Ghastly Summer 2011 Tour - Naked Guns

7.10.11

On the Pygmy Ranch, things are slowly & surely changing in old sterling VA… The house and all its lovely inhabitants we call our home away from home is being threatened by stale cookie-cutter development communities.
What was once a lush paradise hit factory with forest, gardens, chickens, goats, bees, ducks, trampolines, bonfires, & dear friends is now being squeezed on all sides by tractors and road blocks. Sterling is getting a big spoonful of gentrification - and has been for a while. Being back reminded me how long ago it was when I first set foot on the property… back in 2007, i believe, and how I got to see, via semi-annual glimpses, the projects bloom, house & band members change, and general porch culture endure just about any storm life can throw at it…
… what a great porch.

We had to locate the trailer, tack on a new license plate, and mocha all of our gear from the van ("BLU" the Chevy 20) and the truck to the trailer. At this point, we have all of our gear in one trailer, and we all ride in style in BLU with no gear. 4 capatin's seats and a back bed-sized bench that could potentially sleep two people of the cozy persuasion.

Our setbacks delayed us significantly, but we made it to Gooski's in Pittsburg just in time for the start of the show.
Gooski's is a long bar with a back room - its on the ground floor but it's usually a tough load 'cause you gotta' walk past the entire bar with your gear to get to the stage.
There were four tiers of olfactory assault - stale beer, patchouli, sewage, and then cigarettes. Loading in means you pass back and forth through these sentinels of swill about 20 times whilst carrying pounds and pounds of equipment. And you STILL gotta' shout "Excuse me!"
But I digest… We had a great time.
We played second, rocked it out, and then cleared the stage for Ed Hockley. As they blasted the room with a wall of amps to the ceiling, a couple dudes in the audience decided to start lettin' their junk swing about, and before you knew it, they were totally liberated of their clothing and bouncing to the music.
I'm talking some serious moves - the rubbery flail, the squat and swing, the side-to-side, etc ad nausea.

Thanks to everyone who stuck around, supported us by buying merch, and just plain paid attention for a sec while we did our thing. We love you. Thanks Jyoto for booking another Pittsburg show and rounding' up door money!

We packed up the trailer, exhausted and starving, turn the key and … no start. Is it the battery? the starter? the alternator?
We decide we need a jump, and Marlin (our angel) is there to be on the other end of our cables… but its only turning slightly still.
Out of nowhere, a Gooski's patron in all white and a panama jack hat wanders up, wasted, and lazily says something to the effect of "You, yousss should connect the ground to the chassis, not the blattery terminal….,,,, ehhhh…"
I look at the battery, the engine block, I turn around and he's floating up the street, already almost out of view.
Some kind of drunken iron city angel, that man.
And wouldn't you know, it worked!

We stayed with Jahn Ahn from Ed Hockley, crashed couches, and went swiftly to dreamland.
Well, most of us, anyway… The next morning the van had been swept & organized, and CB had lots of sweet new photos on his camera!
;)

Check out photos HERE!