Day 307 | Saturday, October 31 | 2009

Southeast Engine...

Southeast Engine made a return in playing live after a six month (and much deserved) break. They all dressed up as 'ghost farmers' for tonight's show at Casa Nueva and I must say that it was a great show. It had been a long time since I had seen them play -- I am not sure if I had ever seen them play with Billy -- and it brought a good feeling to my heart to be there for it.

The music world is, for the lack of better words, really fucked up. Why Southeast Engine is not enjoying the same accolade / fame as bands like Bright Eyes, Okkervil River, or Wilco is beyond me. It is so hard to get recognition / credibility from the Powers that Be and, especially with that being so, it seems like it is not even worth it. Why don't we just accept the fact that the music industry / hype machine is most always wrong and misses writing about really good bands. Anyways, I hope the band's lack of recognition doesn't do them in; I hope that they can keep playing and writing and show that there is still a light on in the attic that is their artistic muse.

I'm going to go see Caitlin now; she's on duty again tonight but only for a couple more hours.

March 2008

March was a great month.  I feel lucky to have been a part of South by Southwest, to travel down to Texas, and to be around such great music.  

March signified some endings and some new beginnings for me.  It was the last time I played in Southeast Engine, a band that I had dedicated a large part of my life to for almost three years, and it was a time that I returned back to Ohio University as a student (I had taken a year break from studies).

Here are some memories of being a part of Southeast Engine:

1.)  Our first tour in August of '05.  It was just me, Rem, Leo, and Box.  It was sweltering that summer and I was intimidated of being in the band.  We played a hilarious show in Cleveland for a radio station and had an interesting time at a nearby Cleveland Hotel.  Box did tai-chi in the hotel pool at 6:00AM and Leo had his famous "Hello Cleveland" moment.  Our New York show was equally sweaty.  I remember playing "Try" in the basement of the Lit Lounge to about 30 people (which was great being that we were an unknown band from Ohio playing in New York for the first time).  Whether he was inebriated it was hard to tell, but my friend Jeremy approached me after the show and was so complimentary to us it was as if he thought Southeast Engine had invented rock and roll.  This was my favorite memory of the band.  This tour along with the short 10 day tour we did in the spring of '06 were my favorite times on the road with the band.  The tour down south was extra hilarious because Ben Froehlich rode as our friend and confidant, but more importantly our manager.  He offered us invaluable knowledge for weeks, if not years, to come.

2.)The day we heard that Misra Records wanted to sign us.  Disbelief and jubilation followed.  All of a sudden we all started listening to bands on Misra's label.

3.)  Playing CMJ in October of '07.  

4.)  Covering "Margaritaville" on August 17, 2007 at the Union Bar and Grille in Athens, Ohio.

5.)  Playing "Please Come Home For Christmas" at a X-mas show at Donkey in December of '07.  Before the show I purchased 5 Santa hats for us all to wear.  I tried to get the sax solo down for that show as well.

6.) Dressing up in a tight black shirt, a black bandana, black pirate boots, and wearing fingerless gloves for a show at the Union with Southeast Engine back in the fall of '05.

I am sure there are tons more memories but for now,

7.  The CD release show for A Wheel Within a Wheel. 

*****Sleepers*****

This ended up being used for a story in the AthensNews to show how exhausted the band was.

*****Leo means business*****
This is also one of my favorite memories -- we all took dopey photos of each other holding up this giant lollipop I bought from a Cracker Barrel in Texas.  

*****Give me back my milk money!*****

*****It's not fair!*****

*****South by Southwest (band photo in front of a brickwall)*****
These were our official band photos for South by Southwest.  I thought it was funny that they were both in front of a brick wall.  

*****SXSW II (band photo in front of a brick wall II)*****
This was outside of the Victory Grille (I think) in Austin.  I was trying to look like Dustin Diamond from Saved by the Bell.

*****The Human Cannonball*****

Jessie released his record The Human Cannonball when we got back home from South by Southwest.  He is such a great musician and a wonderful human being.  

*****Poor Bastard*****

This has nothing to do with the band but I feel for this dog.  It appears that he had some sort of treatment for his tail.  We saw him on our walk back to the house we were staying at in Austin.

January 2008

One of the most frazzling things that can happen to a person is to have one's wallet stolen.  It was the second Friday of the month at Casa Nueva.  International Dance Night was happening and I was there for a drink with Kate and Jen.  We got up to dance for a moment, I left my jacket in the booth and when I went to retrieve it minutes later it was gone!  I swore that I saw Dave Baer with it on, cantering down Court Street, but I am most likely jumping to conclusions.  The jacket had my wallet in it along with my key ring (car, storage, and miscellaneous keys in it).  Perhaps it was an omen for a hard winter, maybe it was fate, or it could have been a drunk coincidence, but Friday January 11th was the night I lost my wallet.

January had other promises, too.  I lost my job working for Stalwart Construction while Southeast Engine was on tour in the South.  We were staying in Athens, Georgia when we all heard the news (3 of the 4 touring members of the band worked for Stalwart).  It was a crushing blow to Leo and me because we had to find other resources for money.  Rem was able to keep the job with limited hours because of his work experience and because of the job's role in his ability to support himself and his wife Amanda.  Our bosses were sympathetic to the situation but it was the only thing that could be done.  There were about 12 guys on the crew in total and about 8 of them had to be let go.  What happened principally was that there was an accounting error in the realm of employees workman's compensation funds which led to a giant underestimation -- something like $26,000 the company owed in fees.  This is paraphrasing but the gist is there.

I ended up looking for more jobs but no one was hiring.  Morale was a little low, the economics of it all was disheartening, and I longed for something more.  I did not find any work anywhere and I was longing to be back in school or just the feeling that I was actually working for something.  Being in the band was enjoyable but it was not leading to fulfillment for me.  I realized this at this time and I decided that I must go back to school.  Everyone in the band supported me and it wasn't bad at all.  So then I would wait and tour until South by Southwest was over and I would go back to school.

I ended up replacing my driver's license, student ID, and credit cards too after the blowing theft.  I could see by then that my life was headed in a new direction.

*****Grating Nights***** 

Outside of Donkey Coffee & Espresso ~ The Best Coffeehouse in Ohio ~.  It was already cold out that night at the beginning of January and I was having a nice conversation with Emily and Jessie.

*****For My Coat, Wherever I May Find Her*****
Shivering outside of the Donkey.  This was the jacket that was stolen days later at Casa Nueva.  

*****Mad World*****

*****Costumes*****
Court Street across from the Courthouse and China King.  This is where Banana Road is.  It used to be a great record store called School Kids records, that is, until Wal-Mart came to Athens and ran it out of business.  Today you can get vintage costumes and posters there for reasonable prices.  For example, you can get 6 black German-made wizard outfits there for only $96.00US.  

*****Glasses*****
I bought this new pair of glasses with a part of the paycheck I got in December.  My old pair broke on tour back in November so it was nice to have some to wear again.  The month in between was difficult for any time my contacts were bothering me or during the night.

*****Hadley*****
Hadley is a white lab.  Or yellow lab.  Or lab mix?  Either way, she was once Leo's dog but is now Rem and Amanda's dog.  Leo got her at the pound and was attracted to her because she was the weirdest looking dog in there.  Hadley is so bizarre.  At times she seems like she is depressed, she most always looks worried, and she is terrified of thunder.  She hides underneath Rem and Amanda's bed during thunderstorms only to realize later that she cannot get out from under the bed!  Her downfall is that she is so protective.  It is dangerous to have Hadley in front of the house, even on a leash.  She has attacked several visitors but none of them had any injuries.  She usually doesn't like people she just meets but there are exceptions.  When she gets to know you, though, she generally warms up and is a very sweet dog.

*****Poofy Rope*****
This was taken at a gas station on our way to Gainesville, Florida for a series of small house shows at Leo's brother's apartment.  We all bought a bunch of hats at the store.  Rem's hat read "Florida:  Licensed to Party," Leo's said "Jesus is Lord:  'Nuff Said," Jessie's read "I Will Be back for you.  Signed, Jesus,"  and mine said "Ask me about my great grandkids."

*****Wetlands*****
We went for a bird-watching expedition with Leo's brother John down at a preserve near Gainesville.  It was spectacular and John was very informative.  If you look closely at this picture, you will be able to see an alligator at the edge of the water.

*****Brush*****
This was on the trail of our bird-watching hike.

*****Blue Team vs. Red Team*****

A shuffle board at the Map Room in Charleston, South Carolina.

October 2007

October 2007 was a spectacular month. Two regional tours for the band (Northeast and Midwest), lots of traveling, a CD release, lots of interim work, and plenty of friends to share it with. I am baffled on what to say about this in a sentence or paragraph. Lifetimes were compressed into this month -- I was able to travel far, gain perspective, and learn a lot about myself and those around me. Southeast Engine's record came out in mid October but we started the tour on October 10th for the first part of the tour. For the first part of the tour we played 11 shows in 11 days and then came back home to work for five days mainly because we were not at a point in publicity to get shows for a month straight. Regardless, the second regional tour resumed and we went from October 26th until November 10th going around the Midwest. There was a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, immature potty humor, horrible van smells, grand skylines, loads of bands and musicians, traffic and navigation, late nights, wood floors, carpeted floors, bare floors, linoleum floors, and tons of new friends we encountered all along the way. CMJ was a highlight for sure -- it gave the band a chance for some exposure and an opportunity to canoodle and network with a bunch of industry people in NYC. While they were doing that, it was a great opportunity for me to catch up with Dustin and Gretchen and bona fide best bud Erin. I remember eating at Katz Deli with my brother before our CMJ show and it was superb. Gaelan was a new addition to Southeast Engine for the tour and I am very happy to had met him and had the opportunity to spend time with him and share a wonderful experience. One of the tour highlights was going to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. We played at the Dogfishhead Brewery (they have world class beer) and the band save Rem and Me went for a night swim on the beach. I am happy with how those photos turned out. I was experimenting with the shudder speeds. The next day was fun in the sun with the band, full of sand, sun and blue sky water too.

*****Rem*****

October 10th 2007. We are preparing to leave Athens to go to the Tritone bar in Philadelphia.


*****Leo and Gaelan*****
Such an amorous photo of Leo and Gaelan.


*****Philadelphia*****
We had a little time to explore Philadelphia for the afternoon. We toured the downtown area, a local music shop, and the Masonic temple (although we could not enter the temple without paying so we didn't actually tour the tmeple).

*****Untitled*****


*****Shock & Awe*****

*****Shock & Awe pt.2*****

*****Supreme Band*****
They are getting ready for their case U.S. v. Southeast Engine.

*****Capitol*****
*****Glory*****
*****Bridge to the Sky*****
*****Untitled*****
*****Spider*****
Here was a performer in a house show we played at in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I don't remember her real name but she performed under the moniker Spider.

*****Boston Grave*****

*****Paul Revere's Grave*****

*****St. Francis Stature*****

*****Providence Radio Show*****
We played at the college radio station for Brown University in Providence. It was the second time Southeast Engine had performed at a radio show outside of Athens. The first one was my first show ever with the band back in 2005. This was an enjoyable experience and we had pizza afterwords.

*****Yale******
Leo walking around a Yale courtyard in New Haven. Jesse was nearby sprawled out in the grass like me. We met up with Alex Maymind later after playing at Cafe Nine with Hallelujah the Hills.

*****CMJ '07*****
This is the only photo I have of any member of Southeast Engine on stage at CMJ. It is Leo and he is walking across the stage before our set. We were the Misra babies so we went first and later on the more developed acts like Palomar and Centro-matic played.

*****The Music Industry*****

*****Erin*****
I had a great dinner with an even greater friend, Erin Barker. I was lucky and happy to see her. She has been living for over a year in Jersey City, New Jersey.

*****Untitled*****

*****Early Reflections*****

*****Delaware Night*****

*****Night Moves*****

*****Usher In*****

*****In the Middle*****

******The Cusp*****

*****Untitled*****

*****You Would Be a Kid Forever*****