Newark, DE

After a great show in Pawtucket, RI we were really looking forward to our date at Bankshots in Newark, DE. Last April when we were touring we had a show in Pittsburgh PA fall through and Danielle's (our booking agent) intern who is familiar with Delaware put out some feelers to see if we could jump on a bill last minute. We heard back from Bankshots and they said we were welcome to open the show.

We weren't expecting much because we were in new territory without a fan base and on a last minute show. The band, Drunk Unkle was cool enough to let us share the stage with them. They're an awesome cover band with a huge fan base and certainly didn't need us on the bill. Nonetheless they were extremely hospitable and treated us like family.

When we were organizing this tour, we new we had to make it down to Bankshots in DE again. After getting the go-ahead from Drunk Unkle, we had our sites set on Delaware. We hit a bit of traffic going through NY and turned a 5 hour trip into an 8 our venture.

We arrived at Bankshots around 8pm. Not only were the guys from Drunk Unkle gracious enough to let us use all of their gear and let us play in the middle of their set at 11pm instead of the normal 930pm opening time slot. Sturdy, the bassist from Dunk Unkle was more than persistent to convince the crowd to buy our cds and merchandise. They played a killer couple of sets and we all caught up on Boston stories; Sturdy is originally from MA.

Sturdy and Angel kept us company in our bus after the show

After hanging with Sturdy and his wife Angel until 4am, we called the Bankshots parking lot our home for the night and turned in. We're playing a huge house party in Philadelphia right now and will be going inside momentarily.

We'll see you tomorrow.

Cheers,

Ross

Pawtucket, RI

Yesterday was a bit of a treat for us. We had the chance to go to the Narragansett Beer headquarters in Providence, RI and meet up with Matt our sponsor rep; thanks to Zack for coordinating as well. After saying hello to the gang, snapping a few photos and getting some sweet new gansett T Shirts, we repacked the bus with 20 new cases of beer. We packed every nook and cranny; I think we'll be finding cases tucked away for the next 5 years.

Matt from Narragansett gives us a proper send off

After we departed Providence, RI. We headed north to Pawtucket, RI. We were playing The Blackstone which is club we've played at before when it was located in Cumberland RI. The new location is beautiful. A spacious room with high ceilings, a big stage and great lighting. We played with some great bands; Volcano Kings, Stalemate, and Roz Raskin and the Rice Cakes. They all put on great performances, which made the night all the more energetic.

It was an interesting night because we've been on the road for over a week, but we still are hitting venues close to home. It was great seeing some hometown fans. Special thanks to Tom, Danny Sweet, Tank, Nicole, Adam, Aaron, Michele, Tom & Nancy for coming out and supporting us on the road. Yesterday also marked an important milestone for us. theWANDAS now have official beer koozies for sale at our shows. Only $2.00 - a small price to pay for cold beer. We've already tested them and give them the WANDA seal of approval; big thanks to Ernie & Jane for delivering the koozies and always being #1 fans.

We're on our way to Delaware to play with our good friends Drunk Unkle who we met on last tour. The koozies will be getting a work out. Totally pumped for the show!

Cheers,

Ross

 


Some Parkway in NY

We've come to realize that government agencies have a hard time with what an RV actually is in terms of vehicle classification. We've already had to switch insurance companies within the first month of owning our RV and have had to take 3 trips to the RMV before we could actually get our vehicle inspected.

Technically, in Massachusetts an RV is a Passenger vehicle, but in terms of height and weight it is right on par with a truck classification. So when you're driving in new cities and states it's sometimes hard to discern where you are allowed to drive. Sometimes you'll see a "no trucks" sign, but you don't know if it's posted because they don't want commercial traffic through residential areas or because there's a low bridge that will take the roof right off the bus.

Departing our temporary home in Brooklyn, NY

Yesterday we had our first brush with where we are allowed to drive or not. Cutting through NY to CT we hopped on the Hutchinson Parkway. Parkways in NY are strictly for passenger vehicles only; no trucks. So you can see where this gets hairy ( read above paragraph). About 3 miles into our trip on the parkway we start getting a barrage of horns, waving, and cars swerving

Read more

Brooklyn, NY

Days off are usually few and far in between when touring, but the way it worked out this time we had a couple days off early on. Since we were in Manhattan, we decided to create a new temporary residency in Brooklyn NY. We crossed over the Williamsburg bridge and pulled into a parking spot that would accommodate us down on North 7th and Driggs Ave.

We spent the day walking the streets; one of our favorite low cost pastimes. New York is beautiful in the fall and the rainy weather we had the few days before had turned into sunny skies.

In the evening we made dinner in the bus and then walked over to our friends' apartment and temporary neighbor. We went out on the town for a bit and then called it a night. It was a low key day but certainly nice to take advantage of the time off when you have it.

Cheers,
Ross

Manhattan, NY

Last night was an interesting night. We arrived in Manhattan, NY around 6pm. The show start time was 8pm. This gave us enough time to make some food in the bus, load in gear and have an ice gold Naragansett (our great sponsor)..plug...

We were the first band on which is always a little difficult especially when it's an early start time like 8pm. A big part of touring is routine and when you play real early or real late, it can make you lose your bearings a bit. Another issue with playing real early is that the room is typically less than full.

 

Five minutes before we hit the stage, we were all alone in the venue. Right when we hit the stage the room started to fill up which is always encouraging. We were at Arlene's Grocery last month and the room sounded great. This time was no exception. The sound guy did a top notch job and the room mix was right on the money. We're even contemplating releasing a song or two as a live session

What do you do when you have friend on the tour bus? Have them take photos of you.

After the show we spent some time talking to new fans and old friends. One of Keith's old high school friend's was in the area and we spent some time catching up in the bus. We had to get up early to move out of our parking spot so we turned in around 2am, instead of the usual New York 5am night. We were up and out of Manhattan today by 9:30am. We have today and tomorrow off so we decided to relocate to to Brooklyn temporarily for the next couple of days. We're parked at the corner of N 7th and Griggs Ave if you want to come by and say hello

 

Cheers
Ross

Northampton, MA

After a stellar show in Boston, we were looking forward to playing The Elevens in Northampton, MA. Northampton is a beautiful little city in Western, MA. One of my favorite places to visit. If you've never been, I'd highly recommend it. Bustling with friendly people, eclectic arts and a world class food selection.

We arrived plenty early and were met with our normal hardest task of the day; where do you park a 27 foot vehicle in the heart of a city? Well, after a couple loops in the rain we were able to get a spot only a block a way. After settling in we sat back and enjoyed the first 2 acts. The show was a fundraiser for a new Northampton-based record label called Sonic Strawberries. Not surprising, all of the bands and bar staff were very friendly; a staple Northampton personality trait.

Long view of the bus. Keith working on the computer. It's not all rock & roll all the time.

The show went well. We made some new friends and made our way back to our home on wheels for the night. The next morning we spent some time taking in the Northampton scenery and ate at my favorite burrito joint of all time - Bueno y Sanyo. After filling our stomachs we did the next few days of  grocery shopping. A very important money saver when on tour. Grocery shopping on a full stomach. You're always better off running out of food, after all you can always drink beer if you're hungry.

We just arrived in NYC, by far the hardest place to maneuver the bus but at this point I think we're getting used to it. We're getting ready for our show at Arlene's Grocery. Until next time.

Cheers,

Ross

 

And so it begins...

After a long summer of regional gigging and a grueling September packed with festivals and block parties (i know.. tough life) theWANDAS are back on tour. This time we're hitting the entire U.S. We'll be dropping about 10,000 miles on our new (to us) RV..err... Tour Bus..

The tour officially started on Oct 1st at the Brick House in Dover, NH. Our first time playing the venue and I think our first gig in New Hampshire. For being our neighboring state we don't make it north that often.

The venue was a perfect start to the tour; nice vibe, good layout, good sound, friendly staff. Some of Brent's family made it to the show along with Danielle (our booking agent) and our good friend Jinsen from 28 Degrees Taurus. Gathered in with the local crowd it's always nice to see some familiar faces.

After the show we spent our first night sleeping in the bus. It's a bit more spacious than last tour. Keith and I are still sleeping next to each other, but out of choice, not necessity. Well it's a queen size bed... what would you do?

The next show was on our home turf; Tommy Doyle's in Boston, MA (Harvard Square). The venue has become our go-to spot for good times and raucous shows. We shared the stage with our friends the Jeddo Stars. They played a killer set and really set the mood for the night. They're a great band, with great fans.

The night was truly special. It was great seeing all of our friends and fans who have been coming to shows for years in conjunction with all of the new fans who have been gathering with the latest release of New Wave Blues.

Brent & Keith taking a page out of The Beatles book at Tommy Doyles. Photo by Jesse Power

The set was fun because we played a lot of the newer songs, but when pressed by the crowd for "one more song" we decided to play Promised Me Then; something Will has always wanted to do for an encore since joining the band. After the show we walked across the street to one of our favorite last-call spots; Noir. We spent the rest of the night with friends and loved ones as we won't be seeing them for a couple months.

We're on our way to The Elevens in Northampton, MA one of my personal favorite cities; after spending 4.5 years living in Western MA. I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun tour stories for you. We're just getting warmed up. See you in NOHO.

Cheers,
Ross