The Seattle-based folk rock outfit makes their second trip to SoCal this Saturday. Motopony’s self-titled debut record, which was released this past month, charted at #1 on KCRW and the top 200 on the CMJ Chart. In support of the album and new music video for “King of Diamonds,” the band kicks of their summer tour this weekend, leading them through LA, SF and SD.
Catch Motopony performing this Sunday at Hotel Utah in San Francisco
Friday, June 24th | Today we woke at Forrest’s Parents house up in Sacramento. There’s nothing like rolling into suburbia at 4 in the morning and setting the air brake on your giant box truck. We spilled out of that thing grumpy and biker-cursing and I’m sure the neighbors sleeping with their windows open had dreams of Spinal Tap as we manhandled the futon mattress out of the back. Like a wad of boy we made some sort of puppy cuddly pile on the game room floor and tried not to smell anything for the next blessed eight hours of stillness.
The road is a splendid adventure…but there’s nothing like a dinner pre-made and waiting for you after eating truck stop peanuts all day. Thank the great spirit for mothers who raise good drummers. On the way down I somehow managed to comprehend and answer some questions from the LA Times. You can read it here.
I have to tell you. This truck we are driving makes me think of the hard past on a regular basis. It’s hot and cramped and the highways of California have seen better days. Every bump and crumble on the road has been recorded in my vertebra cellular memory and when I straddle out to stare listlessly into the urinal at the various truck stops we encounter…I understand why truckers all seem to have a peculiar gait and aching slouch.
Motopony | King of Diamonds
But honestly, can you imagine crossing this country in a covered wagon? We are weak compared to those that stole this land for us. Glenda, the woman working at the Pilot just outside the California border, took a genuine affection to my turquoise rings. She told me she was a rock hound and was heading out for a weekend with her husband hunting in the hills for black gold. The most comfortable seat in the truck is by far for the driver, however it sits right above the front axle so anything you roll over throws the “air ride” seat into the ceiling.
I literally hit my head today….but then again I had the fucker pegged at the governor’s limit of 78mph. We drive in shifts of gas. A tank will get you roughly 300 miles depending on how much AC you waste. I can’t believe how many trucks there are on the road, if you’re pulling a trailer in the sunshine state your speed limit is 55, so if you’re not pulling a trailer or you have a problem with “limits” then your interstate experience is all about passing trucks…and there are literally thousands of them out there at all hours.
Full of the stuff. The stuff we cant seem to live without. The stuff we can’t seem to find around us…so we pull it from all over the world into boxes we can walk into and see the stuff we brought to ourselves. Like us…the band. The band who got into this box truck and brought itself to your town. Thing is…….it’s worth it. It’s worth every stiff joint and every bleary eye and over-caffeinated singalong to the iPod hijacked FM radio dial. I’m so glad we are traveling along this river of human need. I feel lucky and wanted and beside myself in the land of the free.
—Daniel Blue of Motopony
