On The Oregon Trail

I write from a motel room in Portand, Oregon. I've had an eventful week since last I posted anything on here. The Amoeba Records instore was great, San Diego was cool. The show in Los Angeles at Henry Fonda was something else - I was flabbergasted after my set to see Tim Armstrong (of Rancid) walking out from the wings to congratulate me for my set. My inner fanboy rose to the surface but thankfully I didn't make a total tit of myself, just felt kinda surreal. He was a perfect gentleman.

After that show, the night descended into enjoyable chaos - I ended up playing 2 more house sets that night, being broken up by the cops finally at about 5am. The show the next day in Anaheim suffered a little as a result of my adventuring, but the crowd were friendly and forgiving. Thence north, to San Luis Obispo, a small but beautiful town in mid-California, home (allegedly) of the world's first motel. The show that night featured just me and Murder By Death, which gave me a chance to appreciate them a little more, both as great people and a great band. I slept the sleep of the dead after the show, and in the morning we high-tailed it north to San Francisco.

Historically I haven't always had the best of times in SF, but my last visit in April was awesome, and this show topped it easily. We played with Gaslight at The Fillmore, a classic and humbling venue, an old theater with chandeliers and faded glory hanging from the ceilings. My set went down a storm (I thought) and an enjoyable evening was spent with tour friends. After the show I jumped onto the Gaslight tour bus, to be my home for the rest of the run.

We rove overnight to Portland, getting here at 4 ish in the afternoon. The drive through northern California and Oregon is beautiful, like the Scottish West Highlands in a way, but perhaps a little warmer at this time of year. Forests and hills, vast stretches of emptiness, silence lurking just beyond the edge of the freeway. Lovely. Portland itself is a fun city - my last visit was delightfully chaotic. We're relaxing here in our motel, enjoying some showers and private space, before heading out to dinner. I absolutely love being on tour, ladies and gentlemen (as if you didn't know).

So there it is. The October UK tour has sold out of a bunch more shows, and the rest are not far behind. We have another run of UK dates in March to announce pretty soon, watch this space. Also, I can now tell the world that I'll be playing the Californian shows on the Revival Tour. Good news.