Tour Day 1: Does it count as a tour if you sleep at home?

Hi. I'm Crawford. I play in a band in Montreal called Notta Comet with dudes named Alex and Eli. You probably know that if you're reading this. This blog will be an account of Notta's 2015 spring tour straight from the source.

We left for Plattsburgh on Thursday after playing a bangin' tour launch at Casa del Popolo on Wednesday. Before we even left Montreal though, we had to complete the Great Schlep.

I don't think people who aren't in bands really get how much hauling makes up the existence of the average musical strivers. I'm here to tear back the curtain and show you the dirty inner workings of a no-name band.

Steps of the Schlep:
1. Drive up to old practice space. Move out all gear stored there. Place gear in Alex's house.

Riding the freight elevator for the last time.

2. Drive to Eli's old house. Pick up all his personal belongings. Say many goodbyes.

Emotions!

4. Deposit those in his new place.
5. Drive to Casa del Popolo. Meet up with band friends Kurvi Tasch
6. Put all the tour gear from both bands in Alex's early-2000's Honda Accord.
7. Drive through Montreal rush hour over the border.
8. Meet Kurvi Tasch at the first gas station over the line to give them their gear.

We smuggled Kurvi Tasch's gear over the border for them so they could pretend to not be a band when they crossed over. For some reason, it is illegal for Canadians to play even small DIY shows in America without expensive temporary work visas. Notta Comet being all Americans, we don't have this problem. Our band friends are jealous.

Alex characteristically making a spreadsheet in a gas station parking lot. This is the car with both bands' gear. Kurvi dudes in the distance.

This is what the back of a Honda Accord loaded up for tour looks like. Eli will have 3/4 of a seat for the next 3 weeks.

Plattsburgh is a pretty cute town in the way almost all little towns in upstate New York are cute. We played at a cool art gallery/all-ages space there called the ROTA gallery. They seem to be doing good work there; I hope they get enough support to continue.

Some art in ROTA

The openers were a local punky group called Average Mullighans and an awesome violin/double bass/drums trio called Doomfuck.

Average Mullighans.

Dick Vader. The guy who made this drummed in Doomfuck

We had no place to sleep in Plattsburgh so we just crossed back over the border and slept at home. Border crossing are just so effortless for us Yanks! Cambridge tomorrow.