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August 4, 2008 @ afternoon
thanks!!!
hey gang-
i don't have any photos loaded right now, but i wanted to thank the old 97's for having us out on tour- thanks to all the new friends and fans we met and made on this tour. it was a honor to be part of the team for a couple of weeks-
July 31, 2008 @ evening
sailing to a pizza trailer
hey gang-
it's been a little hectic the last few days, but we had some fun. we went sailing in Yorktown, VA and walked around the battlefields. click on Yorktown to check it out.
Clint and I had a full day off good time at the go cart joint, it was hot and smelled like exhaust. we didn't stay long.
the other band with us and the old 97's is called the spring standards. we love them. check them out, click on the name, you know the drill...
here's some photos...
where is the fun today? a sailing trip in virginia- we had a day off and drove to the williamsburg, yorktown area
cowboys at sea!!!
the crew let us help raise the sails, gregg jumped at the chance. matthew said he looked like a kid in a candy store- he loves the ocean and especially sailing
this is a very old cemetery. i love cemeteries when you don't have to be there. when you have to be there, it is usually a very bad day.
we stopped by matthew's house for a cup of tea, he is a lovely host.
after our historical adventures, clint and i hit the go cart place across the highway from our hotel- it was filled with tiny, young japanese girls on a tour of america, one didnt know how to stop the car and smashed into clint at the conclusion
this dump truck is 100 percent latina, i always imagine dump trucks as male, i am wrong, and i am sorry
i hung out with these guys behind the club. we played the 9:30 club in DC, had we been playing the black cat, this photo would be a lot more ironic
heather from the spring standards has a family farm in delaware we all stayed at after the DC show, it was amazing, and apparently was a stop on the underground railroad, definitely a treat
200 acres with barns and other farm like buildings
i thought this was a beautiful image, he worked hard his whole life, then fell over.
matthew and james from the spring standards enjoying the morning
today we are in dewey beach, delaware. there town motto is "dewey, it's a way of life" so i joined up. soundchecking in a swim suit, mostly unbuttoned shirt, and flip flops, i could live this way
i have no idea what i am supposed to be looking out for...
i could really get used to this.
you can't really tell but this is a van pulling a trailer. in the trailer is people eating pizza. dewey is a way of life.
July 27, 2008 @ afternoon
ducks and hotdogs
hey gang-
we are at the new toad's in richmond, va. the original toad's is in new haven i think, where ever yale is. that place rules, this one is really nice and we ate at a place called city dogs- they had veggie versions- yes!
this is what it looked like when i woke up outside of asheville
these guys wanted to hang out
the trailer got some new shoes
this is the park we played in raleigh, i was told it was a family affair and not to curse on stage, um...
gloominous sky line- en route to richmond
the canals of richmond, va
veggie corndog nuggets, yes!
philly style veggie dog- provolone, green pepper, onion, and mayo- yes!!!
doing the dishes in backstage bathroom- i love new clubs, this is the new toad's in richmond-
July 24, 2008 @ afternoon
flowers and kittens
hey gang-
so i had a rough last couple of days, i will spare you the details but it has been a challenge to keep my chin up and keep going.
we are still going though and here is some highlights from before the bad days and today, which is the most beautiful north carolina day i have ever seen-
check it out...
where's the fun in brimingham? let's try this place.
this fountain/sculpture greets you as you walk in
another fountain, it was hot and i found myself spending time around the water
there was some flowers...
some big grass fields are nice after dark and smelly night clubs
corn...
peppers...
this tree grows little gloves...
ok, here is the thing... just because we live in the desert and there were wagons at some point i am sure, there are no wagon wheels lying around. ok?
then we were off to the bottle tree for some veggie goodness, this is chili fries,
vegan peanut butter pie, YES!!!
there is a ton of random record covers as wall paper in the men's room, they have a mustache bandit that takes his toll on the photos
even the whales got it...
we played a little scrabble, i lost very, very badly
where else is the fun? let's check out the science center
this turtle was about 10 feet long, crazy...
crazy mirrors outside the center...
truck on fire on the 20 west, this is the beginning of a bad day for someone, everyone was out of the car but no one was stopping at all...
north carolina is gorgeous...
and polite, they welcome to their state
my vegetarian accomplice sent me and the gang to a store in ashville to find some eco friendly detergent and i found some southern fried tofu, yes!!!
this little characters were outside wowing the crowd, people were lining up to adopt the kittens, you can see why i am sure...i love asheville
July 21, 2008 @ noon ish
emo's photos by tim valencia
these are some photos by our very talented friend tim valencia in austin, tx- thanks tim for letting us use these-
photo by tim valencia
clint photo by tim valencia
jim photo by tim valencia
gabe photo by tim valencia
matthew photo by tim valencia
photo by tim valencia
greg photo by tim valencia
jim photo by tim valencia
greg photo by tim valencia
clint photo by tim valencia
photo by tim valencia
July 20, 2008 @ evening
big easy and beyond.
we had an absolute great time in new orleans last night. the old 97's crowd is out of sight (that is todays word, or yesterdays, whatever). everyone was super cool at both the san antonio and new orleans shows, and the guys are killer.
tomorrow should be good as well, i got a list of things to do in birmingham, well see. the boys are off to see batman now, day off movie night, out of sight.
here is some photos.
this is exit 880 in east texas, i live on the other side, my exit is 13- that is a big state i am officially 867 miles from my house at this moment
we are driving over the bridge that leads into new orleans, this was matthew's first trip to the bayou, he enjoyed it
i want to ride on a boat, let's see if i can make it happen this tour
bourbon st, wasted people all day, all night, they like to stand in the middle of the street and not let you get to the show, even if you are late and grumpy, they are drunk and slow
our tour in chalk at the house of blues
we took our day off in tuscaloosa, alabama. they have a mellow mushroom here. i like their pizza, this one has garlic, onion, feta. matthew said it smelled bad when they brought it to my table.
July 18, 2008 @ afternoon
absence makes the heart grow fonder
hey gang-
i couldn't get online for a few days, so here is an update-
austin=killer
lubbock=killer
stonehenge= what, stonehenge you say? ok, stonehenge II- check it out-
emo's in austin- how many times have a walked through these doors, a lot
this is mr. jimmy from glossary (an epic band!) playing with my ball of twine i tour with, why do i tour with a ball of twine, because that's what i do
lubbock scenery- flat, really flat...
i always loved windmills, west texas dust storms=clean power (it does kill bats and birds which is a bummer)
on the way to san antonio chopper found stonehenge II, what?
what? that's right, chopper found his way into the van for a few days, for those who don't know chop, he is one of my best buddies- he is basking in the 60% tall, 90% wide, not exact, sort of replica of STONEHENGE!!!
seriously... this is a field in texas.
they also have an easter island replica, WHAT!!!???
then we went to a watering hole to cool off- what a day!!! and we get to play with the old 97's for two weeks!!!
i swam for nearly an hour, it was epic- today's word is epic btw, btw means by the way, i am catching on to this blogging lingo
WTF? that means "where's the fun?" clint found it on the rope swing-
i don't know this guy, but he did a wicked flip, clint just kind of fell in, he got showed up by this punk, river rat is what chop called the kid- he is having an epic summer!!!
gabe walking back from the swimming, yes, he was no fun and just sat there and looked cool, doesn't this picture remind you of a clash photo or something, gabe won the "coolest looking guy in the band walking down the road" award today- epic
July 16, 2008 @ mid day
the food is the fuel
i am sitting in the spider house in austin using their wifi and eating a very good roasted pepper and tomato cheese sandwich, drinking a cup of coffee, catching up on emails, etc-
tonight we are playing our second show with lucero at emo's- it will be hot and good. glossary is the other band with us and they are exceptionally good, we are only doing 3 show with these guys and it doesn't seem like enough-
anyhow, here is some photos of food- i have been getting some friendly emails from someone special to me with directions to vegetarian restaurants near the club- so i thought i would show the results-
but first...
what i did on my summer vacation- its a puzzle and it was harder then i thought it would be
cosmic cafe in dallas- some veggie food to kick off the tour in style
i had somosas- they were good-
portobella and veggie stir fry on the softest bread ever made- super good
taco a go go in houston- i had fish tacos, a mexican coke, and a cold pacifico on a hot day- delicious!
July 8, 2008 @ late
CANADA!!!
hey gang-
so after the old 97's tour, we are going to head up and do a few shows in canada- details to come but here are the cities and dates
aug 4- montreal- le divian orange
aug 5- toronto- the horseshoe tavern
aug 6- ottawa- babylon
we are looking forward to it-
-jim
July 4, 2008 @ noon
Happy 4th!
Happy 4th of July everyone, be safe!
I have put 7 guitars on ebay as of today. It is a 5 day auction-
you can search for them under my seller name
jimward76
or you can do this-
July 3, 2008 @ late night
this is becoming habit...
hi.
my friend lisa d. has a pretty new radio show in el paso on kama 750 am- it is on 4-6 pm weekdays. i went on it today to talk about being from el paso and why i like it here, etc. she had sito filling in for her, which was great. sito has a brother named arlo. arlo went to el paso high and got me into loads of good music when i was a kid. he was a senior when i was a freshman. it seems weird to say now, but he played me nirvana's nevermind for the first time. when that record came out, we all had a connection to them. they were a pretty small band on subpop records. i sat on the steps and listened to it, i liked it. i am sure i claimed not to like it later when it got huge. being a kid is funny like that, you got to try to be cool, right? well, either way, i can say i like it now, that is what matters i guess.
i hope that i can be a guest again on the show, it is just starting so if you live in elps- try to tune in- 750 am- 4-6 afternoons- it is politics and music and whatever-
i also spent today looking inside of some buildings. if we can figure it out, some friends and i are going to try and make a place for bands to practice and collide with one another. i wrote about it in my column this week. there is a real need for this in el paso, we need a magnet for creation... uh, and i need somewhere to practice too.
along those lines, i am making some room in my guitar coffins- as soon as i figure out how to work ebay i will send out an all points bulletin with info on all that will be up on the auction block- hopefully tomorrow, but until it is all done, here is some photos...
July 3, 2008 @ early morning
State Line photos
here is some photos by our friend Omar Mena from the State Line Outdoor Summer Concert Series
July 2, 2008 @ late night, again...
HOUSTON!!!
hi.
on our texas tour we met some fine young men from houston that play in a band called buxton. we decided to take our day off from the lucero tour and go down and play a show with them in houston. this way, the fine folks who keep driving to austin or san antonio from houston to see us can have a shorter drive. the show is on july 15 and the mink with buxton and a few more. we will announce more details as we get them.
also, my friend omar mena took soem greta photos at the state line show the other night that i will post soon-
-jim
July 2, 2008 @ late night/early morning
the fun and the not fun
well i can't sleep. i would take a photo to show how much i need sleep, but it wouldn't be pretty. two things make me want to type.
NOT FUN!!!
1- i just saw the absolute worst band on tv. i won't say their name, even if i remembered it, it is someone's pride and joy and who am i to judge it publicly (privately though, holy cow, absolute worst)
FUN!!!
2- i just read through the yeah yeah yeahs blog and saw photos of the ranch in tornillo. they were out there recording and that makes me feel good. sonic ranch is a great place and i love working there. it is good to see great bands also taking advantage of a great place- check out the yeah yeah yeahs blog.
home is good.
-jim
June 27, 2008 @ early morning
thanks gang.
hey gang-
i just wanted to write a quick thank you from the bottom of my heart and from all the boys in the band. we had an absolute blast making our way around north america the last few months.
a few nights ago we ended the tour in el paso at what ended up being an epic show for us, the perfect closer to an awesome tour- so thanks el paso, you never disappoint.
it has been an adventure, and we hope it just keeps going. we got a few days off before heading out with the old 97's for a couple of weeks.
see you out there!
-jim
June 25, 2008 @ morning
tonight
hey gang
we have taken our few days off here at home to rework a few things and add a couple of songs for the show at state line tonight. hopefully it will go off without a hitch, but either way we are excited to play to our friends and family- see you tonight
jim
June 23, 2008 @ morning
laura comes through...
my friend laura, who i put up a photo of yesterday not knowing about the smithsonian has responded, so i thought it was fair to post her response...
"The Smithsonian Castle was not moved here from anywhere else. It was built there originally to house the museum goodies. As DC wasn't supposed to be an actual city, the castle was supposed to just be an interest point for the political movers and shakers while they were in town. It wasn't until DC became a city and the collections grew that the castle became the glorious information booth that it is now."
thanks laura!!!
June 22, 2008 @ afternoon
ahhhh....
we are safe and sound in el paso, preparing for the show wednesday, or sleeping, one or the other... here is some pictures form the last few weeks. it was a blast. after wednesday we will be home, doing a little recording, then july 14 we will start another tour in dallas, a few days with lucero, then the old 97's, then... who knows...
-jim
June 20, 2008 @ evening
omaha
i am writing from the back patio at the larimer lounge in denver. tonight tom waits will play in el paso... dang it. we missed it by one day. oh well, such is life. i wanted to post a quick thank you to the folks in omaha last night. we are a little road weary, and last night was a blast! thanks again gang- we are all looking forward to some sleeping in our own beds and state line on wednesday- to the el paso folks- we are going to be at barnes and noble on the west side tuesday evening to sign some copies of the record and say hello, so come by if you can-
jim
June 19, 2008 @ evening
chicago last night...
so. i love chicago. i love playing there, i fell in love with the empty bottle last night. people have been super supportive with my solo tour in feb and last night as well. i have gotten a few messages today wondering if and what i was not happy with last night. so, i thought i would just write a quick note on here (as myspace doesn't really do it for me).
you don't really get to call in sick in this job, you have to be really, really sick. you also don't get to just blow off work one day and do something else. sometimes that really bothers me, and no matter how much i love what i do and i love to play for people, there are days when i am just grumpy. i was upset with myself for being upset about something else and i just couldn't get it together in my head. i hope the folks there enjoyed it, and i am super grateful for the support.
thanks again. i am including a picture of me grumpy for visual confirmation.
see ya in omaha
-jim
June 16, 2008 @ early evening
east coast america
i have too many photos to go through from the week on the east coast, it was a blast and we saw so many friends... i should not put this stuff off, but i am a bit of a slacker. maybe during the drive tomorrow i can get on it- tonight is cleveland, one of my favorites. playing everyday until home, 5 to go, then outdoor free show in el paso- then sleep...
June 8, 2008 @ afetrnoon
thanks canada!
after a 5 am battle with with u.s. immigration and customs, we have made it safely back into america. i will put some photos up of the last few days later. we just wanted to thank dallas and the city and colour crew, along with joel and the dine alone label folks for having us along on what was one of the absolute best tours i have ever been on- thanks to all the canadian fans for being super cool with us and welcoming us into their theaters- we had a blast and miss everyone already. we will be back up as soon as we can- thanks again
jim
June 4, 2008 @ right after the last one
myspace clarification
hey gang-
just a note on the deletion of my solo myspace page.
the quiet EP is sold out for the moment, i am working on part 2 of the series, and i wanted to consolidate everything to one easy to use myspace page. i am going to add all the songs from the quiet EP to the sleepercar myspace as soon as i can- so everyone can hear the original versions of what we are playing live on the road- i believe there will be a band version of some of these songs as well. the point is to make everything a little easier to find out about stuff. so you can check out this age or the myspace for anything relating to my songs- thanks, sorry if anyone is bummed about it, but i want to conserve-thanks
-jim
June 4, 2008 @ mid day
heading out with heroes!
no photo today yet, but we would like to thank the Old 97's for extending us an offer for some shows, which we did 2 backflips and agreed right away- the tour dates are up. i am super stoked as they are one of the reasons i ever started this band- so thanks to them and we will see you out there in july opening for some personal heroes of ours.
-jim
June 1, 2008 @ night
day off in thunder bay, ontario, let's go bowling.
we had a day off today in thunder bay, ontario. we are in the middle of one of the biggest drives i have ever been through. we met up with the city & colour crew and a few of us went bowling.
we were a little defeated as we couldn't find an open alley, we found two closed ones, and thought we were out of luck. we stopped to take a sad photo in front of one of them and realized the hours were wrong and it was actually open, so in we went.
i ordered up some onion rings and a big coke as a little day off bowling treat.
then i bowled a 158, pretty awesome for me. we had a 7th frame switch hand throw and a 9th frame granny throw (a lot harder than it looks). all in all it was nice to get out of a backstage and hang out in somewhat of peace and quiet. a bonus was a gigantic beautiful cloud formation when i walked out the door- back to the road...
-jim
May 31, 2008 @ evening
the other day
i meant to add this the other day, but a lack of good internet... uh, and i got lazy maybe. these were taken backstage in estevan, it was in a hockey arena, which means dressing rooms are locker rooms, not the most posh, i watched these kids take what they were calling "myspace" photos, which consist of holding the camera away from you and taking photos with people, i realize this makes me sound very out of touch and square... but i am not. also, i wanted to show you how exciting backstages are, this is as game we made up to pass the time. we are trying to bounce a tiny ball into a tiny cup, we were all hooked and worked at it for quite awhile.
-jim
May 30, 2008 @ evening
good evening
hi.
we are cruising though canada safe and sound, enjoying ourselves. here is a photo of the some pretty mountains, a gigantic crowd (shaky), and a campfire- tonight we are in a little hockey arena- so maybe tomorrow i will put up some good photos of that business-
jim
May 25, 2008 @ evening
live song stuff...
a few people have asked about songs we are playing at the shows that are not on the album- a few are from my acoustic record that came out last year called "quiet" you can get a better look at it here
we are also playing "heart" which is the b-side to the 7" coming anyday... by the way they are done and should be sent off to the pre-order people any second!!!
-jimward
May 25, 2008 @ midday
gees, i am bad at this...
as you can tell my attempt at "blogging" daily has been a sad one at that...here is a bunch of pictures as we traveled the last week-
May 14, 2008 @ afternoon
on the road again...
so we are out on the road, it always takes me a few days to get organized, if i ever get organized, so this is my first post. greg keeps a blog as well and i will be putting up the link for that pretty quick here. phoenix was good, we practiced really quick in la and met this lil guy- spaceland was great last night, thanks to everyone who came out, we had a blast- today we are in upland, ca, which is like being in that tv show "the wonder years"- i have never seen such immaculate landscaping-
jim
May 7, 2008 @ noon
lining up the tour
hey gang-
i just wanted to point out that on the tonight show, we were joined by native el pasoan and now austinite clint myers- he is crazy talented and will be joining up for the may/june tour- chris heinrich is a camera man by trade and can not make the tour as he is filming a movie in hollywood- he might make appearances here and there, and a few shows in canada will have matthew absent as he is in a wedding in california- ah... but all the shows will be fun either way- so welcome aboard clint, i can't wait to see you all out there on the road- only a few days more!!!
-jim
May 5, 2008 @ late
some photos...
i have just returned form Mexico City and thought I would throw some photos up here- I will get better at this blog stuff, I promise-
April 29, 2008 @ morning
el paso west side best buy
hey there-
if anyone has had trouble finding the record in el paso, the west side best buy just got a shipment- thanks to everyone who has bought the album so far! i hope you enjoy it
-jim
April 24, 2008 @ afternoon
friends are good to have
some friends of ours are going to be playing the phoenix and the upland, ca, shows- they are called THE LUSITANIA check them out here!
April 22, 2008 @ later in the morning
this is going to be fun.
we set this up so i can add things as i feel like it on the front page.
i am going to put up photos, stories, thoughts, dreams, long walks on the beach...
big ups to brandon and andrew at impulse development for designing this site and mando at viva creative group for the design of the record and general west texas vibe through out...
i will be on a live chat on absolutepunk.net later today if you want to check it out, talking about the record and what not-
-jim
April 22, 2008 @ morning
Hi there.
hello.
welcome to the website.
the record is out today.
loads of work went into all this.
i can't thank everyone enough for the help.
i really couldn't be happier.
-jim