(( photo. Hoyt Smith ))
We’re currently in Rapid City, SD , reflecting on the past few days of huge drives, great times, and loud shows. The new album has been translating quite well on stage and has been a lot of fun thus far. we’re looking forward to more shows. Missoula MT was a blast, as always. we owe many thanks to our old friends Mike, Nick, Hoyt, Chris, Pat, and all the other people who helped put the show together. Billings was also a great time, thanks to Sean Lynch of 11:11, Nick, and the lovely people @ Manny’s. we continue on tomorrow and play Kansas City on 10-09 @ the Riot Room.
These Pains of glass in the breakfast nook are old. the kind people ” pay good good money for”. this glass bends the light to make things appear as they are not. all shapes devoid of familiarity. obtuse angles if angles at all. jumbled shapes of a flock of birds spotting the yard with a writhing grey flurry that tricks the eye into an almost dizzying strain. i wonder if we appear the same with our flock through these windows. loading the vans with things we’ll take with us, or on the lawn with good byes to those forging ahead as the great explorers of the west. covering every inch of the paved roads of this country, and moving on to more that are gravel, dust and dirt. all the while humming an Ode To The Flock. the flock that we fly with.
it’s autumn once again. this grey. this morning. pushing forward into a new musical ocean. swaying back and forth as a unmanned ship adrift.
we had a wonderful summer and i can still remember the feeling of sunburn. the smell of camp fire. the feeling of the waves lapping at our legs. the sound of the warm breeze through the lush dense green blanket that surrounds us.
out into the the center of nowhere, for the sake of the vast expanse that is our playground and our cathedral.
we focus our eyes now, on the things ahead, on wet streets lined with signs, the reflection of light off piano keys. we can see the rattle of brass. we can see the vibrations of strings. there’s a terrible ringing in my head always and there’s a bell ringing off in the distance. i’m not sure everything is going to be alright, because the world is a terrifying place and we hold fast to the craft that we exhale. it’s our armor protecting us against the barrage of terrible things we’re capable of. it is our weapon, cutting through the foggy indifference of human nature as blade so sharp it scars the air. we know there is good in the world. we know there is justice. we can help and we want to at least try, but it’s not easy to convince a storm of anything at all, much less the people underneath it. we can only work together to make sense of the dead languages that used to drive our kind to a common understanding. we’re all moving forever forward down our paths to meet our ends having been good to one another and having made one another truly believe it’s not hopeless to survive.
THEMES “THE PHANTOM” LIVE @ THE KNITTING FACTORY, SPOKANE, WA
this show was part of a short run we did with deep homies, Minus The Bear, and Empty Space Orchestra. so much fun.
WE RECENTLY DID A LIVE IN STUDIO W/ RADIO K IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN
We Very excited about the Day trotter Session’s we just tracked yesterday. here’s how it looked, wait till you hear how it sounds. Cole did an Excellent Job. THANKS for having us DAY TROTTER!
we awake to the chill of the Wyoming wind, as it pushes us south east to Boulder, CO. Today is Earth Day. we will update more soon. zoooom!
hello again, from the open road.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE BIX!
we leave Portland behind again in the throws of spring. the weather lurches above, as the rolling ocean turned upside down upon itself. we follow the great Columbia River as it winds through magnificent geological striations that twist around themselves upwards to the sky as the pillars of a station mount to mother natures cathedral. in that we find quiet pigments of all quotients that paint the landscape with an almost human emotion.
the rain catches us and guides us to the town of Nampa, ID
The Show is with a band called Art Fad, at a Lovely place called The Flying M. Coffee Garage. it’s an old auto garage that has been renovated to house a a small batch coffee roaster, a cafe. and a really cool love music venue run by great people
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THEMES PERFORM “TRUTH IS…” LIVE @ VERA PROJECT, SEATTLE, WA 3-11-11
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by. Josh Staples.
here are some great photos from a Seattle show at the TRACTOR TAVERN back in November, when we played a few dates with our good friends Darren Hanlon, and Tim Kasher.
check out
Annnd Later That Evening, Kelsey Sang some songs with Tim Kasher.
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we awoke in Denver to the sound of a city in it’s early stages of operation, completely surrounded by skyscrapers in a 3 story mansion . it’s a stand alone building in the middle of downtown denver, inhabited by the members of “git some” and “kingdom of magic” ….our new family of road warriors. every inch of the place was covered with creations, amazinng screen prints giving us visions of their work over the past 10 or so years. after saying farewell to our new friend Luke, we ate brunch at a vegan place called “watercourse”. amazinng food!!!….
the drive to manitou springs is a short one from denver, and brings us through the garden of the gods… a geological landmarks of red rock spires climbing into the sky, offering us a look into the past. it’s said that the mineral rich waters of manitou springs had healing properties, which is why the natives lived near to the springs. eventually missionaries moved in and brought with them a different meaning for the waters medicinal properties. that day the town looked handsome, a old fashioned town with it’s approaching crown of clouds seemingly famous with all the camera flashes going off. streets lined with small shops and museums of historic valor. a famous penny arcade is where we spend our time until making our way to the nights show. at the business arts center, we meet Melissa who is the production coordinator for the evening, and connor from band the changing colors …both amazingly supportive , beautiful people, with great ideas for the touring music community. after the show were able to experience the local nightlife, at another show down the street . the night ended in a beautiful house on a near cliff very close to the top of Red Mountain, where connor write his amazing music. after sleeping like royalty we rise to greet the amazing view of the valley on up to williams canyon. ….manitou echoing off every corner of every object, as we end up now, in the historic “union district” of pueblo colorado for tonights show at the senate