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!

           

           

Sept. Tour Day 1: Bar Monkey in Frostburg, MD 9/13/2010

We couldn’t have asked for a better first day of our tour. We had a beautiful drive out to Frostburg, where the leaves are just starting to turn.

We got to Bar Monkey around 5 pm, with plenty of time for a slow and easy set up. The weather was crisp and cool, perfect for an outdoor show on Bar Monkey’s awesome patio. We were thrilled when Mark Penny from National Road showed up with brushes and a snare drum!

It was a little empty at first, so we hung out for a while with Jimmy, Bar Monkey’s kickass owner (and prospective mayor of Frostburg), and an awesome painter named Steven. We were having a ball but were also eager to play, so we dove into our set, while people started showing up. Mark fell right in, seamlessly spicing up our tunes with his bitchin’ rhythms. He had never even rehearsed with us and it felt like he’d been with us for years. It was great, we can’t wait to play with him again.

The Galt Line went for about an hour and then Captain Ronzo took the stage. Bar Monkey turned on some awesome yellow, green, blue, and pink stage lights for him.

We were happy to see some of our favorite Frostburgians. It was so cool of them all to come out on a Monday. They are all such hard working folks.

Before we hit the stage again, local potter extraordinaire Josh Brown traded us t-shirts for his gorgeous hand made chalices.

 It seems like we would have had to trade him for our whole bag of shirts for it to be even close to fair. They are incredible works of art. He makes them in 3 separate pieces, then binds them together and adds his breathtaking glazes. Truly spectacular.  We were drinking beer from them for the rest of the night and will be doing so for the rest of the trip.

We played a second Galt Line set until our crowd had to retire, it would be Tuesday soon after all. But Frostburg, like many of our other favorite places, is just as much fun after the show. A few more familiar faces showed up, as well as some wonderful new people.

Our bitchin’ booker and barkeep, Jes, made us mind-blowing banana nuts pancakes, which we greedily devoured while sipping some more beer in Bar Monkey’s upstairs bar. We got to see their full sized monkey suit, complete with oversized bejeweled crown.

*Can't find the picture!!! AAACK!*

When the bar was ready to close, we headed over to Dante’s across the street.  We sipped Magic Hat with all the killer people hanging out there.

(Dante's is the place with the yellow sign.  My phone wouldn't take a good night shot.)

They’re going through renovations this month, basically doubling in size. We can’t wait to see the new place.  (Update from date of typing-11/11/10, the new space is DONE!)

Eventually Dante’s hit last call and we made our way back to Bar Monkey to sleep on the outdoor stage. The breeze was fresh and the stars were out. It was a beautiful night.

We heard about all sorts of awesome local artists (one metal worker has a bunch of amazing pieces in Dante’s) and some great bands to check out, including Brent Amaker and The Rodeo, The Black Diamond Heavy’s, The Bambi Molesters, Elf Power, Ghost Finger and the Incredible String Band.

Overall, yesterday was a very chill and extremely enjoyable way to start off the tour. It sounds cliché but Bar Monkey, and all of Main Street, really, is so homey and wonderful. The people really know how to have and show us a good time. We can’t wait to go back.