Think of all the cups of caffeine that we've shared and all the hours we've spent together...

Avail is playing the Northwest in the new year, and i'll be at both shows; Jan. 19th in Tacoma and Jan 20th in Portland. And they're playing with the Draft, which is ex-Hot Water Music!!! Elizabeth was nice enough to charge the tix to her credit card...thanx....
People who know me well might know how much this band means to me, but many people might be surprised to hear i've only seen the band once, back in 1998. I was on a road trip with Aram and Al, driving from Calgary to Louisville, Kentucky for the very first Krazy Fest. The line up was great that year; Silent Majority, Speak 714, Grade, Snapcase, Suicide Machines, Metroshifter, Enkindels, Boy Sets Fire, Converge, Superchunk, etc etc. We figured since not alot of hardcore bands toured thru Alberta then we might as well drive for days on end to see a bunch of good bands over 3 days. Somehow we found out about an Avail show happening in Detroit, at St. Andrews hall with Earthmover and some other bands. Since our plan was to drive to Chicago and then head south to Lousiville we figured why not go an extra 4 or 5 hours east and see Avail play.
After driving thru the warzone known as downtown Detroit we found the hall, and entered into a tightly packed, hot as hell room. Avail's set was amazing, you could say this was the band in their prime. The crowd was dancing and losing their shit, but nothing overly violent was happening. At one point i was near the front, by the speakers, when the speaker cabinets started to fall over. A bunch of us caught them, put them back up, and kept on smiling and singing along. It was an incredible show.
I was supposed to see Avail again a few years back in New York, with Dillinger Four. I still have my unused ticket. After booking time off from work months ahead i was told i couldn't have the time off a mere 24 hours ahead of time. Fuckin' bullshit!!
This is one band that has helped me thru some serious shit. I could tell some really personel stories here, but I think i'll save that for one on one conversations. But needless to say my Avail "Dixie" tattoo means the fuckin' world to me. It was the first tattoo i ever got, and i still love it.
I'm thinking of breaking out of mosh retirement for these shows. So if you see me airborne, please catch me.