Baby's first "tour" (Out of town show)

but I still slept in my own bed every night

All I wanted to do this last weekend was heal my inner child. In true punk rock fashion, I’m playing out of town on the tail end of my time at my regular job. Between one job shutting down for me and deciding to quit another in the midst of that, I needed to escape my anxiety and hyperfunctioning for one weekend.

Pictured: Nite Sprites - me (Bass/vocals; left), Chris (Drums; holding Taco Bell), Mambo (Guitar/vocals; driving)

Nite Sprites at Second Home in Olympia, WA

The first stop was Olympia on Friday. Initially, this would be a stop on the way to Seattle but we ended up just playing the one show in Olympia. It ended up working out in the grand scheme of the weekend.

For the first time since Mambo got it, we were able to put the full capacity of his Dodge van to use. We didn’t end up needing a full kit or bass speaker because the space we were playing was the headlining band Wavers’ practice space. Our connection to getting on this small bill was through the Wavers guitar player Josh. An old friend of Mambo’s, I met Josh when Nite Sprites played with Pigeon Pit this past Fall. It could not have been a more sweet and welcoming space. The Summer heat was present in the room as the bands began to play and I took great joy in looking at our small little garage crowd and seeing masks with squinting eyes. The COVID-cautious sign of someone smiling and having a good time.

The lineup consisted of The Etnos¹, us, and then Wavers closed. The Etnos reminded me of those early-stage teenage-era bands I used to see a lot. The phase of having a lot of really unique riff ideas that don’t fit easily into specific genres. It seemed like they were very focused on making things that sounded cool and that they enjoyed playing instead of trying to fit into a certain genre. Maybe scattered and experimental but sincere and face-melting.

It felt like I had a lot of stuff to get off my chest during our set. I was singing harder and playing with more energy than I normally do. I think it may have been one of my favorite sets we’ve played so far. Recency bias be damned. What made the set was Josh in the audience saying “GREAT band! Great band!” He even started a little rowdiness on the floor but politely stopped once the energy wasn’t quite matched.

Pictured: Wavers playing at their practice space (Second Home)

Then Wavers² went up. I’ve never heard bass chords that large before. Jake’s bass playing made quite an impression on me. How many bands have bass capos? Then Rosie’s vocals were incredibly inspired. The musical sensibilities lean towards those early 2000s underground Emo bands like Elliott and even Everyone Asked About You and Jejune. This was very much a band full of punks who started making Emo which is really the best kind of Emo band.

The thing that topped off the whole experience was the hang. It was a very comfortable group of people. There’s nothing like the rumble of the freeway and good conversations to make the short drive out of the way worth it. It was great to see my bandmates in a familiar space. It made me begin to understand how it feels to tour. It’s going to be more driving, less familiar people, more drinking, and no heading home after but it’s always going to be hanging out with new people and playing music. The show even got out at 9 and everyone at the show was able to go to another show that started right after ours. Nite Sprites opted to take the drive home and fall asleep by midnight which I am eternally grateful for.

Side note: we put on Rise Against’s Revolutions per Minute on the drive home. I hadn’t heard that record in years and I still remembered most of the words.

Grandma Ruune’s Surprise Jeff Scheme

It was Tuesday afternoon before this past weekend. My dear friend Ruune in a tacked-on statement asked if I wanted to join them, and our friends Bobby (of Second Half Walters) and Vee (of It’s You! It’s Me! And There’s Dancing!) on a trip to Albany to surprise our friend Jeff in his band Friends With Salad. There’s nothing I love more than a long car ride to bond friendships. The car conversation consisted of music scene politics, ethics, and random quipping. I was buzzing from how much I was enjoying hearing everyone talk. I was also buzzing from my tendency to yap on and on and on but I digress.

We get to Albany and we end up at The Greyhound. Amongst the lifted trucks and businesses that close after 6 pm, we see this large, white collar collar-crowded brewery establishment with pinball machines lining the walls. Going in, there is a stone pizza oven that is heating the three-sided bar. The ceilings are high and the patrons are everywhere and none of them look queer. We look to the right of the bar and see the stage with a 9-screen display behind the bands and we run right up to surprise Jeff. The smile on his face made it all worth it for us. Thanking us profusely, the band continues setting up and then soundcheck happens. It seemed like the sound guy was still learning the ropes. Between the soundboard on the side of the stage and the iPad adjuster, he had a lot to get used to on this crowded Saturday night. Even the bar was confusing. I was only allowed to order on the opposite side of the room from the stage which I thought was strange. I was just thankful that a Ranier was still under $5.

Pictured: Friends with Salad at The Greyhound in Albany, Oregon

The best part about this set was that it was a two-band bill and Friends With Salad had enough time to play all of the songs they knew. It was nice to hear the greatest hits that I’ve heard Jeff play alone before with a full band. Over My Age, and Studio Yogurt take on a brand new life with the band. They played plenty of covers and I was reminded of how many words are in Rancid’s Time Bomb. Then they played their long, jammy version of Spiderwebs by No Doubt. There was plenty of quoting of other songs like My Girl and others. It solidified the idea in my head that there is a good way to do cover mashups and it was a testament to the musicianship of punks who really appreciate ska and who are well-practiced musicians in general. The band was so tight I even caught myself skanking with the middle-aged guys from the headlining band. It brought me back to the countless times I went to see ska shows in San Francisco in High School. I’m always reminded of how fun those punk shows are. Sometimes some slightly bigger shows or indie bands have crowds that are a little more pretentious. I feel like with some punk spaces, that pretension is lifted.

Eugene, OR I’ll Remember You

The final stop on this weekend was in Eugene, Oregon. I used to go to Eugene to visit my old friend and bandmate, Sam when he and our other bandmate Aiden were still going to College at the University of Oregon. This time the experience was much different.

After the drive down that consisted of Power Pop and guessing games, we ended up getting to Eugene early enough to see Sam and Aiden’s old houses they used to inhabit in their college days. The houses change. The businesses change. It was a very spiritual experience for both of them I could tell. There were endless stories of parties, shows, and shenanigans of those days. It further deepened my appreciation for Eugene. It became a place where people have lived rather than a place I would just visit. We were able to visit, Ume grill (oh my god the food was so good) the old cemetery, see some old house show places, and even grab some ice cream before the show. A truly full day.

Sam and Patrick on stage at John Henry’s on June 5th, 2024

We got to John Henry’s where we were playing for the night. We were catching up with Bug Seance on the last show on their 13 day tour. I always enjoy seeing that band. If you want me to sing their praises then check out my post from last week. Bottom line, they played a great set and it was great to see the other bands have their mind blown by them. They always rock on their tour tightest even though they were sleepy.

The hang was great and the show was fun but really the best part was reminiscing in Eugene and having a great time playing.

Just what the body needs

I needed a getaway this weekend. I’m thankful my friends were able to facilitate that for me. I go into my last week at my budtending job this week. While some interviews are set up, no jobs are set in stone. I go into an unemployment period for the first time in forever. I have a show at the end of this week on Friday at a house with some good friends. Feel free to come by and celebrate my unemployment with me.

I am forever thankful for all the friends from this weekend. Thanks to the Dozies and Sam, thanks to the Bugs and Gray like the color (love y’all fr), and thank you to Josh and all the new people I met in Olympia.

1. The ETNOs Bandcamp

2. Wavers Bandcamp