26 March 2007

The last two concerts of the tour indicated the strange nature of culture in America. Our gig near D.C., on the 16th , took place in a strip mall. The club itself, called Jammin’ Java, was really okay, but when we pulled up in the van we felt pretty ridiculous. Who the hell would find us out here by the Pizza Hut and Bennigans? Surprisingly, we a decent crowd turned up. The next day we played at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. A nice contrast of High and Low that I’m sure Warhol would have appreciated. The concert in Pittsburgh was probably the most successful performance that I’ve been involved with in that city- the auditorium was standing room only. The quintet finished the tour by playing one of its best gigs on the trip. It feels like there is so much creative energy left to explore with this ensemble, which is unbelievably exciting after working on it for more than ten years.

In closing, I’d like to thank everyone at Billions for their help organizing the tour, Cale Arthur for organizing the publicity/press, Ellen Major for setting up the motels, and of course the band, who came to play each and every night. Until next time-

Ken Vandermark, Chicago, 3/24/07