Back To The Future with Strangefolk: MEMACT 2018

Jan 30

Back To The Future With Strangefolk - Rehearsal

Somehow the shows from Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut January 19-21 feel like yesterday to me still. I think it's because my brain just finally finished rebooting. Right leg is up to 75% utility. For those of you who joined us, I'd love to hear how you experienced the weekend. For those who missed it or who are curious, here is how I experienced it:

Here is a quick bullet rundown of my "ride"

Redeye from San Fran to JFK
Extra legroom seat (Jetblue)
One empty seat between me and the shaved 297-pound large male humanoid - bonus...
Wrong!
Dude was so wasted he passed out shortly after take off in my lap.
Slap to the large shaved head, surprisingly congenial apologies.
Pill or two, drink or two, couple texts and... sleep.
Wrong!
Kablam - I wake up, squint to orient and find myself on a plane with a large shaven head sound asleep, snoring in my lap - like on my junk in my lap. Russian curses that I didn't even know I knew came, flying, rampant, slap to massive lug of a head, surprisingly congenial apologies and so on through the night. Land in Portland amused if not slightly red-eyed. Welcome to Maine motha fuchah!

Rehearsal and The Show

Two hours of sleep and off to the basement of Waterville Opera house for an evening of rehearsal. Arguably the best time I have had with Jon, Erik Luke (and Dre) in decades. Maybe ever. We rehearsed material we wanted to (Pooh Bears, Anchor, Diary), we laughed harder than I have laughed in a long long time (apologies for those of you whose misfortune from days of yore spawned the laughter) and then a visit to the stage. Epic. Truly back to the future. That was one of the first if not THE first theater we had ever played some 20 years ago, and it was like stepping back in time. Mike Grey, feel free to fact check my BS. Whether you thought it was our best performance or our worst, there were a bunch of things that made it meaningful for me: 1) it was meaningful. The room was filled with smiles, like all smiles. 2) Jon's oldest brother Gary got up and played with us for the first time. Stranglefuck is like family to me. Not a rainbow hug-it-out call-yourself-a-veggie-burrito family. A real family who has seen more of each other than they ever want to, for good and for bad, and it filled me with pride for Jon, for Gary and most importantly I couldn't stop thinking about Mrs. Trafton (Jon's mom) who was in the audience. I'm not sure if she was sound asleep, sick of the loud music or blissed out, but the way I imagined it was her gleaming with pride for her two sons.

I don't think the recordings from the show have surfaced yet, but here is the video recording from the first time we played there in 1997 - courtesy of the aforementioned Mike Grey

Watc Strangefolk At Waterville Opera House from 1997

From there, it went something like this

"Hi Honey. Yep, made it to Maine - ah well, its grey out, not too too cold, I suppose. Yes, grey, some snow - oddly also grey and... hang on a sec there is a dog taking a sh*t in the parking lot of the hotel. 66 and sunny? Awesome. Yeah, it's grey here. Yes, overcast. We are never moving back to the East coast. Tell the boys I love them, and no I did not remember to bla bla bla... yes, Dre took care of it."
Don't remember
Can't recall
Choose not to recall
Didn't know Luke was so good at the selfie?!?!

From There.....

Jam jam jam
Sing sing sing
Weedly weedly weedly
Bing bong boom binga bongo boom boom
Thumpedy thump thump
Don't remember
Can't recall
Choose not to recall
"YES I promise I'm awake Dre - promise"
"No - still asleep - yes be down in 5 - I know, I know, I know, sorry dude"
"Morning fellas, let's ride...."
"David Lee Roth singing Jump to the sound bed of Imagine...?!?!? This must be heaven or hell.
"Shit, I left my phone in Boston"
"G*d damn it, I left my entire f*cking bag in the parking lot at the hotel - yes Boston"
"YES - parking lot"
"What? No! it had nothing to do with that. I don't even know who that is? ....Is she hot? ...Well, WAS she hot 20 years ago? What am I going to do about my bag, and more to the point how does one navigate the world without a proper phone?"
"Can I borrow yours to call my dad? He's coming to the show tonight in CT... Jesus, you call this a phone? Is this an iPhone 5? I didn't even know they still existed?!"
"Ah hi, mom why are you answering dad's phone? Well, I ah - I left mine in Massachusetts so... Yes MASSACHUSETTS, Boston, YES THE PARKING LOT. No, the kids are not with me?!?!?. Good good, yes, say hi to Luellen. I agree she does indeed make a mean cucumber sandwich - can I talk to dad?"