Sunday, September 12, 2010

Al. most. th. e. r. e......

So ladies and gentlemen.
We done did it.
We are 11 miles from home after a 3 week tour.
Let us compare feelings that are similar to being 11 miles away and knowing the traffic will cause it to be a 2 hour journey.

It's like when you have to pee pretty badly and then you see the bathroom and the feeling changes from pretty badly to imminent bladder failure.

kinda like that.

It's kinda like if you were stranded in the desert with no water, but you had a computer with the most beautiful waterfall screen saver.

a little bit like that.

It's kind of like meeting Shakira at a bar, hitting it off really well, writing her number on your hand, dancing with her in the rain, politely putting her in a cab, and then realizing her number washed off in the rain.

exactly like that.

We've had quite a ride on this one, folks... we've laughed, we've cried, we've died. no not really. it just rhymed and I'm going loopy from being in the car for 12 hours.

We have a few more one off dates in NY, DE, and VA. so come and see us go insane.

We love you all, and will catch you on the flip flop.
Until next time.

~JHJ

Friday, September 10, 2010

michigan!

Ladies and Gentleman..

Tonight we shall be talking about Heathers childhood.

Once upon a time there was a young lass named Heather Robb.
This young lady was raised with the guile and cunning of a fox... the wisdom of an owl and the reflexes of a mongoose. In the town in which she was born there were few of her kind.
The closest... a straight up wolfhound. Literally a wolf/hound.
She was raised to understand the ways of the world but to be wary and protective of her human counterparts.

She's a shecat. She's a maneater. Woah, here she comes. Watch out, mean soundmen - watch out, cat-calling strangers. She will Chew. You. Up.


SO AAANNYYWWAAYYY...
We just got done a show at the Ark and good garsh dangnabit, it was a fun show.
We missed our good friends 'My Dear Disco', who had a show of their own a few hours away from us. Sadness fills our heart at this, but the night was special nonetheless. We got to see one of our favorite people ever, Vienna Teng, who just started her first year in a Master's program at U of M. She's way smart. And just ridiculously talented. Good people.

Now we're on a porch with warm things to eat and drink and we are happy. It feels like fall - it's even a little too cold for us, truth be told.

Autumn is nice.
jhj
The Ark @ 8pm tonight in ann arbor! The air is crisp and we feel like rocking :) join us!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

we met them in st. louis



we love st. louis now. we liked it a lot before but now we LOVE it. last night's show was so fun - off-broadway is a great club, ryan is a great sound man, john is a great bartender, steve is a great club owner - just an all around cracker jack team! also, our friends from union tree review (a rad local band) came out to show their support and arranged a whole afterparty for post-show fun times! it was sweet. there were many highlights, including a full-scale dance party to cee-lo's hot new single ('f#*k you!') and jay-z's 'empire state of mind.' it was pretty much the best thing ever. we also got some amazing potato chips (billy goat chips!) and drank delicious root bear (fitz's!). a killer night from start to finish!

also, smith finally got a new look:



tonight we are playing in chicago at a new (to us) venue called mayne stage - we will miss good ol' schubas, but it'll be fun to see a new part of the city. and even though we're not playing there, noah is determined to go by schuba's for a hefty portion of their life-changing mac'n'cheese. he still hasn't forgiven smith for taking an unbidden bite back in june...

come say hi windy city! we like you a lot too!
jhj

Monday, September 6, 2010

World's First Rodeo

That's right, we just passed it. The World's first rodeo.
Many people think the first Rodeo was in Pecos, TX in 1883.
However, the first rodeo was actually held 14 years earlier in Dear Trail, CO in 1869.

So, put that in your Smipe and Poke it, Texas.

We've experienced a lot in the last few days. Everything from 24498237423 hour drives and camping next to a very nice man that Smith thought was going to turn into the "Camp Site Killer", to beautiful landscapes and stories of smashing furniture with Tomahawks (we're fairly certain that some mind altering substances were being used at the time).

In these travels we discovered, and all concur, that route 70 might be one of the most beautiful roads that we've seen thus far (and we've done seen a lot of roads). We all have dreams of biking on the bike trails that run perfectly alongside the road someday. Perhaps when we all win the lottery and are able to buy the $2.5 Mil. houses that are listed in the "Vail Daily"...

On this one road, the landscape was constantly changing - from desert to harsh rocky canyons:


to beautiful pine tree covered mountains and rushing rivers, all in the span of a few hours of driving East. It was mesmerizingly beautiful.
And you can become one with all of this beauty with the newest form of American hiking.



We played a chill show in Denver last night to an intimate crowd of supportive Denver folks. We were all beat from camping the night before and when we started talking about the exhaustion levels of our bodies we were met with a mind-blowing explanation: the high altitude in Denver actually takes a physical toll on unsuspecting out-of-towners! Who would have thunk it. Bein' higher makes your body sleepy! It also makes breathing difficult, which makes singing harder. Also, you have to to be careful when you're drinking in the higher altitudes. One beer will make your "6 beer speech impediment" come a knockin' quite a bit earlier. Fascinating.

So, them be our findings of the last few days.
We hope you are all well and excited about the autumn chill creeping in.

and now, into a man made wormhole and hopefully out the other side.


Many smiles to you all,
~JHJ

Friday, September 3, 2010

fast food

chipotle is nothing compared to baja fresh. period. and in-n-out? nothing comes close. what does the west coast know about fast food that the east coast hasn't figured out yet? this is not a rhetorical question - please help us understand!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

NYC to LA

We're all done and rested.
Each with a nap of different intensity.
Last night was spent BBQing and ping-ponging.

On the Agenda today.
Be in LA.
Play a show at The Echo.
Be in LA.

If any of you have been to LA, you will probably know what we mean when we say this.
What a magical place to visit.
Full of sun and characters.
Places of indescribable nature.
And the thing that we find ourselves noticing the most?
everyone and everything moves slower.

NYC is fast and interesting.
LA is Slow and interesting.

Two coasts, two vibes.
If you haven't been here before... take a trip with a friend.

Resident watch dog, Nikki...


One question for everyone...
If you could be one fictitious animal, what would you be?

~JHJ