It was Thursday, November 10th, and the eve of an anticipated journey up to Albany, New York with local metalcore veterans, Loss of Reason. First of all, who the hell chooses to drive from Hampton Roads, Virginia all the way up to Albany to play first on a show, then turn around and come back the following day? Loss of Reason – That’s who! What moron decides tags along? Me – I’m that moron! Anyway, the plan was to leave around eleven, or midnight that night so we could arrive early and spend the day in Albany, see the sights, eat some pizza (as you must when you’re in NY), and check out the locally known and praised burrito bar, Bombers – And that’s exactly how this trip went down!
I must have been traveling with the wrong people in the past because usually our scheduled departure isn’t even close to met, and we end up two hours or so behind. Not this time, though. I met up with Ryan Ware and Clarence Freeman at Andrew Hess’s close-enough-to-beach-front apartment to load up the van, and then head to Norfolk pick up Chris Love and Ian Tobey. We swing through, scoop the rest of the guys up and we’re off! And what time was it? 11:40 pm… Holy hell.
Ahh, the van. I rode in this van once before on a trip to West Virginia to go tubing down the Potomac River, and it treated the group well. The passenger seat up front is one of the most uncomfortably cramped things you can imagine, the middle has two captains chairs, and the rear is a bench seat that can fold down into a surprisingly comfortable bed. This is where I would spend the next nine or ten hours of my life.
We all started out a little goofy and giddy, but as the night went on our moods quickly settled. We reveled in laughter with random conversations, and jests made towards Ryan for being rather inebriated while stuffing his face with snacks. But, only a few hours into the trip our circadian rhythms began to kick in and sleep became imminent – For most of us at least. Ian is a machine – He drove the whole night through, while the rest of us snored over state lines.
At roughly ten in the morning the crew roll into Schenectady, New York to meet up with an old friend of Clarence and Ian’s. As we piled out of the van, still half asleep, we see a large, initially intimidating, individual emerging from the front door of the house we were parked in front of. This man is Dan Asylum – a promoter for the Albany music scene, and genuinely awesome guy.
With most of us well rested and ready to greet the day, Dan offers to show us around Schenectady. Ian and Clarence stay back to try and catch some of the sleep they missed out on while driving up. After grabbing some grub at Denny’s, Dan takes us to an incredible cemetery. Vale Cemetery is one of the largest and most beautiful cemeteries I’ve ever been in – I guess it doesn’t hurt that it’s fall, and all the yellow leaves were breathtaking. After we cruise through the newer section there was a section in which we were not allowed to take a vehicle. Here the really gnarly graves sat – Some of these graves dated back to the late 1700’s. Unfortunately, little asshole kids will be little asshole kids and many of the graves were vandalized. As we walk through the area Dan tells us how the cemetery has a pretty dark history, as well. Apparently some years back some deranged individuals decided it would be a good idea to murder and decapitate some people in the deeper parts of the cemetery… Some sort of “Satanic” rituals [I use the term “Satanic” loosely], pssh. Cool to check out, regardless.
After killing about two hours in the cemetery, we were ready to check out the city of Albany. We headed back to the house to check on the sleepy heads that were passed out on the floor of a vacant room. I’m about 98% sure the sleep they managed to get was mediocre at best, but a nap is a nap, right? After wiping the sleep from their eyes, the crew piled into the van and headed in to the city.
As we pulled into Albany I got a strange, familiar feeling. This place reminds me of Richmond in so many ways. And while I’m not the biggest fan of Richmond, it was kind of neat to note the similarities. The first place we pulled up to was the Occupy Albany camp. I don’t care if you believe in that cause or not, I’m not here to judge your personal politics – I will say, however, that it was an impressive movement. There were tents set up everywhere, food readily available, as well as other random services, information tents, musical acts, and very little police presence. Dan informed us that the Albany cops had no intention of trying to dismiss these people, as they believed in the right to peaceful protest. That’s amazing to me. We hung out for a bit, Dan talked to some friends, we goofed off, and then headed to Bomber’s.
At this point, the day starts to get a little funky. Bomber’s is an awesome little burrito bar that was a “must visit” according to Ian, Clarence, and Dan. Apparently, their burritos are amazing… but I never did get to try them. Why? I’ll tell you why! Clarence, Ryan, Andrew and I were thirsty for a fine alcoholic beverage, so we thought we’d sit at the bar for a drink, then join the others for some fine deliciousness that we’d heard so much about. Beers were poured amongst the boys, and I got myself a margarita. They were only five dollars, and it sounded delicious. It was, and it came in a mason jar! I’m a fan of any beverage that comes in a mason jar. Unfortunately, what I didn’t know is that Bomber’s had a $10 minimum on credit cards… So… What could I get to spend another $5? Hmmmm… OH! How about another margarita?! Perfect! Oh… Perhaps that was a bad move. By the time we all finished our beverages, we went to the loft to sit with the others and perhaps grab some food. Right as we stroll up to the table, they’re all signing their checks, and are ready to go. Oh… Whoops! I guess we sat at the bar for a little longer than we all thought.
So, with what little food remained in my stomach from breakfast, and two strong margaritas on their way down, the day started getting a little brighter.
Straight edge photographers, here’s the perfect argument for you as to why one shouldn’t drink, on an assignment especially.
My energy surged, my goofiness and recklessness started growing, and I started drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. You’d think the straight edge influence in the group, or even the seasoned alcoholics, would maybe tell me that what I was doing probably wasn’t the best of ideas. Hell, maybe they did. If they did, I clearly ignored them.
We drove around Albany, saw an amazing mural of a dead squirrel that took up the entire back of a building. I tried to take some pictures here, but I was already too drunk to actually take my time… or care about anything, really. By the time we reached the venue, my whiskey was gone. In my defense, I did share some with others, but I drank a majority of it.
Somehow, I managed to help LoR load their equipment into the venue, walk around the area, introduce myself to a couple people, help set up the merch table, and get in a passionate argument about why I dislike a certain hardcore band. Alright, time to relax… I believe I’ll have another beer. The man behind the bar asked what I’d like, to which I replied “I’ll have a PBR, please.” No go. That tap was screwed. “Alright, how about a Budweiser?” Nope, that one wasn’t working that night either. Crap. “Well, I guess I’ll just have a whiskey-ginger.” The man then said “I don’t know how to make that.” Now wait a minute, you’re going to stand there, behind a bar, telling me you don’t know how to make a drink that has the ingredients in the name? “Fine, just give me your cheapest whiskey on the rocks.” That he knew how to do… Kind of. He threw a couple ice cubes in the glass, then proceeded to pour the whiskey. Now, ordinarily, one would only get about a shot, maybe two, in a glass… He filled the whole thing up! “How much do I owe you for this, man…?” “Ehhhhh… Don’t worry about it!” Pssh, I’m alright with that! As it would turn out, he was just the sound guy. Why he was standing behind the bar is beyond me, but, free whiskey is free whiskey. So, there I sat, already drunk, and sipping on my full glass of poor man’s whiskey.
The night goes from spotty to completely black out from here on out. I remember hating some bands, liking others, getting bored and antsy sitting at the merch table, and trying to pass my liquor off like it was beer to anyone that I could. Loss of Reason’s set ended, I’m wasted beyond reason, but still manage to help them load their gear out. How I did this is beyond me… At least I was still a decent roadie, right?! Past this, I have NO idea what happened. According to my pictures, I started taking the most random shots of the guys and then I woke up in New Jersey. What a trip!
No, they didn’t leave me, we just stopped at a rest stop. Overall, I’d say the trip was a complete success, and a complete failure all at the same time. I got to hang out with some great friends on the road, check out a city I’ve never been to, made a new friend, take some decent pictures… and take some really bad pictures, probably made an ass out of myself, and didn’t eat Bombers.






































































































































































































