Bring them down

It is rare that you'll read the words “excellent” and “Poughkeepsie” in the same sentence, but that is the only fair description of last night's show. We were greeted by a host of enthusiastically headbanging maniacs who made the show a great one for us. We also received our superb-looking new hooded sweatshirts from Blunt Force Graphics and finally our advance copies of “Advent Parallax” which sold briskly. All the bands had great reactions and great performances. Another addition to the flavor of the evening is that the Chance Theater is clearly haunted. When I was in the upper mezzanine before show time, the floorboards creaked with footsteps behind me and I turned to see nobody at all. Sanguine reported a similar situation as he went up the stairs to the dressing rooms. It was intriguing up until the point when I went back into the venue at the end of the night and found a darkened stairwell actively staring back at me. I decided I had intruded enough. We slept surprisingly well in our van despite the cold and now we are at Mark's Place in New Hampshire- you know, the venue that's attached to a strip club that's attached to a building that is definitely not a hotel? That's the one.

Not everything is bigger in Texas...

D'oh.

No Jesus, No Beast

Rochester was exactly how we remembered it- grey, dreary, and encased in ice and stale snow. Fortunately the bad weather blew past us quickly and the roads were clear. We were very pleased to have the hotel and I ended up sleeping for almost 12 hours after we arrived. It turns out the Hartford show was canceled because the promoter drowned while visiting the Virgin Islands. Apparently his body was only recently discovered and he was missing since Xmas. Grim. The strange part for me was that in charting the maps between venues I routed us straight from Springfield to Rochester and completely skipped Hartford. I was planning on correcting it but something told me not to bother. I did the same thing with Nashville, so if this show is also canceled then I will take it as one of my random echoes of divination at work. As for the Rochester show, the turnout was about as good as it could be for this town; nobody has any money and the weather is not an additional incentive. Still, I should not complain as the crowds have been responsive and attentive regardless of their size, We experienced several technical problems attached to the drum kit and triggers that forced us to start, abort, and reattempt our opening song, “Descension”. That is never a good thing, but luckily the audience was accommodating about it. Overall the stage sound was awful for all the bands, but we managed to pull off a good showing. Immolation was great as usual, and I'm trying to log more time watching Belphegor and Rotting Christ. It is difficult since we invariably miss any band that immediately follows us as we are usually packing our gear and cleaning up. Still, it would be a pity to not actually see the bands with whom we share the stage. Merchandise sales have not been terribly good for any of the bands so far from what I can tell. Hopefully we will see an upswing in the bigger market. I hope that the shadow of the recession is not a factor in this, as it is merch sales that keep us and our tour mates afloat.

On to Poughkeepsie. We got a bit of a late start but the thruway is a straight show across the state and the roads are clear, so we should arrive on time without incident. We play a large and venerable theater called the Chance, so I hope the show will prove memorable.

Those Left Behind

Jaxx had a relatively lean turnout, which I suppose should be expected on a Tuesday night. Still, over 200 people is not a shameful showing. Immolation was once again incredible and they added “Those Left Behind” to the set which was a real triumph of the night. Their current lineup is definitely my favorite to date. Steve and Bill back Bob and Ross seamlessly and do justice to both new and classic material. We are tired already, as our initial drive from Texas to North Carolina was compressed into a day due to my illness. Fortunately our show in Hartford was canceled so we have a day off and plenty of time to drive to Rochester. I will not further speculate on what shows will be good as it seems that it is anyone's guess, but I am indeed excited to see many old friends we haven't seen since 1999 when Averse Sefira operated out of western New York. We did not successfully sleep in the van last night as we seem to be in the mode where we are too exhausted to sleep. Also, I seem to have pinched some nerves in my left leg that is making it seem like my foot is being held to a low flame. We will take advantage of the free time and get a hotel tonight in order to rest sufficiently. The Rotting Christ/Immolation/Belphegor bus apparently died about an hour south of Rochester and they will have to remain there until a replacement bus arrives. In the meantime we are wending our way through the back roads of Pennsylvania as those are the only roads there are in this state. We'll arrive in New York in a few hours and several ugly little townships later.

Here in After, VA

Charlotte was well-attended and well-behaved (which is sometimes a double-edged sword). I managed to break free of the flu's grip to help turn in a very satisfactory performance with the band, which was a good omen since often times the first show is invariably one of the worst. I am donning quite a bit more armor than before and between the newness of it and my lingering fatigue it felt like I was performing on Jupiter. No matter; it will all lock into place soon as it always does. Everyone in the bands are agreeable people, and I look forward to getting to know them more in the days ahead. Immolation in particular was amazing, and watching them play was exhilarating as usual. I've seen them perform since 1991 and I think they are truly at the top of their game. There are no other remarkable events to report at this time. We are here in Springfield at Jaxx and I expect a good show tonight. The sound at this venue is massive, and there are plenty of AVRS adherents in the area. I have to begin answering interviews for magazines while on the road, and it is already mildly irritated due to the patent nature of many of the questions. It is a real chore to have to try and turn a one-note question into something of substance as if I am some kind of hostage negotiator. Yes, yes, fame is a burden.

Photos should be forthcoming as soon as I figure out a reliable way to resize them.

Fall in Disease

Touring by definition means to forgo many comforts and guarantees, including a regular wage, a warm bed, decent food, or enough sleep. This life isn't for everyone and it never surprises me when even members of successful touring bands suddenly panic and abandon their comrades at the end (or sometimes in the middle) of a tour. I walked away from a job that was going well and could still become a productive career for the sake of this tour, never mind the fact that I also came down with the flu less than forty-eight hours before we were due to embark. Yet here I am again along with my band mates who share in my situation. We have no certainties as to whether or not we'll see any success or money at the end of this run, though I'd like to think that based on the standing response to the new material we will hold our own. In any case, there's no place I'd rather be. Money and jobs come and go, but these experiences will echo through eternity.

For those of you keeping score, here are the dates for the tour:

04 Feb 2008 USA Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
05 Feb 2008 USA West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
06 Feb 2008 USA Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
07 Feb 2008 USA Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade
08 Feb 2008 USA Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
09 Feb 2008 USA Bedford, NH @ Mark�s Place
10 Feb 2008 USA New York City, NY @ B.B. Kings Blues Club
11 Feb 2008 USA Cleveland, OH @ Peabody�s
12 Feb 2008 USA Detroit, MI @ I-Rock
13 Feb 2008 USA Louisville KY @ Uncle Pleasants
14 Feb 2008 USA Nashville, TN @ The Muse
15 Feb 2008 USA Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium
16 Feb 2008 USA Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
19 Feb 2008 USA Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
20 Feb 2008 USA Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
21 Feb 2008 USA Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro
22 Feb 2008 USA Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theater
23 Feb 2008 USA San Marcos, CA @ Jumping Turtle
24 Feb 2008 USA West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
25 Feb 2008 MEX Mexicali @ El Jardin del Silencio Extreme Rock Bar
26 Feb 2008 USA Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theater
27 Feb 2008 USA Tempe, AZ @ The Sets
28 Feb 2008 USA Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad
29 Feb 2008 USA San Antonio, TX @ Rock Bottom Bar
01 Mar 2008 USA Mc Allen, TX @ Cine El Rey
02 Mar 2008 USA Houston, TX @ Meridian

The Approaching Advent

So here we are once more, preparing for yet another assault of the USA. This journal will once again come active and will be duly chronicled as before, though with any luck the entries will not feature any outages. The format has also been adjusted for better legibility. As for our cabal, we are now fully prepared. The featured tracks off of our new "Advent Parallax" are now whetted and deadly and shall lacerate the psyches of new initiates. More soon.