Well we’re all done.
We played our last show together last night in Dayton, at a bar called Elbo’s. Stephanie has lots of family in Ohio, so a lot of them came, including her 8-year-old niece Ariel, who got to play the human trumpet stand. Steph’s hubby Jon came down with Darren’s girlfriend Sophie, and Jon’s mom was there as well. There was also an okay-size crowd besides all the family and friends, and a cute bartender named Teresa who suffered a lot of friendly harassment from a smelly drunk who goes by the name Savage.
Before we played, a fellow named Mishka Shubaly played. Mishka is based out of New York but he’s been pretty much living in his van for the past 6 months, touring around the country. He has a sort of Johnny Cash voice and a Joe Cocker style. He gave me a copy of his CD which is called Thanks For Letting Me Crash.
Stephanie played next so that her family could see her before they had to head home. Then I played and I guess it was a pretty good set. Some folks were even dancing at the end. But somehow I felt pretty down afterward, simultaneously glad that the tour was over and fighting off more feelings of self-doubt. I’m not sure what I’m expecting out of all this. I guess I need to figure that out before I can bother getting disappointed with any particular outcome. When I get back I’m gonna try to put some kind of band thing together with Kyle and my friend Kari, so I’m looking forward to that.
Anyway then Milkbaby played, and when they were done me and Stephanie joined them on stage and we had a wee hootenanny. That was kind of fun. I started off playing guitar and then I switched to the old reliable snare.
After the show we went back to Steph’s sister’s house and hung out on the porch and chatted for a while. Then we crashed out.
This morning we said our goodbyes and hit the road. While we were packing up I decided that Abbey Road was the greatest album of all time. Right now I still can’t think of one I’d put over that. Barry was less willing to commit, but he said Ozzy’s Diary of a Madman would be up there. So I have to check out that record, I guess.
We’re on the way back to Chicago now. We just stopped outside of Lafayette, Indiana for breakfast at the Country Cafe, which I think used to be a Waffle House. There was a young waitress there, probly only 16 or 17, who looked just like the fat princess from Shrek. I mean that in a nice way.