Marthas Summer 2008 Blog IN ITS ENTIRETY

I recently found the last two entries to the blog I wrote (in a notebook . . . it's still a blog, okay?) while on tour with Mick and the Marthas last summer. So for whomever is interested, here it is in its full glory for the first time - JSB's Tour Bloggggggggggg:

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JSB's tour log on the Martha America Adventure (not the real name of the tour, I promise) -

July 19, 2008 - 4:45 PM

We're on the way to Cincinatti in Larry Briggs (our van). We're becoming great friends with I-75 on this leg of the tour. Shawns the GPS says we've got 193 miles to go. Nice.

We played our official kickoff gig at the Lager House last night. It was a splendid time. I hope people dig the new single. I'm tired.

July 20, 2008 - 5:42 PM

The Gypsy Hut was very cool. We opened up for an incredible 13 person group. I met a guy named Chainsaw. The owner of the bar put us up in a super awesome house for the night. Getting to sleep on a mattress and take a shower on the first night of the tour = A+. I woke up early, climbed on the roof and discussed Greek Mythology with Sarah for a half hour on my barely-working phone. The Marthas then went to Kentucky to watch The Dark Knight. It was too good. Renee misplaced her ID and Debit card, oh dear. We're waiting for the next showing to end so we can hunt them down. Finger crossing time!

July 21, 2008 - Midnight - special Renee entry

The back of the van is a treacherous place, like a foreign land inhabited by the tribals. I feel like we annoy the civilized folk in the front, but, alas, they're talking about coca-cola or something at the moment. who cares.

Jesse and Renee are drunk.

Madlibs is our savior.

1:14 AM - back to JSB

Just arrived in West Virginia. Listening to Pyramid Song. Day's inn in Ohio tried to charge us $70 for a room cause of some fake holiday. No way, Jose! I have to hang out the window to write this, it's too dark to see otherwise. The End.

2:26 PM

We're in Maryland. Erik and I are writing poetry and fiction. Renee and Allison are being very patient with us.

I named my mandolin Orpheus today. I think it fits quite nicely. I'm currently quasi-upside-down. Renee is making my hair pretty. Excellent.

6:59 PM

Great news! Some guys broke into the van, smashing the windows, and stole Shawns. Welcome to Washington D.C., Marthas!

10:51 PM - special Allison entry

Some girl in the band before us greeted Renee and I with "So what are you guys? Groupies? Friends? Girlfriends?" I felt like ripping her skull off.

July 22, 2008 - 11:45 AM - back to JSB

We're now on the way to New York. Renee is reading us folk tales in french. She is a delight.

Nothing else has been stolen from us! We made it out of D.C. alive, too. What luck!

Last night at the show we met Blelvis. Did you know Elvis Presley released 1,112 songs? Blelvis knows that. Blelvis knows everything about Elvis. He had to leave the bar after he got tricked into kissing a girl. Poor guy.

After the show I slept in the van. I kept it safe ALL night! I'm the best.

Today we had the worst breakfast ever. Our stomachs are doing funny things. Gross. Looking forward to New York, D.C. was a b-u-s-t. Oh well, deal with it.

7-26-08 - 1:00 AM

Just got done playing in Philly 5 minutes ago. Yaya (plays with Sun Ra) joined us for the set. Best show of the tour so far.

Last night we camped at Elk Lake (I think) in Maryland. It was beautiful there. I discovered good-mind and shared with the band. Erik gets it.

I'm gonna go watch An American Chinese (the Headliners) play. Ta ta.

7-28-08 - 3:08 PM

(Note - before writing this I forgot that I had written the previous blog entry. I'm leaving repeated details in for the sake of blog honesty. . . blogesty. . . )

Man I'm not doing a very good job maintaining this blog with vivid detail. Let me see what I've missed. Hmm. . .

Camped in Maryland, climbed some rocks. Mick and I didn't go to sleep until 5 am. Woke up and did laundry.

Went to Philly. Got an awesome hotel. Played the Khyber with some awesome bands (The Armchairs and An American Chinese) and Mandi Perkins. Larry Briggs got towed. Come on, Philly, gimme a break.

Woke up and got Larry back, then drove to Northampton, Massachusetts. Played at The Basement. It was cramped on stage. For Red Robert I played the Clavi whilst standing on a chair. Great calf workout!

We love Northampton. Hanna let us stay at her house. Her cat (India) is my new best friend.

---Side note - I forgot to mention that I met an awesome homeless cat outside of Don Pedro in Brooklyn. She told me her name was Santina. Mick wouldn't let me take her with us for the rest of the tour. I felt very bitter about that. Oh well, at least the van won't smell like cat urine.---

That's the update for now. We've got a few days off, gonna go camping again. Cool!

7-30-08 - 1:22 PM

Part two of the tour begins today as we head to North Carolina. Stayed in Virginia last night. Saw Step-Brothers with Erik. It was incredible.

You can learn a lot about yourself when on the road like this.

That's all I have to say on the matter.

7-31-08 - 11:22

Woke up a little while ago in Charlotte, North Carolina. Played last night at Snug Harbor. Debuted a new song for the first time since "Give You the City". The ten people watching seemed to enjoy it.

Just med a guy named Fred. He gave me a magnet advertising "Supreme Master Television" featuring Supreme Master Ching Hai. Can't wait to check it out. Awesome.

8-1-08 - 4:41 PM

We're in Tennessee on the way to the Foobar in Nashville. Yesterday we discovered that Boone, North Carolina is the best place on the planet. A wonderful man named Jared put us up at this house for the night. We played at the Black Cat and met more wonderful people there. Mick sang two White Stripes songs with the headliners. A girl named Allie told me I was her favorite. She's my favorite too.

I haven't been to Tennessee in a couple years. I'm pumped.

8-3-08 - 10:50 AM

The twilight of the tour is upon us. We got one last motel in Macon, George. The ride into Macon was absurd. Shawns was sorely missed. Word of advice - never ever trust Google Maps. Their directions took us an hour south of where we wanted to go, which led to us driving directly into a huge storm (you may recall that we lack windows). I sang "Optimistic" while I drove in case it was our final ride. It wasn't.

Made it to the Hummingbird, played for ten people, called it a night. After our show in Atlanta we're driving back to Detroit. No buts about it. The end.

8-4-08 - 6:31 AM

Larry Briggs is making the long trek home. Mick and I have been taking shits driving back to Detroit since 10:40 PM. Everyone else is asleep. Zzzzz. How cute. Awwwwww.

It's hard to believe we actually just completed this tour. For those of you that know the six of us that made this journey, you probably understand what a feat this was. I'd like to take the time to acknowledge the casualties of Mick Bassett & the Marthas' Summer 2008 Tour (to the best of my memory) -

One Keyboard
Two Belts
Two Van Windows
Three Shakers
One GPS
One Snare Drum Head
Two High-Hat Cymbals
One Book
Three Guitar Strings

I hope the blog has been exciting enough for you. I've done a lot of writing on the road. I look forward to recording some of the new stuff for you soon.

-Jesse