Northwest Recap
A quick recap and a bunch of pics from HBR’s Northwest run:
Caspar: This is one of our favorite road-house stops in the country and despite storm warnings, it was a beautiful evening on the Mendocino coast. We get to stay overnight upstairs so, um, uh, no one has to drive!! Great way to start the tour and we played a spirited show. It felt great to be in front of dancing people after some time off and smiles were abundant!
Redway: We played at the Mateel Center, a great venue near Humboldt. It was a beautiful drive from Caspar. I included a picture of Armando Tobriner loading gear. He joined us on the tour as our front-of-house engineer. He did a great job and was so helpful. This gig was a benefit for a school that served kids who lived in remote areas so they don’t need to travel. There were 5 or 6 bands and we closed it down. So fun to play for the people of the redwoods and the mountains and I hope to return there again soon.
Eugene: Sunday in Eugene. The town seemed kinda dead when I was walking around before the show but people rallied for our show at the WOW hall. It’s a great dance venue and we get some of our younger crowds there who really bring the energy! I always had romantic notions of Eugene growing up and it’s nice to be able to stop there and make music on our Northwest runs.
Seattle: I lived in Seattle for 3 years so it always is a pleasure to return for concerts. We played at the Crocodile Cafe in Bell Town. I got some happy hour sushi at one of my favorite places and walked around like a tourist. I love the pizza next door as well which made great late night food. Yes, I know, I fixate on food, can’t help it! I had a great morning the next day and then we made our way back down to Portland.
Portland: This is one of our favorite towns in the country, hands-down. Some of the most knowledgeable music fans live there for sure and this show was at the Doug Fir lounge. It’s very cool, and retro-chic. Imagine Austin Powers’ living room…. We had some special guests; Jesse Withers from Jack Straw, Enion Pelton-Tiller and Dave Tiller from Taarka. They ripped it up and it was so fun to have new musical energy on stage. I played a solo Bach piece in the middle of Entangled. It’s fun to bring classical music to the HBR audience. I feel it’s part of my destiny to play classical music for people who aren’t necessarily expecting it. Late night french toast! I am a professional french toast maker and especially when I make it with Dave’s Killer Bread!
Bellingham: OK, best moment of tour (drum roll please…) goes to the post-show ice cream at the incredible Mallard Ice Cream store. Some of our good friends connected us with the manager of this amazing creamy utopia. We felt like we were in Willy Wonka’s factory, seriously. Free samples of anything and crazy combo cones of heaven. Still recovering! I posted a pic of our hostess, Leanna. The show, oh yeah, the show…sorry! We played first in a co-bill with the band Flowmotion. I really like their sound and they push the good vibe while rocking it out! This was maybe the biggest crowd of the tour so I look forward to making this a solid stop for us in the great Northwest!
Vancouver: I love this city! We got to play at a great downtown venue called the Vogue. This was the best venue of the run and I hope we connected with the Canadian fans. I dream of playing throughout Canada and this was a start! I took a walk in gorgeous Stanley Park and Spring was in the air. This pic is me beneath the blossoms. The olympics were still in the air for sure and there was a line for the zip line attraction that stretched up to 7 hours! You could fly to Costa Rica and zip line in the jungle in that amount of time, crazy!
Well, there’s your recap, hope you enjoy! We’re back in the bay and Hot Buttered Rum has an amazing show coming up at the new Freight and Salvage venue in Berkeley. The concert is on April 2nd. We’re going to make a special live recording of the show and hope you join us!
Peace,
Aaron
