#21over

#bored lol

When in Thailand, as Bangkok was a heavy portal, we began counting the times we visited the capital.  First Bangkok was arrival where Khao San Road and everything Asia was brand new for me.  Then we went to Chiang Mai, Rai, then Lopburi before returning to second Bangkok where I laughed down at new tourists who “hadn’t been to hill country” being the rapidly evolving ass I was at the time.  Then after our experience to (visa scam) & from (minibus b-line adventure) Cambodia, third Bangkok was the one where we kissed the ground.

So, since moving from there, we began counting Dallases starting with the first being last year when EvE built the vibraphone with Dad.  Second Dallas being one year later was gonna be weird, but I had no idea how much, and how cool.  It began with our arrival in the incredible hospitality of Prater at Pro Rehearsal with a great room we could toss some Shiners into, though I can’t remember if we did the first time.  This is why tour blogs should follow the date while it’s all still fresh, Taylor.  The most surreal parts of practice in the city EvE & I met in were a) how much we’d progressed since our essential birth in first Dallas, b) how my former cohorts & sustained brothers in Secret of Boris were rehearsing three doors down for the same date under the same roof, and c) how tightly pristine we sounded with a full-stage PA to rehearse with.  Our compact size reduced the necessity to rent halls in the past, leaving stages as the only place we’d hear ourselves full volume.  To quote William Wallace in teaching Miriam the French language, “That’s something we shall have to remedy, isn’t it?”

The Pi Day show ended up revealing quite the progression on all of our parts as individuals, musicians & separate groups in the most healing way possible.  It felt great to show old bandmates my new ideal mate in the experimental mayhem which just happens to make fragile sense at the very last moment.  Seeing them with Byrd (who actually helped setup my bari, Jaaz, for Einer Sie Gern & this current supportive tour of it) in my place alongside EvE the first time sealed the closure I needed to feel The Difference (pun intended as SoB nailed it) between my longest (wrapping LaME. into SoB) & newest bands.  Let’s not forget the pride I shared with every audience member in their release of Your Ghost which shines greater that the brightest light I could imagine.  Twas as if you could combine renewing vows with childbirth, that’s how it felt.

To add icing to the cake of dreams come true in realizing how progressive ManifestiV became in just over a year since its founding, blood and might-as-well-be-blood family attending the show warmed my heart to near-magmatic temperatures.  The surreality of the SoB separatism (in the best way for both I mean) got toppled by my birth mother & sister helping EvE & I load out into Bummobile. Yvonne made it rain for the merch table with John’s support, of course.  Doug, Paul & all at Curtain kept us taken care of so well they invited us back the next week, and with the previous Friday the 13th (naturally) morning’s news of the cancellation of the previously scheduled second Dallas tour date (the club owner rented it out to someone paying far more than our night could pull in to rent it for a company event, we were told & understood) this invitation would serve as a safety net for our friends & fans unable to catch us this show.