there where we each ate about 2-3 donuts and got iced coffee. Not just any donuts though… had a peach cobbler, fruity pebble, and strawberry streusel donuts. I started out by just getting two but had to go back for another. The barista, Shantel, was pretty helpful with her recommendations as I felt like a kid in the candy store. So many choices!

As I went outside to call home and Maija…a bunch of youngsters approached me wondering about what I was doing tonight. They tried soliciting me into coming to their show at Kirby’s Beer Store. Oddly enough…we were already on that show so they had no luck with trying to convince me. I love Wichita so I had to defend the city a bit as they were a bit…well…not too thrilled to be there. Glamorous city? No. However is it a cool city with good folks who are pretty accepting of all kinds of music? Yes. Absolutely.

We spent about three hours at The Donut Whole as we searched online for Thai Food. Holly found a place on her phone called The Thai house that was a little take out joint with maybe three tables. Chicken Pad Thai cost me about $6.00 and came with a healthy portion. The girl waiting for her take out overheard me say how I love Minneapolis’s weather in the fall and said,” I so knew you guys were from there! You’re accent is heavy”. Huh. Really…? Is it that bad? I always took pride on the fact that I didn’t have a stereotypical “you bet’cha” accent. I guess I am wrong!

After that meal we decided just to swing by the venue and check it out. We ended up staying and playing their pub trivia at 7pm and loaded on stage right after. By the way, I host pub trivia on Wednesday’s in MN at 7pm. So really…wasn’t anything too different from my typical Wednesday evening back home. We got absolutely smoked by the locals though. The bar is about 30+ years old and is the smallest bar I’ve ever played. The stage actually took up about 1/3 of the room.

Naturally that sounds like a nightmare but we played to a “Full” bar of 20 people who seemed to really liked it. The owner, Alex, couldn’t have been a cooler guy as he gave us free beer and a couple of pizzas. The bartender, Paul, was also a trip to meet. Been working there for 16+ years and still loves his job. Just a good old-fashioned bartender that makes you feel good about being there. Alex also insisted on purchasing Zoo Animal’s vinyl. Would not take a free copy. I couldn’t recommend this venue anymore to modest bands going across the Midwest. We met some really nice folks and caught up with a guy named Jeff from the Wichita band Paper Airplanes who were great when Askeleton played with them back in 2005.

Unfortunately the people I knew well weren’t in Wichita this time around so we took off after the show and got a motel in Oklahoma City (2.5 hours away). I took nighttime medicine in the van and by the time we got to the hotel I was already in la-la land. The motel had the A.C. cranked so I drifted away pretty quickly as I got a bed for myself and stretched out like I never have before. Holly, for some reason, built a nest on the floor with mats, pillows, and sleeping bags and gave Tim and I the beds. Holly put the team on her back and let the boys take the beds. I assured her that at ANY time she could kick me off the bed and move me to the floor. You know…I am classy like that.

Got up around 10am, had breakfast, hit up a target, and now we’re just past the Texas state line. I feel like a reverse “Cool Runnings” situation. You know how the characters couldn’t handle the Calgary cold? I am not doing well with this 104 degree Texas heat so far. Tim doesn’t seem to mind it at all and Holly loves it! She’s wearing a light jacket! She did grow up in Orlando and San Antonio though…so she has the unfair advantage of loving this shit. I’ve got the A.C. on full blast in the van and it’s saving me. Holly did another baller job of pricelining a hotel in Austin with an outdoor pool. Fortunately/Unfortunately there isn’t a drop of rain in the forecast.

p.s. This is my first time in Texas. Saw a “What-a-burger” that so many folks rave about.
update: Had Chick-Fil-A instead.