March 17 - Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY

Leaving New York takes a while, especially on Ain't Patrick's Day. Yeah, but we did it. Breakfast in Buttzville was not an option so we found a kooky diner endorsed by the Food Network's dive program.  It must be stated that our stage make-up doesn't wash off easily. Often we enter these diners and pharmacies and gas stations looking like unravelled mummies. Mummies who order rye toast.
Greg did all the driving today. The route we obeyed was puzzling, taking us through farmland two-laners and suburban side streets. Yeah, but we got there, pal.
Buffalo is full of large-hearted punk fisherman and their goth wives tossing guts against the wall. They treated us very well at The Mohawk, with some press in the local free rag, and free Jameson shots from Eric behind the bar.

The evening began with Tracy Morrow, a trio with an arsenal of slow country regret waltzes. Great songwriting, enough to make you cry in your Yingling. Bleeding through the walls was a neighboring band practicing Black Flag's "Six Pack." Our lost delivery driver brought us the famous buffalo wings during Tracy Morrow's last song. They were immediately delicious. Nice goin, Buffalo.
We had to do the show as a 4-piece as John had a work commitment. His keyboards were missed. Lugging around his 900 lb Rhodes was not. The set opened with "Slay The Heart Of The Earth." In the middle of the first verse my bass drum beater fell off, my snares became unlatched, and a stick broke in my hand. If we had been doing any song other than "Slay" I would've been able to fix the problems mid-song. Yeah, but I got through it, punk. It's because I learned improvisation at The Annoyance Theater in Chicago. Ya slouch.

Alan does a different monologue each time we play "Moline" and Buffalo's performance was another exercise in specifics and hilarity. Greg wore his new plaid ladies' PJ's and painted his face plaid to match. Mike put his bass down during "Vanilla Bean" and the song ended abruptly with only drums and Alan playing horn in the crowd. Sometimes a Bitter Tears show just ends.

The Dents were on next, and they too wore costumes. The one bass player looked like Father Guido Sarducci, the other like 1992. The drummer wore leather gloves with goggles while the guitarist wore a wig which was later used for auto-erotic purposes. It proved to be a fun set with lots of flying cups and cubes and other forms of audience harassment. They are perfectly named.

With nowhere to stay in Buffalo we headed for Erie, PA and the Tally-ho Motel. Big thank you to Bill from the Mohawk and all the people who have purchased our merch. Without you we'd be sleeping in a Wal-Mart parking lot.