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Tour Log 2

Last Updated (Tuesday, 15 July 2008 10:54) Written by Joel Blizzard Thursday, 14 February 2008 10:51

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The road has been good to us! It has come with some surprises and many familiarities, new friends, generous spirits, group dynamics, awesome scenery, hard work all this while doing what we love - making music by any means necessary. It rings especially true when we consider the physical distance between Ithaca, NY and Ocean Beach, CA. Here is the long and the short of the tour so far:

 Crested Butte had 10 feet of snow and we rocked out at The Eldo to a few dozen enthusiastic downhillers. There was a storm warning in the forecast for that night so we hit the road directly after the gig. On our way through Las Vegas we decided to stop in at a friend of Brent's who is a drummer for a reggae group called Bonefide. We ended up connecting instead Junior Rootz instead who is the singer for the band. He played us some tracks and we played him some tracks and decided to do a spontaneous collaboration. Jhakeem recorded some vocals and Mark hit some horn lines on what could be a very hot track, more details to come.

We landed in Ocean Beach for a few days of sun and surf, soccer and super good vibes. OB is reportedly the last southern California surf town that also features a very conscious mindset, much like our hometown. We were super psyched to chill with the Vegetation band - Jamie the percussionist graciously set us up with their rehearsal room so we could tighten up after the long drive. We jammed a bit and collaborated on some rhythms that we could eventually bring out live. They were recorded and we look forward to finding some material within this session. Look out for Vegetation playing east coast dates in June with a stop in at Castaway's on June 27. We had an awesome turnout at Winston's to punctuate our stay in this lovely town.

The next morning we headed up to LA for the big night at The Roxy, and it was a big night for Thousands of One. Mike Judah landed this gig for us which was an awesome feat. It was a 30 minute set with a sold out ticket, opening for SOJA. We knew just what to do. We took a huge communal deep breath and blew as much soulforce into that room as we could. It was felt for sure as we were invited back whenever we want to come back. It was both inspiring and intimidating to walk in and see framed photos all over the walls of Rage Against the Machine, Bob Marley, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers - all of whom made music there. Liz had given us a live recording of Bob Marley at The Roxy, before we departed, which we listen to with awe. Give thanks to Jah almighty!

San Francisco was up next which turned out to be a fun night with some great dancers. SF is always a warm experience. We then headed up hill to Lake Tahoe for a somewhat private party with a couple dozen old friends of Joel's who happened to be vacationing there at the same time. The Tahoe Underground is a great little venue and the people were very cool. Thanks to Wes and Sut and all the rest for making it an unforgettable night.

We have been in Steamboat Springs for a few days now having played two shows, last night at the Old Town Pub was an awesome party with some of the most enthusiastic fans one could imagine. Some of us had a chance to climb around the mountains in snow shoes and then soak in Strawberry Park Hot Springs -  which may be the high point of this tour - a small valley steaming with water from the depths of the earth, to heal and realign our souls, bodies and minds. We will surely be back here soon. Til next time, Jah bless.