Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Music news The Balkans Family Vacation tour journal pt. 2
Posted by Elizabeth Shortridge on Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 7:55 PM
I left the boys for one night during our day of rest in Athens, GA and they got a warning from the UGA police: making a left turn out of a right turn lane, very BA. Monday morning we headed out for Virginia. Our soccer-mom-mobile was so weighted down that we had to turn off the AC to make it up hills. Things were pretty quiet until the boys woke up around two, following lunch at Taco Bell. Brett Miller took hold of the iPod and we had a sing-along that went from early Beatles-- including a “Yellow Submarine” round—and “Let’s Get It On” to some '90s favorites, mostly Pearl Jam. Interruptions were limited to desperately rolling down the windows when Woody Shortridge’s stomach occasionally reacted to his lunch. Woody had just put everything but the last 90 cents from the Athens gig into the car’s tank and had nothing to lose.
After a short drive from Lexington, VA (highlights include the whole car belting out “Piano Man”) we arrived in Richmond, VA Tues. afternoon and met up with Carnivores. The bands played two shows for little to no pay and no “merch” sales. The first show was at the Plan 9 record store, which was supposed to be very cool.
After the bands played two short sets we drove by The Triple, their next venue to check the place out. As we passed by the bar we all thought “oh no, this is not going to go over well.” The Triple was dominated by serious pool tables and the people at the bar looked like they didn’t want to hear live music, let alone some kids from Atlanta. But the bands decided to make the best out of a bad situation. They spent the next several hours trying to string together as many “bar” songs as they could while picnicking on the sidewalk. The result was the two bands having a lot of fun on the floor of a bar, occasionally scaring away one or two pool players, and ended in a chaotic finally. Brett went out into the audience to win some fans and though they didn’t win over the whole bar, one enthusiastic new fan made up for the lack of appreciation. At the end of Carnivores' set Frankie Broyles, Woody and Brett stormed onto the “stage” and the two bands preformed a compilation they created and rehearsed earlier on the sidewalk. It began with “Wild Thing,” transcended into “Louie Louie,” and ended with bits of “Summer Lovin’ ” and more “Louie Louie.” I would post a video clip of the performance but I think the memory and essence of the experience will be better enjoyed with narration and photos.
We’re off to New Jersey tonight where the bands will record a song and interview for Planet Verge. Check out the Balkans myspace for more info on tour dates and follow us on Crib Notes.
(Photos by Elizabeth Shortridge)
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