Pittsburgh Reunions

Pittsburgh was full of reunions and new aquaintences. We played at Garfield Artworks- a wonderful artspace and showspace with some great local bands. The booker, Manny, who Eli and Louisa had met years ago, worked really hard to set up a fabulous bill (and managed to get a bunch of people out to the show despite the raging radical danceparty happening next door), which included Isha and Zetta (members of which had baked cinnamon buns for L&E back in the day), Smells Like Gina, and Great Ants.

Isha and Zetta (sorry, we were charging the camera battery, so no pics) were really inspiring. Towards the beginning of their set they said something about knowing that a lot of their songs were kind of cute and funny, but were about things that actually meant a lot to them. That was really clear in their music, and their genuineness and talking politics between songs was refreshing. They also played beautiful music together.

Smells like Gina (battery still charging...) were also like cold lemonade on a hot day (and it really was very very hot on that stage), taking us back to some riot grrl roots and giving us awesome energy and vocal unison, and also showing us how Pittsburgh makes room for young people's music in the scene.

Finally, Great Ants were incredibly powerful and tight (battery charged!), and set the energy bar high.



We took the stage pumped. The Shondes and Manny had a Shabbos song sing-off with each other in the monitors, and after he prompted, "Nu? Nu?" we were ready to begin. We had a blast despite the humidity threatening to destroy Eli's violin (such is the plight of the punk rock violinist), and the crowd was great. We sweated profusely and sang our hearts out- how could we not after seeing how Pittsburgh rocks? Thank you all for your excitement and inspiration!



After running into and catching up with an old friend Ian, Louisa, and Eli knew from NYC, the reunions were complete, and we headed off into the night... well, at least to Washington, PA where we'd managed to score a free hotel room. What a mechaya!

Just a Morgantown Minute

This was the first time any of us had ever been in West Virginia, despite Eli's neighboring Virginia upbringing, and it was really beautiful. The venue, 123 Pleasant Street, was really great. It was a gorgeous old brick building that payed homage to all the other spaces it had been before, including other music venues, and an important Underground Railroad stop. With dark wood floors, old signs, and a big, but cozy feeling, we were really excited to be there. I always really apreciate feeling a sense of history in a space, and it was a really nice to feel like a part of that. And on top of it all, we were told that the club was started by the soundguy for David Bowie, so it sounded amazing.



Haley from American Sound Syndicate was as sweet as they come, and they played a really tight set, despite the fact that some of them needed to be up at the crack of dawn to compete in a music competition the next day.

Louisville, Loo-ah-ville, Lewville, Lewyville

No matter how you say it (there are about 10 different and correct ways according to a sign), we had a blast there. We played a great show with Alpha Betty, Blind Truth, and Buhao Ting at The Rudyard Kipling, and were treated to some real hospitality.



Highlights include someone from a no-longer-existing infoshop thinking that Temim was with the FBI when ze called to invite them out (it's a long story), delicious chili, and sleeping at a house with an enourmous fuzball kitten named Grendle who would climb crazily up and down a pole covered in carpet.

Way Out (with Buffy) in Saint Louis

The Way Out Club is a sensory overload. It's all warm reds and oranges, giant green birthday drinks and vintage pulp and old ads all over the walls. We did the drive from Chicago all day and were really happy to arrive somewhere so welcoming.

We played with The Ants and People and That's My Daughter. It was a fabulous bill, and we had a really great time. The Ants and People packed the stage with band members and played an exuberant set rich with strings, vocals, and an accordion. It felt like a little bit Pogues, a little bit Jewish wedding band. Then, the ever-adorable That's My Daughter, playing rock-out music to feverish beats. I bopped the entire time, I know it's true. Lots of vocals, bar pizza, a good time had by all. Good people, and dancing during our set. We were even graced by the presence of the Illustrious Beatle Bob. I had a marvelous time.

After the show, we went with Lindsay from That's My Daughter to a local diner, also plastered with precious olde elvis posters and even a visual tribute to Rick Nelson. Most notably: 11 different types of milkshakes. Afterward, we benefited from Lindsay's lovely hospitality and only crashed in comfortable beds AFTER watching a favorite episode from Buffy, season four, "Hush." Ah, brilliance.

We headed out the next day by way of a highly recommended vegan place for coffee. The cashier had seen our show and commented on it and we left feeling really warmly toward Saint Louis - not 'cause we had seen much more than a block or two of it, but just 'cause like in so many other cities, we got to meet tons of really nice, passionate and committed people.

New Yorkers' SECOND Facing of the Second City: Gay as it Gets

The Flesh Hungry Dog Show is referred to by Time Out Chicago as an “uber-inclusive, alterna-queer, mini-rock extravaganza.” We were featured as one of their bands this month at Jackhammer along with Camaro Rouge and The Reptoids, both local queer rock bands.

We were flanked by some very fashionable fags from the outset, noting the leather bar next door and, more importantly, the all-nite diner and taco place within spitting distance. As the bar filled, from both event-attendees and escapees-from-the-rain, the following happened: 1) we were offered shots of vodka, cranberry juice, and love, at least thrice, 2) we ran into the father of a brooklyn friend of ours who had come solo at the sheer recommendation of said friend - a first for The Shondes: parental approval! and 3) we discovered a particularly drunk queer photographing himself with our t-shirt dummy with our camera. I tapped him and said: "Is that our camera?" He said "Yes, yes it is." Then placed it back on the table and said: "Sorry if that was presumptuous. But they really are clean pictures. And good ones!" (for evidence, look left.)

With or without bonus photos and lovin' spoonfuls of alcohol, we had a gay old time with the bears and queers who came out to see us, and played a fun set to the backdrop of rain and colored lights. (Cause what would a Chicago queer event be without the colored lights, I ask?)

Farewell, Drum Pedal...

I left my drum pedal in Columbus, Ohio. It's really sad, because by the time its absence was noticed, we were VERY much in Chicago. I hope UPS pulls through for us. A very nice bartender from the place we played, Cafe Bourbon Street, is putting it in a beer box for me and addressing it. When it gets here, it will have spent more time in Columbus than we did....

Columbus was lovely, if very quick. We played our set and then had to drive immediately back to Ian's family's house in Chicago for another Chicago-based stretch. We were thrilled to see (and play for) new friends from Camp Trans and before (and beyond), and to experience about five minutes worth of the city, mostly consisting of delightful and flavorful for-the-road pizza. generally, the way to our hearts.

Pews and Kittens in Cleveland

We played a DIY space in Cleveland called The Cleveland Church with Amy Kasio (electro queer) and Slackjaw (queer folk-turned-rock). Cleveland welcomed us with open arms and with kittens. By this I mean that between sets, someone turned up with a litter of newborn kittens she was fostering and tried to give us one, marketing the prospect as Van Pet. Abner was the one Eli held and in the world of Things That Are So Cute They Beg to be Crushed, Abner was, like, top 5. Still, a van pet would be disastrous for about 50 reasons, so we declined.

It is always so great to play hot, small, loving community spaces like the Church. The shvitz was abundant and we had a really good time playing, despite the tiredness that followed us from Michigan. It was great to be on a queer bill and to meet some of the DIY music community in Cleveland, even just for a night. Everyone was very kind, even the ones who didn't offer us any cats for the taking.

And, of course, the requisite adorable diner trip. I must note the exceptional lox and onion omelette that got me through the night (and much of the morning).

What would a Shondes trip to Cleveland be without an incredibly cheesy romp through the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame? A shonde. My personal favorite part was the inredible (and very authentic) hate letter to Mick Jagger.

Best Pickled Turnips in the Midwest, aka, Ann Arbor

So we spent a few days in Ann Arbor with Shondes mishpocha (thanks Claire!), during which time we engaged in the following activities:

-a rousing game of Scattergories circa 3am (this due to our still-totally-fucked sleeping schedule, thanks to that 30-hour drive...) where I rekindled my love for the game

-a late nite bowling session where Eli had his inexplicable 'glory game' (consisting solely of strikes, except for the shitty turn where he got a spare).

-a delightful old-tyme-diner meal at the Fleetwood, where tempeh was abundant and *some* of us had to use the words "hippie hash" in our orders, much to our chagrin (reportedly, however, said Hash was very tasty)

-many, many, MANY variations on Heart and Soul on the piano of the professors' home where we stayed (thanks to housesitting situation....), as well as a few numbers from Temim and Ian's experimental side project (noise) and Louisa's rendition of An Alien Baby is Born (short, evocative, perfect.)

-another delightful meal (see entry title) at a tiny Lebanese place with *excellent* sandwiches: mujadra, pickled turnips, garlic sauce, fries, roasted cauliflower, hummus, death by incredible warm grape leaves.

-THE SHONDES' DISCOVERY OF DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION! This one's crucial. So ok, we're a little behind the times (too much Buffy while NY fads came and went, I suppose) but THIS GAME IS GEVALT! we were a little shaky at first, tentatively tapping on those colorful squares in a late-nite arcade in 'Narbor but by the 2nd or 3rd time around, the stomping was unabashed. So satisfying, and such a sustainable solution for the exercise-phobic among us!

-a small collective meltdown to the tune of the hora: after our show at the Heidelberg (to be reviewed momentarily), another Fleetwood meal was had (how could we resist returning to such heimishe charm?) in gregarious company (to say the least.) after which we promptly began doing what's known as 'Old Man Dance' in the middle of the sidewalk (if there were an old-tyme dance diagramme to illustrate it, it would probably consist of one foot on the ground, one foot very slowly rising and gyrating in a slightly-the-wrong-speed kick, while torso follows suit, creakily), and then circle dancing merrily to hora-appropriate tunes. What happened to us that night? No one knows. (see left)




But Truly:

We played a packed and fun show for queer event She-Bang at the Heidelberg in Ann Arbor. There was lots of dancing and lots of love from attendees, as well as the last-minute help from some lovely Ann Arborites in making sure *all* sound catastrophes were addressed and *all* equipment was present and in the right place. We also had a lovely time mishpocha-ing around with both cats and people, broadening our enneagram comprehension and perfecting our immaculate bed-making skills.

Thanks, 'narbor.

Camp Trans

We were thrilled to participate in Camp Trans this year. It was really important to us to be able to be a part of the long history and tradition of Camp Trans: the ongoing protest of the trans-exclusive and transphobic policies of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. In addition to supporting this protest, we were psyched to see our friends from Running on Empty two Fridays in a row, not to mention to get to play a show outside! (It was a truly unprecedented experience to be sloowly sliding down a mound of dirt on my drumstool.)

Admittedly, I'm not in any way a camping person - in fact, the sight of people running around with lights strapped to their foreheads making their way to the porta-potties almost made me want to hide in the van with the Tom Petty and the Corn Crunch 'Ems. But once we started playing, surrounded by trannies and campfires, I was pretty into it. We had an awesome time playing in the dirt and we're really thrilled to have been a part of it. Thanks to the organizers for continuing to make this important protest happen.

New Yorkers Face the Second City, impressed by "pizza"

We had a stop in Chicago for a few days where we stayed with Ian's family, who were very nice. We spent the days relaxing and eating Chicago Food. Yes, a band of New Yorkers went to Chicago's Pizzeria Due and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is no need to engage in the debate between NY and Chicago pizza, and we won't here. They are both delicious foods and are important to the cities they're from. Indeed some incredible food was consumed - ice cream, pizza, vegetarian food, breakfast. In addition to food we went to a Chicago Cubs game in milwaukee (they were playing the Brewers). The Cubs didn't win (suprise suprise...) but they gave the Brewers a run for their money. More exciting than the Cubs' loss was the food at Miller Park. It was fantastic! Veggie dogs for $3, beer for good prices, pop for good prices (yes, pop, Ian is writing this post...). We stuffed ourselves for $35.

Des Moines? What's going on?

After a lot of confusion about whether we were booked in Des Moines, where we'd booked a show and never received confirmation, we played at Vaudville Mews. We ended up on a bill, with no time to promote, and a bunch of bands that didn't quite fit with us (understatement). The highlight of the nite was probably the incredible hippy, pictured here.

Love is all around, no need to waste it...

It was a long drive to the Twin Cities, but we were so excited to arrive and play a show sponsored by Homocore Minneapolis! We arrived at 4am after about 25 hours of driving and fell promptly to sleep at Steve and Allison's place. That night we played an incredible show at the Hexagon Bar (which is a really awesome space!) with Running on Empty, Woodcat, Mercurial Rage and PolkaMadre!

We were greeted with a ton of Twin Cities love - a room full of radical queers, tranniews, jews, punks and freaks on a beautiful summer night. We really appreciated all the kindness of everyone there who really hooked us up with a great show and a great time.

the north states at 90mph

We've been driving for a long time. We left Homo A Go Go last night at 1am and have been driving straight since... and we'll be driving for hours more to get to Minneapolis.

I don't know if any of you knew this, but Eli just found out and is pretty upset. Remember Eagle Eye Cherry? He sang "save tonight," a shitty acoustic-alternative song from the late 90s/early auts. His name is really Eagle Eye. Sorry just wanted to make sure you knew that.

Anyway, we've been driving for a long time and have seen many things. If we'd taken pictures of how incredibly beautiful Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota are we'd put them up but we didn't. we can't wait to be in Minneapolis.

Homo A Go Go

Quite awhile ago we applied to play at Homo A Go Go, a biannual festival of queer music, art and politics. We heard that we had been accepted to play when we in the first week of this tour, and had been building up to it. We were really excited to play such and important and historic event. We had a show booked in Minneapolis for August 4th, so we had to leave immediately after playing to start the 1800 mile drive in front of us, and were sad to miss the rest of the festival.