Our favorite place to be if we’re not in East York is New York.  That’s why when we found out we were going to get to play  a sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom we were more than excited. We were lucky enough to go see Dinosaur Jr. there when we were living in Williamsburg at the beginning of the year and couldn’t wait to play there ourselves.  This was probably the most fun stop of the tour, we stayed in a very swanky hotel in the lower east side.  The city had just been hit by huge snowstorm and New York was a mess, it was pretty awesome. We showed up at the venue early and got a sweet sound check, which makes such a big difference. The sound in the Bowery is amazing, this was by far our best show of the tour and we all had an amazing time. The next day we had to drive to D.C. which isn’t too bad of a drive, I’m getting pretty good at doing nothing in the van. The venue was called the Black Cat but it was all good luck, they hooked us up with a nice green room, a good meal and a case of Heineken. The venue was also awesome, a huge room with a great sound system. It was another great sold out show and we brought some of our new DC friends out, it was also another party night with the Beasts, it’s always fun hanging out with those guys. We also got to meet a member of one of our favorite bands- all and all it was another great night and I’m starting to get sad the tour is ending.

Well we fucking made it! Although we did have to make a stop in the middle of nowhere because the snow got way too crazy. We found a little hotel, had an easy night and ordered in some Chinese food. The next morning we dug out our van and finished off the drive to Boston.  As we drove towards the coast the snow turned to rain. We arrived early so we rested up in the hotel, hiding from the rain.  We were playing at Great Scott which was a pretty cool bar, it had a pretty small stage but I think we’re more comfortable in tight quarters. The show went well and we got a good response from the crowd. The people from Boston were very nice.  We talked to quite a few people after the show- it’s always great when people are friendly. The next morning we woke up for our drive to Philly which was pretty brutal- from our GPS messing up to crazy traffic jams, not to mention an accidental detour right through the middle of Manhattan. Nonetheless we made it Philly. The club we were playing that night was called Johnny Brenda’s. It was cool cause it had a balcony around the stage so it was kinda like we were playing in a pit but there were people on the floor in front. While we were having a smoke before going on, something strange happened. About 10 police SUV’s and 20 tow trucks pulled on to the street, lights flashing, announcing over a loud speaker “Move your car or you will be towed”. Apparently it was a “snow emergency”, which was a joke cause there was no snow on the ground. We quickly moved our van and rushed to the stage. Philly was good, another fun crowd with some dancers and shakers. After the show we were invited to a house party and we never turn down an invite to a party. Upon arrival we were greeted with beers bongs and hookah hits. Brendon even took part in a yoga session, but the icing on the cake was when we were leaving, our new friends handed us 5 hits  of acid neatly dropped onto some vitamins. We kindly accepted the offer but realized taking acid might not be the best move for us so we left it in the hotel as a thank you gift for the maids. Remember kids, take your vitamins, not acid.

Our first show we ever played in America was also our first show with Markus and for those two reasons The Crofoot in Pontiac Michigan will always have a special place in our hearts. Well that and the fact that Greg (the promoter) and the meals he prepares for us are amazing.  This show was pretty funny because when we showed up at the venue there was a line up around the block. We quickly learned they weren’t there for us when we realized the boys had straighter hair than the girls and no one was over the age of 16.  There was an all-ages  emo/screamo/metal/pop show going on down stairs that was loud as hell. It didn’t bother us though and it was pretty funny to watch. The show went well but we decided it would be best to leave right after the show to try and get home to our own beds, after all it is only about a 4 hour drive and it’s a cool feeling to wake up on the floor in Chicago, play a show in Michigan and still be able to make it home to your own bed in Toronto.  The next day was a day off, we got some drinks with a couple Wild Beasts and it was nice to be back in our own city. While we were hanging they explained how we had left the night before at a good time because just as they finished loading out a crowd of frantic people came running around the corner on cue with Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang, 6 shots fired in P town. Luckily they managed to escape safely.

The next day was our only hometown show of the tour and it is always nice to play in Toronto. The show was fun but it just isn’t the same when you know all your friends are just down the street watching Teen Tits Wild Wives at Elvis Monday, but its nice to see some new faces coming out that knew the words. Once again the Wild Beasts played an outstanding set. All in all it was nice to be home for 2 days. Now we are on the way to Allston (which is pretty much Boston) and it’s a fucking snowstorm, hope we make it alive.

In January 2010 Still Life Still moved to Brooklyn NY for a month to play a slew of shows including a weekly residency at the Mercury Lounge. Aware of the importance of these shows, we wanted to bring our A game so we rented a rehearsal space so we could keep our old bangers in check as well as work on several potential "works in progress" for the new record. Introducing Coral Seed, like most SLS songs it was conceived by Brendan and has since become a more fleshed out tune with that signature Still Life sound. Before leaving New York we felt we needed a souvenir of sorts to remember our progress by, so we decided to record an off the floor video in our NY jamspace, also featuring a sample of our new lighting motif. We hope you all enjoy this rendition of Coral Seed as much as we do!