Bryce Lewis, Saskatchewan Country Guitar - Part II
II. We spent our last $20 on a loaf of bread, a package of balogna, a bottle of mustard, a bag of plain chips and a Guitar World magazine.
Bryce had never been east of Regina, let alone having driven half-way across the country. His willingness was stoic as I called him from a Mexican hotel room. Changes to our Canadian Music Week showcase in Toronto would force me to leave a destination wedding early to assure our timely arrival but Bryce took up an alternative. He would one-man the 3300 km drive from his house in Lethbridge to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. As I arrived rested, he was running on black coffee and a pit stop in Thunder Bay. A valiant endeavour to begin our first tour and devout loyalty.
Four days in Toronto exhausted my bank account. With a half tank of diesel, I had $11.00 to spare. We pulled in to a Walmart for a loaf of bread, a package of balogna, a bottle of mustard, and a bag of plain chips. Bryce spent his last $8.00 on a Guitar World magazine. There was a romance to the modesty, sitting in a parking lot, the crunch of the sandwiches, the discussion of music gear.
We picked up a show in Woodstock, ON that night. A pop up performance for whoever walked through the door, five sets, $300.00. We thought we struck gold. I filled up the tank and gave the rest to Bryce. We played the next night to only my girlfriend and her mother at an "organic restaurant" in London. They bought $100 in merchandise. We played a hotel in Sault Ste. Marie after that. Without a room and their unwillingness to provide one, we found a jammed open door, washed our socks in the sink and dried them with the hair dryer. Another four sets and a night in the van. Arriving in Kenora, the venue was closed with no sign of a show poster anywhere. We went on to Carberry, MB for a Saturday night at the local bar. We were given 10 $100 bills and a room with one bed. We got drunk as skunks and split it all, bed included. Arriving home to my family farm in Kennedy that Sunday afternoon, my parents asked how the tour went. Bryce, with another 800 km to go before sleeping in his own bed in Lethbridge, answered with sincerity:
"It was awesome."
It was awesome.
Howdy Readers,
I dropped a bit of a message following the reading of this post in the audio file of this entry. Welcome new Readers, I’ve seen a steady increase over the last month or so…as always, I’m trying to personally be in touch with y’all. Extra special thanks to those that have upgraded their subscriptions…when that vinyl is in, it’s headed to yer doorstep.
BB