Hello folks. Things are well in Blackoutville. Thanks to all the kindered spirits whom have come to witness the destruction of our instruments and have brought gifts of the edible nature.

Fact: We've learned a lot about saliva on this tour.

Fact: Expired plates = $75 ticket

Fact: Speeding = $75 ticket

Fact: $150 combined ticket total after being on tour for 3 hours is not good.

Fact: The Davinci Code is a fantastic book.

Fact: The onion rings at Sams Burger Joint in San Antonio could be worn as necklaces.

Fact: People with air hockey tables also have books about Salvador Dali.

Fact: The Alamo closes at 5:30

Fact: Relatives dying does not justify the throwing of object (liquid or solid)

Fact: A mesa is not a drive, is not a scenic, is not an avenue, is not a heights, is not a carmel country, is not a carmel valley.

Fact: Hollywood is not all it's cracked up to be, and the hollywood sign is hard to see when it is not lit up...take a hint from us, Glow-In-the-Dark is efficient.

Fact: Golf carts are a constant source of entertainment.
Question: Is a golf cart still a golf cart when it's on a ranch?

Enough with the facts. And now on to your lives.

Here's some real brain candy for you...

We will be having a cd release extravaganza at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago on December 6th with Amazing Transparent Man. It will be a good time.
We are also working on a few other scattered shows for late December.

That's it for now,
Your friends in acousticness (Brad, Jonny, and Lizzie)

Hello gang. It has been a sick year for me, your little Jughead. I have had bronchitis and a horrendous stomach flu. Well, that's enough about me.

Even In Blackouts is less than a month away from embarking on their fourth USA tour. This time they are taking on the Southwestern and the North western territories in a matter of less than three weeks. This I have to see for myself, so... I'm going. All the dates but 2 are now posted on the show page of our site: www.eveninblackouts.com

We have a cdep coming out soon, to accompany our tour. The official release date is November 11th. This may change due to unforeseen circumstances. Circumstances that we can see don't seem to be affecting anything... except for what those circumstances have already affected... of which we are currently aware. Then you may ask, "What about past circumstances affecting the present and the future that we are aware of but can't do anything about?" Well, my answer is, "Yes." And then you say, "Excuse me? That doesn't answer my question at all." And then I punch you in the nose and run away with your wallet.

This cdep is called, Foreshadows On The Wall, and it is being released by Knock Knock Records: www.knockknockrecords.com It has six songs. Three originals and three covers. We had a few friends join in: Dan Vapid (Methadones, Screeching Weasel, Riverdales), Sam Perry (A guy that lives in the Sourthern California Hills), Rachel Claff and Noelle Krimm (of The Neo-Futurists).
The booklet and tray card glow in the dark. And the first fifty people to order it from Interpunk get an autographed magic light bulb. The next fifty people get a limited edition poster of the band with glow in the dark screened autographs. Watch www.interpunk.com for details. I don't know when they are starting presales, but I expect these to go pretty fast. The glow in the dark cdep is limited to 2,000. Further editions will not glow, unless you start them on fire.

That is it for now.
See you in the funny pages.
John Jughead Pierson

Hey Folks... Dizzy... Headache... Breathing still... I think.

Yes, something is afoot with John. On the last days of the tour I was lucky enough to contract Bronchitis! The nice Asian (Homosexual?) Doctor at the local clinic says I probably got it from a dirty payphone or a passing stranger in mid cough. However transported to my lungs, I wish it would go away. But there is something attractive about sickness, something in us that prides itself on surviving, something that enjoys being helpless, something that enjoys seeing the world through a fish tank taped to the forehead. Personally I enjoy the cold sweat, the sitting up in bed so that I can breathe and the stumbling down to the post office unshaven and half dressed. I enjoy the bumbing of my shoulders on door frames.
I have been given medicine by my kind Asian (Homosexual?) Doctor from the local clinic: BIAXIN XL 500MG TABLETS and PSEUDOVENT PED ERCAPSULES. One of these pills steals all saliva from my mouth and replaces it with what I am beginning to think is some sort of flavorful metalic feces (shit). One of them, I have suspicions, is nurishing a small man that is standing in the corner of my cranium spinning my brain on its spinal axis with its tiny hands. This treatment is suppose to make me better within a six day period. I just hope I'm still me when it's finished, and not only a being who recalls memories coldly, from above, and feels as if he has been separated from their physical reality.
So we are on Hiatus! We are looking for possible release options for our close to finished new album called Zeitgeist's Echo. In the mean time we may be releasing a cdep (we are in negotiations) with about six songs. It will be released sometime in the near future by Knock Knock Records, a record label run by a strange little sardonic man who let's you know when you pronounce his name slightly wrong and whom I have grown to rather like. More on this later.
Also we have written and recorded a theme song for a local Comedy troupe known as Schadenfreude. They have a show on WBEZ. You can find info about downloading the episodes at: www.schadenfreude.net
That is all for now, except that Liz lost her voice for awhile and Dan-e broke his foot.

Thanks for listening to a sick man ramble.
Good night sweet princes and princesses
John Bronchitishead Pierson

So, there is this thing called "rain". And it falls from the sky. If you walk outside during this thing called "rain." You get wet. Sometimes (almost most of the time) people carry around these circular objects that you hold above your head. They're waterproof, and they can fold up into a small clothy thing that you can tuck into a purse, or they can fold down into an object resembling a cane. Any way, these things called "umbrellas" stop the "rain" from soaking your clothes.

We don't have one of these.

It rains all the time on this tour.

We often get soaked.

We live out of a van

I dream of wet rats


Gift Editions:
Strawberry Charleston Chews for Brad
A personalized quilt with our logo on it
We are thinking of registering at Bed Bath & Beyond

John Jughead

Goodbye Northeast, hello Southeast.
Went swimming in the Ocean and had to perform that night with 2 and a half cups of sand in my underwear. I didn't discover the sand until 3 or 4 in the morning while stopping at a rest area. It may have been the reason for my blue mood at the show that night. We spent a day at Interpunk, and played a few songs (acoustic) They bought us wonderful pastries and let us invade their warehouse. I especially liked playing with the static ball in the main office. They have so many toys. They tell us they got all the toys they wanted but couldn't afford when they were little.

Here is a note to anyone who plans on promoting shows:
You must have control of the situation with confidence, and you must be the conduit to which all complaints and suggestions are sifted. You must make decisions and stick with them. You must not tell one band one thing, change your mind and tell another band another thing, and then send the one band over to the other band to "work it out" That is your responsibility. A bad promoter can cause illogical strife between bands. It amazes me how quickly a badly planned evening can spiral into misguided blame and frustration. I am being purposely vague. I am not writing this to blame any venue or any band, or promoter, it is an unwanted situation that has happened more than once, and I would like it to stop. It has made me question my own motives. I would cut my set if need be, I would play whenever, if the change is justified or if my band arrived much much later than the time we were told, I would listen to the final judgement of a promoter. I may decide it is unfair and leave without pay, but I would not disobey what a confident promoter decides. And sadly some of this rationality disappears and I do not have full access to my patients when face to face with disorganization.

Anyway, we are now in Spartansburg watching Ed, Ed and Eddie, one of the many "strange" cartoons animating the airwaves.
Mass' bass stopped working, Dan-e has countless cuts on his hands from acoustic strings. My fingers throb all night. Brad has knocked a hole in his bass and his sleeping bag jumped from the van when I opened the door this eveing and it plunged itself into a muddy puddle. I think Liz is fine, but she had a bad day awhile ago. I think she wanted all of us to bury ourselves in the ground and eat dirt. I think she likes us again. That is how tours go, one moment you hate that person sitting next to you day after day and the next moment you want to hug them and protect them from any harm.

John Jughead

Boston... Boston... Where the witches are burning, the Kerouac's are roaming, The trancendalists are romping, The Tea is spilling.

We had yet another barely attened show in Boston. That is two tours here so far. We are trying to gain audience members one per tour in MA. I think we are near our goal this time around. Very exciting.

My sister has moved to Boston. One day I picked up my phone, and my sister said "Hi, I'm moving to Boston." I said, "Oh, When?" And she responded, "My Bus leaves in a half hour." That is the way she works. It was good to see her amongst the quarter of a handful of people at the show.

We are off to a bakery to get some food that was kindly offered to us by my sister's roommate. Then we will visit the site of the Boston Tea Party to give Brad a brief history lesson. That is what touring is all about, brief history lessons. Well... that and lack of sleep, carrying heavy objects and avoiding drunks.

We were presented with M&Ms both peanut and plain while we were in Pittsburgh. We are all very greatful to this kind fellow. I hear they were good. I was holding out for the fruit so I did not partake in the eating of the candy. I have to watch my girlish figure.
By the way we would like to add Ketchup flavored potato chips to the gift list. Dan-e can't get those in Chicago.

Wow, this glob, or shplog, or whatever this format is called has turned me into a jello-for-brains. I just have nothing meaningful to say. Perhaps this is a sign of my true colors. Maybe I'm just antother pretty face in a crowd of indifference. (sigh) (grin)

Well folks I will just have to leave you in your very own capable hands. Learn something, build something, question all, and only answer slightly.

John Jughead

Well... We are fighting the good fight. We are looking at our half empty cup and saying, “Hey, I think it’s actually half full.” And then we all chant, “ooooohhh.” The shows so far have had small attendances, but we always look at this as a challenge. And that’s not just a statement from a cheerleader or a corporate executive. It is an important element of our goal as a band. I had said before we left on the first tour that I didn’t care if we only had a hand full of people, I had known from the past that these can turn out to be some of the best shows, so I wasn’t going to let it disturb us. I can honestly say that every show has been treated as challenge to top ourselves and to never cease improving. This may sound slightly boasting, but I am damn proud of this aspect of Even In Blackouts.
We are in Alabany New York taking a day off that we did not want. We are taking a day off that frankly pisses me off. A band should be able to find a show on a Saturday. Dont you think? Well... for reasons I don’t want to go into, because it may cause my head to pop off and roll down my sleave, Squirtgun, Beatnick Termites and Even In Blackouts are not performing ANYWHERE tonight. So... what did Mass and I say to eachother. “Fuck it man, this sucks let’s call it quits and go home and sleep!” No, that is not what we said. We said, “Let’s go Swimming!”
So Mass and I put our personal money into a pot along with two hotel coupons we found at a Denny’s and got ourselves two kind-of-ok rooms at the Quality Inn. We are eating our free breakfasts and are determined to go swimming by noon. As a matter of fact as I type this the rest of the Blackouts are out there now sitting by the water sipping diet cokes and splashing water in each other’s faces. How I envy them. We are talking about going to a movie this evening, probably the Terminator or that Johnny Depp Pirate Movie.
This isn’t really that exciting to be reporting, but it is one of the only times we have had access to the internet, and I WANT TO GO SWIMMING!
Tomorrow we are off to New Jersey where we get to see our friend, Jim Testa.
So that is it for now, except I have been told by the band to ask any of you folks going to our shows to bring gifts. And these gifts more precisely are: M&Ms and Fresh Fruit
That is all

John Jughead

Hey! A Blog!
When I hear that word I think of a movie about a Blob lost in a thick Portland Fog. Perhaps something directed by John Carpenter with commy undertones.
I think there may be some scenes where we really get to meet the Blob, and for a moment we understand his plight. We see a small globby thick mucus-like tear form in his eye. And then Kurt Russel dressed like a futuristic Elvis with blue hair and silver binoculors that cuts through fog like a spoon through chemically enhanced cereal, kills the lonely, lost Blob with a wire hanger. And then he eats the Blob, and all of a sudden he becomes the strongest, smartest, most invisible man with a father who turns into a dog, flies around in an old ford and gets shot by a woman who buys a double indemity insurance policy. Then Kurt mutates. He turns from human into a digitally enhanced robotron into a technicolor claymation figurine into a black and white plastic model held up by strings and then he is finally sucked back into his mother's vagina.

The End
ps. We leave on tour Sunday July 6th

Hello!
This will be our home away from home. Check back for stories and updates from the road.