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Monday, October 18, 2010
We set out on the road and left behind a rainy and cloudy portland. Speeding up to out run the looming cloud over us. Sky broke open and we found ourselves in eastern oregon heading towards a five week Morning Teleportation Fall tour that will span the entire country all the way as far south as Florida to open for The Flaming Lips. As well as, the northeast to play a show at CMJ in New York City. The band consists of Four people, Tiger Reinmuth (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Paul Wilkerson (Bass), Travis Goodwin (Keys), and Tres Coker (Drums) as well the last minute add on of Jordan Pendley to play Trumpet parts for this tour. and me, Directing the process of a long term documentary project through photographs and video.
Two Days later we arrived to our first destination. Headlining at the Hi-Dive in Denver, Colorado. with opening band, "The Pillow Fighters".
This night was intended to setup a plan on how each show was to play out throughout this tour. It became a meticulous plan to unload, setup, clean up, back in van and drive to find a place to sleep. Sharing a room of two beds between 6 people with one possibly sleeping in van to save money.
After Denver we were back on the road for a two day drive to St. Louis where they opened for Elf Power at the OFF BROADWAY on the west side of town.
Did Elf Power sound like Placebo to anyone else? once the thought was put in my head i couldn't shake it. But by that night we were already feeling the exhaustion of the daily stopping, fueling, and continuous driving. An exhaustion that you soon get used to and become numb to. Quickly realizing our only options for food were wrapped in plastic or slowly rotating under a heat lamp.
We landed in Bowling Green, KY. Home to Travis', Tres', Jordan's, and Paul's family and where they grew up. Bowling Green is centered around Western kentucky Univ. Campus. Located on the highest hill in BG. It's where i went to college five years ago and first met Tiger and Paul. We spent a week and a half in Bowling Green, where they performed at the Starry Nights Festival on the outskirts of the city. A festival only four years old and now with potential to become the next bonnaroo. With Headlining bands like Cage the Elephant, Ghostland Observatory, Daniel Johnston, Kilimanjaro, and several local bands. Tripp Watt, from Nashville, TN, provided the colorful, trippy visuals that were projected on to the stage and a white projection screen hanging backstage. The visuals were a psychedelic, mind-melting collage of various photographs, paper cutouts, claymation, and images of outer worlds spanning time and space. The Visuals and Performance were welcomed with hoots and hollers from the local fan base Morning has acquired. Including long time friends and family that build a strong support and base for everyone in the band.
This time spent in this city was used to re-energize and spend time with friends and family. as well as playing to the local venue/bar, Tidballs, for two sold-out shows. Second Night was a collaborate show with local band, Canago. During this week there was also a show in Louisville, KY at the Z-Bar and in Nashville, TN at the "Next Big Nashville" Opening Party sponsored by Griffin.
Time was something we suddenly had a handful of while in kentucky. So, we decided to spend it by getting into as much trouble as possible. One of them was a decision to go out into the country and shoot Skeets with Shotguns. This was to be Tiger's and my first time shooting a gun. The immensity of power these weapons have left us all with bruised shoulders and ringing in our ears. Apparently, the idea of using protection for our ears was never brought up until after about an hour of slowly losing our hearing.
We spent a night in Nashville one saturday, to see Devendra Banhart play at the Exit/In.
We started off the night drinking out a Jager Dispensing machine at Brad Schultz', Guitarist for Cage the Elephant, apartment. Then headed off to see Devendra and opening band, Twin Sisters. Once there we snuck into the green room and met Twin Sister's Drummer Brian Ujueta and Bassist Gabe D'amico.
After the show we met up with friend, John Burns and he invited us over to his house bringing along Brian and Gabe with us. Spent the night talking, playing music, and smoking out of a hookah.
After a week and a half of roaming the streets of bowling green we set out to meet up with the Flaming Lips in St. Augustine and Boca Raton, Florida. We were met with amazing hospitality and met an amazing crew that helped put together one of the best shows i've ever seen. It contained cannons that shot confetti into the crowds, Tons of strobe lights, as well as a huge LED Digital Projection screen built unto the stage that projected images from a laptop. We were surprised to find out that we would be allowed to use this screen for Tripp to use his magical visuals. Both shows went off without a hitch. Wayne Coyne was seen running up on stage while Morning was playing to shoot some pictures and join Steve Drozd off stage sitting on the floor and watch the show. Both were pleasantly surprised and welcomed Morning Teleportation to come play with them in the near future.
After the show in St. Augustine, Wayne, Michael, and their crew took us to look for an alligator they had spotted earlier that day in a nearby lake. Walking down a dirt path with only headlights and phones to shine a light on our path. At the end there was no alligator and instead spent a while talking in the dark on a pier wondering if the shiny, flickering light in the sky was Jupiter or just a star. It was Jupiter. :)
The morning after the show in Boca Raton we made a quick stop at the beach. Jumping in the ocean to break up the waves that crashed unto the shore. Taking if only a few minutes to absorb in the immense feel of the Atlantic Ocean and to end what turned to be one the best weekends with a perfect finale.
Now we're back on the road. next Destination, New York City.
