I almost typed 2009. It’s Oh-10 y’all. (Yep, we’re calling it “Oh-10.” Anyone who claims otherwise is just being silly. What are you going to call it, “10″? No.

This past weekend, I played a homecoming show in Portland. It was really, really fun. My friend from the East Coast, PJ Bond, was touring through and we threw him a proper party. Local awesome dude Cory from Garden City Refugee joined us as well. I felt so satisfied that I could put together a show that introduced a couple good musicians to the 30 or so people in attendance.  This may seem like a low bar for success for those of you who know me from back East, but for the first two years on the West Coast, Portland has felt more like a tour show.  But I think we’re building something here, and I enjoyed this show like the homecoming that it was.

The last time I played with PJ was at a hotel show in Gainesville.  Rich and Nariman from Sound Scene Revolution invited us to the show they were throwing in their hotel room at 2 AM.  Despite everyone’s delirium and exhaustion (or maybe because of those factors), everyone had a pretty sweet time.  PJ and I each played a few songs, then Tom from The Menzingers hopped up to serenade everyone through the collective nightcap.  This wasn’t the best show on this tour for documenting the audio, but this is the one we’ve got.  Nariman stood dutifully beside the performers with microphones as we slagged our way through the songs, and this podcast is the result.  It’s worth listening to, at least for the stories.  Watch this 30-second video to see what it looks like to cram 25 people into one hotel room.

On an unrelated note, my friend Iris and I spoke at length after Saturday’s show about how we both had friends in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.  Her friend did an interview upon returning, and his observations are thoughtful and surprising.  In particular, I was appalled to learn that the U.S. blocked all aid flights into the airport for three hours so Secretary of State Clinton could deliver a speech about how much aid the U.S. was delivering.  It’s worth your time; you can check out the article here.

- Aaron

I feel like I’ve gone to the bike shop twenty times since I’ve gotten home. Fedex screwed up my bike big time and I’ve been back and forth ordering parts, buying tools, and having the mechanics fix my mistakes. One of the disadvantages of bike tour was that it gave me a strong intolerance for an improperly functioning bicycle. That, combined with my mediocre knowledge of bicycle repair, has left me frequently confused and covered in grease. I guess there are worse things to be.

I’m crawling out from under my rock and playing in Portland this weekend. It’s good to be home.
- Aaron

The weekend with Summer People was really, really awesome. I saw a bunch of old friends, including two who have a baby now, one who just started a restaurant, and others still who are heading to Australia to play shows. We are all getting older by the day, and these friends inspire me with the diversity of their paths. Me? I’m headed to North Carolina, then back to Portland for the first time in 3 1/2 months. It’s time to go home.

PS You need to hear Summer People.

The Attica! Attica! train keeps trucking. Do trains truck? I don’t know. But this train is trucking back to upstate New York for a couple more shows with my old friends in Summer People. Come hang out before I slink back to the West Coast!
- Aaron

KEY WEST. We made it! We made it. I know I always say I’m tired when I’m typing on this, and that’s mainly because I do all the fun stuff and then use the last bit of energy to type something when I should already be sleeping. All I can say is that it’s been a pretty amazing couple weeks since the Fest. I will be documenting it all retroactively in my continuing tour diaries. I’ll post about those as they get uploaded.

I’m already planning a few last shows on the East Coast before I retreat back West. Check the shows page for the info!
- Aaron

The Fest 8. Easily one of the best weekends of my life. I have much to tell, but that will be later, since I am even more tired than I was when I got to town. Until then, you can read my latest tour diaries: Chickens in the Woods and The Circus Comes to Town.
- Aaron

I am exhausted. We rode 75 miles today, and we haven’t had more than one day off in a row since…well, we were in Washington, D.C., then. Now we are in Florida. There is much to tell, but really I’m just getting ready for The Fest this weekend. Apparently 300 bands are playing. I can’t wait! Hope to see you there…
- Aaron

The good news is we have made it to Southern Virginia, and biked something like 650 or 700 miles. The bad news? We’re not even 1/3 of the way there! Well, that’s good news, too. The adventure continues!

I have new tour diaries up at Punknews.org and the Willamette Weekly, you should check those out!

Also, I wanted to spread the word about something important. Years ago, I briefly toured with a band called Kudzu Wish. I recently found out that Kudzu Wish’s bass player, Tim Lafollette, has developed ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease. This is a very serious condition that eventually leads to the loss of all voluntary movement. You can find out more at Often Awesome.

- Aaron

We made it to New York! Our big plan is so ambitious that it’s important to revel briefly in this simple fact: we rode our bikes from Boston to New York.  That is totally awesome.

If you want to follow us as we go, check out my two tour diaires, on Punknews.org and on the Willamette Weekly’s Local Cut.  I’ll be posting new diaries every week or so.  You can also follow our daily exploits at Ditch The Van.

Also, there’s a sweet audio postcard covering the tour that appeared on central NY NPR affiliate WRVO.  It was produced by Jasmyn Belcher and you can listen to it here.

Finally, let me say that the response to the new album has been awesome.  Thank you so much to those of you who have offered me encouragement, and also to those who have donated.  This is the first time in many years that I have self-released a record, and it was risky to pay for the recordings right before I left for a bike tour with many expenses.  As of right now, donations for the record are the only merch I have.  All of the door money is going to World Bicycle Relief.  While I do have some money saved, your donations help keep this tour going.  For that, I thank you very, very much.

- Aaron

New album!  Whoo!  The new Attica! Attica! record, Napalm & Nitrogen, is finally finished.  You can download it using the links on the right side of this page.  I’m really excited for this record.  It’s very different from Dead Skin/Dried Blood.  It’s faster, simpler, and more personal.  I hope you enjoy it!

As we all know, the music industry is undergoing massive changes.  But since I don’t consider myself part of any industry, you can download my new record for free.  There are no hitches or strings attached.  I do, however, have expenses.  If you would like to help cover the cost of recording or support me while I’m on the Ditch The Van Tour, please donate using the link to the right.  If you don’t have the cash to donate, that’s totally cool.  At the moment, I don’t have that kind of cash either, so I understand completely

See you on the road.
- Aaron