The kindness of strangers

This is friendship cat.  It blesses us with acts of kindness from strangers.

I'm writing to you from Pittsburgh.  I'm writing to you from the kitchen table belonging to Kayse and Chuck.  They have gone to work (although Kayse might come back due to an unexpected hangover) and their friend, Abby, is making us some breakfast.  We played at an artspace called Garfield Artworks and they were at the show when I asked if anyone knew of a place we could crash for the night.  The kindness of strangers has been a running theme on this trip, and the last two nights have been exploding with it.  

After our show in New Jersey the other guys went to this place down the road that served 3$ pints.  With every pint came a free pizza.  And not a slice of pizza, not a shitty pizza, but a good sized awesome pizza.  I didn't have the pleasure, but the others were really impressed.  I got to the spot in time for a beer and Cook (soon to be pictured) had already drowned the others in booze and friends.  Apparently he spent most of the night attracting attention to the Canadians and they became the hub of the activity with a table right by the entrance and free rounds upon rounds.  When I got there I couldn't believe the state of joy in their eyes.  Or maybe it was the beer and pizza.  It was probably both.  We had another round, on Cook, when I got there.  I've been drinking more on this trip and I feel guilty about it.  I never made a promise to myself not to drink, but I suppose I feel like I'm letting myself down in some way for indulging.  I'm haven't quite formulated where these feelings come from, but I know their tied to how my relationship to sex has developed and my history with it when I've toured before.  The baby thought is there growing, but it needs more time.  I will give it that time.    

We departed for Cook's place.  We got to Cook's place and it was the American Dream.  You'll see the pictures.  Cook refinishes classic Victorian homes and his home is no different.  You'll soon see some pictures.  He fed us some apple liqueur, played us some music he had recorded in his studio and we talked for a little more.  Sleep was instant for me.  

When we woke up, Cook was gone!  Nowhere to be found.  I left him a note, took a few more pictures and we continued to our next destination.  Pittsburgh.  Last night we competed with a playoff game (they lost), Metric and Ariel Pink, but we still managed to have a few people out at the show.  That's where we meet the lovely people who are looking after us now.  About 2/3rds of the way through our set, Kayse came up to the stage and told me that she could put us up, but that they were leaving.  The crowd at this point was her, Chuck, Abby and some of their friends so if they left we would be playing to no one.  We decided to pack up head over to meet them at Brillobox where they went to finish watching the game.  This bar has a set of branches hanging above the bar that they change depending on the season, which is the coolest idea.  Abby immediately offered to buy us drinks and we accepted.  This became the beginning of a longer night then any of us were expecting.  Another round at the bar and some serious hangouts at their place turned into a late bedtime.  Everyone had an awesome time.  The kindness of strangers.  

So this morning we are showered and fed and spirits are high.  I would say better then they have ever been on this trip so far.  

 Cook is the gentlemen to the right of me.  Master of New Jersey.

 This is Suhay, although I don't think I have the spelling of her name right.  She didn't believe we were a band, so I directed her to the Garland video.  This is her impressed face.

 Cook's place was filled with history.  This is a 60's Danelectro which I feel in love with right away.  His friend used to built them.

 An old Danelectro amp.  Super cool.

 His dining room by nights.  LOOK AT THIS PLACE.

 Down in Cook's basement have some more fun.

 The dining room by day.

 I want this light fixture.

 His front view.

 His front yard.

His back yard.

 Transport to Pittsburgh.

 Eating some Pho and getting healthy.

 Look at these cool guys.  I almost photoshopped the fading spots in my shorts, but I wanted to go #nofilter.  You should know me for who I am!  They're patched, and they're awesome.  I wear them everyday.

 Brennan is the master of pano shots.  We're waiting for the venue to open up.

 The Dressed Frets.  They opened the night up for us.

 The venue after the show.

 Brillobox and their seasonal branches.

 The Pittsburgh gang.

Tonight we play in bowling alley.  We're all super excited about it.  Until next time, friends.  

1000+

That's how many views this blog has had!  Congratulations everyone!  We all did it together, and I am so happy that you thought my musings were worth your time.  I also hope that, when its time to share it, you'll also think the new Oldfolks Home record is worth your time!  I should tell you now though, it's pretty excellent.

I can't share details yet, but there is some exciting news coming up about the album.  The one tidbit of info I will share is that the album officially has a title.

It will be called Black & Blue.

Earlier this month I received the ok to use a piece of artwork I wanted to use to be the face of the album.  It's a beautiful textile piece.  It was created by Kerri-Lynn Reeves, who happens to be my previous partner, or more accurately, my ex-wife.

Before we separated, she gave to me this piece of embroidered magic.  I couldn't look at it for the longest while after we had gone our different ways.  It was the only piece of art of hers I kept, as the others were too painful to hold onto or look at.  I felt an attraction to this one though.  It spoke to me about our current state.  The piece itself is called Black & Blue, and thats what I felt so deeply for many, many months.  I still get glimpses of those feelings now and again, but they aren't as sharp as they used to be.  When I finally had the strength and calm to look at the art, I hung it above my working desk.  I looked at it for hours.  Whenever I was working on the record, it felt like (through the art) Kerri-Lynn was watching over me.  We had always talked about creating art together, but I was always too scared to commit to that.  I was always to worried that I wouldn't like what she made, or she would reject what I made, and that it would ruin our relationship.  Unfortunately, our relationship was in a pretty bad state early on.  Perhaps I was worried that it would expose all of the rot in our metaphorical house, and that it was a problem that could never be overcome unless it was completely torn down.  Which is what happened in the end anyway.

I will be talking more about my divorce as I start to promote this new album.  The record is about the time I spent rebuilding myself after she decided it was best that we part ways.  I never blamed her - I hurt her in a way that most people would find unforgivable.  It did hurt me tremendously too though, and I'll never forget how I felt in the early stages of it all.  When people say that a breakup feels like a half of you is missing, they aren't wrong.  I felt incomplete, lonely, abandoned and frightened.  I have learned to become a whole person on my own, so that my reliance on a relationship to complete me isn't as strong as it used to be.  Hard work, I confess.

When I would sit at my desk, I would occasionally get stuck.  Something wasn't sounding right, I couldn't figure out what notes to play or I was deciding whether or not to scrap something that had taken hours to do and start from scratch.  In those moments - in the moments when I felt frustrated and alone - I would look up and see Black & Blue.  I would engage with it's perfect squares.  I would get lost in all of it's space.  I would travel along the perfectly embroidered lines, discovering the different shades and tones of what I was experience at every moment in my life.  It grew with me, until one day I decided I wanted it to be the cover of the album.  So, after months of working up the courage, I emailed Kerri-Lynn and very formally asked to use the piece of the cover.  I never expected her to get back to me.  But word came that should would think on it, and she asked to listen to the album.  Now she had the album I had been working on for years.  It felt like she had my heart again for a moment.  What would she think hearing her name in a song?  What would she think of the music?  She once told me I had a way of making a beautiful song into a disaster.  She was referring to the fact that I would write acoustically, then treat the song with as many electronic elements as possible.  Would she be proud that this album is more organic?  Would she respect me again?  Would this be the start of a dialogue between us?  Would she hate it and tell me to fuck off?

I tried to remember to not let my mind run wild.  I still had some work to do on the album and I needed to focus and finish it.  Plus, I was about to move, so I had little time for speculation.  I had to remind myself that my intention wasn't to reconnect with her, but to simply ask for her permission to use the art.

Weeks past.  It never really occurred to me how much time had passed until I got an email from her a couple of weeks ago.  She wished me luck, and said that it was ok to use the art.  I was elated and relieved.  This record had artwork and a title now.  That makes it one step closer to a physical copy I can share with people.

Soon you'll see the art.  I need to have it photographed and then I will share it with all of you.  It's beautiful.  But for now, here's a recap of info pertaining to the new record by Oldfolks Home...

Black & Blue

-featuring Micheal Falk (Les Jupes), Keri Latimer, Shaun Gibson (The Details), Nomad, Emma Quackenbush (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), Dan Werb (Woodhands), Tess Kitchen (E.S.L.) & Anastasia Chipelski (NEWEST MEMBER OF OLDFOLKS HOME!!!!!!!).

a. Breaking Breaking
b. It Scares Me
c. Garland's Moving to Vancouver
d. On Nights Like These
e. Sleeper
f. Out The Seams Pt. 1
g. Chalky Hearts
h. The Eyelids Behind Your Eyelids
i. Mouth Alive
j. Heart Of Cranes

Some more details are in the works, and I'll have so much more exciting news soon!  Stay tuned!