Finish line.

As the sun came up, we loaded into the studio across the river from Philadelphia. A brutal week of show-and-go with sparse sleep wrapped up hours before at Union Hall. Before that, there were shows in Virginia and North Carolina and South Carolina and Jackson and before that, we said goodbye to St. Vincent..and just like that, a whole tour stretched behind us. A parade of friends and new faces and theaters and gas stations and trouble-shooting setting up tearing down that all felt so long and epic in the moment was secretly flying by. What an awesome, ferocious path with an awesome finish line.

Speaking personally, it was really an incredible pleasure and honor and learning experience to get to be on this tour, and it led me to quite a few new incredible friends and certainly opened my eyes to a touring element that I had not yet experienced. I’m going back to Tennessee tomorrow, bruised and sore and totally satisfied. Andrew and Chris are a pretty serious testament to hard work and focus. If you and your band work half as hard as they do, you will probably go crazy and quit and never speak again. Good thing PiM are such strong dudes. And to see such strong dudes get out-hustled every single day by our soundgirl, Alicia Blake (domino, to you)…wow. Tour Managing a set of people like that leaves very little extra work.

Thanks are also due, I think, to the invisible part of team PiM. Sara at HomeTapes and Christine Sanely and the people at Team Clermont and Andrew Skikne worked so hard for us, every single day, to make sure this tour was a huge success. And I think they succeeded with flying colors. I hope they agree and are proud of their effort.

Finally, I think we all especially want to thank Billy, Anthony, Evan, Daniel, and Annie for having us along on their trip around America. Touring with St.Vincent was fun and easy, and they always seemed so glad to have us there. Our friends are truly on their way and it was so nice to be right there to watch them do it. The crew was no less welcoming. Domino and I learned so much by watching Dana manage and do sound, and she was always so nice and eager to show us stuff.

So, that’s that. PiM stay here in Philadelphia for a bit. Domino and I fly out tomorrow, her to Seattle and myself to Knoxville. If you read this blog, thanks. I was really glad that they asked me to write it. Sorry if it lapsed from time to time, but I was usually finding unchilled bottled water for Andrew or finding Chris’s red bag. If you want more blog posts next time, take the password off of your wireless, Americans.

Domino, thanks for sleeping on the floor with me everywhere.

Chris, thanks for whipping my back and making me better at this stuff.

Andrew, thanks for reading us that werewolf erotica.

bearforce-1 has landed.

wil wright

p.s. Ace demands to be mentioned. There it was, bam.

Hate to see you go.

Well, that was awesome.

Last night, we said goodbye to our dear, dear friends in St. Vincent. Our final show with them was in Austin the night before, but last night, they were nice enough to invite us out to watch the taping of their Austin City Limits performance, and then a little viewing party afterwards. It was a perfect way to end an amazing journey. Of course, it felt too soon, but I suspect it would feel too soon no matter when it came to an end.

Our (and your) next chance to see them will be on June 24th, when they play some television show called “Letterman”.

Now, we’re in Mississippi for the first show of our week of touring home. This trip is running out of miles. It feels like a lifetime since we started, but also feels so very premature. We owe thanks to all of you who came and saw us and loved us and took care of us along the way. This has been the trip of a lifetime.

ww/pim

the wind up and where we wound up.

The decadently humid Southern states have finally smiled at us, giving us 2 absolutely incredible shows in a row. Last night, Birmingham really set the woods on fire for us, packing The Bottle Tree.

…speaking of which….attention American venues! If you plan to host touring bands at your club, and have them leave happier than they showed up, I advise that you make a holy journey to Birmingham and see the backstage at The Bottle Tree. The main room has food, chairs that massage your back, free classic arcade games, and decorations like somebody is throwing a hula-themed graduation party. Then, if you walk through a tunnel to the back, there is a tiny courtyard with pool furniture and GOLDEN GRAVEL. In that courtyard there are two tiny airline mobile homes! 1 PER BAND. OUR OWN LITTLE MOBILE HOME, SURROUNDED BY GOLD. Good luck, American venues. We are anxious to see what you have to challenge with.

We’re heading on to Hot Springs, Arkansas now. I have such a hard time believing that Hot Springs exists. Tomorrow, it’s Texas…the finish line. Only 2 more shows with Annie and the boys. My eyes get hot just THINKING about it.

L’sigh,

ww/pim