b natural. c sharp.

Today we drove to Tallahassee. When I got to the hotel we had some extra time so I decided to take a quick dip in the pool and soak up some sun. It was hot and sunny - perfect pool weather! When we got to the Engine Room, I ran through the new songs and got my UPDATED setlist ready to go.

I was super excited to see my old boss and good friend Jason from when I worked at Cafe Bagel in high school. He had always been super supportive coming to every KG show way after I stopped working there. Eventually he gave up the shop and moved to Tallahassee, but KG never got a chance to stop there on tour. It was so awesome to finally see him and meet his lovely wife Tara. We sat on the deck and caught up until I had to play.

The fates were shining upon me as there were no surprise songs added to tonight’s set other than the new ones I’d just prepared. Between hanging out with my good friend and playing a great set, I was on cloud nine after the show. I was still wound up by the time we got to the hotel. Fortunately, The Leftovers ended up staying at the same place so we hung out for a bit before finally calling it a night.

I forgot to mention I finished Bridget’s hat on day 2 - the one that was turning my hands orange. I just need to add buttons and some plastic to firm up the brim when I get home.

Today we headed to Orlando to play at The Social. The boys got dinner late last night at the hotel but I opted out since I wasn’t hungry. That ended up being a mistake because I ended up not eating for about 24 hours. Oops! Needless to say I was very happy when we stopped for some food when we got in town. I took a nap at the hotel and then we headed over to the club.

After loading in I continued my ritual of playing through all the songs on the setlist as well as the new ones that were added mid-show. The show had a good turnout and everybody seemed to be having a good time. I was particularly excited to see my friends Jeff and his awesome wife Katrina come out! I met Jeff on KG’s first tour ever when we played with his band Elora Dannon twice, then ended up touring with his new band The Complete Strategist.

Tonight the set on my part was pretty frustrating because not only did we do the songs on the set, but I also had to learn 2 or 3 on stage this time. I had this guy right in front of me analyzing everything I did and at one point try to show me the chords to the song. Nobody in the band cares if I mess up and they just tell me to fake it, but for me but it’s really embarrassing to not know what I’m doing. I’m already the odd one out, not to mention a girl, so I feel like I have a lot to prove. Those songs went okay but then Joe decided to do an encore with more stuff I hadn’t practiced. He told me to wing it, but I just didn’t have it in me at that point so I sat out and talked with Jeff and Katrina.

I want to add that nobody is pressuring me except myself. Joe and Dave are super nice and always tell me I did a good job after the show. It’s just me being a perfectionist and coming from a totally different background of music. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating and I’m trying to power through without whining to them about it.

Adam convinced me to come hang out at a party with The Leftovers after the show and promised to bring me back to the hotel. He’s had to go through the same kind of thing jumping in on drums with the Queers so he can relate to my uneasiness. When I got to the party everyone was super nice and complimentary to me about my addition to the band. I really take those comments to heart, so it made me feel much better. We spent the rest of the night drinking beers, hanging out with friends, meeting new people and listening to good music. I’m glad I went - it was a good end to the evening.

This morning we drove to West Palm Beach, FL. On the way we stopped at Golden Corral where I ate pretty decently considering it’s a buffet full of temptation… lots of veggies, salad, etc… until the dessert bar ruined everything and made me sick. The Second Saturday boys have a saying “So sick, so happy” which applies to that exact situation. You eat yourself stupid and you’re totally sick, but really happy about all the yummy food. Fortunately we got to the next hotel very early so I had a nice cat nap and watched some of the Beatles Anthology. When we finally went to the venue, Respectable Street, I ran through the set again on keys and guitar.

Midway through the show, Joe wrote up a new setlist which wasn’t a problem because it was actually shortened a bit and consisted of all the songs I had practiced except for two. I quickly learned the two songs and wrote down the chord changes the new set so I could cheat if need be. They actually went pretty well, but right before the encore he decided to add another song! He told me the chords before getting back on stage and I just went with it. Nothing like learning a song on stage haha. I’m pretty good at following chord progressions or at least faking it so I made it through just fine. The show went really well over all and the crowd was super into it. I even signed some autographs afterwards which was surprising to me since I’m just an adjunct member. It made my night though!

I got some decent sleep last but we didn’t get a late checkout this morning and were booted out of the hotel rather abruptly. After getting an oil change, we hit the the road for Tampa. It was only a 3 and a half hour drive so we checked in our next hotel and I got a quick shower in before going to the club. Tonight we played at The Orpheum.

Load-in was way before doors so I used the extra time to go through the entire set on both guitar and keyboard. I felt a lot more confident going in to the set with the songs fresh in my mind and things went a lot smoother. The club’s sound was an improvement from last night which is always a plus. I also ran my keyboard through an amp so I could hear it a lot better on stage. I’m excited to start getting in the groove of things so I can just have fun and play! The show was over before 11 which is AMAZING so now I’m happily relaxing at the hotel and watching Remember the Titans with The Leftovers.

The Leftovers left early this morning for the beach. I might tag along with them sometime but opted to stay with The Queers this time around since our first show is tonight. We headed over to the studio around 11 and loaded up all of the equipment. It’s crazy how few things they need in comparison to Karmella’s Game, even with my extra keyboard stuff. Their van is similar in size to KG’s, but they don’t pull a trailer. All of the equipment fits in the back with the merch on a loft.

After running a few more errands we hit the road for about a 6 hour drive to Jacksonville, FL. For passenger seats they have one large and very comfy bench seat (that isn’t bolted down… that should be interesting if we stop quickly) and then the driver and passenger chairs. It’s definitely more comfortable than the KG van (the front seats actually recline and aren’t made of awful plastic), but I miss having my own bench seat to stretch out in when in the back. While got a set list together for tonight, which I’m currently listening to and going over in my head once I finish this post up. Other than that I’ve just been knitting a hat with some fun wool that is turning my hands orange.

Before arriving at the venue Jack Rabbits, we stopped for coffee to get a fix for The Queers Starbucks addiction. I swear they have Starbucks spidey-sense or something and can find on anywhere. I don’t drink coffee very often but got a small cup and was all wired the rest of the night. Not a good combination with nervousness about my first show!

During the show I went over the setlist and tried to prepare but it’s hard to focus while the other bands are blasting away in the club. There was a local, TA80, The Leftovers, then us. It was really hectic for me setting up since I don’t have a system down yet. I was pretty nervous while we played but I’m pretty good at not showing it and rocking out. Not being able to really hear myself on guitar or keys was really difficult. It’s okay if I don’t hear myself with KG because I know the bass parts by heart, but it’s a lot different when I’m 100% on the music. We played about 25 songs so I was just happy when it was over and relieved when we went straight to the hotel. I’m pretty hard on myself when it comes to non-perfect musical performances on my part so I wasn’t in the best of spirits. I know it’s going to get better each night as I get more comfortable so I need to relax and not worry so much. Joe reminded me that no matter how much you practice it’s always going to take a few days to gel.

Not a whole lot to talk about on Wednesday. After a late start to the day, we had a full rehearsal now that Adam was in town. It went well and I feel pretty confident about the songs on my part. The Leftovers and I had some great Thai Food for dinner, then hung out in the hotel room for the rest of the evening. I’m so happy they are on the tour - it’s so nice to have friends in a strange environment.

After a lazy morning Joe picked Dave and me up, then headed over to the studio for our real first rehearsal. We ran through the list of songs unplugged and it went pretty well. Amy (from TA80, another band on the tour package) also rehearsed with us, who is going to be singing backup and taking over for me after LA when I leave the tour. Being the crazy small world that it is, I happened to have already met her once on a KG tour when we stopped in Tuscon! The concept of touring with a bunch of boys, especially without Katie, is crazy but at least I’m not the only lady.

After a good rehearsal we headed back to the hotel. I got some Panda Buffet for dinner and then met up with The Leftovers who are staying in my room. I’m super excited that they are on are also on the tour because they’re good friends of ours! Their drummer Adam is doing double duty and playing for The Queers as well. After hanging out with them for a few minutes, I got the chance to meet up in the lobby with some of Wyatt’s awesome family who lives nearby. It was great to see some more familiar faces! After chatting for a while, they headed back home and I went back upstairs to the room to get some more guitar practice in. I learned a few new songs that Joe had added to the list, so now I’m ready to go for tomorrow!

Since I’ve been good about doing tour journals for KG and HAVEN’T been so good about regular blog updates, I thought it would be nice to document my tour experience with The Queers. Here’s how it all started… I got the chance to jump on keys for a few songs at Insub Fest 2008 when they did a pop-punk set. This was special because although the band has a lot of upbeat pop songs, they usually play their “harder” punk material live. I assume the set got a good response, because Joe (vocals/guitar) contacted me about doing a tour featuring the pop songs not long after. Since I had decided to wait until spring to start grad school, I jumped on the opportunity and said yes! I’m playing keys and guitar, which was quite a challenge to build up my playing chops for at first. I can pretty much play bass in my sleep, but only dabble in keys and guitar. After an intensive week of practice and lots of help from Wyatt, I’m confident and excited to start rehearsing with the band. That brings us to tonight…

I’m currently in an Atlanta hotel room decompressing after a long day of driving, rain, and traffic. The original plan today was for me to meet up with The Queers and rehearse for the first time. Unfortunately this fell on a week of record rainfall - so much that downtown roads were shut down due to major flooding. Needless to say, traffic was a nightmare and driving was really sketchy at times because of the spots of heavy rain. Luckily I wasn’t by myself because Wyatt was nice enough to ride down with me so he could take my car back home. It took us about 5 hours, then after killing some time at a comic book store, it took another 45 minutes to get a quarter mile back down the road to the hotel. It was TERRIBLE.

We finally met up with Joe and Dave (bass) at the hotel, then everybody agreed it would be best to just take the night off and relax. Wyatt and I got some yummy Chipotle for dinner and watched some TV together before he set off for home. After getting a little more guitar practice in, I’m winding down for the night and ready to get some good sleep!

Along with the great house that we’re renting comes a great yard to play in! At the first hint of spring I jumped on the chance to spend some time outside and play in the dirt.

The first thing I did was cut back the giant rosebushes that had been neglected for years. They have since flourished and are doing much better. I’ll post pictures when they bloom!

Next on the agenda was weeding the gardens out back. I focused on the small rectangular garden that is next to our patio as well as the much larger garden in our yard. The rectangle garden was easy, but I’m still working on the big one. I find it really relaxing when the weather is nice to spend an hour or so outside just pulling up weeds. Here’s a picture of the big garden and the beautiful irises that came with it:

If nothing else I wanted to plant an herb garden this year. With advice from Katie, the internet, and a book on herbs that Wyatt gave me, I finally decided on what herbs I wanted and where I would plant them. We bought starter plants earlier this week and made a few pots out of colorful buckets from the dollar store. To make the pots I poked holes in the bottom of one container and put it inside an identical one so that the soil could drain properly (and not all over the table). I planted italian parsley and oregano in one and mint in another.

I also have plans for two more pots. I’m starting chives from seed and basil from grocery store cuttings. It took about 2 weeks, but roots from one of the basil cuttings finally sprouted yesterday!

It’s been really rainy so I haven’t been able to plant the rest the herbs until today. In the rectangle garden I planted (from left to right) cilantro, rosemary, dill, and thyme. To the left (out of the picture) I planted garlic cloves. Apparently garlic and roses grow well together so hopefully the roses in there will be extra happy! There are shoots starting to poke out of the ground, but not much to see. I also planted lavender in the big garden - I can’t wait for the flowers to bloom! Unrelated, but pretty cool; Behind the lavender is a giant mushroom (about 10″ or so in length) that fell off of the tree.

I ended up having the day off today because one of my students stopped taking lessons. I was determined to be productive with this extra time, unlike the lazy blob I’ve been the past few days. I sent out emails for my bands upcoming shows, duplicate stitched a name on a stocking for work, worked out, weeded a section of the garden, showered, and finally decided to a sewing project was in order (not to mention posted this blog!). I’ve been wanting to make a dispenser to hold my extra grocery bags for a while now but didn’t have any elastic handy. I just happened to need some for a pair of bed socks that I made for a finishing project at work last week and had plenty left over. Thanks to trusty Google, I found a tutorial from Dioramarama. It was a super easy project and now my grocery bags aren’t all willy nilly.

I also recently sewed together this sweet Dr. Who inspired scarf! A friend sent me about 5 scarves that he got at the dollar store. I de-fringed all but two ends and sewed them together. I had a little problem at first with the stretchy knit fabric being bunchy but lengthening my stitches helped. It turned out great!

I’m done being productive now. It’s time for dinner, Battlestar Gallactica, and Majora’s Mask.