Down, But Not Out
To those that have inquired about what is going on and why so many shows have been getting canceled, I just wanted to let you know that I am not dead nor presently dying…
When we got home from touring at the end of August, I took a few days off, then played a solo show opening for Nada Surf. 2 days later, I woke up with the worst pain of my life, coming from my shoulder. An ER doctor came to my house (because I couldn't move) and shot me up with a cortisone injection, Dilaudid, and Valium. Nothing happened. The pain stayed the same. I was pinned to the floor with nothing but sheer pain in my shoulder. Next, they actually wheeled an X-ray machine into my living room and took images of my heart and lungs because they thought I could be having an aneurysm or a heart attack. Nothing there either. Turns out, I somehow slipped 2 discs in my neck. 2 evil discs, pressing on my spinal cord like it's a buzzer in a game show.
Awesome.
So, I've spent the past month trying to fight through this mess. Unfortunately, the pain has been radiating down my right arm like bolts of white-hot electricity and I have lost feeling in a few fingers. My hope is that this will go away soon and those pudgy little discs will scamper back in between the vertebrae from which they used to so snuggly fit. Until then, I need to take it easy and wait for the storm to pass. For those of you that were coming to see us play in September and October, I'm very sorry we had to cancel. And for those of you that had unfettered faith in the free market, I'm sorry about the current state of your portfolio.
On the brighter side, there have been some good things that have come my way in the past couple of weeks. I've been reading the Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon. It makes me want to become a Jewish anarchist (I'm already half way there). I saw Jose Gonzales at Yoshi's in Oakland. Hands down one of the best performers I've seen in years. If he comes to your town, don't be dumb and miss it. The new Deerhunter record is a broken ambient thrill machine. Obama is up up up in the polls. And tonight, just before I went to bed, I turned on the TV and watched Jenny Lewis sing on Conan. Oh, Jenny Lewis. A voice that could launch 1,000 ships…
Zach
3 months ago by Zach
To those that have inquired about what is going on and why so many shows have been getting canceled, I just wanted to let you know that I am not dead nor presently dying… When we got home from touring at the end of August, I took a few days off, then played a solo show opening for Nada Surf. 2 days later, I woke up with the worst pain of my life, coming from my shoulder. An ER doctor came to my house (because I couldn't move) and shot me up with a cortisone injection, Dilaudid, and Valium. Nothing happened. The pain stayed the same. I was pinned to the floor with nothing but sheer pain in my shoulder. Next, they actually wheeled an X-ray machine into my living room and took images of my heart and lungs because they thought I could be having an aneurysm or a heart attack. Nothing there either. Turns out, I somehow slipped 2 discs in my neck. 2 evil discs, pressing on my spinal cord like it's a buzzer in a game show.
Awesome.
So, I've spent the past month trying to fight through this mess. Unfortunately, the pain has been radiating down my right arm like bolts of white-hot electricity and I have lost feeling in a few fingers. My hope is that this will go away soon and those pudgy little discs will scamper back in between the vertebrae from which they used to so snuggly fit. Until then, I need to take it easy and wait for the storm to pass. For those of you that were coming to see us play in September and October, I'm very sorry we had to cancel. And for those of you that had unfettered faith in the free market, I'm sorry about the current state of your portfolio.
On the brighter side, there have been some good things that have come my way in the past couple of weeks. I've been reading the Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon. It makes me want to become a Jewish anarchist (I'm already half way there). I saw Jose Gonzales at Yoshi's in Oakland. Hands down one of the best performers I've seen in years. If he comes to your town, don't be dumb and miss it. The new Deerhunter record is a broken ambient thrill machine. Obama is up up up in the polls. And tonight, just before I went to bed, I turned on the TV and watched Jenny Lewis sing on Conan. Oh, Jenny Lewis. A voice that could launch 1,000 ships…
Zach
3 months ago by Zach
::wheels will roll::
so we are now about half-way through our tour with death cab for cutie. i am sitting in our bus at the merriweather pavillion, just outside of washington DC.
we have been feeing the whirlwind of global warming, political turmoil, synaptic firing and mis-firing and the constant reminder that we are the late bloomer, the perpetual underachiever, the long-lost step cousin.
in short, we have been an "opening band".
to be honest, the shows we headlined in europe in may were not always that well-attended. there was one show we played in birmingham, england in which only a few souls showed up. however, our record was not even released yet in england, so what else can you expect? the record just came out there, so next time we are there we will see what is what. sometimes though, you can feel the strong current of the powers that be holding you back. let us do some general math, shall we: at present, most euro currency is close to 2:1 to US currency, fuel prices are skyrocketing, airlines charge $50-$75 for every extra piece of luggage and sometimes $150 for every piece of luggage over 50 lbs (think of how much luggage/gear a band needs to bring), and guarantees for bands in venues has stayed the same. something does not add up here. how is this sustainable?
so now we return to the relative present. we kicked off the tour with death cab at the sasquatch festival. we were playing a late afternoon time slot, just before the illustrious mates of state. after the struggle of the euro tour, we were happy to see so many faces when we started our set. thousands of sunshine-filled faces. people singing some words they knew, mumbling some ones they didn't. it felt like our saddle had been returned to us.
and now the tour is in full swing. every night, we step onto the stage with the lights a static golden yellow and red. the sun is usually on its way down the horizon, and you can feel the cool wind of the evening beckoning death cab and its legion of fans. i never thought we would play on a tour of this scale, and it really is nice to not only perform as part of the tour, but to also have nightly VIP seats that let us watch as death cab marches on, being a better and better band, even as the years keep moving forward. we are grateful to be just a small part of it.
but for now, the only thing i can think about is that it is noon and already 95 degrees out, and climbing. they say there is a heat wave across the northeast for the next week. heat makes me sleep and sleep makes me fuzzy. but we have a set to play tonight and i must sharpen my focus and remember that when you are the opening band, there are no free rides. you have to earn the respect of those that did not pay to see you. it is a long burn, but well worth it. i think about the job i had before all of this, and i quietly laugh.
luckily, there is AC on the bus. it is monday, and i couldn't be happier.....
7 months ago by zach
so we are now about half-way through our tour with death cab for cutie. i am sitting in our bus at the merriweather pavillion, just outside of washington DC.we have been feeing the whirlwind of global warming, political turmoil, synaptic firing and mis-firing and the constant reminder that we are the late bloomer, the perpetual underachiever, the long-lost step cousin.
in short, we have been an "opening band".
to be honest, the shows we headlined in europe in may were not always that well-attended. there was one show we played in birmingham, england in which only a few souls showed up. however, our record was not even released yet in england, so what else can you expect? the record just came out there, so next time we are there we will see what is what. sometimes though, you can feel the strong current of the powers that be holding you back. let us do some general math, shall we: at present, most euro currency is close to 2:1 to US currency, fuel prices are skyrocketing, airlines charge $50-$75 for every extra piece of luggage and sometimes $150 for every piece of luggage over 50 lbs (think of how much luggage/gear a band needs to bring), and guarantees for bands in venues has stayed the same. something does not add up here. how is this sustainable?
so now we return to the relative present. we kicked off the tour with death cab at the sasquatch festival. we were playing a late afternoon time slot, just before the illustrious mates of state. after the struggle of the euro tour, we were happy to see so many faces when we started our set. thousands of sunshine-filled faces. people singing some words they knew, mumbling some ones they didn't. it felt like our saddle had been returned to us.
and now the tour is in full swing. every night, we step onto the stage with the lights a static golden yellow and red. the sun is usually on its way down the horizon, and you can feel the cool wind of the evening beckoning death cab and its legion of fans. i never thought we would play on a tour of this scale, and it really is nice to not only perform as part of the tour, but to also have nightly VIP seats that let us watch as death cab marches on, being a better and better band, even as the years keep moving forward. we are grateful to be just a small part of it.
but for now, the only thing i can think about is that it is noon and already 95 degrees out, and climbing. they say there is a heat wave across the northeast for the next week. heat makes me sleep and sleep makes me fuzzy. but we have a set to play tonight and i must sharpen my focus and remember that when you are the opening band, there are no free rides. you have to earn the respect of those that did not pay to see you. it is a long burn, but well worth it. i think about the job i had before all of this, and i quietly laugh.
luckily, there is AC on the bus. it is monday, and i couldn't be happier.....
7 months ago by zach
goodbye, evan
we want to let you all know we have some very sad news to share. late last week, our former bass player and friend evan farrell was killed in a house fire accident. for anyone who knew and loved evan, this is a time of profound shock and sadness.
if you ever saw evan play music (with us or with the many other bands he has played with over the years), you would know he was an exceptional and passionate musician. and if you ever had the chance to hang out with him, you would have no doubt been laughing at some point, because he was one of the funniest and most charismatic people ever. always the extravert, evan was meant for the stage. sometimes i almost felt he was from some other time, some other place.
he had more friends than anyone i know. they are all grieving right now, yet also trying to celebrate the life of someone who was so special to so many people.
evan is survived by his wife and two children. a memorial paypal fund has been set up to help his family through this time. anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.
here's to remembering evan and all the people's lives he touched.
12 months ago by zach
we want to let you all know we have some very sad news to share. late last week, our former bass player and friend evan farrell was killed in a house fire accident. for anyone who knew and loved evan, this is a time of profound shock and sadness.if you ever saw evan play music (with us or with the many other bands he has played with over the years), you would know he was an exceptional and passionate musician. and if you ever had the chance to hang out with him, you would have no doubt been laughing at some point, because he was one of the funniest and most charismatic people ever. always the extravert, evan was meant for the stage. sometimes i almost felt he was from some other time, some other place.
he had more friends than anyone i know. they are all grieving right now, yet also trying to celebrate the life of someone who was so special to so many people.
evan is survived by his wife and two children. a memorial paypal fund has been set up to help his family through this time. anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.
here's to remembering evan and all the people's lives he touched.
12 months ago by zach
