MAJICAL CLOUDZ

California In-Store Tour, July 21st-25th

Our label Matador asked us if we wanted to do a week of in-store dates in California after our show in Chicago for Pitchfork Music Festival. We were into the idea because: a) the shows were all-ages, b) the shows were free, c) we like touring, and d) we like California.

San Diego, July 21st, M Theory

I met a couple of professional dancers, two young men who apparently dance to our record sometimes, which was suprising to me but in a very good way.

During the performance the store phone started ringing, so I picked it up and sang into it.

A young couple had brought their baby, who seemed very young (a year old? less than a year?). The baby wore protective earphones. I wrote an inscription to the baby on a copy of the record. Maybe I got it confused but I think it was the baby’s first show ever. If so, very proud/unworthy of the honor. I wonder where I’ll be when that baby is my age.

Los Angeles, July 22nd, Origami

The ‘stage’ at Origami is actually the loft above the floor of the store. It is at least 10 feet high. Matt set up at the top and I stood on the spiral staircase with my microphone.

Afterward I talked to a kid who asked me if I was upset about the fact that Pitchfork did not give us Best New Music. I’m sure he was a nice kid, but it was at this moment that I fully appreciated the absurdity of that perspective on music. He spoke about it like I was an athlete who had been defeated on the strength of a late-game bad call by the referee. Music is about music, not about what an influential reviewer has to say about it. A band does not ‘win’ or ‘lose’ on the basis of a Best New Music from Pitchfork. A band does not ‘win’ or ‘lose’, period. In the healthiest terms, a band is ‘successful’ when they fully realize the aesthetic intentions of their music. Does the music communicate everything you want it to communicate? Are people getting the point? Then you have succeeded. There is a whole other sense of ‘success’ that has a lot to do with finances, exposure, name recognition, fame, etc. This is the kind of success that a BNM has a certain amount of influence on. But I think in the end, people continue listening to and supporting music that they actually enjoy and can relate to on some personal level. It was hard to communicate that to the kid in a few seconds, so I just said, “it’s the last thing on my mind.”

Standing on the spiral staircase felt like I was in West Side Story.

Claremont, July 23rd, Rhino Records

This was the largest-sized store of the mini-tour. The stage was off in the corner. I attached XLR cables together until I had a mic cable that allowed me to talk all the way through the store to the back corner, which I did during a song in the set. I watched the crowd from behind as I sang.

Afterward I talked to a brother and sister who were underage and thus would not have been able to see us at a regular venue. They were really cool.

Also, I was given a card and offered free over-the-phone psychotherapy anytime. This is the second time we have been offered psychotherapy, the first being after our show in New Orleans.

The drive from Claremont to San Francisco took a very long time and, including a couple of very unfortunate missteps, we arrived at my mother’s house close to 4am. This included driving over the Golden Gate Bridge as it was completely covered in fog.

San Francisco, July 24th, Aquarius

I was very excited to play at Aquarius, I’ve heard so many good things about the store and their music reviews.

We moved some shelves into the back and pushed an arcade machine to the side of the room to set up speakers and then our gear.

There were a lot of very attentive people there — it was the best show of this five-date in-store tour.

Sometimes I see people in the crowd that seem really interesting, and I want to talk to them afterwards, but then they disappear, and I will probably never see them again! Life is strange at times (or most of the time in fact, but that’s not a value judgment).

Afterwards we hung out with our friend Mark and someone who had been at the show. Mark, Matt and I ate burritos in the Mission after the show, and then Matt and I drove over the Golden Gate bridge as I sung along longingly to Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” as well as “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”.

Santa Rosa, July 25th, The Last Record

When I lived for a couple of years in Lake County, CA, Santa Rosa was the closest city center, so I have a (somewhat vague) personal relationship with it. I don’t know very much about it, but the smells of the plants when I walk down the street make me recall my earliest memories.

The show was a lot of fun — everyone who worked at and owned the store was exceptionally nice. I remember lots of smiling faces as we performed, and a little girl who was probably 3 years old jumping around and waving at me.

Afterward we drove back to the Bay and hung out with my wonderful mother and her wonderful boyfriend.

On the plane to NYC I read this book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11107324-the-art-of-cruelty