Baywatch, sirens of police...

It's been a while since i've updated the blog... What I remember about the road from Isla Vista to Santa Cruz was that I got to annoy everyone in the van, yelling at people in the car, yelling at a girl going for jogging, maybe i was still drunk or what? I guess that was when we went through those crazy forests with trees large as something very large...

We got pretty early in Santa Cruz, so we decided to go for a Pizza... Kind of place with a sandwich board woman to promote the lowest price of that pizza restaurant... After getting the pizzas we we went on the beach, perferct, huge beach, with baywatchers, police cars, kids playing football, others making big sand castle, like in the movies... Something came to us: the ethnicity... I mean it seems that people don't mix each other, it was like a group of white kids, then asian then black and so on... It just a fact...

So we ate the Pizza, took some pictures and then left, but at that time 4 pick-ups appeared with sirens and lights, cops jumped on the sand and encircled some kids that were drinking beers i guess, such a demonstration!

Let's go to the skate park, unveiled by Arnold himself... ok high standard skateboarders, it was like getting a lesson for most of us, even if i don't skateboard at all...

We started to feel that we were in USA, for real and a ice cream truck came, woohoo!

After that it was time for us to go to the bike church!

It's all about moufette

Then time to play came... First band played something between punk and trash metal, it was people of the house band, good. 2 people showed up but it was omekind of last minute show and there was other parties somewhere else i think, does not matter some of the neighbourhood came also... We played. For the second time i watched my friends doing it, it was fun... The funnier was Pierre talking English!!! Perfect French from the Franche Comté accent with a bit of slang he learnt from i don't know where... It was awesome that night!

Then Maladie played and it rocked, just rocked perfectly as something could be rocked, I totally remember they were so much into it, they played as if their lives depended on it or on something that was in the air, maybe dog's hair... Serious it was just impressive, suddenly something happened that night in this house, four kids just so pissed, just so impatient, just so tired, maybe the perfect combination for them!

After that nothing remained alive in Isla Vista, I opened the front door and i saw nothing out, just darkness and an army of dead bodies floating in nothingness, I thought our life would be this house now and there was no burrito left, we almost drank all the beers... But fortunatly appeared from the depth of the mess (was the van) with a bottle of pastis, Nicolas found some beers forgotten in the van or on the porch... Let's do it, let's party like Americans, and Pierre is in a very good slang English mood tonight... But then people left, they were 5! And we just played dance music! Serious it was a good night... We were hungry and we were told of a burrito place in town... And on our way we met a skunk!!! searching for food in the middle of street, then hiding behind cars, the skunk almost sprayed me but then I think he or she saw the confidence in my drunk eyes...

I slept in the van with efren that night... And I felt that my eye got better...

We kinda had shower in the garden before leaving, we read a sports magazine with our feet cause Tito and I were too tired to bend over and grab it... We saw many people going in and out from houses to houses, bikes and fancy cars, front porch with lights on all night long, I suddenly got excited... And Santa Cruz was next!

How the burritos curse began

Clément just started a tour report with pictures, so i'm done with pictures and you can check them out here.

Many cars got towed yesterday night in riverside, actually they have private towing companies and their goal is to make huge benefit, I might have seen towing car passing by soething like 6 times during the night... No comment.

We forgot about the idea of going to the record store cause being stuck in traffic in L.A. is something no one would like to experience!

The heat is still, and there is no other way than endeavour it! We're driving through the desert, passing by big trucks, huge pick ups carrying more huge caravans, huge camping cars carrying cars!! Just think about the gas it represents... And there you don't buy a liter of gas but gallons!

We stopped by gas station that plays M. Jackson music videos... Laaame, it's all about Bamby at that time! We all got snacks and sugar drinks, we're even asked where we're from... and then we're going by seaside, beautiful... Forest and then the coast and then suddenly the fog and it's cold!!! We're told it's because of the Gulf stream and the mountains... We're slowly reaching Santa Barbara, actually Isla Vista which is like a campus town for Santa Barbara... Easy most of the people living here are students so it looks like a huge summer camp, or community... This is a house show and we found the house quite easily, a crusty house in a summer camp, a collective vegetables garden and a hip hop dude with a chihuahua, that's awesome!

While people from the house are moving out furnitures ans stuff we go to the food cop... Damn this is like being a hippy but cool at the same regarding the tons of vegan stuff you can get there! Outside you can get clothes for free... Tito found a very acceptable pair of vans of his size!

There was also a Christian Death shirt and i could certify for sure it belonged before to someone from the Pink Mailbox(that's the name of the house we're playing tonight)!

Once we're back there some started to cook burritos, again... Thanks to Nicolas and I we got beers!

I started to chat with René , about love and other relationships but dealing with feelings, about being involved in a couple and how it can affect our sexuality, the importance sex can have into that relationship... The idea of the ideal, which could be basis of norms for relationships... At that time others were skateboarding: there was a little ramp haha!

Los Angeles

From San diego to Los Angeles we mostly went through what is desert for us! I think i've never experienced such a heat!

The dirve went good, and my eye started to bleed so it got less fat!

The city of Los Angeles is big, but we did not get lost and found the Boulevard Café easily... sort of a good venue, like a club, a big stage, we're asked to show ID...

I decide not to play tonight, some friends try to learn lyrics but it's a bit hard in one hour...

Rogue State starts first, still very good! Then it's like a joke, something like 5 times the same band with same members... sometimes it's hard to wait... Fortunatly Gwen and Caro show up, they're on vacation on West Coast, so much fun! And they got their car towed!!

So it's our turn and i'm watching my band playing, strange! The sound is awful but people seem to like it!

Then maladie played two songs cause no more time for tonight!! End of the joke!

Thanks to my eye i got respect from gangsta like bartenders!

We go to Brent's house, there they cooked us burritos, we can enjoy weed american style or play dominos, i decide to read a book and I would kill for a beer!

We're not really in LA, we're in Riverside and night is cool till a huge guy appears, he seems to be very drunk! We're on the porch and then he yells at us asking for a party

and he knocks at the door... Actually he's a friend of Brent!

Too much for me i go back to my book and everyone seems to fall asleep!

I woke up early so i enjoy the bathroom and left some blood there, terrific!

I can't remember if we had breakfast or not, we're planning to go in a record store!

Hugs and we're back in the van, direction Santa Barbara!

We got lost leaving LA, damn this city is huge!

Da grand SATAN

We're just 7 in the van and it has 8 seats, I seat in the front and i start to feel this luxury... We're on the way to San Diego and the others would join us there, cause some have family and relationships must as we're leaving for a 18 days tour... Thinking about it, I must confess that I really needed to leave my everyday life...

We're getting closed to the border and we're stocked in the traffic but it's better than expected and Mexican border has sort of fiesta air... There are many souvenirs sellers, and they have some unexpected stuff as big wooden turtles, or huge christian crosses and else, we just got some fresh watermelon! Then Nicolas wanna buy one of those small ridiculous acoustic guitars, i started to deal with one guy, Nicolas gave a try to the guitar but found it not good, and i had to explain that to the seller... I got nervous, haha!

Passport checking, then car scan, then everyone out of the van, stand here, don't move, dog and soldiers, there a kind of problem... this border is a problem, i did not understand everything at that time, but i guess that Isaac would have to pay some extra fees for the backline we should have declared, or something like that...

We stopped after the border to change money... that was boring!

Then we stopped in a music store... wow looks like a mecca for any musicians, but well ok it's just tons of guitars and amps and other shits, but the funny story is that one of the seller wanna buy us a LP and promise to show up tonight at the concert! Of course he did not show up!

Ok Ché Café... Should have been legendary, but i don't know i feel awkward there, i don't if it's the intellect or my eye, or maybe the fact that there is no beer or even no food, despise the big size kitchen they have there!

We played ok, Rogue state was like hell on earth that destroyed it all... I guess my eye got worse and we have to pack and say goodbies to our new mexican friends...

Then guess what we drove till a music store, actually Nick, who put the show up, works there! Cool place and Pierre is deeply looking for "his heeero ist gooone" and lamp wreeest" records, good for him he got some... I started to buy a lot of records there!

After that, guess what... we went to eat a burrito, ridiculously big, Nicolas and Romain took one with rice, beans and potatoes plus the hot salsa sauce i guess it was way too much for their stomach!

Then we got to Nick's place, nice suburbs of San Diego, nice house with a garden and tons of dvd and records... Some played video games, some were not, i chose the front porch and enjoyed my first Bud in America! That time with my swollen eyes i felt like an American!

I woke pretty early in the morning, so i took time to have a shower and my eye looks better... hours later when everyone woke up my eye was almost totally closed, we call Nick's mother, she's a nurse and she told the worst story ever... "you'd better go and see a doctor or to the hospital, that's the eye it could get infected, you could lost it, do you have headache, did you lost consciousness"! Good for me no headache and i'm awake... Nick gave me a super cream to put on my eye and we decide to check for a clinic or something in Los Angeles if it does not get better...

So back in the van again!

Julio César Chavez

Morning, shower and fat eye... A bit stressed, but it's a beautiful day and today we play in San Diego Ché Café!

I'm willing for a tea and Isaac saves me!

I go out with Romain and we're having some shot session, it's funny... But Fernando suggest i might get drained cause my eye is very big and I don't want to travel with a eye big like this now, and it's very hot today... But right now it's pancakes time, There is a Mikey pancake and a sort of Batman... But i have to go at Fernando's dad to check about my eye... There we decide to drain it so we go back to his office! We have to wait cause there are some patients, cool i can see Tijuana almost downtown, let's walk through some blocks and then go back to the office... Tijuana is a place i'd like to visit again and I'd like to get lost in this city despite its reputation... It's like walking through a fiesta, it's again question of yellow, green or pink houses and blue building, a smell of burrito at some corners and salsa mix down the streets, bug cars and klaxons song and then metal and blue bus some customised so that they don't look like city bus anymore! Suddenly you can see a big mexican flag but very big just in front of the mountains, the desertic ones... Fernando tells me that years ago someone did burn the flag as a rebellion act, no one knows who did it, and authorities were very much pissed off! That's a story i did like!

Back in the office i can still feel the heat from the street and the TV is on... Fernando told me about ghost stories that sound real, wow i get a bit creepy and i told him about my sleeping paralysis, so we come to the point that ghost stories may have something to do with this sleeping trouble but for the moment we won't go to any abandonned house!

The tv is on and there is a sort of breaking news... A cop and two pedestrians were shot down today... We talked about that yesterday night with Sergio and Allie, Tijuana is a city that has a very violent side, but this is when they hear about nothing that it's serious... Of course people killed is serious, but when it's very big the media does not report it... After that news there is some video shooting of the border and there is a lot of people today, that is not very good news!

Well it's my turn I lay down again on the table! Anaesthesia, a small one and my eye is drained, very black blood!

It now looks better and we can go back the house where everyone is waiting for us... I got a ice stick on the way, reminds me the days i was a kid, it's very good! And I can put it on my eye!

I again feel very thankful towards Fernando's dad that's why I gave him a shirt, I hope one day he'll work with the shirt!

Ok we can now take the road to the border, but we must before stop at Fernando's parents', a quick stop and his mom cooked delicious burrito for us! That's very nice! 

Waving goodbyes and tour is starting now! Vrooom vrooom!

The very first show...

So we get back to maladie's room to load the van... We quickly realise it gonna be overloaded! We try a sort of tetris but we know it gonna change tomorrow!

Driving to the venue, i just don't remember, but it was night already... We got there and there already were some people, i don't know if we're late or not, it seems not. There's stairs and we have to carry all the equipment, first round! Fortunatly we're a lot!

Let's set everything and wait, have bad jokes and meet new friends! Someone makes me taste tequila with raspberry or another berry, not bad!

Maladie will play first, it's ok i just can't wait to see them "live", floor show many friends it sounds like a plan! It's kind of good one, people start to get into, some know the lyrics, but they have to stop cause of schedule time, too bad i'd like to play more songs...

Then it's national disaster, a heavy crust band from Juarez. They have long slow parts and then it's d-beat, welldone but i must confess this is not my stuff, so i get out and talk with Sosa and René...

Now we must play, I'm a bit drunk and very excited, it's the first one, and there is much pressure we need to get out... I fall on Nicolas during intro and then it's very chaotic, wow it seems it gonna be difficult, Clément has problem with his amp or his pedal, so the beginning is a bit messy... But people are embracing very much à la cool!

We're running into it and at the end of the set: bad luck... I just hit Pierre's bass so bad, I immediatly feel it's warm and see the blood coming out and spreading on the floor... It's over and my eyebrow is cut very bad... I ask people to go to the hospital or somewhre cause I truly think I need stiches, so I get my friend on panic... FInally Sergio and Allie take me to see Sergio and Fernando's dad, he 's a medic... It's almost midnight but he took me to his office, there he put some glue on my wound, we have a bit fun and take pictures, I feel better and i don't know what to do to be thankful, I feel a bit awkward suggesting to pay for it cause i knew he would not charge me for that... So nice! We go back to the house...

We spend the night to talk each other, I know I should go to sleep but...

I remember shared a lot with Sergio and Allie... They have very much in common concerning job, studies or apprenticeship and it's nice, sometime i go to see them and it seems to be a nice talk... I go upstairs and then my eye starts to get fat wow it's like if i were passing out, where's the bathroom... I need to lay down, after Pierre looked after me I chose the bed for that night, and I know it's not gonna be a good one... Oh i must mention that Satie played while i was with medic daddy, so i missed their show...