Emma Ditchburn Tour Diary, Part 2

The band does Vegas and meets Alice in Phoenix-land

By Emma Ditchburn
Published: September 22nd, 2009 | 3:00pm

Read Emma Ditchburn Tour Diary, Part 1

Emma Ditchburn is a vocalist-guitarist for the Ontario-based septet, the Most Serene Republic. The group, known for its well-orchestrated sound, has recently released its third full-length. …And the Ever Expanding Universe (Arts & Crafts) was produced by Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals) and offers delicate layers of pop mixed with electronics, strings, harmonica, and an understated appreciation of past generations.

The Most Serene Republic will be touring for six weeks in support of the album. Throughout September, Ditchburn will be updating Venus Zine on the group’s adventures around the U.S. and Canada, a burning love of sci-fi, and her escapist tendencies.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 — Denver

Dear Diary,

We are in Denver today. Drove all day yesterday. Last night had a nice "partay" with Still Life Still and got a bit crazy, perhaps due to the altitude. Ended up in a bathtub for a while there.

My guitar somehow got banged up the other night, and the fifth fret was lifting out of the wood. But my baby got repaired, and hopefully it will hold up for the rest of tour. I had never realized how attached I am to my guitar until I couldn't play it — I actually cried when we discovered it was broken. But it rides again! I have never named her, but perhaps I will name her “Denver” to commemorate this day.

Arriving at the venue tonight, I was lucky enough to discover a little craft shop with amazing yarns, and I treated myself to a couple soft chunkies and some nice, thick wooden needles. I'm hoping to make some scarves/mittens, etc. for Christmas gifts. I still have to learn some stitches, but I can at least make some scarves to start out with.

The show was pretty great, Adrian started out with a Bukowski poetry reading, which we've both been reading a lot of lately.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 — Salt Lake City

We woke up 6:30 a.m. to get ourselves to Kilby Court in Salt Lake City. We have very fond memories of this venue last time; structurally, it's a bit like an old craft cabin at a summer camp, and the people are awesome. We had a great campfire sing-a-long after the show, including hot dog spiders and marshmallows (for those unfamiliar with hot dog spiders, they are delicious; you take a wiener, stick it perpendicularly on a stick, and slice each end into four "legs," then roast until crispy and share with friends).

This was our last show with Still Life Still. A few of the guys went up on stage with them to dance around and sing as a farewell. And we did have another post-show campfire, but alas, this time there were no marshmallows or hot dogs. Then, after the guys all hung around loading out with no shirts on for a while, we had a nice big group shot à la soccer team and said our emotional goodbyes. Even though a lot of us are the same age, it feels like we're older just because of the years of touring we have behind us; it really does age you in a way. I found myself giving them advice like, "Don't burn out too fast" and "Just love each other." Which, to me five years ago, may have sounded cheesy and gone unheeded, but I felt it was worth saying.

Thursday, September 17, 2009 — en route to Vegas

We are on our way to Las Vegas! I'm very excited to see this legendary city, and also hoping that we stay (at least somewhat) out of trouble.

I've already made a big tour mistake by forgetting my wallet at the last hotel, but Nick is getting it sent to us at another venue. This is the second wallet I've lost on tour. I've also lost an entire purse (with a digital camera inside as well as a copy of Lord Of the Rings), a bikini, a really nice sweater, and a whole roll of photos that I got developed. And I'm surprised that there isn't more to list, though I actually feel as though I'm pretty responsible on the road. While we were waiting to find out the fate of my wallet, Ryan treated me to a Dairy Queen chocolate-dipped cone, which helped take my mind off the stress of a lost wallet — just in time for us to find it.

The scenery today is very pretty, lots of mountains, bushes, and horses.

Saturday, September 19, 2009 — Phoenix

Well, we survived Las Vegas, and Simon even came out on top due to his insanely good Blackjack skills. The show was great; we played outside under twinkle lights at this venue called Beauty Bar. They had awesome, sparkly decor and old hairdryer chairs. Lots of dancing, wandering through the city under the video roof and through some casinos. We stayed pretty much out of trouble, no one got married or found any babies or stole any tigers. There was some comedy with Segway security: asking how fast he could go and if we could race him. It was very Blade Runner.

Last night we played in Phoenix with the Grates and it was a great show. Phoenix really impressed me as a city. It seemed to have a great arts community and warmness to it. While I was eating my dinner out front of the venue on the stoop, this adorable family came and chatted with me. They had a Blue Heeler, an Australian Shepherd, and a four-year-old girl named Alice who informed me that Alice In Wonderland was about her. How cute is that?! She hopped around and sang some songs she wrote that mostly went, "Boys and girls and boys and girls," (how young they learn) and did what she called "tap dancing." It really made my night.

Our hotel in Phoenix was also awesome and had a great pool area in the central courtyard with a waterfall wall and pool beds (we got a deal and shared one room so we could stay). I've realized that swimming really makes me calmer and very happy, so having pools on tour is awesome (especially after three days of driving through the desert).

Today, we're off to L.A., where I'm told we have an interview at a coin laundry. Just in time, because some of us are starting to run out of skivvies!

Sunday, September 20, 2009 — L.A.

Last night's show was awesome! The Grates are so entertaining and really got the crowd going with Patience up on a guy's shoulders, a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon at one point, and a great cowgirl outfit.

We had a really high-energy show, and it was super sweaty, which always gets me going. At the end of the set, I didn't even want to stop. Had some nice Thai food for dinner with Nick and Sean before the show, which was great, as we've mainly been eating Subway.

I really miss those Still Life Still guys, but soon we will be meeting up with Grand Archives. It's always nice moving in a large posse; feels more like summer camp. Anyway, thanks for reading and hope to see you at an upcoming show!

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