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.