The Life of Derek

Greetings from the foothills of the Rockies... Ft. Collins, Colorado! The tour has been a whirlwind so far, and we have finally landed at our first Western destination. After leaving Boston shortly after our very memorable Release Party at the Middle East, we drove overnight to Lancaster, PA. There, we met Derek, as our trusty Dodge Sprinter tour van has affectionately been named. Derek is a good friend to the band... our trusty steed, our road warrior, and our home for the next two weeks.

After quickly transferring our gear from the two trucks we had driven from Boston to Lancaster, we headed northward toward Toronto for our first gig at Lee's Palace. Unfortunately, a series of minor mishaps, from our delayed departure from Boston to the huge traffic backup at the George Washington Bridge to additional traffic delays in Pennsylvania, and then massive hail storms and backups in Buffalo and crossing the boreder at Niagara Falls, we pulled up to Lee's at 10:30pm, half an hour into our set time. So, the tour did go international, but hi8us still has yet to rock our northern neighbors. Special thank to Leslie and Ron from the club for being so understanding and trying to fit us in... and still giving us some free drinks for our efforts.

After crossing back into the States, we started the overnight haul to Chicago. Arriving there at lunchtime, we stopped off at the home of Colin's cousins, Jill and Mark, where enjoyed a much-needed opportunity to bathe, stretch out, and take a more organized approach to packing Derek's cargo hold. From Chicago, Derek and the rest of us headed out across the prairie for a nonstop run to the Rockies... but not without a quick 'fro pick and a visit to the neighborhood ice cream truck.

Raka picks it out... in slo-mo!

Poor Max... no ice cream left!

We sit here at the apartment of our friend, part-time percussionist, and renter of a kick-ass shower, Scott Baver, and are gearing up to head out for some lunch and a brewery visit before heading down to Denver for the first away-from-home show of the tour. From here, we will drive on to Park City tonight, and expect to enjoy the full visibility of the Perseids meteor shower from somewhere in western Colorado, with no light pollution after the moon sets.

Sunset on the Illinois prairie

Colin