September 16, 2010

Lyon, France w/ Unkind, ? @ Warm Audio in Decines

Both bands wake and drive at 8:30am to make the 5pm load in time at today’s venue. Both bands 90% hungover. We take turns napping two at a time in the tender basket loft. Partying is taking its toll on some of us, as usual. My own mind seems to be going off the rails and I determine that I must make a jog as soon as possible to get straight. Plus, the weather is cooling down again as we drive north, perfect for exercise and mental well being.

Arrive at venue. Some sleep, some walk for pizza, I go jogging along a busy street that smells overwhelmingly like car exhaust. Is France still operating its motor vehicles on leaded fuel? I feel like I am huffing directly from a tail pipe and this must counteract my attempt at healthy living. Then I find a paved bike trail and follow it until I realize it takes me right back to the venue. Meaning that if I had gone right instead of left, I would have found the trail within 50 feet or the equivalent amount in metric Euro meters. Still, I successfully run away from last night’s alcohol and life returns during the jog capped off by a sighting of five cats being fed wet food by an old lady behind an apartment building while two other females hang out of their windows and watch. As much as I would have liked to attempt cat touching, this did not seem like a situation in which my presence would be considered anything but creepy. The cats had a broad color selection and seemed personable enough, so I will attempt to wake up early tomorrow for another jog and perhaps catch up with them then.

Venue is a midsize rock bar and slightly more professional then we have been playing, with the exception of the thunderdome fest in Switzerland. There is a band room where we are fed some type of peanut curry tofu nougat and spicy mushroom dish. After food, band members play Family Feud on Troi’s iPad. Real rock star life. We are informed there is another show in town tonight. Hopefully, this does not mean we are playing to 15 people in such a large room.

A decent number of people show up including some old friends from St. Etienne. The house we stay at lost the use of its elevator this morning so we carry all of our suitcases and sleeping stuff up the 137 stairs to the sixth floor. The apartment is small and there are two cats so I quickly develop itchy eyes, scratchy throat, sneezing and runny nose from allergies. Tyler had already planned to sleep in the van because of his allergies and I join him but not before taking two Benadryl tablets that make my mind feel like mush and cause difficulty forming sentences. I carry all my stuff back down the 137 stairs and several blocks to the van where Timo, Tyler, and I all crash.