III

Friends,

Would it be a blog written by Matthew Jon Prokop if it didn't start off with an apology? Nope. So: Sorry for not keeping everyone up to date on how the tour is progressing! With that having been said, let us move on! Today's blog entry will be a bit shorter. I've tried recounting all of the things that have happened since our last entry, but quite a bit has happened since then; so much that I won't be able to recmember every single event. Again, I will last the highlights of the past week or so. ENGAGE!

New York City: Well, it was my first time in New York. Upon our arrival at Times Square, we were all giddy as little school children. All of those lights, the confetti, the sea of people walking around. It was cool....and then the chaos began to sink in. All of those taxis, annoying bike tour solicitors, dudes trying to sell us their amazing (yet unheard by the majority of...well, anyone, really) rap CDs, etc, etc... It was a bit much for my personal taste. Joel, Phill, and I ended up napping in Central Park for a while Martin and Stefan spent time cuddling with their wives/girlfriends. After that, we headed out to LitLounge. The show was not all too poorly attended. The sound could've been better, and I can't say I enjoyed the bath-house atmosphere one had to put up with in the venue, but in the end, we had a great time! It was such a unique experience getting to play for an American audience with some of our friends from home strewn into the crowd. It was also Stefan's birthday, so I don't think we'll be forgetting that night. :) All in all, a worthwhile night. Nonetheless, NYC was too busy for us, so we made our way to Boston...

Boston: Joel and I had the opportunity to reconnect with a few close friends, which was really good for everyone. The Austrian half of Lehnen went downtown and played "tourist" while Joel, Phill, and I had the day off to relax and take care of a few errands. Before heading out to the show that night, our friend, Katrin, hopped into the van with us to make another stop at NICK'S FAMOUS ROAST BEEF. If you ever hit up the North Shore in MA, you need to eat at Nick's. Don't ask why. Just go. Your life will be chaneged. Forever. After that and a quick stop at the beach, we went and played one of our favorite shows of the tour. Boston/the North Shore of MA will forever be one of my (Matthew's) favorite places in the world. Awesome.

Toronto: We had originally planned to go through Canada in order to see Caspian play. Upon our arrival, we ended up getting a phone call from our friend, Laura (a.k.a. "mom"). She had found us a bar with a stage that was open to letting us play a very short-notice, spontaneous show. In the end, there were about 6 people there. Sounds lame, but we still had a blast. Those 6 people loved the hell out of our show and half of them ended up cruising over to Soybomb with us in order to see Caspian finish their set. Naturally, I ended up playing the end of "Sycamore" with them for (appr.) the 6th time, and after their show was over, the best aftershow party of anyone's tour began. I don't want to go into a lot of detail, but you know it's good when everyone goes to bed at 6am and ends up sleeping together in a mini-ramp. Yup. Awesome.

Mt. Pleasant, MI: Just kidding! We had to cancel this show. Thanks, American Border Patrol for scaring the shit out of us for 3 hours and nearly banning Martin and Stefan from the US for 5 years! You are too kind! In the end, however, we got to spend the night at Sam and Jamie Bott's parents' house (Sam and Jamie were teachers of Joel, Phill, and mine in High School). I cannot express how kind and generous these people are. We were treated like kings in their home, and after a truly frightening experience with our Homeland Security officers at the border, that was precisely what we needed to lift our spirits. To Sam, Jamie, and the Bolinder family: MANY thanks and even more blessings to you and your family. It was an honor staying with you.

Chicago (#2): The show at Elbo Room in Chicago was definitely not as well attended as we'd all hoped it would be. Nonetheless, a good handful of people from our show at Angels & Kings ended up coming to see us play again. They brought friends, too, and there were some in attendance who were definitely worth playing for. Also, we got to link up with Mom again. After the show, she and her boyfriend introduced us (formerly and ignorantly blissful...) kids to "Jersey Shore". I once read that Junius (friends of ours from Boston) were "one more good reason NOT to bomb America". Jersey Shore is the opposite. Addicting? Yes. Still, this show is everything that is wrong with humanity.

Madison, WI: Mom spent numerous hours the next day making phone calls and trying to see if she couldn't find us a decent place to play at en route to Minneapolis. As usual, she was successful, and we hit the road! We pulled up in front a restaurant/bar called Alchemy. None of us were entirely sure what to make of the place. We were pretty sure everyone there would flee the premises half-way through "What Is In The Air". We couldn't have been more wrong. Though there were only about 25-30 people there, the response was huge, and we spent a good amount of time getting to meet, sign CDs for, and trading information with the kind people of Madison. It was easily one of our favorite shows of the tour. After we loaded out, we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Mom. It doesn't happen very often that someone you've known for a total of 5 days ends up becoming a truly dear friend of yours. Laura (Mom) is one of these exceptions. We have not seen the last of each other. Not by a long shot.

So, today, we make our way to Minneapolis. We'll be sitting in an airplane in exactly one week. Homebound at last. The things you learn on tour...Well, I'll tell you when this one's over. Until then, keep us in your hearts and prayers.

love,
Matthew//LEHNEN