Photos by Colin Czerwinski
Two
There are two very different sides to tour in regards to lounging around. There are the days you can sleep in but be in the same city for what can seem an eternity— mindless you sit scrolling through various feeds that are empty, built upon notifications and other petty things. Then there are days you have more hours in the van. It seems the van becomes a pack animal, carrying the weight of the companions; every piece of them. The van becomes an apartment complex that is mobile cramped — like New York lifestyle but on wheels (I’m guessing).
This first week of tour the drives have been rather short — easy on the mind and easy to find a project (book, art, reddit, staring out the window mindlessly wondering what you’re doing) to get lost in. Arriving in the cities is where the life and light shine. Henrietta are a conglomerate of dorks rooted within the scene. Everyone has their own quirks and interests (from comics to different genres of music to video games to art). Everyone is their own form of weirdo on their own path to enlightenment. Collectively we have joined the revolution of the earth with Pokemon Go, exploring cities in an entirely different way. I was not much of a player before hand, but it’s at least interesting to see what’s unique about a city (whether different Pokemon or just different things that make it stand out from others). People like Henrietta are out singing and playing their catharsis yet at the end of the day they are people with the same ambitions in hopes of belonging. It’s rather amazing. Even meeting people on the road you find such interesting things. We met a house friendly pig in St. Louis, Rob from the band Colassal (yes that’s right) and a guy so passionate about Henrietta’s music he bought a shirt for his daughter to eventually grow into.
This tour has been led by Andy Shauf. The new record that Shauf put out entitled The Party has been constantly stuck in our heads and consistently a comfort zone Henrietta and myself continue to devour. It’s an interesting concept to write about the definitive aspects that make a party well, a party. Shauf does it in a way that makes even existing at that party seem timeless. Time and time again I feel that there is a larger picture to be viewed listening to The Party — as if Shauf is discussing how we deal with, approach and leave life itself. Every song has a major musical motif that repeats to a point where they are laced within the seams of life itself. Everywhere I turn at a show I am given a perspective of the record. There are the people who arrive early dreading the anticipation, the people dancing to the music, hiding feelings in songs and even the people laughing mindlessly along to just the feeling. It’s been an extra meta element to add to an already ridiculous life, and Shauf perfected it.
The past four days have been spent driving city to city in Illinois. We have seen the major college towns, the major cities and even the generous people that keep the wheel spinning. It’s been hot, but thanks to the random folk in that one city that allowed us to utilize the swimming pool (I keep everything unnamed for confidentiality reasons, in case the security guards are following our van). The midwest has continuously provided ample services to make things more than okay. Normal, Illinois is a must see spot in case a band wants to blow people’s minds with their stories. Chicago was fun. Thanks to the team of people helping run the show for providing us with a 20 inch pizza.
Each member of Henrietta know each other like their own family would know them. It has been the most organic circle of tour I have been apart of. If we want to stay up until four a.m. discussing old stories about where we came from, we listen. The group knows everyone’s quirks and I am just an extra bringing myself to the point of no return. That’s the point of tour. If we decide to continue the over usage of inside jokes, well we move behind that and root each other through and through. No one else may understand, but the five of us can look at each other and see the joke land in our eyes. It’s a support system that holds like a levy. Everything is wrapped in this glamorous bow on a present you never knew would be coming your way.
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