Today we are up by 10am and ready to start clearing up our stuff from the studio/rehearsal room at the loft cause we will be playing a gig here tonight. Once that's done we jump into the van and get ready for our final day - a nice fun filled time at Universal Studios. Today is the sunniest day since we arrived - it's perfect. You know that feeling at a theme park when the sun just makes everything seem better - we are all well up for it.
First thing is to take the Universal Studios tour where a tram ride takes you around the back lot of the studios to see the sets where countless classic films have been shot, and even drives us up Wysteria Lane (not sure I should admit to watching Desperate Housewives or not....) and the whole thing lasts about 50 minutes. Everyone is happy to see the Jaws stuff, the huge blue screen used in so many films and mine and Scotts favourite bit..... the street that's on the opening credits of Murder She Wrote as 'Jessica' rides her bike through the town.
We also go on some of the rides -always fun to see grown men (Ash) having a heart attack as they go down the big drop on a log flume. Also went on some special effects talks/walk throughs including one for Backdraft and also one on sound effects where I got on stage to be one of the audience participants - fun.
The day goes pretty quick and then we go to Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant to get an evening meal before setting off to the loft again.
When we get back to the loft a few people are already gathering and soon there are about 20-30 party goers and before you know it we are changed and ready to play. There is a webcam in the room and a few hundred people watching from around the world. We play the longest set we have played all tour and have an absolute blast! Scotts mum was online watching the gig and said that we rocked - the mummy seal of approval!
As soon as we are done the beers are flowing as well as the various shots of the usual stuff. TM's set up and play and we join them for a few numbers as usual. It's almost funny watching everyone trying their hardest not to get emotional. Dan occupies himself by talking on webcam to fans and the rest of us drink it up! We give some t-shirts out to the gathering and get some cool shots of people wearing them - including the man with the party trick. At 3:00am we are still all up drinking and Scott is in full Jackanory story mode telling some girl that Ash is a TV presenter, I work at Longleat looking after the Meer Cats, and Scott has done everything from share a drink with Gahndi and signed his autograph for the pope. Brilliant.
Nobody wants to go to bed cause that means admitting it is over..... I finally go to bed at around 4am - as do Dan and Bill. At some point everyone rolls into bed. I'll let Freddie and Scott save some parts for the book.
So that's it. Tour done. It's been amazing. I could go on for ages writing thanks etc etc but I'll save that. I think we will do a long list of thanks when we get home. It goes without saying that the biggest thanks go out to Tattooed Millionaires - our new friends.
Marty:Riot
Friday 8 February 2008
Feb 6th - it's almost over....
We all wake up with some pretty heavy hangovers - obviously Scott is worse than everyone else.... no surprise there then! Again, we've got the day to ourselves before tonights gig so we decide to head to Santa Monica - after going to pay $140 the parking fine that we got on the van. When we arrived at the office we were told that the office we had gone to (which was listed on the ticket) hasn't even opened yet! Bastards!
The traffic on the way to Santa Monica is really heavy - but that's always a good opportunity to people watch and see the changing landscape as you drive along Santa Monica Blvd all the way from Johnny's flat, through the ghetto and eventually into the gorgeous Beverly Hills where the houses are mansions, the lawns are trim, the pavements clean and the people 'beautiful' - it's all new and cool for us.
When we get to Santa Monica the sun is shining and the beach looks picturesque and perfect. We find a small shop that only sells English products - so we stock up on the essentials - Robinsons Orange Squash, Cadburys chocolate, and of course - some lovely Scrumpy Jack Cider!
Time flies by and we go back to the loft to get ready to rock The Joint - but not before we get another amazing meal prepared for us by Betsy - a lovely turkey roast.
We get down to The Joint at around 8:45pm and there is a smal crowd and the venue is amazing - nice big stage, and high too - which always makes you feel like a 'big' band. After enduring some 80's throwback band it's time for us to rock out and we don't disappoint - I know that sounds arrogant, but we were battling pretty shady sound, but we really put our hearts and souls into it and it pays off. We have a great response and enjoy every minute - none of us want it to end.
The Joint is owned by a cool guy called 'Happening Harry' and his band end the night. The band is an 'all star jam' which includes Nick from Tattooed Millionaires. They play a great set of cover songs and I jump up top join Harry for Knockin On Heavens Door - I loved it!!! It's all over too soon, but then Harry invites us back to his place for more beer and pizza.
We jump in the van and get on the road to Harry's and when we arrive who's on the couch...? Dizzy Reed from Guns N Roses! It's all a bit bizarre and we spend the whole night drinking and sharing 'road stories' and hearing some amazing insightful GNR tales from the past and present. It is a great night and Harry wants us to extend our stay to join in the all star jam on Saturday - if only we could! The whole thing is amazing.
We get back to the loft a bit drunk and a very tired. Tomorrow is gonna be our last night and we are going to have a party in the loft and maybe play some songs - there are even rumours of a live webcast.
Today was an amazing gig and nobody is ready to go home yet. America loves Riot:Noise........ lets hope this continues back in the UK.
Marty:Riot
The traffic on the way to Santa Monica is really heavy - but that's always a good opportunity to people watch and see the changing landscape as you drive along Santa Monica Blvd all the way from Johnny's flat, through the ghetto and eventually into the gorgeous Beverly Hills where the houses are mansions, the lawns are trim, the pavements clean and the people 'beautiful' - it's all new and cool for us.
When we get to Santa Monica the sun is shining and the beach looks picturesque and perfect. We find a small shop that only sells English products - so we stock up on the essentials - Robinsons Orange Squash, Cadburys chocolate, and of course - some lovely Scrumpy Jack Cider!
Time flies by and we go back to the loft to get ready to rock The Joint - but not before we get another amazing meal prepared for us by Betsy - a lovely turkey roast.
We get down to The Joint at around 8:45pm and there is a smal crowd and the venue is amazing - nice big stage, and high too - which always makes you feel like a 'big' band. After enduring some 80's throwback band it's time for us to rock out and we don't disappoint - I know that sounds arrogant, but we were battling pretty shady sound, but we really put our hearts and souls into it and it pays off. We have a great response and enjoy every minute - none of us want it to end.
The Joint is owned by a cool guy called 'Happening Harry' and his band end the night. The band is an 'all star jam' which includes Nick from Tattooed Millionaires. They play a great set of cover songs and I jump up top join Harry for Knockin On Heavens Door - I loved it!!! It's all over too soon, but then Harry invites us back to his place for more beer and pizza.
We jump in the van and get on the road to Harry's and when we arrive who's on the couch...? Dizzy Reed from Guns N Roses! It's all a bit bizarre and we spend the whole night drinking and sharing 'road stories' and hearing some amazing insightful GNR tales from the past and present. It is a great night and Harry wants us to extend our stay to join in the all star jam on Saturday - if only we could! The whole thing is amazing.
We get back to the loft a bit drunk and a very tired. Tomorrow is gonna be our last night and we are going to have a party in the loft and maybe play some songs - there are even rumours of a live webcast.
Today was an amazing gig and nobody is ready to go home yet. America loves Riot:Noise........ lets hope this continues back in the UK.
Marty:Riot
Thursday 7 February 2008
Feb 5th - San Diego
Today we are up sometime between 11am - 12pm and all a bit tired. However, we are playing a gig tonight in San Diego and it's been a few days so we're excited. I know that I am not back to 100% BUT I think I'm gonna be much better than I was for the last two gigs and can hopefully get through more than 6 songs, althogh Freddie is going to go for some heavy backing a) to help me out and b) because it actually sounds pretty good!
We go off to the venue which is a couple of hours away. The drive takes in some nice scenery and before long we can see the ocean - which is a first for this tour. When we arrive the venue is empty as it's early afternoon, but it's a cool stage and has the potential to be a good gig.
We all eat and pass a few hours playing pool and watching Rob play on a hunting arcade game which he has become addicted to. The evening is due to start pretty early as it's an all ages show. Two lovely ladies turn up shortly before our set that are extremely excited to see us and have been eagerly awaiting our arrival for a few weeks - they even bring us a nice bottle of Jack Daniels as a welcome gift - WE LOVE AMERICAN FANS!
It's show time! Decent sized crowd and from the opening bars of Survival we are on top form again. Performance-wise it's a great gig. My voice does struggle at times but we def do okay and I'm happy with the whole thing. Think we got some good live footage too, so look out for that on Youtube soon!
After the set there is a local band on stage. They are young guys with over the top stage show (smoke machines!) and an over the top sound - but their friends and family like em. In the mean time we start to get involved in some drinking. Our friends Aimee and Wendy from Las Vegas have driven to San Diego for the show and want to buy us some drinks...Scott is happy and pretty soon he is extremely drunk - welcome back Scott! I think the thing with this tour and drinking is that people wouldn't have gotten so mashed up if it weren't for the sheer amount of drink mixing that is done every time. In the space of an hour, and I'm not exaggerating here, Scott has been seen with a Vodka, a Jaeger, a Jack Daniels, a Sambucca, and a few bottles of beer - and this carries on for 3 hours. Needless to say that there are some well oiled rockers walking around. This is also the last time we are going to see TM's perform at a venue and that is kinda strange. They play a good set and are really well received. At one point I hear Scott telling a girl that Ash is a big star in the UK and has been banned from kids TV for using profanity..... the bull that comes from this guys mouth when he is drunk is brilliant!
The drunken shennanigans carrry on for a few hours but we'll keep that stuff for the uncensored biography that'll be out in about 20 years time.
We head off and start the drive back to LA - mildly avoiding arrest at McDonalds. Another great gig, another long night, more drunken behaviour, and more heavy snoring!
Marty:Riot
We go off to the venue which is a couple of hours away. The drive takes in some nice scenery and before long we can see the ocean - which is a first for this tour. When we arrive the venue is empty as it's early afternoon, but it's a cool stage and has the potential to be a good gig.
We all eat and pass a few hours playing pool and watching Rob play on a hunting arcade game which he has become addicted to. The evening is due to start pretty early as it's an all ages show. Two lovely ladies turn up shortly before our set that are extremely excited to see us and have been eagerly awaiting our arrival for a few weeks - they even bring us a nice bottle of Jack Daniels as a welcome gift - WE LOVE AMERICAN FANS!
It's show time! Decent sized crowd and from the opening bars of Survival we are on top form again. Performance-wise it's a great gig. My voice does struggle at times but we def do okay and I'm happy with the whole thing. Think we got some good live footage too, so look out for that on Youtube soon!
After the set there is a local band on stage. They are young guys with over the top stage show (smoke machines!) and an over the top sound - but their friends and family like em. In the mean time we start to get involved in some drinking. Our friends Aimee and Wendy from Las Vegas have driven to San Diego for the show and want to buy us some drinks...Scott is happy and pretty soon he is extremely drunk - welcome back Scott! I think the thing with this tour and drinking is that people wouldn't have gotten so mashed up if it weren't for the sheer amount of drink mixing that is done every time. In the space of an hour, and I'm not exaggerating here, Scott has been seen with a Vodka, a Jaeger, a Jack Daniels, a Sambucca, and a few bottles of beer - and this carries on for 3 hours. Needless to say that there are some well oiled rockers walking around. This is also the last time we are going to see TM's perform at a venue and that is kinda strange. They play a good set and are really well received. At one point I hear Scott telling a girl that Ash is a big star in the UK and has been banned from kids TV for using profanity..... the bull that comes from this guys mouth when he is drunk is brilliant!
The drunken shennanigans carrry on for a few hours but we'll keep that stuff for the uncensored biography that'll be out in about 20 years time.
We head off and start the drive back to LA - mildly avoiding arrest at McDonalds. Another great gig, another long night, more drunken behaviour, and more heavy snoring!
Marty:Riot
Feb 4th- Day off in LA
Day to ourselves today so we decided to take in some sights of Hollywood. We started off by heading up to the see some of the famous stars on the strip and a get some good views of the Hollywood sign from Manns Chinese Theatre where there is a cool bridge you can stand on to get the sign in the background of your pics etc. Then we headed off to the Citiwalk by Universal Studios and grabbed a nice big lunch at the Hard Rock - I saw my lunch shortly afterwards when I threw it back up in the toilets..... looks like I'm not quite back to full health yet!
After about an hour we head back to the loft for some Lasagne that Johnny's wife Betsy had kindly prepared for us. We have been very well looked after by Mr & Mrs Jetson when we haven't been on the tour bus, and we really appreciate it.
As the evening really starts to set in we drive off to Sunset Strip to get a drink at The Rainbow.... I never thought I would get to say that!!! Our friend Paul from the UK joins us there for a beer. We get a call from Johnny whilst we are there - he's got us another gig for Jan 6th in Beverly Hills at a place called The Joint. It's not both bands on the bill, just us and some local bands - so it's great that the TM guys let us take the slot.
We are back in the van and driving in the general direction of 'home' when we notice a strip club.... but not any old strip club - Seventh Veil - made famous by Motley Crue in the Girls Girls Girls video, so it'd be rude not to go in and say hello right? A quick hello turns into a 2 hour visit to the place and as we're pretty much the only ones in there it is quite an amusing night. The other amusing bit is watching the pain on Scotts face - no, he didn't get punched for trying to grope a stripper, he is in pain becuase they do not serve alcohol in this place! Apparently they can't serve alcohol in a fully nude strip joint. Strange. Anyway, we have to leave before Rob ends up leaving with debts.
Back to the loft, and our beds - and a long night of Bill's snoring again.
Marty:Riot
We went for a drive up into the Hollywood Hills to get some cool photos and take in some of the scenery and views.
After about an hour we head back to the loft for some Lasagne that Johnny's wife Betsy had kindly prepared for us. We have been very well looked after by Mr & Mrs Jetson when we haven't been on the tour bus, and we really appreciate it.
As the evening really starts to set in we drive off to Sunset Strip to get a drink at The Rainbow.... I never thought I would get to say that!!! Our friend Paul from the UK joins us there for a beer. We get a call from Johnny whilst we are there - he's got us another gig for Jan 6th in Beverly Hills at a place called The Joint. It's not both bands on the bill, just us and some local bands - so it's great that the TM guys let us take the slot.
We are back in the van and driving in the general direction of 'home' when we notice a strip club.... but not any old strip club - Seventh Veil - made famous by Motley Crue in the Girls Girls Girls video, so it'd be rude not to go in and say hello right? A quick hello turns into a 2 hour visit to the place and as we're pretty much the only ones in there it is quite an amusing night. The other amusing bit is watching the pain on Scotts face - no, he didn't get punched for trying to grope a stripper, he is in pain becuase they do not serve alcohol in this place! Apparently they can't serve alcohol in a fully nude strip joint. Strange. Anyway, we have to leave before Rob ends up leaving with debts.
Back to the loft, and our beds - and a long night of Bill's snoring again.
Marty:Riot
Wednesday 6 February 2008
February 3rd
Today I am up and awake with the rest of the band, which is the first time for a few days. We go inside the venue and clean ourselves up and then relax for a while with a nice cup of tea - and guess what? this place does actually get one thing right - a proper cup of tea!
Time is rolling on pretty fast and today is actually Superbowl Sunday - and the Superbowl is actually taking place in Phoenix so it is going to get very busy soon. The next gig is in two days time so we have a few options.
The decision is made to head back to L.A asap so that we can all get some much needed rest and recouperation to ensure San Diego is a success. The drive is going to take 10 hours, but Johnny is confident he can do it and we're not gonna argue. So we set off........
At this point, despite the fact there are still more gigs (2 more), heading back to L.A starts to make us all get that sinking feeling.... the feeling that it could be over soon. This is gonna be the last time we're all on the tour bus together cause we'll use vans when we get back. It's not enough to bring a tear to the eye yet - but it is the first time all of us have seen the end in sight. Damn it!
The drive back is pretty uneventful and Johnny only stops twice to briefly empty his bladder, despite having to battle constantly with the extreme winds and rain that batter the bus throughout the journey, and before you know it we are back at the loft and emptying the bus of our belongings and bunk foams (which we need to sleep on at the loft). I get a herbal bath and we all enjoy a nice beef stew that Johnny's wife has made for us.
After checking emails etc everyone gradually slips off to sleep. Tomorrow is a day off, so we're gonna go and check out some sites around Hollywood.
Marty:Riot
Time is rolling on pretty fast and today is actually Superbowl Sunday - and the Superbowl is actually taking place in Phoenix so it is going to get very busy soon. The next gig is in two days time so we have a few options.
The decision is made to head back to L.A asap so that we can all get some much needed rest and recouperation to ensure San Diego is a success. The drive is going to take 10 hours, but Johnny is confident he can do it and we're not gonna argue. So we set off........
At this point, despite the fact there are still more gigs (2 more), heading back to L.A starts to make us all get that sinking feeling.... the feeling that it could be over soon. This is gonna be the last time we're all on the tour bus together cause we'll use vans when we get back. It's not enough to bring a tear to the eye yet - but it is the first time all of us have seen the end in sight. Damn it!
The drive back is pretty uneventful and Johnny only stops twice to briefly empty his bladder, despite having to battle constantly with the extreme winds and rain that batter the bus throughout the journey, and before you know it we are back at the loft and emptying the bus of our belongings and bunk foams (which we need to sleep on at the loft). I get a herbal bath and we all enjoy a nice beef stew that Johnny's wife has made for us.
After checking emails etc everyone gradually slips off to sleep. Tomorrow is a day off, so we're gonna go and check out some sites around Hollywood.
Marty:Riot
Tuesday 5 February 2008
Phoneix - Day 2
All is not well in the riot camp at this point. Martin has swollen glands, Freddie was hungover and moaning about his bad news but i on the other hand was enjoying the sunshine. The night before was a bit of a strange gig. Knocked out mexicans, power failure and cruizing aroung for a toilet with a lock. Anyway today we are being treated to a little bit of 'Home'.
'Home' as we've been told is an english themed-pub called the George and Dragon. this is only a few miles away from Casablanca's so we are in no real rush to leave. We treat Ol' Suzzana to a bit of a clean out and go and get some coffee.
We arrive at the the george around lunchtime. And you guessed it... except for the odd union jack or st.georges cross its not very english. Luckily when we walk in the are showing football. Its the first time in 2 weeks we've seen it and luckily liverpool were on.
Me and Scott decide to play some pool and darts while waiting for our english breakfast. as good as it was i feel that breakfast is not english unless it has bacon, blackpudding and fried bread. Unfortunately we didn't have the first 2 and the last turned up after we'd finished. The breakfast itself cause a few mixed reactions with the TM and R:N camp. While a few of us 'Brits' thought it was passable our american friends were not impressed at the amount of grease used to cook but were impressed to learn a little bit of history surrounding english food, Once again Dan was on hand to provide this information.
The afternoon is pretty slow to be honest. a few pints, a kick around in the car park and still very little sign of Martin and Freddie. The highlight of the afternoon was Keith the promoter taking me to guitar shops in his mustang... Thats my dream complete.
Whenshowtime comes around we find out that martin pretty much cant sing (no it hasn't taken us this long to realise he's bad, he was still ill) So its decided me and freddie will take most of the vocals and martin wil do what he can.
This turns out to be a success. The Vocals seem to be tight and agressive and no one notices anything was wrong. Quickly after martin goes back to the bus and me and scott begin drinking. This is obviously no different to any othe gig but the one different thing is we are surrounded by people kissing our asses. Its awsome. At this point we've been offered free recording time in phoenix, a 'tour' and places to crash when we return. Not bad for a 25 minute set.
We then watch TM, who are on top impressive form tonight. At this point me and scott are pretty wasted and join them for the usual 'star spangled hammer' backing vocals (very badly i must add).
After their set we have about 30 mins to cram in some shots, so i order some kamikaze's and away we go.
I forgot to mention we'd been talking to a model and a photographer called kelli and penelope. Some how i end up enagaged to kelli (not really) and covered in her lipstick, Leaving me looking like the joker.
All in all a top night... next stop San Diego!!!
'Home' as we've been told is an english themed-pub called the George and Dragon. this is only a few miles away from Casablanca's so we are in no real rush to leave. We treat Ol' Suzzana to a bit of a clean out and go and get some coffee.
We arrive at the the george around lunchtime. And you guessed it... except for the odd union jack or st.georges cross its not very english. Luckily when we walk in the are showing football. Its the first time in 2 weeks we've seen it and luckily liverpool were on.
Me and Scott decide to play some pool and darts while waiting for our english breakfast. as good as it was i feel that breakfast is not english unless it has bacon, blackpudding and fried bread. Unfortunately we didn't have the first 2 and the last turned up after we'd finished. The breakfast itself cause a few mixed reactions with the TM and R:N camp. While a few of us 'Brits' thought it was passable our american friends were not impressed at the amount of grease used to cook but were impressed to learn a little bit of history surrounding english food, Once again Dan was on hand to provide this information.
The afternoon is pretty slow to be honest. a few pints, a kick around in the car park and still very little sign of Martin and Freddie. The highlight of the afternoon was Keith the promoter taking me to guitar shops in his mustang... Thats my dream complete.
Whenshowtime comes around we find out that martin pretty much cant sing (no it hasn't taken us this long to realise he's bad, he was still ill) So its decided me and freddie will take most of the vocals and martin wil do what he can.
This turns out to be a success. The Vocals seem to be tight and agressive and no one notices anything was wrong. Quickly after martin goes back to the bus and me and scott begin drinking. This is obviously no different to any othe gig but the one different thing is we are surrounded by people kissing our asses. Its awsome. At this point we've been offered free recording time in phoenix, a 'tour' and places to crash when we return. Not bad for a 25 minute set.
We then watch TM, who are on top impressive form tonight. At this point me and scott are pretty wasted and join them for the usual 'star spangled hammer' backing vocals (very badly i must add).
After their set we have about 30 mins to cram in some shots, so i order some kamikaze's and away we go.
I forgot to mention we'd been talking to a model and a photographer called kelli and penelope. Some how i end up enagaged to kelli (not really) and covered in her lipstick, Leaving me looking like the joker.
All in all a top night... next stop San Diego!!!
Monday 4 February 2008
Feb 1st - Pheonix
With Skee well on his 18 hour journey back to L.A, it was Johnny's turn to take the wheel of ol' Susanna for the long drive to Pheonix. In all honesty I didn't catch much of the journey because I was feeling ill and was firmly glued to my bunk, all I know is this was probably the longest drive without stopping of the tour at 4oo miles....
We pulled up to the side of a lay by in Pheonix to meet Bill and Rob and we follewed the van up the next venue - The Casa Blanca. After about 5 minutes of checking out the venue we noticed we were a band member down.... Marty was still in his bunk. We sent Dan in to wake the dead only to see him back within seconds explaining Marty was ill and can't do tonights gig... We talked about the situation and came to the conclusion that whatever happens tonight we are playing this gig even if Marty had to sit this one out whilst me and Ash did the best we could with the vocals surviving as a 4 piece.
Stage time was half 10 so that left us about 2 hours for Marty to get himself in the best shape he could for what would be a tough performance. The end decision was that Marty would play and that me and Ash would help out the best we could.... We cut the set a little short because of the circumstances, and quickly left the stage ready for the Tattooed Millionaires.
Because earlier on in the night I heard what I thought was some bad news from home.... which I wont go into, I thought it would be the best situation for a couple of drinks, so for the next half hour of the Tattooed Millionaires the Jeger's went down nicely and after the set we ventured up into the after party which to be honest was a blur so I think now it's time for me to let one of the more sober members of that night to carry on the blog....
Freddy:Riot
OK, as the sensible, sober member of the band, I'll take it from just after the Mexican stage invader was knocked out by the lighting guy and dragged from the venue..Dan put him in the recovery position outside and left him in the cold...
The after party was upstairs from the venue and was in a strange art gallery with young American stoners playing drums and guitar whilst the 'audience' rocked back and forth..there was a distinct smell of a certain plant being burnt in the air, and for a minute I thought I had stepped into filming for American Pie 9..
The pipe being passed round now seemed to be spewing a white smoke, less Mary Jane smoke and quite possibly a little stronger..as it went round those partaking seemed to rock more and more as Justin from TM laid down a groove on the drums..I was starting to think I'd stepped into filming for the new Doors bio now..and ended up on drums myself with Freddie and Kevin from TM accompanying me on Tambourine and maraca, all that was missing were flowers in hair, although Freddie has been spotted in this look on other days during the tour..the party carried on way past dawn, and the Americans behaviour was getting way out there, so we decided to go to call it a night, no sooner had my head hit the pillow I was asleep, once we woke up we had to chuck clothing that clearly wasnt ours out of the bus window.....even I dont know where that came from..........
Less than 2 hours sleep before we have to roll on to the next venue - The George & Dragon in another part of Phoenix.
Special thanks to Aimee and her friends who mailed a 'care pack' that was waiting for us when we arrived in Phoenix. The box contained new socks, t-shirts, towels, tea bags, vitamins and other tour essentials. We love the American fans!!!
Scotty:Riot
We pulled up to the side of a lay by in Pheonix to meet Bill and Rob and we follewed the van up the next venue - The Casa Blanca. After about 5 minutes of checking out the venue we noticed we were a band member down.... Marty was still in his bunk. We sent Dan in to wake the dead only to see him back within seconds explaining Marty was ill and can't do tonights gig... We talked about the situation and came to the conclusion that whatever happens tonight we are playing this gig even if Marty had to sit this one out whilst me and Ash did the best we could with the vocals surviving as a 4 piece.
Stage time was half 10 so that left us about 2 hours for Marty to get himself in the best shape he could for what would be a tough performance. The end decision was that Marty would play and that me and Ash would help out the best we could.... We cut the set a little short because of the circumstances, and quickly left the stage ready for the Tattooed Millionaires.
Because earlier on in the night I heard what I thought was some bad news from home.... which I wont go into, I thought it would be the best situation for a couple of drinks, so for the next half hour of the Tattooed Millionaires the Jeger's went down nicely and after the set we ventured up into the after party which to be honest was a blur so I think now it's time for me to let one of the more sober members of that night to carry on the blog....
Freddy:Riot
OK, as the sensible, sober member of the band, I'll take it from just after the Mexican stage invader was knocked out by the lighting guy and dragged from the venue..Dan put him in the recovery position outside and left him in the cold...
The after party was upstairs from the venue and was in a strange art gallery with young American stoners playing drums and guitar whilst the 'audience' rocked back and forth..there was a distinct smell of a certain plant being burnt in the air, and for a minute I thought I had stepped into filming for American Pie 9..
The pipe being passed round now seemed to be spewing a white smoke, less Mary Jane smoke and quite possibly a little stronger..as it went round those partaking seemed to rock more and more as Justin from TM laid down a groove on the drums..I was starting to think I'd stepped into filming for the new Doors bio now..and ended up on drums myself with Freddie and Kevin from TM accompanying me on Tambourine and maraca, all that was missing were flowers in hair, although Freddie has been spotted in this look on other days during the tour..the party carried on way past dawn, and the Americans behaviour was getting way out there, so we decided to go to call it a night, no sooner had my head hit the pillow I was asleep, once we woke up we had to chuck clothing that clearly wasnt ours out of the bus window.....even I dont know where that came from..........
Less than 2 hours sleep before we have to roll on to the next venue - The George & Dragon in another part of Phoenix.
Special thanks to Aimee and her friends who mailed a 'care pack' that was waiting for us when we arrived in Phoenix. The box contained new socks, t-shirts, towels, tea bags, vitamins and other tour essentials. We love the American fans!!!
Scotty:Riot
El Paso - 31st Jan
Today is our second day in El Paso and fortunately the wreckage from yesterdays pile up has been removed, the Beatle is gone but we need too do some serious work on the bus as the air brakes are failing and we currently have sand bags stopping us rolling down the hill..
Rob, Martin, Bill and Dan went in search of the part we needed as the quotes of $500 to $1000 for labour didnt sit to well with us or the TM guys. Johnny and Dan seem to think they can do the job so that seems the better option. While they go in search of the part me, Ash and Freddie go to Starbucks for a serious use of their clean and lockable toilet, something I now have a radar for and then head to the local supermarket for a look around. I walked down one of the aisles and Ash had managed to bump into Tom Delonge from Blink 182 and was in full swing exchanging stories of the road, not only that but there were now 11 of us on the VIP guest list for his Angels and Airwaves show in El Paso that night..good work, and it goes to prove that Ash's well practised grooming skills not only work on young ladies....
After chatting with Tom for a while, who was a nice guy, we headed back to the bus where our 2 honoury grease monkeys were hard at work fixing our problem brakes. I kicked the tyres a few times to make sure I'd played my part and worked up a real hunger when a ginger angel appeared with a full chinese meal for 11, it was Amanda who had come and watched us the previous night and manages a local restaurant. Cheers Amanda, we owe you one.
Time flies and next thing you know we are in the bar next to the bus having free drinks before our night out, brilliant, if only we got this in the UK, everyone here wants to chuck free drink down our throats...not a bad situation at all. We shower in a motel and then head to the gig, we watched Angels and Airwaves from the side of the stage and it was cool looking out at the 1000 people loving the show, I was tempted to see if we could get up for a few dodgy Thin Lizzy covers after their set..but I dont think it would have been appropriate.
We go to the bar and end up drinking yet more free shots from the owner of the venue who treats us like kings, these particular shots were called Jackasses and consisted of Jager, Jack and Red Bull, and are fucking huge...they are so big that Freddie makes a new friend called Henrik Larsen who invites us all for tea at his house..all very odd. The owner cant wait to see us at a future date and wants to book us at the venue, maybe I'll wip out those Thin Lizzy covers here after all..
The party moves on to a club called Club Ice (which is also in Westbury for those Wiltshire dwellers) and has a bar made of ice, I was getting well oiled by this time and so cant relay to much as my memory doesnt serve to well, but I do see Ash making friends with every gangster in there, and also saw Freddie talking to a girl looked like a blow up doll, I gave her an arm wrestle and she just couldnt cope with the raw natural power I posess..What can I say, I'm an athlete....
We had an early start the next day so sensibly decided to leave Club Ice and move back to the bus, although once we arrive we cant resist the fact the bar is open opposite and so we carry on with what is fast becoming an absolute piss up, it is definately hazy from here, and I only remember snap shots, and actual shots and more shots...lovely
I love El Paso..
Scotty:Riot
Rob, Martin, Bill and Dan went in search of the part we needed as the quotes of $500 to $1000 for labour didnt sit to well with us or the TM guys. Johnny and Dan seem to think they can do the job so that seems the better option. While they go in search of the part me, Ash and Freddie go to Starbucks for a serious use of their clean and lockable toilet, something I now have a radar for and then head to the local supermarket for a look around. I walked down one of the aisles and Ash had managed to bump into Tom Delonge from Blink 182 and was in full swing exchanging stories of the road, not only that but there were now 11 of us on the VIP guest list for his Angels and Airwaves show in El Paso that night..good work, and it goes to prove that Ash's well practised grooming skills not only work on young ladies....
After chatting with Tom for a while, who was a nice guy, we headed back to the bus where our 2 honoury grease monkeys were hard at work fixing our problem brakes. I kicked the tyres a few times to make sure I'd played my part and worked up a real hunger when a ginger angel appeared with a full chinese meal for 11, it was Amanda who had come and watched us the previous night and manages a local restaurant. Cheers Amanda, we owe you one.
Time flies and next thing you know we are in the bar next to the bus having free drinks before our night out, brilliant, if only we got this in the UK, everyone here wants to chuck free drink down our throats...not a bad situation at all. We shower in a motel and then head to the gig, we watched Angels and Airwaves from the side of the stage and it was cool looking out at the 1000 people loving the show, I was tempted to see if we could get up for a few dodgy Thin Lizzy covers after their set..but I dont think it would have been appropriate.
We go to the bar and end up drinking yet more free shots from the owner of the venue who treats us like kings, these particular shots were called Jackasses and consisted of Jager, Jack and Red Bull, and are fucking huge...they are so big that Freddie makes a new friend called Henrik Larsen who invites us all for tea at his house..all very odd. The owner cant wait to see us at a future date and wants to book us at the venue, maybe I'll wip out those Thin Lizzy covers here after all..
The party moves on to a club called Club Ice (which is also in Westbury for those Wiltshire dwellers) and has a bar made of ice, I was getting well oiled by this time and so cant relay to much as my memory doesnt serve to well, but I do see Ash making friends with every gangster in there, and also saw Freddie talking to a girl looked like a blow up doll, I gave her an arm wrestle and she just couldnt cope with the raw natural power I posess..What can I say, I'm an athlete....
We had an early start the next day so sensibly decided to leave Club Ice and move back to the bus, although once we arrive we cant resist the fact the bar is open opposite and so we carry on with what is fast becoming an absolute piss up, it is definately hazy from here, and I only remember snap shots, and actual shots and more shots...lovely
I love El Paso..
Scotty:Riot
Sunday 3 February 2008
The road takes it's toll.....
Firstly, apologies for not responding to any emails, texts, facebooks etc etc. Basically I have been ill since Jan 31st and the past 3 days haven't really been able to get out of my bunk. I missed most of the journey from El Paso to Phoenix, and couldn't even tell you what Phoenix looks like to be honest. My throat is like a gravel pit, I have a temperature mixed with shivers and I have just eaten my first solid food (its now 11:55pm on Feb 3rd) since lunch time on Jan 31st. I feel like death.
The worst part about this hasn't been the illness, it's been having to cut the set down to 6 songs and only managing to do that with the help of Freddie singing the full lead vocals with me and Ash doing twice as much backing vocal. Last night in Phoenix was our biggest and best crowd yet and I can't explain how disappointing it was to have to end it early and feel like the weak link dragging the band down. I retired to my bunk almost immediately after our set and left the others to bask in the glory of a job well done by them. The gig was at an English pub called the George & Dragon - as themed pubs go, they didn't do too badly here.
The plan today was to go to San Diego for our gig on Jan 5th but Johnny decided it was best for us to head back to his place in LA and get some real rest and recoup time and then drive to San Diego on the say of the gig. When we arrived here a couple of hours ago we were greeted with some freshly made stew, and Johnny ran me a steaming hot herbal bath and everyone left me to soak whilst they started getting stuff in from the bus - thanks guys!
I'm feeling like I'm on the road to recovery and I hope I'm back to 100% by the time we play in 48 hours cause it's been recorded for a live CD - and we know it's going to be a busy (and possibly the last) gig.
Time for bed....
Marty:Riot
The worst part about this hasn't been the illness, it's been having to cut the set down to 6 songs and only managing to do that with the help of Freddie singing the full lead vocals with me and Ash doing twice as much backing vocal. Last night in Phoenix was our biggest and best crowd yet and I can't explain how disappointing it was to have to end it early and feel like the weak link dragging the band down. I retired to my bunk almost immediately after our set and left the others to bask in the glory of a job well done by them. The gig was at an English pub called the George & Dragon - as themed pubs go, they didn't do too badly here.
The plan today was to go to San Diego for our gig on Jan 5th but Johnny decided it was best for us to head back to his place in LA and get some real rest and recoup time and then drive to San Diego on the say of the gig. When we arrived here a couple of hours ago we were greeted with some freshly made stew, and Johnny ran me a steaming hot herbal bath and everyone left me to soak whilst they started getting stuff in from the bus - thanks guys!
I'm feeling like I'm on the road to recovery and I hope I'm back to 100% by the time we play in 48 hours cause it's been recorded for a live CD - and we know it's going to be a busy (and possibly the last) gig.
Time for bed....
Marty:Riot
Saturday 2 February 2008
January 31st - El Paso
Sorry for the delay, we've unfortunately had no access while on the road...After another long day of traveling, sleeping and amazing sites we arrive at El paso around 4.30pm. We drive around and look for the venue and finally find it next to the university. This is where the day gets eventful.
While pulling up to the venue we stop on the hill outside, and with suzanna's history it was gonna be dangerous. Now i dont know exactly what happened but we ended up sandwiching a parked beetle and another car. This potentailly could have been bad for the tour but everyone remained calm and luckily the owner was a laid back californian guy who just kinda laughed it off. Unfortunately this led to our driver Skee parting company with the tour. I wanna take this time to thank him for his services to driving and helping me out with my guitar and being a genuine nice guy! We'll catch up soon buddy.
Anyway back to the reason we are here... We can load in around 6.30 and we hit the stage about 10.30. The first thing noticeable was the 'Ladies' that are waiting for our arrival. I say 'Ladies' but these two looked like Tracey and Roberta from the use your illusion tour.
We kill a few hours and its time to take the stage. We play the set and it recieves yet another good reaction from the deserving crowd. Tattooed Milionaires do the same joined by Me, Martin and Freddy on backing vocals for 'Star Spangled Hammer'.
For the first time this tour the venue invite a 'Big' Local band to headline the night and pull in some more people. I cant remember the name of the band (actually Dan informs me it was something to do with suicide, which is apt as i think we all wanted to consider this by the end of the set) but i can only describe their sound as 'interesting' . Too many Cabs, a Double bass that sounded like a type writer and a drummer who had too many bass drums and too little ability.
While they are playing we decide to be sociable and speak to Tracey and Roberta. At this point they are a little hyper and giggly to say the least.Tracey has taken a keen interested in Scott, which was easy to see the interest was not mutual but was encouraged by the rest of the band. This last about 30 mins and is obviously one of he funniest thing Nick has ever seen. And for the record i can unzip a thigh length boot faster than Scott.
So we wrap up the night and unload the gear, at this point its fucking freezing outside so we decide to head to the bunks.
Ashley:Riot
While pulling up to the venue we stop on the hill outside, and with suzanna's history it was gonna be dangerous. Now i dont know exactly what happened but we ended up sandwiching a parked beetle and another car. This potentailly could have been bad for the tour but everyone remained calm and luckily the owner was a laid back californian guy who just kinda laughed it off. Unfortunately this led to our driver Skee parting company with the tour. I wanna take this time to thank him for his services to driving and helping me out with my guitar and being a genuine nice guy! We'll catch up soon buddy.
Anyway back to the reason we are here... We can load in around 6.30 and we hit the stage about 10.30. The first thing noticeable was the 'Ladies' that are waiting for our arrival. I say 'Ladies' but these two looked like Tracey and Roberta from the use your illusion tour.
We kill a few hours and its time to take the stage. We play the set and it recieves yet another good reaction from the deserving crowd. Tattooed Milionaires do the same joined by Me, Martin and Freddy on backing vocals for 'Star Spangled Hammer'.
For the first time this tour the venue invite a 'Big' Local band to headline the night and pull in some more people. I cant remember the name of the band (actually Dan informs me it was something to do with suicide, which is apt as i think we all wanted to consider this by the end of the set) but i can only describe their sound as 'interesting' . Too many Cabs, a Double bass that sounded like a type writer and a drummer who had too many bass drums and too little ability.
While they are playing we decide to be sociable and speak to Tracey and Roberta. At this point they are a little hyper and giggly to say the least.Tracey has taken a keen interested in Scott, which was easy to see the interest was not mutual but was encouraged by the rest of the band. This last about 30 mins and is obviously one of he funniest thing Nick has ever seen. And for the record i can unzip a thigh length boot faster than Scott.
So we wrap up the night and unload the gear, at this point its fucking freezing outside so we decide to head to the bunks.
Ashley:Riot
Tuesday 29 January 2008
Jan 30th - more travel time....
It’s an early start today and the bus is already rolling when I stir from my slumber and I’m told we have been on the road for well over an hour. We are just pulling into a big gas station to grab supplies. Billy slept on the bus last night and seems to have a pretty bad cold, as does Scott who is actually starting to recover – but as a singer I need to take precautions so I decide to travel with Rob for today’s journey. I get myself the biggest coffee I can find and we’re off. Unfortunately it’s a false start cause Rob takes the wrong road out of the gas station meaning that we have a 30 mile round journey to get back on the other side of the road. It’s frustrating but there is no alternative and it is well over an hour before we see the sun reflecting off of the big turquoise silver eagle tour bus – it is actually an awesome sight to see it rolling through the desert with nothing else around except for the occasional big-rig.
Today is one of the most picturesque drives so far and the rolling desert and huge mountains are amazing – it just had to be the day that my camera battery is dead! Rob does have a little battery left so I lean out of the window to take some pictures….. and watch my sun glasses take an 80mph flight down the road. I am mad! They cost me £5 but that aint the point.
The road is carved out of the mountains at some points and it truly is an amazing sight and at times it leaves you breathless with it’s beauty. That is possibly the gayest I have ever sounded but I just want you people to appreciate it a little. Scott says that the scenery is nothing compared to the rolling fields of Warminster, but I’m not so sure. Every time I drive down the M4 I am quite impressed with the sight of the wind turbine thingy that you see somewhere between Reading and London. Today there is a cluster of them stretching for miles and I lose count at 100ish – there are at least 10 times that amount, and they look strangely serene and natural and certainly don’t ruin the landscape at all.
6 hours have flown by and we find an RV park in the middle of the desert. This has to be the most remote place you can ever imagine, but the place is packed full of these huge RV’s and mostly post-retirement couples who have spent half their money on one of these things and now travel around the US for six months of the year, or maybe even live on the road. We have the chance to do laundry for the first time in over a week and Freddie has his first shower in over a week to celebrate. Rob decides that he is treating us to an evening meal. This seems strange. Who in their right mind volunteers to feed himself and 11 others……….. if anyone reading this knows Rob you won’t be surprised to learn that we have a BBQ next to our ‘plot’ and Rob likes a BBQ like Scott likes beer. So it’s burgers all round and we crack open a couple of beers and enjoy the desert sunshine…… until the sun goes down and the desert cold sets in!!! It gets really dark in a matter of minutes and then if you aren’t in a bar somewhere ready to play a gig it is hard not to just go to bed – so that’s what us Riot:Noise blokes do. I think it was around 8pm. I wake up to the sound of Johnny telling stories of his dreams of pet elephants and other random rubbish and assume it is morning and time to leave. Nope! It’s 11:15pm and I am wide awake. Within 10 minutes I am joined at the front by the other Riots and Johnny. It’s now 12:20am and I am sat up front with Scott and Dan writing this blog entry. Kevin and Nick are still up too. We have another early start tomorrow and a drive of around 5 hours. I am now officially getting addicted to Mountain Dew and my can has just run out – and the shop is closed. I hope you are proud Tim.
Marty:Riot
Today is one of the most picturesque drives so far and the rolling desert and huge mountains are amazing – it just had to be the day that my camera battery is dead! Rob does have a little battery left so I lean out of the window to take some pictures….. and watch my sun glasses take an 80mph flight down the road. I am mad! They cost me £5 but that aint the point.
The road is carved out of the mountains at some points and it truly is an amazing sight and at times it leaves you breathless with it’s beauty. That is possibly the gayest I have ever sounded but I just want you people to appreciate it a little. Scott says that the scenery is nothing compared to the rolling fields of Warminster, but I’m not so sure. Every time I drive down the M4 I am quite impressed with the sight of the wind turbine thingy that you see somewhere between Reading and London. Today there is a cluster of them stretching for miles and I lose count at 100ish – there are at least 10 times that amount, and they look strangely serene and natural and certainly don’t ruin the landscape at all.
6 hours have flown by and we find an RV park in the middle of the desert. This has to be the most remote place you can ever imagine, but the place is packed full of these huge RV’s and mostly post-retirement couples who have spent half their money on one of these things and now travel around the US for six months of the year, or maybe even live on the road. We have the chance to do laundry for the first time in over a week and Freddie has his first shower in over a week to celebrate. Rob decides that he is treating us to an evening meal. This seems strange. Who in their right mind volunteers to feed himself and 11 others……….. if anyone reading this knows Rob you won’t be surprised to learn that we have a BBQ next to our ‘plot’ and Rob likes a BBQ like Scott likes beer. So it’s burgers all round and we crack open a couple of beers and enjoy the desert sunshine…… until the sun goes down and the desert cold sets in!!! It gets really dark in a matter of minutes and then if you aren’t in a bar somewhere ready to play a gig it is hard not to just go to bed – so that’s what us Riot:Noise blokes do. I think it was around 8pm. I wake up to the sound of Johnny telling stories of his dreams of pet elephants and other random rubbish and assume it is morning and time to leave. Nope! It’s 11:15pm and I am wide awake. Within 10 minutes I am joined at the front by the other Riots and Johnny. It’s now 12:20am and I am sat up front with Scott and Dan writing this blog entry. Kevin and Nick are still up too. We have another early start tomorrow and a drive of around 5 hours. I am now officially getting addicted to Mountain Dew and my can has just run out – and the shop is closed. I hope you are proud Tim.
Marty:Riot
January 28th - a strange and eventful day
The original plan today was to set off early and start the journey to El Paso. Some of us are awake around 8am including Johnny who is in a strange mood, which I would say was reflective but that would give too much credit to it because it was more moody school boy if I’m honest. This kind of mood swing is extremely common but today it seems like it’s gonna be a problem because nobody can get any answers from him. After around 2 hours of waiting for some movement we decide to bugger off to find food. A short walk later and we find a Wendy’s where we can get a breakfast meal and coffee etc and then head back to the bus. When we arrive there is still absolutely no plan in action and nobody can tell us who is making the plans. This is a very weird situation to be in cause there is nothing to keep us here. Skee is trying to find somewhere that can replace our two front tires but is getting as much sense as us out of the TM guys.
Next move is for us to go and find showers. The whole Riot:Noise mob including Rob, Bill and Skee jump in the van and go on the hunt. We find an RV park and ask them if we can pay a little cash to use the showers – they wont have any of it and tell us to come on in and use them for free. Result! They are boiling hot and powerful and each in individual lockable cubicles with a toilet too. My hair at this point is in the worse state it has ever been in, with knots aplenty and within about 2 minutes the handle has snapped off whilst battling with my dreadlocks. 2 washes, 2 loads of conditioner and a wigs worth of lost hair later and my hair is not sorted, but acceptable enough to get by.
Soon enough the call comes in from back at the bus and we are summonsed back to base. One thing that we forget to mention is that when you come on tour and you roll into amazing cities like Austin & Dallas etc, is that we never get any time to actually see what they have to offer. You arrive at a gig venue, try to find showers and food, then generally go on around midnight or later and then party until the bar closes and kicks us out. I’m not complaining about it – just don’t ask too many questions when we get back cause you could probably see more of the city centres if you watch the travel channel for a few minutes.
Anyway, we manage to get on the road some time in the afternoon and locate a place that can do the two front tires. It takes about 20 minutes and another $500 out of the TM’s budget. We all need to start working hard at gigs to raise money through merch or we are gonna be in trouble financially. We know we’ll get through it but it does get a bit concerning at times.
We get back on the road again to try and make up for lost time. At this point I retire to my bunk and most of Riot:Noise do the same or at least sit at the back of the bus in what we have renamed the ‘English Lounge’. I have my iPod on listening to a podcast when I hear a loud ‘bang’ and I assume that we have hit a very rough bit of road – that is until burnt rubber fumes pour in through the rear windows and Ash looks like he has seen a ghost. We’ve had a blow-out on a rear tire on the freeway at 60mph. Luckily it is on one of the double axel ones so it doesn’t kill us all. Skee manages to get us as far as the picnic area at the side of the freeway. Dan & Bill jump into crisis management mode and have the LED torches out and the fluorescent jackets on before I even have time to get out of my bunk. Bill has traffic cones set up and Dan is directing big-rigs around the danger zone. Okay that was an exaggeration but those two guys to come to life in these situations. Not long before Johnny has his breakdown recovery people on the phone and they will be about 45 minutes. We need to make ourselves scarce cause it’s insured as an RV and not a tour bus so it might be a bit dodgy if there’s 12 long haired guys milling around. After a brief tantrum from Rob, some of us jump in the van in search of food. After a treacherous journey of winding roads and other near-death experiences we find a gas station that has hot pizza slices and other delights, including a big pack of beer. We all get back there and the bus is almost fixed. Skee is really tired so we decide to stay the night here and set off early in the morning. I have no idea what time I went to bed. I left the others sat at the front drinking and listening to Johnny Jetson stories about the time he was recording for a week with Tommy Lee and Snoop Dogg. What I haven’t really gone into before is that Johnny is very well known on the local LA scene. It is no big deal that he regularly hangs at the Rainbow with Cypress Hill, that almost all the LA rockers that we all know and love wish him well whenever they pass and it seems a shame he is one of the ones that hasn’t yet ‘made it’. Maybe his time is still to come. Back in places like Vegas and Arizona TM’s are able to command fees anywhere from $500-$3000 to play and today they got confirmation of an opening slot for a private party in Vegas with a big payment and lots of press invited. We have already been told by Sarah at Covet (the people that put us on all that time ago in Vegas) that she could get us some very well paid gigs with no problem at all should we decide to visit again. I think it’s almost a given that most of us can see ourselves back here on the road again as soon and finances and logistical bullshit allow.
Marty:Riot
Next move is for us to go and find showers. The whole Riot:Noise mob including Rob, Bill and Skee jump in the van and go on the hunt. We find an RV park and ask them if we can pay a little cash to use the showers – they wont have any of it and tell us to come on in and use them for free. Result! They are boiling hot and powerful and each in individual lockable cubicles with a toilet too. My hair at this point is in the worse state it has ever been in, with knots aplenty and within about 2 minutes the handle has snapped off whilst battling with my dreadlocks. 2 washes, 2 loads of conditioner and a wigs worth of lost hair later and my hair is not sorted, but acceptable enough to get by.
Soon enough the call comes in from back at the bus and we are summonsed back to base. One thing that we forget to mention is that when you come on tour and you roll into amazing cities like Austin & Dallas etc, is that we never get any time to actually see what they have to offer. You arrive at a gig venue, try to find showers and food, then generally go on around midnight or later and then party until the bar closes and kicks us out. I’m not complaining about it – just don’t ask too many questions when we get back cause you could probably see more of the city centres if you watch the travel channel for a few minutes.
Anyway, we manage to get on the road some time in the afternoon and locate a place that can do the two front tires. It takes about 20 minutes and another $500 out of the TM’s budget. We all need to start working hard at gigs to raise money through merch or we are gonna be in trouble financially. We know we’ll get through it but it does get a bit concerning at times.
We get back on the road again to try and make up for lost time. At this point I retire to my bunk and most of Riot:Noise do the same or at least sit at the back of the bus in what we have renamed the ‘English Lounge’. I have my iPod on listening to a podcast when I hear a loud ‘bang’ and I assume that we have hit a very rough bit of road – that is until burnt rubber fumes pour in through the rear windows and Ash looks like he has seen a ghost. We’ve had a blow-out on a rear tire on the freeway at 60mph. Luckily it is on one of the double axel ones so it doesn’t kill us all. Skee manages to get us as far as the picnic area at the side of the freeway. Dan & Bill jump into crisis management mode and have the LED torches out and the fluorescent jackets on before I even have time to get out of my bunk. Bill has traffic cones set up and Dan is directing big-rigs around the danger zone. Okay that was an exaggeration but those two guys to come to life in these situations. Not long before Johnny has his breakdown recovery people on the phone and they will be about 45 minutes. We need to make ourselves scarce cause it’s insured as an RV and not a tour bus so it might be a bit dodgy if there’s 12 long haired guys milling around. After a brief tantrum from Rob, some of us jump in the van in search of food. After a treacherous journey of winding roads and other near-death experiences we find a gas station that has hot pizza slices and other delights, including a big pack of beer. We all get back there and the bus is almost fixed. Skee is really tired so we decide to stay the night here and set off early in the morning. I have no idea what time I went to bed. I left the others sat at the front drinking and listening to Johnny Jetson stories about the time he was recording for a week with Tommy Lee and Snoop Dogg. What I haven’t really gone into before is that Johnny is very well known on the local LA scene. It is no big deal that he regularly hangs at the Rainbow with Cypress Hill, that almost all the LA rockers that we all know and love wish him well whenever they pass and it seems a shame he is one of the ones that hasn’t yet ‘made it’. Maybe his time is still to come. Back in places like Vegas and Arizona TM’s are able to command fees anywhere from $500-$3000 to play and today they got confirmation of an opening slot for a private party in Vegas with a big payment and lots of press invited. We have already been told by Sarah at Covet (the people that put us on all that time ago in Vegas) that she could get us some very well paid gigs with no problem at all should we decide to visit again. I think it’s almost a given that most of us can see ourselves back here on the road again as soon and finances and logistical bullshit allow.
Marty:Riot
Austin - January 27th
The guys at the venue in San Antonio let us come in to charge our laptops and phones in the morning and get something to drink. At 12pm they spark up the BBQ and cook some chicken which is well received by all. But it’s soon time to leave for the next venue – Red’s Scoot Inn, Austin, Tx.
Can’t remember much about the journey – we slept, we passed some more desert, saw a bit more tumble weed and then we were driving into Austin. As someone who has been to Austin before I was looking forward to everyone seeing the musical hub of 5th & 6th streets and hoping our venue wasn’t too far away….. unfortunately it was, and infact it was pretty much in the ghetto - not only that, the venue is not much more than a shed on an industrial estate with a tin roof and a beer garden. Think it can’t get any worse? Wrong! The barmaid at the venue isn’t expecting us and had no idea there were any bands tonight but was “happy for you guys to play anyway if you want?” – well we didn’t travel all this way not to play. So it’s Sunday night which is always gonna be quiet anyway, and there has been zero promotion, so what can we do? I decide a beer (or 3) is the only reasonable solution and shortly after I am pretty merry. Next time I pay any attention, the rest of Riot:Noise are up playing a blues jam that lasts for 30 minutes or so. It was pretty cool to sit back and watch the band play something unusual and Johnny jumps up to give a bit of harmonica accompaniment.
Now one thing we have learned over here is that you can build hardcore fans if you take time to interact with them. This is proven when two people that were at the Dallas show turn up with a bunch of friends to see us – and buy t-shirts AND bring us a bag full of sweets, chocolates, bread and other essentials. Awesome!
There is a small crowd by the time we kick into our first song, and we are on fire (even if I do say so myself) from start to finish. I would even go as far as to say that we play better than we have played all tour – something that Johnny reinforces later when he says “going on after Riot:Noise is like clearing up after a house party that you didn’t know was going to happen”. Myself and Freddie both join Johnny for some backing vocals and I think Ash might have popped up to sing too for a minute. When TM’s finish we get some shots in and meet and greet with the fans etc.
Next thing you know, Scott, Freddie and the TM guys are ready for a jam and start knocking out some classic Thin Lizzy covers. This leads to an hours worth of cover songs with all of us swapping around and having a blast. For an avid GNR fan I can openly admit that we were shit at It’s So Easy – but we had fun giving it a go.
Not sure what time the night came to an end, but when most people were climbing into their bunks Ash was climbing into a comfy motel bed with a young lady called Misty who had driven 400 miles to come see him (and the amazing Riot:Noise show) – and if that wasn’t enough to make everyone on the bus jealous, the fact that it meant he got a hot shower in the morning definitely was!
We have a couple of days until the next show in El Paso, but in the tour bus it is two days of driving. We are told to expect an early start and a busy day as we have needed new tires since Ft Worth. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…..
Marty:Riot
Can’t remember much about the journey – we slept, we passed some more desert, saw a bit more tumble weed and then we were driving into Austin. As someone who has been to Austin before I was looking forward to everyone seeing the musical hub of 5th & 6th streets and hoping our venue wasn’t too far away….. unfortunately it was, and infact it was pretty much in the ghetto - not only that, the venue is not much more than a shed on an industrial estate with a tin roof and a beer garden. Think it can’t get any worse? Wrong! The barmaid at the venue isn’t expecting us and had no idea there were any bands tonight but was “happy for you guys to play anyway if you want?” – well we didn’t travel all this way not to play. So it’s Sunday night which is always gonna be quiet anyway, and there has been zero promotion, so what can we do? I decide a beer (or 3) is the only reasonable solution and shortly after I am pretty merry. Next time I pay any attention, the rest of Riot:Noise are up playing a blues jam that lasts for 30 minutes or so. It was pretty cool to sit back and watch the band play something unusual and Johnny jumps up to give a bit of harmonica accompaniment.
Now one thing we have learned over here is that you can build hardcore fans if you take time to interact with them. This is proven when two people that were at the Dallas show turn up with a bunch of friends to see us – and buy t-shirts AND bring us a bag full of sweets, chocolates, bread and other essentials. Awesome!
There is a small crowd by the time we kick into our first song, and we are on fire (even if I do say so myself) from start to finish. I would even go as far as to say that we play better than we have played all tour – something that Johnny reinforces later when he says “going on after Riot:Noise is like clearing up after a house party that you didn’t know was going to happen”. Myself and Freddie both join Johnny for some backing vocals and I think Ash might have popped up to sing too for a minute. When TM’s finish we get some shots in and meet and greet with the fans etc.
Next thing you know, Scott, Freddie and the TM guys are ready for a jam and start knocking out some classic Thin Lizzy covers. This leads to an hours worth of cover songs with all of us swapping around and having a blast. For an avid GNR fan I can openly admit that we were shit at It’s So Easy – but we had fun giving it a go.
Not sure what time the night came to an end, but when most people were climbing into their bunks Ash was climbing into a comfy motel bed with a young lady called Misty who had driven 400 miles to come see him (and the amazing Riot:Noise show) – and if that wasn’t enough to make everyone on the bus jealous, the fact that it meant he got a hot shower in the morning definitely was!
We have a couple of days until the next show in El Paso, but in the tour bus it is two days of driving. We are told to expect an early start and a busy day as we have needed new tires since Ft Worth. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…..
Marty:Riot
Sunday 27 January 2008
January 26th 2008 - San Antonio
Time to get back on the road to San Antonio. It’s another short drive and we’ve been told it’s a cool little venue so we’re all looking forward to it…. all of us apart from Scott who has a pretty bad cold and has been sick a few times. The road takes it’s toll on everyone at some point, and the hard part is trying to contain it in one person. Vitamin supplements, honey and lemon, some Chinese medicine stuff and anything else we can get our hands on to keep us healthy is welcomed.
It’s around 8pm when we arrive at the venue. It really is an old school punk bar (shit hole) and I for one can’t wait to tear it up. We are met by the promoter Richie who is the most glam looking man I have seen since the last poison video was released – leopard print spandex and pink gloves…… legend! He takes us back to his place ‘the glam cave’ for some food and drink that he has prepared. Where do you ever get that kind of treatment in the UK? Nowhere! Scott, Skee and I have time to get a quick shower and then it’s back to the venue. Not sure how much detail I should go into about the glam cave cause I don’t want parents and loved ones to worry about us – you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you we stayed away from the variety of substances on offer at this place and well away from the 17 year old girl who somehow tagged along and was so far out of it she may as well have been on another planet. This rock stuff is all becoming more clichéd that even we thought it could be. Brilliant.
Back at the venue we are introduced to more friends of Richie (who is still trying to get all of us including Dan to do shots with him) and soon it’s time to get on stage. It’s a small stage so it feels nice and intimate. We’re not sure how well we will be received as it is clearly a punk crowd – but this just makes us play more aggressively and get right up in their faces and it works because they all come to the front of the stage and rock out. It feels good and I think we play one of our best gigs of the tour. Scott lasts the whole set without puking which was good, and Freddie, who has been dead all day, comes to life as the music starts. It’s all over way to quickly. We get another chance to take the stage when Johnny invites us all up for an impromptu jam session – all except Dan who was hiding on the bus.
Time has flown by and it turns out we didn’t actually take the stage until after 12am – time is just never an issue here. We leave the bar around 3am and head straight to an Ihop pancake place to get some food. We all order full breakfasts and never stop to think that it is a bit strange to be eating breakfast before we go to bed….. I love this life!
Back to the bus and the bunks around 4:30am to get some sleep before we make the drive to Austin for our next gig. Today was another good gig in another great town on this string of Texas dates. Texas LOVES to rock. I have never experienced such positive feedback from people – even the venue owners are genuinely happy that we played for them – not the other way round like back in the UK where we are expected to be happy for being given the opportunity to play at someone’s venue. Here they appreciate that we are working musicians that are doing something for their venue – and that is very refreshing.
Marty:Riot
It’s around 8pm when we arrive at the venue. It really is an old school punk bar (shit hole) and I for one can’t wait to tear it up. We are met by the promoter Richie who is the most glam looking man I have seen since the last poison video was released – leopard print spandex and pink gloves…… legend! He takes us back to his place ‘the glam cave’ for some food and drink that he has prepared. Where do you ever get that kind of treatment in the UK? Nowhere! Scott, Skee and I have time to get a quick shower and then it’s back to the venue. Not sure how much detail I should go into about the glam cave cause I don’t want parents and loved ones to worry about us – you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you we stayed away from the variety of substances on offer at this place and well away from the 17 year old girl who somehow tagged along and was so far out of it she may as well have been on another planet. This rock stuff is all becoming more clichéd that even we thought it could be. Brilliant.
Back at the venue we are introduced to more friends of Richie (who is still trying to get all of us including Dan to do shots with him) and soon it’s time to get on stage. It’s a small stage so it feels nice and intimate. We’re not sure how well we will be received as it is clearly a punk crowd – but this just makes us play more aggressively and get right up in their faces and it works because they all come to the front of the stage and rock out. It feels good and I think we play one of our best gigs of the tour. Scott lasts the whole set without puking which was good, and Freddie, who has been dead all day, comes to life as the music starts. It’s all over way to quickly. We get another chance to take the stage when Johnny invites us all up for an impromptu jam session – all except Dan who was hiding on the bus.
Time has flown by and it turns out we didn’t actually take the stage until after 12am – time is just never an issue here. We leave the bar around 3am and head straight to an Ihop pancake place to get some food. We all order full breakfasts and never stop to think that it is a bit strange to be eating breakfast before we go to bed….. I love this life!
Back to the bus and the bunks around 4:30am to get some sleep before we make the drive to Austin for our next gig. Today was another good gig in another great town on this string of Texas dates. Texas LOVES to rock. I have never experienced such positive feedback from people – even the venue owners are genuinely happy that we played for them – not the other way round like back in the UK where we are expected to be happy for being given the opportunity to play at someone’s venue. Here they appreciate that we are working musicians that are doing something for their venue – and that is very refreshing.
Marty:Riot
25th January 2008 - Dallas
It was a nice short journey to Dallas from Ft.Worth, although when I say short it’s still as long as it would take us to drive to London from Bristol. We’re all pretty hanging so it’s mellow and subdued on the bus. The last two nights were pretty hardcore drinking sessions so we discuss having a quiet night after tonight’s gig – but that option is quashed when the Tattooed Millionaires inform us that we are partying tonight………. oh go on then!
We arrive at the venue pretty early and it’s not open so we grab a bite to eat in the burger place next door and then head to guitar centre to pick up some supplies. On the way back we all chip in some cash for a motel room to get hot showers – a welcome relief.
Back at the venue an hour or so later and we discover that the capacity of the place has been restricted to 50 because somebody got stabbed there last week……. interesting.
People start to arrive and notably a myspace friend of mine called Dennis has driven with his buddy for 10 hours to come see us play! 10 HOURS!!! I love this country! On top of that there are some ladies from the Texas street teams turning up and they are ready to party. I’m trying to take things easy, as is Scott who is feeling particularly rough. Unfortunately the crowd of people have different ideas and we are being bought bottles and shots all the time – we wouldn’t wanna offend people by refusing, that would just be rude of us.
We played a great gig tonight. Everyone was in the zone and playing hard for the people that had made an effort to be there. One thing that I love here is that people actually like to stand at the front for the duration of the set and it really makes us step it up a notch.
TM’s also play a rocking set and before you know it we are jumping in the bus to go and party. This is where the interesting evening begins…..
Our destination is The Clubhouse – which is a fully nude strip joint owned by Vinnie Paul (those into music will know that’s pretty cool). This place isn’t some shady backstreet lap dancing venue, it’s full of gorgeous women……. Hello! When we arrive we have nowhere to sit and are stood around like average Joe’s – that is not how we roll!!! Two phonecalls later, one of them to Mr Vinnie Paul himself and we are escorted to Vinnies table which he has said is ours for the night. Rock N Roll enough for you?
The vodka is flowing heavily and there are already a couple of casualties, namely one of the young ladies that came with us (who is later thrown out) and Mr Freddie Riot who is close to the end!!! We are the last people to leave and then things get weird!!!!
Some people roll back onto the bus, some people go in search of a late night drinking spot. Ash ends up back at a strippers house and by all accounts had a very good time – and a hot shower in the morning. Freddie and I go to another bar to meet a couple of people we were hanging out with earlier. It’s actually a techno bar. It all seems a bit strange here, and the blokes in the place are a bit hostile towards us – especially when Freddie starts dancing in the middle of a group of 6 HUGE black guys in vests. At the same time I get on the dancefloor and get my groove on and every time I get near to a girl in there (JUST DANCING!) I get given verbal abuse from all the men. This is not my kind of place and clearly Freddie is bored cause he is passed out on his back in the middle of the floor and I have to punch him as hard as I can in the stomach just to get him alert for a second. Time to leave! We manage to score a lift from one of the security guys who wanted to help out some rockstars. What we find out in the morning is that we had been partying in a gay club and everything just slides into place.
We get back to the bus at 7am and after a feeble attempt to scavange food from somewhere, retire to our bunks.
Tomorrow we head to San Antonio.
Marty:Riot
We arrive at the venue pretty early and it’s not open so we grab a bite to eat in the burger place next door and then head to guitar centre to pick up some supplies. On the way back we all chip in some cash for a motel room to get hot showers – a welcome relief.
Back at the venue an hour or so later and we discover that the capacity of the place has been restricted to 50 because somebody got stabbed there last week……. interesting.
People start to arrive and notably a myspace friend of mine called Dennis has driven with his buddy for 10 hours to come see us play! 10 HOURS!!! I love this country! On top of that there are some ladies from the Texas street teams turning up and they are ready to party. I’m trying to take things easy, as is Scott who is feeling particularly rough. Unfortunately the crowd of people have different ideas and we are being bought bottles and shots all the time – we wouldn’t wanna offend people by refusing, that would just be rude of us.
We played a great gig tonight. Everyone was in the zone and playing hard for the people that had made an effort to be there. One thing that I love here is that people actually like to stand at the front for the duration of the set and it really makes us step it up a notch.
TM’s also play a rocking set and before you know it we are jumping in the bus to go and party. This is where the interesting evening begins…..
Our destination is The Clubhouse – which is a fully nude strip joint owned by Vinnie Paul (those into music will know that’s pretty cool). This place isn’t some shady backstreet lap dancing venue, it’s full of gorgeous women……. Hello! When we arrive we have nowhere to sit and are stood around like average Joe’s – that is not how we roll!!! Two phonecalls later, one of them to Mr Vinnie Paul himself and we are escorted to Vinnies table which he has said is ours for the night. Rock N Roll enough for you?
The vodka is flowing heavily and there are already a couple of casualties, namely one of the young ladies that came with us (who is later thrown out) and Mr Freddie Riot who is close to the end!!! We are the last people to leave and then things get weird!!!!
Some people roll back onto the bus, some people go in search of a late night drinking spot. Ash ends up back at a strippers house and by all accounts had a very good time – and a hot shower in the morning. Freddie and I go to another bar to meet a couple of people we were hanging out with earlier. It’s actually a techno bar. It all seems a bit strange here, and the blokes in the place are a bit hostile towards us – especially when Freddie starts dancing in the middle of a group of 6 HUGE black guys in vests. At the same time I get on the dancefloor and get my groove on and every time I get near to a girl in there (JUST DANCING!) I get given verbal abuse from all the men. This is not my kind of place and clearly Freddie is bored cause he is passed out on his back in the middle of the floor and I have to punch him as hard as I can in the stomach just to get him alert for a second. Time to leave! We manage to score a lift from one of the security guys who wanted to help out some rockstars. What we find out in the morning is that we had been partying in a gay club and everything just slides into place.
We get back to the bus at 7am and after a feeble attempt to scavange food from somewhere, retire to our bunks.
Tomorrow we head to San Antonio.
Marty:Riot
Friday 25 January 2008
January 24th - Rockstar Bar Ft.Worth
Not much time so can't do you a full blog. We were already acquainted with the venue after last night so it felt like home. 4 bands on the bill - the two local acts were...... well we're not ones to slag off another band - but when the second band said they'd only been playing together a month, it explained a few things.
We take the stage at around 11:30pm and we rock hard. It's a small but enthusiastic crowd and the Texans just love live rock music. Their enthusiasm makes us pick up the performance a notch and Johnny is wandering around winding the crowd up. We throw out the Sex Pistols cover again and they love it - one guy even jumps on stage to join Johnny and I for the chorus and we have one of the young 'dancers' up on stage for Never Wrong too. Nice.
We take the stage at around 11:30pm and we rock hard. It's a small but enthusiastic crowd and the Texans just love live rock music. Their enthusiasm makes us pick up the performance a notch and Johnny is wandering around winding the crowd up. We throw out the Sex Pistols cover again and they love it - one guy even jumps on stage to join Johnny and I for the chorus and we have one of the young 'dancers' up on stage for Never Wrong too. Nice.
TM's start like an angry mob at a football game. He performs better when he's pissed off and as the set moves on he comes alive and is like Iggy Pop in his hey day. The set is a success for all. Now it's time to party.
The party ends at 4am and I head to the bunk. I wont go into graphic details about what happened back at the bus - but the casbah was rocked by some. It's a hard life this life of music.
So here's some pics from the night.
Thursday 24 January 2008
January 23rd - THIS IS SPINAL TAP!!!!
Following on from yesterday we hit the road from Amarillo for our next 6 hour journey. It's still very cold and the I wish I could put into words just how cold it gets at the front of the bus - put it this way, when we arrived in Amarillo Skeet's feet were so cold that when he put them infront of the heater there was steam coming off of them. It is THAT cold!
So we roll on for a few hours. When you get to this point in tour you really do have no concept of time or day. Everyone sleeps at different times so we are rarely all at the front of the bus. We also take turns to go down and sit with Skeet so that he doesn't die of boredom.
Around 4 hours into the journey we stop in a small town called Clarendon. It's real cowboy town. The buildings are old and worn down and look like a wild west film set. We are all amazed that this kind of place exists. There is a small steakhouse where we go to get some food - we all need a good meal after the last couple of days.
Towns like this rarely see people dressed like us. Rarer still is a bunch of guys like us rolling into town in a 40ft turquoise tour bus!!! Heads turn on the street and as we enter the steak house. I'll keep this short. We get a good meal inside us and the waitresses want our autographs and signed posters and pictures taken - and this is not a one off, it happens every time we go to an RV park or a gas station. It feels good. We are rockstars. We have a good bit of banter with the owner and Johnny tries to get a set of the cattle horns but the owner wants one of our leather jackets in return - that aint gonna happen. But we leave them CD's, posters and photos. Unfortunately we can't convince the waitress to "have a look at our bus" - but you win some you lose some.
Heres a pic from the steak house
and a posed one cause we think it's cool!
Back on the road again and we only have a couple of hours until we get to Ft.Worth so we call ahead to the venue and tell them we are a day early and to expect us. What is so great about touring in the US is that people are actually NICE! They are genuinely excited that we will be there to have a few 'quiet' drinks. When we arrive they let us plug the bus in so that we have power. Before we can even check the venue out, Scott gets the drinking underway with a relaxing bottle of beer. What comes next could be disturbing for some..... but entertaining for sure!!!
We shoot some pool and play arcade games for a while. Scott takes pride in telling the whole bar how proud he is to wear the British Bulldog on his chest as us Brits beat the Americans 5-0 at pool. At the same time the drinks are flowing steadily and are followed every time with shots of sambucca and jaegermeister. It is a bad combo and soon Scott is wobbling around. I'm not saying that we weren't all a bit pissed - but we are on the verge of a problem. Add this to the fact that this place is full of big metal head Texans and you never know what might happen.
A side note....... throughout the evening we are all amused at the vertically challenged lady that is shooting pool. Okay she wasn't just vertically challenged, she is a midget and can't even see over the pool table. Brilliant.
A side note....... throughout the evening we are all amused at the vertically challenged lady that is shooting pool. Okay she wasn't just vertically challenged, she is a midget and can't even see over the pool table. Brilliant.
Anyway, back to the fun. Scott has now been missing for about an hour and we think he is in the bus asleep - WRONG! He is in the toilet unconscious surronded by his own vomit and sh*t. On top of that he is wearing my t-shirt that I let him borrow and it is saturated!!!! We take some video footage of him trying to stand whilst Freddie pours beer and soap on his head - Scott is oblivious. We leave him there for a while.
Back out in the bar, our 3.5ft friend is now up on the tables poledancing. It is a very bizarre sight - even more so when Freddie jumps onboard and gyrates with her. I'm not sure whether it's funny, scary or a dream - but what Freddie thought would be a laugh clearly isn't when her ass lands on his face! Her friends eventually drag her away and get her dressed again.
So far we've had drunken tomfoolery, a midget and a rock band...... could there be more? You'd better believe it!
Skeet gets Scott into his bunk somehow. I wouldn't have touched him myself cause he was covered in his own mess. Fair play to the man, he is not only a bus driver, but a nanny.
The bar closes at 2am but then it's time for a lock in. The curtains are drawn, the doors shut and the pitchers of beer put on the table. A mexican 'lady' called Theresa is now joining the party and wants some fun. Now how the conversation turned to spanking with studded belts I have no idea - but it does and before you know it we are taking it in turns to drop our jeans and underwear (those that have any on) and take a beating on the ass with a studded belt. It hurts like hell! Freddie LOVES it. In fact, Freddie volunteers himself for several more lashings. I am shocked - deeply shocked at how this young man has taken to the submissive slave role so quickly and enthusiasticly.... you learn a lot of new things about you friends when you are tour. I'm not sure I want to learn much more.
I have no idea what time I hit my bunk, but others stayed up. I think the Tattooed Millionaires are starting to find out just what they let themselves in for when they invited 4 English guys and a Scott on tour with them. Fun times ahead.
The video footage will be appearing soon, but for now here are some piccies...
Marty:Riot
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