Tour - Day 18 - Jacksonville, FL

I don't think we could of drew up a better last show for the tour. After a wild night in Atlanta and a long drive to Jacksonville, we were pretty beat. With a long journey and a Sunday night show, I think we had some doubts as to how lively the night would be.

We were very happy to be meeting up with some of Ross's old friends/roommates from his days in Amherst, MA. We arrived in Jacksonville around 5pm and headed straight to a bar on the beach where Ross's friends were hanging out. To say we stuck out was an understatement. Everyone there was in beach attire with smooth tan skin. We were sweaty, pasty-white, unshaven, and just worn out looking from being on the road for almost 3 weeks. It didn't matter though, nothing was going to rain on our parade. We were so happy to be at the beach we were all smiles. We hadn't been experiencing much sunlight on the tour because we were driving for most of the day; so this was heaven.

Ross & Keith pasty white on the beach w/ friends Mara & Nell. Jacksonville FL

After hanging for a bit we headed to Ross's friend Jay's place to get situated and cleaned up before the show; a real shower never felt so good. The show was on the earlier side which was nice because it was a Sunday night, but we did have to rush a bit to get there on time.

The band who played before us, Longfellow Street were great. They had a bluegrass/country feel with an awesome pedal steel player who played a modified guitar so he could play standing up. They were a great band and great people. I really hope we keep in touch with them.

theWANDAS at Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville FL

Another bonus to the night was that Brent's Dad and step mom were in town visiting their Uncle Jack and they all came out to the show. Having our friends and family their was such a big boost we were so pumped to play.

It's was awesome playing to the other band's fans who really seemed to dig us right off the bat. They were dancing along to our songs and even had a great group embrace / sway with lighters in the air during Lose You. The band who played after us was great too: Johnathan Appleseed. They had a classic rock sound reminiscent of Black Sabbath. The whole night was amazing we didn't want it to end.

theWANDAS & Danielle (booking agent) at Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville FL

The tour in general couldn't have gone any better. We made so many new friends, met so many great bands, played at awesome venues and saw a bit of the country. We were invited back to every venue and will certainly be through again. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our shows and all of our fans who made this possible in the first place. You guys are the best, we love you!

-theWANDAS

WANDA Nation - theWANDAS, Fans, members of Longfellow Street and Johnathan Appleseed: Jack Rabbit's in Jacksonville FL

 

Tour - Day 17 - Atlanta GA

We had a solid 5 hour drive ahead of us from Charlotte NC to Atlanta GA yesterday, so we headed out in the afternoon. The trip moved along pretty smoothly until the last few miles. Atlanta was exploding with people yesterday. Aside from the normal activity, it was national record store day and there were a few record stores right in the area that we were playing. There were also a bunch of other events going on in Atlanta that had the streets flooded with people. It took us 45 minutes just to make it the last half mile.

When we finally got there, it was a mad house trying to park. The lot behind the venue was completely full with a line going in and out because of all the night life activities. We had the bus double parked while we unloaded our gear. This wasn't ideal for the people trying to get through the lot, but we managed to get in and out pretty quickly. 

The next task was trying to find a parking spot anywhere in Atlanta. We were jammed up with so many cars around us by the time we were moving we were in a bit of a frenzy. Brent was hopping into the back door of the bus while Ross was running up to the front door to hop in. After Brent stepped in, Ross pushed the door shut on his way to the front. Instantaneously Brent shrieked out in pain. The door had gotten jammed shut on his finger and was actually stuck in the door. Ross popped the door open from the outside to let Brent loose. Before we could see what finger it was we thought we were going to have to cancel the show if not go to the emergency room. The door had caught the tip of Brent's right middle finger and almost certainly broke it. Luckily (if you can call it luck) you don't need to use your right middle finger to play guitar. Anything on his left hand would have been a disaster and his thumb or index finger on his right had would have been equally as bad.

After soaking his hand in some cold beer-cooler water, we rigged up a splint made out of the side of a swiss army knife and tape, found a parking spot and got ready to play the show. Rock & Roll. After settling in at the Star Bar and enjoying our free Keystone Light beer, we could tell right away it was going to be a great night. The event was put on by Team Luis which is headed up by a promoter in Atlanta who really knows his stuff. The lineup was great including local favorites Y-O-U and Athens' own Radiolucent (both put on killer shows) and the club was packed.

theWANDAS at Star Bar in Atlanta GA

We went on second  and the crowd was primed up after a night of enjoying the beautiful Atlanta weather and atmosphere. We had a great time playing and were covered in sweat after the first 30 seconds. They don't call it Hotlanta for nothing. After the set we made a bunch of new friends & fans. Including a bunch of people who were working across the street at an outdoor Scion demo who heard the music and came in and got the whole crowd dancing. We definitely owe them one for their enthusiasm. We couldn't have asked for a better time in Atlanta.

New Fans of theWANDAS. Star Bar in Atlanta GA

We're heading to Jacksonville FL for our last show of the tour :(... sigh. However, we're really looking forward to the show because we have a bunch of friends and family who are going to be there, which will make it a great send off.

See you tonight in FL!

Tour - Day 16 - Charlotte NC

It's was tough leaving Athens yesterday after having such a great time. It would have been nice to see the city a bit more; nonetheless Charlotte was calling our name. Danielle has a friend who lives in Charlotte so we were looking forward to spending some time in a house too. The weather keeps getting better everywhere we go. Things are really going great.

We pulled up to Snug Harbor, a cool neighborhood bar with a pirate vibe; totally awesome. Once again, everyone in the south has been extremely friendly. They welcomed us, got us loaded in and gave us a sound check. The sound guy did a great job. He was really on top of his game.

theWANDAS at Snug Harbor in Charlotte NC

Keith was wrestling with a soar throat and some allergies for most of the day so things were a little iffy going into the set, but once we got on stage all of the ailments were wiped away. It was great hearing shouts of encouragement from the new crowd throughout the set. It was an awesome time all around. We definitely want to go back.

theWANDAS at Snug Harbor in Charlotte NC

We were playing with one other band, who is really popular in Charlotte: Bruce Hazel and Some Volunteers. They were a vibrant 7 piece band (usually 8 but they were missing their trombone player). They had a great sound reminiscent of The Boss & Joe Cocker. They brought in a great crowd who they had captivated from the first song. It was great because they were really receptive to us as well. It was a great matching bill.

theWANDAS & Bruce Hazel (right) and Some Volunteers. Snug Harbor in Charlotte NC

After a night of much needed rest; half of us slept in the house which made room in the RV for the others; it's back on the road for the last two shows of the tour. We're heading back down south to  Atlanta tonight and the last show on Sunday Night in Jacksonville.

See you in Atlanta!

 

 

Tour - Day 15 - Athens GA

We had a long drive from Richmond VA to Athens GA yesterday. We pulled into town around 7pm just in time to enjoy a couple hours of sunny weather. We had a streak of rain so the 70 degrees & sun combination was beautiful.

We were playing at a nice live music venue, called Caledonia Lounge, right on a strip of bars and restaurants. Athens has a decent college population so the streets were filled with people enjoying the nightlife.

 Caledonia Lounge - Athens GA

Everyone was in great spirits going into the night. Unfortunately the first band, who's CD release it was, didn't even show up. Maybe they never got their CDs. Even with the first band bailing we were still happy to play. We were playing with a great band who was made up of two other bands called The Interns and The Futureheads. So we were psyched to watch them after we played.

 theWANDAS @ The Caledonia Lounge - Athens GAWe went on a little earlier than expected because the first band didn't show up, but it was great to see the crowd fill in as we started playing. We met a lot of new fans who walked in right off the street because they heard the music. Everyone was very hospitable and supportive. The guys in the Interns / Futureheads were awesome and put on a killer show. I really hope we can get them up to Boston with us.

New Fans of theWANDAS - Athens GA

 After we played we took a stroll down the street to get a bite to eat. While we were out Keith made another new friend.

Keith's Newest Fan - Athens GAWe'll be in Charlotte NC tonight. Looking forward to the show!