Auburn

Auburn wasn't super into it.
during this Rap Round Robin, the crowd in encouraged to be in the center of the room, but most people at the Balcony Bar opted to be in the corner. afterwards, we were told Auburnites generally like mainstream music and 80's cover bands, and, being neither, i noticed a lot of dead fish eyes.
(side note: it's funny when you're rapping to someone, and you can see the look on their face like, what exactly am i doing here?)

but hey, we met Party Boy and that's what's up. 

many, many thanks to heY!ALLigator for the hospitality and sharing the stage with us both in Auburn and Camp Hill. they're a delight.

i call you on the phone... beepboopboopbeepboopboopbeep

Camp Hill

"Camp Hill?"

that was the most common response to us asking other people, "hey, have you ever heard of Camp Hill, Alabama?" we even talked with people from Alabama, and they hadn't heard of Camp Hill. the allure was palpable. we arrived at The Panorama around 5, and it...man. okay, i'm a blues head, right? love the delta blues. this was like being in my juke joint fantasy.

the story goes: The Panorama used to be a truck stop-slash-restaurant, the restaurant commonly known as The Steer Inn. the place was dormant since the 90's, until a man i only know as "Burke" and his sister Andrea bought the place, put in a lot of work, and re-opened The Panorama as a music venue (now known as The Sound Lounge). 

Camp Hill is a little town 20 minutes outside of Auburn (population of roughly 1,000), with a black female liberal representative, and an art scene on the cusp of turning into something special. the roots are there, it's now a matter of momentum. 

we performed with Chad Mueller (Catfish Jenkins) and -- as i was still in a dizzying haze about how much i loved the space -- he said, "i went to Dark Horse Brewery a few weeks back and brought a keg of Crooked Tree, it's in the front." Michigan beer too, bruh? sheeeeeeeeit.

Heidi made Irish stew.
the Roky Erikson documentary was playing on a loop on the tv.
i was drunk on pure enjoyment of Camp Hill (and a little of that Crooked Tree).
i just spotted two alpaca's cross the street.

Camp Hill, y'all.

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Orlando

we drove up and down the block trying to find The Space. "is this it?" -- Height was looking at a nail supply store. i had read that the venue was tucked away somewhere, so i got out of the van and walked up the block. walked into Anthony's Pizzeria and out the back door and through an unmarked white door was The Space. 

we loaded in, and it was hot. sticky Florida hot. i did that selfish thing of lifting up my shirt and standing directly in front of the a/c for a few minutes, which helped very little. for size proximity, the room we played at The Space was the size of an average bedroom. at 10pm, we were more or less sitting by ourselves. as soon as i was beginning to doubt if anyone would show, the room was full (and about 20 degrees hotter). 

the recurring theme of the tour (thus far, at least) is: if people are into it, they are into it.
met a girl who convinced us to sign her phone.
like, the thing she uses every day. she insisted, so we obliged.

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shouts to Nosis for bringing out the people, and for the people for being so warm to 4 sweaty-ass rappers. 

Savannah

we were initially supposed to play a record store, but it was moved to a house show. we were pre-warned that, "it's spring break", and, "people have been partying for 3 days so who knows how many people are coming out", and, "if only we were able to come earlier in the week", which, y'know, can be left unsaid. don't tell the person performing all the things that might go wrong. the same goes for when people apologize for a turnout -- it's fine. we don't perform for the people that aren't there, dig?

it was a short set, and after every song was silence -- or, if not silence, my favorite, one lone *CLAP* -- and Brent and i just laughed. some people just aren't gonna feel you, and that's okay. on the upside, the place we stayed in Savannah was really nice, and the city has a sleepy romance to it. also, shouts to Kym Chi for rapping and playing the harmonica and wearing a onesie. shit was tight.

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Charleston

i was able to see my family in Charleston.
Brent got an adjustment on the street for $8 in Charleston.
just before showtime, attendance was low in Charleston.
then -- just like that -- Charleston showed up and Charleston stole my heart.

after the show, my dad said one of the people we performed with "just wanted to be the Butthole Surfers". we talked to my Grandma the following morning and she said, "I love everyone at your house, even if I don't know them.", because no one's better than Grandma.

Columbia

i don't understand people that come to a show and immediately have an attitude.
i refuse to understand "hip" people being standoffish and indifferent to everything. 
i don't vibe with that shit.

also, why did we go to McDonald's instead of the Waffle House?
 

Charlotte

10 minutes before the show, there were 4 people that paid to get in. once the music got started, though, the people came out and it ended up being one of the most enjoyable sets yet. also, goddamn the Milestone is a sweet venue. 

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Raleigh

small last-minute show at Nice Price, a sweet record/book store in Raleigh. after the show, Brent started sangin'.

Chapel Hill

a haiku:

Mandey is the best /
drunks can only dance so long /
on to the next one

i forgot to take photos or video of this show, but i would highly recommend visiting Zog's if you're in Chapel Hill. tell Mandey and Rob we said hello.

Greenville

almost instant bad vibes in Greenville.
so listen, the four of us touring are very respectful people. we work with you. we're just trying to have fun, touring our music and touring the Round Robin across the country. some people need to re-lax.

the soundman was drunk well before we got there. i think the doorman was as well, and he couldn't stop pacing, which i saw as him just trying to find something to get angry about. he was a stiff. like, a figurative stiff, that was also quite literally stiff.

but hey, they're hosting us, and that's nice, so we kept it moving. doors were at 8 -- come 8:20, only one of the local acts was there. i had the camera running just in time to meet the first two people that came for the show:

everyone ended up showing and raps were had. we stayed at a nice place afterwards, and i've always found that, if the show isn't the best, the hospitality makes up for it. major shouts to Gabe + Liz.