With no plans for the day and measly hour and a half drive from Bloomington to Terre Haute, we accepted Kayle's invitation to hang out during the day. While I conducted an interview for my free-lance work with the Lansing City Pulse and worked a little on my blog, the day mostly consisted of watching movies and free-jamming with Kayle until it was time to leave for Terre Haute.
We discovered that 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' is not the worst movie in the world and that Robin Williams' 'Weapon of Self Destruction' is filled with very dated jokes, even for the date it was filmed.
For those unfamiliar with both, 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' is the Adam Sandler, Kevin James ('Mall Cop') vehicle that offended many and tickled others with its unorthodox approach to endorsing alternative lifestyles. Sandler and James play two heterosexual NY firefighters who publicly claim to be gay lovers in order to retain domestic partner benefits for James' children. Featuring Saturday Night Live alumni such as David Spayde, Dan Akroyd, Rob Schneider, and a hilarious, non-speaking role by Dave Matthews, 'Chuck and Larry' follows the Sandler story arch with celebrities and actors playing against type and an up-beat ending that is too good to be true. Still, watched in context, 'Chuck in Larry' has its heart in the right place, mocking stereotypes instead of people where everyone is better off if we all just love each other.
After we finish packing the van ready to head to Terre Haute, we realize none of us has the keys. Turns out while Eric cleverly placed the keys in his backpack to prevent forgetting them in the house, he neglected to take them out of his bag before stowing it in the car top carrier...which was now locked. Calmly and slightly out of character, I informed the group that with a small wrench, we could actually unscrew the bolts on the car top carrier to open the top and prevent having to cut the locks. 15 minutes, a borrowed wrench, and several pairs of pliers later, the keys were in hand courtesy of ME. Yes, it was my quick thinking and skinny arm which deftly reached through the tiny opening of the car top carrier and grabbed the keys from the zipped pouch. Shamelessly, I used this act of heroism to shield myself from all snarky jabs directed my way for the rest of the weekend. (In full disclosure, I should mention that Eric and Nic helped to unscrew the car top carrier latches as well. Also, thank you to Kayle's father for the temporary loan of the tools)
Home to a healthy and vibrant downtown scene including Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana is also home to The Verve, a happening nightclub that happened to be awesome and book our band for the second time. Inspired by the air-conditioning and cool posters of classic rock bands on the walls around the stage, we played a blistering 4 hour set complete with a new blues number written by Eric. The crowd response was surprisingly mixed with minimal response in between songs but plenty of adulation in between sets. Still, we were very proud of our performance which was aided by strong acoustics and a monitor for myself.
Connie, the owner of the Verve, put us up again in her beautiful home just up the street. More description of the house later, but a cold shower before sleeping in a soft mattress in an air-conditioned room felt like our final reward to a show well played.
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| Eric and Kayle free-jamming at Kayle's |
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| The Verve exterior |
