ARCTIC Expeditions

Well, it was awfully, awfully nice to have a few days with no schedule, no alarm clock, and no sitting in the car. I feel human again. We wandered around Queen Street for a bit. Marcus found a nifty new audio toy to add to his set (no, it’s actually not another pedal….). Wait’ll you see it.

My one complaint is that it has been ridiculously cold here in Toronto. And I wasn’t entirely prepared for it - I figured if anything, it’d be too hot, and I prepared more for spring/summer. Instead, it’s been about 10 C and windy or rainy. I hear that it’s been up to 30 C in Vancouver. Thanks for hogging all the heat, guys.

We headed to Guelph in the afternoon for our show at the Albion. The Albion is a really nice place. Reportedly, it was just a dive up until a few years ago, and then the current owners began to lovingly restore it to its former historic glory. It’s gorgeous stonework and beams now, and quite classy. Bands play upstairs.

It was a good show, though there were some vocal feedback issues at the beginning that got sorted out over time. The crowd seemed somewhat aloof at the start and gradually seemed more and more into it, and we got some really enthusiastic responses from people after the show. The band after us, Dancehall Free For All was a very young funk/rock six-piece with lots of energy. We couldn’t stick around for the whole set, but got to listen while we loaded out.

Before we left Vancouver, we had been interviewed by local paper Echo Weekly, and were pleased to find a nice full-page article with a giant picture (picture not included on the link, sorry, but it’s our current press shot).

We got back to Toronto around 2 am, where I was wakened at 8 by the gentle song of the jackhammer outside my window. I don’t know how Marcus sleeps through this stuff. Today we’re playing at The Boat, in Kensington Market in Toronto. NOW Magazine gave us a little special arrow next to our show listing, which is nice. Should be a fun night!