Day 1 - The Pontiac Grille, Phila. PA

2/21 - So, i leave for the big tour today. I'll be happy to be on the road. I'm still making 2-song CDs and doing other last minute preparations, but for the most part we have our acts together and i think at least half of the trip will be somewhat productive. We've got a lot of stuff to do while we're in DC, but the way our tour schedule is shaping up, we’ll have a lot of time to do it. It's at least conceivable, if not likely, that we'll essentially be playing a crummy show in Philly, 2 in DC, then driving down to FLA to play one. Ah well, i sense it'll be fun anyway. And our pins look nice.

I was borrowing a piece of Jeff's luggage for the trip and i found an amazing old bowling league jacket in it, and it fits me perfectly. Jeff said his old roommate Bridget gave it to him, but he never wore it because it was too big. It looks nice on me. Very exciting. Incidentally, i can also fit into his polyester panda shirt. Mine now. And, after all, what good are roommates if you can't steal all their clothes?

I guess i should state a few more particulars about the tour. Mimi is going to be our merchandise girl. We play in Philly tonight. Actually, this is all i can think of ...

Okay, wish me luck.

...what, around 5 pm. Setting sun in my right eye. I'm in the passenger's seat. We're listening to Bossanova by the Pixies; earlier it was the Stooges. There are 5 of us, the 4 band members and Mimi. I'm eating trail mix. Lots of factories and billboards about 9/11. Wow, my first real tour. Kinda. My first one that's longer than three days anyway. Tonight we play at the Pontiac Grille in Philly. My friend Katherine says it's the pits and no one goes there. Earlier, outside Main Drag in Williamsburg, i saw a cardboard box on the sidewalk, used for fish. There was an illustration of a Japanimated boy with a baseball hat that reads "Yeah!", so i cut him out and taped him to the inside of the passenger door. I believe in mascots.

So the idea is to get into town & pass out 2-song CDs to unsuspecting fans to entice them to seeing GIRL HARBOR live in concert. We've spent the last two days making about 100 of these CDs on my computer. The two songs are "Boys in Heat" and an edited version of "Sleeping to Drink." We staple them into a flyer for whatever show we are playing that night. Pretty clever. I told Robin of our plan to do this, and she said "didn't one of the bands on that VH1 show do that?" Probably. Probably Flickerstick. Anyway, we also brought acoustic instruments, so when we get into the college town, we can go to the quad and play "live" to rustle up more fans. Greg brought a conga drum. This all makes me wince less than you'd think. Unfortunately, we left later than we'd wanted, natch, so i doubt we'll get to do much promotion at all. Ah well.

Greg's official nickname for this trip is "old what's-his-name."

Jeff just blew through the toll-booth without paying. He accidentally drove through the EZPass lane, and we don't have one. "I was wondering why no one was in that line" he said. Save it for the judge, pally.

Funny graffiti of the day, at the Tiger Mart: "Fuck Mike, White Fuck."

Take a break, Driver Jeff
Jeff, day 1, minute 30

Newark

If rock happens in an empty club,
and no one is around to hear it,
does it make a sound?

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