Rusty's Road Stories

Ahhh — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada! It’s so great to be home. I suppose it’s funny how my ice-cold Corydon Avenue apartment and car that won’t start both feel like a warm embrace. The drafty windows might as well be a heated blanket. We arrived home last week after three solid months of touring. It sort of feels like when you run on a treadmill and then stop suddenly, you get that dizzying sensation where your brain is still moving forward but your body is stopped. We’ve been in a new city almost everyday for 90 days, and we’ve now hit the brick wall of home. It’s a very beautiful and super-sweet brick wall, though, and I’m glad we hit it.

After our last show in California with the Pixies, we drove north to Portland, Ore. for what’s known as a routing gig — basically a show to break up the drive. They’re usually not particularly successful or satisfying shows, especially when it’s your first time in a city that’s had no reason to ever hear of your band before. There is a small record label that is putting out our album in the U.S. this year — and the label folks made up 90% of the audience.(I believe there were four reps from the label there.) But hey, I’m no diva — these shows are very much part of being in a band. And if you play enough of them, people might even start coming to see you! And as we crossed the border back into Canada, come to see us they did! We were genuinely very overwhelmed with the response on all of our Canadian dates. Thanks to all who came out and made us feel like hard work is paying off!

After being at shows every night for three months, I didn’t assume I’d be anxious to go see any local shows for at least a few weeks. But I have a favourite time of year by a long shot, and it’s Christmastime. I’m not a religious person at all — I just love the songs and the friends and family and the eggnog and Christmas trees and the snow and the lights and TV specials and terrible Justin Bieber  Mistletoe records and everything else that goes along with it. I look forward to it all year and I decorate the poo out of my apartment. If you’re driving down Corydon and spy a window spattered with paper snowflakes, that’s mine.

ANYWAY, I went to the JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Christmas show at the Park Theatre. It was surely in my Top 5 shows of the year. The effort JP puts into that event is obvious. There were 16 people on a wildly decorated stage, including members of Chic Gamine, string and horn sections and a full band. The song choices were beautiful, and his voice was a strong as ever. As part of the encore he got the whole crowd to sing O Holy Night a capella. That boy has the Christmas spirit I tells ya, and his holiday show is one I will make a tradition out of seeing.

Now, we’re home until mid-March, when we will be heading down to SXSW, and then on to Germany for our first headlining tour there. We will be spending January and February recording the next Imaginary Cities record, which we’re very excited about!

This has been a banner year in my life. I put out a record which was made purely for fun, and it sent me around the world. I got engaged, I scored a spot writing for Uptown (I think it’s pretty cool), and yesterday I got my first real Christmas tree. If next year is even half as good as this year, it’s sure to be amazing.

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope to share a rum and eggnog with you.