"Miracle of '22," acoustic, and Vancouver — a match made in warm wooden heaven
🌊⛰️🍜 LOBES REDUCED, track #7
What a big blast we had last night in Portland. It was Sean and Zeno’s last night on the tour (until they return in Nashville), and we made it a big one. Sean, Zeno, and Keith Carne played their hearts out, converting everyone present to Sean McVerry Band fans, then The Two Keiths (T2Ks) and I made music with a veracity and fervor and edge and occasional mania, and the crowd almost totally loved it. “Almost totally” because at one point between songs, I was talking about Sean Hannity, FOX News’s 800 lb. gorilla-host, and how I like to tune into his program naked from the waist down with my bare flesh pressed against the screen, and this guy in the audience yelled, “This is boring!” He was not difficult to hear, because everyone else was standing in rapt silence listening to my important story. Keith M shouted the protester down, then I kept rambling, and then the dastardly intervener yelled it again (!), his famous line — “This is boring!”
Later, at the merch booth, two separate sources reported that the man in question was, shortly after his editorial outbursts, removed from the show by a conscientious partner. To that lady, I now raise a glass: 🥂.
Here we are outside the venue, still radiating show glow…
Keith M did a heroic 90-minute drive in the dead of night to put us a bit closer to Vancouver, veering dangerously across lanes of freeway, his vision smeared by ethanol, his reaction time fractionated (totally kidding — he was mostly sober, kids), but today we still had four hours of transit to do, plus a border crossing and a merch drop-off, and do them we did.
KC took today’s drive while I finished up a tour ad on my laptop (dropping tomorrow or Tuesday), and Carne tastefully inundated the cabin with ethereal melodies from his Spotify ambient playlist, which slid the backseat passengers into blissful torpor for a couple of hours. When we crossed into Canada, though, the proximity to Vancouver occasioned a lively consideration of the stars of Hallmark films (many of which are filmed in British Columbia). As a special service to you, the readers of this podcast, here are KM’s and Sari’s favorite four lights in the Hallmark firmament, captioned by Keith (KC and I have never seen a Hallmark film):
Today’s show sees the arrival of NEWSKI, né Brett Newski, as our touring support act, and while we’re still a little teary from Sean & Zeno’s departure, there’s a palpable excitement about the introduction of FRESH MEAT, as new friends are called in prison. Newski texted this to me and Keith earlier today, which suggests he’s of unstable mind, but in a way will make him a valuable member of the team:
But this is all preamble. You opened this post for one thing, let’s be honest: the sound of music without drums. And you’re in for a treat. According to our advisor (maybe we’ll say more about her tomorrow), today’s song is a perfect fit for tonight’s show because, “As a city known for its spectacular natural beauty and progressive outlook, Vancouver could be well represented by a song that speaks to optimism and achieving the unexpected, mirroring the city's rise as a global hub.” If you know Lobes, you know she can only be talking about one song:
That went down easy! Yow! Like an oyster on a rosé waterslide (down the throat), so does that song infiltrate the ear.
Now slide this into your eyes:
In the hustle and hubbub of tour, we nearly lost track of a Cameo request that was set to expire this morning at 11am. But Keith and I popped out of bed at 10:30 and, bellies empty even of coffee, knocked out another life-changing speech for a private client, something she will probably show to her grandchildren one day, or put into their brains using data-syrup.
I mention this not just because Sari captured a lovely pic that would make great clip art in the category “technology connecting people,” but because we signed up for a special BLACK FRIDAY PROMO with Cameo that runs this Friday and Saturday, and drops our already recklessly low prices ($50) to just twenty bucks. I think it only works for the first thirty (30) people who shop (I’m not totally clear on the rules), so if you were planning on getting your grandpa a We Are Scientists video for Christmas, consider setting your alarm for 1:00 AM on Friday. (Then, since you’re up nice and early, you can bake.)
Bye bye from B.C.
– C & T2Ks (& Sari)
This entry is an absolute joy, from the story of the heckler(!?) to the HCU, topped off with Miracle of '22. I feel like this might be a song that means a lot to a lot of people – it certainly is pretty special to me in a once-in-a-lifetime way! And of course I remember the almost-vague backstory behind the song and feel good and thankful that the Scientists are still with us as we have come to love them.
Of course there is a time-travelling Hallmark Christmas movie featuring stars from Back To The Future! Taking time out from sleep to look this up is one of a few questionable choices I’ve made in the latter part of yesterday and early hours of this morning. Checking substack to see if another cover had arrived when I randomly awoke at 3am was not one of them, however. This cover is fabulous! I’m running out of ways to say that but I am so, so glad you decided to do this. Going to go back to sleep now and looking forward to see what tomorrow brings.