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CAKE Road Journal

Friday, September 26, 2008
Hamilton, ON

ASet in a beautiful ravine in Southeast Hamilton, Albion Falls once powered Pioneer Mills and was known as "Lover's Leap" after a jilted maiden cast herself over the edge to die on the rocks below.

Early in the nineteenth century, young Jane Riley, disappointed in love with Joseph Rousseau, stood at the top of a steep cliff not far from thundering Albion Falls and flung herself 100 feet to the bottom.

Alas, poor Jane Riley,
 for Joseph she did die
 By jumping off that dizzy brink
 full sixty cubits high.
Joseph's mother said: "Let the blame rest on my shoulders". Some years later, when in apparently good health, she suddenly shrieked: "Jane's hand is on my shoulder," and fell dead on the floor. Jane had evidently taken her at her word.
                -Slater

Thursday, September 25, 2008
Toronto, ON

After our soundcheck at the venue, Sound Academy, there was a spectacular  view of the sunset and Toronto skyline from this location across the waters of Lake Ontario.

The prominent feature of the skyline is the spired CN Tower. The CN Tower, if you include its antenna, is the tallest structure in the world. "Spider Dan" Goodwin, the world's foremost building climber, successfully scaled the 335.3 m (1,100 ft) of windows of the elevator shaft twice in one day, setting a world record on June 26th, 1986.

At the historic and formidable St. Lawrence Market, you may bump into "Toronto Fiddler Ray Sullivan", who has been "Fiddlin' in the City" since 1983 in the subways and the foyer of St. Lawrence Market (in Old Town Toronto they are celebrating over 200 years). In the reverberating entrance to this historic building, he played a tune called "Ashoken Farewell." It is a sad Civil War song that he composed, and he mentioned that it is featured in a Civil War documentary. As he regaled us with the somber and beautiful melody, one could imagine the sonorous narrations of Morgan Freeman.

It was good to be onstage together again, and we introduced a new song called "Hold You" to the set.

Saturday, August 23, 2008
San Francisco, CA

We performed at a gigantic festival in San Francisco's magnificent Golden Gate Park, an area once covered by sand dunes and considered inaccessible and uninhabitable. The "Outside Lands" festival was organized by the same people who have made "Bonnaroo" in Tennessee such a success. Camping is not allowed within San Francisco city limits, but the upside of this location was the ability for concert-goers to arrive and depart via public transportation.

 Understandably, there were some glitches in the complicated logistics of this first annual event. One festival-goer named "Yell" wrote to the San Jose Mercury News and described the scene:  "Let's talk about how absolutely awful it was trying to LEAVE the polo fields when Radiohead ended. We stood at a complete standstill for about 45 minutes before making it to the fence, and we were able to avoid jumping the fence like so many others. We thought we were in the clear, until A HIVE OF BEES attacked those of us leaving the fields. BEES, people. With stingers. I was stung no less than six times, once in my hand." — Yell

Sunday, June 8, 2008
Denver, CO

We performed "in the round" at the floor of an inverted pyramidal shaped lawn at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It was both challenging and interesting to be surrounded in this way. It made the encore ritual a most awkward affair to navigate. How to be coy, with no easy backstage escape, under  360 degrees of watchful eyes was an undeniable challenge to grace.

We saw the truly great playing of jazz trumpeter Greg Gisbert later that night at El Chapultepec, Denver's oldest jazz club, at the corner of 20th and Market. Greg has been an integral member of many of the finest big bands of the modern era, has several critically acclaimed solo albums, and plays with the phenomenal group Convergence.

A special shout out to the late and great Bob Luly, a very talented guy who we used to see at our shows when we were in Colorado. His pioneering accomplishments in the fields of audio technology and satellite antennae technology were brilliant and a substantial part of history.

Saturday, June 7, 2008
Boulder, CO

The Chautauqua Playhouse in Boulder is one of a kind. The Chautauqua movement started in upstate New York in 1874. There are 12 around the country. President Teddy Roosevelt descibed the Chautauqua movement as "The Most American Thing in America." It's the nation's first mass educational and cultural movement. During the Chautauqua movement(1874-1930), troupes of educators and entertainers traveled the country, bringing educational, cultural, and recreational programs to people in non-urban areas throughout America. These "Circuit Chataquas" visited more than 10,000 towns. In addition over 400 locations in the country held an annual summer chat assembly. These assembies exposed people to prominent speakers, educators, artists, and entertainers at a time when less than two percent of adults held high school degrees.

The Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder was established in 1898, and remains the only continuously operating Chautauqua west of the Missississippi.


Friday, June 6, 2008
Lawrence, KS

There was a tornado two hours ahead of us on the road from Grand Rapids to Lawrence, where we were due to perform at the Wakarusa festival at Clinton State Park. Our bus driver, Mike, was an excellent pilot, and surely would have pulled over if our safety was uncertain. In the early morning hours, he saw three overturned trucks on the road! One was completely upside down, and one was on its side with its top torn off. The third had an enormous truck stop sign resting on it.

It was amazingly clear weather in the later morning, as we continued across the prairie to our destination.

Thursday, June 5, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI


The day of our show in Grand Rapids, the 5 millionth customer walked through the gates of the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park where we were due to perform at the amphitheater that evening. The park, described as  "a national treasure"  by President Jimmy Carter, is second only to Greenfield Village as Michigan's busiest tourist destination. It was made possible by the support of Frederick and Lena Meijer. Fred's father Hendrik, a Dutch immigrant, founded Meijer's Grocery in Greenville, Michigan in 1934. Hendrik was a local barber who decided to enter the grocery business when hard times came during the Great Depression. His first employees included his son, Frederik Meijer, then a 14-year-old grocery bagger, who would later become the chairman of the company. Meijer is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962, and was among the first to offer self-service shopping and shopping carts. Worth noting, their donations to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief included food and bottled water, which arrived on the store's trucks at relief centers in Mississippi before government aid.

We saw many great sculptures here, including ones by Kenneth Snelson, Henry Moore, Alexander Liberman, and Andy Goldsworthy's Grand Rapids Arch. The show-stopper here is a colossal bronze horse based on a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. This monumental horse sculpture is the completion of a project that was started 500 years ago by da Vinci. There is another one like it standing in Milan, as a gift from the American people, in gratitude for the treasures of the Renaissance. 

Thank-you, Bryan, for the great tour.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Elizabeth, IN

If you're a conversationalist, plane flights can be a theater in which to receive other travelers' life stories.  We're generally pretty quiet on planes, and assume that our fellow passengers would prefer quiet also, but sometimes a conversation gets started with a person who has a compelling story and it's hard to stop.  On the trip to Indiana, we sat next to the proprietor of the Fiddlehead vineyards and wine cellar, whose Pinot Noir is mentioned in the movie "Sideways."  During the double dating dinner scene, Miles asks Maya, "What are you drinking?" She says, Fiddlehead Pinot Noir....I know the vintner, she comes in to my work every week." Yes, it's true. We shared a row of seats with the accomplished vintner mentioned in the script.

On the connecting flight to Louisville, there was bad weather and tornado warnings, but a terrific lightning show in the late night clouds.

Xan McCurdy celebrated his birthday on the night of the concert in Elizabeth.
A big thank-you to the audience for singing "Happy Birthday" so well and helping Xan to bring in his next year.

We had a cherry tree to give away, and the winner of the tree was decided by a dance-off to probably the most difficult song to dance to in the world, "Arco Arena."  Off the cuff, these things happen, but our two sporting contestants were audaciously bold in the face off this daring challenge.

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Boston, MA

Although we're not quite in agreement that the word "snarky" would describe our demeanor, we'd like to direct you to Globe Correspondent Jonathan Perry's review of Boston's 15th annual Earthfest.




Saturday, May 17, 2008
Chicago, IL

We played the 2008 Summer Breeze Music Festival at the University of Chicago with The Cool Kids, Andrew Bird, and Talib Kweli.

Here's to the crowd of dancers stage right during Andrew Bird's set. One of the smaller men started hopping around in the middle of the dance pit with his arms and hands in a bunny position. The larger guys would take his momentum on the down bounce then launch him into the air on his up bounce. He was getting some pretty good air.

There was quite a forceful thunder storm during our set. The lightning was only one and a half miles away. During the a capella melodica breakdown in "Frank Sinatra," an incredible boom startled everyone. We managed to play a set without anyone being electrocuted, and that's just great.

The quiz portion of the evening for the tree give-away was done quickly because of the torrent,  so unfortunately we had incorrect statistical facts. The correct information is: The odds of being killed by a shark are one in 280 million. The number of sharks killed annually by humans is 26 million.

Friday, May 16, 2008
Edmonton, AB

Edmonton is in the same province as Calgary(Alberta), and therefore these two major cities have a bit of a rivalry going. An Edmontonian helped us to understand the rivalry more deeply by explaining that it's really just based on hockey.

There is a string of street lights lining the freeway on the way to the airport that strikes absolute awe in it's repetition and simplicity.

The West Edmonton Mall, where you can bungee jump indoors, might be bigger than Minneapolis' Mall of America where 258 Statue of Liberties could lie inside, and its all weather World Waterpark is comparable in scope to the indoor ski slope in Dubai.

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Calgary, AB

Cowtown, The Stampede City, The Heart of the New West. Calgary is experiencing an oil boom. Gasoline prices are now high enough for the refining of oil from their nearby tar fields to be economically feasible. The city struck us as resembling a combination of Denver and Dallas; cowboy town near the Rocky Mountains experiencing massive growth via an oil boom.

Check out the annual Calgary Stampede. See chuckwagon races or a steer being pulled down by its neck before this culture is gone.

Some local stories passed on to us this evening by the audience include grizzly bears that eat magic mushrooms, and a streaker who was knocked unconscious after slipping and hitting his head on the ice at a National Hockey League match.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Vancouver, BC

We met Paper Lions this evening who will perform with us for all our shows in Canada this week. They are from Prince Edwards Island, (known for being the setting of "Anne of Green Gables"), on the east coast of Canada between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. They are a young group, and play with a creativity and determination well beyond their years.  We are honored to have them join us.

Monday, May 12, 2008
Victoria, BC

Vancouver Island is a very large island. This is something you have to constantly remind yourself of as you are in the quiet city of Victoria, the most well-known city on the island.

Question: What do you call the object that is pushed along the ice towards its target in the sport of curling?
We've been giving away a free tree at every show ever since our first Unlimited Sunshine date last year. Sometimes to win a tree all you have to be is the oldest person in the room, or the mother with the most kids, but most of the time the winner must have the correct answer to a question of historical or cultural significance.
The answer to the above question, as any Victorian would know: a rock.

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Seattle, WA

Through the course of several decades, many residents of Seattle have seen the amazing tranformation here from fishing village to notable metropolis.

In addition to all the other great things about Seattle, another place of value is the Frye Museum located in the neighborhood known as "first hill". Charles and Emma Frye, well known citizens, left a legacy of generosity to anyone who appreciates the visual arts. They decided to share their collection of 232 european paintings to the public. Admission and parking are free.

There is a bizarre story about how the initial capital for the museum was generated. Charles Frye had made his fortune in the meat packing business. After Frye's death, his friend and business partner Walser Greathouse helped get the museum started. Somewhere around this time, in the 40's, a test flight of a plane being developed for World War 2 crashed into the meatpacking plant. Tragically, an expert pilot died, but the money from the settlement helped Walser Greathouse create the original financing for the museum.

Saturday, April 19, 2008
Middlebury, VT

With a giant round table, pyramidal translucent ceiling, and Star Trek enterprise styled sofa chairs surrounding the periphery of this conference room, it could be imagined that we were stationed within Dr. Evil's headquarters on this upper floor of  the Middlebury College hockey rink on this breezy moonlit evening in Vermont. 

Burlington, situated on the shore of Lake Champlain is nearby. One of the more enduring mysteries surrounding Lake Champlain is the legend of Champ, purportedly a giant aquatic animal that makes the lake its home. Sightings have been sporadic over time.

Aside from whimsical legends of mythical creatures and the easy modern popular culture associations such as Ben and Jerry's or Phish, there is a significant history which has most likely had an influence on the people and land of Vermont leading up to the present day.

Vermont declared itself an independent nation in January, 1777. The army of the Vermont Republic was based on Ethan and Ian Allen's Green Mountain Boys, the basis of the Vermont militia. Although Vermont initially supported the American Revolutionary War and sent troops to fight the British invasion from Canada, Vermont eventually adopted a more neutral stance and became a haven for deserters from both the British and colonial armies. Vermont, of course, did eventually join the United States as the 14th state in 1791.

During its years of independence, Vermont deflected land claims from the British colonies of New Hampshire and New York. "The Song of the Vermonters," is a ballad that describes this period of time.

Ho–all to the borders! Vermonters, come down,
With your breeches of deerskin and jackets of brown;
With your red woollen caps and your moccasins come,
To the gathering summons of trumpet and drum.
What seek they among us?
The pride of our wealth
Is comfort, contentment, and labor, and health,
And lands which, as Freemen we only have trod,
Independent of all, save the mercies of God.
Yet we owe no allegiance, we bow to no throne,
Our ruler is law and the law is our own;
Our leaders themselves are our own fellow-men,
Who can handle the sword, or the scythe, or the pen.
Come York or come Hampshire, come traitors or knaves,
If ye rule o'er our land ye shall rule o'er our graves;
Our vow is recorded–our banner unfurled,
In the name of Vermont we defy all the world!

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Georgetown, TX

The balmy weather combined with thunder, lightening, and a heavy downpour assured us that we had traveled far from the west coast.  We didn't see Old Georgetown during our visit, but you can see it here. With just a little research before departing for Texas, we would have realized that an hour exploring this vintage architecture would have been a pleasure. Another place we didn't see was the Innerspace Cavern. The cave was discovered by the Texas Highway Department in 1963 during the construction of Interstate 35.

We did have the luck to enjoy the hospitality of a conference room on campus, prior to our show at Southwestern University. There, it was discovered that an audio-visual system existed, in addition to a large-size pull-down projection screen. Gabriel Nelson had brought with him a DVD of The Midnight Special, a weekly musical television series that aired during the 1970's and early 1980's on NBC. The program featured over 1,200 performers during its run. Some notable guest stars and hosts included Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, Elton John, Ray Charles, James Brown, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Tina Turner, Barry Manilow, Steve Martin, Marvin Gaye, Billy Joel, Rick James, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Billy Crystal, Beach Boys, Diana Ross, B.B King, Kiss, Gordon Lightfoot, Andy Kaufman, Doobie Brothers, Richard Pryor, The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Wolfman Jack, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Cars, Eddie Money, Blondie, Jim Croce, The Spinners, Dolly Parton, and Fleetwood Mac.

The show was noted for featuring musical acts performing live, which was unique since most television appearances during the era showed performers lip-synching to prerecorded music.

Monday, December 31, 2007
San Francisco, CA

We rung in the new year at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco, one of the city's last surviving vaudeville houses. At midnight, after Satan counted down from 10 on a giant brass gong and the band led everyone through a singing of Auld Lang Syne, two Chinese dragons, symbolizing power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity, floated through the audience. From the stage, Taiko drummers imitated the sound of thunder, driving away evil spirits. Good tidings in the new year, CAKE.

Sunday, December 30, 2007
Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz is a California town that combines the Southern Californian beach life with time honored Northern Californian eccentricities. This city was also extremely close to the epicenter of the quake of '89, Loma Prieta. Three deaths occurred when brick storefronts and sidewalls in the historic downtown tumbled down on people exiting the buildings.  Modern downtown Santa Cruz was effectively rebuilt from scratch, much as San Francisco was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake.

The Lovemakers joined us for this show. Check out their video at youtube for the song "Save Me."

Wednesday & Thursday , December 12&13, 2007
New York, NY

It is with  heavy heart that we leave this Unlimited Sunshine tour. Thank-you Oakley Hall, thank-you Detroit Cobras, thank-you Brazilian Girls, thank-you Agent Ribbons, and thank-you King City. We will miss you.

P.S. If you ever have the chance, visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum at 90 Orchard Street.

Have a happy new year.

Monday, December 10, 2007
Washington DC

It's a thrill to be performing at 1776 D street at Constitution Hall with the Washington Monument right outside.

We took a quick tour of the World War II memorial, the Viet Nam War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial where the following words are inscribed on the wall:

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain- that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Abraham Lincoln
Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863.

Sunday, December 9, 2007
Richmond, VA

The canal walk in Richmond is something a visitor has to see. George Washington was the first to envision the canals as part of a continuous transportation route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. The canal system eventually extended as far west as Buchanan, Virginia, but it was the railroads that finally fulfilled Washington's dream.

Belle Isle is a great destination for a walk. As you cross the pedestrian suspension bridge above the James River, there is an open space. At different times this field once held a Powhattan Indian fishing village, a Colonial era horse race track, small farms, a Civil War prison, a 19th century iron plant, a rail line, and a 20th century steel plant. Signs of the prison and factories remain today.

Here also, there is an historic site of great suffering as well. During the Civil War over 50,000 northern enlisted men passed through this six acre open air prison. Without much shelter, food, or sanitation they died by the hundreds in squalor and misery. Inconceivable today, it was unofficial policy on both sides then to make prisoners too weak to rebel....or fight again.

Saturday, December 8, 2007
Sewell, NJ

We witnessed first hand the phenomenon of the audience dancing on-stage with the Brazilian Girls. Sabina often invites the crowd up at the end of the set to celebrate with her and the band. Not something you see everyday. No keyboards were hurt in the making of this moment.

Friday, December 7, 2007
Boston, MA

This Unlimited Sunshine Tour has been a great success. All bands have been well-received by the audiences and many friendships have been made backstage. If you've been to the show, thanks for coming. We hope you had a good time.

It is always a pleasure to play at a venue of such historic significance as the Orpheum Theater in Boston. It began as the Music Hall in 1852 and served as the original home of the New England Conservatory (Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto debuted here in 1882, as did the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1881).

In 1915 they started playing silent movies here. There is a display case inside showing some of the films from this era that were shown there...such as a silent versions of "Carmen", and some Russian silents like "Potemkin."

Thursday, December 6, 2007
Providence, RI

This was an earlier show this evening, so a lot of us on the tour went out after the show to a place near The Strand Theater called Tazza's where we heard a local band play. The female vocalist sang in the style of  Indian sub-continent music, while accompanied by guitar, drums, bass, tabla, and pedal steel guitar.

There is a diner near the hotel serving breakfast, and everyone there has a thick Rhode Island accent. It always feels good to be at a spot like this that has such a sense of place. There is nowhere else in the world this diner could be other than right here in Providence.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Portland, ME

First snow of the year in Portland, Maine. It's pretty cold here. The trees have lights on them downtown, and it is chilly but with a cozy character to the town. Beautiful Merrill Auditorium is attached to City Hall and has the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, which at one time was the fourth largest pipe organ in the world.

Oakley Hall is sounding just like you wish a rock band would sound. Great vocals with harmony, tight ensemble playing with unexpected rhythm changes, knowing what sounds good about electricity through a guitar, and having a style all their own even though you know they know what was good about what came before them. They say check out Spacegallery some time.

Monday, December 3, 2007
Portland, OR

Not an Unlimited Sunshine date, but still a very memorable show here in Stumptown. During the show we gave a Gala apple tree away to David Stevenson after he agreed to plant the tree on his parent's land as opposed to keeping it on his balcony.

There was a huge storm that hit the Oregon Coast especially hard yesterday. Hurricane force winds and heavy rain battered the state for two days in a row, killing at least two people and leaving entire communities dark and isolated as the storm blocked roads with trees, power lines, high water and mud.

Sunday, December 1, 2007
Anaheim, CA

Tonight's concert venue is a large auditorium with modern character standing alone adjacent to the parking lot of Anaheim's Angel stadium. Overall the structure resembles the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, and it was built for the purposes of an Academy Awards fantasy dinner theater. Orange county was the fertile ground for "Medieval Nights", an exploration into the world of middle ages banquet dining (think very large turkey leg) accompanied by a jousting tournament. Building on the success of "Medieval Nights" someone created "Tinseltown." Here, guests would pretend they were attending an Academy Awards event, walking a red carpet with photographers flashing bulbs. Inside the ceremony would include awarding selected guests with the Oscar trophy. The concept didn't have a consistent enough clientele, therefore it exists now as a glamorous concert destination.

We gave away a Sago Palm this evening to an Orange County resident. We hope this tree brings it's caretaker good luck.

Friday, November 30, 2007
Los Angeles, CA

If you are ever in downtown Los Angeles, make a visit to The Original Pantry at 9th and Figuerora. Through a door which has no key, you'll enter a cafe that has never closed since 1924. They are never without a customer. Expect to wait for a table, as there were already 50 patrons lined up on the sidewalk at 8:00 in the morning for breakfast. More than 2,400 eggs are used every 24 hours here, and more than 3,000 hogs are required to supply the pork used at the Pantry annually. Through many long years the Pantry has endured as a staple of Los Angeles' diverse culture and style.


Thursday, November 29, 2007
San Diego, CA

There were many introductions to be made, on this the first night of the Unlimited Sunshine Tour, as the bands met for the first time. This is a deep line-up, and the first night brought strong performances from all the bands: Agent Ribbons, Oakley Hall, King City, Detroit Cobras, and CAKE. It is a true pleasure to be a part of this experience.  

We had our first tree giveaway this evening. Gentleman Zach from Vista CA demontrated a superior knowledge of the Fuerte Avocado sharing the stage with us, therefore he is now the honorably appointed caretaker. Zach's home of Northern San Diego County is known as the avocado capitol of the world, and we know Zac will enjoy his young tree.

Saturday, October 20, 2007
Monterey, CA

Monterey, California. You might know this coastal central California city for Cannery Row, John Steinbeck, nearby Pebble Beach, or their world class aquarium. Neighboring city, Castroville, is the world's foremost supplier of artichokes. What's more, it was here that Jimi Hendrix set his guitar ablaze during the 1967 Monterey Pop festival. As a matter of fact, we performed on that very stage as part of the first annual Music Summit festival. Bassist Gabriel Nelson maintains a belief that he could perceive the faint impression of woodburns from the voodoo fire, indelibly marked on the timber, in front of his bass cabinet.

What is really fascinating about this place, that the modern citizen might not know, is that for some time it was the only port on the North American west coast, other than Sitka, Alaska and San Diego, California. The customs house, where all incoming shipments were taxed, is the oldest state building and #1 on the register of state historic landmarks.

The idea of manifest destiny, gave the United States enough of a sense of entitlement to wrestle control of Mexico's Alta California to take for their own. Over the course of just a handful of generations, we are brought to this current time. From Native Americans, to Spanish Missionaries, to Mexico, to U.S., to scuba diving and the PGA tour. Just like that. Blink of an eye. Teletransportation can't be far off.

Don't forget to think of the Franciscan monks of Monterey next time you select Jack cheese for your sandwich.

Saturday, September 15, 2007
Santa Fe, NM

In Santa Fe, on the grounds of the Indian School, there is another unique amphitheater.  Unlike Red Rocks, where the fascination is derived from nature, this facility is man-made. Originally, this space was built as an experiment in ecologically minded urban living. When the project had to stop because of code violations, someone had the good idea to build amphitheater seats into one side of the deep excavation. The first impression is that you are on the production sets of "The Planet of the Apes", or "Logan's Run."

The architect, Paulo Soleri, coined the term "arcology" as shorthand for "architecture for ecology".  The concept of this particular structure can be likened to a "city-as-a-hill," in that it would have functioned as a multi-directional megastructure with life flourishing on its surface for aesthetics and urban agriculture. The living space is basically underground. There are sidewalks that take you downhill to the center, and it is apparent that the walls and top could be used for growing things. It also looks like rainwater and sun would be used as wisely as possible. Holy moly, the mirrored ball looked great here.

It had been a long time since we had been to New Mexico. Too bad, because the people, culture, food, and landscape are unlike any other in the country.  Hearty thanks to a great audience.

Friday, September 14, 2007
Morrison, CO

During the Jurassic Period, the Red Rocks area, in what is now metro Denver, was lush with tropical vegetation. Over the eons, mountains emerged, waters receded, and the dinosaurs disappeared. The dinosaurs left bones and footprints, and so it happened that this was one of the first localities west of the Mississippi to yield dinosaur bones in abundance.

Native Americans also camped, hunted, prayed, and celebrated here. They left behind their tools and buried their dead in the deep crevices between layers of stone. When Euro-Americans first visited the area, the Utes were using Red Rocks as a special place. The Utes may well have used Red Rocks for their summer Bear Dance, which they stage to this day. Grizzlies, according to the creation myths, were the reigning animals on earth, sent by the Great Spirit to keep order. Bear Dances were originally held on the first day of spring to celebrate bears coming out of hibernation.

By the late 1930's this natural amphitheater took shape as a modern performance space, with staircases and seating. During construction, workers tested the acoustics by spinning a coin on the stage and listening at the top of the amphitheater to hear its fall. Later, boosters would insist that listeners sitting in the back row of the rock-walled amphitheater could hear whispers uttered on stage.

To really appreciate Red Rocks Amphitheatre you need to be there or at least see a good photo. We are grateful for this second opportunity to perform here. To the organizers of the 2007 Monolith Festival and all those present, we thank-you very much.

*Special thanks to Thomas J. Noel, for his writing and research in, "Sacred Stones: Colorado's Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre."

Thursday, September 13, 2007
Aspen, CO

The population in Aspen around 1880 was actually triple of what it is now. When the United States government de-standardized silver, Aspen felt the economic impact in a big way, as this was a major mining town. They have obviously bounced back. Some citizens here even consider this to be the center of the universe.

The late composer, musician, friend, father, son, and brother, John Denver, has a sanctuary down by the river just on the outskirts of downtown. It is a pleasant amphitheater shaped meadow with several seven foot tall half dome granite boulders that have entire song lyrics engraved on them. A Stonehenge of popular songs.

We took the 72 up and out of town the morning after the show. We stopped to admire "The Grottos" along the way, a chain of waterfalls with interesting rock formations and swimming holes. Once out of the valleys, we took in the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. At 10,000 feet up, in Leadville, we almost stopped for ten frames of bowling at Kristi Lanes, but we imagined physical exertion at that altitude would be too exhausting.

If you are interested in living in Aspen, you should consider that the supply of real estate is limited and demand is just getting greater, so you'd better jump on it. The Prince of Saudi Arabia's house is listed for only 155 million dollars. Better hurry.

Aspen might be worth visiting, if only just to see and touch the 8 foot tall grizzly sculpture on the pedestrian mall. It is made entirely from nails...and feels like it!

Friday, August 17, 2007
Del Mar, CA

We performed in the “Plaza de Mexico,” rather than the infield where we have in the past, at Del Mar's horse racing track. The production company built today's stage in front of the main entrance's mission style tower. It was a very fine place for music. At concert time the ornate plaza was packed with all ages from 8 to 80 on this coastal Southern California August evening.

Our dressing room was a trailer in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the stage, which meant the usual Cushman transport was not an option this time. In the past we have embarassingly enjoyed the commute on this maintenance cart to the previous location of the stage on the infield of the racetrack. The feeling of being on a Cushman vehicle is satisfying, for the simple reason that there are so many moments in one's life (airport, high school campus) when the envy is palpably felt of wanting to get a lift on one of these trucksters. In professional sports, an athlete must be severely injured in order to enjoy this form of transport off the field as he is warmly cheered by the crowd.

Del Mar is the place "where the surf meets the turf" according to the song written by co-founder Bing Crosby, a resort where he and his fellow Hollywood elite came down to enjoy the cool ocean breezes in August. The elite of the entertainment world came to see the elite of the horse racing world, as top jockeys John Longden and later Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay Jr. called it home. As well, the great Seabiscuit defeated his stablemate Ligaroti in a match race at Del Mar.

From December 1941 to July 1945, World War II forced the shutdown of racing in California, which made for a convenient point for dividing the first two eras of Del Mar. The post-war period was when Del Mar truly flourished as the place to see and be seen in the racing world.

Even if you're not a betting person, the incredible feeling can not be denied of watching the genetically endowed horses straining to keep their speed around the turn, and you are sensing the almost surreal swell of excitement and swarm of volume coming from the cheering spectators in the grandstands as the horses are coming into sight towards the straightaway.

In the van on the way back to the hotel, we rehashed all the jokes we had learned over the last couple of years. Chris Bailey, our tour manager, is a master joke teller, with a delivery as good as the punchline itself. In more serious matters, Chris recommends the great Science Fiction novel “Childhood's End,” by Arthur C. Clarke.

Saturday, August 11, 2007
Anchorage, Alaska

The view from the plane on the way up to Anchorage is excellent. It's easy to forget there are so many islands off the west coast of Canada that are actually Alaskan. This region is known as the Inside Passage. The greenness of this view gradually changes to steep coastal cliffs and glacier-filled valleys flowing into the Gulf of Alaska. Mountain peaks dramatically jut through the thick layer of clouds. As the plane approaches the airport, we see that we lucked out with a rare sunny day in Anchorage. Flying into the airport, the mountains around the city appear similar to a lush Polynesian landscape. In the airport terminal the visitor is greeted with a mini natural history museum of taxidermy: polar bears, geese, linx, wolves, brown bears, owl, trumpeter swan, and mountain goat. Other celebrated animals of Alaska are the bald eagle, sea and river otters, puffin, moose, caribou, salmon, the humpback whale, and the prehistoric musk ox. The day after we arrived, Dan Fiacco, owner of The Moose's Tooth (where we'll have our concert), set us up with a great tourism experience, to take a helicopter ride up to a glacier where we would do some dogsled mushing. No amount of reluctance would have kept us from this opportunity for adventure. Even the newspaper clipping from just two weeks ago about a sightseeing plane crashing in mountainous terrain and killing everyone aboard was not the slightest deterrent. The flight was brief, just up and out of the lower valley, through a mountain pass, and down onto the glacier which was 100 feet of snow on top of 1000 feet of ice. It's important to mention that the helicopter pilot mentioned that these glaciers are in "catastrophic decline.” The focus of the excursion was really the sled dogs, with the chopper ride as a short commute to this Iditerod training camp for a man named Dario Martinez and his crew. Dario is Italian born, German raised, and a true Alaskan for 20 years ever since he first arrived on vacation here. He lives night and day on the glacier with the dogs for 3 and 1/2 months of the year. Although the chopper flight is available, Dario says he sometimes takes the five and a half hours to hike down, which includes a considerable glacier ledge that requires crampons to descend. At night, the dogs are let off their chains, and they chase a snowmobile around the glacier. There were about 60 mixed breed huskies at the camp, and we had a turn to ride about a mile loop under dog power, helping Dario with the brakes on the downhill sections. The dogs love to run, and as the dogs could overheat in the summer weather, slowing them down is more of the emphasis than speeding them up. While we were visiting, the dogs that were not in harnesses for the sled all were chained to poles at their dogloos. Instead of pulling at the chain, some of the dogs run in circles, creating a well-banked perfectly circular racing track over time. During times of heavy running, these slender dogs will consume 12,000 calories in one day of commercial dog food, beef, lamb, and salmon, while very willingly running up to 125 miles. Agile and slim they are bred to be more like marathoners as opposed to the bulkier dogs used for shorter distances and heavier loads. The huskies are bred with Greyhounds, Border Collies, and some other breed choices that are surprising but make sense after meeting the dogs. The annual Iditerod race keeps alive the great tradition of dog-powered transport. Iditerod means “distant place” in Athabaskan, a native language of Alaska. Iditerod was a mining district in the Alaskan interior. If you were travelling there, you'd call your route the Iditerod. While we were waiting for the first half of our group to take their turn being pulled behind the dogs, some of us took a snowmobile ride up the glacier to an even more picturesque view of the mountain range, blue jagged glaciers, and the valley below. If it looked a little like Maui flying in on the sunny day to Anchorage, up here it looks like the landscapes from the Lord of the Rings films. The show at Moose's Tooth was a great time, and we'll never forget the reception we received. Thank-you people of Anchorage, Dan, Dario, and Ken the Shaman. The security backstage was excellent in its respectfulness and organization.

Friday, August 10, 2007
Fairbanks, Alaska

Sean Penn directed Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild" outside of Fairbanks recently. It's the story of Christopher Mc Candless, a fun-loving and virtuous young man who ventured to Alaska to live off the land, perishing in the process. Adam Wool, owner of the Blue Loon where we will be performing, says they might be considering having the world premier at his establishment, as The Blue Loon has a substantial screen and regularly shows current feature films.

In 2003, the parking lot of the hotel we stayed was the starting line for the Iditerod 1,049 mile dog race. Pike's is an easy and satisfying place for all types of tourists, and it is obvious right away that this is the place of choice for many of the big tour companies. Overheard this snippet of conversation from a senior citizen New Yorker woman: "And you can enjoy your bagels and lox here, real lox, fresh Alaskan lox."

Pike's also features an ice bridge crossing here. It is a boat ramp in the summer, and in winter, when the temperatures in Fairbanks can regularly and easily range to -50F degrees below zero, cars and trucks use the frozen hard and thick river as an extensive crossing. At least once a year, someone attempts the crossing too late in the winter, and their car becomes stuck in broken ice.

At 11:22 p.m. ...still light outside. 11:52p.m., ...still light.

The Blue Loon is along the main highway to Anchorage, but seemed it was in the boonies along a dirt road. This illusion of reclusivity is because the highway is undergoing complete reconstruction by the department of transportation.

Back in the day, Fairbanks didn't have enough pull to get many nationally known musical groups. Some big concerts to come through were Kool & The Gang and, separately, Quarterflash.  The Howling Dog Saloon was one of the few places to go for a good time. The Howling Dog boasts possession of  "The Holy Carpet."  In the 1980's Ronald Reagan had his one and only meeting with Pope John Paul.  It took place in the rain on the tarmac of the Fairbanks airport, and was the biggest thing since... Kool & The Gang. Somehow the Howling Dog got the red carpet they were standing on.  Now it is tacked up on the wall behind the stage.

The show at The Blue Loon in Fairbanks was as about as unique as any we will ever play. The stage was outside at one end of their large quonset hut, with a view beyond the audience of a rustic tree branch fence holding back the woods. The crowd was one of the most honestly happy and enthusiastic that we've seen. They made us glad that we finally made it to this amazing place.
 

Saturday, July 14, 2007
Istanbul, Turkey

The lines are long and bulky today at the Stansted airport, and they really don't seem to be moving at all.

We are due to arrive in Istanbul at 8:15pm after a three hour flight and a two hour time difference. We are surprised to experience a separate security examination, immediately after the initial examination, just for shoes. We'll get you Richard Reid!

The last two times we were here to perform, we stayed closer to the center of town where the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque are situated near the banks of the mighty Bosphorus river. Since we were situated with greater proximity to the Masstival Festival this time, we were worried that we would be robbed of a true experience of Istanbul. However, arriving in Istanbul we were relieved to meet Nazli, our guide, who informed us that the hotel was not in the middle of nowhere, but near restaurants and a neighborhood.

We drove into the city past many eye-catching minarets, the towers surrounding the mosques. The sunlight was fading, and an orange sky reminiscent of dusk in Los Angeles hung over the city. It seemed odd to be zooming through town on the expressway, because the memory from last time is entering on worn roads winding around low hills.

We are staying at a Movenpick Hotel, which is Swiss, but they have new hotels all over the world in places like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Cairo. The lobby has an interesting sculpture: a two story column made of roughly hewn clay, with a gigantic orange crescent balancing on top. In the fountain at its base are giant stone tablets giving the impression that they might contain an ancient wisdom or code of laws. Nazli informed us that the sculpture was a Greek motif that comes from Anatolia, the largest geographical area of Turkey where the world famous ceramics and rugs come from. It's amazing to think that the first bridge between Europe(the Istanbul side) and Asia (the Anatolian side) was opened as recently as 1973.

Outside the hotel, as we head into the warm evening, we see an engaging sight of seagulls soaring slowly around the heavily lighted sky above a skyscraper. There are also many Turkish national flags near the mosque next to the hotel. One would think It must be some sort of holiday, because in the distance across the city, fireworks could also be seen. Actually, Nazli informed us the fireworks are probably from a wedding or soccer match, and the flags are in relation to the upcoming elections.

July 22nd will be the election, thus there are many campaign billboards and posters, in addition to rows of many small Turkish national flags along the roadway. These flags say "Saadet Partisi" on them, which means Saadet party, a party associated with religious fundamentalism.   Some citizens feel the secular values that the republic was founded on are in jeopardy. You can read about the election results here. The politics of Turkey are complex and intertwined with their turbulent history.

On our first evening, some of us went immediately to a satisfying meal of Turkish food, while some made their way to Masstival to see the incomparable Sinead O'Connor.

The next day, performing at the festival was great. We played well together.

We look forward to returning to this unique and important country soon.


Friday, July 13, 2007
Henham, England

We travelled northeast from London to Suffolk County. On the Henham Park Estate, the Latitude Festival celebrated its second year on a little slice of heaven in Southwold.

Where usually a small flock of sheep would be grazing among the giant sycamores and where in mid-July the meadows have brilliant green grass like early Spring in California, there were cabaret shows, poetry, literature readings, all day stand-up comedy in a large tent with a giant chandelier, a   film and music tent that when it wasn't showing a variety of music documentaries was presenting a bizarre mix of both Willy Wonka  films edited in with scenes of a determined and sweaty Sigourney Weaver with a flame thrower fighting space aliens while a live improvisational ensemble played along, a special children's area, tarot readings, a speed dating service, and a sculpture tent where one could realize their idealized self-portrait from clay. There was also a circus side show featuring an Elephant man Elvis impersonator and a 365 pound lady.

The multiple music stages and camping areas take up the remaining space, therefore, the resident sheep have been given a reasonable boundary near the lake, their wool dyed yellow, blue, and red in accord with their festive circumstance.

Some say this festival is like its more famous neighbor, Glastonbury, but more compact and much less people. Whatever the case, this festival is top notch.

Thursday, July 12, 2007
London, England

The IndigO2 theater, where our concert was held, is an almost brand new venue in Greenwich, east of downtown London. Although it is far from the city center, it's possible to get there by underground or ferry.  It is a part of the millineum dome project.   The review of this show is posted at the top of the band page at cakemusic.com.

On the bus ride out of town the next morning, we noticed a plaque marker affixed to a typical “flat” type dwelling. The historic marker said Benedict Arnold had lived there until his death. Everyone in the United States is always referring to Benedict Arnold as the infamous traitor during the Revolutionary War, so it seems worthwhile to know the whole story. Without General Arnold's earllier contributions to the American cause, the revolution may well have been lost, so why would this pharmacist and book-seller from New Haven, Connecticut sell the Continental Army down the river to the British forces? Here is his story.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Utrect, Holland

We had some time off in Utrecht and saw some things before show day.

A museum here shares with visitors the world's oldest reprogrammable automated instrument. It is a carillon, a series of bells that are struck with hammers, from the year 1480. The progress of automated instruments that followed is represented here all the way up to the era of the Orchestrion (also known as Draaiorgels), decorated pipe organs that read by punch cards and include percussion instruments. These camper trailer sized party machines with colorful and thematic carved wood facades were enjoyed at fairgrounds and dance halls, with even larger versions placed in concert halls.

Another notable item, aside from the player piano with an actual automated violin trio built in, is a plush purple carriage for children that was commissioned for a princess. The music is programmed through grooves carved into a long wooden alley that the wheels of the carriage follow. The two sets of bicycle pedals between the facing sofa seats propel the carriage down the lane, causing the levers to activate a xylophone, cowbell, woodblock, and cymbal on a table between the seats.

Just outside of Bunnick, up the canal from Utrecht, is Fort bij Rijnauwen. The Dutch army regularly used the waterways around Holland to defend themselves against French and German forces, and this fort was the next line of defense. Pentagon shaped, with roughly the same diameter as the Pentagon building in Washington D.C., this is an obsolete structure that has become a nature conservation area. Owls, foxes, bats, wild birds, a wide moat with otter, fish, and a variety of insect life, are all protected here. The fort itself is brick and completely covered by tall trees. The last time the government used it for the military was 1885.

During World War II, the German army used the moth-balled fort as an armory. The Nazi army left behind stockpiled explosives as the Canadian Allied Forces came into command. Young Canadian troops who were guarding the cache became bored as their detail dragged on. They alleviated their boredom by detonating some of these explosives in the walls, thereby carving out the only damage done. This recreational destruction was the beginning of the wildlife preserve, as the cracks in the walls became an ideal place for kingfishers and bats to nest.

Returning to the center of town where the clock tower is, we were surprised by what sounded like a combination of noisy rooftop birds, coffee-shop reggae, and bells from the tower. The reality was discerned only after several minutes of observation had passed. It was actually an official performance by a man improvising on the carillon bells of the clock tower to the sounds of his own recorded music which had been amplified through hidden speakers within the tower. People were quietly standing still, listening, and looking up towards the sound, which included many samples of jungle birds squawking and screeching.

This same distinguished clock and bell tower was originally connected to the main cathedral 30 meters away, but a very strong tornado had cut right through and separated them. Now the city governs the tower, and the church the austere but spectacular cathedral.

Regarding local television programming, the comedy central show “Reno 911” is popular here. It's amusing to think this hilarious parody is inspired by a town right up the road from our Sacramento base of operations. Just wondering... is there anywhere else in the world that features the “Theme from Hawaii 5-0” in a dishwashing detergent commercial?

The show at Tivoli revealed to us even further how gracious the people of this country are. We were hit by a wave of sound as we took the stage, and the energy continued throughout the set.

We hit the road the next day for London, accompanied by a giant papier-mâché head of Satan that a German woman had travelled with by train all the way to the show.

Sunday, July 8, 2007
Weert, Holland