There's a bear at the tent looking for something to eat

thing to eat thing to eat

He will lay next to you tell you lots of dirty things

dirty things dirty things dirty things

You woke up next to him not knowing what had happened

had happened had happened

Here's a church here's a mall here's a fire for them all

for them all for them all for them all

in the fire in the dirt hold it here and make it hurt

make it hurt make it hurt make it hurt make it hurt

here drummer drummer drummer

we arranged the pixies "gigantic" on drum machine and keyboards. liz will sing it at our show this Friday (oct. 30th)

we'll debut another new song: "bear bear"

at back alley social 303 w 5th st austin tx baker family at 10pm mobley at 11pm

also putting a show together in asheville in january with john wilkes boothe and the black toothe and now you see them

Stu and I are living in Austin, TX now and we love it here. I am eager for The Baker Family to start playing shows again. Nathan will join us in Austin in a few weeks.




Our last show of the tour was at The Werehouse in Winston Salem on June 27th. Old Folks opened the show up, followed by us, then Joe Next Door played last. We had a great turn out of over 120 people.

More to write soon,

Liz Baker

Back in the South

two more shows on this tour. i'm at the beach with Liz, my father, my mother, and my brother. Nathan is in Chapel Hill, David is in Asheville, and Ben's in Kernersville.

Friday: show in Chapel Hill at Nightlight. 9:30pm
Saturday: our final show of the tour: winston salem, at the Werehouse, 8pm.
mum
thank you everyone who supported us during the tour. We plan on touring again as soon as we can. west coast. mid west. east coast.
Liz and I have a house with two housemates in Austin to rent we'll have a band room, and bedroom, and another room for guests, Liz's art, etc. about 4 miles from UT Liz says she wants to study biology at UT I say I want to score films we both want to tour and be on the road as much as possible over the next few years so we will no. 9 no. 9 no. 9 no. 9 no. 9 no. 9
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Velvet Crayon

We're on the road now from Asbury Park NJ to Philadelphia. NYC: The Lit Lounge last Thursday, Sidewalk Cafe on Friday - - both downtown Manhattan - - fun shows with responsive crowds. After the shows, Liz, Ben, and I went camping in Farmingdale NJ, near Owen Thomas' and Mike Ackley's old stomping grounds. We camped for two nights, playing with music and fire. While David was brushing his teeth at his brother's apartment in Manhattan, and Nathan slept soundly at his aunt's house in Queens, we emptied a large container of lighter fluid on an already-blazing fire that lit up the 3 am woods and sky like a big hunk-uh-burning-love.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
We all met up in Red Bank NJ on Tuesday at the Fixx to play a show. There, we met the booker who had put us on the bill (Ben), and ended up staying at his place by the ocean after mention of bountiful tequila. The apartment was roomy, comfortable, and cozy, and had a pristine view of the NJ shoreline from a large balcony. As the booze overflowed from our mouths, 4 am trips to the black ocean were made. I stood on the sand with the ocean knocking at my knees. I battled the idea of jumping into the dark sea to bodysurf a wave back to shore; with drowning being more likely, death was saved for a later time.
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.
We spent Wednesday with Ben (NJ Ben) and went to a punk show at Asbury lanes, right accross from the Stone Pony. As we pulled up to the show, a fireworks display started right in front of us on the beach, so we walked closer until the smoke from the launching pad was in our nostrils. After the grand finale we went to the punk/metal show until midnight when we left for Ben's friend's apartment, also by the ocean (less than a block from Ben's place). Another tequila night ensued as Tracy and Ben refused to stop pouring shots. Another trip to the black ocean. Another "the sun is a'risin'" bedtime. I woke up at 2:15 pm, David looked at me and said do you want to go get chinese food and I said yes so we walked five blocks to main street and did.

And go to myspace.com/velvetcrayon
We played a show with this guy in Ewing NJ. Eric he said his name was so I believed him and I hope he believed my name was Stuart because my parents gave me that name as I trust his did likewise.

Doe, A Deer, A Female Deer

Yesterday afternoon I should have been walking the streets of New York City, but instead I found myself riding in a pick-up truck down a bumpy gravel road in the middle of Pennsylvania hill country. How did I get here? I'll tell you how:

Sunday afternoon: The Baker Family minus Ben hit the road from State College, PA, where we were staying with Alex Sell, a friend from Asheville now attending Penn State. Our plan was to meet up with Ben and his Dad, Chip, in Hazleton, PA, for Ben to join us back on the road for the rest of the tour. Then we would only be a few hours away from our destination, NYC. I'm driving, going about 65mph on Highway 80. I hear the words, "Deer" "Liz" and then silence. A deer jumps right in front of the car. I immediately know I am about to hit this deer straight on. My instincts kick in: apply brakes, hold the car steady. BAM. The deer goes flying into the other lane, another car hits it, swerves, almost flips. I pull over, hands shaking, hyperventilating. THE SECOND TIME WE ALMOST DIED.

The suburban and trailer had to be towed to the nearest town, Danville, PA (Population: 4,897), where we would be stuck until the car was repaired. After staying the night at the Quality Inn, we got up early to meet the guys at the Chevy dealership right when they opened, not knowing if this would take a few hours, or a week to fix. A couple parts were ordered, and Thank the Lord! it would be fixed by the next morning. Thankfully, Chip Dehart is a friendly guy, and he hit it off with one of the guys who worked there, Doug. Doug was a really nice guy, and he offered his cabin next to his house for us to rent for the night. So there I was, riding in Doug's pick-up truck down a bumpy gravel road in the middle of Pennsylvania hill country. We pulled up to the cabin just outside Danville in Mayberry, PA. Oh my Stars, what a place! Green hills all around us and a beautiful trout stream running right outside the screen porch. This turned out to be our best day
off. We relaxed, played music out by the water, ate spaghetti on the porch, and sat in a field nearby where I saw 2 red foxes with bushy tails scamper away in the distance.

Back on the Road,

Liz Baker

Grant Hill

Check out:
Stephen Tribou and the Vancant Sea
myspace.com/thevacantsea
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After the show at the Lava Lounge in Pittsburgh on Thursday, one of two without Ben, we stayed with Stephen, who grilled burgers for us at 3am. Liz destroyed his head of lettuce.

We're leaving State College today to pick Ben back up. He had to leave to Kernersville for a couple days to finish up his high school exams. New York is next week. We're looking forward to spending time with our great late friend, Owen Thomas. I haven't seen him in a year ::: myspace.com/wylietoms
Let your NYC and Brooklyn friends know we're playing on June 11 at the Lit Lounge, and June 12 at Sidewalk Cafe.
,Stuart

In a state of gluttony

Today finds the baker family in State College, PA on one of too many days off in a row.  For those of you that don't know Alex Sell, let me tell you - he is quite an asshole.  He cooks succulent meals that I often dream of for months after, he always has a seemingly endless supply of any sort of drink one would ever want, and he is accommodating to the point of absurdity.  

Basically, I don't want to leave this place.  

Cici's pizza was much preferable.  At least with Cici's, you're ready to leave after ten minutes or less.  I've known Alex for a few years now, and it almost seems like he's getting more and more generous all the time.  

Alex(ander) and his girlfriend Jess(ica) have hosted your baker family for the better part of two days now, and I'm getting just a little too comfortable here.  Sorry Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Philly, Chapel Hill, and Winston - I don't think I'm ever going to make it out of State College.  We're probably eating better than you are at this point.  I don't mean to belittle everyone else who has given us amazing food on the tour, but you'd have to pay a lot of money at a restaurant to eat this good.  

- David Barrett

Calatrava

We are on our way to Toledo, OH right now, bellies full of CiCi's All You Can Eat Pizza Buffet. We have been to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee since the last time we blogged. 2 of our laptops were stolen in Chicago, which is a big fat bummer.

We loved Milwaukee and Milwaukee seemed to love us. We played at Points East Pub and were very well received. It was wonderful to hang out with my Aunt Becky and to see Lake Michigan. I highly recommend visiting this city.

Our show at The Dark Room in Chicago was really cool. We played with a band called Mr. Gnome from Cleveland. Excellent! www.myspace.com/mrgnome

Life on the road is tough at times, but we are having a total blast! We already have some great memories in Waffle Houses and city parks. We have met some incredible individuals and I am amazed at how welcoming and generous people have been to us.

Lots of Love,

Liz Baker

Reds

The Baker Family in Cincinnati, OH

Bjork Yorke vs Michel Lotito (and how we almost got shot)

Here's a Story For the Kids

by C.S. Baker

A family of five [or five thousand] goes out for a dinner picnic on Memorial Day weekend, the fourth Sabbath of May, 2009. As they eat in the fenced-in field, Mr. and Mrs. Baker and their three children consider and meditate on the events of the previous week. Night falls and the fields surrounding the family begin to glow by the rear portions of thousands of lightning night creatures. After reflecting on the beauty of the situation, the satisfied-by-decadization group of five reclimb the gate and return to their van. Feeling pleasant and ready to return to their chambers for a much needed nights sleep, they drive back to their Motel six to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

They parked in their old space - - - - - taking up 5 spots with the trailor and Chevy Suburban **under the lights**, at the front of the motel, as Mr. Baker was especially worried about the van getting broken into. Having this parking space gave the family comfort and calmed the nerves of the patriarch. The van doors opened.

POP! POP!!

gunshots

50 feet away.

Close enough to see. Close enough for their ears to ring.

And then the curses came down. They came from the mouths of the family, from the mouths of people a hundred yards away, from the mouths of dark clouds surrounding the cheap motel.

A gray cadillac with 20 inch rims and blacked-out windows screamed out: 8 feet, 7 feet, 6 feet, 5 feet away from the family.

GET ON THE GROUND

Ben was on top of it. Stuart was frozen. Liz was frozen. Dave was already out of the car face-down behind the bunker-like hill beside the van. Nathan follwed the orders of his new brother.

4 feet, 3 feet away.

The shooter's car was there. Radiating death and threatening the five with the six, the seven, the eight rounds left in the gun. And Mr. and Mrs. Baker were kissing the asphault and the Suburban tires just in time.

STAY ON THE GROUND

The words tore and dripped like fire and Myhrr with a serious cool collectedness from Ben's throat.

Seconds after the dark car and pursuing motorcyle had passed the family, the five stood. After cursing the situation, they walked in a cool panic to the McDonalds across the street. Another group. Ten girls, probably a volleyball or softball team, passed by the family--guessing at the shots. The five's morbidly abridged testimony quickend the pace of the softball team and hieghtened their sensitivity to their surroundings. Turning around and walking backwards, family eyes saw a group of rough men gathering around the Suburban.

Were they the shooters? Did they need to eliminate the five whitnesses to the shots? Did they think the family had shot? Either way, McDonalds promised the safety of an INTERPOL headquaters. Walked turned to run as fearful assumptions terrorized the five's brains.

CALL 911

The McDonalds cashier did it for them. Ben, with a calming wisdom, suggested Nathan, Liz, and David stay at the fast food haven while he and Stuart walk around to calm his friends nerves.

I NEED A CIGARETTE

It was deserved.

The cops arrived. The Firetruck arrived. The family reconviened. The parking lot at the motel accross the street was full of police cars. It seemed safe. They walked back. Talked to the policemen. Nathan and Stuart got a refund at the front desk then went back to the room to pack up.

A man in a biker gang had shot another biker's Harley. Twice. Trying to blow up the gas tank. Right next to room 138, where the Baker Family was staying. If the family had arrived as little as 10 seconds earlier, the five could have been right between the shooter and his target.

FREE MOTEL ROOM

They stayed the night at Motel 6. Right next to the society of bikers.

His Majesty, The Skull

This concludes the first week of the tour///a week that was one of the most encouraging and exciting of my life///Ben's presence is therapeutic and inspiring///Homelessness and joblessness left me pockets-full and more satisfied than ever before///We're treating ourselves to a hotel tonight///showers, clean clothes, pool, cable, wi-fi, beds, possibly a weight room///
Stuart

Proof that Ben is part Wizard

SHAWning

Last night (Thursday), The Baker Family Band performed simultaneously with about 100 other bands in Nashville, TN. Our venue happened to be called The Basement (not in a basement). We opened for the other two bands on the bill (Madi Diaz and The Champion and his Burning Flame). A few points of interest:



-An old woman born somewhere in the Far East was standing outside her house beside the empty lot in which we parked our trailer. She had cultivated every square foot of her yard that was not occupied by sidewalk. She was burning a pile of wood when we arrived, and was spreading out the ashes as we were preparing to play.



-After setting up the stage, Stu, Liz, Nathan, and Dave went upstairs to a (reportedly) awesome record store. I ate a lot of bread and played hackey sack. We convened around 9:30 for the opening ceremonies.


-The show was probably our most emotional so far. We donned fake moustaches on entering the stage- we wanted to take the music seriously, but not so much ourselves. It's not walking away with a bunch of fans impressed at Stu's guitar playing and Liz's singing. It's simply playing with no fear, filling up the venue (for 40 minutes, at least) with a warm love. We’ve posted the audio thanks to Dave’s portable recorder. Those songs are, for me and Stu, the first live recordings we have listened to without cringing at the difference between how we thought we sounded and how it actually sounded. The entire band blasted the two songs in the car and was happy for everything: the mistakes, the noise, but especially the energy and improvisation. We’re excited and more than ready for the rest of the tour.


LIVE IN NASHVILLE:
www.soundclick.com/thebakerfamily


-Ben

the man upstairs

Liz left out some pretty crucial information about Chattanooga the other night. We have already met lots of very interesting people, but the top of the list has to go to a guy we met from Chattanooga.
I don't know his name, but he was very touchy-feely. He shook our hands and gave us hugs, and at one point punched each of us (other than Liz) on the shoulder pretty hard.
He was really drunk when we got to the bar, and after just a few minutes came over and talked to us. I told him we're from out of town and wanted to know where we should go with our time, and all the sudden he was offering to let us stay in an apartment he owned right above the bar.
He took us up and gave us a tour. There was no doorknob - only a deadbolt on the door, and it was really tight against the floor, so after he unlocked it, he had to kick the door real hard to get in. There was junk all over the place - open paint cans, pieces of wood, and some bikes that hadn't been ridden in years.
He was really particular about flushing the toilet. It would break if you flushed it all the way, so you had to kind of ease into the flush. The water has to trickle for a while before you can really let loose with the handle and let the water flood in. He kept going on about this for quite a while.
After the tour, he had to get the door locked back up. You have to grab on to a spot on the door and yank it back closed, but he tried about five times without any luck. Finally he spit on the ground, and somehow that actually worked.
I was really looking forward to staying there that night but luckily Liz and Nathan were really creeped out by this guy. We ended up finding another place to stay that was much less exciting, but I'm pretty glad we met that guy.

- David Baker

Oh, Memphis

Last night at The Buccaneer Lounge in Memphis, TN, we played our best show yet. Ben spilled 2 beers (mine and Nathan's), broke 2 E strings (and re-stringed them), got his guitar unplugged 5 times in one song, lost power to his pedal board once, and played the most beautiful set he's ever played as a part of this Family. We are so proud of him and overjoyed at his creative input. Stuart learned how to play the violin during the car ride to Memphis, then threw down some raw electric violin during Clouds of Fire, while Ben added all kinds of effects and distortion. It was epic. After the show, we headed over to the Poor & Hungry, another bar in Memphis. This really cool band, called The Warbles, was playing. They were brilliant: drum machine, saxophone, violin, face paint, and a song about Cicadas. It was refreshing and inspiring. Check 'em out www.myspace.com/thewarbles

Many thanks to Jensel and the whole Garcia family for taking us in, feeding us, and being wonderful, giving people. I can't tell you how nice it was to swim in their pool and relax in their hot tub after our show. We are soaking up Tennessee like a sponge. Here we come, Nashville. What will you show us?

Alive and Well,

Liz Baker

Chattanooga

First of all:


Here's a link to a nice little article written about us for our Knoxville show.


http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090514/ENT/305149957





Chattanooga is a cool place. Ben, Dave, and I took a long stroll through the city, chased down a shuttle bus, and walked across one of the main bridges. The Tennessee River water was dark and sparkly, the riverboats were beautifully lit up, and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed playing for some Chattanoogs at JJ's Bohemia last night. Friendly people. Cheap beer. Loud music. Good times.






Living the Dream,

Liz Baker

Brother Son Mother Father

Welcome to the official Baker Family "We're Going To Make So Much Money" 2009 Summer Tour! It's the whole family: Mr. Baker, Mrs. Baker, David, Nathan, and our newest addition to the family, Ben.

It's Day 2 of our 6 week tour through the Midwest and East Coast of this beautiful country. We had our first show last night at the Preservation Pub in Knoxville, TN. Stu's Aunt Becky, Uncle Bud, and Cousin Ryan came out to see us, and even let the 5 of us crash at their place for the night.

Ryan took us to the Norris Damn and we took a little hike to see some waterfalls and butterflies before we hit the road for Chattanooga.

Ben and Stu did a West Andersonville Squirrel Broadcast, announcing some missing walnuts were found last night uner a bush next to the big oak tree, and to please call in immediately to claim your missing walnuts. Updates on the Nutball game between The Nut-Gathering Nutters and rival team Sqirrely Squirel-Face were given. What a close game, folks.

Until Later,

Liz Baker