A Kerner of Truth

We woke up to more rain in Asheville and started our day with lunch at City Bakery.  Across the street I could see the Biltmore Avenue Parking Garage, and, as had happened each time we would pass by it, I started hearing "The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York" in my head.  When the boys left me at the table for a minute, I watched that song on my YouTube app and reminisced about my time in the CDO High School production of Guys and Dolls my sophomore year.  Such a great song and such a great musical!

http://youtu.be/S50QVyly1Yw

This song is perfect.

After lunch, we left Asheville and headed toward Kernersville, NC.  I handled the driving duties this time.  This past Monday, on the way home from a weekend getaway in New Orleans, I discovered how much I enjoyed locking the cruise control in at the speed limit, not 5 MPH or more over, but the actual speed limit.  I find I feel less stressed overall and the time lost by not going faster is negligible.  So I've been trying the same thing so far this trip.  No one's called me out on it and no one seems to mind yet.  During the two-and-a-half hour drive through some beautiful misty hills, my friend Shannon, whom I met during my days at the University of Arizona and KUAT, called Brett to follow up on an interview/write-up she wants to do with band.  I look forward to it.

The Century Park Tavern in Kernersville had set us up with a room at a nearby Holiday Inn Express, so we headed straight there to check in.  Brett wasted no time in hooking up the Xbox and Grand Theft Auto he brought along for just such an occasion.  I'm always impressed by the graphics, but I just can't seem to get into actually playing the games Brett and Mikey enjoy; I prefer my silly puzzle-based video games.  It was still a bit rainy, and I don't usually like to jog two days in a row for my knees' sake, so I thought I might just relax for the hour or so before load-on at the venue.  However, I discovered the hotel had a small workout room with an elliptical machine, and I found the Will Ferrell/Woody Harrelson classic "Semi-Pro" playing on Comedy Central, so I had no excuse left to be lazy!  After the mini-gym, we got ready and made the 10 minute drive to the gig to get set up.

GTA for GCM

No excuses!

Leading up to today, Century Park Tavern seemed to be doing an awesome job of promoting the show.  They're a small bar in a small town, and tonight's show was sold out.  We had agreed to set up our own PA system and run sound for ourselves and an opening act so the venue wouldn't have to hire a sound man.  In addition to everything else Brett does for the band, he's also our audio technician in such situations.

SOLD OUT!

Brett's request for a food recommendation from the bar staff prompted the suggestion that we walk across the street to Don Juan's Mexican restaurant, a popular place indeed in Kernersville on Saturday night.  Back outside the tavern, I overheard a man say he was in need of either a "frontal lobotomy or a bottle in front of me."  I hadn't heard that one before; wordplay gold!

I had a chance to text with my dad for a while before the show.  I love the ways in which technology can keep me connected with family and friends all over the world.  I love how GPS guides me to places I've never been without having to consult the old foldable road maps.  And I love the way I can dial up a song, movie or game on my phone when I need a pick-me-up.  Plus, it's nice to stay in contact with my girlfriend Jen through texts and our ongoing online Scrabble battle.  I realize, however, that an over-reliance or dependency on technology can cause us to actually be more DISconnected to people, places and experiences sometimes as well.  I think of the band sitting at dinner "connecting" with people while we all stared at our phones in silence.  I guess it's all about finding the right balance between the virtual and reality.  I'm working on it.  Speaking of which, it occurred to me that I had been updating the draft of this post outside the bar for too long.  The irony of the situation hit me, so I headed in to listen to the opening act and enjoy a Saturday night in Kernersville.

Saturday night in Kernersville

Our show went really well.  My voice is still improving.  It was a great crowd, and we sold a good deal of merch.  We met a lot of nice folks, and several thanked us for coming to Kernersville and asked us to come back.  Everyone at Century Park Tavern took great care of us from start to finish.  They even asked us to sign the wall before we left.

We'll be back!

The bar had temporarily run out of clean pint glasses, so I got a Stella Artois chalice of water.  The familiar properties of Stella's unique glass design allowed me to feel a little less left out of the festivities. The bartender, Elizabeth, said she really enjoyed the show and appreciated the fact that we don't get trashed while we play.  I confessed to her that I'm currently on the wagon, and the resulting conversation was exactly what I needed at that moment.  Although Brett and Mikey aren't presently abstaining from alcohol, they're not getting trashed either, and I appreciate that, too.  After the bar had closed, I witnessed a man, clearly inebriated, step away from the bar, drop his wallet, and fall flat on his face attempting to pick it up.  His friends then helped him to his feet and out the door (he wasn't driving home).  The scene struck me as a poetic reminder of the money I've thrown away on booze with nothing to show for it at the end of the night.

That's what I call a light beer!

We returned to unwind at our comfortable hotel room with some late night snacks and more Grand Theft Auto.  It's been a great three-day start to our adventure.  We're looking forward to our Sunday off tomorrow back in Asheville.

Cheers!

- Jon