Van Life
I suppose I can’t get over how cute people are in general. That said, I can’t get over the cuteness of the people I get to travel with. I wish you could all be in the van with us, just to know how cute this situation is. But then, we’d all be bursting from the cuteness. I’m sure something dangerous would happen.
Day two. We are safe and in good moods. The moving world outside our windows is beautiful. A bright crescent moon, daybreak, animals attending their animal business, mountains, hills, trees, trains, and gravel.
The fine folks at The Laboratory go above and beyond. When we arrived, Steven instructed us to make ourselves at home. I felt instantly at ease to do so. The house is brimming with projects. We cooed over baby chicks and drank local brew in the yard while the people of the house watered gardens, fed chickens, and cooked a huge dinner of moosemeat lasagna and fresh salad from the garden. They shared the food with us and the two other touring bands that were on the bill that night.
Impure Jazz of somewhere in Indiana, and Burger Thirst of Minneapolis. Both groups of kind people crossing paths with us as they head west.
Several local bands played, making it a long night of eclectic styles. From hardcore to brainy instrumental to sad crooning. It was as much a bonfire party as it was a show, and the partiers were kind, lovely to chat with, and full of positive feedback.
We played our sets on a covered deck strung with hammocks and a cargo net. Adrenaline kept our fingers warm as we played our songs in the cold dark. Sounds of revelers at the fire were both distracting and enhancing, while listeners were attentive on the deck and curled in the nets.
These shows are an opportunity for us to practice and learn. Every show presents its unforeseen challenges, and this was no exception. I won’t play again with my amp right next to me and directed the same way I am facing. For some reason, this makes it impossible for me to hear the exact key and I spent the whole set unsure of whether or not I was singing in tune. Tucker and Allen assured me I was, but the uncertainty I felt as I played meant I was holding back, not lashing the audience with everything I could muster.
Tucker’s performance was beautiful. I admire his ability to tailor his performances to the atmostphere and audience, while consistently impressing the heartbeat of each song upon his listeners.
Together, Allen, Tucker and I played our parts to the best of our abilites under a sound setup that was not ideal. Performing live together is a brand new work in progress, and we’re excited for every opportunity to tweak our setup.
Sarah is awesome. She helps us unload and load and set up. She documents with her camera and gives thoughtful feedback on our performances and is all around a good friend to travel with.
Special thanks to Sarah’s mom and Tucker’s dad for being our top blog readers
Love
Rest Stop
Olympia to Ohio 
Recent Comments