Chances are no… I can’t. Or rather maybe ‘ve lost the focus or desire to finsih this. But in keeping with my promise to myself to finish what I start more often I will.
Sleeping on a recliner and then hardwood for 4 hours after 7 hours of straight drinking rarely leads to cheery mornings but actually other than a scratchy throat from breaking my 2 1/2 weeks of non-smoking I felt fine. We went back to the teahouse in the morning and tried various teas that we were forbidden to pay for. We loaded out and helped Penny get the space back in order before heading back to Charlotte.
The ride flew by for the most part and we didn’t take a break untill we spotted a giant music store/barn in the shadows of this monstrosity.
Of course when I say monstrosity I mean it in the most loving way. Right before we came across the Peachoid I was thinking to myself what a letdown I-85 is as far as roadside monuments. At least 95 has South Of The Border.
So we popped off 85 and stopped by the store so Emmanuel could raplace his broken sticks with more from teh “Neil Pert Series”. The store was not too unlike any Guitar Center in a major metropolis but it had an unmistakably weird vibe that can only come from being located off a major higway in a feild under a million gallon tank shaped like a peach in South Carolina. There were hints of familiarity… like the Izzy Stradlin looking cool guy that calls everybody bro and asks if you’re in a touring band in hopes that it’s someone he can pass a demo off on. There were no surprises when he followed this stereotype to a T when he approached us. But istead of a strung-out whiskey soaked voice his probing questions as to where we were from and if we were on a label were delivered with a thick Carolina drawl.
The rest of the time spent in the store was the same as any trip to the instrument store when you have no money. Run around a bit find the weirdest keyboard and poke it a few times as if to make sure it’s still breathing, laugh at a few Parker guitars and their corresponding price tags… and so on. Haleta grabbed a $100 multi-effects board off a table and asked one of the employees if he could try it, the following scene provided much amusement.
MH: “Can I try this out?”
Employee: “Sure Thing! What guitar would you like?”
MH: “uh that’s ok, i just need a loose 1/4″ cable”
E: “?????????ummmm…????? ok…. here ya go”
Mike then proceeds to slam a combination of pedals while hitting the open end of the cable with his thumb while the employee looked on utterly confused. After about one minute Mike looked up and said “Great! I’ll take it. Can you throw in the cable?”. The employee still scratching his head decided to swallow any questions in favor of moving the sales along so he could collect his $2 commission.
Back on the road we went at a good clip until about 30 minutes outside of Charlotte when we ran in to a harsh rainstorm. We were forced to move along at a snails pace for the next 20 miles or so. I daydreamed about seeing Kate while I tried to make out taillights in the distance. We fought through it and true to form the clouds disappeared as we pulled up to Kate’s place. We all unloaded and prepared to stuff Kate’s little apartment full of stink band dudes. Kate had made us a great meal and surprised me with a birthday cake! We were in good spirits when we headed off and remained in good spirits even after realizing the P.A. didn’t have much to offer and we probably weren’t gonna see any money.
Actually the lack of P.A. forced us to use More Dogs’ amps and the new configuration led to our first good show of the tour. More Dogs were again amazing and we stuck around for Cannons who I like alot. However it was so loud I had to watch most of it from outside the store. We were all feeling antsy by the end of their setand decided to head over to the bars rather than watch he final band.
One of the things I like most about Charlotte is there are liquor stores with outdoor seating. whay people drink at bars there is beyond me. We had some drinks and headed back to Kate’s. Her friend and our new friend Stephen surprised us by bringing two Atari computers for Jeff and I. We chatted and drank a bit more before settling into bed to get a weeks worth of snuggling in.
May 10, 2006 at 7:17 pm
when you were trying to describe that store i knew exactly where you were talking about. when i gave lucas a ride to his parents’ house in south carolina he told me about this dude who walking around playing the same marshall tucker band riff. i’m not sure if it’s more depressing that lucas knew the mtb or that the guy had actually been in the mtb but it all seemed appropriate to been nestled under a giant watertank disguised as a peach.
May 11, 2006 at 5:47 pm
this is the actual lucas. I want/need to meet you. You and Lil’ Knuckles need to come to Chicago and we can have a communal whiskey drowning.
June 1, 2006 at 4:56 pm
UPDATE UPDATE