In 2004 my friend Greg Norman, a recording engineer at Electrical Audio in Chicago, played me some songs from his band, The Bitter Tears. What I heard was a melodic, black-humored two-step with an oboe solo. Then he played me “Murdered At The Bar”, and I was an instant fan. A few weeks later, I caught their live show. It looked as if a monsoon had ravaged a drag hag cat house, and the survivors brought horns to celebrate its ruin. They became my favorite band.
Five years later I got a call to join my favorite band. We toured the world with our dysfunctional orchestral country rock cabaret.
Selections below link to the original tour diary The Mush Behind Your Tongue In Cheek.
Carbon Footprint Tour 2009
March 12 • Gasthaus • Elgin IL
March 13 • Basement 414 • Lansing MI
March 14 • Old Miami • Detroit MI
March 15 • Glasslands • Brooklyn NY
March 16 • Day Off • NYC
March 17 • Mohawk Place • Buffalo NY
March 18 • Pour Haus • Lousiville KY
March 19 • Nocturnal • Memphis TN
March 20 • Valley of the Vapors • Hot Springs, AR
March 21 • Russian Recording • Bloomington, IN
B.Y.O.B.O.B.G.Y.N. Tour 2009
June 19 • Sugar Maple • Milwaukee WI
June 20 • Medusa • Minneapolis MN
June 24 • Matinee • Akron OH
June 25 • Matinee • Cleveland OH
June 26 • Hexagon • Baltimore MD
June 27 • Day Off • Baltimore
June 28 • Black Cat • Washington DC
The Bitter Tears European Vacation 2009
August 27 & 28 • Lido • Berlin DE
August 29 • Vox Hall • Aarhus DK
August 30 • Debaser • Malmo SE
August 31 • Knust • Hamburg DE
September 1 • Travel Day • Hamburg DE, Bruge BE, Calais FR
September 2 • Bush Hall • London UK
September 3 • Audio • Brighton UK
September 4 • Brudenell Social Club • Leeds UK
September 5 • Day Off • Great Britain
September 6 • The Art Organisation • Nottingham UK
September 7 • Institute of Contemporary Arts • London UK
September 8 • Travel Day • Amsterdam NL
September 9 • Schocken • Stuttgart DE
September 10 • El Lokal • Zurich CH
September 11 • Le Romandie • Lausanne CH
September 12 • Sinister Noise • Rome IT
September 13 • Zuni • Ferrara IT
September 14 • Clan Destino • Faenza IT
September 15 • Travel Day • Nice FR
September 16 • Localypso • Lons FR
September 17 • Due • Don Benito ES
September 18 • La Faena • Madrid ES
September 19 • Arrebato XV Aniversario • Zaragoza ES
September 20 • Bonberenea • Tolosa ES
September 21 • Pavillons Sauvages • Toulouse FR
September 22 • Travel Day • La Frette Sur Seine FR
September 23 • Day Off • Paris FR
September 24 • Havenkwartier • Deventer NL
September 25 • L’Emile Vache • Metz FR
September 26 • Freihaus • Heilbronn DE
September 27 • West Germany • Berlin DE
Lactose Intolerance 2009
November 13 • The Inferno • Madison WI
Aimlessly Wandering The Midwest 2010
March 18 • Independent Media Center • Urbana IL
March 19 • 2720 Cherokee Art Gallery • St. Louis MO
March 20 • Valley of the Vapors • Hot Springs AR
March 28 • Circle A • Milwaukee WI
April 10 • Peoria Theater • Peoria IL
Close The Windows & Turn On The Gas European Tour 2010
May 12 • Havenkwartier • Deventer NL
May 13 • L’Aquilone • Liege BE
May 14 • L’Emile Vache • Metz FR
May 15 • Brussels Cancellation
May 16 • Day Off • France, Germany, Switzerland
May 17 • Boschbar • Zurich CH
May 18 • Travel Day • Nice FR
May 19 • Centro Cultural de Matadero • Huesca ES
May 20 • Ralo • Salamanca ES
May 21 • La Faena • Madrid ES
May 22 • La Late de Bombillas • Zaragoza ES
May 23 • Kasal de Roquetes • Barcelona ES
May 24 • Desafinado • Zaragoza ES
May 25 • L’Apocalypso • Bizanos FR
May 26 • Spoutnik • Nantes FR
May 27 • Bush Hall • London UK
May 28 • Labour Club • Northampton UK
May 29 • Thekla • Bristol UK
May 30 • Trent University • Nottingham UK
May 31 • Cardigan Arms • Leeds UK
One Last Cheese Flight 2010
July 9 • Quencher’s • Chicago IL
July 10 • Project Lodge • Madison WI
July 11 • Circle A • Milwaukee WI
The Magic Skull 2010
October 30 • saki • Chicago IL
Drumber 