Were not in Kansas anymore!

Topeka, Kansas... Known for two things according to locals, The Wizard of Oz and a hate mongering far right wing preacher known for disrupting military funerals. Do not be alarmed though, that particular Topeka resident does not reflect the everyday Topekan and we were lucky enough to miss any tornadoes that would take us to Oz. Like our last time through Topeka, we found friendly faces to greet us at every turn and made new friends. The conversations were fun, the drinks were stiff and our fans in Topeka were excited to have us back.

The last time through town we performed at the Boobie Trap, another local Topeka bar, and had a blast. Considering they were booked on our slotted date, our good friend James from Union Pulse set us up at The Brass Rail. When we were informed that we were playing for tips and would receive a free meal we were scratching our heads trying to figure out how we could make the most out of it. I personally went as far to ask if we were able to show some skin to increase our pay. Luckily the answer was "No. Our clientele is 80 and grey and probably wouldn't appreciate it."

About two hours before showtime, Rob, the owner of the Brass Rail, approached our table asking if we were in the mood for BBQ. About 25 minutes later we were delivered Ribs, Rib Tips, Hamburgers, and probably the best batch of potato salad I have ever swallowed. The food was delicious and Rob was sweet as pie.

Shortly after we set up, our 3 fans in Topeka showed up at the venue. Yeah, I said it.. 3 fans. In fact 1 of these of these fans/friends was aquired on Monday night before we even played. When you are unkown band, this is how it works. You go to new towns and you meet people. If you decide to not be a "super rockstar douchebag", you may have 1 more person at your show and make a new friend... who may or may not become a fan of your music. Worst case scenario, you pass the time learning about Kansas or high school football initiation rituals. Best case scenario, there is one more person watching you pour your little heart onto the pavement outside the backdoor of the Brass Rail where we performed our well received 2 hour set.

The perks of these intimate shows is that there is a true 1 on 1 performance going on. These are challenging, but rewarding. Beth and Leslie, Reverie's 2 biggest fans in Topeka, are more enthusiastic than most fans of anything. Such big fans that we played 2 encores. Beth requested we play "Morning Paper" twice and Rob, the owner of the club, asked us to dig out some old material. We obliged by first doing "Morning Paper" again and performed a REALLY old song "AMF" off of Shakey Coma. I know a lot of bands who wouldn't do that, but we are not a lot of bands. We will drive 500+ to play for tips and make a few new fans. A truer statement has never been made that... "you have to start somewhere", in band language that can translate to... "you have to play anywhere you can". For if we would have decided to blow off the show and sit in a bar and spend money, we would have done nothing as a band. I would rather play for a dozen kind people who are actually listening than not play at all.

Off to Springfield to play "The Keg". This is going to be interesting, we have no idea if this "venue" even exists. Google searches have yielded: a steakhouse, a tavern, leather retail shop, and a scooter and motorcycle repair shop...ALL at the same location, ALL with the same telephone number. It also comes up in searches as "The Pony Keg".

I called last week to verify we were booked and to verify that it was not a steakhouse. Answering to my inquiry, the voice on the other end said "No, this is not a steakhouse, we are a tavern". Very excited that we were not playing a steakhouse I said, "Great, you have bands there right?". A moment of silence on the other line, "Err, um NO, we do not have bands right now". I quickly thanked her for her time and prompted to call our psuedo booking manager and explained to him what I discovered. He laughed and said..."Yeah they don't have bands. (Enter managers name here?) is trying you guys out to see how bands would go over there."

"F*@k me! Okay cool, thanks. I will call you later." "Ha ha ha, Bye Steve".

Okay. Round 5 of the unknown. Armed with 1 PA speaker, 2 microphones, bass, guitar and drums, Reverie has to gently introduce their sonic assault and themselves yet again to an now unfamiliar, possible unwelcoming crowd at a local tavern full of Springfield locals. :) I love touring.

Stephen Francis