What is that line from? Some rap song, early 90s…I could look it up I suppose…
When I started this post, I was sitting in the Barnes & Noble at the UND (University of North Dakota) campus in Grand Forks, and undergoing sugar shock from the slice of frosting-drenched carrot cake I just ate. I was trying to be healthy, honestly – my sugar craving needed attending, and it was either carrot cake or Raspberry Chocolate Molten Bundt Cake. Honestly. I think I made the only acceptable decision, but I paid the price.
It is, however, okay to be a little comatised.* Yesterday afternoon was my last North Dakota show, rounding off an exhausting but really fun week of shows all over the state. Monday I played UM Crookston (MN); Tuesday morning I was at Minot State and then headed up to Mayville State for their Homecoming Coronation; Wednesday morning I played North Dakota State in Fargo; Thursday night I was in Valley City at VCSU; and Friday was UND in Grand Forks, bringing the week’s total mileage up to around 750 miles since Monday afternoon. Since the beginning of the trip, I’m just shy of 3000 miles (I know this because I had my oil changed the day before heading out, and I’ve got just over 200 miles to go before I need to find me a Pennzoil station).
And that’s to say nothing of the hours of driving that all those miles add up to. Don’t let anyone tell you that touring isn’t work. It certainly is.
But it is awesome, amazing, fabulous work, and I love it. Here’s a quick Tour Highlights Recap so far:
Monday Oct 1
An early (though not quite early enough) rising in Chicago, a rush job of packing my suitcase for the next 3 weeks, and then the 9 hour drive north to Duluth – mostly uneventful. I played the coffeehouse series at the College of St Scholastica to a crowd of reserved Minnesota college students laughing politely at my bad jokes while they dug into free pie and puppy chow. Afterward, I was escorted to the local Applebees for dinner, which I ordered to-go so that I wouldn’t keep the girls out and force them to hang around with me in my sleepily boring state. They waited for my meal with me anyways, because they were cool like that.
Tuesday Oct 2
Tuesday’s post has been deleted..bastards. It was a lovely day, drizzly and grey but almost warm, and I convinced my body that I’m far more athletic than I have been lately by going for a nearly 4-mile trail run through the hills over Lake Superior. The rush and energy I got racing through trees and alongside waterfalls kept me going in spite of the tornado I had to drive through to get to Wausau. I did, however, decide to avoid Applebees from here on out on this tour. Their Southwest Cobb Salad is neither Southwestern nor Cobb in any way, and it found its way quickly to the trash in my comfy La Quinta hotel room.
Wednesday Oct 3
I played the lunch show at UW Marathon County, which is located in an absolute autumnal heaven, Marathon Park. I tried to find a good picture, but there simply isn’t anything online that really captures the perfect crisp bliss of the campus, all tree-lined and fresh with a crystal blue sky overhead and gold, red, and orange leaves drifting lazily down to the grass. Honestly, it was gorgeous. If I don’t get another perfect fall day this year (and it looks like that’s the way it’s going to be), Wausau provided me with enough to get me through. The students were great, too, chatting with me about Halo 3 (which had come out the week before), Guitar Hero (my other obsession, after Dr Mario), and the perils of raising piranhas.
From Wausau, I headed to Minneapolis, where I took advantage of the absolutely beautiful day and did a bit of rollerblading on one of the many well-groomed paved trails around the Cities. I have always loved the Twin Cities for a lot of reasons (well, “always” meaning “since I grew up, moved away, and realized what I hadn’t appreciated”), but one of the best things is the absolute wealth of bike trails in and around both cities. You could take a different trail every day for months and still not see everything. Blading was followed by dinner with my friend Timm at Al Vento, a fabulous Italian restaurant on the south side of Minneapolis, and then a long, um, “nap” at Timm’s apartment while he worked. I had intended to sleep a few hours, then work a few hours, then drive to Bemidji…what I did was watch Office Space, sleep a lot of hours, then drive to Bemidji. Oops.
Thursday Oct 4
The weather held on Thursday, pulling me over the bridge across Lake Bemidji and into town with plans to explore the trail alongside the lake as soon as my show was over. This show, again, was really fun – the students at Bemidji State were very cool, paying attention in spite of the lunch rush and hanging out afterward to chat or buy CDs. I even received a gift from one new fan, a touch of poetry inspired during my set, and was caught by surprise when the marine sitting at the marine recruiting table on the other side of the union called my name as I was walking by nearly an hour later, and said he really liked the set. 
Chelsea, my student contact, bought me lunch, and we hung out with a few other members of the student activities board, and then I ventured off to find a hotel (the Best Western wound up giving me a discount, plus the desk guy had the most insane sense of humor over the phone and I couldn’t resist seeing what kind of a hotel a guy like that would work at!). I joined Boszley on KKBJ’s Mix 103.7 for an on-air chat, and then attempted to cover the 18-mile trail around Lake Bemidji.
There are not, it turns out, 18 full miles of paved trail around Lake Bemidji. There are, I’m sure, 18 miles around the lake – and my knees felt every single inch of every single one as I bumped and rattled along the rough roads circling the lake. Keeping the water always as close as I could on the right, I still think I must have missed over half of the actual trail, however long it may be – it would pop up here and there, peeking its pristine smooth head out at me from behind the trees but offering no entrance. The view over the lake was beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as the hot tub I sank into back at the hotel. It took over 10 minutes in the searing hot water just to get rid of my goosebumps.
Friday Oct 5
Friday was uneventful. Grey sky, rain, and a long drive north over the Canadian border into town. I’d written about this drive before but somehow it got deleted…suffice it to say, I liked Winnipeg right away. In spite of the drizzle, the cold, and my absolute inability to find a decent hotel that didn’t cost a fortune. I wound up in the downtown Best Western executive suite, somehow, highlighting my hair and watching Me, Myself & Irene. Strange.
Saturday Oct 6
Any day that begins with an appearance on a show called “Beer for Breakfast” can’t be bad. I stopped off at a juice bar for breakfast (a scone with raspberry jam and a carrot/apple/ginger juice blend – seriously, it was really good), then made my way into Kick FM’s studio on the Red River College campus, where I spent the next 2 hours chatting with DJ’s Broose Tulloch and Gavin the Brit, and Canadian legends James Keelaghan and Penny Lang. I don’t know how interesting I was to listen to, but I thoroughly enjoyed the show and learned a lot from James and Penny. I’ve got major plans to infiltrate Canada’s folk scene over the next year or two, just watch!
Osborne Street in downtown Winnipeg is a wealth of fun shopping. I managed to limit my spending to one new show top, one new pair of earrings, and a couple of CDs of local bands (check out Nathan and The Weaker Thans, both of whom I’m completely in love with – who knew Canada was hiding such great music over the border?). Then I headed down to the Park Theatre & Movie Cafe for my show with Melissa Plett and Serena Postel. The show was, well, not highly attended, and I was able to hold onto the majority of my newly burned pre-release CDs for future crowds. But dammit, I’m going back, and I’m going to rock that Winnipeg music scene. It was too good for me to be denied. Dammit.
Post-show, Serena took me out to see the JD Edwards Band, and the dancing and drinking commenced. The ensuing cold I woke up with late the next afternoon has only just now begun to dissipate. It was worth it. From Winnipeg south to Crookston, MN, and an early night passed out at the AmericInn.
Monday Oct 8
UM Crookston was a friendly place, with great students and a great sound set-up. The only down side was that the weather had stubbornly turned to crap, and I found myself loading into the Northern Lights Lounge wearing my skimpy fall coat and my summer flip-flops, unprepared for the chill that had descended overnight. The show was fun, the beginning of a week of lunchtime shows where students filter in and out between classes, where sometimes the applause is deafening and sometimes there is none at all, and the decision is rarely based on the actual performance. I have fun during these shows because at some point in my life, I stopped being self-conscious on stage, so when it seems that no one is paying attention I just start talking about whatever I feel like rambling about. The few people who are paying attention usually think I’m hysterical. *shrug* Post-show, the girls took me out to the Irishman’s Shanty, a decidedly un-Irish family restaurant in town. The food was good, but the best part was in the attached bar – carved deeply into the ceiling, green lights accenting the shape from the depths of the plaster, is a giant shamrock. Seriously, it’s about 15 feet across. It was awesome.
From Crookston to Minot, the drive was pretty bleak, although I did manage to stop and snap a picture of myself standing at the Geographical Center of the US (apparently, the “actual” center is about 11 miles south of the landmark in Rugby, ND, but to hell with it – I was close enough). The weather has been grey and drizzly pretty much straight through the week, except for one brief moment when I was parked at the Grand International Inn in Minot. Minot (sounds like “my knot”) is a surprise in the middle of nothingness, a city that appears gracefully as you round a bend, spreads out across the valley, and actually has a zoo with random wild cats and such (sadly, the zoo closes at the end of September, so I missed it). The hotel that Minot State put me up in was an absolute heaven, with those amazing mattresses that conform to your body and a full-sized water park inside, and a 24-hour cafe (which, it turns out, does not actually serve room-service 24 hours, contrary to what the first waitress who answered the phone told me – the second one was kind of a bitch). And it was up on a hill looking out over the entire valley, and there was a sunset, and it was really pretty. Monday night was good.
Tuesday Oct 9
Seriously, Minot, ND, is this rare little haven in the middle of nowhere. Not only was it really pretty in spite of the ugly weather, but the people at Minot State were so nice!! Anne, the adviser who helped me get settled for my lunchtime show, was just the nicest woman on the planet, and the various students who helped to man the merch table while I played could have just come from finishing school. Students bought tons of CDs (which always helps, of course), the stage and sound system in the Beaver Dam lounge where I played were of great quality, and even the food was awesome. I wished I could have stayed longer.
But after Minot, I had the long drive back across the state to Mayville, where I was scheduled to play for the Homecoming Coronation at Mayville State. The drive included a few interesting points, though, like the Minuteman station that I passed (I would have had no idea what it was if not for my boyfriend’s input on the phone, by the way – to me, it just looked like a big oddly conspicuous grove of dead trees with a prison tower sunken into the middle of it). Oh, and the construction workers that nearly killed me with their disorganization – honestly, when you’re planning to allow only one line of traffic to pass at a time, and you’re going to have bulldozers racing around helter skelter on even the open lane, you should really give drivers a little direction. Good god.
The coronation was fun. Mayville State is a small school, so everyone knew everyone else and there was a lot of joking around before and during the coronation. I was paired up with Kayla to announce the candidates, along with a few songs thrown in to keep the crowd energized. Watching the crowning sent me back to nostalgic memories of my days as a princess in my home town (which I’m going to, um, not elaborate upon at this time), so it was nice to go out afterward to the local cafe with Darcie, my adviser contact at Mayville, who was incredibly sweet and fun to chat with. It’s always nice to find a kindred spirit when I’m away from home for so long.
Wednesday Oct 10
Yet another post deleted… Twice now!! Argh. I had written a nice long post about how I was running late getting to Fargo for my show at NDSU; the understanding nature and helpfulness of Ron and Sarah, the students who helped me load in and out and sell CDs; the bliss of running a good 3.5 miles on the Holiday Inn treadmill; and the absolute pleasure of finding a kickass Barnes & Noble within walking distance of the hotel. So there it all is in a nutshell. Bah.
Thursday Oct 11
I slept in and was barely out of my hotel room before the noon checkout time, but since I still had a little time before I needed to head to Valley City, I went back to Barnes & Noble (what can I say, finding a big luxurious bookstore to disappear into is my idea of heaven). Fortified with a bagel and some new literature, I headed over to Valley City – where I was greeted by a giant flashing marquee on the main drag into town, my name in huge letters for every resident and visitor to be blinded by. I didn’t get a picture (I’m such a slacker with the pictures!), but I’ll tell you, there’s nothing quite like seeing your name in lights.
Valley City State was a great place. I worked out in the school fitness room, my first chance to use weight machines since leaving Chicago; I did an interview with a student for his music business class; and I explored the many rooms of the guest apartment in the girls’ dorm that was my home for the night. Then the show was on, and honestly, I don’t know what Jessica, Chandra and the rest of the student activities reps did to promote the show, but it was one of the most attentive and appreciative audiences I’ve ever had. Maybe it was all the hot apple cider. Not only did I have a great time, but I got to indulge my need for some physical affection – no, not with any of the cute college boys, but with Tyson, the boggle puppy brought to my show by one of them.
I want a puppy.
Pizza afterward with a whole bunch of the students was a blast, and if you ever get to Valley City, find the place that sells chicken alfredo pizza and get it. Awesome. Really.
Friday Oct 12
Friday morning I was tossing and turning a bit with dreams of zombies – not sure how they crept into my subconscious, but there they were and so I missed my alarm and left Valley City in a rush to get to Grand Forks. I was running late, and when Jordan, my student contact, called to see where I was, he sounded none too pleased. Oops… Once again, I got a little bit lost on campus, but somehow I managed to park at the Student Union, load my stuff in with Jordan’s help, get set up and soundchecked, and still have a few minutes to kill before starting my lunchtime show. The Loading Dock, UND’s student union venue, is fabulous. It’s better than a lot of the actual clubs I’ve played – great sound system, really clean and well-run, with a good sized stage and plenty of seating. Aside from the one giant weird column that blocks the middle of the room, it’s the perfect spot to play. I’ve got video. It’ll be up soon.
This was another really well-attended show, with a really great audience – hardly anyone was coming in and out to class (they may have had the afternoon off, or they may have just been skipping class…), and there was cheering and singing along and all kinds of fun. The best part, though, was that somehow, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where I’d never been before (except to pass through earlier in the week), I had two tables of people I knew. My friend Mary had driven up with another friend from Milwaukee, staying with some locals they knew, and they made a kickass cheering section! And as I was heading out to the car to grab the video camera right before my set, a tall blonde guy stopped me and asked if I remembered him. Normally I try to fake it, but I was in a hurry and I confessed that I had no idea. It turned out that he was a friend of a friend whom I had met only once – at my Elbo Room show a year ago, when he was in town on leave from the Navy and wound up drunkenly passed out on a couch after my set. We have pictures. He’d actually brought a picture of himself unconscious with me laughing at him, so that I could sign it. Way too funny, but it was great to see another familiar face and to catch up a bit. Like I said, after a few weeks mostly alone, it’s nice to see friends in all capacities.
Which brings me to the beginning of this post, with me in yet another Barnes & Noble, staring blankly into space as I tried to focus on recapping the tour. I’m on my way to Rapid City right now, and there’s plenty more to tell, so I’ll write again soon!!
*Yes, “comatised” is a word. Leona Naess coined the term on an album released in 2000, back when I worked for Universal Music Group and got to attend the CD release party. In fact, I’m going to work my new word – “equivalate” – into a song so that I can add a new word to our lexicon. I used equivalated last night in Valley City and got a supportive response. Definition: to bring two or more things of differing values into equal values.
If Beyonce can get “bootylicious” added to Webster’s, dammit, I’m going to fight for equivalated.
