ROAD JOURNAL
September 3, 2007 - Evan R. Saffer
Wow, top 5 worst experiences of my life when we hit the venue in San Diego. I'll get to that in a second. We've been rolling west through hundred degree weather. Had a few rough spots with not getting paid and shitty gigs, but overall it's been a rock n roll blast. I got on the microphone at hooters in Phoenix and got all the customers cheering to the "best hooters" girls in the country. We signed all of their boobs and invited them back to party with us at the venue. Good times! ha!.
We arrived in LA happy to see some old friends and it felt like a return to civilization for us New Yawkers. We went from sleeping on the floor of the venue's to swimming in a pool at a mansion in Beverly Hills. My buddy Sam and his family hooked us up with amazing BBQ and drinks before we hit the Viper Room on Sunset Strip. The venue was packed and it's a little hectic. I was pissed off right away because the club was rude to me. We were all tired and trying to get the equipment in the club. The club is small and there is no room for bands to load in ahead of time. You have to wait outside the venue with your equipment until right before you go on. People are stressed and rushing us around and just before I take the stage the promoter comes up to me and says "If you guys can't bring at least 40 people to the Roxy on Sept 6th then we're canceling you, but don't worry about that now, have a great show.". Needless to say I was steaming. I got on stage and channeled all that negative energy into show energy. I was thinking this is Hollywood and there is no time to warm up. Got to have the A game on as soon as the curtain opens. It was one of the best shows of the entire tour.
I'm staying with one of my best friends Brian Depersia, who is a film agent at William Morris here in LA. Sweet Beverly Hills mansion with pool, jackuzi and all the trimmings. We were excited last night to play San Diego and follow up a great performance at the Viper Room. We rolled up to the Jumping Turtle in San Marcos and our entourage was hanging in the parking lot by the van while I jumped out to get things settled with the club. I had just walked into the venue to settle the guest list and find out the dealio with load in when the cops bust in with guns out screaming: "EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR WITH YOUR HANDS OUT! IF YOU MOVE YOU WILL BE SHOT! SHUT THE FUCK UP, THIS IS THE SHERIFF!". I had a loaded gun shoved in my face and was thrown to the ground. Then the cubs swarmed in with more cars, helicopters, and ferocious attack dogs. There are crazy german shepards barking their heads off one foot from my face. I was so fucking scared I was going to be shot. I'm on the floor with the promoter who is this very sweet girl with a tiny mini skirt. She was on the floor half naked next to me and we're both about to lose it. Then I was told to get up and head out of the venue with my hands on my head along with the rest of the club and sit on the baking parking lot floor. I sat there with my band and friends looking on for about 1 hour. There were police with machine guns and hand guns drawn and pointing at us the whole time. One of the dudes in the club mouthed off and asked for a little respect because the cops were being really rough with everyone. The cop took out a baton and almost bashed the guy's skull in. Told him to shut the fuck up and handcuffed him and said now he's in some real trouble for his attitude. This was the real deal, crazy police raid from hell with guns and dogs and fear swimming through the air like sperm in a porno. The police were looking for an accused murderer. Apparently he ran into the club RIGHT BEFORE I DID!~ Talk about bad timing. The guy crawled into a crawl space that was 130 degrees F. One of the dogs found him, then the dog passed out from the heat. They couldn't get the guy out and had to bring in more dogs. Took forever, NIGHTMARE! I grabbed the band and we got the hell out of there. I had to slam many beers to calm down and we returned to LA with no gig, no money and no sanity.
I'm not sure about our west coast schedule, things are coming together last minute and it's all a bit crazy. We love LA but we're itching for some more rock shows. Right now we may or may not be playing the Roxy. There is talk of playing the Whiskey a go go on sept 7th, and apparently we're heading back to San Marcos for 2 more shows on sept 6th and 8th. Keep an eye on the schedule and our safety in your prayers!
August 30, 2007 - Evan R. Saffer
Holy Sh!t, this trip has been wild. We're going to roll home like Hansel und Gretel by moonlight and breadcrumbs! haha. Let's see, where did Rev leave off. We crashed in New Mexico with a few days off. On the way to Roswell (Alien country - AREA 51 - if you're unfamiliar with this look it up on the internet). The entire town is alien crazy with t shirts and paraphernalia everywhere. The people themselves are aliens! Just before hitting that town we stopped at the bottomless lake and went swimming in 100 degree New Mexico weather. It was amazing and helped wash away our woes. Clear mountain lake water, fish, sun, desert rocks and lizards all around. It was an experience and I didn't even get scorched by the sun.
Shout out to Jenn who was a super cool chick we partied with in Roswell. There was a lunar eclipse and we watched it over many beers in the parking lot of our schwag motel. Next day was mostly driving through Arizona which has a VERY diverse landscape. One minute you're in blistering sun and dry desert, the next there's a huge hail storm beating down on the van (I thought the windows would break). The weather across many midwest and southwest states is VIOLENT! Thank god no tornado's to report on. We stopped again for a little sightseeing at the Petrified Forest. The was beautiful, we stood humbled in front of the Painted Desert (red dunes as far as the eye could see). The Petrified Wood was pretty trippy. I felt like Frodo touching some magical secret of the elves. haha.
Finally we arrived in Phoenix to rock the Brickhouse. Sweet club and the owner Roger is the sh!t. We were fed immediately, beers all around and we gave a sweet performance. Shout out to the local opener Vex who were something like Chili Peppers meets Tool. Before the show even started Tommy was jamming with their drummer and then I hopped up to the mic and we blasted out Welcome to the Jungle. After the bands played we continued to jam and drink all night. Roger hopped on stage for some sweet numbers (he's a killer vocalist). Tommy Zamp is a walking jukebox so we never ran out of tunes. It was a totally fun and loose night of ROKK!. We slept on the floor in back of the stage as we passed out sometime in the wee hours. I woke up to Roger blasting the PA again to some of his favorite tunes with BLT's and tomato soup waiting for us! Awesome, I hope we sleep on the floor again tonight...hehehe...evil grin.
August 26, 2007 - REV
What up, kiddies, it's Rev here, writing from our luxurious hotel room in Lubbock, TX. Hotels are a rarity for us, and I must say we've done a damn good job at avoiding this luxury so far...we've met so many cool people out on the road that have been willing to put us up, and we appreciate all the hospitality we've experienced so far.
So we rolled into Texas a couple days ago and hit the Curtain Club in Dallas, which rocked...unfortunately, our friends in Bobaflex had to drop off the rest of the tour, but the show rocked all the same and it was a very cool club. We had a great time hanging out with fans and were lucky enough to be invited to stay at the house of Brian from the band Fallen Breed (check 'em out), who put us up and even fed us in the morning. It was top flight all around. So around noon we hit the road and made the long-ass drive to Lubbock. Well, J did the driving, and the rest of us slept and admired the view. Which consisted of absolutely nothing. For miles. Pretty cool just the same, though.
Due to some last-minute cancellations in Lubbock (Bobaflex as well as the local headliner), the show here ended up being somewhat of a bust. The promoter was kind enough to put us up last night, but then today we decided we needed a bit of sanctuary, so we grabbed our book of hotel coupons and splurged for a room. This turned out to be a great decision, as we got to chill, shower, and I even took a swim. We then hit Guitar Center, grabbed some necessary gear and went to dinner at Logan's Roundhouse, where we got amazing service and even a free meal (thanks Kyle and Sean!). Talk about southern hospitality! The only thing we had to pay for was the drinks, which for once was actually a small portion of the tab. Even we need a rest sometimes....
Tomorrow we do our last show on the Operation Rock Tour in Abilene, TX, and then we head west through Arizona for a couple shows, then on to California for a couple weeks. Now, keep an eye on the calendar, as there are many dates soon to be added, all throughout California and over to Denver and so on. We're very excited for this leg of the tour, and we'll see you west-coasters in a week or so. Big wheels keep on turnin'...rock and roll!
xox Rev
August 23, 2007 - Evan R. Saffer
After a slew of great shows Rev and I are sitting in a laundromat in Manhattan, Kansas. Definitely nothing like the Manhattan that we are used to. It's air conditioned and there is free wireless internet. J and Tommy are stumbling around the bars I am sure. Kansas is everything you've imagined Auntie Em's farm to be like. haha. Well, driving through it is a lot like that. You're looking out for tornado's every few minutes. The weather has been pleasant and breezy for the most part. Last night Fixer rocked PJ's which is a rock club right off the main drag of town. This town is a COLLEGE town with wild parties everywhere. The whole main street of town is littered with bars advertising "Welcome back students!" "Party time!". Cheap beer and food everywhere, it's ideal for our rock n roll appetites.
FIXER posters are everywhere so there was a good amount of publicity and buzz for this show. We rocked to a fairly full club last night. It was the seventh show in a row and we pulled out all the stops. In the middle of Tuxedo on a particularly high note I actually blacked out. Fell to J's side of the stage and sliced my back. I kind of flopped down like a dead fish. The band kept playing and I opened my eyes, stood up and finished the song. The crowd went nuts as it was a very rock n roll moment. Reminiscent of Jim Morrison falling of the stage, although I wasn't drunk. We've been sounding great every night, and I must thank the clubs and sound people along the way. We've been playing really good stages with awesome sound that cater to national acts, so we just crank our amps and do what we do. Crashed with some college students last night at their condo (thanks Wil!) and now we're kicking around town. We have a day off today before pushing off to Dallas, Texas! Sounds glamorous although I hear the temperature will be over 100 degrees F. ugh.
I have to also make mentioned of Des Moines, Iowa which was an awesome club (House of Bricks) and the people rocked. We played a blistering set with some very cool local bands opening up. Made lots of friends. Just as Bobaflex was finishing their set at the end of the night I get a phone call from Cane that there's a tornado watch over Des Moines. I walk outside and the wind is ripping up the street, big fat rain drops are starting to fall and about a mile away I can see incredible streak lightening. Splitting the entire sky, 5 streaks at a time. Horizontal, vertical, blazing, clear bolts. I was laughing nervously from the back seat. We crashed with some awesome new fans-they made us food and offered to do our laundry! (thank you Megan and Leanne!).
Days are definitely flying by, hard to believe we've only been out for 2 weeks. Cd's are selling great though and we're not bankrupt yet. We're looking forward to heading west, California here we come. XXX, E
August 19, 2007 - Evan R. Saffer
Wow, so this tour is pretty rock n roll extreme. Two nights ago we killed in south dakota which ended in the wee hours at some house party with Bobaflex. Fixer rolled in to a packed house of fans, booze and decadence. I'm there for 10 minutes when some girl asks me if I want to "see something interesting". I say ok and she drops her panties down to her ankles to reveal two enormous frogs tattoo'd on each ass cheek. Welcome to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We partied until the sun came up then drove to Minnesota. Cane (XM satellite radio ch. 47) flew in to meet the band. He arranged hotel rooms for us all, true rock star fashion. We played a great set at The Rock. The sound and stage are world class at this place. Then finally had some long awaited showers and beds to sleep in. I think we slept on the floor of the venue in Ottumwa, Iowa~! love the fans but that was rough. Cane saved the day and then we pressed on to Chicago. Tonight we played for some awesome new fans in Chicago and picked up a new beer sponsor! Fixer is now sponsored by 312 Beer. More about that later. We're staying with our friend John who is a hot shot lawyer in Chicago. His place is totally sweet and once again we're sleeping in style. His pad is a sweet condo with all the trimmings. Now, we're tough, we've slept on the floor for days and in the van and in terrible environments. This is the exact opposite. This is VIP top notch sexyness! Rev is sleeping next to me saying hi to all, he's a bit spent but has been slamming the skins like a rockstar every night. Stay tuned to our tour dates, things may be changing. We're gaining favor with promoters, radio and fans across the country and will be hopping on some pretty cool tours. ROKK! Love you all.
Evan
August 15, 2007 - Evan R. Saffer
It's sometime around mid-day which is actually early morning for Fixer. I'm sitting in the main living room of the mansion we're staying in, in Cleveland Heights, OH. Our good friend Abbey let us house sit for a few days while we play Ohio. Thank god this place is under construction because we've been raising hell here every night. We each have our own bedroom though and this has become a home to us on the road. It's a dilapidated old mansion, sort of like the Addams Family! Last night was one of the best shows on the tour. Unfortunately Bobaflex and Egypt Central dropped off the show. Hydrovibe and Fixer had to rock house after several locals. We had killer shows. Fixer fans went nuts for us with a full on moshing, jumping, water slinging good time. I was dumping pitchers of water over myself and the crowd and stage diving by the end. Definitely a highlight show, then of course we grabbed several fans and came back here to turn up the volume.
We did an internet tv interview with host Wicked Mick again. You can see his previous interview of the band on our myspace now, the new footage is sick. He interviewed me before the show at the Hayloft in Michigan, then they shot the whole live show, then more interviews with the band backstage. The after show interviews are really funny with the whole scene getting a little R rated. Should be good footage.
Really good times and we're meeting great people. Now we have a day off, we're writing new songs and already have at least half a new album complete. We finally booked a NYC show on oct 13th, that should be huge and worth traveling to if you're out of state. We miss home but have been killing on the road and it's the best place for us now. Our love to all of you, keep coming to the shows, putting us up at your house, and buying our sh!t - love from the boys.
August 10, 2007 - Evan R. Saffer
I'd been up since 4:30 am that morning. We drove all day from nyc to sidney, ohio for the 1st date on the operation rock tour. The bands on the tour are all very nice, really good people, and total professionals. Keeps our game up to play with great bands. We put on a solid show in front of a receptive crowd. We were a bit loose Fixer style after a long drive, no sleep and several beers. The night was long though. After Fixer were 3 more bands all with pummeling sets. I tried to sleep in the van a bit but it was a thousand degrees. I basically came back in to bullshit with fans and Phillipe and Elliot of Hydrovibe. Finally the end of the night rolls around for an insane punchline.
Myself, Matt (guitar) from Hydrovibe and John (singer) from Egypt Central were sitting on top of the stairs waiting to get paid. All the bands were loading out and the fans were mostly gone except for a few stragglers. The promoter and owner were trying to hand us some shit about sending us a check in a week. We're like "hey, we need that money to get to the next venue! A check? Where are you gonna send it? How do we cash it? This is rock n roll, all cash douchebags!" We had a formal agreement with the club as did the other bands and they were trying to screw us. To make a very long and painful story short (I've been awake for about 24 hours now), the owner of the entire club gets very aggressive right up in our faces. He's telling us to get out of his building and stop stepping up to him. We're like "Hey, we're not in your face, just pay us!" Eventually he gives us a 3 count to leave the building or he's going to kick our asses out. He's screaming like a lunatic and counts to three. Then gives Matt from Hydrovibe a good shove. As soon as the owner puts his hands on Matt all hell breaks loose. A guy from Egypt Central (I can't remember which one) puts the owner in a headlock and brings him to the ground. Matt jumps on top of him and kicks him in the stomach. All the bands and all the people from the venue security jump in and there's a brawl in the main lobby of this national act venue. Fucking ridiculous scene. THe owner was pushing around his own people, including a sweet girl from the concession stand who he shoved and practically made her cry. Total asshole. The police were on the way. I said, "fuck this, it's not worth dealing with the cops". I grab my band who are out back and totally unaware of what just went down and we get the hell out of there. So that's the first night of the tour in a nutshell. We stayed with a very cool fan, Kevin who is a badass biker and farmer and very hospitable host. Many thanks Kevin since we probably couldn't affort a hotel. We all got screwed out of our money and got into a fight. Fixer rolls on.
August 2, 2007 - by Evan R. Saffer
We're all very anxious to get out on the road and put our metal to the test. The tour dates have been filling in nicely and I'm sure you can see that we've been spreading our good word across the internet and airwaves. I was on XM Satellite Radio yesterday evening on Channel 47 Ethel. That is Cane's station and we were bullshitting about the upcoming tour and the other bands we'll be playing with. If anyone is interested in picking Cane's brain and requesting Fixer on XM, you can contact him here http://www.myspace.com/xmethel47
We're not sure when we'll be back to NYC so those of you who are fiending for a Fixer fix you'll have to travel to see us. We will of course make a grande return sometime in the fall. Until then we encourage you to reach out to friends and family along our tour route and tell 'em Fixer's comin' to town and we want them on the naughty list. We've been writing some amazing new tunes and even recording as much as we can before heading off, so the next record is in the works! Lots of inspiration right now, especially since Tommy Zamp came on board wielding the axe like no other. Check back here frequently for updates from the road and we'll see you in the clubs. ROKK!
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