The Otter Farm - Ornery Rants

The Otter Farm
The Otter Farm
Ornery Rants

the Lost Dog
Shepherdstown, WV

Our Second Anniversary Show: What a Huge, Wonderful Failure

7.15.98

Maybe it was our advertising strategy. We took out a full page ad in a literary ‘zine with a total distribution of 20. Maybe it was the location. There's not much to be said for playing an anniversary show 70 miles from home. Maybe it was the season. College towns in the summer aren't known to be hopping. Maybe it was the fact that the only other thing to do in town that night was the world premier of a play commissioned for a nationally-renowned theater festival that eventually made the front page of the Post. Whatever it was, Saturday night, we played to a near-capacity crowd of 12 at the Lost Dog in Shepherdstown, WV. Six of whom came in our cars. You can't blame us. The stars were all lined up goofy. I got stuck in the middle of the Shenandoah River on the way up and were it not for a herd of drunken rafters I never would have made it at all. And at that I showed up 40 minutes late without the opening band in tow. When I got there, Ty was justifiably all kinds of pissed off at my delayed arrival. After a great set by the Beggars Trail an hour behind schedule we finally took stage and I instantly broke the first of 4 strings (3 G's and an B). And our headphones were only working in the left channel which meant we could hardly hear let alone pick up on the grooves we were throwing to each other. And all the broken strings prevented any extended jams from laying themselves out. We did kick it out on "The Greatest Story Ever Told." It was a birthday gift for Dylan Kinnet. And "Princess Bridge" was pretty bright. But other than that, we cut our losses and moved on. But you've got to appreciate these failures. You'd think after 2 years of spreading The Leis and all the press coverage we have garnered that we could go anywhere and rake in the love. But sometimes it all sucks and you pack up and reconsider. Which is where I am now. It's a good thing we're not playing again for months. We're setting up shop in Smelly Hell and not coming out until we've got all the basic tracks for the new album. Whenever the hell that is. When I got home, I got a message from a club owner in town. KM, if you're reading this, we'd be glad to play. For $1,200. If anyone has a poster of Che Guevara, send it to your leisurelyness. We need decorations.

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the Lost Dog Shepherdstown, WV	Our Second Anniversary Show: What a Huge, Wonderful Failure
	7.15.98
	Maybe it was our advertising strategy. We took out a full page ad in a literary ‘zine with a total distribution of 20. Maybe it was the location. There's not much to be said for playing an anniversary show 70 miles from home. Maybe it was the season. College towns in the summer aren't known to be hopping. Maybe it was the fact that the only other thing to do in town that night was the world premier of a play commissioned for a nationally-renowned theater festival that eventually made the front page of the Post. Whatever it was, Saturday night, we played to a near-capacity crowd of 12 at the Lost Dog in Shepherdstown, WV. Six of whom came in our cars. You can't blame us. The stars were all lined up goofy. I got stuck in the middle of the Shenandoah River on the way up and were it not for a herd of drunken rafters I never would have made it at all. And at that I showed up 40 minutes late without the opening band in tow. When I got there, Ty was justifiably all kinds of pissed off at my delayed arrival. After a great set by the Beggars Trail an hour behind schedule we finally took stage and I instantly broke the first of 4 strings (3 G's and an B). And our headphones were only working in the left channel which meant we could hardly hear let alone pick up on the grooves we were throwing to each other. And all the broken strings prevented any extended jams from laying themselves out. We did kick it out on "The Greatest Story Ever Told." It was a birthday gift for Dylan Kinnet. And "Princess Bridge" was pretty bright. But other than that, we cut our losses and moved on. But you've got to appreciate these failures. You'd think after 2 years of spreading The Leis and all the press coverage we have garnered that we could go anywhere and rake in the love. But sometimes it all sucks and you pack up and reconsider. Which is where I am now. It's a good thing we're not playing again for months. We're setting up shop in Smelly Hell and not coming out until we've got all the basic tracks for the new album. Whenever the hell that is. When I got home, I got a message from a club owner in town. KM, if you're reading this, we'd be glad to play. For $1,200. If anyone has a poster of Che Guevara, send it to your leisurelyness. We need decorations.