The morning following our last Billings show, we all piled into the Sea Gypsy and set out on the drive to Portland. We spent a night in Kennewick, WA and then drove the last few hours the next day.

The next evening we performed at the Firehouse Pub in the Lake Oswego neighborhood of Portland, OR.

We spent the rest of the week bouncing around Portland, meeting beautiful people and investing a few of the city’s many awesome music shops. We even took the time to record some small live performances at some of these locations.

Here’s a little taste of what to expect:

We spent two days in the park, camped, saw the sights, and encountered assorted large animals and remarkable natural phenomena.

Our talented friend Kyle Neddenriep handled all of the filming and editing for the video. He spent the day tromping through all kinds on inhospitable brush in his gaiters. The man shows true dedication.

Props for the video were scavenged from the basement of Drs. McBride and McBride Optometrists in Billings, Montana. A huge shout out to them for also providing the eyewear for this tour.

Finally, thanks again to our ever-growing extended family. Without the talent and dedication of all you wonderful people, we most certainly would not be able to create the things we’ve set out to create.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the release of the official video for our song Gloria, which can be found on the Wild Child album. It’s coming soon.

We’ve made it to Chase’s hometown of Billings, Montana. Chase has been showing the crew around town. We’ve seen some great sights, had some awesome food, and met more wonderful people.

Our first Billings show was last night at The Granary. We had a good time playing, and it even rained a bit. The crowd was chalk full of familiar faces and we’re really looking forward to our next show.

Next week we will be performing at The Garage Pub on Wednesday, August 4th.

The show is from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, cover is only $3, and all ages are welcome. The venue is located at 2123 1st Ave N.

We had a spectacular time in Portland. Once again, we were able to meet and befriend some awesome human beings during our journey, and we certainly look forward to meeting up them all again soon.

Our show at the Arrivederci Wine Bar was a ton of fun. We played an intimate set for a great crowd and were able to share the night with Portland’s own Chuck Everett and his awesome band. After we’d both played our sets and had some delicious food, we all took the stage together and had a beautiful jam session. The owner of the establishment even joined us on tenor sax. It was a beautiful evening. So beautiful, in fact, that we’re planning on going back to Arrivederci in mid-August. So for those of you in and around Portland who weren’t able to make it, you’ve not missed out.

We’ve now parted ways with Portland, and once again; we’re both sad to see it go and looking forward to what lies ahead. We spent today and yesterday driving up the beautiful Columbia River Gorge and were able to enjoy some beautiful sights. We did a little barefoot hike up to Multnomah Falls and recharged among the spray and the trees and the sights. It’s definitely worth a stop if you find yourself nearby.

We’re currently in Walla Walla, WA getting the lay of the land and putting ourselves in the ideal mental space for tonight’s performance at Vintage Cellars Wine Bar. It should be an evening full of good vibes, good tunes, and good wine so we hope to see you all there.

Many, many thanks to Ron Wackford for his help with booking in Portland. We look forward to coming back.

We’ve just made it to Portland, and have spent a beautiful week (roughly) making our way from Eugene. It’s been quite the journey.

Our first night out of Eugene we got to our desired campground a bit late in the evening. As such, we were forced to improvise.

A nice ranger woke us up early, informed us that while our actions were “righteous” we ought to mosey on before the regular rangers showed up to give us a hard time. So we made our way to the Hobbit Trail and hiked down to the beach, where we eventually slept for a number of hours. This resulted in a some sunburns, but we found ourselves rested enough to move on. We even made a peace sign with the rocks that littered this particular beach. Peace gon’ work, ya know?

We even shot a little tour update:

We eventually moved on, and found ourselves at the infamous Rogue Brewery and grabbed lunch there.

We cruised our way up the coast, wishing for greener pastures, and dreaming of lush camping grounds. Then, out of the blue, we stumbled upon Camper Cove, which was absolutely perfect. We stayed in the most beautiful little cabin, surrounded by trees and leaves and a beautiful spring-fed river.

The campground, fortunately, was just south of Tillamook. So we were able to visit the Tillamook cheese factory. We went through the sample line a good three times, grabbed some fudge, passed on the ice cream, got some fudge, and got out of there. Beautiful place, but a bit busy for our tastes.

After a of couple days , we decided to say our tearful goodbye to the owners of the Camper Cove, Mike and Norma, (who were absolutely wonderful) and drive off to Portland.

Now, we find ourselves in Portland, and it’s beautiful. More later. Peace, friends.

Also: check out Troutdale. McMenamin’s Edgefield is a great place.

Fellow travelers through space and time,

We are very pleased to announce that the first official music video for the new albums is ‘Soul’, which is now available for your viewing pleasure on the worldwide web.

The video was filmed in and around Reno, NV with our good friend and talented cinematographer Kyle Neddenriep. We worked tirelessly to produce this one of a kind moving picture, featuring limited edition ‘Split-Screen’ vision (the brainchild of the wild child).  Please click the link below to view the video, leave a comment and spread the vibe to as many friends as you can. Many happy returns to you and your kin.

VIEW ‘SOUL’ MUSIC VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSl7eBwYW_I

VIEW ‘SOUL’ MUSIC VIDEO ON VIMEO:

http://vimeo.com/13449603

Peace,

Chase & Austin

We even found the time to get ourselves lost in some of Eugene’s fine antique stores and to appreciate some of it’s cuisine.

This morning we spent some time at the Saturday Market and we really couldn’t have felt more at home. We listened to some live music, had some good food, and investigated the local crafts and wares. The vibes were definitely strong.

We followed that up with a quick hike up Spencer Butte and enjoyed some stellar views. Overall, Eugene was good to us. The drive out to the coast was just as impressive. The forest and the river and the gently weaving road all made for quite an evening drive.

Finally, a huge shout out to Scotty Perey, and of course the rest of the ever-growing sun tribe, for showing us around and giving us a good taste of the community.

Eugene, you might be our home some day. Thanks.

So if you’re in the area, definitely try and come out. Good music, good beer, good company.

NINKASI BREWING COMPANY
272 Van Buren Street
Eugene, Oregon 97402

Please tell your friends if they’re planning on coming so that we can get everyone to the right location.

Thanks so much to our new family in Reno. We had a wonderful time and you all made us feel so very at home. Also, we got to have Awful Awfuls, soooo… thanks for that too, I guess.

We were able to make a great deal of Summer Tour 2010 shirts, which are almost all one-offs, what with our tie-dying, bleaching, and creative screen printing. Thanks to Mark O for his work on those.

Now we find ourselves in Eugene, OR, and are looking forward to an awesome few days here. I must admit, this Oregon weather is a welcome respite from the oppressive heat of the desert.

Look out for updates on our adventures in the Northwest.