tournotes

Manda’s TOUR JOURNAL - from 8/30/2003 to 10/22/2003 (most recent entries at the bottom)

8/30/03 - Nashville – THE END
We played the alt country hoedown - yes…that is not a typo -- it went over pretty well though
and thanks to Suzette and Slade for putting us on the bill!! This was a strange start to our journey
, but we had a good time there.

8/31/03 - New Orleans – THE MERMAID LOUNGE
This town is one of my personal favorites – the heat was almost unbearable though. We must have sweat buckets at this show…but of course it was a good time. Luckily, we had a chance to cruise the streets before the show and soak of some of the street life. I got a little nervous when a street person yelled out some voodoo curse on us because we didn’t drop money in his hat…the last thing we need is a voodoo curse on us –trust me. In the morning, we made sure to stop at my favorite New Orleans staple -Café Du Monde - for coffee with chicory and beignets … I am drooling just thinking about it. Many thanks to Anthony Delrosario for setting the show up for us and to Mike for taking some awesome pictures at the show and sending them to us!! You can see Mike’s photos on the Marble Militia fan photo page

09/01/03 – Houston – FAT CATS -
...another hot night in Houston – someone’s car almost got broken into in the parking lot outside of Fat Cats… which scared us because we thought our “home on wheels” might be the victim… thankfully it was not. Not to mention there was a terrible incident with dog crap that seemed to involve everyone in attendance stepping in it…. not good… Anyway, thanks to David Cobb for covering our show with an interview on his website “Houston Calling” www.donewaiting.com, and for coming out to the show and saying “Hi!” And thanks to Meowcifer for being so sweet and for playing the show with us!!! We ended the night with some Mexican food and one too many drinks.

09/02/03 – San Antonio- SIN 13 -
This was one of THE BEST places we played on the tour. The kids were out in full force on a Tuesday night no less… and the club was super awesome. Not to mention San Antonio is actually a really cool city. Also, we weren’t complaining about being able to play and All Ages show (our favorite) and get our alcohol fix at the bar. Not too many all ages shows with both… we were in heaven… Mark Slak even got himself into a wicked game of Pac Man … this was a serious match … the kid that challenged Mark meant business. It ended in a draw… Anyway, Girls in a Coma and the Unloved were my favorite bands of the evening, but all were fantastic and we all had a good time! Thanks to Vanessa and to The Unloved for setting the show up for us. We will definitely be back to San Antonio and hopefully very soon.

09/03/03 – Stop in Phoenix Arizona-
We drove and drove and drove from San Antonio to Phoenix - 17 hours of desert… this was scary…driving through this part of the country made me seriously realize how small we are ..just a speck of dirt…I have never seen so much nothingness…. It was very beautiful though… We stayed at a haunted hotel in Phoenix. We have a mysterious way of ending up at these types of hotels. We made it through the night okay, although I swear I heard the vortex they were talking about and the children running down the halls laughing in the middle of the night. I simply pulled the sheet over my head and kept my eyes shut very tightly.

09/04/03 – drive to Las Vegas from Phoenix – By this point we were pretty tired from driving and from seeing so much desert. I was beginning to feel like I was part of a painting of a desert landscape – an inescapable feeling was beginning to overcome me. Our front tire was looking really bad, which didn’t make me feel any better about that fear of being stranded in the desert…. we stopped at a small tire shop in said desert on the way to Las Vegas. The guy there said “that tire is junk” to be exact. So we got a nice fresh tire and were on our way to Vegas . The tire people were really nice… so thanks to them for not ripping us off and for being very hospitable to us. I didn’t catch their names unfortunately, but thanks to them anyway!

Oh – saw the Hoover Dam for the first time on the way to Vegas– it happened to be on the way. Pretty neato.

09/04/03 – Las Vegas – DOUBLE DOWN
- Sin City…good times…one of the best shows on the tour. After some gambling during the early evening, we decided
we would be better of getting ourselves to the show. This was another fabulous place and the people were awesome
there. We got some good press there too, which helped get the people out. The music director from the Hard Rock Café
came down to the show and invited us back for a tour of the Vegas Hard Rock. That was pretty cool and we had a lot
of fun. We went over to the Hard Rock before our set, and Andy (the music director there) took us on a really cool tour of
the place and bought us some drinks… drink after drink after drink may have been against our better judgement, but
hey..its Vegas right?! When we got back to the club we felt really bad because we had missed the opening acts, but we
rushed on stage and played a drunken set..we kept telling Andy that we were not going to fit to play a show….but pass
over another shot…and yet another drink..ha ha …but it must have been okay cause everyone seemed pretty into it,
dancing and swaying and partying…good times. So thanks to Andy for the good times!!! And also, thanks to Puppet the
Psycho Dwarf who opened the show with his comedy act. He was a really cool guy and talked to Mark and I for most of
the evening. Thanks to Travis Price for setting the whole thing up and thanks to Moss – the owner of the Double Down
for providing such a cool place for bands to play.

Las Vegas Mercury
Music: Missundaztood
Manda and the Marbles dodge stereotypes one city at a time
By Mike Prevatt
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Sep-04-Thu-2003/22065546.html

Las Vegas Weekly
The Kids in America
Manda and the Marbles love the '80s—in a good way
By Geoff Carter
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2003/09_04/music_noise2.html

Las Vegas Review Journal
NEON THURSDAY: Rock show at Double Down
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Sep-04-Thu-2003/news/22086584.html

09/05/03 – Los Angeles – THE SPACELAND
LA, nice temperature and I really liked it. I was sad though because no time to visit the ocean…and I love the ocean… I caught only a glimpse of the Hollywood sign, which will have to do for now. We played this show with the Black Halos and they were really nice guys and a great band – Billy Hopeless, the lead singer, is a really nice and funny guy. Had a nice time chatting with him. When we arrived at the club, we found two girls waiting there for us! That made us feel all warm and fuzzy like what we were doing was starting to have some meaning and purpose. They were really sweet and we felt totally bad because one was not old enough to get into the show – we tried our best to get around that, but unfortunately there was no hope. I hope they had some fun though. So thanks to Anna and Jes(sic)a - “the girls” ?– for coming out to see us! Anna wrote a review of the show and took some pictures that you can see on the Marble Militia fan site and Jessica runs a cool zine so we will keep you posted on that!

The Daily Trojan
http://www.dailytrojan.com/article.do?issue=/V150/N07&id=01-week.07d.html

09/06/03 – San Francisco – KIMOS
I love San Francisco. Mark and I had some time to cruise the streets and people watch. We waited for an earthquake..since in the past natural or unatural catastrophic events tend to occur upon our arrival, but no quake..maybe our luck really is changing? Hmm.. And another excellent show! It was really cool to open for the Lewd..totally classic. Thanks to Dan Bland for getting us hooked up with the show and to Rev “Boom” King for putting us on the bill. Can’t wait to get back there.

The San Francisco Examiner
Are you ready to rock?
http://www.sfexaminer.com/templates/story.cfm?displaystory=1&storyname=090403a_live

The San Francisco Bay Guardian:
Tip Sheet – Music to Watch out for in Septemeber:
http://www.sfbg.com/noise/2003-09/x_tipsheet.html

09/07/03 – Portland – TWILIGHT CAFÉ –
Nice drive from San Fran to Portland, but looong… 10 hours. Pretty scenery though and the air smelled so fresh when we reached Oregon – not joking – it smelled like pine trees. We got to the club super tired, but once again managed to revitalize ourselves and get the kids moving. We were glad to see that we got some more local press and a nice sized crowd. We liked it there. We will go back.

Portland Mercury-
Be Seduced
Modest Manda
http://www.portlandmercury.com/2003-09-04/music3.html

Portland Mercury
http://www.portlandmercury.com/2003-09-04/busy_week.html

The Oregonian-
http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1062678424279740.xml

09/08/03 – Seattle – THE CATWALK CAFÉ –
Seattle is a cool town – also in the literal sense – I didn’t pack enough warm clothes and froze my way through the day. I really like cold weather, but especially when I have a nice warm cozy sweater to cuddle up in. This is where I am to say we turned the heat up on stage…right? Ha ha… We had a good time and it was nice to finally meet the Amazombies. And thanks to them for setting up the show for us and for the kids that came out on a Monday night. It was nice to meet Maygan finally and thanks to her for bringing some friends out as well. Maygan wrote a nice review of the show and should have some pictures shortly – all available on the Marble Militia fan site.

09/09/03– Boise Idaho – no show…just a stop on the way to Salt Lake City…didn’t see much but a hotel room and a box of pizza. Maybe next time Boise.

09/10/03 – Salt Lake City – THE KILBY COURT –
I would be lying if I didn’t mention that we were all a little weary of going to this town. During the previous days of our tour, rumors were swirling about alcohol laws and strange happenings in Salt Lake… With our apparent alcohol problem this became somewhat of a concern. We managed to confirm some rumors – You need to buy a membership to enter bars and drink, and yes the beer is brewed at a lower alcohol percentage… (I swear the altitude makes up for the difference anyway) But the people weren’t as odd as others had warned. Actually, everyone we met was really quite nice. Phil at the Kilby Court is a really nice guy and showed us much hospitality and thanks to him for giving us a chance at his venue! Thanks to Sean for helping to set the show up and getting us hooked up with his friend’s band “_ist”. Cool people - It turned out great – even made a fire pit at the show since part of it is outside– I was wishing we had some marshmallows to toast…once again I was reminded of how I had not packed appropriately for these cold temperatures and I froze my behind off, but was warmed by the fire. We had fun, the kids danced…they do “just wanna dance” you know! Some pictures of the show appear on the Marble Militia fan site. We’ll be back SLC!!! Thanks for dancing, singing and for sticking around!! Thanks to Sean, Phil, and Nate (who ran the door and kindly offered me his jacket for warmth)

Salt Lake City Weekly

Salt Lake Tribune
Out and About
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Sep/09052003/Friday/89750.asp

09/11/03– Denver – LARIMER LOUNGE –
We got to Denver later in the evening due to the long drive from Salt Lake City. By this time, It was all starting to feel like it was going so fast, yet like I’d been away from home for so long. It was an odd feeling. I was tired. But again, the show was great. We really couldn’ t have asked for a better tour for our first time out there. Sean made a long drive and was able to see us again in Denver and our friend Sandy joined us in Denver to handle the merch responsibilities for the remaining tour dates. Denver was another fun show and thanks to all that made it out to the show!!! Thanks to Scott for getting us the show!!! And thanks to those in attendance for dancing the night away with us!! We will be back!!!

Boulder Weekly – www.boulderweekly.com
Manda and the Marbles – Making a brand of punk that is as reminiscent of Blondie, the Go-Go’s and Tigertailz as it is of their latter-day pop-punk contemporaries, Manda and the Marbles is a souped-up sugar fix. Their hooks are infectious and bounce between your ears like a fond childhood memory, while their rhythms are tight and fast. The band’s debut CD, More Seduction, has brought the Columbus, Ohio, band national notice. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St., Denver, 303-291-0959.

Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~199~1609417,00.html

Denver Post
http://63.147.65.205/Stories/0,1413,36%257E140%257E1612387,00.html

09/12 /03– Kansas City – BALANCA’S PYRO ROOM
We got into town late, and grabbed a bite to eat…picked up the local rag and opened it to find an entire half page with my face on it with the caption “Valley girl Manda seems to have lost her Marbles”. My jaw dropped and we all screamed in laughter. Wow. Very odd indeed to arrive for the first time in a city and see your giant face staring back at you in the newspaper. Very odd indeed. And I didn’t lose my Marbles…they’ve been with me all along. Am I a valley girl? Ha ha… It freaked me out a little and I felt like I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. We all had a good laugh though and the boys were happy to see they were not left out and pictured on the following page as well. We were on our way to the club and well we pissed off the owner of the club because we got lost and ended up being a little late. We called and she was not very happy, but we were able to make amends. The show was cool. Thanks to Brit Schitt for setting the show up for us!!!

The Pitch
Manda & the Marbles
http://www.pitch.com/issues/2003-09-11/critics.html/1/index.html

09/13/03 – St Louis - THE WAY OUT CLUB
The final show of the tour was another great one. We decided we had to go all out since it was the last show of the tour and we were heading home. Fun times… and Sandy got some record email list signatures !! that girl knows how to work a crowd. Thanks to the Dead Celebrities for hooking us up with the show in St Louis. It was another great one and we plan to head back your way in the near future!!

I felt sad on the ride home actually…it was fun and now it was over. My knees are black and blue from sliding into Joe on the stage every night, but it’s the price I pay for rock and roll. I really love it and can’t think of anything I would rather do. We eagerly await the next time we venture out and hope to see you all again soon!! Until then….viva la rock n roll revolution!!!

10/22/03- NEW YORK CITY - CBGB's
This show was a great time. One of the high points of our NYC gig was getting the chance to meet Steve Dalton, the drummer for Holly and the Italians who ended up coming out to the show.. Needless to say, it was somewhat nerve wracking playing the song (Wanna Go Home) in front of one of the original writers. All went well though! He told Mark not to mess up the drum parts -- mark was so worried, but he pulled it off.

It's been a weird week for that - In one week we got the chance to communicate directly with some of the people that have inspired us. First it was Holly and the Italians' drummer, and then the classic powerpop band, the FAST CARS got in touch the other day. As some of you that have seen us live know, we play the chorus in our set to the FAST CARS song "THE KIDS JUST WANNA DANCE". It is a classic, great song!!! Want to hear our version? Come out to a show!! :)

After the gig we got to hang out with our friend Adam and also Drew from the STATIC AGE - one of my favorite bands - so it was a great time and we stayed up way too late... Thanks to Dan Slak for putting us up in NYC !!!