Day Two: Saturday 4 March

   Enter North Carolina at 1.50pm, right after stopping at South of the Border, which is like a gigantic NAFTAesque King Frog (a reference for people familiar with both I95 and I75). If you've EVER traveled on I95 you've seen their constant horrible billboards ('Our honeymoon suites are heir-conditioned!' is about the only clever one of the 400), so really, we couldn't NOT stop there, being kitsch-appreciating postmodern gradschool artfucks like we are.
   But sadly, the South of the Border experience is not very rewarding -- we have some terrible sandwiches there, plus it's cold and rainy! I hope the weather improves. I only have my short Pain jacket, not my big raincoat. Ah, well, we're learning a lot on this trip about how we should have packed.
   Enter Virginia at 4.30pm -- making good time, cruising along. We get to Arlington at 7.00pm, with plenty of time to get dinner and load in.

   So we get to the Galaxy Hut early; nothing is happening, so we split up to eat. But first we spend more than 10 minutes trying to figure out our brandnew Club^TM -- our 1984 windshield is too near the wheel to really let The Club^TM work effectively -- we're idiots.
   But we hook it up anyway for its visual deterrence factor, and also Ulock the back doors, so we feel safe. Robby & I go to the Bombay Curry House down the street from the club; everyone else eats at the Hut for 1/2 off the menu (rock band!). We all convene around 8.30 and loadin to this tiny tiny neighborhood bar. (Sign inside -- capacity: 48 humans)
   They have a little PA for vocals and Dave's guitar -- plainly they do not have giant rock bands like us often. We are stalling our set until ISG arrives, since they set this gig up. They get there right before 10pm (Andy, Jason & new bassplayer Tim, + Andy's girlfriend/roadie Rachel and Tim's girlfriend/ mercher Stef, who proceed to assemble the just-completed ISG cd Anathemathematica and KNIT during our sets -- it's cool!) and we start.
   The Galaxy Hut is a fairly small neighborhood bar and it is packed, with ISG and entourage taking up the front row of tables about four feet from us, squeezed back against the front window. We play a pretty good set which is seemingly well-received, though it's the kind of setup where people coming and going have to pass directly by me, which happens throughout the set, so a different 48 people are there at the end of our set; however, they also seem to like it. We sell two CDs and get 3 people on the mailing list.
   And it's always great (for me at least) to play TO people I know and who know our songs -- looking at them gives me something to do while playing, since my fingers pretty much know what to do (mostly I make slanderous or cryptic asides on the mic, or parse some lyric or time signature flourish to Andy while we're playing). Andy comments afterwards how much he enjoyed my offhandedness that way -- he said 'I aspire to that level of tightness, where I can talk to someone and dance while I play', but DAMN, I replied, your band is PLENTY tight. (By the end of the Tour, of course, Andy is making snarky comments to us during the ISG set, and changing lyrics on the fly as Dave & I do sometimes still -- the boy is a quick study.) ISG is really cool and together, and we're looking forward to playing these shows with them. Ex-Gainesvillian Greg Ceton (about whom more later) also said he was really impressed with how we 'nailed those harmonies' which were real 'tight and inside'. Thanks, Andy & Greg. (Greg and Michael were in their first band together, the Young Pioneers, in Gainesville back in the 'ol punkrawk days...)

   Anyroad, as I said, we played a good set, then ISG started, and they are really good. Jason is a very good drummer and he dwarfs his kit -- he looks like a scarecrow brought to life; but he rocks. Tim is also good and smiles pleasantly (though not in a psychotic Billy Zoom-type way) throughout the set when he's not reading scrawled instructive notes from a page in front of him. And Andy is, as I recall from playing with them last year in Gainesville, tremendous. Though I suspect I enjoy his playing more than some because I could imagine myself being that kind of player 15 years ago if I had learned in a different way. Really cool, intricate, precise guitar riffing and nice screaming, too.

   So it was great and once again we're done way early, by MIDNIGHT! We both make $60 [which will turn out to be by far our biggest pay this tour] and then PC goes to a party at Ivan Osorio's place -- Gainesville represents! But I hate parties (like the Big Fish Ensemble), so I sleep in the van. Eventually everyone else tires of the party and we drive to Greg Ceton's house in Silver Spring MD, which turns out to be a Total RockHaus^TM!

   Greg Ceton's house, a Total RockHaus -- twostory, hardwood floors, books & records EVERYWHERE, + Maxim (girls, gear, gadgets) and the 3D Sports Illustrated Swimsuit mag. Greg is a guy.
   But he's a great guy and we're staying with him after the DC show also. It's late when we get here so we all go to sleep. When we get up the next morning, Michael & Greg go and get groceries and then the Patsies (Greg's band -- very good Gvilley poppunkrawk) rehearse their CD release set, while Michael and semi-vegetarian Chef Don make us a tremendous breakfast of castironskillet-fried bacon, hash browns, eggs with peppers & onions, and bagels with hummus. Fuck, it's good. My delicate constitution and advanced age makes eating on tour sometimes dicey (since I also don't sleep very well either), but man, I was all up in that breakfast. All Hail Chef Don!

On to Day Three...