EWITFR...N Tour Diary.

Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now are driving around America in a tiny white van playing shows. I thought I would write about it.

California

The tour got off to a shaky start. Ian was supposed to be coming over a week early to learn all the guitar parts but was trapped in England by the unpronounceable volcano. We ended up training Nathaniel from The Blood Arm to play the parts in case Ian didn’t arrive in time. Ian arrived the night before the first show and learnt most, of the parts the next day. So, we played our first couple of shows as a four piece. You can see some clips of our Echo show HERE.

It didn’t feel much like a tour until we left California. I pretty much live in LA now, and San Diego isn’t much of a drive, so we stayed in our own beds after the first two shows. And in San Francisco, we stayed with Dyan’s parents ate Julia Child’s coq au vin and drank their delicious wine, so it felt more like Christmas than being on tour.

Even after the show in San Francisco, we stayed with our friend Keith Boadwee and drunk a mountain of booze, but his hospitality made it feel more like a slumber party than part of a tour.

I’ve been making postcards for every show. In California they went to Janella, Mauricio, and Lee and Randy.

We also got to play with two of my favourite bands: Ezra Furman and The Harpoons in LA and Carletta Sue Kay in San Francisco.

Eugene

The tour really began when we stayed in our first Motel 6, with all its cost-cutting effectiveness (tiny towels, no shampoo and no ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign being the main three). The no ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign is the cleverest cost-cutting, as it allows them to hound you out of the motel from about 8am to make room for the next load of tired and confused guests.

In the vending machine of the Motel 6, I saw a drink called Squirt. Squirt has to be the worst name for a soft drink ever. It sounds so unappetizing.

“Can I interest you in a glass of Squirt?”

“I have a jug full of Squirt in the fridge if you would like to try some?”

“I’m sorry I only have some warm Squirt to offer you, I hope this is ok?”

These are all questions I’d be disgusted to hear. I imagine Squirt to have quite a brackish taste. Ian tried some though, and told me it tastes a bit like Mountain Dew or Sierra Mist, which of course just makes Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew sound like euphemisms.

Postcards from EWITFR...N! - US Tour

I've been making Postcards for the Everybody Was In The French...Now. I wrote about why I was doing it HERE.

For the US tour I'm making a postcard (or maybe two, I haven't decided yet) for every show.

Here are the postcards for the Californian leg of the tour.

All the postcards will be made of two 12.7 x 17.7cm 100% pure cotton canvases,acrylic paint and pen.

The second part of the postcard looks like this.

I will fill it in with what has happened that day and add one of my stamps which look like this

The postcards will cost $50 and be available at the merch table.

The Californian shows are

April 23rd The Echo, LA

April 24th Casbah, San Diego

April 27th Bottom Of The Hill, San Francisco

See you there Edx

Postcards from EWITFR...N! - Paris

I've been making postcards for places that Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now have played. Here is the postcard for Paris.

Our show in Paris was supporting The Fiery Furnaces. They were awesome.

We arrived at the venue pretty early in the afternoon. With the later soundcheck I was looking forward to hanging out with all the Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now touring party in Paris. All five of us.

Chalky the tour manager let us out the van and we waited for him to come back. Turns out the nearest parking for the venue was two train stops away. Thats why I've drawn a map of the surrounding area for the postcard. I've left the directions for parking in as a kind of ironic joke.

We were worried about our name upsetting people but the gig went really well.

Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now have a tradition of coming on to the same piece of music every night. That piece of music is the Marseillaise, the French national anthem . As we were supporting in Paris this worked out particularly well for us as when the audience heard the music they all automatically got to their feet, ready for the show.

This painting is sold but if you were at any other of the Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now shows and would like me to make you a postcard they come on two separate canvases cost £35 and I can be reached at eddie.argos.resource@gmail.com

The Replacements.

I've added The Replacements to my Fuck Rock Lets Art blog.

Which is HERE

Postcards from EWITFR...N! - Hamburg

I've been making Postcards. I made one for every date of the Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now UK tour. I don't have time to make one for every show from the European leg of the tour but am making some on request. Here is the postcard for Hamburg

I was hoping somebody was going to ask me to paint a postcard for Hamburg. It was perhaps my favourite German show and definitely one of my favourite venues.

The Prinzenbar is a very old building that used to be a cinema. Its walls already look like a painting, a flaky old yellow-ing painting. It really is beautiful. Using the power of the internet you can actually have a real look round it by clicking HERE

When we played there what struck me was the contrast of the beautiful old building and the fact it was being used as a music venue for club nights and putting on funny indie bands. It did feel a lot like we didn't belong there and that we'd snuck the PA equipment in ourselves. My over-riding memory of the night (besides it being a brilliant show) is worrying that someone might come in at any minute and chase us out. I remember walking down into the audience during Think Twice It's Not Alright and looking back over my shoulder, seeing the PA and thinking how incredibly out of place it looked.

The postcard is of a speaker against the backdrop of the faded yellow walls.

If you were at one of the European shows and would like a postcard let me know my email is

eddie.argos.resource@gmail.com

The postcards are £35 each plus postage (about £3) and when I send them to you I will fill in the back with what happened that day and add a stamp that I have made.

Postcards from EWITFR...N!

I recently made a postcard painting for every show Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now played in the UK.

They all sold pretty fast and since then I've had a few emails from people asking if I'm making any for the European tour we did.

I'm only home for about a week before I head off on the US tour. But if anyone would like a postcard from one of the European dates they can email me and let me know. I'll make it and post it up here before sending it to you. I'm still only going to make one from each venue though and only for people who were there or really really wanted to be.

The postcards are on two 4" x 6" canvases (one for the front and one for the back of the postcard) and are made with acrylic paint and sharpie pen. They cost £35 plus postage for the pair.

You can get in touch with me at eddie.argos.resource@gmail.com

Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now US tour

We're going on a massive US tour.

April 23 @ The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
April 24 @ The Casbah, San Diego, CA (EARLY SHOW)
April 27 @ Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
April 29 @ Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
April 30 @ Red Room Coffee and Concert House, Kennewick, WA
May 1 @ High Drive, Seattle, WA
May 4 @ Turf Club, Minneapolis, MN
May 5 @ The Frequency, Madison, WI
May 6 @ Schubas, Chicago, IL
May 7 @ Majestic Café, Detroit, MI
May 8 @ El Mocambo, Toronto, ON
May 9 @ La Sala Rossa, Montreal, OT
May 11 @ Great Scott, Boston, MA
May 12 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
May 13 @ Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
May 14 @ North Star, Philadelphia, PA
May 15 @ DC9, Washington, DC
May 16 @ Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
May 17 @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA
May 18 @ Bottletree, Birmingham, AL
May 19 @ Exit/In, Nashville, TN
May 21 @ Mangos, Houston, TX
May 22 @ Emo's Indoors, Austin, TX
May 23 @ Hayley's, Denton, TX
May 26 @ Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ

We've got Ian Catskilkin playing guitar and drums with us this time. So we're writing a response to a Mott The Hoople song just to give him a big solo.

See You there Edx