Golden Times in the Golden State!

First of all, I'd like to quickly apologize to everyone who was at The Echo last night for the poor decision I made in taking a nap right before show time. It's just that I was totally exhausted from all the fun in the warm California sun, and there was such a nice couch upstairs! But then I spent the first half of the set kinda unsure of where I was. Nevertheless, everybody was so nice, and the parts of the show I was awake for (The Donkeys and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, both excellent. Sorry, Papercuts, I promise to be totally alert tonight) were really great. We have been having a terrific time way out west, thanks in no small part to our volunteer tour manager Gabe, who has personally taught me a lot about life, love, and burritos that have french fries inside.
Oh, and San Diego was great, thanks to a really impressively attentive audience, some terrific miniature cupcakes made by the Che Cafe staff, and Calvin Johnson, for expressing my thoughts exactly on bicycle helmets. Oh, and Julie Dorion, for the best cover of "A Thing of the Past" this side of Phyllis Dillon!

San!

With an offensive t-shirt draped majestically over the bass drum, and a packed house in the back room of Sound Fix Records, a truly moving tribute was paid to the memory of San Fadyl last night. Everyone played beautifully, and it was really touching to see the room absolutely full of people, and everyone sticking around for the duration, struggling air-conditioning and all!
Joe McGinty told a hilarious story of having San fill in for his missing drummer at a show on no rehearsal, then gave a great performance of "This Song is Three Days Old." Linton and Michael did a cover of Ladybug's "Gospel" (which they let me almost ruin with slightly "honky tonk" piano and unrehearsed background vocals, I had a great time), Gary sang an Individual Fruit Pie's "Blatant Sex" with IFP's Gary Thomas, Joe McGinty, Jeff Baron, and Otto Hauser on drums.
There were wonderful sets by Pipas, Bedsit Poets, Finishing School, a surprise set by The Mad Scene, and a sing-along at the end of The Bee Gees "To Love Somebody" (preceded by a San storytelling session including Jeff Baron's hilarious impression of San insisting that "There's no THE! They are BEE GEES!"...Julia chimes in, "They ARE Goo Goo Dolls!").
When we finish counting these dollar bills (don't worry, there were also lots of twenties), we'll be able to tell you how much money was raised to help out Brigitte and Liam, but regardless, it was a really great night in memory of an amazing person none of us will ever forget!