AP Exclusive: Annuals/Manchester Orchestra tour diary (pt 3)

One of the hottest tour pairings this fall is the Annuals/Manchester Orchestra co-headlining trek, and we're so excited about it that we asked Annuals to keep a diary of the experience. Part three is below; you can read part one here and part two here. Enjoy!

Nov. 15, 2007

So this is the part of the tour when all the days start to blur together in a disorienting haze of routine. You start to forget where you are and what day it is; to be honest, I really couldn’t tell you what day it is today. I’m going to have to look that up when I type this. On several occasions during this tour I’ve woken up unaware of what state I was in. It’s okay though, I actually kind of like the feeling of being disassociated from the real world. So if being in a band has to become like a job, it’s definitely a job I could do for awhile.

Perhaps I should take some time to recount our geographical whereabouts of the past week. Our 20-some hour trip from Minnesota to Washington without any encumbering whether conditions, contrary to my prediction. We had an excellent show in Seattle at the Crocodile Caf�, which was a really cool venue despite the fact that it divided the crowd between over- and under-21 showgoers. We hear that it’s some sort of Washington law, so I guess nobody could’ve done anything about it. We were just glad to have so many people show up and stay to see us.

The next day we crossed the border into Canada again to play a show in Vancouver. Border patrols always make us go inside to be inspected, and let me tell you, those fellows aren’t too friendly. They didn’t let Anna go to the bathroom until after they were done inspecting us for drugs and hazmats. Anyway, when we got to the venue, a few Scott Ian look-alike street hustlers tried to sell us some fake marijuana. I always have problems with getting rid of homeless people and usually end up giving away my money. So I gave the dudes 10 bucks so maybe they could buy some real drugs or something. What a moral dilemma on my part! It was a rather quick show and we returned to the States directly after we played.

During the following three days or so, we entered into my personal favorite part of the country–Oregon and northern California. I remember the first time we drove into that Oregon, I had absolutely no idea just how beautiful it was going to be. Growing up in North Carolina, there was never much talk of anywhere but NC. I think the most information I ever got about it was from the 8-bit elementary school classic “The Oregon Trail” which had no way of elucidating the true splendor of the region. I have a feeling that a lot of people living in the United States are somewhat unaware of the true geographical diversity of this nation. Until you drive across the entire country, I guess you really can’t know. There’s something about Oregon that seems to embody the entire pioneering spirit of America. Its vast green fields that flow into violet-colored mountains, and the heavenly golden glow of the sky that calmly lingers atop every curve in terrain allow me to understand the awe experienced by those pioneers that first ventured that far west. I have a feeling that our exploration of this country is going to have a huge influence on our next record.

I hate to end this so abruptly, but I’m being called for soundcheck, so I’ll conclude by saying that Kevin Devine and the New Frontiers have been a perfect addition to this tour are quickly becoming our friends. It’s like one giant family. We’d all like to thank everyone who’s been coming out to see all of our bands. It’s been such a great tour! Two shows left!

Love,
Kenny and Annuals

The Manchester Orchestra/Annuals tour plays Denver tonight; you can see the remaining dates here.