Day 4
I opted to ride with the Petrojvic brothers. Charles wanted to leave right after the show rather than get up early.
One of my favorite drives is Oregon through northern California.

It was hard to sleep in the truck but I got a few good naps in. We pulled over to a quiet road near Mt. Shasta at dawn to sleep but because it was so pretty we stayed awake.
We listened to a Dune audiobook for most of the trip. My voice was wrecked from the night before so I kept quiet.
When we got to SF, I stayed with my friends Rich and Jenn. We ordered pizza and played video games. Then, we watched the Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

I like Slims. They made us dinner and provided beer and snacks. The security was really nice, too. I made sure they knew that. They really appreciated the crowd that came.
Kimric of Smythe’s Accordion Center brought some refurbished accordions to the show. Accordions that I couldn’t afford but wanted including this red one:

The show went well. A friend of mine from back home in Kentucky came to the show. It was good seeing him.
After the show, I walked a good while to catch a cab. I like walking in the rain but was missing out on some good hangout time.
Rich and Jenn made me nachos while pouring me whiskey shots. Then, we made up arguments like “Phil Collins or Rod Stewart”; “Steely Dan or Rush”; “buffalo wings or bbq wings”. Fun and fun.

We left late to get to Eugene. The first band was sound checking when we got there. They’re called Aeon Now – Trombone, glockenspiel, banjo, violin, accordion, washboard, bass drum, snare, cymbal. They dress like the Upper Crust but with cooler make up. They were excellent.

This was the most eclectic crowd of the tour. I could play to this crowd every night of my life. They weren’t better than any other crowds but the ages went from one to eighty. That’s a true all-ages show. I appreciate older people coming to clubs. I made a new fan who was in her late sixties.
One of the other things I love about Eugene is the way people dress. There’s an individualism that shuns the conventional hipster boundary. In some scenes, those who follow trends and wear the unwarranted badge of trendsetting offer an unsatisfied boredom. However, the ones in Eugene who aren’t worried about fitting in wear cool shit. I mentioned this to a girl who accented her makeup with a fake stitch across the front of her neck. She agreed.
The show was good overall. It’s inspiring to watch Jason every night. He’s doing it awesome.

Day 3
We had a late start leaving for Portland. Renee sang Christmas parody songs like the ones I used to read in Mad Magazine. Then she sang Weird Al’s “Christmas at Ground Zero” for me and Jason. She’s a joy.

Kennedy School is a great, great place. So much attention went into making the former school into an amazing complex of bars, restaurants and theaters. The venue we were in had a shitload of couches. It was an old auditorium converted into a movie theater converted for us into a music venue. Me and the Petrojvics drank at a tiny bar they dubbed Hogwarts.
The crowd was great. So nice. From the stage it looked like the seating for the Muppet Movie. For some reason they decided to ask questions like “What’s your favorite color?” “What’s your favorite fruit?” “What’s your accordion’s name?” I had the answers.
I really liked them.
Afterward, we went back to Devin’s. I stayed here before back in ’07. He heard that the Corn Mo name came from RBI Baseball and we played it. This time, he had to go to work, so Jason and I played Dr. Mario where he kicked my ass 3 times. I shouldn’t have dawdled so much with the bricks and should have focused on killing viruses. But I still had fun.

Day 4
I met up with Johnny Murder and Wells at the Vita Cafe. We were in a couple of bands together: The Dooms UK and The Golden Vipers. It was good catching up. He’s into manbroidery now. His work is really good. And he has a new band called Night Beach.

Jason and I walked over to the Shook Twins‘ house. They were working on a Christmas set for a private party. Their banjo, mandolin and other instruments were on the floor when we showed up. Nice girls they are. I love twins who talk at the same time. It’s nothing new but it’s still novel, like a 3-year-old reciting poetry.

I hadn’t brushed my teeth in a couple of days so I bought a toothbrush and some floss. It felt good to have a clean mouth.

Speaking of kids who recite poems, there was a 3-year-old back at the house we were staying at who reminded me of the kid who was in City of Lost Children. He was into tractors and Jason got him to sing along with him at the piano. What a cool kid.

Devin has a guest book that goes back to 2000. I found the entry i left in 2007.

Day 2
Jason and I went to pick up t-shirts near the airport. They look really good. Jason is better at telling stories than I am. He told me some good ones about hooking up, epic stories that fiction couldn’t hold.
We picked up the Monsters of Accordion t-shirts and they looked really good. I like watching machines make things and they had one that screenprinted the tees.


Jason and Renee went to Petosa’s to take back an accordion. I hung out with Chris Weber.
We ate Vietnamese then went back to his house which was built by the 3rd most powerful man in Washington state. He’d built it with his dad in the 70’s. He’s a state senator and Chris’ landlord. It looks like an old national park building. There’s a small house outside that the senator keeps. Chris has never seen the inside and the senator holds the door closed when he talks to him.

We hung out and talked about wrestling while watching the stop-motion Community episode.

Neumos is a great venue. Good people.
This was my first time watching Renee and the Petrovijk Brothers. I was blown away by both. It was my second time seeing Amy Denio. What a beauty she is. She has the voice of an angel.

The audience was great. They made the show for me. I enjoyed my set.
Jason brought a huge bag of noisemakers. He’s really good at getting people to do stuff. I love watching him play. He’s a super nice fellow who plays with all of his heart. Like Klaus Meine.
All of us came on stage and played “Fairytale of New York”. What a wonderful time.

Afterwards, I got to see my friend Raj. He’s an excellent musician. He just moved to Seattle from NYC.

I saw a lot of old friends as well. That is one of the many reasons why it’s really cool to tour. Another one is that Max had a party at his house. He and his wife, Theresa, broke out the cookies and booze. The dogs were so excited that I woke up before they did.
What an excellent night.

12/14/10 – Day 1
Flew Delta. It was an old-timey plane that still had the “No Smoking” lights that turn on and off. They showed Eat Pray Love on the aisle televisions. I didn’t want to watch it but had nothing else to do. I was too tired to read or write. So, I made myself sit through it. I unplugged my earphones within the last 20 minutes. It was that bad. Even when I saw The Postman I had to finish it. (The book The Postman is much better than the movie and the movie strays from the book). This movie was like looking at a Rothko. It just pissed me off. At least Rothko didn’t have someone looking over him to make his painting more appealing to movie audiences. Just restaurant ones. There’s really no reason for me to get upset. I do admire Rothko for making me upset.
Then, I was awake enough to read an old ag textbook I’d brought.

I got my luggage, saw Jason and then met Renee. What a sweet person.
Jason, Renee and I went to Hing Loon. They were out of funn.
Renee schooled me on band camps in California. I had no idea there was such a thing outside of the obvious public school marching band camps. These were like retreats. They sound rewarding.
We got the seafood hot pot, snowpeas and scallops, plain congee and spring rolls.
The Petrojvic Brothers showed up soon after. They drove straight from LA. They’re nice fellows. We ordered more dinner for them.

We stayed at Max’s house. He has a wonderful home. What wonderful man he is. He has a beard with no moustache and has an honest smile. His home has a lot of joy. Max’s birthday was at midnight. He gave us free rein of his home. His dogs showed off for us. His wife made two pies for his birthday. There are a shitload of rocks in the bathroom. Max told me to take one. I did. I really love good people.