NOTE: Two fresh-squeezed lemonades is one too many.
The band just barely made their 8th consecutive appearance at Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. Valentiger contacted appropriate authorities after receiving no confirmation of a day and time. As a result, the boys narrowly an absence by filling a canceled slot, Friday at 4:30PM. Valentiger was now making its second appearance, yet again from the City Stage, which they thoroughly enjoy. And the crowd was large given they were not listed in the guide and a mass rain scare from newscasters. The set was opened up with the high-energy, newer ditty “Oh, To Know” with a revised intro and from there it was full steam ahead. The semi-famous Jam cover made it’s way into the set and the concluding note of “Man On Fire” was extended even longer than when the idea was originated during last year’s performance. The boys were happy to represent their city once again and held true to tradition by whipping a few “Leaving Town” singles from the van window!
Shirey drinks a 9-dollar Bloody Mary – the best he ever had.
Valentiger made a trek in the Ford Focus Wagon to the Jeff Buckley-famous Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville, Chicago. Just down the road, Members of Morphine and Jeremy Lyons (whom the boys had met while on tour in Boston) was playing the Double Door. The band had a funny feeling of things “coming together,” which somehow prompted Shirey to order a 9-dollar Bloody Mary. It was the best he ever had. The Rain Vodka was soaked in garlic and the actual beverage held several vegetable sticks.
Zach Blew took the stage first, projecting an incredibly soulful voice to a tight and personable audience. And then it was Valentiger’s little piece of the pie, as they crammed a tiny floor tom converted into a kick drum into the minimal performance space. Shirey and Kehoe were about ear-to-ear but all felt comfortable, just coming off the tour. “Oh My God! This Weekend” and “Oh, To Know” shone for their first all-on acoustic appearance, while the classic Power Lines tunes backed them up. Rider spotted a few patrons singing along to “Leaving Town” and then it was all over with a quick “Lament.” Nelken then took the stage to play an incredibly pleasant set of folkish rock, including a cover of Dylan’s “You Aint Goin’ Nowhere.” Overall, it was a great Saturday night in Chicago and the band got a chance to talk to almost everyone who attended the show. Shirey even made a stretch down to Wrigley Field to hand out about ten singles, finding one person who’d even previously heard of Valentiger. Morale was high for the drive to Michigan and with a little help from Burger King, it was a safe trip. I think Kehoe is definitely annoyed by Burger King’s requirement of a fork to eat their pies. Thanks to Rachele Eve!
Valentiger returned to Bell’s Brewery, this time to play a Thursday night, chock-full-o’ new material and ready to let it sail. The night began slowly but eventually, the boys united the cozy bar in quip and song. Kehoe explained the approach, “Usually we ease our way into a set with a few slower numbers and mid-range rockers, but we really wanted to just dive in right away, give them all we’ve got at the start.” And so they did and I’ll admit it was nice to see them play what they wanted right away, not catering to a room. But this is a difficult thing for a Thursday summer’s night. Shirey states, “I really felt “Love To Forgive” was one of the best songs of the evening. The new material is stressful in the way we need to concentrate, but also relieves us from ‘Have It All’ and “Sunshine Arms.’ To the crowd, it was probably all the same.” At any rate, Valentiger won over a few gentlemen on a brew tour and countless others, making good sales from the night. “At the end of the night, if there’s interest in the band, we’ve done a good job,” Rider summed. Thanks to Bell’s Brewery – we hope to see you again soon!
We saw Mr. Stephen Niebauer off to work at Vimeo around 9AM, at which point we were all showering and leaving his place by ten. Joe was shadowing Stephen at work so it was back down to the three of us. We had a lot of work to do, walking to Manhattan dropping discs at record stores and handing out singles. And, anyway, no one wants their roommate’s friends hanging around their apartment all day. But we did chat with one frequent, a fire fighter in the city who pointed us in the direction of both a decently priced diner and J&R music. The diner served us two eggs, four pieces of bacon, American fries, toast, small juice and bottomless coffee for around $7. That’s a great deal in Brooklyn and we found ourselves quite enjoying the meal while finding out we were all Sheryl Crow fans. Rider asked, “How could you hate this?” There were a good number of people eating alone and we observed one guy perfectly cut up his waffles and then let them sit for a good 20 minutes while staring off. The coffee wasn’t bad for a diner, but we decided then and there it was time to go.
GPS Jill has been a bit off lately, but we eventually found our way to the pedestrian crossing for the Manhattan Bridge. There was hardly a soul on the thing, as everyone prefers the Brooklyn Bridge, but it served as peaceful sightseeing before emptying into the real mess. Most of the tops of buildings were covered in graffiti and we also realized none of us had actually seen anyone create it in person – a really good, detailed work. But these are the things you talk about when you spend all day, every day with a person for two weeks. As we walked toward J&R music, we saw a taping for an upcoming television series titled something along the lines of “In The Street.” J&R is the last independent music place in the city and it takes up about a block of stores with both upstairs and downstairs levels. Selling everything from cameras and appliances to CD’s, movies and instruments, it took us about an hour to look through all the items before grabbing a coke and a hotdog and walking back to Brooklyn. This time we took the more scenic Brooklyn Bridge while Rider and Kehoe randomly handed out singles to as many people as possible.
Over in Jersey we were playing at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, where we’ve played before with our friend Adam Streicher. However, we’d arrived a bit early, as usual, to hand out yet more discs. I think Kehoe stayed in the van to read and avoid parking tickets while Rider went to Starbucks. I went elsewhere to find Internet without signing up for a Starbucks card. Of course, GPS Jill led me to a coffee place that didn’t exist anymore, but I ended up stumbling onto The Cereal Bowl on Rutgers’ campus anyhow. This place has a wall full of cereal dispensers that you can use for whatever you might order; perhaps a bowl of milk or yogurt. Anyhow, I simply got a coffee and posted the latest journal for Boston before it was time to head back toward The Court Tavern. I handed out quite a few singles to students and general pedestrian bodies before arriving back at the van to partake in a conversation about posters. To kill a bit of time we were playing s “would you rather” game on the topic of giant, signed and framed posters of bands above the living room couch in your home. The premise is that someone will stop into your house to use the bathroom before, say, hitting a night on the town. And they just happen to see this poster, but never really get a chance to ask you about it. Therefore, they make this assumption about you based on this huge, signed and framed poster of a band in your living room. For example: Would you rather have a giant Bob Marley poster or a giant Grateful Dead poster? Oh, and they’re all signed personally to you with the message, “Keep working on your night moves.” When it all boiled down, nothing topped ICP as the absolute worst possible item – unless it was something blatantly racist.
Finally, it was time to load into the bar, as the other bands had arrived. Big Tall Buildings was also on tour with another band and then Streicher’s new band, Twinks, played before we closed the night. Previously, we had played in the downstairs music venue, but we were upstairs this time due to it being Monday. In fact, the whole show was slated before the open mic started at 10:30PM. And we liked our spot, figuring we’d catch Streicher’s local following, as well as patrons of the open mic. The upstairs felt right for this type of laid back show and camaraderie between bands was high. I even got a chance to play a bunch of Replacements and even 13th Floor Elevators on the jukebox before everyone started. Big Tall Buildings played a sort of melodic, 90’s rock slightly in the vein of Pavement, which we enjoyed. It was their first tour and we were having flashbacks of what that was like. They had 6 guys in an F-150 and all their equipment in the bed, covered with a tarp which was held down with 2×4’s strapped with bungee. Congratulations guys; it only gets better – and worse! Streicher’s band pop-rocked their way right through a set while we enjoyed free Rolling Rock and then, next thing, we were adjusting the P.A. and preparing for a set of the dirtiest Valentiger rock. Often times we sound good in a very cramped space, allowing us to really fill the place with sound as a three piece. I may never hear again seeing as how I had been caught in a triangle of my amp, the PA speaker and the ride cymbal. We really cut loose for a Monday show with “Oh To Know” stealing the spotlight and “The Girl That Everyone Forgot” and “Hard To Let Me Down” tying for a close second. Rider had a bit of a rough time playing the other band’s kit, which had a kick held in place by the bass amp in front of it, but it all felt quite natural – At least more natural than the balding, bisexual guy with dreads who had been hitting on people all night.
After our set, the open mic began with a featured band that was setting up a projector attached to a classic Nintendo Entertainment System. It was intriguing but they were taking forever and we still needed to get back to Brooklyn to stay with Steve, who needed to work in the morning. At most times on the tour we’re straddling several things at once, struggling to keep a balance. But our allegiance was to Steve and we chatted with the other bands and a few people before hitting the road. The band finally started as we left and they were playing a Cranberries cover, which we liked. The drive back to Brooklyn went pretty quickly, but finding a spot to park took a bit longer. Eventually we settled a ways away from Steve’s and made our way. He and Joe were already sleeping and we pretty much went directly to bed. However, we were rudely awakened and frightened the middle of the night by what sounded like a table saw. It had started to rain and the skylights were automatically closing, apparently sensitive to moisture. It made for nice sleeping afterward, but the rain would surely plague us tomorrow.
Rider and I were up and about around 10AM, when we first saw my Uncle Alan in the kitchen. Seven hours of sleep was the perfect amount and it was beautiful outside anyhow. Their house has a great view out to a river that dumps into the Atlantic and we chatted a bit with Alan over coffee and the view. He then served us French toast, eggs and bacon with fresh fruit, of which we devoured every bit. Once again, with showering completed we had a bit of time to spare and decided to make a field recording in their back yard. Joe suggested we play “Oh My God! This Weekend” and so we did just that with Kehoe playing a container of Texmati rice and Rider on tambourine. Attesting to the power of technology, we had that sucker filmed and available to the world in six minutes flat. Just like yesterday at the horse ranch, it felt great to be part of a bit of nature and feel the sunshine. But it was over soon, as we ate the rest of the chicken casserole from last night and hit the road again. However, we most definitely did not depart without dunking a respectable amount of basketballs and receiving a to-go package of cookies and banana bread. It’s the tour of bananas now more than ever.
The drive to Brooklyn went surprisingly fast, considering we’ve learned to turn our brains off and accept the inevitable imprisonment. We made only one bathroom break; we handed out a few singles and Kehoe took the wheel thereafter. Due to some congestion coming in through the Bronx, we were actually 21 minutes late for load-in. In fact, The Waylons were coming in from Boston, where we’d played with them the night before and we just happened to see the guitar player, Carl, walking into a Dunkin Donuts. We screamed at him for a good minute before he even fathomed anyone would be yelling at him from the expressway. While also in gridlock, I handed a CD to a guy in an adjacent car and another guy handed me a poster for Skanheads, while I returned the favor with a “Leaving Town” single. He said he worked for Atlantic. A few minutes later we could hear our music being “pumped” from behind us and he was signaling for a phone number. I just yelled, “Website!” out the window and then he noticed it on the disc jacket.
When mentioning Union Pool across the country, we kept hearing from bands (especially those from NY), “Wow! That is a great place to play.” So, needless to say, we were excited to see the place and perform. The soundman was waiting for us outside the backdoor with immediate loading information, which is, in my opinion, the trademark of a legitimate music venue. So we carried our things through the tiny alleyway into the backstage area, where placed them behind the stage curtain. The sound guy was projecting video on the wall of a late Black Sabbath concert with Ronnie James Dio, who had just died. Other than the fact that he was now dead, it was still comical pre-show music considering the style of music billed that night. This was the music venue half of Union Pool, which was basically just a square room, with a stage at the front and a bar on the side. The stage was lined with old-fashioned vanity bulbs and was half-enclosed, causing the drums to really project. It was nice to be playing a venue that pushes pre-sale tickets, but one can also pay at the box office at the public entrance. The other side of the building is where most people enter the bar, which is a pretty standard room. I remember hearing both Patsy Cline and James Brown overhead and the bathroom consisted of unisex stalls. What was really quite incredible about the place is what’s between the regular bar and the music venue, which was a large outdoor area enclosed with high walls. There was a sea of people out there sitting, chatting on the edge of a large fountain among other interesting seats and coves. Someone said ?uestlove frequents the place and I could see why.
Our friend Stephen Niebauer, who shot and directed the video for “Leaving Town,” came out to film the show. We toasted him with a Del Monte (fruit cup with vodka) in the car bar before we went on first at 9:30PM. We opened with “Have It All,” to which most people filed into the room from the outdoor lounge. From there, the half-hour set flew by through “Bosses In Their Offices,” and “The Girl That Everyone Forgot.” “Man On Fire” and “Courses” held an unusually captive audience before we really thumped through “Oh, To Know” and closed with an almost-sloppy “Hard To Let Me Down” and “Leaving Town.” Kehoe was using The Waylons’ bass amp head due to Bassman issues and I had taped my harmonica holder into position on account of a stripped wing nut. Things go wrong and equipment goes bad all the time, but its just such a different story when you’re on the road with minimal resources. But we were happy to play for such an awesome crowd at Union Pool, making good for Stephen’s footage. Plus, it was good to see him since moving to the city to work for Vimeo. A lot of other familiar faces also came out, including the infamous Bradford and her parents from the hometown of Rider and myself, Sparta, Michigan.
The Waylons took the stage next while we sold items and generally shook hands. There were so many people to be meeting and we’re really taking it upon ourselves this time around to make those connections. Because it’s fun, we want to and we need to. I really enjoyed two of the Waylons’ newer songs “Make Me A Cowboy” and “We Are Afraid of the Wrong Things” and it is always good to see those cats whom we met several years ago playing in Manhattan. What a great friendship gang! We hope you can come to Michigan one day. Lastly, No Man No Eyes played a hypnotizing set of calming melodies and striking rhythms. I enjoyed “Frozen” and one of their newer ditties. Everyone was especially nice and abided by the bar slogan which was depicted spoken from a drinking pigeon, “Please don’t be stupid.”
Rider continued to hand out singles while Kehoe and I wrapped up loose ends, getting paid, packing and loading equipment into the van. Two groups of people said they came out to see Valentiger play after reading our listing in Time Out New York. Rider also ran into someone from Hudsonville, where he works back home. It was really an incredible and productive night, which ended relatively early for NY at 1:30AM. But we still needed to find parking back at Stephen’s and, after all, it was Sunday and he had work the next day. Kehoe parallel-parked the beast and we all drug our things up the narrow stairway to Stephen’s place. We were extra courteous of his roommates, but there was no escaping the awful noise of blowing up air mattresses. Kehoe took the large one and Joe, the small in Stephen’s room. I had the skinny but long couch while Rider specifically requested the floor, falling asleep on his back. He snored at first, but Kehoe and I were good to go after I whacked his feet once with my pillow. The skylight windows were open and we fell asleep as the city plowed on through the night.
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