Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Saturday April 09, 2016 - Detroit, MI

Road Blog
Detroit, MI
April 9, 2016

Although it wasn't a road show, last night wrapped up a run of 3 shows in 3 cities by 3 bands, each with 3 members. We had The Vibrolas and The Plurals and a few friends over to the house for beers and food before the show and it was nice to hang in a non-venue setting for a couple hours. Around the time the beer ran out it was time to head to the bar for load in so it worked out well.

Northern Lights Detroit is a nicer place in the New Center area of Detroit. They serve food so there's a pretty good crowd early and it gradually changes over to the rock and roll drinking crowd. We've played there once before and the owner and staff were really nice to us and it's a really comfortable, band-friendly place, so we thought it would be a good place to wrap up this run. After load in Hattie Plural and I went on a fun little adventure to find some smokes, and I forgot to put my wife on the guest list, which is something I am usually better about, but lack of sleep and the festivities had me a little zombied out, I guess.

The Plurals hit at 10 and played another great set. They are so consistently good. Hattie's vocals cut though nicely last night, better than they had the previous two, so it was cool to be able to hear her sing with a little more volume. The sound guy was fighting a little feedback to get her up there, but he was very attentive and did a great job treading that line. As they wrapped up their set, the dinner crowd was fleeing from the volume while the music crowd started to fill in.

The Vibrolas played a great set next. Their levels were perfect for the room, still cranked but maybe 1 notch below normal Kentucky volume. (What is it with Kentucky bands and volume?) ?? Leila was in full Gene Simmons mode, even though she doesn't like it when I compare her to that douchebag. Just to clarify for any who may be confused, I'm not talking about the reality TV show Gene or the capitalist merchandising Gene or the womanizing chauvinist Gene. I am talking about the stage-owning, stalking, slithering, ass-kicking God Of Thunder Gene. Credit to Gabe for pointing it out in Lansing.

We got up there a few minutes shy of midnight, actually a little ahead of schedule, and played what we felt was easily our best set of the run. We had a good, enthusiastic crowd of friends and strangers in front of us, a great mix on stage, and just enough, but not too much, Bulleit Bourbon and PBR in us to keep our groove. It was a super fun set, and we felt we were due after not really being at our best the previous couple nights (not that we obsesses over such things).

We said our goodbyes to The Plurals, sad that we're not going to see them tonight too, but glad that we had the chance to hang out, and happy with the knowledge that there WILL be more great times together ahead of us. The Vibrolas followed us back to the suburbs in their cruiser where we ate leftover fried chicken and drank Two James Spirits Catcher's Rye until 4am.

BIG thanks to everyone we saw at these shows, the 3 venues who had us, Miski Dee, Isaac, Raechel & Michael, my mom, Allen, Greg, Kevin K, GTG Records, all our Detroit friends last night (too many to list - but you know who you are), etc etc etc, and especially the bands.

This morning we sent The Vibrolas off with bellies full of Coney Island breakfasts and hopefully sunnier and dryer travels. The weather was a bummer this weekend, but who cares. These are the times that we will always remember. Be well Plurals and Vibrolas. See you before too long. Xo.