ARCTIC Expeditions

The highlight of the town of Sault Ste Marie was getting to stay at a hotel that has a big waterslide attached to it. I mean it’s a pretty big waterslide and all. I only went down it once, because we had so little time, but it was a good one.

We played at Loplops Gallery & Lounge, which is pretty much the independent music sanctuary of the Soo. Stephen, the owner, wanted to do the opposite of what everyone else in town was doing - bar bands and wet t-shirt contests - and so Loplops is a pleasant place with funky decor that attracts wine tastings and book readings as well as a wide range of musical flavours. We provided the music for the full night, starting with a solo set from Marcus. He played extended versions of a few songs for about an hour, much of it instrumental, as Loplop’s early crowd is there largely for drinks and conversations with friends. I don’t think we went on as a full band until about 11:30, kept it low-key for a while, and played until almost 1. We tried out a new song we’ve been working on, which had its ups and downs.

There were a few minor glitches in the day. The video camera crapped out again, so I’m not sure what we’re going to do about that. The trailer lock went wonky and had to be replaced. And some idiots in the room next to us were partying late and kept waking me up (I am apparently the lightest sleeper). Oh well, not the end of the world. On the bright side, we did figure out where to get Marcus a date:

They even deliver!

The past few days’ drives have been very, very quiet, as we’ve had very late nights and nine-hour drives each day. We basically wake up, drive all day, go straight to the venue, set up and soundcheck, chill out for an hour or two before the show, play, and go to sleep somewhere. While we’re on the road, usually whoever’s not driving is sleeping, and we stop for gas or food occasionally. Yesterday we saw two black bears, and today Todd spotted a red fox. Marcus says he saw a giraffe.

All the way through Ontario there are little inukshuks along the side of the highway. I don’t know who builds them - Marcus thinks it’s cyclists, but there are so many inukshuks everywhere and you don’t really see that many cyclists out here (in fact, as I was typing that I saw a “no bicycles” sign). It’s a nice symbol of the Arctic for us to be following on our way.

In Toronto now, just waiting for Marcus to start a solo set at the Tranzac. He’s playing a free set as part of a benefit for Farm Sanctuary, organized by Harmony Trowbridge. Harmony just finished her set - she’s great, has a truly lovely voice and could easily take on Feist. She had the whole room in the palm of her hand.

There are the most awesome vegan cookies and cupcakes and stuff at a bake sale behind me… I am having trouble resisting. *peeks at gingersnaps*