Stories from the road

Creston, B.C.

The Owl's Nest Pub

Holy shit, they have a stage! No way, they have a decent sound system!! Hmmm... I don't see any monitors. Why is the only bartender the soundman too? We load in for soundcheck at 5 pm and finally finish at 10. The sound guy had to keep stopping to go and serve drinks!!

We've met this guy from Kansas named Jason. He's leaving for home the next morning. The girl he's been dating for the last four months is also moving, so the night was kind of a send-off for them. Maybe there'll be some people to play for tonight.... Nope. Jim (sound guy/doorman/bartender) wants us to wait until midnight to start. He figures the other bars in town will empty and people will wander in to the Nest. Fine with us. Unfortunately, he's wrong. We play to like 15 people, half of which are playing pool at the other end of the bar. A good point about the Crestonites is they applaud in all of the appropriate places.Even if it appears that they are not paying attention, they are.

The first two songs we played without any monitors. (Jim forgot to turn them on) Michael lets him know, and the next two songs sound fantastic on the stage. Then they are turned off again and stay off for the rest of the night. Percy, (the owner), has phoned from the hotel.It's too loud. The hotel guests are complaining. Lame. How many of you would want to record an answering machine message if you could not hear your own voice or play it back to check it? It sucks. Oh well, the show must go on. Monitors or not. First set ends. This guy Brad introduces himself. He's a guitarist who used to own a music store in town that he taught lessons out of. (It's gone now. Not enough musicians in town to keep it going.) He loves our sound. He loves Michael's guitar tone. Michael is amused by this. Then he starts reciting the chords, scales, and progressions. Michael is not used to such discussions. The ex-guitar player used to handle this area. He changes the subject to rhythm and introduces him to Jai.

By the end of the second set, we are playing to Jason (Kansas Guy), Jim (SoundTender), Bill (bouncer/Bag of Death participant), and Annette (Friend of Jason's/ Coffee Shop Owner. We have already explained to them the rule about low attendance: you must make the noise of 10 people each. Well, at least 2...The four of them are doing a fine job. We conclude our set and join them for an hour of complimentary beers (thanks, Jim!) We meet Percy. He thinks we're great and we'll all look forward to trying this on a busier night. (eg. Toonie Wednesday!!) Jim and Bill take turns telling us grisly "working in the bar/fighting stories". Horrified, we have never slept since. See you guys in the fall. Jason, don't forget to keep in touch. Ya gotta earn that c.d.!! See you in Kansas some time!!

For more info, drop us a line at band@jefferysez.com