MRU on the road is a case study in sociology to be sure…
First, some numbers:
total number of cylinders in the van: 8
total number of cylinders functional between PDX and Whitefish: 6
number of coolers in the rig: 4
number with anything in them: 2.5
miles driven: 1398
passengers: between 8 and 9
episodes of Kenny vs. Spenny viewed: 16+
number of people claiming to want to swim at a roadside river: 5
number of people that actually submerged: 3
hours of sleep between all passengers over the course of the trip: feels like about 6
quantity of “That’s what she said” jokes: Expressible only in scientific notation, using imaginary numbers
Everything that needed to happen happened in the right way at the right time. A few unnecessary things took place as well, but just added color to the trip.
A slightly “off” tuneup made for a very nervous and slow going start to the trip, but once we got that dialed in by some Whitefish hotrod mechanics over at “Ken’s” at the last minute, the miles cruised away below us.
Night one: Spokane, WA. Jones Radiator is a cozy new venue, and they were extremely hospitable. Great beers on tap, some tasty snacks, and a small but enthusiastic audience allowed for some major exploration and experimentation with our songs. Highlights, for me, were the transition from Amanita Dream -> In this World, and the transition between Vessel of the Sun -> Entangled. We’ll have to try some of this stuff for the home crew in Portland! Friends of Chelsea put us up for the night, and even cooked some amazing food at 3:00 in the morning. Can’t beat that kind of treatment! Thanks guys!
Night two: Whitefish, MT. The Craggy Range is the only stop on this run that was a repeat venue for MRU. The audience made that instantly apparent, with a great deal of return fans bringing new faces with them. Start time was slightly late due to van issues, and the audience was eager to hear some space rock. Once we started, it appeared there was no reason to stop the dance party – approximately 3 hours of our set got recorded, and apparently the recording was done long before we were! Rydell really settled in on this show, and we only stopped due to curfew. We had a lot more music in us, that night!
Night three: Missoula, MT. It was great to have such a short drive between gigs, and this allowed for some meandering along the road, and thus, a very calm and collected crew by the time we reached Missoula. Bill Hicks‘ “Arizona Bay” on the iPod got us to somewhere about 40 minutes from Missoula, we found a river that was about 100 feet off the highway – as we were melting in our seats along the road, it was time to take a dip. ICY TIMES. Joel, Chad, and myself were the only people dumb enough to attempt hypothermic death. Fortunately for us, it was ever so slightly above lethal temperatures. The Top Hat is a solid venue, and the history of bands that has performed there is long and involved. The green room is a northwestern rock history exhibit, graffiti from all kinds of bands from all over the country, but certainly plenty from the NW… many recognized pieces of art on those walls from Portland bands! Warming up the stage was Whitefish band “20 Grand”, laying down solid funk grooves, primarily late 60′s soul covers. What better way to start an MRU show than with the funk?
Night four: Hamilton, MT. A little Greyboy Allstars on the iPod set the Upon arrival at BitterRoot Brewing, it became readily apparent it’d be a different type of show. Starting in the late afternoon (daylight, WHAT?) and going only until early evening (per MT brewery laws) affects the way a crowd interacts with a band. As a huge portion of the energy at our shows comes from audience enthusiasm, it was clear this show would be less experimental and more straight ahead rock and groove, and thus it was! We had to decline one drum-tech application due to age restrictions (2 years old, sorry you just can’t quite work for MRU yet!), but he can keep in touch and be a fan until an appropriate time! Got to see a local band just across the street after our early load-out, and they were slammin’! Apparently the lead singer was Mama Cass‘ great niece (but don’t fact check me on that – it’s just what we were told). What a great way to close the trip! We hopped in the van around 10pm and high-tailed it directly back to Portland. This leg of the journey is where a ridiculous amount of Kenny v. Spenny episodes were consumed, keeping the whole van laughing (even those of us sleeping at the time were giggling subconsciously) straight through the sunrise.
The whole trip was made incredibly smooth with the very welcome accompaniment of Jason Goers, Chad Anderson, and Theresa Schmidt. Having a road crew is a luxury, and we are incredibly fortunate to have them as part of the group! Every show we do benefits from their presence, and you, the audience are the lucky recipient! Next time you see these wonderful humans at a show, please offer to buy them a drink, give them hugs (back massage is also welcomed), and whatever else you can think of to show your appreciation for their dedication and effort.
Glad to be back in Portland, but I can’t wait to hop in the van and head out towards Montana again… and beyond.
-rob
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