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The Cast:
Luther Wright—singer, acoustic guitar
Dan Curtis—lead guitar and banjo
Cam Giroux—drummer
Sean Kelly—bassist and complete freakazoid
Brian Flynn—fiddle and mandolin
Olesh Maximew—pedal steel
The Tour:
June
25—Saskatoon at Amigo's
26—Calgary at The Village Hearth & Terrace
27—Banff at St. James Gate
28—Slocan Valley at a straw bale community hall on the top of a mountain (no kidding)
30—Vancover at Malones
July
1—Vancover at Blue Rodeos Stardust Picnic, Plaza of Nations
2—Victoria at Steamers Pub
3—Tofino at the Golf Course
6&7—Duncan at The Brigintine
8—Victoria at Thursdays
9&10—Mayne Island at the Agricultural Hall
12—Calgary at the Village Hearth & Terrace
13—Calgary at the Republik
14—Regina at Soul Food
16—Winnipeg at the West End Cultural Centre
June 23 1999
Everyone has had their shot at driving the van. Olesh is swerve-driving around the northern shore of Lake Superior. I ate a pot cookie and am particularly wound up. Ideas, madcap schemes and metaphorical menageries tear through my mind with the force of a supersoaker. Day 2 of driving towards Saskatoon and our first gig. No XY's in the van for the first time touring. It's lonely without them but these boys is lookin' better every minute!... ahem, sure is hot in here!
Lots of green in these hills, they've been getting a bit more rain than we in the south. In Tofino, where we find ourselves playing July 3rd, it has rained for the last 11 days. We need some sun when we're there 'cause two of our three days off will be spent on the westest/bestest part of the island, living a young boys dream.
We stayed in Wawa last night. 6 in a room built for 6.
We'll be passing out of Onsquario by 10 pm or so. Then it's on to the flat-lands where we'll push on through the prairie amber to find the grey madness of a big city.
June 24 1999
5:35 PM. Hot.
Sunny.
1000 miles behind us.
The "cooler" has already begun to get funky.
Not to mention my new shoes.
Wayne Newton is thanking some German lady for something.
I find that if I raise my leg to the right angle the vent provides spectacular crotch-cooling possibilities.
Not to be outdone, Harry Belafonte is now wooing in Italian.
Those guys are smooth.
Luther is trying to cover as much highway as possible.
Where's my medication.
Aaaaaaaaah...
Sway on, brother.
Foliage is breathtaking.
The birch trees, jack pine, spruce, standing in solemn solidarity.
Pristine daisies, sun-soaked buttercups, and deep orange blossoms nestle gently against the gravelly shoulder at the edge of the forest.
A patch of loose-strife brazenly displays every imaginable permutation of the violet spectrum.
And we're just getting started...
Friday, June 25 1999
We are fast approaching Regina and then bolting north to our first show in Saskatoon at Amigo's pub. Already a day with some "necessaries" behind us. I ain't talking about make-up neither. We bought two new tires and an alignment job for the van this a.m.
Now it's smooth riding.
My slush fund, mad money and unpaid rent worked out to be exactly (!), to the fricken' dollar amount of cash needed to pay for aforementioned mechanical work. I am broke like a bad old joke.
Slowly the feel of the tour takes shape. Characteristics emerge that will set the tone of the co-operation, communication, compassion and sleeping patterns. It's a van full of nice men, all mellow like the members of a bible study group on their way to the Gideon plant for a tour. We won't hurt anyone but ourselves (and even then we'll be sorry for any inconvenience). Our bodies are not temples, they're night clubs.
Hotel door.
Showroom floor.
Torrential downpour.
Blinding flashes.
Thunderous roar.
Pelting hail and still there's more...
Day three.
Holding on 'til Regina for chili & carrot juice.
Mmmmmmm...
Loves the Husky.
First show tonight.
Feels so right.
Yes, wee moments of clarity among the blur and worry of prairie travel. Today we came to the conclusion that we are not going to be playing a certain folk-music festival this summer even though we thought we had some good connections. What ever happened to good old nepotism? Wondering why the fools who doubted us are still employed. I'm not paranoid, simply a justice creep. In the first place we are the local band to have at their overrated festival. When we are finally invited some of us say we should charge for the humiliation of having to grovel for a gig this year. Me? Well, no I'm not necessarily of that party (the "charge more than we are worth when we are worth something" party). Always the noble one, I will try to rein in the 3000 years of hot, ruthless, vengeful, blood lust that courses through my thin Scottish frame.
Met a swell looking woman named Giselle at the A & W between Regina and Saskatoon. She sold me a small black coffee and smiled shyly through her elaborate make-up job. She may very well have a night job at a casino dealing blackjack or else she just got into make-up too early in life and now, at 24, she is applying an increasingly awesome amount of goo to her face and neck. A lifetime of "cruise ship" living is in the cards when the right guy walks in for his double teen burger and whisks her right out the drive thru window.
June 26 1999
June 26/99 outside of Calgary after a scenic drive from 'toon town. We played our first show last night to a small but enthusiastic crowd. There was a good crowd at 11pm but the first band was soooo fucking bad!! that they drove away half the people who had come in and paid cover. This knocked the wind out of our sails along with the tardy soundman who sauntered in at 10:30 and didn't soundcheck us instead waiting 'till after the stinkbome band killed everybody with their crappy music before he put any mikes on our instruments. So we started playing at 12:45!! Needless to say the energy was waning in the room. We did, however pull it together and play some fun stuff. Sold 6 CD's and received many compliments (and apologies from the staff). Had a good bluegrass jam at a table after the show which pleased all to no end. The waitresses were these two beautiful, friendly women who had a warm, sexy appeal. I've never been so fascinated with women's shoulder blades before in my life.
We are fast approaching the downtown core of Cowgary so I'll report back with more news later. Danny is hurtin' on the bed with a whopper of a hangover, hopefully he'll feel better once we've landed.
June 28 1999
June 28-in B.C. on the road to the Slocan valley for an impromptu show at a straw bale community centre at the top of a mountain for a bunch of hippies. We had a smashing good time in Calgary at the Village Hearth & Terrace. They fed us and treated us so well that we decided to change our 3rd Vancouver show into another gig in Calgary at the Village H & T. It's during the stampede so now we'll do an afternoon/evening patio gig and then the next night play our other gig at the Republik, thereby allowing us to enjoy a day at the stampede and the opportunity to play for more cowboys (even the possibility of busking looms).
Banff was a gas, of course. Blind Al set us up with a show at a nice pub that paid us handsomely and provided us with all the necessities. After our early set-up and sound-check we all scattered and I went a bought a bottle of Barolo which Blindy and I shared in his backyard as the sun blasted through the clouds and around the mountains. A lovely dinner was served up by Al and we jammed before going to play our show. Al and his buddy had a joint of this mind-boggling strong weed that Dan and I smoked with them...good lord were we transformed!!
Admittedly the 1st set (or 2) was a bit spacey from my perspective but we pulled it together. Again CD sales were brisk and the crowd was a good mix of young folks and older folks, all who seemed to like the kooky, heartfelt country that we purvey.
Rain falling on the road as we wheel it west. Full moon tonight so look out for some freaky-ness. LW signing off.
June 29 1999
On the road from Kamloopie where we stayed the night at Jim & Jaime's new place. Made a plan to play their house warming party on our way back. Had an outrageous time in Banff and then at the straw-bale house gig in the Slocan valley. We had to load all the gear into the back of a pick-up truck and barrel up a steep, pot-hole-filled road. Couldn't believe that people were really going to show up, but they did! Hippies came out of the wood-work and drank, danced, and reviled. We met an amazing girl named Ali who hung out with us just perfectly for the night. Ken Bunport put on a show that had us all in stitches. The hippies fixed us up with some herb and a jar of liquid LSD (god knows what the hell that means!!). We are heading into Vancouver to take the city by storm. We need some nice sunny weather for the next couple of weeks out here. Lots and Lots of trees.
In The vAn wItH a GuY naMed dAn
aNd we driVe LiKe wEvictoria
hAd 12 hands and motel tAns. --sh
July 2, 1999
Outrageousness reigned yesterday at the Stardust picnic. We chose a spot directly beside the main stage to set up our stuff, and played four short sets throughout the afternoon. We parked our van and doned it with a backdrop and didn't have to ask the festival crew for nothin'!! Partied like Texans 'till the wee hours then booted it out to Dunc's new pad in Richmond and crashed 'till noon. We have successfully completed a mass laundry of all our dirty duds and our belly's are full of burgers. On to soundcheck at Steamers pub where tonight we play with a hippie band.
July 6, 1999
Vancouver Island on the road to Duncan. Just spent 2 great days in Tofino by the ocean. We went out in Chips' boat and saw some whales as well as whipping around in the open ocean, bouncing off of waves like a cork in a washing machine. We ripped it up last night at a bonfire party, sing along. A guy named Wayne played some excellent country numbers and we joined in on the mandi, fiddle and guitar and drums. A group of teenage girls exposed themselves to Dan, Olesh and LW yesterday on long beach. They went by screaming and giggling, waving their bikini tops in the air. Hmmm. The other fellas went golfing. This is the turn around day of the tour. We are heading east now. The road leads home. What awaits us there we can only guess. Travel changes everything and nothing. The sun followed us out here and we need it to keep us squinting through the days until the darkness opens up the boot and we unload the instruments. I was tired this morning after the mushrooms that sent my consciousness into the stratosphere. We breakfasted at the awesome little cafe that had us in for a free breaky the day after the show. The show was poorly attended by local standards but we played well and had a good ole time with the folks who were there. Ate a tasty Salmon, saw many large trees.
July 7, 1999
Duncan, BC—We are staying at this fabulous place in the trees owned by a wonderful woman named Liz. Our man in town is the legendary Longevity John and he's set us up with everything we need. Two nights at the Brigantine pub overlooking Maple Bay and across from Salt Spring Island. |
