Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tonight is the last of our LA area shows before we head north for a handful dates in the Bay Area. It’s a Saturday night at Bogart’s in Long Beach, a place we played the last time we were in Cali, on the bottom of a bill with House of Freaks and Meat Puppets. Tonight,Continue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 16, 1990 Long Beach”

We’ve got this Sunday off for the long drive from LA to the San Francisco Bay Area to play a trio of shows. I reach out to the Sony label rep there, Tim Thompson, and it’s clear by his enthusiasm that we’re not going to have a lot of free time to sightsee while weContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 17, 1990 Driving to San Francisco”

We arrive in San Francisco and check into the very-Rock-n-Roll Phoenix Hotel, located in the heart of the seedy Tenderloin district. Since it’s June in SF, it’s too cold to swim in the pool but we are soaking up the hipster/tropical ambiance. The show promises to be one the best nights of the tour withContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 18, 1990 San Francisco”

It’s our second day in the Bay Area, and, as much as we’d like to spend the day relaxing or sightseeing, Tim, our label rep, has other plans for us. Theoretically, there was someone like him in every region whose job it is to promote the band but no one in the previous 3 weeksContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 19, 1990 San Jose”

Last night’s show in San Jose was sparsely attended but was still one of the highest-paid shows of the tour. We feel bad when a promoter loses money like that, largely because we know we won’t be invited back but honestly, we don’t lose too much sleep over it. We want to be filling clubsContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 20, 1990 Cotati”

It’s the first day of summer and we have a day off to drive up Highway 5 to Portland, Oregon. I’m a bit blue over leaving the comfort of the Bay Area but excited at playing our first-ever shows in the Pacific Northwest. The RV continues to stall out, which is especially treacherous on theContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 21, 1990 On the way to Portland”

It’s hard to believe that in the four years that we’ve been together, we’ve never played in Oregon or Washington State but, after the long drive up, I could see why bands would skip it. For an obscure band, especially back then, there’s really no place in between to play, so you’re pretty much forcedContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 22, 1990 Portland”

It’s a short drive to Seattle today so we have a leisurely breakfast at a diner near the hotel where Nic, our tour manager, joins us with the news that he’s leaving the tour, effective right after tonight’s show. Everyone is massively bummed out since Nic is a reliable source of joy on an otherwiseContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 23, 1990 Seattle”

Today is the start of two days off so that we can get from Seattle to our next show in Boulder, CO, which is 1300 miles and about a 21-hour drive away. The tour, you’ll be relieved to read, is past the halfway mark, and, having run out of US territory that we can driveContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 24, 1990 Snoqualmie Pass”

After a bonus night with Stacey and a day spent hanging out with Bryan, my old roommate, after she went to work, I get the call from Rod that the RV will be ready soon and we’re going to have to pull an all-nighter to get to Boulder on time for the soundcheck. Apparently, whenContinue reading “Slam Tour Diary: June 25, 1990. Across the Great Divide”