Driving away from last night's gig, I couldn't help but felt like we'd won.  Yesterday was the four-year anniversary of the day I started touring (which means 1/29 commemorates the date my first tour kicked off in 2004).  1/29/08 happened to be the last day of the whistle-stop Cold Noses Tour.  Vincent Cacchione, aka Soft Black joined me and Crafty Dan in the van for twelve days around the Northeast.  I booked almost all of the tour myself, and have nothing but gratitude for all of the sweet people who set up shows, cooked food, offered floors and kept us happy, kicking around and freezing our Paulines off.

Best House award goes to Ohio and Russell, Mike and Laura Pridemore-Miller's house in Johnstown, PA, for being the only cat free house we stayed at.  Seriously, y'all.  Start cleaning up after your cats.  I have a cat.  He's as big as a dog.  My house doesn't stink like him.  You know why?  Because he's cleaned up and taken care of.  Not taking care of your cats is about as punk rock as voting for Mitt Romney.

Most Satisfying Stoner Food goes to New Brunswick, NJ, for the Fat Cat gross-ass fried sandwiches.  I had Falafel, Mozzarella Sticks and French Fries in mine.

Most Satisfying Stoner Food that Gets You Stoned goes to our friends in the greater Metropolitan Detroit area, for the awesome cookies they gave us.

I had a cold for most of tour, sorry if I acted like a douche.  I hope you liked us.  That was tour number eleven for me, number twelve is coming in two months.  A six week jaunt across the country and back with Pat the Bunny, then, retrenchment.

brook

Sunday January 20, 2008
2042 Main St Apts Nos 3&6
Three Rivers MA 01080

Brook Pridemore
Mutiny Amongst Friends
The Association of Thieves & Liars
Soft Black
The Ear, The Eye & The Arm

So last night was our 2nd house show in our apartment building here in sleepy Three Rivers MA. Leslie & I live three doors apart from one another & decided it'd be pretty sweet to split the show between our places. We thought it'd be best to open the show w/ our band (The Ear, The Eye & The Arm) because a.) we have a lot of gear to set up (really really) & b.) getting the louder bands to play early makes happier neighbors. The shindig was scheduled to start @ 5PM sharp, but our friends, ever fashionably late, did not arrive until 6. But the place filled out nicely (which calmed our fears of no one showing). After (or rather during) an especially sweaty set on my part, the phone rings (there's a pretty funny picture of Anne w/ her guitar on on the kitchen phone). It's Mutiny Amongst Friends, some um, friends of ours from CT who've made it into town but have become lost. After Dennis (of AT&L) went out on a rescue mission & we finished our set everyone shuffled further down the porch to my place to watch Soft Black. I should admit that I stayed behind to break down/set up @ Leslie's, so I only caught the last few songs, but it was good to see (& good to see that even more people had shown up in the intervening minutes) & there was a quiet calm as I snuck up the stairs. Vin having finished meant everyone shuffled back to Les' place to watch The Association of Thieves & Liars (& it meant I was pulling double duty as their bass player). Lots of sweating, swearing & heat induced mistakes followed. I thought it was hot during the EEA set (& I drummed), but the three of us were dying, but in the best of ways. Seriously, what could possibly be better than playing in a kitchen to a bunch of friends, old & new? Back again to my place to see MAF. These kids (literally, they're in high school) came up from the mean streets of Naugatuck (this could happen to your town too) to play in my kitchen & as much as we were psyched to host them, they were more excited to play. As their set wound down Brook jumped up to take advantage of the situation & busted into his set. I've now seen him three times & I'm still impressed that he brings the same energy to a kitchen (or a living room) than to a packed art space. That's some punk rock shit right there. Right of the Black Flag playbook. The night ended w/ him taking requests from everybody (& the not the "Free Bird" type) until his voice (which already cold ravaged) started giving out. But, ever the gentleman, he then proceeded to cook food for everyone left. Brook, Dan & Vin also wash their dishes, so feel free to give up floor & stovetop space.
As the night wore on I threw on Some Kind of Monster (the Metallica documentary) & we watched in disbelief. Good? That depends on your defintion of the word. But it seemed appropriate to watch a bunch of middle aged, millionaire, whiny, self absorbed rockstars after a night of humble musicmaking in my tiny little hometown. So, um, that about sums it up (if you could call all of that a summation)!

-Leon

frozen head cracked wide, tongue stuck to skull, the tundra of the soul licked and licked until my wooden center warps.  here in three rivers moonlight, stowed in the back of leslie's apartment near the duran duran poster and the collection of ernest vhs, tapping and tapping, fashioning a pipe from an apple.  beans and rice stuck to tummy and pot.   stray conversations in the kitchen.  dangling deliriums as the evening's hung. and i wonder if i should get my sleeping bag now, it's getting late and i'm still not certain where i will curl.  three days on the road and i'm feeling more like an adult,  save for the doob i will smoke in my mom's car on the way home.  xoxoxo,vincenzo "the blackness" linguini

We're in Cambridge, Mass right now, home of Harvard Univesity, home of lots of intellectuals.  Nadav's killer record collection singing the post-party vibe a post-post-party lullabye.  Vinnie's had a lot more memorable nightmares than I have-that's why he's got so many creepy songs.

Last night there were a zillion people at the Leukemia show in Westchester.  We didn't have gig, so we're now officially "on tour."  Boston area very cold, but not nearly as cold as you'd expect, from the way people talk.

It's comfortable here.  Party ends early, kids go to bed.  Boston's an early town, subway closes early.  Yoni Gordon opened the show, told a story about some guy who found $6,000 in a copy of Blood On The Tracks.  Debating as to legitimacy of the story.  I don't see any reason to not believe him, but these guys aren't so sure.

We are on day 3 of the brook pridemore soft black cold noses tour. Thursday we drove to bridgeport. We played an actual infoshop. Not one of those ones where a bunch of punks hang out drink beer and do nothng. There were lots of books and pamphlets in one room. The other had a stage and lots of instuments around. t looked well used and functional. the show was fun. Everyone was real attentive and friendly. After the show we went drove in the snow with a van full of kids to a falafel place. The guy who ran the parkinglot also worked in the store. He probably delivers newspapers as well.

Friday we went and saw Kimya dawson in white plains. The show was long but it was enjoyable seeing all of the young kids excited about all of the diffeent types of music. Then we went back to city island and played taboo, the best game ever with alex and his friends. We ended the night with a hanful of songs.

Its now saturday, we are in Cambridge Mass. We have been fed an awesome meal and dessert. The show starts in a bit.

dAN