11.03 : NACA - Portland, OR and Opening for GUSTER
The weather was perfect on the night we flew to Oregon. It was raining in L.A., and it was raining in Portland. Rain is always a special occasion in precipitation-deprived So Cal. It¹s practically a holiday, warranting extra-dramatic newscasts on TV, a totally acceptable excuse for being late or flaking altogether, rain-themed songs played on the radio and when else do kids get to play heads-up seven-up? This time the rain marked a special occasion for us. It was the first time we were traveling outside of California together, and we were about to take an important new step as a band.

Why Portland, you ask? It was unbelievably beautiful. Autumn foliage abounded, stunning us left and right. But that¹s not why we went to Portland. We were there to attend the West Regional Conference of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA), held at the Portland Convention Center. Our purpose at the three-day conference was to make contacts with colleges and book tours. Like any trade show, we set up a booth (see photo) and basically tried to sell ourselves to representatives from colleges who were there to book talent for their school. Many different performers were there for the same reason as us; it was a very friendly and supportive environment.

A few artists are chosen for the mainstage showcase, a coveted opportunity to show the college bookers your best. We didn¹t get on the mainstage showcase, but we were selected for the ³roving artist² showcase. On the second day of the conference, we were allowed to play acoustically in the convention center throughout the day. We had two acoustic guitars, Mona played her cajon and Becky borrowed an acoustic bass just for this day. No mics, no amps. It turned out to work great for us. We would play for 15 minutes before and after every seminar and event that day, which added up to about three hours of playing. It was absolutely exhausting, but as the day progressed, the buzz spread. Everyone loved and was utterly intrigued by Mona¹s cajon, or ³that wooden drum-box.² Mona¹s box, and many pairs of prominently displayed pink panties lured people over to our booth.

On the morning of the third and last day, bookings began. A block of dates formed in January at schools in Utah and Colorado, another block of dates in April for schools in Washington and Idaho. Outside of these clusters of shows, about 15 other schools proposed other dates between January and May. Holy sh*t we¹re going on tour! We¹re going to get paid to travel and play our music for college kids. Sounds pretty good to us.

Amidst the flurry of realizing that this was actually happening, that all of the hard work we put in to planning for NACA had paid off, an unexpected opportunity came our way. Whitman College, in Walla Walla, Washington, home of the happiest college students in the country (why don¹t they tell you that statistic when you¹re in high school?), asked us to open for Guster, who was playing at their school that Monday night. They had just found out that the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players dropped out and they needed an opening band. It was Saturday, our flight back to L.A. was Sunday night. Without any discussion, we decided we had to do it. We re-booked our flights, made the necessary phone calls to our workplaces and on Sunday afternoon, drove four hours along the gorgeous Columbus River to get to Walla Walla.

Walla Walla is also famous for their wine and onions. We didn¹t try either and instead enjoyed the company of some of the happiest college students in the country. The students and staff at Walla Walla were incredibly hospitable and an absolute joy to get to know. The show was a blast. It was still semi-acoustic, with Mona on cajon, Chaska on acoustic guitar, Mai on acoustic guitar and cello and Becky on an electric bass. After our set, Guster took the stage and proceeded to win our hearts over with their indie-folky-rock. It was a great night.

Then, in true raining jane fashion, we drove back to Portland to catch our flights back to L.A. All four hours in the dead of the night was a hellish experience. We got to the airport barely on time but then suffered through an unbelievably frustrating airport ordeal that isn¹t worth getting into. Let¹s just say our guitars and some extremely unhelpful employees of Alaskan Airlines caused a problem and three of us missed the flight and had to wait a few hours until the next one.

Despite a rough ending to the trip we came back home totally charged up for our shows in San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

Shout Outs: Muchas gracias to Theresa and little David for the pimpin¹ ride to the airport. Gulgun ­ what would we have done without you?! Your magnificent breakfast and unparalleled enthusiasm alone were way more than we could ask for. Avanti ­ so good to see you, even though it was such a short visit. Next time we¹re staying at your place. To George and the Walla Walla crew ­ you¹ve spoiled us and now we¹ll expect every school to be as great as you all are. Come meet us in Utah!