Dave Rat Blog - Virginia

Oh my the days blur together into the fog of tour. This is the part where we settle into a groove. Everyone knows their gig well enough to become comfortable yet not smooth enough to be harmonious. The shows are smooth and rocking and sometimes I feel like I am stuck on a merry go round. Oh, I can of course jump ship from the tour and hack my way from city to city or shack up on bus rides into parking lots waiting for hotel rooms. But hey, I have never really been one to find compatibility with patterns, rules and structure. I crave a bit of chaos and unexpected in my life. Ha, tour life becomes predictable.

I do really enjoy doing the seminars. Everything except the final moment. Blah blah I rap and chat for 4 or so hours about a wide variety of all things sound and then ok, that's it. And every time there is this awkward silence. At first it shocked me, then I started trying to lighten things up. Best I can figure it feels like a watching a show and the band stops mid set ore something. Mental note, must work on the end o seminar.

How much does it hurt our hearts to say goodbye to MCA? Oh man, such sad news and yet he left us with so many musical memories we love to remember. I met Adam back in 1994 on Lollapalooza when I was mixing L7. Spent some nights wander various cities and hanging a bit.

And thinking back a bit after reading the news today and seeing this article http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/boy-on-a-bike-becomes-moscows-tianamen-image/

I reminisced about 1999 MTV gig when Chili Peppers played in Red Square Moscow, the police presence and the excitement of the fans.

Chris Warren signing autographs!

The Russian police form arm linked human barricades that split open so riot shielded special teams can zoom in and extract people before beating them with rubber clubs.

Ok, off to Virginia - DC Seminar.

Rock on!