Home Stretch

It was about 8 p.m. when we were passing through a random town somewhere in western Montana. We were thinking of getting dinner as we drove by a good selection of restaurants but we weren't quite hungry yet and we decided to wait until the next town to eat. Little did we know that we wouldn't come across anything but open prairie for the next six hours. . . so when we got to Bismarck, North Dakota, the soft yellow glow of the Denny’s sign felt particularly welcoming at 2:30 a.m.

The next day in Minneapolis, we got so excited to see city lights after hundreds of miles of darkness that we took a gamble on what locals were calling “the best pizza in Minnesota” and wound up feeling homesick for authentic east coast pie. The gig that night was at Lee’s Liquor Lounge, which is an awesome nostalgic country music bar with a shrine to Elvis on the wall, an old lady sewing in the corner, and Chuck Berry as the house music. Although the couch surfer we were staying with claimed to have acquired his house for free (it needed work and he knew how to take advantage of some government program), it was a great little place and he made us feel at home.

Compared to the previous couple of days, the drive to Chicago was a breeze and we ended up staying at Semaphore studio where we recorded our new album. There was some issue with the couch surfer we planned to stay with and when we met up with Eric, the engineer who did our album, he offered us to stay in the studio. As if things weren’t ironic enough, Owen ends up finding us a couch surfer to stay with the following night named Andre who Eric happens to know from work. We ended up getting comp drink tickets from the club where Andre works and became captivated by the movie Snakes on a Plane, which was being projected above the bar with the sound off. Back at Andre’s apartment we had to maneuver around his various art projects and homemade furniture but once we got settled, he had us in stitches with a hilarious obscure comedy show he found on YouTube.

In Pittsburgh, we stayed with a tight-knit house of film students who cooked us some kick ass ribs and potatoes for dinner and afterward, shared their hookah and one of their favorite films, Natural Born Killers. The next day we spent hanging out at one of the couch surfers’ uncle’s house, which was a state-of-the-art custom-built villa perched on a hillside overlooking downtown Pittsburgh. We had a great time playing pool next to the fireplace, perusing the impressive wine seller, and admiring the view from the ballroom floor. All this put us into a relaxed mood for the last show of the tour and we were happy to get to play for some people at Ava Lounge.

Now, we’re back home after an amazing trip. Come check us out this weekend! We’re playing at the Arthouse in New Brunswick this Friday at 7 p.m. and on Sunday we’re going to be part of an all-day benefit show for Yoko Ono at the Brooklyn Bowl in NY, starting at noon. More info at www.liketrainsandtaxis.com

Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated the two-year anniversary of the current lineup of Like Trains & Taxis. Although completely unintentional, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than by setting two band records. The first was playing a show in Seattle, which is the farthest from home we've ever played—and the second was playing our eighth consecutive show, which is the most shows we've ever done back to back. I think of these coincidences as an auspicious sign of what's in store and, as we start to head east, I am reminded of how lucky we've been so far.

The people we stayed with in Scottsdale, AZ took us to dinner at the restaurant where one of them works and we were treated to nachos, mixed shots, and an audacious pink tower of cotton candy. The two lovely girls came out to support us at our show and even made breakfast in the morning.

We met up with some old friends at our show in Long Beach, CA and in L.A. we rode beach cruiser bikes alongside the Pacific while admiring shorefront houses with their enormous tinted picture windows and stylish outdoor patios. After a breathtaking drive north through the mountains and vast windmill farms, we arrived in Berkeley to give an intimate show at a local student's house / D.I.Y. venue. Playing in his living room for a handful of attentive listeners sitting just an arm's length away reminded me of what music must have been like before it was turned into a billion dollar industry.

The next morning, we left early to tackle the ten hour drive to Portland where we played two shows in the same night. Now, without a moment to digest the whirlwind of recent activity, we press on toward Minneapolis. It won't be long now...

Pass here and move on . . .

I just listened to the Simon and Garfunkel song "America" so I'm feeling the spirit of cross country travel and I figured I'd take a moment to catch you up on the past few days. The people we stayed with in Lafayette were super cool and they gave us a good taste of the local flavor by getting us fried shrip po' boys for dinner and syrup drenched buiscuits for breakfast. We talked about creole traditions like chicken chasing and about the french music festivals they have in town. Learning the difference between cajun music and zydeco music was only a matter of listening to the sounds floating in the air. Fast forward to Austin where we enjoyed some authentic bbq the first night and the best blackened catfish and collard greens in recent memory the second night. In between, we took a peak into the local indie music scene and followed some friends to a raucous high energy show at a local record store. Later we ened up at somebody's house, drinking mexican beer and watching people dance to Creedence and Steely Dan in the soft glow of Christmas lights strung along the cieling. Last night, our couch surfing host in Las Cruces, New Mexico took us for a hike to a waterfall in the surrounding mountains and the stars were so bright that we felt we could reach up and touch them. As I write this we're driving through the badlands of New Mexico on our way to a show in Scottsdale and I'm reminded of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by the dusty ramshackle roadside towns and the rugged mountain terrain all around us. Full speed ahead.

Pollifax

A few weeks back we played a few songs for Pollifax's "The Wanderer Sessions." I love what Christine and Kevin are doing and we had a great time hanging out with them that night.

Check it out:

[Pollifax] Like Trains & Taxis "Day Wrecker"
by Pollifax

[Pollifax] Like Trains & Taxis "Cold Shoulder"
by Pollifax

[Pollifax] Like Trains & Taxis "Girls, Be Mysterious"
by Pollifax

In their own words:

pollifax is an online publication founded by christine tran and kevin olitan to feature the creative works of artists in its home community of new brunswick, new jersey. the publication would like to create a space for which to showcase the creative talents of the town's artists, writers, and musicians. amidst issues of finding and keeping proper spaces for artists, the founders created the site as a medium for local talent to be showcased to the world; a medium that is completely immune from the threat of being turned into a pizzeria.

http://www.vajrtennis.com/pollifax/

What a Day...

So I was going to complain about all the bullshit we had to go through to get the minivan we reserved for the tour and the late start we got because of it; but after the 12 hour drive to get us within striking distance of New Orleans (where we'll be playing later this evening), I actually feel pretty damn good. It's beyond cliche, but you can't sweat the small stuff, and at the end of the day, we should be grateful for the opportunity to travel around the country doing what we love, regardless of the hassles and set backs that go along with it.

Anyway, cheers to Lillyan and all the folks over at Princess Palace for hosting a fun show on Sunday night. Hope to do it again sometime.

If you're in the New Orleans area, we'll be playing at Cafe Prytania. Show starts at 9pm.

Here's a link to an interview we did for The Rapt Magazine:
http://www.theraptmagazine.com/component/content/article/38-featuresmusic/166-like-trains-a-taxis.html

Check it out when you get the chance.

Fall Tour!

Well, it's that time again. We'll be hitting the road in a few days for a string of shows that will take us out to the west coast for the first time. Things kick off this Sunday in New Brunswick. Dates are listed below:

11/1 Princess Palace - New Brunswick, NJ
11/3 Cafe Prytania - New Orleans, LA
11/4 Artmosphere - Lafayette, LA
11/5 Bohemeo's - Houston, TX
11/6 tba - Austin TX
11/7 Ghost Room - Austin, TX
11/9 The Rogue Bar - Scottsdale, AZ
11/10 Dipiazza's - Long Beach, CA
11/11 Molly Malone's - Los Angeles, CA
11/12 The Carpentry - Berkeley, CA
11/13 Rockit Room - San Francisco, CA
11/14 tba - Portland, OR
11/15 Skylark Cafe & Lounge - Seattle, WA
11/17 Lee's Liquor Lounge - Minneapolis, MN
11/18 Martyrs' - Chicago, IL
11/21 Shadow Lounge - Pittsburgh, PA

For more details you can visit our myspace page here:

http://www.myspace.com/liketrainsandtaxis

Still working on filling in a few gaps, as well as finalizing the details for the tba dates, so check in for the most up to date info. We plan to do our best to catalog our experiences traveling across (more accurately around) the country on this blog, but you know how those things can go.

If you or someone you know is in or around the places we'll be stopping, come out and say hello!

A damn good show...

Great show tonight at the Saint in Asbury Park, NJ.

Elizabeth and the Catapult
Christina Courtin
Paul Rosevear (from Readymade Breakup)

and us!

Doors at 9pm.

Oh, and check out a discussion about our latest EP here:

http://jerseyshore.metromix.com/music/article/cd-review-like-trains/1550650/content

Indie Soul and Nu Jazz Tonight in Trenton

We were asked to play a set with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey at The Mill Hill Saloon in Trenton later tonight. The show actually starts at 7pm with a cool opening act. We'll be playing around 9pm.

Philly Fashion Week!

We'll be playing at the philly fashion week opening night party. If you're in the area, come out!

Charlie EP available for download now!

Our latest release, the "Charlie EP," is available today on CD Baby!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/ltataxis2
It will also be available on iTunes and other Internet outlets in the coming days.

New York City

This will be our first NYC show in quite some time and it should be a good one. We need all the NYC support we can get so if you're around come out to this one.

Breakthrough Arts Fest!

We helped kick things off Saturday night, and as you can see, there's plenty more to come.

The Making of our New Album

Tonight!

We'll be playing at this evening's kickoff event, which takes place at Tierney's Tavern. Doors at 9pm.

Twitter

So we've broken down and joined twitter. You can follow us at www.twitter.com/trainsandtaxis.

Yes!?!?

Late Night/Early Morning Hilarity

Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics To Find Cause Of Dorm Fire

The Lab

So for the last couple of days (and for the next two weeks) we've been/will be in Chicago at Semaphore Recording Studio with Derrick "Drop" Braxton (Lupe Fiasco) working on our first full length record, which should be out this fall.

We'll have pictures and more updates in the coming days.

Also, we're now being spun on KGFN 89.1 in San Diego, CA, WRPI 91.5 in Troy, NY,  and KSYM in San Antonio, TX.  If you happen to live in these areas be sure to call in and request us!

Chapter 3: Austin / SXSW, New Orleans, Charleston, Charlotte

WXVU-Villanova University Radio

We've been added to the rotation at 89.1 WXVU, which is Villanova University's radio station in Pennsylvania.

If you pick up WXVU, be sure to call in and request us!

610-519-4340

www.wxvufm.com

Chapter 2: Denton, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio

The Mikerophone

Being a musician on tour is like hearing a laugh in the distance . . . you’re not sure what it means, but it definitely makes you feel good.

There’s nothing like staying in a different house every night with people you’ve never met before and probably will never meet again. There’s nothing like driving into a new place and seeing its profile appear like magic out of the horizon. There’s nothing like staying up too late, eating too little, and sweating too much over creating an occasion for celebrating art. There’s nothing like being out on the road, so how does one begin to give a sense of it—to share the experience with others?

So far, I’ve stayed with seekers of social justice at a hippie commune, I’ve discussed the bible with native Texans who attend a Baptist college, I’ve eaten Memphis Barbecue, I’ve seen where Kennedy was shot in Dallas, I’ve met a man who thought his ancestors were descended from Atlantis, and I’ve remembered the Alamo. Somewhere along the way I also learned about this country and myself and, hopefully, I left something of myself behind worth remembering.

With a lot more left to look forward to, I want to take advantage of every opportunity and savor every moment.

-Mike

Chapter 1: Columbus, Bloomington, and Memphis