Day 4 : Detroit

            Willie and I woke up after an all-to-brief 4 hour nap to make our way back to Akron. It was a chilly, overcast day that actually made for very pleasant driving. We would have loved to have hung out with Chuck when we got back to Akron. Alas, we had to book it back to New Baltimore right away to get Ron and head to Detroit. We got to watch some epic weather form in the distance, wondering if we’d get to see a tornado. We didn’t.

            Gary and his awesome girlfriend Amy had a wonderful breakfast waiting for our return. We had a lovely time hanging out with them and Amy’s son Landon. He is an absolute, 3 year old firecracker who can already hold a full sized guitar and was banging out songs like the king himself, including a killer new number, rock and roll sleeping bag.

We had to leave them all too soon. The weather was turning fast and we had to get to Detroit. 

            The drive was under two hours, it went by like lightning. Detroit has a gorgeous skyline. It’s always a thrill to drive into. We also saw this beautiful rainbow.

            The last time we came, our lovely host, Kari, took us all out for Mexican. This time she, Risk, and her mom grilled up burgers, bean salad, potato salad, and cake with ice cream. It was such a feast! And such a delicious one that we all ate way too much.

            We regretted that time was tight. We had to head over to Corktown right after eating. Corktown Tavern is a really great bar on the other side of the old abandoned train station from Donovan’s Pub, where we played last time we were in Detroit. It looked like an old rustic house but it was standing a line with its brick façade. The people running the bar were extremely nice, as was Hobo-Gangbang, the awesome Hard-core band we were playing with. 

             

We played first. The crowd wasn’t quite sure what to think of us at first. They were used to something a little heavier. But they stuck with us and we won them over by the end. The super-sweet bartender traded us whiskey for a T-shirt, which is always a great trade. Hobo Gangbang played next. They were a great blend of punk and metal with some Kiss influence thrown in for some good measure. They were loud and awesome! We had a kickass time dancing to their set. We met the lead singer’s fiancé and siblings and they were as nice as they could be. I did a shirt swap for one of their killer shirts. Check out the awesome design. It was drawn by a local tattoo artist that the whole band goes to. We also met members of Hobo Gangbangs bassist’s other group, the Precious Few. Check them out.

            We would have loved to have stayed at Corktown until dawn. Alas, our hosts had work in the morning and we were facing the long trek to Chicago, so we loaded up and headed out. But we would love to go back someday. It’s a great place to hang out and hear some good music. All of you Detroiters should drop by and check it out.

A Day in the Life

Today we:

-recorded the Punctual Drummer (my bottle-cap leg shakers), -remastered all our tracks to include the PD,
-uploaded new and improved tracks to all our websites... check 'em out!!! (facebook, reverbnation, myspace)
-recorded vocals and the PD for a recording-in-progress of Helen Morgan,
-emailed venues from Maryland to Missouri about our March tour
-encountered the following bands through our booking research: Rootstone Jug Band, The American Freedom Machine, Dangerbird, The Bloodroots Barter, and many more
-got some sad news: RIP The Key Note Speakers and temporary r.i.p. A Melodic Horizon
-set up Grooveshark and BandCamp accounts
-ignored Tommy Boy, Good Night and Good Luck, Spaced, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Labyrinth, Doc Martin, and other stuff we noticed even less while we worked worked worked
-made delicious turkey soup and rolls (with yeast!  so proud!)
-practiced tin whistle and uke

I know we did more, but we're in a sofa daze.
This is what we do!  Hopefully it will someday soon be mixed in with more driving and wild shows and drinking...

September tour blog day 3

Day 3 : Bowling Green OH

 

The Drive to Bowling Green was beautiful and smooth and we got into town around 1:30, leaving us with a whole afternoon of free time. We wandered around town for a while, checking out the courthouse and all the local shops. 

Then we settled into a city park and finished writing our zombie song, The Piper< inspired by Dan Eliss’s amazing flyer. We also finished the first song of our Renn Fest act and got half-way through another. We also met a sax player who we hope to play with the next time we are in BG.

            We made our way back to Howard’s around 8 and hung out on the stage, taking care of some computer business. The awesome sound man, Maurice, got us dinner. They were some killer sandwiches from a local spot called Mr. Spot’s.

            It wasn’t until we started to unload that we caught some bad news. Willie’s strat was gone. Tracing our trail backwards, we realized it had to be at Dancin’ Chuck’s house, where we stayed the night before. We got a hold of him eventually. As soon as we knew it was safe, we could put it out of our mind and enjoy the show.

             We were thrilled when local musician Harry Mel showed up with some friends! We met Harry at Howard’s last may when he performed as Harry and the Hood.

Harry and his friends were a real party. We had a killer time drinking some beers and talking with them. We were totally honored that they came out to our show. A couple of other cool people we met in May came out as well. A huge thank you goes out to all of you who showed that night.

We got to play with a few local musicians that nice.  A nice guy named Tim open the show with a huge voice and a set of covers. We played a very loud and fun set next, to an appreciative crowd. Harry and co. were a riot and there were also some pirates in the crowd! The bar was full of super-nice people. We got to talk to a lot of them after our set, and sincerely hope our paths cross again. A very sweet lady even got us a couple of rounds of shots! I had my first Jager-bomb in years, and Willie sucked down some Jameson. Howard’s was Glorious.

            It’s just the kind of bar. It’s full of laid back, but enthusiastic, people getting their kicks playing pool and just hanging out. Howard’s is like go to a party at a friend of a friend’s place. You always leave feeling good and meeting some new buddies.

            Also that night Marianna played some soulful singer-songwriter tunes with interesting rhythms and some big notes. The night was closed out by Zach Wilson. We played with him in May also. He plays some Neil Youngish styled stuff with a deep voice and tricky guitar parts. It was a nice way to simmer down for the evening. Alas, then came time o bid good night to our buddies old and new.

            We made our short journey to North Baltimore where we were staying with Gary Jackson, another clever songwriter that everyone should check out.

            We woke up the poor guy at 3 am, but being the wonderful guy he is, he let us in and we hung out and watched TV before we all passed out (me first, as usual).

Another Kick ass day on the books.

Coverage!!! THANK YOU Gaithersburg Patch & The Appalachian Independent!

Fun news:
We played two shows this week and we got a review for one and a promo spot for the other!

A HUGE thank you to Jack Edwards, journalist extraordinaire for Gaithersburg.Patch.com and Jeff Henry, badass writer for The Appalachian Independent in Frostburg, MD.  Jeff also very generously gave us some plays on his stellar radio show.  We'll let you know as soon as he streams his awesomeness online!


Our Patch Review: The Galt Line at Chloe's Coffee

A preview:
...

 "The Galt Line displays their energetic style with a bit of a bluesy, old-American dance hall style and sound.  These talented musicians masterfully wield their instruments to bring a finely crafted blend of music to their listeners, and it really is hard not to dance to."

...

"They have an exciting and rhythmic style, and exercise a real passion in the music they make. Creative chord progressions are one of The Galt Line's strong points. Listening to and watching The Galt Line perform, the music seemed to flow effortlessly."

...
-Jack Edwards 11/17/2010




Our AppIndie Spot: The Galt Line at The Bar Monkey

A preview:

...

"The Galt Line is a two-piece band consisting of Willie Gammell and Blythe Crawford and their unique blend of Americana music fused with punk, folk, and blues.

The combination may sound noncomplementary, but it works. Blythe's snarling yet on-key vocals and ukulele playing are complimented by Willie's proficient guitar skills."

...

-Jeff Henry 11/17/2010



Jack and Jeff, you guys are the greatest.  THANK YOU!!!

 

September Tour Day 2: Tasty Jones in Akron, OH 9/14/2010

Day 2 – Akron

           

It started out a beautiful Tuesday. We were enjoying a sunny drive through he green Ohio hills. Gradually we noticed a repetitive clunking noise. “Is that the road?” I ask. As soon as the words leave my lips, I see a bolt fly out from the front passenger tire area and the Dirty Yeti starts rumbling and grinding, forcing us over to the shoulder.

            

We go on a brief quest for the bolt, but no one likes walking through broken glass and road kill, so we gave that up pretty quickly. We try driving the van again and it sounds worse that ever, so we pull back over and call AAA.

            The Tow Truck arrives in about an hour. It was actually  a gorgeous day for hanging out on the highway. We load up the van and within a few miles, the tow truck starts overheating and has to pull over. After a brief phone call, the driver decided to take it easy and go on ahead to Akron.

            Go figure, the place we found in the GPS was all the way across town, so we had a long, nerve-wracking ride full of crossed fingers, wondering if there would be a tow truck for the tow truck. But, we got to service station ok and the people there were super nice. We got to see the cab of the tow truck flipped up and steam billowed out as soon as he added water. It would’ve been awesome if it hadn’t foreboded ill for the poor guy’s truck.

            But in the end, all we needed was a bolt. All the truck driver need was a radiator cap. We were all back up and running.

            We went to the venue and had a couple of hours to spare, so we hung out in the grass by the train tracks and rehearsed our new songs. 

Tasty Jones is an awesome Akron bar, complete with giant Jenga set, rock fountain, and bocce court. It’s casual and understated but really unique. They also have a big screen TV that lifts into the ceiling. We got to play on the floor by the front window, just part of the party. It’s our favorite way to play.

            General Riot and Monkey Day Parade showed up before long and we were so happy to see them! We met the guys from General Riot on our last tour when we played at Old Glory in Canton and they blew us away with awesomeness.

            MDP opened up the night with a rich and beautiful set full of clever lyrics and heartbreaking harmonies, killer riffs and solos. It was some of the greatest live playing we’ve seen.

            We played a short but intense set, sweating and screaming at everyone- Too Much Fun. Spider joined us on drums for the middle of our set and just like Mark at Bar Monkey, seemed like he’d been doing it for years. Man, do I love playing with a drum kit. It really gets my blood boiling.

            The Akron Crowd was “all in” all night. They’re definitely music lovers. We had so much fun playing to them.

            General Riot came next. They do my favorite kind of straight punk, a power trio and everyone sings. They’ve got tight sections, fun riffs, and lyrics that make you want to growl and fight.  They were too cool for school up there, relaxed but intense.

            We really enjoyed talking to people after the show. It seems like there are so many talented musicians in the Akron area. I really wish it were closer to home.

            We got a lot of lowdown from Dancing Chuck, who has been in the Akron music scene for a while in various jobs, but now mostly filming bands and pressing CDs. He’s done almost all of the videos for Simeon Soul Charger, who we highly recommend. Ick and Spider from MDP cover bass and guitar in SSC and they’re all heading off to Germany in March.

            Chuck was grooving through our whole set, suggested lots of helpful venues and contacts, and then very kindly put us up for the night, which we appreciate more than we can say.

             We slept like the dead after a pretty crazy day. This morning, Chuck showed us some of his awesome footage from SSC and Waterband, another project Rick used to be involved in.

            We had to go back to the car place, but the van was OK, so it was all good news.

            It’s been a bright smooth trip so far. Can’t wait for Howard’s tonight!