Baltimore, MD - July 11
We packed the car and headed for Baltimore to see Jonasay play at Flecthers. What a very random day...
Aurora came over early so we could catch up on the past few weeks where we haven't talked as much. We're partners in crime, which unfortunately has been quieted down a bit since she has been down south more. It's a tradition that we hit up the Wawa right before 95 to fill up on cash and coffee, and of course, this day was full of traditions...a shortened roadtrip in a sense. Most would call Baltimore a destination, but since we have travelled from Maine to North Carolina together, Baltimore is more like a skip. So we're getting our coffee and we inadvertantly started singing to the Backstreet Boys song that was playing in the store. We started laughing and the guy putting in his sugar next to me told us he was releived that we were singing and he wasn't embarrassed anymore. He turns to this girl we can't see and says "who covers this, Matt or Howie". And of course, because I am me, I look at him and say, "are you talking about Nathanson and Day?" and he responds with the same shocked lok that I must have given him, being oh so familiar with what he was saying. The girl emerges wearing a Matt Nathanson shirt. These are the moments that I truly enjoy what I do. Matt Nathanson is currently on tour in the area and we talked about that and Howie's album that he is currently recording. They ask where we're going, and we say a concert. We ask the same question to them, and they reply..."going to a concert". Ari Hest was playing at NXNW outside of Philly and asked us if we wanted to go. Actually, Aurora and I probably would have if we weren't going to Fletcher's (OUR VENUE, well besides Recher...Fletcher's doesn't hate us yet). The girl actually came up from Florida to see a bunch of music this week. Wow, just like us. They ended up being involved with the Nathanson camp. So it was very odd and random that two people exactly like Aurora and I all met by singing a Backstreet Boy song while fixing our coffee at Wawa..... What a wonderful world.
On the trek to Fletcher's we pass a SWIFT Truck (where Aurora and I shout - "SWIFT!!!" Again, read previous blogs, especially the one after the 9:30 club). Get to Fletcher's, take some shots outside the venue, then go upstairs. We scope out who is there then head to get some Jager and beer. We watched the opening band, The Brilliant Mistakes, who I thought were decent, indie raw rock kinda like Ben Folds meeting The Natural History. We stroll around the venue some more and end up at the Jonasay email list book thingy where I think the girls wrote somehting, but I'm not sure....we were tlaking about band email lists and I said I don't get the Jonasay email, and then I think they wrote something.....I hope it wasn't embarrassing...hahaha. Run into Mark and Justin and catch up. Aurora spots a certain sticker on the merch table, where we both exclaim "SWIFT HOLLY!!" - yeah, we're weird. Then off upstairs to the green room, which was actually silver. Have fun up there, why does no one have a camera?! Downstairs, see the show. Played a good solid, energetic set to not that many people in the room. What gives. So we sang and dance and had an all around good time.
Food after at the Blue Moon where Michael and Aurora serenaded us with parts of Lady Madonna. Random. We all share secrets at the table and call it a night around 4 am. But not before Aurora and I pull up to the Jonaven blasting "Wish" out the windows to make Karen get back in the car. Justin just yells at us, "Hey!! I WROTE that song". Ah.
Get to bed around 5 and wake up 3 hours later to go to work. And work for 11 hours. Pass out, then work open to close on Sunday as well. And I wonder why I don't feel well.
I will leave you with Nate's words of wisdom: "You know, you probably wouldn't be sick all the time if you maintained some semblance of a normal schedule"