Riding Shotgun With the Joggers
It is my belief that something good comes out of every relationship. Take my love for the Joggers, for example. A now ex-boyfriend handed me their first album one day, with the preface "you like the Walkmen and the French Kicks, trust me you'll like the Joggers." Lo and behold, he was right. And while our relationship went the way of the dinosaurs, my love of the Portlanders lives on. Check them out backstage at the Black Cat on March 23, along with the live debut of Georgie James($7).
Fill in the blanks:
Touring is:
Really fun to play every night and nice to see old friends in different cities. Driving gets old of course, but when interspersed with tennis matches in parks off the highway it's more tolerable.
Our first gig was: with a great band called Pan Tourismos.
Our favorite venue to play is: The Knitting Factory (NYC).
Hygiene on a tour is: not really a concern.
Our favorite thing about touring is: playing every night.
City with the best audiences: New York, Chicago, and Salt Lake City.
The band member most likely to disappear after a show is: Dan Wilson.
The tour bus/van smells like: Rosemary's Baby.
Laundry is: washed irregularly at best.
What's the most unusual item on your rider? I guess the venues think it's beer.
Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? The Driver.
And what are you listening to at the moment? The driver's MP3 device.
Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour? The Cheerokee Sinks in Tallahassee FL.
And/or the best place to get greasy, hangover-curing food? Hangover food would go to Dick's Burgers in Seattle.
Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour?
It's a tie between Jake getting poison ivy on his penis and Darrell unwittingly blowing his nose in Ben's beat rag.
Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again, or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl?
The Show Off Gallery in Bellingham WA. I'm positive that it no longer exists though…
What bands have you most enjoyed touring with, and what bands would you love to tour with in the future? Loved the French Kicks, Ted Leo, Hot Hot Heat. Would love to tour with Deerhoof, Dr. Dog, or Steven Segall's Blues Band.
Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for? The LP.
What is the Joggers' favorite thing about living on the West Coast? After viewing most televised sporting events we don't have to stay tuned for 60 minutes, goes straight to our local news.
Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument? No. But the top of MT St. Helens was nice.
What does 2006 have in store for you? Tours, new riffs, many other minor investments.
Why the Joggers? Why not, say, the Sprinters? Or the Distance Runners? Or even the Marathoners? Because of the double G.
What would you like people to be saying about the Joggers in 50 years? “Ask your grandfather dear, I don't know anything about that.”
Band that has most influenced your sound: The Baja Men
Utterly unrelated, but please recite a line of poetry:
“There was a gentleman from way up north and Kije was his name. And he got strange answers from a magic board cause Ouija was his game.”
And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison? A hockey soda with lots of vodka.
For more Joggers, please consult www.thejoggers.com, or www.myspace.com/thejoggers.