Last we checked in we were driving from Tempe to Tucson and it’s now Sunday March 21st and we’re recovering from SXSW at a friend’s house in Austin, TX. I will do my best to recap the last week of activities by city, but I’m not sure where to begin as before this week I wasn’t sure this many experiences were possible in such a short time. Anyways, after a scenic little drive from Tempe we pulled into the Saguro National Park to our friend Paul’s house in Tucson. The adobe style house (which Paul built himself) was by far one of the coolest homes we’d ever seen with 360 degree rooftop views of hundreds of Saguros (the fork pronged cactus) and crazy shaped mountains and hillsides, a bonfire pit and beautiful swimming pool in the backyard, and incredible living room views of the city of Tucson in the distance. We definitely did not expect to be staying at places as cool as this when we started and have since stayed with some of the coolest people at the nicest and most unique homes in the areas on this trip so far. (More on that in a bit) Paul and his girlfriend Brie barbecued a bunch of tri tips for us and we ate and drank like kings all night while smoking cuban cigars in the jacuzzi. It was an awesome recharge after a couple long drives and Paul and Brie were incredibly generous and kind to us. The next day we drove to White Sands, New Mexico and relaxed/shredded the white sandy dunes with sleds and Natty’s. We heard massive explosions from a testing facility nearby which was the site of the atomic bomb testing in 1945. It was an interesting mix of eeriness and extreme beauty, and one of those things in nature you can’t fully comprehend but glad you witnessed.

San Angelo, TX

We pulled into Fiddlestrings Bar in San Angelo at about 2am the night before we played there for St. Patty’s Day. The bar had just closed as we were getting there and we slept in the RV in the parking lot that night. As we were getting ready to sleep we heard pretty much every remaining truck in the parking lot peel out and speed off into the night and it was obvious people partied pretty hard at this bar. The next morning we woke up to the local radio guy Ray who had helped us set up the show and the owner of the bar knocking on the RV with a 12 pack of donuts and news that they had gotten us a couple suites at the Comfort Suites down the road. We checked in and took showers and then got some lunch with a big group of people from friends in San Angelo that got us the shows and the Origaudio crew and then got a bunch of St. Patty’s gear. We had no idea what to expect with our first Texas crowd and Haircut looking like Angus Young meets a Leprachaun version of Yosemite Sam. Luckily us California boys got a little bluesy, folky soul to what we’re doing and it went over really well with a nice mix of originals, party songs, and Irish jigs and a really great crowd. We dipped into our pay a bit with the Irish Car Bombs and green beers and were half expecting a Blues Brothers moment where we end up owing the bar money, but it all worked out and we sold a bunch of cd’s which is always cool. The next day we fought hangovers with Keystone Lights, burgers, and shotgun blasting at a new friend’s ranch down the road from the venue. We all took turns shooting skeet and eventually T-Bone busted out a glock and exploded a couple Cacti. We heard some of the most quality jokes and one liners from the Texan radio dudes we were kicking it with and again were with what had to be some of the coolest people in town at an awesome place. On our way out of the ranch we came across a dead armadillo on the side of the road. None of us had ever seen one of these things before and after 10 minutes of T-Bone’s insistant pleas to take the armadillio with us in a plastic bag in the RV as our new mascot, we came up with the compromise of attaching him to the grill of the RV. We recently flipped a coin and his name is Rodney. It rained a couple days ago and brought him back to life a bit which could get interesting next time we go to use the A/C. The next night we played at The House of Fifi DuBois and all we knew was that it was a vintage clothing and furniture store. It had a little stage and was massive and they had a keg of beer and Mexican food for us and the crowd. Even with a pretty small crowd, the show was one of the best of the tour so far with great acoustics and a mellow, laid back vibe that allowed us to do some acoustic songs and Pablo to play stand up bass. The crowd response and energy was really amazing and it felt like an intimate living room session with people sitting at tables and chair sets from the 60’s and 70’s and the BYOB policy didn’t hurt the feel either. The owners Tony and Fifi were extremely generous and awesome and let us crash at their ridiculously cool loft decked out with rare and vintage furniture and decorations. They extended an offer to record there at their loft and we will most likely take them up on that offer. Anyways, San Angelo was probably our favorite stop so far with the overwhelming hospitality, shotgun blasting, and awesome new friends Sarah, Ray, Chuck, Steve, Toni, Fifi, and many more….we’re hoping to come back here for some pool party shows in May.

Austin, TX (SXSW)

We left San Angelo at 4:30am and got into Austin at 9 for our load in at 10am so needless to say we were a bit strung out. The show Friday was a rooftop party at Union Park and was a bit on the outskirts of the sxsw festival and most of the day was a bit rough crowd wise. We were really stoked to see our good friend (and artist who painted the See America album cover) Kris Doe who flew in from California and surprised us at our RV parked outside of the venue before the show. When it was finally our time to play we had a good crowd and with the Austin skyline behind us and the sun going down Pablo strattled the top of the fence on the roof and got everybody into it from the start. The show was definitely fun, but not exactly what we had hoped for as far as sxsw. Luckily, the next day’s show was incredible. The Flamingo Cantina venue was in the heart of 6th street and, although the streets weren’t as packed as usual due to a cold, rainy day, we had a packed house for our set and it seemed almost like a Downtown Brew show in terms of energy. The crowd, most of which had never seen us before, cheered really loudly after each song (especially at the end of the set) and it was encouraging to see so many new faces digging the music and singing the words. At the end of our set we realized that Ben Kweller (amazing musician check him out if you don’t know him) and Chris Walla (guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie) were at the show – we gotta meet them for a bit and they were really cool dudes. Also, T-Bone got wind that John Popper of Blues Traveler just finished a set down the street and he was able to reconnect with him (Bone’s hung out with him a couple times before). Popper was stoked to see Bone and they discussed doing some jamming together and some Blues Traveler/Still Time shows which would, of course, be insanely sweet. So Saturday in Austin was a great day all around and at night we kicked it with the Origaudio crew and did some adult bevs while dancing to some serious gangsta beats at a downtown bar til close. It has been a life changing experience for all of us so far and, although we’re exhausted, we’re getting some much needed rest at our friend Lisa’s beautiful home in Austin and getting geared up for many more stories and crazy nights to come.

Hello from San Angelo!! So we’ve had an extremely warm welcome from West Texas, and we can’t wait to get back. Our drive from White Sands took all night, and we ended up pulling into the bar parking lot in San Angelo at about 1:30am. Around 8 o’clock in the morning, we heard ak nock on the RV door and opened up to Ray (from the local radio station) with a box of doughnuts, telling us that they just booked us two hotel rooms that we could check into asap. Ps—for a touring band that drove all night, that’s probably the closest thing to heaven. Our St. Patty’s day show was ridiculous—Haircut got ducktaped to two girls in the middle of the stage, we played three and a half hours and ended with “Don’t Stop Believing”, and the night ended with the whole crew going to IHOP for a solid early morning breakfast. Before our show today, we barbequed hamburgers and shot shotguns with the radio crew at a nearby ranch. Apparently Dan is a crack shot with a 12 gauge—he hit pretty much everything he shot at! Sarah, Ray, Steve, and Chuck were the official radio crew, and they’re some of the coolest people we’ve met yet on the tour. If you’re ever in the San Angelo area, stop by KDCD 92.9 (Lone Star Country) and say what’s up to them—they’re crack you up. Off to play The House of Fifi DuBois for another night of rock! Laters!

We’re driving through the desert right now on our way to Tucson, AZ for a little barbecue with some friends and had an incredible time the last couple days in Tempe. Our show at the Sail Inn was really incredible and a great night of music with Tempe bands Dry River Yacht Club and Black Carl (check them out). It was awesome to see a group of 200+ people who had never heard of us before dancing, singing, and really enjoying our set. It was definitely encouraging for the first show in a brand new city for us on this tour to see all the new faces appreciating the music. Everyone we met were extremely kind and we got a bunch of offers for places to stay, shower, etc. which is also encouraging. The next day we split up and had an awesome time in Scottsdale, AZ. Half of us tried to go to the Giants – A’s spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium, but it was sold out when we got there. Fortunately, we came across a stretch golf cart that drove us to a local bar called Giligan’s where we met and partied with a cool group of dudes from St. Louis, MO. The bar had a FL bayou feel to it and we got way too much alcohol for the amount we paid which is always sweet. T-Bone, Pablo, and our buddy Mike from Origaudio all went to play frisbee golf at a course in Scottsdale and Bone barely missed a casual hole in one (he used to be a semi-pro frisbee golfer and member of the PDGA Card #22047). After debauchery throughout Scottsdale and an epic high five contest (we dished out thousands of high fives throughout Old Town) we all met up and barbecued at our new friend Nichole’s house in Tempe and continued to dabble in B minus and Catch Phrase. It was an awesome day off and now we got a couple more here before St. Patty’s in San Angelo, TX. On to Tucson for some more AZ marination and we’ll check back in before the St. Patty’s bonanza!

So the last few shows were ridiculous. Ps—just to let you guys know, the trend so far has been that every show turns out to be pretty epic. Who knows what the rest of the tour is going to be like, but it’s been really cool to see such positive reactions from a lot of new fans. We can’t wait to head east, and spread the tunes in some uncharted territories!

Two more shows in California this week, The Mint in LA, and Gallaghers in San Diego, and then we’re off to Arizona and beyond!! See you guys soon!

Hugs and High Fives,

Still Time

Santa Clara – March 4th @ The Grove

Every once in a while the college lifestyle comes back in full force and someone (uh hem Haircut) goes a little extreme.  Now we are all former college students (used to live in a doublewide on the 101 freeway) and a band on the road so cheap kegs, trashed couches, and cold pizza are nothing new to us, but Santa Clara has their own brand of college partying that takes us Still Time boys right back to our roots.  While our credo is good time music and a party friendly message, the band as individuals and the music have evolved a bit past the partying to a little deeper place.  The cool thing about our Santa Clara shows is these guys and girls know how to party and yet are deeply connected to the meanings behind our songs–this awareness leads to a sort of celebration of life that we’ve hoped to create from the days we started writing music.  It’s an incredibly fun atmosphere to be a part of and the response we got form the crowd on this night in Santa Clara was unreal.

Haircut trying to recover from Santa Clara in the RV

SF – March 6th @ Maggie McGarry’s

Speaking of college days, the majority of our graduated fans out of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, who’ve been with us since our beginnings, now live in the Bay Area.  This works out beautifully for us as we’re 3/4 NorCal boys and SF feels like home (as much as any city can feel like home.)  When you’re in the city there’s something about SF that makes you feel like absolutely anything is possible that night.  On this evening, (March 6th in North Beach) we had a great mix of old and new fans — great family and friends we’ve known for years and new fans seeing us for the first time.  The vibe and energy of the crowd was amazing and it was clear how much our fans care about us and wish the best for us on this tour and beyond.  We somehow fit over 300 people in the small North Beach bar and had 100+ in line waiting for over an hour for the chance to get in the door.  Definitely another incredible night in the city — we love ya SF and can’t wait to see you in June!

Ironic sign in North Beach…

We just drove twelve hours straight from our gig last night in Eugene, OR, which ended around 12am.  The show in Eugene was awesome—the entire set had really great energy, and John definitely did one of the sweetest “9 to 5” drum solos of the tour.  We got into Santa Clara around 1pm, after experiencing almost 12 hours of epic I-5 scenery (it was foggy the whole drive), some Amos Lee and Van Morrison, and last but not least…some McDonalds sausage McMuffins (really yummy, but note to self…these are not good for our tour manager Jill’s tummy.  This we found out too late, but that’s a whole other story all together).

The show starts at 6pm tonight, and the band is just sitting here watching the place fill up.  This is going to be crazy!!  Check back with us in a few days for the whole story, and pictures (one of these will probably be Haircut in some ridiculous situation).  Anyways, got to go sound-check…wish us luck!!

Keep it Golden,

Still Time

Hidden gem from Portland

What’s happing! So currently we’re chillin’ in Ridgefield at our drummer John’s relative’s house, and so far, the first two weeks of the See America National Tour have been pretty sweet. Last weekend we visited Seattle for a few days, handing out our music, taking in the city and the Seattle music scene, and rocking out at a BBQ restaurant due to an unexpected turn of events.

On Friday we caught Galactic (a New Orlean’s jazz/funk group) at The Showbox, and got to meet the whole band afterwards. They put on a ridiculous show! Definitely catch those guys at some point if you can. It was John’s birthday, and Galactic’s drummer, Stanton Moore is one of his main influences—John was like a kid in a candy store for the entire night.

The next day was suppose to be our show at the Columbia City Theater, but twenty minutes before load-in, we got a call saying that they venue had been sold and our show was cancelled. But T-bone definitely saved the day by talking the owners of a local rib place, John’s BBQ, into letting us play. So instead of rocking out in a beautiful red brick theater, we packed the whole crew into this little restaurant, and everyone feasted on ribs and danced their butts off—Haircut even ate a rib during T-bone’s solo in “Old Soul”.

As for our traveling unit, the new RV has been a champ, despite a few issues. Our exhaust pipe cracked almost right off the bat, and every time we hit a hill the RV sounded like a muscle car rocketing down the road. But now that it’s fixed, you can actually have a conversation in the drivers seat.

The tour so far has been filled with awesome landscapes, amazing people, and some great shows–we’re all having the time of our lives and can’t wait to see what the next four months will bring. We’ll keep you updated as we go with all the inside info and tour shenanigans. Until our next crazy adventure, keep spreading the love!

Still Time

Some love at Pikes Place Market!