VooDoo 2009

Hello Daydrinkers,


One of the best DayDrinker events of the year has got to be Voodoo fest. Awesome bands, great food, everyone comes. This year was my favorite by far. March Forth Martching Band, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Down, P-Funk, The Flaming Lips, Jane's Addition, Gogol Bordello, The New Orleans Bingo Show!, Morning 40 Federation, Fluer de Tease. Holy shit, they delivered. Saturday was great. The day started out with the yearly bikeride to Cafe Degas wherethe same little old french woman sold us "Shots" of Jamison that were 8 or 9 oz. huge. We walked around and ate and saw some great music. Sunday was just as good. One of our team was searched at the gate. Security found contraband on him yet let him go with the warning "don't get caught". Odd. For me the highlight was The Flaming Lips who made me forget all the bullshit of work which was distracting me that day. I let go and it was beautiful. Our new Austin friend Scott was there to enjoy the beauty which is New Orleans in it's purest. Thanks Scott for being open minded and tough enough to get the DayDrinkers tour of New Orleans without making us take you to the hospital.

Cheers,

J

ProphetFest

Hello DayDrinkers,

We just got back from one of the best events of this year. ProphetFest. What is Prophetfest you ask? Fellow DayDrinkers from Portland "Everyday Prophets" had a festival in Richmond Indiana last weekend. Friends from all over the country were to get together and camp out for a weekend of fun and music. Though Nick (drummer for Everyday Prophets and boyfriend of my sister) designed this website, I had never met him. This was shaping up to be a good time.

I left New Orleans at 5am. I had to drive six hours to Birmingham to pick up Amanda then drive another eight hours to Cincinnati where we were meeting the band for a show. Fifteen hours after leaving NOLA we pulled up to a shady looking club outside of downtown Cincinnati. We ordered a beer and met our friends. What a surreal time. I was dead tired from the drive. The bar was a cave. The beer tasted like heaven. Across the room was my sister, my dad, a great crew from Philly, and the band. There is nothing like a totally new crew. We all got along great, were like minded, and there wasn't one wet blanket among the bunch. How often does that happen?

Reggaetronic. A perfect description for this band. Well not true. There was a soulful vibe to them that I didn't expect, or maybe the beer was going down too easy... no I'm sure of it, it was the band. I felt lucky to get to hear them play in a small venue so I could focus on the music. After the show we packed up for the hour drive to Richmond. Nick thankfully offered to drive. Since we had not ate in some time we decided to make a stop. What would be open at 1AM? White Castle! I have not eaten at a White Castle in fifteen years. Now, the White Castle menu is a tough thing to negotiate. How many bite size burgers does one order. Five? Ten? Fifteen? No. They made our decision easy. "The Crave Case" An actual suitcase filled with 30 (I believe it was 30) cheeseburgers. Can you think of a better meal before sleeping in a tent for three days?

The drive was a blur. I'm pretty sure Nick got lost and I wined for a while but I can't be sure.

The next day we woke up and started to help set up the farm. These guys meant business. I was happy to cook dinner with my dad for this group who were driving tractors, building a stage, and organizing the whole event. At night we hung out in a little cabin playing guitar, drinking and having a very mellow good time. At one point there was a huge compost fire. Other stuff happened as well but being the shitty reporter I am, I got drunk and have since forgotten most of it.

Let me stop for a minute. The fest was held on the property of Nick and Aaron's parents. What great people. They were the best hosts anyone could hope for. Two great people. Who else would have opened there beautiful land to the public... and enjoyed it! They had a blast and I say thank you to them.

Saturday, the day of the fest. The drinking started as I crawled from my tent. Hangover averted. There were vendors setting up. A Professional lighting rig. Food. The quaint farm we were on the day before was now a music destination. As someone who organizes people for a living I was impressed by the professionalism. Security, signs, butt cans. You may laugh but these are the small touched that make life easier. I wish I had pictures of all the funny things written on the butt can, If anyone does, please send them my way. We spent the day eating and drinking. As night fell there was a whole other vibe. The lights and the darkness was very cool. The area seemed to grow somehow. Seeing the band in such a different setting then in Cincinnati was awesome. Same music, completely different energy. People watching was funny and entertaining. I forgot who but someone started "Slap the Bag" This is when you pull the bag out of the box of crappy bag in the box wine and simply slip it then drink. Sounds silly and it is, but throughout the night you could hear the slap of a box of Chardonnay like gunfire. After the band finished life becomes a blur. I remember a fire. There was a kid stoking it like a maniac. I remember walking alot. I remember taking to strangers who were very strange.

The next day. I woke up to the Philly kids pulling away. Thank god there was a swig of Makers left in the bottle. Once again I bested the hangover. I beat it to the chase. It was a great day of nothing. There was some cleanup but not what you would expect from such an event. We drank, eat, slept and showered. The night ended with a movie for those who were still around.

Time to leave. In retrospect the perfect few days. An adventure. We met some great people, hopefully some new DayDrinkers. I can't wait to get to Portland to hang out again. Thanks Nick, Aaron, Rick, Kevin, and Borfus.

Check out the band at Everydayprophets.com


Cheers,

J

Drunk Stuff

Hello Daydrinkers,

It has been way too long and for that I apologize. Life has been getting in the way of this great hobby of ours. Instead of celebrating with friends over drink and fun, I have been working too much and then going home to booze in seclusion. This doesn't mean there haven't been a few great DayDrinker days. I'll try and remember a few.

St. Patrick's Day. Mardi Gras was still lingering in our head and liver. No matter, it was time to drink. Though we didn't have plans. Who needs plans We were hanging out in the Erin Rose when two seats came available on the Erin Rose horse drawn carriage. There is a parade every year from Molly's to the Rose and Back. Awesome. It was a nice change of pace to be the ones tossing the beads at others. A Bottle of Sailer Jerry Rum, all the beads we could toss and a free seat in the parade.

New York. I love visiting New York DayDrinkers... in the summer. We got a hotel room in Times Square. Right in the middle of the shit. Some of the most powerful DayDrinkers live in New York. We met up with Stone who is a closet DayDrinker. That's right. He lives his life much like Clark Kent. Mild mannered upstanding citizen, until it's time to rip the shirt off and go to work. He didn't disappoint. We covered a wide swatch of the city. Great restaurants, Bars, Deli's, Pizza joint's, Bars, and sketchy food stands. As always Milhouse was ready to roll up his sleeves and do some heavy lifting. Fresh from finally finishing his schooling he came out running. Ana was there as well in a suprise to us all, especially Milhouse who didn't know she was coming. My sister and brother are unbelievably talented DayDrinkers."Lamanda" is becoming one of my favorate NY DDS members. "Jamanda" took the city like a seasoned pro and we cabed and taxied all over. We got to see the Reegal Beegal play, gassed the smallest drinks I ever saw right before a Broadway play, Saw John and Adrian run a beer pong table for six hours, saw Adrian then puke in the basement (dick), Had a drink with our old friend Bill Hader and did a whole lot of other stuff. I'm trying to remember a good story......

Ahhh, McSorley's. One of the oldest bars in New York, and it looks it. Sagging ceiling, no music, musty smell, musty bartender. I didn't realize we were going to such an esteemed place when I walked in. Like an amateur I belly up the the bar and order a Stella and a Guinness. "Great, one dark and one light" says the bartender and slides me four 8 ounce beer mugs. Where am I? McSorley's only has two beers. A Dark chewy bock and a hoppy pilsner. How fucking awesome is that? Also if you order one beer, you get two 8 ounce beers. Why? Who cares? A bar broken down the the most simple elements. Quite refreshing for a city that frankly has been pussyfied over the last 20 years. It's hard to find a sense of danger in New York, but it's a great place to go 8 times and never see the same bar twice. But I guess when you drink as much as we do we wouldn't remember anyway.

Just as we thought it was time to go home we ended up in a perfect New York moment. What a horrible stereotype come true. We got in the cab. The driver a young middle-eastern man. He raced through traffic like a crazy person. It reminded my of the Seinfeld sketch where he says being in a New York cab is like watching a movie. You don't feel the danger. You feel safe even though you are inches from death. Amanda didn't feel the way I did. At one point our driver almost hit a construction worker. Seriously, it felt like central casting. All the silly city types were out. The worker pulled his hammer out and smashed the rear view mirror off the cab. The two of them screamed at each other for a few minutes and we sped off. For the next 20 minutes he cut off as many people as he could and ran as many lights as were red. Everyone should have to ride in this guys cab. I finally felt the New York danger I was missing earlier in the trip. I slept all the way home.

Back in the 100 degree heat of New Orleans. There is only one thing to do. Tubing. Toooobing. We brought along some new DayDrinkers tubing. To our dismay, Mississippi has outlawed booze on the river. What the fuck else would you do while tubing? What were we supposed to do with our huge supply? We got on the river and drank. Ahhhh. At some point people passing us tell us that the cops will be waiting at the end of the river and will fine us $200 per can, empty or not. Shit. That's like $9600. We stop for a DayDrinker meeting. As we discuss the possibilities, Boyband is franticly digging a landfill for the empties. I do not condone littering. I also do not condone Mississippi.

What else? Pool season is in full swing. i suggest you go to the nearest hotel pool with a bar and float drunkenly for a Saturday or two. Who want's to write one of these blogs? I'd love to hear from you? Ana is in Panama, Other DayDrinkers are all over doing cool stuff. Email me!

Some sad news. Our brother and DayDrinking friend Justin passes away last month. He was a passionate, funny, exuberant person. I didn't know him as well as others but I understood how special he was. I miss him. Me and a few other DayDrinkers were blessed to be able to spend the day with him about a week before he died. I'm thankful for that. A jazz funeral was held in the quarter. I don't have the words to describe it. I will post a blog in the New Orleans section of this site soon with pictures and Justin things. Feel free to add to it.

I can't wait to see you all. Send me pics and stories.

J

Mardi Gras 2009

Hello, Amanda here. Mardi Gras is finally over and what an eventful Mardi Gras it has been. I have lost my voice, wrecked my bike, witnessed a shooting, and was almost robbed all in the last week. Mardi Gras in New Orleans brings out people from all walks of life. The amateurs, the gangsters, the preppy kids, the old people. But most importantly, Mardi Gras brings out the Day Drinkers. With Jason out of town, Steve, Bevin, Renee, Evan and I were left to hold down the fort.

The weekend before Mardi Gras brought the end to the Morning 40 Federation (tsk tsk). I went to the show and stayed out way too late and got an hour of sleep before work. I also got to see Kid Rock play with the Rebirth Brass Band which was really cool, there again getting an hour of sleep before work. Biking home from work Friday I witnessed a shooting on Saint Charles and couldn’t get home due to road blocks. Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk livened up my Sunday night. Sunday night ended with me covered in bruises and boycotting yellow cab for the rest of my life.

When I finally woke up on Lundi Gras, I met Steve, Bevin, Renee and Evan at the Rose. It was this night that Steve came up with his newest idea for a bar. It’s called the Birth Bar. In this bar there will be a conveyor belt full of lactating women going around the top of the bar. This contraption will be called the Centrifugal Fluge. Pay the lovely, post-partum women a dollar and they will let you have a sample of their breast milk. They’ll be a couple of them on rotisseries on ground level as well to accommodate the handicapped and vertically challenged. Lundi Gras also brought about the return of Molly Mumms and the Tit Fart Chorus. This group is comprised of ladies that stick a straw in their cleavage and blow to produce a tit fart. Got a couple of new members.
That night ended with the most hilarious cab ride ever. Steve asked what the date was and the cabbie told him February 24th. Steve informed him that his milk expired today and that we must get rushed home in order to drink all the milk before it expires. Steve bid the driver farewell with “May the ghost of Christmas future be on your hair and lips.” There were so many Lonanoisms, I had a hard time remembering all of them.


On Mardi Gras day we start with fried shrimp po-boys and free drinks (thank you Bevin) at the Acme Oyster House. Proceeding through the quarter I saw two almost naked people on top of each other puking (video soon to be posted). We went to the lesbian bar where Steve acted gay and didn’t get served. The scene in the Quarter was awesome unlike uptown where all the people were shot. Beautiful day, perfect weather. Steve came up with a new pick up line. Sex with him “will be like giving birth in reverse.” Lots of drinks and balloons later we say goodbye.

I’m going to rest now….

A

Hello Daydrinkers,



Alot has happened since my lat post. Thats the way it goes when you spend your day either drinking or working and drinking. Im working in Atlanta, This is taking forever because I'm smashed and I can't type. Fine. Im listening to the Morning 40's. They broke up. Sad. I miss the band that sung about nothing except booze and blow. I may have to start one. Shitty.

DayDrinker update. We went to Hawaii. Instead of enjoying the sun, the beaches, and the culture we tend to brag about the Hideaway, a raunchy Daydrinker bar in Waikiki. We immediately felt at home and went there most nights. How sad. We were in paradise and all we could do was belly up to the bar. NOT SAD AT ALL! by the way, those guys can party.

Any way. I'm stuck in Georgia where there are no good daydrinkers. These people are worse then bostonians. Fuck. We are waving the flag though, In NOLA it's Mardi Gras. Here it's Sunday and you can't buy booze on Sunday. I miss the motherland.

It's almost pool season. Daydrinkers please write back with your stories. I'm in a cultural wasteland.

J