8.21.07 & 8.22.07 - Charleston, SC

Mike is driving and has given me his blessing to take on the role of the narrator for a bit.

We made it to South Carolina and pulled into Charleston in the wee hours. Rick couldn’t sleep in the van and drove straight through. Mike and I are getting quite adept at sleeping in hot cramped spaces (the secret is copious amounts of alcohol). We pulled into Rick’s sister’s residence 6:30 AM and we are greeted warmly. Sarah has made quite a life in Charleston working as a chef at a prestigious restaurant. I met Sarah’s boyfriend Logan and immediately hit it off with the big teddy bear. He is a kindred spirit bass payer and we talked a little shop. He, too, is a master chef… lucky for us. Sarah had to work, but before she left she packed us a cooler full of beers and lunch. Mike and I sought out to discover if we could surf. Rick doesn’t really like the beach because the sun constantly assaults his Irish skin. He enjoyed a much needed nap, shower, and watched the movie “300.”

Meanwhile back at the beach, Mike and I get confused looks as we frequently apply sunscreen to each other and commence embarrassing ourselves on the surfboard. Later Sarah and Logan join our surf safari. We return to Sarah’s house to a massive feast and we all enjoy Kurt Russell in “Big Trouble in Little China.”

Next morning we again assault the beach, ripping and shredding, sticking our surfboard all up in the scene off Folly Beach. Our board practically had training wheels, but it was still a hell of a challenge just popping up. Great waves though… thanks hurricane Dean.

We loaded in to Cumberland’s that evening in a cool part of Charleston. The room was great with a wonderful staff and a great PA. Thanks to our gracious hosts, there was a pretty good crowd their to see our early set. Stage sounded very good, and we had a great set. A band called Dewey Muggles played after us for like three hours making our 35-minute set seem even more brief than usual. Onwards to Florida.

- Toby

8.20.07 - Athens, GA

Drive into town wasn’t bad at all. Rick drove the whole time. I read ‘The Kite Runner’, the doctor read “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.’ I also stared out the window a lot. Man it’s fucking hot in the South in August. One of these years we’ll start routing our trips around the migratory patterns of birds. For now, we burn.

We pulled into a little place called ‘Nuci’s Space’. Hadn’t been there in years; since a Mock Orange tour ages ago. This room was established as a non profit practice, recording and performance space for Athens’ local musicians and artists by a female benefactor whose son killed himself about ten years ago. They provide medical care, counseling and an on-call mechanic for touring bands. We had coffee and relaxed in their overstuffed chairs. After a bit we began to make lunch. We cooked beans and rice with fresh tomatoes and eggplant. Some local punk rockers were taking a break from practicing so we invited them to join us. It was pleasant. We cleaned up and headed towards the club.

Little Kings was a cool place that has recently started having shows. Very relaxed atmosphere. Toby and I played Yahtzee then loaded in and set up. There was some confusion with the booker; the locals thought the show was on Tuesday night instead, so we were the only band. We tore through about 35 minutes of songs then packed up and left.

Goodbye to Athens; see you in another eight years! On to Charleston, SC.

- Mike

8.19.07 - Asheville, NC

Well, the drive into town from Johnson City was even shorter than expected, only an inch or so on the map, so we had more time to kill than we thought. Captain was tuckered out from the night before. Sleeping in the van in August is tough after the sun comes up. Even with the windows down the sun bakes you like a flour tortilla on a rock in Mesa Verde. Late to bed, early to rise makes everyone grumpy. We parked on a side street around the corner from the club after taking a short driving tour of downtown Asheville. The college seems nice; cabin-like residences tucked in amongst the trees and mountains; quite different from the concrete sprawl of complexes for higher education back home.

Asheville reminded me of Yellow Springs for some reason. Maybe it was all the hippies and rich dudes on Harleys they could barely ride.

Rick tried to sleep, but I had us parked outside a store that sold all sorts of over-priced African drums. Not bad in and of itself, but Sunday was lessons day at the store. I only heard the retched, off-time nonsense in short bursts as I walked to or from the van throughout the day. We left him in peace and walked around town a bit. The place we were playing seemed alright, although they kept talking about having the show outside in their little concrete and glass courtyard. Hard, reflective surfaces make the music sound tinny and harsh, so no one was looking forward to that. Plus, there aren’t too many places where we can play a whole set outside without the cops coming. The bar was having ‘build your own bloody Mary’ day, so the doctor and I took advantage of that. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kris Kristofferson for some reason.

After a while we began our walking tour of the town. Checked out a couple record stores and one of those weird comic book/fascination role playing game boutiques. I thumbed through a few ‘WarHammer’ books to reaffirm my groundedness in reality. I spotted a kid skating down the street and after a brief exchange, I was on my way to the Team Pain built Foodlion Concrete Skatepark. It was a marvelous creation. The only downside was the city ordinance enforcing full pads and helmets. There was a snake run, some banks and quarterpipes, ledges and pyramids, but the real prize was the bowl at the far end of the place. No one was riding it, so that’s where I set up camp. Toby read a book while I exhausted myself over the course of the next two hours.

Back to the van and onto the next mission; groceries to restock our chuckwagon. The only place we could find within walking distance was an organically grown food coop. What a bunch of overpriced bullshit. Who the fuck can afford 5-8 bucks for a loaf of bread? We bought al the cheapest shit possible to get through lunch and had ourselves some nice tomato and cheese sandwiches on the sidewalk. After a while we loaded in and set up. We were playing first of three on a absurdly diverse bill. We were followed by a bluegrass band; they were followed by three Djs with computers. Strange town.

We loaded out and drove right outside town to the promoter, Elias’ house. This dude was super nice to us. He lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere. His two roommates are in touring bands I guess, so he said it was fine to make noise. He had drums and amps set up all over the main room, so we dicked around until the notes stopped making sense. Captain took the bed in the AC, the doctor and I took the van. Woke up early to the blazing sun and broke camp. On to Athens.

- Mike

8.18.07 - Johnson City, TN

In the van and driving by 9:15 am. Left sleepy Somerset behind on our way to the mountains of Tennessee. The tires chewed up plenty of road as we wove our way East across Kentucky. With nothing but time to kill we crossed state lines and made it to David Crockett’s birthplace. We walked into the visitor’s center right as some noted Crockett historian was giving an annual presentation on the life and times of Tennessee’s most famous congressman. Two little numbnuts gingers in full buckskin suits slammed the goddamned door a hundred times as the sweaty professor and historian animatedly carried on. Quite entertaining.

Back in the van and back on the road. We made our way deeper into the black heart of the TN mountains. We wound around and around , climbing higher and higher to the top of Buffalo Mountain State Park. Why they called it ‘Buffalo’ Mountain I have no idea, as I saw two black bear cubs rummaging for food while preparing our feast of rice and fresh tomatoes. The Captain scrambled to the van to grab his hockey stick; I donned by trusty Gerber in case mom was near by. The doctor just laughed. With all of David Crockett’s Bear hunting stories fresh in my mind I didn’t want to chance it. We finished eating.

Back on the road.

We arrived at the Hideaway with an early all-ages show in full-swing. Bunches of cookie monster axe-wielding guitar heroes posturing in feigned emotional frenzy. I’ll have a tall can of beer please. Back to the van to wait for the nonsense to clear out.

We loaded in around 11:00pm. We played first, and it felt good.

Next was Angels of Meth. First time we ever played with those guys. I recorded their album, and I’ve seen ‘em a bunch, but never gotten to actually play with them. They were loud, tight and rocking. It’s heavy, groove oriented stoner metal with licks and chops out the wazzoo from a bunch of scary looking men. Appropriate that they should close the night. We loaded out and then helped them load out. The Reverend Jim grabbed me by the head and kissed me right on the lips. I ran to our van as quickly as I could, squirted hand sanitizer all over my face and then set my skin on fire. No idea if those efforts were enough to kill his germs, but so far, so good.

We fired up the engine and headed out of town. Made it into North Carolina around 3:00am and pulled into the first rest stop we could find. Nestled snuggly in the foothills of Big Butt Mountain we drifted off to sleep.

- Mike

8.17.07 - Somerset, KY

We arrived in the historic business district of Somerset around 8:00pm, a little later than we would have liked, but what can you do. The van purred like a kitten all the way down 75 to Renfro Valley with her $1K worth of brakes and ball joints. It was a smooth sail. She feels tight again like the first day the Captain brought her home from the dealership.

Somerset’s always been a great place for us to play, from our first days there at Roll Skatepark to the now-defunct Amp Space to the almost defunct Riverstone Gallery. The hands-down core of the town’s music scene is a fella named James Vitatoe. We’re lucky to call him our friend. With a customized vanity plate reading ‘Fugazi’ on his sporty little 300 hundred dollar car that he’s been driving for the last few years, it’s easy to see where he got his undying sense of DIY and community centered-ness. He is the glue of this sleepy town, and it’s through his selfless efforts that we’ve been lucky to meet a talented new crop of musicians that are only getting better and better with each return visit.

We are Pompeii were already set up and ready to go by the time we started loading in. I felt like an asshole opening and closing cases while they were playing a stripped down acoustic set, but we tried to be as quiet as we could. They were cool, bass player trying his hands on acoustic guitar for the first time live… one of ‘em couldn’t make it I think, so they pulled it together as a two piece. Kind of Bright eyes meets…. I can’t think what else.

With fresh strings and thickened blood from our hours in the van, we set up to go next. Couldn’t quite get the amps sounding right for the first couple songs,, couldn’t really hear Toby too well either. His stuff’s heavy enough, it should be loud enough. That’s how it works, right? I think the room may not have enough AC to properly power all the tube gear, but regardless, it was good to shake off the first night jitters. We did ‘Coffin Notes’, ‘Crest Nursing’, ‘Send the Owls’, ‘Among the Quiet People’, ‘Conifer’, ‘In Multiples’, ‘The Departure’, ‘Ribbons’ and ‘Thinning Herds’.

Our old buddies in the Colour out of Space went third. Very nice of them to play on such short notice. They were ripping it up as usual. Jason’s guitar has quite a zing to it. He led the band through myriad sounds and styles, from surf to jazz to metal to funk, all in the course of one song! Absolutely effortless, fluid, mesmerizing guitar playing, and the bastard’s only 20!

End of the night, loaded out, Colour out of Josh asks us to stay at his place. Cool house about 200 yards away from the club. Rambonxious little pug named Dakk. I would have called him Pugsly, but he was a fucking ball of energy none the less Josh is a fucking Star Wars and comic book nut. We stayed in his upstairs room which he had to clear of action figures and light sabers so we could spread out. I cooked beans and rice with a light salad of cucumbers and home grown tomatoes Dry county means apple juice and water. His wife was about ten months pregnant, says she can’t sleep anyways so didn’t mind that we were there. Very kind of them both, plus they had to work early the next morning, so the pancakes were an extra treat!

Sometimes you meet some of the nicest people in the world. They went out of their way to make us comfortable and we truly appreciate it. Day one complete.

- Mike

September 5th, Covington KY

We haven't had many show/tour journals in the last year, but we've got a good excuse.
We have been amazingly busy getting our new record finished, and ready to release. But, now we finally have a show update.

Last night we played on a great bill at the Mad Hatter. The amazing Smoking Popes, with Criteria, and Louisville's Black Sunday.

Black Sunday opened the show. They were super nice guys that played a tight set of dark, punk rock songs. They played a really short set, but they were good at what they were doing.

We played second. Weird how strange the stage felt after not having played a real show in a few months. You could say we're getting our "sea legs" back, but we're definitely not there yet. Set was pretty good...not our best, but pretty good. I don't think anyone was nervous, but everyone was feeling a bit of tension. All in all it was a blast, and felt good to play in front of people we didn't know again.

Criteria was up next, and I didn't know what to expect from them. I hadn't heard much/any of there stuff prior to their set. Steve, Chris, AJ, and Aaron were all super cool guys, and they really threw down. Very cool stuff. Loud, tight, cool songs. Definitely check them out if they come to your town, and pick up their latest record...I know I will.

After Criteria's set, the legendary Chicago rockers Smoking Popes were up next. I really dig these guys and was psyched that they were back together. They came out of the gate clicking on all cylinders and didn't let up for about an hour. Song after song, each one tighter and catchier than the last. I haven't seen a band that has such catchy and melodic songs play such a ferociously tight set in a L-O-N-G time. Hopefully they'll be back.

Next up...Somerset KY.

Fun, Fun, Fun.

All things new...

So,

Our new record is done. It's been done for a while actually. We are busy at work trying to figure out all of the release details for it. While we don't really have any "real news" to report on that front, we hope to very soon.

Good news is, we have almost (finally) finished the new thistle website. This is LONG overdue. Hopefully it will go live in the next week or so...

Lots of shows coming up in September and beyond. You'll get to look at our new website soon to keep up to speed on all our new shows.

Talk soon,

thistle

New record...

After tons of work our new record is finally done. I know you're going to say, "but you've been saying that for weeks now?" but this time we really mean it. We recently completed the final mixes, mastered the album, and finalized a sequence for it. The new record is called The Small Hours, and contains 10 tracks. The track listing is as follows...

1. Conifer
2. Send the Owls
3. Among the Quiet People
4. Crest Nursing
5. The Ground Begins
6. Year of Frozen Limbs
7. In Multiples
8. The Distant Talk of Brothers
9. Ribbons
10. The Departure

We are now getting the artwork ready, and working on the release plans. While none of those details are in place, we will certainly make a very public announcement once the time is right. Until then we have a few shows booked, and are working on getting out of town much, much more in the near future.

Stay tuned...

A Brief Sigh Of Relief...

We finished mixing the new album a few weeks ago. Last week Mike renting some gear to master the album. Quite an amazing process really. It was very interesting to see it all come together.

My own bias aside, I think the mastered version sounds pretty sick. I'm not sure if it will be the final version just yet, but it's a step in the right direction. We posted a new song on our myspace page. The song is called "Send The Owls", and it ended up sounding incredibly good. But then again, I feel that way about all the songs.

This weekend we will be playing our first show since last year. We purposefully held off from playing shows until we finished the record. So, it's going to be really fun to finally get on a stage again and play these new tunes. The Cincypunk Fest is always a blast, and this year's line up looks like it may be the best one yet.