U.S.A Tour Diary – Hot Tub Time Machine

We didn’t go for burgers in Indianapolis after all. Opposite the venue was a craft pizza twattery. I must pause to explain what I mean by twattery as it has become an established word in our vernacular. It began as a way of describing a particular type of coffee shop. One that I’ve hinted at in previous diary entries. It will typically comprise of one or all of the following features : Exposed brickwork, men with large beards or carefully groomed moustaches, ladies (and men) with tattoos, distressed woodwork, a hand-drawn menu and industrial lighting. There will be one or two barista awards on display as well as works from local artists and possibly a fixed gear bicycle (neon wheels optional) chained up outside. Above all, they will be independent (Starbucks can never be a twattery) and take themselves and their coffee very seriously – btw, if it doesn’t serve a flat white, it doesn’t qualify as a twattery. It may seem like a derogatory term and that we’re taking the piss (we are a little bit) but we love them and seek them out wherever we go. The term has now began to apply to any independent shop, store or restaurant that offers niche or specialist products in a setting as described above. We’ve visited shoe twatteries, guitar twatteries, luggage twatteries (my personal favourite), burger twatteries and yesterday, the aforementioned pizza twattery called Pizzology in Indianapolis. Granted, there wasn’t the ubiquitous exposed brickwork anywhere in sight but the pizza was awesome and I could happily have sat there all afternoon stuffing my face with their lovingly made discs of dough covered in vine ripened tomato sauce and organic buffalo mozzarella but we had to set up our gear and do a soundcheck before doors opened. The venue was actually a restaurant or rather a “gastropub” called Union 50. It was a large stylishly designed space with an amazing menu, ultra friendly staff and a small stage in the corner. We were right at home. It is owned by a successful restauranteur who, it turned out, also owns the burger restaurant we had previously visited in Indianapolis along with most of the cool establishments in town.We were incredibly well looked after throughout our stay there and would like to express our gratitude. You guys were exemplary hosts.The show itself was fun. It was obvious that not everyone in the room was there to see us or even knew we would be there but I think a good time was had by all – helped by a reckless approach to alcohol, and we may have won a few new fans which is exactly why we’re here. Mission accomplished! All we need to do now is convert the other 318 million.

A highlight of the evening came when we were taken to our accommodation for the night. The owner of Union 50 was kind enough to put us up in his downtown condo – an amazing living space that would not look out of place in an edition of Wallpaper* magazine. Not only this but he also had a huge spread of yet more delicious food left out for us. This guy is incredible! There’s more…he has a ROOFTOP HOT TUB! We needed no encouraging and after eating our fifth meal of the day were soon wallowing in the warm bubbling water with the Indianapolis skyline as our backdrop.
Back to reality the next morning and we were up and out. We had a couple of radio sessions to do on route to Columbus, Ohio. We would stay there before driving the remaining 143 miles to Cleveland.
I’m now staring at the small, illuminated screen of my iphone waiting for inspiration to come. It’s almost 11pm and we have another hour or so of driving before we reach our hotel. The van is quiet but for the tippity-tap of Luke’s laptop keyboard  next to me and some soothing 50’s music at low volume in the front. It’s the calm after the storm. We tore up the House of Blues this evening in Cleveland. It was nice to be back on the BBS tour and playing to full rooms. We have only seven shows left on this leg of the tour before we fly home for a much needed week at home with our loved ones before returning for another six weeks. It’s high time we gave our partners the credit they deserve. We couldn’t have undertaken any of this without their patience and support. I know I’m not alone in saying that I miss my girlfriend and daughter terribly. You ladies are heroes. Hang in there, we’ll be home soon.
Ok, before this diary entry descends into a bad Oscars acceptance speech. I’ll sign out. My eyes are feeling heavy and if I just close them for a second, I might have a quick snoooozzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ.
2015-03-21T12:58:25+00:00March 20th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Chicago and Fort Wayne

We feel like new men this morning. It’s amazing what a difference a night off can do to a weary bunch of touring musicians. Not only did we have a night off but we also had the luxury of our own rooms in our new favourite city, Chicago – home of the Chicago Music Exchange, Smoking Woody’s BBQ and friendly policemen who let you wear their hats! Chicago has had a powerful magnetic force over us the past few weeks. Whenever we’ve driven away from it, we are invariably drawn back as though attached by an unseen bungee cord. The reason for our return yesterday was to do a live performance for Radio WXRT Chicago – an important station for us to make friends with as they wield considerable power and influence. Hopefully, we achieved this. The performance was broadcast live on the internet from a room containing a low stage and chairs for a small audience. These kind of things can sometimes feel somewhat sterile and vibe-less. It can be hard for a band to whip up the necessary mojo needed to create the same atmosphere you’d find at a real gig but then not all bands have a Phil Campbell! We closed our 5 song set with “Ain’t No Telling” and Phil took the outro as an opportunity to jump off the stage for a lap of honour around the room, stopping to shake his tambourine at surprised members of the crowd like a frenzied witch doctor. Brilliant! Thanks Kelly and Norm for inviting us to perform at your station. We hope to see you again soon.

So, sandwiched between Louisville (the subject of Damon’s diary entry) and Chicago was a visit to Fort Wayne. For those who’ve expressed a desire to be at a small, intimate TTM gig. This might have been the one to be at as you would have been amongst only eight or nine people. It felt a bit “Twin Peaks” being in a fairly large room with just a handful of silhouetted figures dotted around and one couple on a sofa at the far end in front of the mirrored back wall. There’s no reason why anyone in Fort Wayne should know or care who we are and nine people is better than no people so we got on the stage, gave it some and then went to bed. Job done!
As we say goodbye to Chicago for probably the last time on this trip, we say another hello to Indianapolis. This should be called the Déjà Vu tour. We were here just the other day with Blackberry Smoke but return for our own St Patricks day gig. We’ve already made plans to revisit the same burger joint we ate at last time and I’ll be raising a glass of Guinness to celebrate St Patty’s (yes, that’s what they call it here) day. Cheers!
2015-03-18T13:40:33+00:00March 18th, 2015|

U.S.A Tour Diary – Indianapolis to Louisville

It’s a beautiful, sunny morning in Kentucky. We’re up and out early to drive to Fort Wayne for another headline show but our first priority is to find coffee. This week is probably the most intense of the tour. Late nights, early mornings, radio promo and gigs all start to blur. The days off that at first, littered the itinerary, have now all vanished without trace like the snow now that Spring has arrived. Today, i am handing diary duty over to a man you all know and love. A rhythm ninja who uses drumsticks like nunchucks. The Thunder from Down Under, the one and only Mr Damon Wilson. Take it away Damon…

Friday the 13th.
What’s the worst thing that could happen?
We’re not a superstitious band but there’s more than a few raised eyebrows when we arrive at the Egyptian Room in Indy. The room Is decorated like Tutankhamen’s palace.
Not weird at all.
We’re met by Howard our trusted radio plugger. It’s his job along with Jill & Karen & Angelo to get us played on the radio & they do a great job at doing just that. With him is Brett the Man Mountain who is our marketing guy visiting from LA. He really could star in Game of Thrones except that his broad grin gives him away as an exceptionally sweet dude.
Burgers are swiftly ordered & demolished & it’s onto the show.
The Pharaoh’s Palace.
And like any king’s chamber it’s huge. 1700 eager Indianians – is that even a word? – are waiting for us & boy are they a rowdy bunch of Friday good timers! The show flies past and by the handshakes and hugs and hearty back slaps we get afterwards I’d say we’ll be welcomed back in Indiana. To all of you who came to say hi at the merch desk thanks for an overwhelming welcome. Hope to see some of you next Tuesday for our St Patricks Day show @ Union 50 in East St Indy.
Next stop Louisville KY. Our very first foray into the South. Rumour had it that his Royal Purpleness was to play at the venue next door to ours. Sure enough we arrive in the Ville to scenes of minor pandemonium. Prince fans are lining the main street and mixing with the Blackberry Smoke / TTM fans so that security are working hard to explain it all and keep things calm.
‘Queue here for Prince for the 8 o’clock show. Blackberry Smoke queue here. The Prince midnight show you’ll have to come back later. Meet and greet…’ And so on.
It’s a fantastic feeling to be amongst people who are like us – passionate to the core about music. There’s a weight of anticipation that you can feel physically. It’s a joyful feeling of expectation though. Nobody’s frustrated or on edge here.
St Patricks day festivities have begun early here which only adds to the human electricity.
And as we take to the stage the electricity only multiplies. We’re in the South and they’re keen to let us know it. The Mercury Ballroom seems to be plastered from floor to ceiling with wild eyed Kentuckians and we don’t mind in the slightest. Somehow it’s a very intimate big room as the balcony hangs over us and there’s a feeling that we’re connecting with all 900 of these music lovers.
Before the show Paul suggests we take a chance and break into Purple Rain at the back end of Pride. Hey it’s not every day you get Prince as your neighbour right? It turns out to be a master stroke and the place erupts. Hands in the air. Beautiful stuff. God I wish we’d written that song!
As we eventually pack up and walk out into the warm Louisville night we can hear Prince burning through his second show. It’s like he’s trying to tell us something:
‘Hey guys if you wanna do this you gotta do it all the way.’
We borrowed his song so it’s only fair that we take his advice too.
Thanks Prince.
2015-03-15T20:28:37+00:00March 15th, 2015|

U.S.A Tour Diary – Green Bay to Madison

We continue our erratic exploration of the United States past thawing lakes, melting mounds of snow and sun-kissed cornfields. Spring has arrived! Yesterday, the temperature definitely qualified as warm. No longer are we shuffling about like frozen penguins and I’ve cast off the arctic survival parka that made me look like Kenny from SouthPark. Strolling around Green Bay after soundcheck yesterday and feeling the sun’s re-energising rays has filled me with vigour. Judging by Phil Campbell’s performance last night, spring has had the same effect on him. The Meyer is a beautiful old building that reminds me of the theatres I spent a lot of my childhood in when my Dad was musical director for summer variety shows and Pantomimes – a quaint old british theatre tradition probably not found in the U.S. Based on crazy fairy tales, Women generally play the lead character but dressed as a boy and men dress as matronly women with over-sized boobs. There’s usually a couple of people in a horse costume and always a villain lurking in the background. Kids seem to love it and are encouraged to scream “He’s behind you” whenever the villian enters the stage – Bonkers! Anyway, venues such as the Meyer are great for a bit of light hearted entertainment or a play where un-amplified voices need to be heard but when being built, the architects probably weren’t envisioning a future with Paul Sayer’s guitar amp throwing out face-melting volume or my bass amp shaking the buildings foundations. As a consequence, the sound on stage seemed odd as though, in protest, the room was acting as a big volume sponge. In some ways this was a good thing as hearing our own backing vocals suddenly became possible. In addition to this, for the first time on this tour, we experienced a seated venue. From where we stood at the side of the stage before going on, it looked as though the audience were making themselves nice and comfortable for a showing of “Driving Miss Daisy”. Phil Campbell was having none of this and as we tore into “Ain’t No Telling”, he became a demented blur of arms and legs bouncing around the stage like a Super Mario Bro™ collecting golden coins. My level of respect for Phil as a performer went up a level last night as I’ve never seen someone work a seated crowd quite like he did the Meyer theatre – needless to say, the majority of the audience didn’t remain seated for long. We were about to segue into our last tune when we noticed Iain at the back flashing his torch and waving his arms wildly. We’d run out of time, had to abort “Take it Back” and exit the stage. Sorry Green Bay, we’ll come back and play it another day.

This morning, we drove to Madison first to visit Radio 1055 Triple M. They’d kindly laid on a vast amount of pizza for us and in return we performed a few acoustic tunes in their boardroom. The goal, obviously wasn’t just free pizza though but to endear these lovely folk to five charming young men from the uk in the hope that they’ll get behind us in our campaign to dominate the American airwaves! Rome wasn’t built in a day and i think we laid a foundation this morning. Thanks guys, you were wonderful hosts.
As we’d arrived 15 minutes early for our appointment, we took the opportunity to throw a frisbee around in the lovely spring weather. Whilst we frolicked in the car park, the warm sun shone down on large piles of remaining snow, melting them into large puddles. Upon attempting an ariel catch from Luke, i fell sideways into one of these puddles much to the amusement of everyone watching. I entered the radio station a little soggy.
It’s now 8.00 pm and we’re in our dressing room at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Madison. Muddy Waters is providing our warm-up music, it’s a cool, vibey little venue and we’re eager to play. I’ll let you know how it went.
2015-03-13T01:14:54+00:00March 13th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Detroit to Toronto

We’re here, we’re there, we’re everywhere! Time has become elastic. It feels like we’ve lived a lifetime in this van already and yet landing in Chicago seems like only yesterday. Memories of home are beginning to fade into the mist…wait, hold on, let’s not get too melodramatic. We’ve been here three weeks. No time at all really. In total, we have almost 4 months out here. Yes, we’re having to cover a lot of miles but we’re getting used to the distances and a five hour journey now seems like a trip to the shops. This country is huge. There’s so much to see and we’ve only just scratched the surface. We’re having the experience of a lifetime and remind ourselves of this every day. It’s brilliant. This opportunity is not available to every band and we’re going to take full advantage of everything that comes our way. Being away from family and loved ones is the hardest part of all this but the wonders of technology allow us to maintain a level of contact denied to many bands before us. Imagine what it was like for bands before the internet made it possible to video chat. I suspect that once we’ve returned home, it’ll seem like we were hardly away. Time is an illusion, just ask Albert Einstein.

So where we’re we? Oh yes! Last time I wrote, we had played Chicago and were headed for Detroit. The Detroit Fillmore is located in the downtown area amidst some pretty impressive architecture. Everything in Detroit feels big, solid and spacious and the interior of the Fillmore was no disappointment. We love a venue with a bit of history. It seems to make you up your game as though all the legendary acts who’ve performed there before might be watching. After prancing around our dressing room like a bunch of idiots to some highly questionable music, we strode onstage and, as one guy nicely wrote on Facebook. “Baptised the Fillmore” It was definitely one to remember and another venue we’d love to headline one day. We had the second of our own shows in Toronto the next day so the plan was to cross the border into Canada after the Fillmore show and stay the night in London, Ontario before powering on to Toronto. This was executed with military-like precision and early the next afternoon we were parking up outside Rivoli on Toronto’s busy Queen St. The brain-stopping temperatures have given way to a far more pleasant climate. It’s still fairly cool but the sun is shining and the waist-high piles of snow and ice along the sidewalk are beginning to melt. The moment we arrived at the venue, everyone dispersed in different directions. I found myself in an all above board – no happy endings – massage parlour I happened to walk past, getting the knots taken out of my shoulders and neck by a nice Chinese lady’s hands, elbows, and at one point, knees. I walked out feeling like I’d been given a new body and will be seeking out such establishments wherever we go now. After some great sushi to follow, it was time to load-in and soundcheck.
It might seem like I’m just making this tour diary up to be a consistent string of amazing gig after amazing gig. We’ll the truth is…it has been. They’ve all been different. We’ve played to 1900 people and we’ve played to 45 people but each one has been great in its own way. Something happens when the five of us play together that is very special. The Temperance Movement is greater then the sum of its parts and I consider myself lucky to be a part of it and to be doing these shows. Toronto was dynamite!
There may be five of us on stage but there is a sixth and increasingly important member of this operation – Mr Iain Graham. A no-nonsense, direct talking Glaswegian man with a thick accent no American seems able to understand. He is like the Patriarchal figure of the tour, shepherding us around and hurling (often hilarious) abuse at us at any opportunity. As both a sound engineer and tour manager rolled into one, he’s become a permanent fixture of this setup. He’s like a machine. In fact, as i write this, he’s sat next to me booking hotels on his laptop after driving for the last four hours. Iain, if you’re reading this, which you’re probably not, you’re doing an absolutely first class job mate – Thank you.
So from Toronto, we’ve now made our way back to Milwaukee via Detroit. We did a radio session in a great little studio in Anne Arbor this morning and tonight have found ourselves back in the same hotel we were at 5 days ago. At least we get to visit Glorioso’s again!
2015-03-11T04:47:40+00:00March 11th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Milwaukee to Chicago

Sorry guys, i’m falling behind with this tour diary. Access to the internet is only partly to blame. I’m actually sat in The Rivoli in Toronto now. We’ve done our soundcheck and i’m grabbing a few moments to get this posted. So here is the diary from Milwaukee to Chicago. Detroit and Toronto will follow soon…

March 6, 2015
We’re driving back to Chicago again!  We first landed in Chigaco almost three weeks ago and have come a full 3,500 mile circle back to it. The last few days we’ve been dancing around it like night-time moths fluttering around an outdoor light,  but tonight we’ll do a show and stay there before continuing on our way to Detroit and then onto our first foray into Canada. If you look at the roadmap of our tour HERE it resembles the flight path of a drunken bumble bee.

 I’m running out of adjectives to describe our shows but last night really was a good one. Let’s say stupendous! We had a whale of a time and the audience also seemed to be enjoying themselves judging by the noise coming back at us. Thanks guys.
The venue was The Ballroom at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee. A grand building, built in 1927 that has frankly seen better days and needs a little love. Particularly to its leaky roof. The Eagles Club or The Rave as it’s otherwise known sports an imposing facade and the main ballroom is a cavernous space that invokes the lavish decadence of yesteryear. It also hides all manner of spooky secrets from its past. After our bombastic set, we were taken on a mystery tour through the bowels of the building. Like a scene from Scooby-doo, we crept along dusty, unused passageways full of old junk using the light from our phones to navigate. The building is supposedly haunted and much paranormal activity has been reported over the years. The basement houses a beautiful pool, now eerily empty and home to supposed ghosts and other disgruntled spirits. There are also three disused racquetball courts. Apparently the ghosts like to hang out in the giant boiler room which we found padlocked. I imagine that’s the only place they can get warm as the whole building was like an ice palace. The security guards manning the draughty stairwells that night didn’t seem to happy about being there. As well as the Blackberry Smoke gig last night was a rave and another live gig. The building contains 3 halls. So, whilst in one room, bug-eyed teenagers fuelled on amphetamines were losing their minds to dangerous levels of subsonic bass, in another room were The Wailers – Bob Marley’s original backing band. After a bit of easy skanking in the Reggae room we wrapped up the night at the merch desk and drove back through the staggeringly cold night to our beds.
Next morning my roommate Phil Campbell and myself woke in high spirits. The music was turned up and there was much singing and dancing around the room whilst we packed and showered, not realising that it was 8.30am. Our neighbours, Damon and Iain we’re not impressed. It’s now been suggested that Phil and I be separated like naughty schoolboys.
We’ve eaten well in Milwaukee. The night we arrived, all the guys excluding Phil and I went to a restaurant with the genius name “Thai-namite”. We’d decided a much better option would be to get in our beds and watch some “House of Cards.” As one episode ended, a knock at the door was heard and there, like a glorious hairy angel stood Damon clutching a take-out Pad Thai. What a beautiful man! The next episode was watched in our pyjamas eating off paper plates laden with spicy noodles. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
Also in Milwaukee is Sobelman’s, home of possibly the best burgers of the tour so far and an absurd Bloody Mary that’s almost a meal in itself. This bring’s me to our third gastronomic discovery in Milwaukee. Glorioso’s. This Italian deli provided us with great coffee, the best meatball sandwich on earth and also a dancing partner for Damon. I turned a corner to find him gliding around the store with a random customer to the italian music being piped through the speakers.  Damon is definitely spreading love and good vibes wherever he goes on this tour.
There was a feeling of excitement in the van as we drove to Chicago. Touring is easy when there’s good food, laughter and “Money for Nothing” blasting on the stereo. No-one was more excited then Paul Sayer however as we dropped him off outside Chicago Music Exchange. We didn’t see him for the rest of the day and when he returned at soundcheck time, he was sporting a shit-eating grin and two extra guitars. As I predicted!
It was a rammed Saturday night in Joe’s bar. Everyone was up for a good time and so were we. For 40 minutes the room filled with Rock’nRoll and smiles before a nice chilly load-out and packdown outside in the back alley. Much like a plunge pool after a sauna.
Refreshing!
2015-03-09T00:00:56+00:00March 9th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Grand Rapids

We’re driving to Chicago. Sturgill Simpson is providing the soundtrack and there are two things on our minds. Ribs and vintage guitars. We have a day off today after our first headline show in Grand Rapids which I’ll come to in a moment. Our plan today is to drive to Milwaukee via Chicago’s many vintage guitar stores and eat some ribs along the way. Space in the bus is becoming scarce. We’ve already acquired miscellaneous paraphernalia on our travels and by the time we’ve left Chicago it wouldn’t surprise me if a guitar or two was added to the already tight pack. There’s even murmurings from Damon about looking for vintage drums. We’re going to need a bigger boat!

After visiting Radio WGRD yesterday for a little acoustic performance, we set off for Tip Top Deluxe where we would perform our first ever headline show in the U.S. When I first walked into the room I didn’t even notice the stage in the corner. You could probably have just about swung a cat on it but only if you had very short arms. The PA was minimal so only vocals and Damon’s kick drum were fed through it. There was one monitor mix and there were no flashing lights. By the time we sauntered onto the stage there were maybe 30 or 40 people in the room. Was this going to be a lukewarm gig? We’re we likely to be leaving Grand Rapids disheartened and uninspired? Absolutely not! In fact quite the opposite! It was fucking awesome and we loved every minute of it. We were so close to each other on stage we literally became one. A multi-limbed being making beautiful noise like some kind of rock’n’roll Vishnu. Highlights were, being delivered tequila shots mid show by Sheri-Sue the feisty waitress and then Phil flinging himself off the stage to dance wildly with members of the audience. Thank you to everyone who came last night to share what one guy declared “a legendary gig”. It was great to hang out afterwards, eating burgers and chatting with people. We also appreciated help with the load out which seemed so much more fun after a couple of drinks.
So, back to the present. In half an hour we’ll have our grubby little noses pressed to the window of Chicago Music Exchange, Paul has sourced Chicago’s finest BBQ and by the evening we’ll be in Milwaukee, home of the Fonz. Morale is high and we’re ready for anything.
2015-03-05T02:36:47+00:00March 5th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Springfield to Grand Rapids

We’re en route to Grand Rapids, Michigan to play our first headline show in the U.S. The show is tomorrow night (tuesday). We don’t have the security of borrowing another bands crowd for this one so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that some people will actually show up – I’ll let you know. We’re now two weeks into our tour of the U.S. We’ve covered well over 3,000 miles already in our cosy splitter van but there’s many, many more to cover.

Since my last diary entry we played Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois. It started to snow as we pulled into town and would continue to do so the entire time we were there.
“You boys hungry?” Was our welcome as we slid open the side door of the van. “We got BBQ inside” we needed no more prompting and were soon tucking into beef brisket, pulled pork, beans and sweet potato until moving became difficult and a heavy, sleepy feeling came over me. All I wanted to do was lie down and fall into a blissful food coma but there was work to be done and so we dragged ourselves towards the stage for soundcheck weighing considerably more than when we walked in. Boondocks was a smaller, no frills venue compared to most of the others we’ve played so far but what it did have was a real sense of community. Everyone was very warm and welcoming, we had a great gig and we really enjoyed hanging out and chatting with the locals afterwards. So much so that we were amongst the last to leave the venue. We bid a fond farewell and exited into the snowy night.
When I opened the curtains the next morning, it looked like someone had painted the window white. There was literally nothing out there but snow. The scene was more Fargo than Narnia and rather than racing out to meet Mr Tumnus, I visited the fitness room along with Paul Sayer and Iain Graham to try to iron out our creaky van ridden bodies.
Next stop, via an absolutely titanic sized Walmart to buy essential supplies, was Peoria, an hours drive north of Springfield. Here we found a great coffee establishment near to the hotel that ticked all the right boxes – Moustachioed men in beanies, girls with tattoos, exposed brickwork, industrial lighting, a giant stuffed bear and serious coffee.  All our caffeine needs were fulfilled and we would revisit the next morning for fuelling up before our journey. Later we went out to gorge ourselves on 16oz Ribeye Steaks in Alexander’s Famous Steakhouse before returning to the hotel for some bedtime episodes of “House of Cards” and some lovely, lovely sleep. See you in Grand Rapids
2015-03-03T15:38:02+00:00March 3rd, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Des Moines and Minneapolis

I mentioned the other day that we’d had some warmer weather in Lincoln. The sun smiled down at us, birds began to sing and newborn lambs frolicked in the lush green meadows of Nebraska. Well that momentary glimpse of springlike fantasy has now been cruelly snatched from us and we are now back to eyeball freezing sub zero temperatures that no living creature in its right mind should attempt to go out in. My testicles have retreated north to warmer parts and are unlikely to reappear until late April and I’m currently scraping ice from the inside of our van window. Despite this, as we walked to Zombie Burger in minus 21 last night, I encountered a lunatic in a T-Shirt strolling along like he was on a beach in Maui. Crazy!

We’d just completed our load-out of the venue in Des Moines. Because of the size of the backstage area at Wooly’s, we had to get all our gear off-stage and outside into the tundra to get it all back in cases and into the van. James Pepper, if you are reading this, just know that it’s at times like this that we really, really miss you!
As space is at a premium, the pack needs to be carefully thought out and each night becomes more refined. It’s like a giant game of Flightcase Tetris. Last night we possibly reached van packing Nirvana. Never before have we fitted so much into so little space.
So, onto Zombie Burger we went. We’d been recommended this place by someone on twitter. I probably didn’t need to order that second burger but It was pretty damn good!
We all went out front to watch The Ben Miller Band last night. This trio of talented dudes play deep Americana roots blues music using guitar, banjo, one-string washtub bass, spoons, electric washboard, trombone and a drumkit. I suggest anyone who gets the chance to see them live should do so. They’re awesome. It’s totally mind blowing how Scott can play basslines using one string attached to a stick on an upturned washtub and be able to accurately pitch the notes by moving the stick backwards and forwards. Plus, the sound that comes out is a deep subsonic thump that the Prodigy would be proud of. It makes me feel like I’m cheating with all my frets and four strings!
Thanks to all the people of Des Moines who came to see us or didn’t come to see us but clapped and shouted in all the right places anyway. We have to namecheck Kenny Champ at this point. A young man with a winning name. He’s showed up at Kansas City, Lincoln and Des Moines, bringing his mates with him. Dude, you turned the vibe of the room up to 11 and we salute you. Nice one Kenny!
Next up, Minneapolis. We played at First Avenue, a legendary venue and the location for Prince’s “Purple Rain” performance in the movie. The show was amazing. The Minnesotans were a feisty bunch and brought out the best in us. A headline show for TTM at First avenue is now on my bucket list. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Minneapolis unfortunately but it will definitely stick in our minds as a highlight gig.
Many thanks to the lady who gave the postcards to Phil to pass onto me. Very kind and much appreciated.
It was a super fast load out and pack for as we had a three hour drive to get us part way to Springfield, IL for the next show. See you there!
2015-03-01T01:06:34+00:00March 1st, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Double Bill!

Today you get not one, but two tour diaries for your reading pleasure. Myself (Nick) and Luke have both documented the events of the last few days in breathtaking detail so make yourselves a nice cup of tea and get comfortable. First up, Mr Luke Potashnick…

Denver and Lincoln and a day off in Omaha…

26 Feb 2015
Hey All,
How’s tricks?
Well, the Denver show was great – Colorado is a cool state and sort of a little out of place where its at geographically.  Grass is legal in this state and everyone is very open and proud about it.  Seems to work fine.
In fact, it has been fun playing with the front row honking every night so far – people are having a good time and reminds me of when people could smoke in venues in the UK.  A far sweeter smell than the B.O. thats floods Uk theatres now!
Anyway, we played a Fillmore venue that sounded just great from where we were standing.  Pictures of Bill Graham (the famous / infamous concert promoter) and other great acts to have played here crowd the walls.  And Chandeliers line the ceiling all the way back… Very similar in look to the Fillmore in San Fran.  Hopefully we’ll get to play there too sometime.
Load out was another freezing and snowy affair but we had an amazing and friendly local crew to help us.  People are really nice here.
The next morning we were taken out for a great brunch by our american label Concorde.  Brunch is taken seriously here.  This was a fancy Italian joint (listen to me!) with bottomless coffee, OJ and an awesome slightly over-zealous waiter who took us through the fine menu and his love of green.  It was a good chance to stock up on some quality food and celebrate our efforts so far.  Thanks Matt!
We then had a slow afternoon catching up on some sleep and reading – just enjoying being in one town for more than a few hours… Was still bitterly cold so there was little enthusiasm to search too far a-field.
A few hours later we were ready to eat again and were lucky enough to be taken out by our radio plugger here, who we’re already very fond of down to her brilliant work so far and moreover her wicked sense of humour.  She sure put us lot in our place.  Brilliant and terrifying in a good way.  Nice one Jill….
The meal was really good, Korean fried Chicken and Chinese Seaweed style Brussell Sprouts anyone?  It had been a good-food-day.
The next morning we got to perform in a studio full pelt for the Clear Channel radio network who are giving us so much support nationwide here (thank you!)…  We threw down some exciting versions of “Ain’t no telling”, “Only Friend” and “Take it Back”….  Fun interviews with Willy and Brad there too.
The drive to Lincoln was long (9hrs?) and dark for the most part – we had dinner at a roadside diner and got our first dose of the Nebraskan hospitality courtesy of Margot our waitress, and an sweet older couple on the neighbouring table.  Just really friendly and warm.  Though it was still bloody freezing outside.
Lincoln was one of the smaller places we’ve been too so far.  A slightly more rock’n’roll sounding room and the crowd were just gagging for it.  BMB, TTM and BBS all got a great reception – the place was charged.  A great gig and one of our first performances of “Modern Massacre” – a real smack in the chest.
We had a post gig evening of pizza slices, local ales and some friendly / semi-competitive table tennis in a great bar by the venue.  I’ve never seen our Tour manager Iain so alive.  Chinese style grip and everything… Misspent youth.
The next day we visited a music shop called Roots Music.  We hung there, Damon smacked snare drums in his endless search for downbeat utopia, Paul and I blasted various guitars and Phil played the theme from the Exorcist on some 80’s keyboard – every time round you could hear more detail.
I bought a little 70’s practice amp – it sounds great and will be the bane of every neighbouring motel room we stay in from now on.
Lastly, we had a day off in Omaha which was only an hour away.  Very cool place with a great Old Market part of town and some cool architecture – few beers, several old fashioned’s and a piece of “Cow” that they’re famous for here.  A truly great meal at the Boiler Room in case any of you end up here.  Oh and it was -16 with some wind chill on top.  Thought my ears were gonna drop off.  Aaaaabsolutely brutal.
Now driving towards our show tonight in Des Moins – can’t wait – we’re having too much fun up on stage at the moment!
Best to you all,
Luke
[line]
Lincoln and a day off in Omaha
Six road weary travellers rolled into Lincoln late on Monday night and crawled up to their rooms in the Downtown Hilton. Tuesday morning saw bright sunshine and temperatures that were almost springlike compared to the Siberian weather we’d been experiencing before. The morning off gave us a chance to take advantage of the hotel(s health facilities. Iain Graham and myself eagerly grabbed our swimming shorts and went to investigate the pool. Upon peering into the cloudy depths of the chlorine bath that confronted us, we decided the gym might be a better option. Spending countless hours in the van can take its toll on your energy levels and your posture so after 40 minutes of (frankly unimpressive) weight lifting we strode back to our room like a pair of self proclaimed gladiators. Our next stop was not a roman amphitheatre to fight lions, but local radio station KIBZ for a chat and a sing-song with a guy called Animal. I’m not sure if this was his actual name but he was a lovely guy and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the band. It’s still blowing our minds that we’re over here doing gigs and getting played on the radio so thanks to Animal and all the other DJ’s who’ve been kind enough to invite us onto their shows.

So, onto the venue. By the time we’d loaded in, hung around for a while then soundchecked, i was suffering from a serious case of hanger. If you’ve not heard this expression before, it’s a combination of hunger and anger. The anger is just a symptom of not having eaten in a while and my slender body not having the reserves to maintain any kind of equilibrium. When i feel the symptoms (hunger, agitation, weakness and mild rage) begin to take hold, i have to find food as fast as possible for the safety of all those around me and any barrier encountered between me and food is met with snarling, disagreeable bad temperedness. It’s not a trait i’m proud of and i can empathise with Dr David Banner when he starts to feel a little moody, turns green and smashes up everything in sight. Thankfully, we found a Ramen restaurant two doors down and within seconds of the delicious hot noodle broth touching my lips i was restored back to my jovial, happy self and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief. Luckily, unlike Dr Banner, I don’t have to buy a new set of clothes after each hanger episode!
Paul and myself killed some time sampling tasty American ales next door before it was time to get our gear in place and make some noise. All our energies are focused into the forty minutes we have on stage and we truly unleashed the beast in Lincoln. Even if nobody had showed up, we would have had a great time. The fact there was a big room full of people sharing our enthusiasm made it pretty special.
Back in the bar next door and after a slice of Pizza we all got involved in a table tennis showdown. Luke Potashnick showed notable skill as did Paul Sayer but the surprise of the evening was Mr Iain Graham who dominated the table with his peculiar Glaswegian style of extreme combat ping-pong.
The next day was a day of leisure. We drove an hour to Omaha and pulled up outside a rather plush looking hotel. Surely there’d been a mistake. This didn’t look like the budget “Make your own waffles in the morning” kind of establishment we’d become accustomed to but Mr Iain Graham had performed some kind of tour manager voodoo to bag us a hotel that ordinarily would be outside our meagre budget. Nice one Mr G!
Myself and Mr G found a little Irish bar in a basement down the road where we drank Guinness, ate popcorn and chewed the fat before meeting the rest of the boys in a slightly trendier looking bar for a tasty “Old fashioned”, and from there, a restaurant that served us a fantastic Nebraska steak. It was a great evening.
Back in our room, Damon demonstrated his unique talent of watching cricket and a film at the same time on two laptops. I guess the left and right brain independence needed to play drums also enables him to concentrate on “American Sniper” and the Cricket World Cup simultaneously but my sleepy head struggled and I fell into glorious sleep.
What’s that I hear coming through the walls of Luke and Paul’s room in my semi-conscious state? It’s a guitar through a Fender Vibro Champ. Could it be..? No…surely not…Yes! that’s definitely “Sweet Child O’Mine”.
Luke’s had a good night then!
– Nick
2015-02-27T00:28:42+00:00February 27th, 2015|

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