Thursday evening we made the trek out to Daytona Beach for a show at the Seabreeze Metal Lounge. It had been raining all day in Orlando so we hoped it would die down the closer we got to the coast. We were wrong. In fact, we drove through a torrential downpour to get into the coastal town. Once there we navigated the tricky one way street that is Seabreeze and found the venue.
The place had a cool vibe and looked very much like a basement in someone's home. One of the bands had dropped off the show the night before, so we rolled into town at 6pm and had some time to kill since we wouldn't be starting the show until 8:30. However, the rain prevented us from having any real fun and hampered our attempts to collect any video of the event. We walked down a dark street to a 7-Eleven to find a restroom and some entertainment. I don't trust 7-Eleven's that don't also have gas stations attached. I don't know why. We loitered for a bit and headed back out into the storm.
Upon re-arrival to the venue we found the door finally unlocked so we proceeded to load in. Bert drove the wrong way down the one way street and countless people came out of their businesses to yell at him. Funny stuff. We set up, soundchecked, and walked around the bar to read the walls which were full of band names and satanic verses. Amusing.
A small crowd started to gather, and two beers later it was time to play.

This was our 50th show ever but no one seemed to care all that much. The kids seemed to enjoy our set even though they were there for the second band. I did as much audience interaction as possible and they were quick to clap when asked and I shared some witty banter with a few random people.
Songs appearing in our set included Send a Letter, Through My Eyes, They Always Say, Extra Twenty, Completely, East Coast, Information, Never Saw it Coming, and Girl Like Her. A pretty average set for us.

After loading out, Doug and myself set off in search of food. Apparently everything in Daytona closes at 9pm so we had to drive to a Burger King down the street. That place was super shady. In the restroom there was about an inch of water on the floor, the urinal coughed when I flushed, and the faucet sprayed me in the face.

After that it was back to the venue to collect Bert and JoAnna and we were on our way back to Orlando. Since we're playing Daytona again next Friday at a venue right across the street from the Metal Lounge we're hoping to see some repeat faces.

On Thursday, December 15th we'll be playing our final Orlando show of the year downtown at Back Booth with some great bands that include Luxembourg, Jason Choi and the Sea, & The West Fifties.
I get this sinking feeling that with both of the shows we have coming up, our music may be a little out of place. Wait... isn't that every show?

Last night was the office Holiday Party. Good times there. Open bar, free food, and danceable music. Doug took his wife and I just wandered from crowd to crowd drinking and dancing like a white guy.

Work tomorrow morning at 7am. Can't I get a break?

Album Recommendation of the Week:
This Day & Age - Always Leave the Ground
www.purevolume.com/thisdayandage

This group is signed to the Orlando label One-Eleven Records. This label was quite small a few years ago when Doug and I first moved to Florida, but they've quickly recruited a roster of great bands including Rory, The Spill Canvas, Inkwell, and Rookie of the Year.
I was surfing PureVolume a couple days ago and ran across This Day & Age. The first thought I had when I heard them was that this is what The Format might sound like if they rocked a little harder. I grabbed the album and have been listening to it for the last few days straight. It gets my stamp of approval, as if that counts for anything.

-Wes