chris, here.
first, regarding south carolina. we got in on monday, the sixth. we really didn’t know what to expect from awendaw. ever heard of it? neither had we. or anyone we asked during an afternoon in charleston. or maybe they’d heard of the small rural town thirty minutes outside the city, but had no idea why you’d ever want to go there. but that’s where our show was.
turns out, however, that there is a little oasis in the wilderness of awendaw, south carolina. it’s called the awendaw green.
we drove up around 5 or so, the sky looking about ready to open up all over us, went down a dirt and gravel road that wound down through pine trees, past a little lake with a simple fountain in the middle, to a big patch of dirt with chairs and tents set up. there was a big red barn, just like out of the movies, and a huge old white house the right.
the place belongs to eddie, the only dentist in awendaw. he bought the place a few years ago, according to nat, the guy who runs the place now. in the last year or so they’ve started to let local bands and musicians set up shows in the barn and record there in the white house, where nat has set up a sweet studio. they throw a thing called the barn jam every wednesday evening that nat says attracts 150-200 folks. eddie fires up the grill and cooks for the people (they recently purchased a cow, which currently resides in the half dozen freezers around the property) and a few bands play in the barn. it’s an awesome way to foster a scene, and they’re doing a great job so far.
they put on a special show for us, on a monday night, and thankfully a good number the locals of locals came out to see us, which was nice, especially after the refreshing rain that left us a cool, clear evening. i think it was one of our best shows, and the other bands were really good. almost frustratingly good, as they are all still in high school. deborah hudson opened and the makeshift headlined. both are very accomplished and professional sounding groups. keep up the good work, guys.
now we’re in gainesville, after spending the day in savannah! more on that later. headed WEST tomorrow!
-c
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chris here:
happy (belated) fourth of july! yesterday, in celebration of our nation’s b-day, we played orlando’s I-4 festival. named after the interstate running down the spine of florida, the festival featured about 30 bands from the state and a few from around the U.S. (us included, obv). it was started four years ago by this guy named chris, who runs a local record label (post records). they do good work.
saw some cool groups at the festival, most notably surfer blood. these dudes from west palm beach clearly listen to the pixies a lot, but they blend that classic american grungepop with this cool tropical feel. haven’t listened to any of their recordings yet, but live they were really good.
for all you DC folks, they’re playing at the velvet lounge august 20. check em out!
after the show in orlando, we drove to gainesville. we were supposed to play a house show that night, but it was postponed until this evening. unfortunately, one of the bands had to cancel (frontman got stuck in jacksonville), so the show was cancelled. bummer. now we’re watching harry potter 3 at our new friend natalie’s apartment. she is perhaps the most generous person ever, letting us stay at her place and whatnot. folks are kind in gainesville!
next stop, south carolina.
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SIDENOTE: Here’s a neat lil writeup we had in Chapel Hill’s independent weekly, the Indy. Pretty awesome! Ol Grayson Currin, we know you not, but you are a lovely man.
06.30 WILD FICTIONS, EMBARRASSING FRUITS @ THE CAVE
“We got our own secret society/ The password is, ‘Fuck all y’all,” sings Chris DeWitt, one half of Wild Fictions, a new brother/sister District of Columbia duo. Wild Fictions recall the educated charm and ramshackle warmth of Bishop Allen’s early works, accompanying sharp melodies with minimal instrumental support (“synth and drums, but mostly just tambourine,” jokes the band.) The DeWitt kids sing with the casual confidence of lifelong friends who built their own secret society. They’ll open for Embarrassing Fruits, a Chapel Hill Trio whose lackadaisical aplomb drives chiseled, attractive indie rock licks and hooks on this year’s excellent Community/Exploitation. It’s too hot to be bothered. These bands are mighty cool for a June night spent underground. Donations/ 10 p.m. —Grayson Currin
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carolina beach, nc… still.
good morning! it’s a sunny morning in a sunny beach town in a sunny hotel room and i, kelly, woke up way too early as a result. wild fictions really needed some sleep, too–yesterday was downright exhausting!
a recap:
eating too much makes you exhausted. we went to local all-you-can-eat heaven, casey’s bbq. i read a review about it on the internet and was sold at these words, “casey’s is the sort of place where you want to eat until it is painful.” and boy did we eat to the point of pain… listen, this place had such a comprehensive menu of delicious things i didn’t even know could be delicious until i ate them at casey’s. plus! wash it all down with sweet tea (so much sweet tea) and some blueberry cobbler –a la mode thanks to the self-serve soft serve! you win some; you lose some. yesterday we were winners at casey’s.
swimming in the atlantic ocean makes you exhausted. we made our way down to the beach after lunch–after a brief nap to aid in digestion. no one wants to get a cramp in the water. we swam in the waves, got knocked down, gotback up, got salty, had so much fun. even though i swore to never eat again after casey’s (both because nothing would compare, so why bother? and because i felt like my stomach was going to explode), we worked off so much energy in the water we had to eat dinner.
looking for food that is not casey’s makes you exhausted. we decided to go in to downtown wilmington last night after the sun started to set. it’s a great little town. after walking around for a little while and observing just how many oyster bars wilmington houses, we ended up stumbling into the perfect place. here’s what we ordered and here’s why the restaurant’s perfect: sandwiches, pitas, sushi, french fries, onion rings, beers and sodas. this place had it all. and, as surveyed by chris, had the only pretty people we’d seen in town all day. way to go nikki’s fresh gourmet.
what a day.
after the boys wake up, we’re heading to athens. playing at little kings tonight with stegosaurus!
love,
kelly
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carolina beach, nc
chris here. played in chapel hill last night, at the cave. pretty good show, though not without some flubs and false starts. played with embarassing fruits. good, solid slackergrunge band, like early pavement or guided by voices. but you know, not.
the cave!
so excited!
it was a long and distracted day yesterday– took us 8 hours to get to chapel hill! nuts! took a wrong turn somewhere in middle virginia, went through part of the blue ridge we should not have gone through… anyway, we got there safe and sound, checked out the club, then ate some delicious sushi a few blocks away that reminded me just how pricey DC is. the beer at the club further illustrated the point. i love the south.
also! after a year and some change of vegetarianism, i ate some delicious north carolina barbeque today. had to. so good. don’t even have a tummy ache.
and now we go to the beach.
next stop, athens, ga!
-c
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Tour Schedule! For your reference!
JUNE 27– DC
JUNE 30– Chapel Hill, NC
JULY 2– Athens, GA
JULY 4– I4 festival, Orlando, FL
JULY 6– Awendaw, SC
JULY 8– Gainesville, FL
JULY 9– New Orleans, LA
JULY 10– New Orleans, LA
JULY 11– Lafayette, lA
JULY 12– Austin, TX
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DC:
chris, here.
we’re going on tour in about 2 hours. kelly and jake are still sleeping. i am, per usual, listening to the radio. US pulls out of iraqi cities! earthquakes in cleburne, texas! wild fictions go on tour!
busy day.
first stop, chapel hill!
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