THE UNDERGROUND
The underground wasn’t just a sweet venue…..it was also a great restaurant. Our soundcheck went a little long and the crowd had to wait for us to eat before we could go on stage. We took a little longer because the food was so good we had to take the time to enjoy it. So thanks to everyone at North York for your patience. The show went really well even though Chris and some of the guys were passing around a cold. Bringing them shots of Jaggermeister cough medicine during the show definitely helped. There were a lot of people hanging around afterwards getting things signed and taking tons of pictures. We hope those pics will pop up somewhere. The only downer of the night was that there was no keyboards and the guys had to cut a few songs from the list. They did play Breathe A Lot by request though and that really stirred up a hornet’s nest. Anyways….good times.
Oct.29 / Nov 1
Olivers/Zaphod’s
We had a two day stint in Ottawa this time and we had a blast. We played Zaphod’s which we’ve played a few times and Carlton University where we had only played an afternoon show. The turn out at Carlton was great and everyone had a great time. A band called “Tweak” and a band called “Nine Mile” opened up for us. We didn’t get to catch much of “Tweak” but “Nine Mile” was great. It was a Ben Harper/Jack Johnson kind of feel with a dude on a box drum. Chris even got a shirt from them that says “unfuck the world”. People were shouting for requests the whole show and Jesse came out and played an acoustic version of “Any Other Girl” for part of the encore. People loved it. The Zaphod’s show was on the Saturday before Halloween so the place was packed with ghouls, goblins, girls looking for an excuse not to wear much of anything. When we got to the show we found out that there was a mix up with a lot of our backline and some of the gear the guys needed to play wasn’t there. “The Architects” (who opened up and were awesome) went on a mission to find us more gear. It turned out to be a great show. The place was pretty packed. Then we went over to Capitol Music Hall with our friends Nina, Jamie and Steve and had a kickass Halloween party. All in all…..Yay Ottawa!
Oct 29
Kingston – Queen’s University
The last time we were at Alfie’s we were touring with Pilate and the place was packed. The club has been renovated a little bit and is now filled with these really comfortable couches that look like the one that George poses on in that episode of Seinfeld when he gets his topless portrait done. The crowd wasn’t as big as it was on the Pilate tour, but everyone that was there was there to have a good time. The crowd was cheering and into the show right from the start. They were so into in fact that they wanted to keep partying after the show. We were in no position to disagree and so we went to a local house party where the wine flowed like water and the laughter was endless. Nathan entertained the masses with some freestyle rapping and he even started a group sing-a-long. We also met a guy named John at the party who plays for a band that will be opening for us in Ottawa. All in all it was a great night and we love Queen’s University.
Oct. 28
Toronto – Revival
Revival. What can we say about Revival? It is a church that has been renovated and turned into a really cool venue, with pictures on the wall of Kid Rock and Ron Jeremy, among others. It is owned and operated by Dom, a great Italian dude who treated us to to a great Italian meal and the best wine we’ve ever had (amarone). He really knows how to take care of bands. The show was sponsored by Ben Q, and electronics company, and was a free show for anyone who emailed and asked for tickets. It was also our first time playing together since our last show more than a month ago. It was good to be back on stage but also felt like we hadn’t practiced in a while. We all had a great time but I would guess Nate had the best time. After doing Shakespere monologues from the stage he ended the night racing around Toronto with Dom in his Ferrari.
Oct. 27
Oshawa
We have just played our fourth show in Oshawa. This was the first one with more than ten people in the audience. This time there were eight hundred. Every time we play Oshawa, we meet interesting people; this time was no exception. We met the original Kid Rock (that’s what he calls himself). He looks kind of like Dennis Rodman, wears lots of jewellery, a long silk button up shirt with KISS on the front, and carries a photocopy collage of pictures of him with celebrities like Jessica Simpson. He also djs at Le Scratch on Thursday nights so go check him out. He’s one bad ass mutha cool dude.
Chris
Sept. 16
Hamilton
We played in Hamilton at a place called Absinthe. I guess it’s called that because it’s the only bar I’ve heard of that sells shots of absinthe. After the show Nate and Karl were lucky enough to weasel a couple of free shots and had themselves a gay ol’ time. This was the only show we didn’t play with Matthew Good and it was nice to get to play a full set. The sound was also really good considering it was a bar (a lot better than some of the big shows we’ve been playing with Matt).
Before the show a girl named Brea came and gave me a pick which was very sweet because a few days earlier at Beachfest in Toronto I had forgotten picks and had to borrow one from Kyle Riabko (thanks again Kyle).
We also had fun with the opening band Project Orange, from Quebec City and I got to see some old friends from school who had just moved to Hamilton. That is one of the best parts of touring; you get to see all kinds of people across the country on a semi regular basis that you would normally never see. So to all my friends in Canada; come out to see us and I will get you a drink.
Chris
Sept. 11
Lennoxville, PQ
What a gong show. After a number of bullshit directions, all of which were in French, and about 7 u-turns, some of which were in the exact same location, we finally made it. Upon arrival, we found out that the intended outdoor stage concert had been moved indoors (due to the possibility of Matt Good being electrocuted because of a leaky stage), to a venue that could only hold a third of the expected concert goers. The solution to this problem was to hook up a big TV screen and make 2/3 of the crowd watch outside in the rain, while the lucky 1/3 got to watch the actual show inside. Hmmmm.
This most likely led to the crowd being only 1/3 of the assumed size so at least everyone who came got to watch inside.
Lastly, at about 8:50, whereas our set time was scheduled for 9:00, they hadn’t opened the doors.
Apparently due to the bar not being ready. So people are waiting outside and we are being forced to go onstage because we have to be off by 9:40. Hmmmm. Anyhow we got it pushed back 10 minutes as they started letting people in. So the room had about 20 people in it when we started and 600 by the time we were finished. By the third song most of the people were inside. And by the fourth everyone was pissed drunk and cheering wildly. The show turned out great. And we sold lots of CDs and signed lots of autographs. And that’s what really matters.
The night wrapped up smoothly and we found our hotel easily. We also found two people buck naked doin the nasty in the room beside us. They forgot to shut the blinds.
And so as we walked to our rooms, one could not help but see the bare white ass, of a man, probably in his early thirties by my guess, gleaming through the window. Let’s just say it got a little awkward when they realized their mistake.
Well that’s about all. God bless the French.
Jesse.
Sept. 8
Edmonton
The Powerplant in Edmonton is a club that the guys were really looking forward to playing. It is a fantastic space and they treat bands like royalty. They have great sound, tasty food, and super service. They didn’t disappoint us at all. There was an interesting occurrence during the show. So allow me to set the scene…I’m at my usual position at the side of the stage. I’m tuning guitars and what not. Filming when I get the chance. Taking pictures when the spirit moves me. Suddenly Karl turns his head to my side of the stage and is laughing hysterically. Every time he looks at Nathan he starts laughing louder. Keep in mind ladies and gentlemen that this is in the middle of the show. Jesse has noticed the commotion and is looking angrily in Karl’s direction: or maybe he had noticed that Nathan’s drumming was a little off. I peeked around Karl and saw Nathan trying desperately to reassemble his drum kit which had for no apparent reason fallen apart in the middle of the show.
This was the last night of the tour with Turn off the Stars and it was the last night with the whole band. We thought we had made it through the whole tour without being pulled over by the cops.
To celebrate our first police interrogation free tour we decided to smoke some glaucoma medicine on the way back to the hotel. Jesse was at a stop light on our way out of the University when someone knocked on our window. It appears that we were on a one way going the wrong way and that a bicycle cop had decided to stop us. Honestly, who gets pulled over by a bicycle cop? Anyway, we all had kept our cool and Karl was very honest with the kind officer and we were able to resume our travels.
Jun. 4
Calgary
Stanley Cup Playoffs were in full effect when we rolled into town. We were pretty sure that it would be good news for Stabilo either way. If the Flames won....people would want to go to a bar to celebrate....and if they lost fans would want to drown their sorrows. As it turned out....as usual....we were right. Long before the show had begun we were the unfortunate witnesses to a drunken fan parading around in the Stabilo tank top and underwear set. The unfortunate part is that it was a male fan. For those of you who have seen the underwear, they don’t really account for the room that male genitalia requires.
When a night starts out like that one does you know it is going to be good times. There was a decent number of fans in attendance and they all seemed to have a great time. People were singing along and grooving all night. It was a great night overall. The Flames won and everyone was happy. In fact, the only low point of the night is when Jesse and I lost in a game of pool to Leighton and Jeff...I’d like to blame Jesse...but I can’t lie to you glorious people...not to you.
Jun. 3
Saskatoon
Not our highlight show....we’ll leave it at that...
We need a better toon next time around.
Band
Jun. 2
Regina
Not much is certain in the world of music and touring, but in the land of Stabilo there are a few certainties.
1) No matter how long the drive is, (even a one hour drive) we’ll have to stop for either Nate, Chris or Karl to go to the bathroom.
2) No matter where we stop Davies (our sound guy) will disappear and will saunter back to the van about 5 minutes after everyone is in the vehicle and when he returns he will always have with him a bag containing at least 3 kinds of candy.
3) If we are parking somewhere that requires backing up the trailer, Jesse will be the one to do it.
4) If we are playing in my hometown there will always be steak on the BBQ for the boys.
I have chosen to write this list instead of a review of the show, because the turn out was pathetic and I’m embarrassed to be from Saskatchewan when they don’t support live music.
This list is also to remember Davies, who is no longer with us. Don’t worry, he wasn’t electrocuted in a tragic X-Box accident and then placed gently under some bushes at the side of the road in hopes that his body would be eaten by wolves and that no one would miss him and no questions would be asked.
Winnipeg was his last show with us and he had to fly home to attend to some prior engagements (at least that’s what we need you to tell the cops if they ask)
Shane
Jun.1
Winnipeg
We left at 12:30 in the morning from Thunder Bay and we pulled into the Peg at 6:30 in the morning. For those of you keeping score at home, that means that thanks to my stellar driving we made it from T-Bay to Winnipeg in 7 hours. If you were fooled by the time change, have no fear it happens to the best of us.
We had the pleasure and privilege of staying with Nate’s Uncle Jim and Aunt Grace while in the Peg and we went there to shower up and take a power nap before the radio show. The radio show was one of the tour highlights so far. The guys played a show live on the air for the eager ears of Manitobans. There were about 50 fans who won a chance to come and see the radio show and they all hung around for some autographs and such. It was sweet. Then we headed to The Zoo, where the guys were playing that night. We arrived and were immediately overcome with skepticism. The bar was surrounded by characters who were shady at best and our virgin eyes were astounded to see naked girls gyrating on the stage when we went to check in. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, The Zoo isn’t just a great place to catch live music in Winnipeg, it’s also a Peeler bar. We all waited patiently in the van, saying prayers for the sinners inside until the ladies were clothed and we could load in. As the time drew nearer to the show, the day crowd seemed to shuffle towards the back of the bar and the people we are used to seeing at shows started filling up the front. By the time things got underway the club was hopping and crammed. It was a great night, a great show, and ultimately a highlight of the tour.
We retired to Jim and Grace’s to play darts, read, relax and spend the next couple days getting rested up for the last leg of the tour.
Shane
May 28
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay has never been very welcoming to the boys of Stabilo. The first tour we had saw us playing in the middle of a local battle of the bands to a crowd that consisted of all the other contestants.
The second time through the gig was double booked and the Pilate/Stabilo show was dumped for the 2LiveCrew show. This time we showed up to a club ironically called soundchecks. Ironic because we found the sound guy was ill and the promoter was conveniently missing in action so no real sound check could be had until the replacement sound guy arrived. We chose to set up the show anyway and hope for the best. While we were bringing our plan to fruitition, a local band showed up and told us they were also on the bill. Fair enough, now there were three bands instead of two. That was fine. In fact, seeing as they were local, they might be able to bring some people in. Then a familiar bus pulled up outside the club. Who was it you ask? I won’t leave you in suspense. It was the boys from Crowned King. Apparently they were also on the bill.
So here we were in Thunder Bay with a four band bill. We had to be in Winnipeg the next day at two for a radio show, so we decided to play first and get the show on the road. Everyone who showed up seemed to have a good time and we were glad that we at least got to play this time. Maybe next time we might even be able to play an organized show in the T-Bay and make all of our dreams come true.
Shane
May 27
North Bay : Wyders
We pulled into North Bay a day before our show. The town didn’t look very big and we had never played there, so we weren’t expecting a very large turnout. A few of us wanted to go fishing for the day, but instead we ended up doing an interview at a local radio station. We met a nice waitress Shannon at a restaurant and invited her out to the show, thinking that way at least someone would be there.
That night close to a hundred people showed up. We were having some technical difficulties on stage but the set went well. The crowd was very positive and seemed into our music. After the show we stayed at the bar to listen to Turn Off The Stars.
We hung out with bunch of local people, including Shannon and her brother, and we found them to be genuine and intelligent. We spent the night in a band house in the upstairs of the club. The only way to get upstairs was a rusty spiral staircase. We chilled with the guys from Turn Off The Stars, smoking pipes and cigars, drinking beer and playing guitar. All around, it was a cool night.
Karl
May 24
Peterborough: The Trasheteria
Peterborough had the absolute nastiest weather we’ve seen yet! The club entrance was protected from the elements by an awning complete with a welded dog sculpture. Rain was coming down so hard that a veritable waterfall poured from the awning, blocking our access to the entrance. We decided that Turn Off The Stars should bring in their gear instead of us (ha ha suckers!) as the rain would ruin our equipment (just kidding). We spent some time browsing all the photos of the great bands who had graced the Trasheteria in days of yore.
We found out that we were actually playing upstairs from the Trasheteria in a smoky den called the Blue Room. Apparently the Blue Room is reserved for bands that the bouncers haven’t heard of.
In the Blue Room we found the worst sound system Stabilo has suffered this tour. We busted out all our own sound gear that we brought along for in-store performances which ironically was a large cut above the sound system the club had. In the end we played for a modest (but appreciative) crowd and had the best sounding show that the Blue Room has ever had. Seriously. They told us themselves.
Chris d. (recording sound guy)
May 22
Oshawa: The Atria
We had played Oshawa twice before. Both times we swore we would never go back so when Alex (our booking agent) booked us there again we were less than thrilled. The Atria has got to be one of the most unpleasant places to play. No crowd....food that tastes like mud prepared by a cook with one eye (not that that has anything to do with the quality of the food), and all the local paper bikini clad sunshine girls from the past year cut out and pasted on the wall....you get the idea.
Anyways, we arrived with a bad attitude and it only got worse as the sound guy didn’t feel like doing a sound check. We considered just packing up and leaving but decided to make the best of it. We ended up playing a full set of new material, much of which had never been played live before. The last song was a brand new one called “go get your guns”. I had no idea how to play it so Karl stood beside me yelling out the chord changes.
Many mistakes were made and it was a big gong show but we ended up having a lot of fun. In between the songs the plaid jacket clad, mullet sporting, redneck locals kept yelling play some Sabbath!!!
We tried...but what can we say....I guess we’re not the biggest Sabbath fans. The night ended with a bang. Turn Off The Stars called us up on stage for their last song and we all enjoyed an eight man 30 minute jam...er...more like chaos. It sounded like absolute garbage but it was one of the highlights of the tour. So....after all that...Oshawa...Atria...will you please have us back?
Chris m
May 21
Hamilton: The Underground
Our first ever cross Canada tour we were lucky enough to have some friends to stay with along the way. They helped keep us out of ditches and off of park benches, not that we didn’t have great times sleeping in those locales. One of our favourite stops was in the Steel City, AKA Hamilton. Home of Simpy and the rest of the Simpson Clan. They welcomed us into their home ordered us pizza, and introduced us to their neighbour Ange.
This time around we were playing at a club called The Underground and we were pleased to find that the club was more appealing than its name. We went out for drinks with Nathan, Ken, and Judy (EMI folks) and were met there by Simpy and his entourage. The show went rather smoothly and though it wasn’t a sell-out everyone was into the music and groovin on the vibe.
We were sorry to hear that Ange was working and unable to attend the show, but were stoked to see Simpy and glad that everyone had a good time!
Shane
May 20
London: Call The Office
Its been 4 days no food no water. Growing tired can hardly lift head must play show..
must play show...must. Play. Show. Ha ha just kidding, we just had a big meal at a fancy restaurant paid for by EMI and we ordered extra food just to throw it away. Just kidding again. We never threw out any food, but Nathan did save the leftovers for his pet chinchilla that has been travelling with us. Just kidding, he has no pet chinchilla. Anyhow London was great, I got to visit my cousin’s 3 month old baby. Just kidding it’s not a baby, it was an alien from mars. Ha ha just kidding again, it is a human baby. So that’s about it, o wait. When we were packing up after the show, one of the guys from Default walked in. You know the guy with the cool braids. Man I love that band. Oh ya it was also cool to see Jen our bi-curious merch-girl from Sudbury. You go girl!
Jesse
May 16
Toronto: The Drake
If anyone happens to be in the Toronto area and also happens to have a toonie in their pocket, I highly recommend paying the Drake a visit. Downstairs, where we had the privilege to play is one of the coolest inventions we’ve ever stumbled across. Mike, the owner of the Drake, wasn’t just the proprietor of the hottest club in Toronto. He was also a cool guy and brought to life a swell idea.
He invented a video jukebox. You put your toonie in the slot beside the giant flat screen and then using a roller ball, select the clip that you would like to be shown through a projector onto the wall of the club. They had a crazy collection of SNL, Letterman and Leno appearances, live footage from concerts, festivals, and retro stuff that would blow your mind. Anyways, the jukebox was real cool and we were all pretty stoked about it.
The show was equally as cool and with a lot of EMI people and a bunch of My Big Soul Productions crew there it was a great night.
Toronto is fast becoming one of our favourite places. It is a kick ass city and we have a great time, whether we are shopping in the vintage stores, playing at Sam the Record Man, eating street vendor hot dogs, watching the homeless play chess in the park, or visiting bath houses the T-dot gets the Stabilo stamp of approval.
Shane
May 15
Ottawa, Ontario: Zaphods Beeblebrox
Ottawa is a fantastic city, but last time we were here it was -30 or so and we couldn’t really appreciate it. This time it was 32 and we were too busy to appreciate it. Nate slept off some of his red-eye flight fatigue at the hotel while Chris, Jesse and Karl set off to do some interviews and another CD store show. The guys were all interviewed for an Ottawa tv show and then Chris and Jesse played a 3 song set. This time it was at CD Warehouse and the guys were sounding great until Jesse broke a string and had to improvise a little.
None the less it was good times.
While there, the guys were asked to pick their desert island top 5. What 5 albums would you have with you on a desert island? Check out this site to see what the guys chose (insert site here)
It was a beautiful night in Ottawa and the downtown was absolutely packed and buzzing. Capital hill was alive with the sound of music. Unfortunately for us, it was the sound of our buddies Pilate rocking out for thousands of people a the Tulip Festival. They were opening up for David Usher and that was very hard to compete with. There were some people though that weren’t sucked in by the fresh air and the festival hype and we were pleased to have them join us at Zaphods. It always sounds great in that club and tonight was no different. Thanks Mike! Tomorrow’s another day, and we’ll be rockin it.
May 14
Barrie Ontario: The Foundation
Although we’ve all been on the road since Sunday morning, today was the first action-packed-we’re-on-tour-look-out-Canada-man-am-I-hungry-don’t-we-even-have-time-to-eat? kind of day. We started by going to EMI and hanging out with all of our friends there, discussing the tour and the new stuff that the guys have been working on. There are a lot of exciting things happening for Stabilo. This whole being signed to a major label thing sure has its perks.
From there we headed off to Barrie, until we realized we’d forgotten to pick up the cases of the new Cupid?’s, so we headed back to EMI. From there we headed off to Barrie again. We made it just in time to visit Rock 95 and Chris and Jesse played an acoustic everybody for the lovely listeners.
Then we cruised over to Sunrise records where we met a great bunch of people who all came to the show and danced the night away. Chris and Jesse played a four song set and had the Mall Rats groovin. Thanks to Sunrise for being so cool and putting up all of the Stabilo posters.
The last time that the guys played in Barrie the song was number one on the radio there and you had to win tickets to get into the show. We were glad to see that the guys had made a lot of converts last time out. Although it wasn’t as packed as last time, overall it was a great show and the guys played really well. The crowd was really into it and never stopped moving at the front of the stage. It was a great trial run for the sound recording equipment and we’re more confident than ever that we’ll be able to bring the world some top quality live recordings.
As Nate says when departing
Groove you later!
May 13
Tour Diary Entry Number 1
There is a lot to be excited about these days in the world of Stabilo. The first label-supported CD just hit stores everywhere, “everybody” is being played all across the country once again, the guys have a video on Much More Music and MTV Canada and perhaps most important of all, they are touring again!
That’s where I come in.
I’ve been lucky enough to have been good friends with the band for a long time and through a series of events and situations have become the bands tour manager/roadie/merch guy/guitar tech/driver/odd job-doer and you can now add to that list videographer and tour diary writer. The guys are so busy these days with all of the press and promotion and the sleepless nights on the road, but they want to keep everyone informed with what’s going on and I feel honoured to be the bearer of all the good news from the road.
So, here we are! The third cross Canada tour and we couldn’t be happier to be back on the road. We’ve travelled in a baby blue 70s camperized van and slept in ditches and we’ve stayed in some pretty swell places and are now travelling in style in a comfy 12 passenger van. We’ve had a lot of adventures on the road over the years. Car troubles, helpful strangers, not so helpful strangers, empty clubs, clubs with line-ups around the block, run-ins with the law and border delays just to name a few.
This tour has just begun and we’ve already met a Mountain Man named Dean Brown who delivered all of his own children and has a sure fire cure for the runs. We’ve also had to pull over hacking and coughing and wait until all of the smoke left our van and it’s little electrical problem.
“tip from Jesse: never twist positive and negative wires together, especially when they are running from the van battery.
There are a lot of things about this tour that are new and exciting. We’ve added a new member tour crew. His name is Chris Davies and he will be helping us record as many cool live tracks as he can. We are hoping to update the site with some live recordings sometime in the near future. We will also be taking a lot of pictures and I’ll be videotaping as much as possible when I’m not busy doing other stuff. We’ll try to update these as much as possible, but try to be patient, we are on the road and that makes it tough to get sleep and internet.
Hopefully I can send you all some clips of Stabilo on the road. Perhaps a montage of Jesse losing his Bowling Crown to none other than yours truly, Chris wearing a flaming welding helmet in a Hardware store in Dickinson North Dakota, or Karl delivering a baby on the side of the road while Nate was dragging several kittens from a burning building. Okay, that last one never happened, but who knows we’re just getting started.