This had the makings of a great Rock ‘n Roll road trip. We split up into two cars: Jake, Duncan and Josh in one, and I toted the gear in my trusty pick-’em-up truck. On this trip, our good friend Chris Palochak (who graciously offered to come along and lend a hand) was riding shotgun. Donerail was scheduled to play World Famous Bob’s Java Jive with fellow Portlanders, The Interlopers. We were excited for a variety of reasons: 1) This was Donerail’s first foray into the Tacoma music scene, 2) We were getting the opportunity to play with a great Portland band that we hadn’t played with before, 3) Bob’s Java Jive is shaped like a coffee pot. How many opportunities do you get to play music inside a coffee pot? A freaking COFFEE POT! This was going to be a good trip.
Bob's Java Jive
We loaded the gear and Chris and I got about a half hour head start on the others. We were screaming into Washington (both figuratively and literally), hell bent on playing some rock ‘n roll. There was a lot of excitement in the air, and the day already had a great feel to it. We had the radio blaring (nothing like Classic Rock to fuel a road trip) and we were having some interesting discussions regarding some of our favorite albums. At this point, Chris made the observation that Cosmo’s Factory by CCR, which we happened to be listening to the time, is THE record for a band on the road (737 coming out of the sky/won’t you get me to Memphis on a midnight ride). Very astute, Mr. Palochak, very astute.
By the time we hit Kalama, WA our head start on the others and begun to erode, and would eventually disappear. I looked down and noticed that my charge light was on, which usually indicates an alternator problem and is not good. We stopped in Kalama and found a garage. Being the frugal (read: cheap), eternal optimist that I am, I opted for a new battery, thinking that if it can get up to Tacoma I can deal with the alternator there.
Wrong decision.
We made just past Olympia before being forced to coast into a weigh station near Fort Lewis, WA. Luckily, the officer on duty was very kind, not to mention a big music fan, and was very sympathetic to our situation and tried to help in anyway he could. We hooked up to a charge pack and waited…and waited…and waited. After several hours, and in spite of Chris’ optimism and enthusiasm, we realized that we weren’t going to make the show. We arranged to have the truck towed up to Tacoma and I’m thankful to have friends there that were gracious enough to let us crash with them (thank you John and Elizabeth!). I was able to get the necessary repairs (you guessed it, bad alternator) the next morning to get the truck road-worthy and back to Portland.
Barret of The Interlopers
The Interlopers were very kind and let Jake, Duncan and Josh use their gear to play the show (they even offered to come down and fix the truck had they found an alternator) and Donerail-lite took care of business. The show must go on.
After the first MAJOR setback that I’ve experienced playing live, I’m comforted to know that there are good people out there that help make tough situations more tolerable. Big thanks to The Interlopers and the folks at Bob’s Java Jive for their understanding, John and Elizabeth for their kindness and hospitality, Officer Jeff, Kris and crew at Walt’s Auto Care for getting me back on the road, and especially Josh, Jake, Duncan and Chris for their patience, understanding and generosity.
