Utah! Southeastern Idaho! ping-pong ping-pong! dance prtys! snow and ice age!

///last weekend was fun. super fun. we played in Logan, Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah and in a fun little college town near Napoleon Dynamite country called Pocatello, ID. we played with friends. it snowed. we played ping-pong till our elbows were sore. the weekend ended with a wild dance party at the Nash. there was sweat. there was laughter. there was shady late night mexican food. there were no regrets. and only slight tummy aches.

please listen to Asher in the Rye if you want fun and classy tunes. Ashlee is awesome. played with her and Julia Mecham in Logan and SLC. we could hug them and squeeze them and love them forever.

also in love with Spondee and those holding down the Pocatello fort, the terrific and keytar wielding Warbonnet. they aided in the awesomeness saturday night in Poky. Spondee also made it down to Logan on thursday.

also check out SLC locals Patter Stats... we had a great time with them as well.

ASHER IN THE RYE 12/12/08 Kilby Court SLC, UT

ASHER IN THE RYE 12/11/08 Why Sound Logan, UT

PATTER STATS 12/12/08 Kilby Court SLC, UT



SPONDEE 12/11/08 Why Sound Logan, UT

SPONDEE 12/13/08 First National Pocatello, ID

WARBONNET 12/13/08 First National Pocatello, ID




thanks to Gary and Christina for the 16 bean soup and the ping-pong tourney.

///gilbert

Palestra.net live performance and interview 10/20/08

///back on the morning of October 20th on our way to Cleveland, OH we stopped in Columbus, OH to film a live performance and interview with Palestra.net at 1305 Studios... they posted it in three separate videos and we thought it would be fun to share them with y'all... we played DeTamble Wings, Pancakes and Geology and discussed the tunes and several other hot topics... check out what came of it. thanks to Brian Phillips and the Palestra and 1305 Studio crews for having us and taking such good care of us... not sure we could've rocked before noon otherwise!! it was a lot of fun...

PART 1. DeTamble Wings


Part 2. Pancakes


Part 3. Geology



///FR

spine of idaho!! boise community radio!! super xx awesomness!!

///above is the view from the top of Whitebird Hill just North of Riggins, ID... after all the miles and epic drives we've travelled all around this country, we were present once again to how incredible the north-south drive through Idaho is... what we like to call the spine of idaho... 6 hours of diverse and glorious country, most of which following either the Payette or Salmon Rivers... if you've never been, it comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... and from some folks that have driven a whole helluva lot of roads in the lower 48.

last weekend we drove that drive north for shows in Moscow, ID and Clarkston, WA with our friend and labelmate Scott Garred aka Super XX Man. and then back down the same gorgeous way for Boise Community Radio Benefit at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City on Saturday night... Super XX Man played that as well.

thursday's show was a bit of an experiment as we set Super XX Man up at the One World Cafe with local Bart Budwig for an all ages and free early show, then when that was done we started the show right down the street at John's Alley with Yarn Owl from Pullman, WA... they were rad. played with Ted and Javier before when they were in Ether Hour, really like this new project of theirs... mostly focused on Javier's songs. very cool. after them we closed the place down with a couple of long sets. the Alley was rowdy as usual and led to a late late night... thanks Simba for the late night Kenyan food!!

and thanks once again to the McMurtry's for hosting a pre-show dinner at their place with us and Scott. chicken & dumplins! oh my!

friday's show was really special because Scott grew up in Clarkston and hadn't played there in several years. we got to meet his mom Jean and she was very nice to open up her house to us and to cook us a good 'ol American breakfast in the morning! show was really fun that night. really cool crowd came out to see Super XX Man and he slayed them with a bunch of songs about growing up in Clarkston and around the Clearwater River and whatnot. heartwarming to say the least. we were excited to be back at Hogan's in general as we love the place, but this was a great added bonus. thanks again to Tony and Skate and Bailey and Sam and the rest of the Hogan's staff... they took great care of us and rocked out with us until closing time... Scott took some great pictures from here and from the whole weekend and posted them on his photo blog for the Willamette Week's Local Cut... check it out here (his camera is much nicer than mine) http://localcut.wweek.com/2008/12/08/super-xx-man-pea-and-lentil-tour-wa-and-boise-id/

a huge honor travelling and playing these shows with Scott and fun to get his insight on things. he's put out 12 albums now as Super XX Man! so cool. and he currently works as a music therapist at a mental institute in Oregon and it's obvious that he's great at this job. his 12th album "There Will Be Diamonds" just came out on Tender Loving Empire last month and it has some amazing tunes on it... definitely recommend picking it up if you haven't already...

last show of our little mini-tour was a Boise tour homecoming show for us and a benefit for Boise Community Radio, which we are really excited to support, especially as we're moving to Boise... finally the Treasure Valley has independent radio!! not fully on air yet, but well on its way once the fundage is raised. all very exciting. so thanks to Gavin + Jeff + Art Hodge + everyone else involved with helping get BCR off the ground!

show that night was at our new favorite venue -- the Visual Arts Collective or VAC. and our new friends The Very Most from Boise were nice enough to play with us... great to finally see them! Jeremy writes fantastic tunes and i have a hunch we'll be seeing a lot of them, and probably playing a bunch more together... and we'll be sharing a practice space with them come the beginning of the year!! glory glory! Scott played after them to a really really appreciative crowd. nice long set and at the end Lisa and I jumped up and sang the backup vocals on "Medication" -- a song that i absolutely love. it was really fun.

thanks to everyone that came out for the cause and to welcome us home! and for sticking around, it was a really fun show and it was great to see all your smiling faces! thanks to Jeremy Martin for donating his time behind the soundboard, and to Julia Green for donating her time and effort on the beautiful poster she did and to Sam and Anneliessa and the VAC for hosting and for being awesome.

here are some more photos from the weekend (make sure and check out Scott's photo blog!!! link above):






super spicy pad thai before the boise show...kind of got us all a little freaky...



///gilbert

Happy With What You Got Bash

///we celebrated being back in Idaho and having what we have, even if it's not much, with a bunch of our Wood River Valley friends the day after Thanksgiving... Friday, Nov. 28th... in our friend Adryan's woodshop / apt. in Bellevue, ID. party started early with a potluck and big group mural effort... spirits were high. it was a fantastic way to help celebrate Adryan's birthday and being home from tour...

our buddy Piers Lamb and his band featuring Gravy McDavy (patrick) from The Maladies on lead guitar and Matt Guyer on drums got the music started with some alt-country rock and roll. we played a couple of super fun sets after that.

thanks to everyone that came out and welcomed us home. so rad to see you all. we'll be playing at Fresshies in Hailey on FRI DEC 19th. if you don't see you before then, hope to see you then.

mural turned out awesome. don't have final photos of it, but here's a couple other shots of it in progress...







///gilbert

THANKS giving

///been a long year of touring and adventures for us here at camp Finn Riggins, but we'd be fools if we didn't acknowledge that it's all been made possible by the help, generosity and support of so many friends, family and colleagues around this great country... in the spirit of the holiday, we're going to do our best to give THANKS to everyone that has played whatever small or big role in helping us do what we do day in and day out...

THANKS to Mike, Deb, Phil, and Grandma Bouiss and Danielle, Alex, Lamar, Marty and Loren. to Bruce, Laura, Nina, Kevin, Heather, Josh, Jared, Gracie, Jacob, Peter, Sasha and Gianna Simpson. to Dave, Sylvia, Karen and Trina Moody. to Dan, Barb, Janet and Jerry Gilbert. to Ed and Anita Jeffs. to Sten, Susi, Bill, Barbara, Scott, Steve and Dorothy Bell. and to all of our other family both near and far away.

THANKS to Brianne and Jared Mees. to the Tender Loving Empire family. to the Grown Children -- Megan, Kevin, Sam, Jake, Jordan, Sean and Brian. to Scott and Michelle Garred and Super XX Man. to Jonny and Boy Eats Drum Machine. to Nadine Mooney. to Bob Keal and Small Sur. to Holder, Teal, Jack and the rest of the Starving Daughters. to Sam "G-Force" Guerrero, Sarah Long, Dave Nuss, Cameron Browne, Hannah from Spectre, Burnside Distribution, Lloyd E. Winter IV, Santiago Uceda, Rusty Jordan, Brent Harada, Jeni Larsen and Julia Green.

THANKS to Neil, Mark and Ben of Low Red Land. to Brian and Lynne of Tartufi. to Bill, Wayne, Josh and Annie of Test Audiences. to Rich, Marc, Barak, Ory and Steve of Woven. to Tony of Orem The Sink. to Corbie and Andy of Where The Buffalo Roamed. to Travis and Ali Ward and Hillfolk Noir.

THANKS to Travis Silvers, Milo Duke, Evy Llyan, Hope and Joseph von Stengel, Jeremy Martin, Noah Beck, Ryan and Marisa Gibler, Tune-Yards, Le Fleur, Marty Bauer, Steve Knecht, The Mutineers, Man/Miracle, The Dont's, Nat Baldwin, Asher in The Rye, The Awful Truth, Dylan Clark, The Points North, The Woodrow Wilsons, Kristin Friesen, Hello Shark, America Owns the Moon, Thomas Paul, Piers Lamb, Bob and Heidi Trombley, the Pajamma Jamma Beach Bash crew, Jerome Nobles, Brandon Thompson, Brad Schmidt and the Welgunzer crew, the Hermosa Girls, Absolutely Parched, Bella and Victoria, August and Christie Agosti, Brian and Merry, Run Rabbit Run, Bill and Muddy Waters Cafe, Abigail Noveen and Chris, Tiffany and Eric Carpenter, Wes Wallsworth, Josh Kettleshake, Jamie and the First National, Forrest Collins and Anne Devereax, Tim Hillman and Carrie Jackson, Scott LaBarbera and the Oriental Theater, Larimer Lounge, Jim McTurnan and CAT-A-TAC, Mariah Palmer and Mike and Indy, Barack and Michelle Obama, Gary Vance and Christina Osborne, Burt's Tiki Lounge (SLC), Purr Bats, Laura Goldhamer, Brooks Center Arts in Denver, Paper Bird, The Lisps, Zebra Junction, IQEQ, Ned Evett, Jeremiah, Doug and the rest of Box Awesome, Barometric, Dean Armband, The Oven, Kyle Crawford, Soundpony Lounge, Amy Brown and the Dinosaur House in Fayetteville, Roger + Chris + Ryan + Joe of The Counterlife, Robot Lake Records, The Moving Front, Jamie and the Station House Bistro in Russellville, Stan Strasner of Let's Jam Productions, William Blackart, Fort Delicious, Logan and The Godbey, Fashion Show, Love Baby Blue, White Water Tavern in Little Rock, JJ's Bohemia in Chattanooga, Coy, Antebellum, Justin Ringle, Horse Feathers, Jeremy Sharp and Kevin and Ben, Brian Smith of Telluride, The Burgundy Curtain, The Soul Bar, Kevin and Helios Eye, Shantytown in Jacksonville, David and the 511 House in Florence, Tony and Kelly, The Mountain Yellers, Daylon and Snug Harbor in Charlotte, Leah, Shuffle Magazine, Alanna and Eddie of Jews and Catholics, Black Skies, Tim and Jenny of Captain #1, Jeff and Scott and We VS The Shark and Pegasuses XL, Secret Squirrel in Athens, Werewolves, Celebration of Life crew, Bicycles and Gravel, Gemini Cricket, Jesse and Kathleen, Grey Milk, Kavarna in Atlanta, Ashley, Speedsquare, Radix and The South French Broads, the New French Bar in Asheville, Andy and Horseshoe Productions, Stephanie and Chuck of Stephanie's Id, Cherie, Rachael Dara, The Garage in Winston-Salem, Josh Neas of J's Indie Rock/Mayhem on WQFS in Greensboro, Nyos, The Blind Tiger, Waffle House for late night dining, I Was Totally Destroying It, The Pneurotics, The Nightlight in Chapel Hill, The Reservoir Bar in Chapel Hill, Gray Young, Marty Bauer, The Soapbox in Wilmington, Adam Smith and Ponchos From Peru, The Nothing Noise, The Village Tavern in Charleston, Richard and 21 Eleven in Greenville (NC), Jeff and The Spazz in Greenville (NC), 520 Entertainment, Disco Banshee, Adesola and the East Carolina University entertainment board, R3V3RB in Greenville (SC), Dup and Saint Solitude, The Illbotz, Doug Cheatwood and The Bastards of Fate, Martin's in Roanoke, Jessica Riddle + Kevin + Brian and company at WUVT in Blacksburg (VA), The Lantern in Blacksburg (VA), Dahlak in Washington DC, Michelle and Barack Obama, Paul Mitchell, Leigh McIlvaine, The Village Church in Baltimore, Cameron Blake and his band, Bob Keal, Beatbots, Caleb Stine, the Talking Head in Baltimore, Infinite Honey, Jason Dove, The M Room in Philly, Pat's Kind of Steaks in Philly, Fresh Cut Salads, Gentlemen Christ, Horse in the Sea, Shannon and Evan of Anthropic Records, Cloud Minder, Sharks VS Knives, Mark Sheehan and Sierra Grille and The Elevens in Northampton (MA), Jose Ayerve and the Nuclear Waste Management Club, Watcher, Mark Schwabe, Curious Buddies, Miranda LaPolice, Mike Borden, Connecticut College, Harmony Markey and Moultonborough Academy (NH), The Simpsons, Brett Deschenes and The Buoy in Kittery (ME), Unnatural Witch, Ray Craigie and Belmont High School (NH) concert band and theory class, The Barley House in Concord (NH), Rose Gray, Dana Unger, The Hippo, Amy Newcomb, Jason Mills, Jamie Wiener and A-9 Studios and Alex and family, Langdon St. Cafe in Montpelier (VT), Laura Rosenthal, Neil, Railroad St. House, Lincoln and Hello Shark, Radio Bean in Burlington (VT), Villanelles, Lendway, The Slip, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, The Low Anthem, Eclectic Recording Studios in Burlington (VT), Josh Hirshfeld and the CMJ Music Marathon, Fanatic, Spectre, Merrill and Patrick of Sister Suvi, The Charleston in Brooklyn, Arlene's Grocery in NYC, The Lit Lounge in NYC, Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn, Mercury Lounge in NYC, CMJ.com, sonicbids.com, Amplifier Magazine, Impose Magazine, Lost Dog Lounge in Ithaca (NY), LIZ BAGEANT, Pat's in the Flats in Cleveland, See Urchin, Marie & Cliff Hershman, Sarah Nowicki, Steve (lightning fingers), Brian and palestra.net in Columbus (OH), Tree, Big Dani and Mary, Tree's Farm in Middletown (OH) and the family around it, Burnt Grass, Rhino's All Ages in Bloomington (IN), The Cinemat in Bloomington, Busman's Holiday, Rob Freeman, Sean Magwire, Voodoo Organist, The Elbow Room in Ypsilanti (MI), Child Bite, America Owns The Moon, Tufty and Radio Radio in Indianapolis, The Elbow Room in Chicago, Cal's Liquors in Chicago, Raise High The Roof Beam, Miles from All Things Lucid and Kilo Records, Makeshift Prodigy, Can You See the Sunset (dot com), Violent Vicious and the Vagabonds, Brighton MA, Andre and The Mill in Iowa City, windmills, Anti-Civ Records in MPLS, Themes, Quadruple Double Deuce House in MPLS, Mike Gill and Dead Hipster Productions in Missoula (MT), The Badlander in Missoula (MT), Friend Friend Friend Fest and crew, The Swell Season, The Independent, Brent and The Awful Truth, Agenda Clothing in Rexburg (ID), The Really BIG Show in Pocatello (ID), Poky Free Bikes, Levi Montana Keller and Chenoa and the rest of KISU, Jamie and the First National, Warbonnett, Spondee, The Future of the Ghost, A.W. Feldt, Travis Shipley, Kilby Court in SLC, Will Sartain, The Beauty Bar in Las Vegas, Jah Funky Punkys, The Direct Method, Pulsar Presents, The Prescott Family, Boise Bicycle Project, Sam and Anneliessa and the Visual Arts Collective, Golden Spun, Low-Fi, The Crawlspace in La Grande, Waypoint Studios, Satellite Gallery, Crossing The Blues La Grande Summer Festival, The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz (CA), Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco, Frances Ferrell, Katie Poole, Chrissy Graham, Abbie Anderson, Sarabecca and Girl Genius Promotions, The Stage Door in Mt. Shasta (CA), Charles and Alex's Plaza Restaurant in Ashland (OR), Sam Bond's Garage in Eugene (OR), Millenium Music in Portland, Berbati's Pan, Southern Belle, Newspapers, No Go Know, Willamette Week, Music Fest Northwest, Nick Caceres, The Artisterty in Portland, World's Greatest Ghosts, White Fang, KBOO, Ah Holly Fam'ly, Saw Whet, Slabtown, eremy Petersen and OPB, Dornfeld, The IKE Box in Salem (OR), Breviamor, Insomniac Folklore, Seahorse, Daniel and the Yakima Sports Center, The Dimes, Peter and Great Pacific in Pendleton, Experience Music Festival, Farmer Brown's, Equal Eyes, Jeremiah James Gang, One World Cafe in Moscow (ID), John's Alley in Moscow, 1912 Center in Moscow, Moscow Food Co-op, Bookpeople in Moscow, Friends of the Clearwater, Alan Solan and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Radio Free Moscow 92.5FM Moscow, KUOI 89.3 FM Moscow, Brenda Guettler, Jables, Sara Foster, Kris Pettersen, Mary Packer, Andy Jacobson, Larson Hicks and Sterepathic Records, Voltron, Invincible Dude, Mike Wilson, Mikey's Gyros, Louise, Jerry + Amy + Ben + Abbie McMurtry, Ben Walden, Noel Palmer and Ashley Martens, Eric Martin and Julia, Nate and Carrie Lowe, Brandon Woodland and Nara Croft, Josh Ritter, Prichard Art Gallery, Kenna Eaton, Bart Budwig, and the rest of the awesome Moscow Idaho community!!!... Chrisy and The Empyrean in Spokane (WA), Blakesley Presents, Farm Circle, Cyrus Fell Down, Jimmie Denny, Josh Simon, Hockey, The Finger Complex in Olympia (WA), Shelby and Sundance Kids, Revolt & Virginia, Yoghurt, The Magic Mirrors, Michelle Hazen and Will, Flowmotion and the Summer Meltdown crew, Jessie Duvall, Tony and Skate and the rest of the Hogan's Pub in Clarkston (WA) crew, Kristen Friesen, Lewis-Clark State College, Whiskey Jacques in Ketchum (ID), Buffalo Bites in Ketchum (ID), Mati and Greenscool, RU, Tibby and Dana Plasse, The Mountain Express, Dana DuGan, Heidi and the Wicked Spud, Northern Rockies Folk Festival, Whitney + Greg + Justin + Mike + Harry from Plum TV, Jake and Adam and the rest of the Fresshies crew, Chris Simpson, Jenna, Hallie, Julie, Adryan, Luke, Craig Campbell, David Fox, Mary Poppen and the Music Garden, Erik Gillberg and The Maladies, Kari Haugen, Carrie York, Tyler, Tyson, Jeff & Daniel, Native Landscapes, BB Deck, Julia & Eric, Wes and Marina, Heather and Matt, Lyndsey, The Damphools, Hailey Music Walk, Banditos, The Silver Dollar in Bellevue (ID), Kim Stocking and the Bellevue Labor Day Festival, Hailey Farmer's Market, Ketchum Farmer's Market, Will Caldwell and Ketch'em Alive, and everyone else in the Wood River Valley that continues to support us... Music on the Mountain Festival, Ryan Peck and Music From Stanley at Redfish Lake, Patrick and the Sawtooth Music Festival, Neurolux in Boise (ID), Justin from Too Much Distortion, Gusto's in Boise, the Record Exchange, Amy Atkins and the Boise Weekly, Chad Dryden at the Idaho Statesman, Flying M Coffee Garage in Nampa (ID), The Red Machine, The Very Most, Or The Whale, Boise Community Radio, University Pulse, Jennifer Orr and Backstage Pass, the Boise Beat, Castrati, Craters of the Moon, A Seasonal Disguise, Vanessa and the Garden City Public Library, Brian and Amanda, Matt Connor, Eric Rothwell, Erica Cantrell, Ryan Furniss, Aaron Hird, Sarah Thompson, Sara Sorenson, Kamila, Built To Spill, Travis Barrett, Josh and Kali Malone, Luke Hayhurst and everyone else in the greater Boise area that continue to be a support for what we do...

THANKS to all the college and independent radio DJs and music directors that have given our records attention and helped get the word out, and to all the other radio shows and stations, weeklies, newspapers, magazines and blogs, reviewers and interviewers that have helped let people know about Finn Riggins and when we're coming to your respective areas... you continue to make a huge difference in our endeavor and we're honored.

THANKS to everyone else that's come to shows, danced, bought cds, shared food with us, shared shelter with us, shared their shower with us, shared ideas with us, and given us your time and energy in any sort of way... even if you're not named here on this massive list for a year's worth of thanks giving, it doesn't mean that you're not appreciated, just that this list is really really long and we're imperfect and very very human. feel free to remind us. and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. it is because of you that we can continue to do what we love to do. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.

love
FR

home! final week of tour! pirates! squirrels! colorado! soundpony! fireworks! georgia! nebraska! oklahoma! tennessee! arkansas! buckle up!

///after an epic end to tour in Nederland, CO on Saturday, we woke up Sunday morning and basked in our new found freedom and enjoyed the aftermath with our buddies Forrest + Anne + Tim + Carrie in Ned... at around 1pm, with snow beginning to flurry, we thought it best to hit the road... we had our sights set on home... 13hr and 777mile drive ahead of us... we made great time on clear roads -- best drive through Wyoming ever!! -- and rolled into The Helibase at an easy 2:30am to sleep in our own beds... we took Monday off to rake some leaves and get unpacked, then Lisa and i cruised to Boise yesterday so that my dad and i could go hunting overnight... back in Boise this afternoon and poised for a Thanksgiving Day feast... definitely got the feast rolling on Saturday up in Ned, so we're good and primed... but before we roll in to thnksgvng, i wanted to recap the final week of tour... which was one of the greatest weeks of tour...

11/14/08 Charlotte, NC

we were very excited to be back at Snug Harbor in Charlotte and it didn't disappoint. we played with Black Skies (chapel hill, nc) and Pride Parade (athens, ga) both of which were a little more metal than us, but we all got along great and the place stayed rockin through our closing set... what a rad pirate bar 'ol Snug Harbor is... Daylon and crew have a special thing going. love playing there. they took great care of us and we once again had a great crowd... the place was pretty off the hook... lots of buddies around too... Marty! Corbie + Andy (where the buffalo roamed)! Leah! Josh!... and after the show we cruised about 80min to Spindale to meet up with a buddy from Hailey in the infamous Tyson Deal... she's from around those parts and hauled across the country to catch us before we left them parts... we stayed at her grandma's house that night in Spindale... and took cold showers in the morning since the hot water was non-operational.


11/15/08 Athens, GA

so good to see Tyson... and we were lucky enough to have her cruise to Athens with us... she had gone to school at the University of Georgia in Athens... so she was especially stoked.

round 1 in Athens was a house party / festival that we had been invited to by friends called the Celebration of (Southern) Life Festival... held out in the country north of Athens and modeled after the Celebration of Life Festival that our friend Dylan Clark has hosted up in Massachussettes the last couple of years... he was who let us know about this southern version and it happened to coincide with when we were already going to be there... his band The Points North were in town for it and our mutual friends Captain #1 (who we played with in Athens in the spring) were also a part of it.

we showed up around 6pm to a tight-knit gathering and potluck. the festival was a no drugs no alcohol event, which was great since we had a late night show to play. the evening was packed full of living room entertainment from the likes of Bicycles & Gravel + Grey Milk + Gemini Cricket + I have read other books besides Catcher in the Rye + The South Will Rave Again... it was pretty wild. and homey. we had a great time. we played in the middle of it all. there was body moving. and life celebrating. it was fun. and by 11:30pm we were rolling in to Athens proper to begin round 2.... btw, our friends from Chattanooga -- Jeremy and Ben -- had met us at round 1... and headed in to town with us... oh my...

round 2. our friends from We VS The Shark had set us up to play an after party for the Black Lips show at the 40 Watt and the Grails / Silver Apples show at the Caledonia that night in Athens... our set was at the Secret Squirrel and started around 2:45am. at about 2:15am all the post-shows crowd started to roll into this very well hidden little squirrel hole of a warehouse / house venue. Jeff had procured a keg to lure them in. we were shocked. the place packed out. and crowded the stage. and rocked out hard with us. the walls were shaking. lights were going out. spirits were hangin from the rafters. we slayed until about 3:45am. then local inhabitant of the squirrel -- Wyatt of Werewolves -- closed the night out. epic night in athens. at about 5:30am we went to sleep out in the country north of Athens once again with some of Tyson's friends who ruled -- Samantha + Michael. wow. Jeremy and Ben joined us as well. big sleep over. fantastic morning to follow... breakfast and back porch basking in the Georgia sun.


11/16/08 Chattanooga, TN

after a nice and lazy morning in Athens, we said goodbye to Tyson and Sam and Michael, and Jeremy + Ben + and us straddled our steeds and headed for Chattanooga... we were pumped to be back at JJ's Bohemia in Chatt where we had a great sunday night show in the spring with locals Antebellum and had really hit it off. they weren't available to play this time around, but Stratton made it out and between him and Jeremy and Ben they helped rally a fun crowd. this time around, we'd combined forces with our old college buddy and former Moscow, ID music scene compatriot Justin Ringle and his new project Horse Feathers. it was fun to see Justin, and in all honesty, an honor to play with him again. i've always dug his projects, all the way back to Two-Play Color and Echo Ave. and he's doing well for himself these days as Horse Feathers' latest album just came out on the highly respected Kill Rock Stars. much deserved.

despite no locals on the bill, between the two of us, we drew really well for a Sunday night in Chattanooga and the show was a blast. really great to meet Justin's partners in crime: Heather + Nathan... and catch up in general... as well as rock it out with our Chatt friends and Rachael who trekked over from Asheville, NC for the night of festivities. Jeremy + Rachael + us hit up the historic and awesome Aretha Frankensteins in the morning for breakfast before hitting the road to Arkansas early monday morning...

HORSE FEATHERS @ JJ'S BOHEMIA in CHATTANOOGA, TN 11-16-08




11/17/08 Atkins, AR

long drive through Tennessee that day was pretty glorious... we almost stocked up HUGE on fireworks but at the last minute, purchase nearing completion, we thought better of it... we'll delve into the black market of fireworks on some other trip... the temptation was magnificent... they don't mess around in on TN.... pretty much every gas station is gigantic and looks like this:
and that's a pretty modest one... show was originally supposed to be in nearby Russellville where we played in the spring, but had to be moved to The Godbey in Atkins, AR... which turned out to be a really sweet spot in a pretty abandoned warehouse... word is is that Atkins used to be a pickle manufacturing mecca until the pickle plant relocated overseas in 2002 so that their pickles could be packaged by cheap sweat labor... and it's wake... awesomeness like The Godbey... and not-so-awesomeness like no jobs for anyone... it's also a dry county, and everyone drives 10miles to giant liquor stores for their medicine... it's all pretty strange... but back to the show... great show for a Monday night. locals Love, Baby Blue and Fashion Show got the night rolling. then we rocked some love songs. then our two-day tour partners who are some of the specialest Arkansasans we may ever know, The Counterlife ruled to close the night out.

seems only fair that they warn you upon entering "the natural state" to buckle up... it's a great place... but it's special, and deserves fair warning...



11/18/08 Little Rock, AR

we made the mistake of passing up on offers to crash and instead went hunting for our second hotel room of tour... and settled for a stanky and nasty Motel 6 north of Little Rock... we might still be scratching from whatever nastiness that place left with us... don't get any wrong ideas, we're clean... but damn, that place was nasty and a waste of $$$$

we rolled in to Little Rock early and cruised the town... the downtown area was struggling to stay alive... Cam and I stumbled upon a men's clothing store going out of business in downtown -- surrounded by boarded up storefronts -- and talked with the clerk of 39 years about the end of an era while we shopped for some fancy man clothes... no scores, but enjoyed the company and the Little Rock history lesson.

show that night was at the White Water Tavern and part of their long running Tuesday night Arkansas Rocker Review series. our buddies in The Counterlife had set it up and recruited locals The Moving Front -- whom we played with in Fayetteville back in March -- to play as well. ended up being an awesome night. The White Water is ran by some high quality folks and we were well taken care of and it was a fantastic crowd for a Tuesday night... maybe the best Tuesday night show ever. really really fun. and on top of it all, at the end of the night our buddy John Duncan -- friend from the Moscow days -- strolls in and surprises the hell out of us... hadn't seen him in like 3+ years... and he just happened to be in Little Rock visiting his grandma and got wind of the show just in time to catch us as we were packing up... we were in shock. we treated it by going to a nearby Waffle House with Duncs and The Counterlife. what a crew! crashed at Roger + Ryan + Joe + Chris's friend Ann's pad. another epic late night adventure and slumber party!

THE COUNTERLIFE @ WHITE WATER TAVERN in LITTLE ROCK, AR 11-18-08



11/19/08 Tulsa, OK

so Lisa's amp had decided not to work at the show the night before... Mark from The Moving Front had loaned her his amp... but we were playing alone at the Tulsa show so we ran around town trying to find someone to work on it before our scheduled dinner date with my cousin Scott and his family... we didn't have any luck, so we went to the Soundpony where the show would be at and tested it out... sure enough, not working still... and then it started smoking... so i quickly unplugged it and called a number i'd gathered earlier for a guy in the area that specialized in tube amps: Rick Potter. he took my call and invited me out to his place immediately. Rick is pretty much my new hero. he stopped his dinner and took me into his garage / shop where he custom builds tube amps and does repairs. he's a longtime guitar player and could relate to our predicament and hooked us up under the emergency at hand. within the hour, he had Lisa's amp fixed and me on my way to catch up with my relatives only about 45min late... awesome catching up with Scott + Tonya + Ali + McKinzie! wish they didn't live so far away, but psyched our line of "work" brought us through Tulsa again so i can catch up with them... i have a feeling we'll be back... Tulsa is fun. and the Soundpony rules.

show that night was at the bicycle bar the Soundpony Lounge again. loved it in March. loved it in November. bartender Eric was a riot, and Brad from Cain's Ballroom next door ripped it up with us late night again and celebrated our mutual love for IDAHO. nice little crowd of quality and goodness. the Soundpony is a place that needs to be experienced, not talked about. so i stop now.
we drove into the night and crashed in the Ghost Ghost for only the second time of the whole tour...


11/20/08 Lincoln, NE

we were hoping to see our buddy Liz Hitt, but we rolled in late after a long blustery drive through Kansas and she worked late, so we instead settled for epic Indian food in Nebraska... yeah, weird, but truth, at a place called The Oven very close to Box Awesome -- the home of the show that night.

Box Awesome also holds a special place in our heart. ran by quality people (thanks Jeremiah + Doug + Nick + co.!) and a really cool space. once again a pretty small turnout, but atleast the locals we played with were rad. both utilizing loops and doing it well. check out Barometric as well as Dean Armband when you get a chance. dig.

despite Liz's offer of coziness at her place, we opted to get a head start on the big drive to Denver and hit the road after the show and crashed at a rest area on the frozen tundra of Nebraska for one of the coldest nights we've ever spent in the van... we survived, but it was gnar.

we thawed. then hit the road for Denver.


11/21/08 Denver, CO

we had a goal of getting in to town early so that we could catch up with our Pajamma Jamma Beach Bash and Hermosa House buddy Susy and meet her new son Penn... goal was accomplished just after 4pm. so good to see her! doing very very well. nice to meet the young and valiant Penn... all 3 weeks of him. while we visited, we also took the opportunity to take showers for the first time since Little Rock. stanky stank.

show that night was at the Larimer Lounge in Denver and had long been a beacon of awesomeness calling us through tour... it was setup for glory... but then two weeks before the show the headliner Apollo Sunshine jumped ship for the following night at the Larimer and the local behemoth CAT-A-TAC that we'd teamed up with broke up, leaving frontman Jim McTurnan to hold up the fort on his own. so the show had become a promotional debacle, and it showed with the turnout. last minute local additions to the bill The Pseudo Dates were a pleasant surprise as openers, but them and their handful of peeps checked out before The Ocean Bed -- another new local -- took the stage.

all in all, we enjoyed the opportunity to hook up with Jim and to play at the Larimer Lounge. they treated us nicely and we got to rip it up with our pals Tim + Carrie + Brian... who thankfully stuck around for our "headlining" set.

so Denver was a slight disappointment in the midst of a really amazing final week of tour... but the following day and night would make up for it 7-fold.

we stayed with some of our bestest friends in the world that night -- at Mariah and Mike's -- in Boulder despite the full on bark assault from their "guard" dogs when we showed up in the middle of the night... it was intense, and unfortunate cuz it woke up them up...


11/22/08 Nederland, CO final show of our FALL US TOUR

enjoyed a lazy morning as Mariah made us strong black coffee and some eggs and potatoes... then, while Lisa took a nap, Mariah + Cam + I went on an incredible little hike up in the foothills outside Boulder. the weather was pristine. 65 degrees. sunny. no wind. we sat on rocks in the sunlight and talked past, present and future. very grounding moment as the end of tour can sometimes be tumultuous.

not sure we deserve such an incredible day and overall end to tour, but we are very grateful for it and have some of our best friends in the world to thank for it. show that night was at the First Street Pub up in the tiny town of Nederland -- about 30min up a canyon and into the mountains outside of Boulder. no cell phone reception. it had been nearly a year since we last played up there.

our friends Forrest and Anne live right down the street from the bar and had taken it upon themselves to host a Thanksgiving potluck before the show with the help of Tim and Carrie and a bunch of other awesome awesome folks. Mariah and Mike and their freind Adi made it up as well. Forrest and Anne procured a giant turkey and cooked it up as the main course and so many people brought so many amazing things. and afterwards, we celebrated over at the First Street, which on top of our potluck crowd and the "Neddys" on hand, there was a great crowd. lots of dancing and overall enthusiasm. it was incredible. THANK YOU Forrest + Anne + Tim + Carrie + Mariah + Mike + Adi + Jamie + Tory + Jim + Jackson + the rest of the First Street staff + everyone else that made the night an absolutely perfect end to a long and amazing tour and for that matter, year of touring. our busiest yet.

we're still reflecting on it all... CMJ + Obama + DC celebrations + low gas prices (as low as $1.59!!!) + family portion of tour with Jared Mees & The Grown Children + 12,000 miles! + so much more... still processing... more to come... several shows around Idaho in the coming weeks... and NYE at the Crawlspace in La Grande, OR on the horizon...

stay tuned...

///gilbert

cheap gas? atlantic ocean! reservoirs! the carolinas! disasters?

///gas prices have been steadily falling, but when we saw $1.79 we were ecstatic. back in June we were paying $4.79 in California... incredible. been making a huge difference on this tour... granted, no one has any money, so we're not making much.... but still... we're excited about the savings.

just rolled in to Charlotte, NC. bathed ourselves in the Atlantic Ocean off the South Carolina coast yesterday... we're officially headed West from here on out. only 9 shows left. 10 days of travel to go. wowzas. this stage of tour is always a bit strange. mixed emotions about the impending end...

last night was one for the record books. those of you that were there know damn well what i'm talking about... wow. i'll see about tactfully communicating the incredible events, but first, rad show in Chapel Hill on wednesday...

11/12/08 Chapel Hill, NC

played at The Reservoir Bar with our tour buddies Where The Buffalo Roamed and new friends Gray Young. after a Trivia battle of epic proportions, the rock show ensued. go check out Gray Young right now. rad guys. really stellar post-rock trio. we all loved their set. there's a video below that'll give you a good taste.

Chapel Hill / Durham was a blast. ate BBQ. saw friends. enjoyed the architecture and the scenery. thanks to Marty for hosting us! thanks to John + Joe + Curtis from I Was Totally Destroying It for coming out! thanks to the Q Shack for some incredible pulled pork butt! thanks to Bill for the trivia schooling! here's the video i promised:

GRAY YOUNG @ The Reservoir Bar in Chapel Hill, NC



11/13/08 Mt. Pleasant, SC

long rainy drive down to the South Carolina coast, but as we closed in on Charleston the skies cleared a bit and the rain subsided... awesome drive to the coast and our beach of choice near the Isle of Palms... several bridges over marshlands and channels and rivers... low flying clouds and fog and bursts of sunlight... ships and ports... fascinating landscape...

Cam and i succeeded in our mission of swimming in the Atlantic Ocean while Lisa combed the beach for shells to modest success. Cam swam in his underwear. i unleashed my fur coat. the water was warm. we combed the waves for sharks to no success. oh well.

show that night was at the infamous Village Tavern in Mt. Pleasant... home bar of Band Of Horses... and a place that's seen a lot of great bands roll through it... we were excited to be there and were greeted by a rowdy happy hour crowd that helped us feel at home right off the bat. heckled us from the getgo. and bought merch before we even played. some buddies we'd gained from our stops at the 511 House in Florence, SC came out for the show... thanks Tony + Kelly!!!... we laughed all night with them. and then crashed at their cozy pad and got the full Charleston experience for brkfst. what a rad town. they also got to experience, with us, one of the greatest rock and roll disasters any of us had ever witnessed... they know. we know. if you were also there, you know. if you weren't there and are impossibly curious... drop us a line and inquire and we'll gladly tell the tale... like Lisa said, "the musical equivalent of the Hindenburg". i thought i could tell it here, but i realized that i shouldn't. it was that disastrous. luckily no one is hurt. they are lucky that they aren't. seriously. it got that weird.

here are some more photos of the non-disasters in South Carolina... to further clarify, we were witnesses to said disaster, not involved, so don't worry... we are fine... and since no one was hurt, still laughing and trying to make sense of it all...











this morning, outside of Tony + Kelly's house in Charleston... Where The Buffalo Roamed (corbie + andy) and Kelly are pictured... we parted ways with WTBR today... they will be missed.


sail on young sailors! show tonight is at a pirate bar here in Charlotte, NC... Snug Harbor!!

///gilbert

11/11/08 Winston-Salem, NC. art-o-mat

///had been hearing great things about The Garage in Winston-Salem, NC and we now see why. literally a converted garage, it's nearing it's 10 year anniversary as a music venue. great high-ceiling warehouse type space. nice big stage. nice sound system. class act staff. lots of old knick-knacks all over giving it a very rockabilly bar type of vibe. we were psyched to be there.

show was a lot of fun. Where The Buffalo Roamed stampeded the place with songs of heartbreak and noise states, false prophets and desert landscapes. the Finn Riggins set that followed was a little typically atypical and capped with a rare but room appropriate Beyond City Lines... desert landscapes of our own... and dedicated to Alanna from Jews & Catholics who also grew up in southern Idaho.

three tours through North Carolina and now three shows with Jews and Catholics. and they grow on us more and more everytime. really unique in that it's a duo with electric guitar + vox (eddie) and upright bass (alanna) with a well programmed drum machine. and they rock live. we met them through our infamous and handsomely stellar friend Milo Duke who grew up with Alanna in Idaho Falls, ID. this was our first show with them on their home turf, and despite it being a Tuesday it was super fun. and their set featured a bunch of inspiring new tunes, as well as a killer cover of Hank Williams' "Ramblin Man" which i looooovvvve. and their version was as haunting as it should be. and very venue appropriate.

The Garage is one of the coolest venues we've played. and we've played a lot of 'em. very down to earth and spacious. very audience and musician friendly. highly recommended to all.

here's a video clip of Jews and Catholics playing their intrumental tune "Ambulance"


thank to our buddy Marty for the late night Waffle House slaying of grease food and the cozy place to crash... woke up under these trees in a beautiful Durham, NC neighborhood this morning...


///gilbert

roam ye buffalo roam... the carolinas

///in the aftermath of the big Obama victory and the celebrations that we were lucky enough to be a part of in Washington DC into the wee wee hours that night, we awoke and made our way across Virginia... an absolutely gorgeous drive... sunny and warm and the fall colors were beaming with pride for our country. these are days i will never forget.

it's been a week now.

a week ago, our friends in a little folk noise duo called Where The Buffalo Roamed met us in Blacksburg, VA from their respective homes in Carrboro, NC (corbie) and Asheville, NC (andy) to begin a stretch of shows with us throughout the region. kicked off at The Lantern in Blacksburg, VA thanks to the kind kind folks at WUVT 90.7 FM(jessica! kevin! brian! etc etc etc!). The Lantern was sweet. show was magnificent like all shows are magnificent. in their own little ways. like how tighty whiteys can dangle from man ass while guitar is thrown about in a shredding manner. very Dynamite Club of you sir. WUVT is a magnificently ran student radio station. like none other. and they're in the business of throwing glorious shows too, for that they shall be forever thanked.

but in all seriousness, Virginia floored me. one of the most moving drives across land i've experienced recently, which sort of says a lot, cuz we drive across land with unyielding frequency. and i'm constantly moved by the ever awesome landscape this planet has to offer, but a lot of factors made this particular drive extra magnificent. the Shenendoah River! Shenandoa River Valley! lush and dying into fall all at the same time. sunshine! Obama. etc etc etc. and it's always nice to cap a day like that with a rock show. i could do without the scantily clad spazz punk, but that's just me.

WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAMED @ The Lantern in Blacksburg, VA



>>>begin highlight reel<<<

11/6/08 Grandma's Noise Livingroom @ R3V3RB in Greenville, SC
no lie. grandma was there. and she liked it loud. art space. Saint Solitude (asheville, nc) came and played too. one man indie pop tunes with loops and beats. Dup. good guy. sound was awesome in grandma's noise livingroom. big fan. i fell in love with a lamp. afterwards us and team buffalo nailed some greasey grub at a Waffle House then sailed our respective schooners over the hour or so sea to Asheville, NC and Andy's house for a night of philosophical musing and deep deep sleep.

i love lamp.

11/7/08 New French Bar. Asheville, NC
best asheville show yet. stayed with our Moscow friend Cherie. she made us spaghetti and caesar salad. and halloween candy. oh wow. met her cats and her housemate Joe the bike mechanic. played with Asheville keys and drum duo heroes Speedsquare thanks to our mutual friends in Stephanie's Id. New French Bar is pretty low-fi, but pretty happenin. lots of traffic. WTBR opened the show on some friendly turf. then put on a dance clinic during the Finn Riggins and Speedsquare set. Optimus Prime helmet ruling all. in the morning Cherie made us egg mcmuffins with her egg mcmuffin maker. and angels sang on high.

this is what North Carolina looks like right now:


it's been that awesome. that's a glimpse. my shoddy digi camera only does it so much justice. on the other hand, this really did drive by us in North Carolina... apparently a new class on the NASCAR circuit:

your eyes do not deceive you. of course that's a giant grocery cart on a trailer that apparently doubles as some sort of racecar. why wouldn't it be?

11/8/08 The Soapbox Wilmington, NC
our marvelous pals in Ponchos From Peru were nice enough to host us in Wilmington once again. show in the spring with them was awesome and we were pumped to be back. they had recruited The Nothing Noise from Chapel Hill but with Wilmington roots to come join the party again as well. and this time the show was upstairs in the juicy part of the venue with the juicy sound and stage. Adam + Matt from Ponchos even made us dinner. tempeh and salad and lots of goodness. we love those guys and there science and sexy ways. their living room is gloriously decorated with band gear and gadgets. i dream of such a place to go home to.

show was super fun as expected, despite the continuing decay of my synth and it's pestiness on stage the last week... morphing patches and pitch in the middle of songs... it's been a bullride with it recently. my calloused hands have barely been able to keep me in the saddle... but i've been managing. that and we axed a couple of synth heavy tunes from the set on the fly... yarrrrrr.

yay for elevators! Matt from Ponchos with all the gear crammed in


PONCHOS FROM PERU @ The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC



11/9/08 day off. Fuquay-Varina, NC
much needed day off. had been two weeks since our last one and would be two weeks until our next one. scheduled it to spend time with Lisa's sister Sylvia, brother-in-law Dave and nieces Karen and Katrina. they're awesome. we had so much fun with them. since our last stop there they'd gotten Rock Band and were all about it. so we all rawked. and they all played hooky on Monday to rawk with us some more.

Cam shreddin some Rock Band drums with the Moodys


daddy long legs in the Moody driveway


11/10/08 Spazz Haus Greenville, NC
our third time in Grvl. first time at a Spazz sanctioned event. it was everything we would expect. holy gloriousness. tiny room. packed. sweaty. rawkous. and awesome. super fun site. we played first. then WTBR. which led into WTBR and myself laying down beats for the 520 MCs. about 2 hours of nastiness. some switcheroos. the night ended with Nolan Smock on drums, myself on keys, Andy or Corbie on guitar and the MCs around 3am. as wild as any house show should be. on a monday. not without drama and not without cops and not without busch light. lots of it.

///more updates soon... including photos and some thoughts about last night's show in Winston-Salem.... at The Garage... so cool. highly recommended.

///gilbert