I'm a sad panda....

My fellow panda bears...

I address you today from the St. Louis airport at gate A15. I have spent almost a month on tour with the fine females of Phi Breta Radin, but sadly my journey has come to an end. Last night was my last show at the Duck Room in St. Louis, MO. I finally got to meet Erin Mccarley which was a treat. Her songs really are somethin special. and she's got a feathered guitar strap which is kick ass. I am so tired today, however, because since embarking on this strange adventure I have become nocturnal, and cannot go to bed like normal people. was up until about 6am this morning packing. Well.. let me rephrase. I had to organize everything to the best of my ability to fit into my suitcase. I barley shoved my second petty coat into my carry on and here's the funny kicker... I have to wear my other tutu IN THE AIRPORT, and fly home with this thing on. I guess it's not just a stage piece, but everyday wear. I wonder how many people think I escaped an insane asylum.

Well, I hope the girls continue to blog on the next 2 weeks. I want to thank everyone SO much for coming out to our shows. Vanessa was an absolute pleasure to play with, Josh surrounds himself with such amazing musicians and people it was hard to pick a favorite. haha jk. they're all my favorites.

UMMM quick side note... there's a random blue rocking chair in the terminal. I'm gonna try and snap a picture of it.


WEIRD!

well anyways. me and my tutu have to get on a plane now.
I'll post some more pictures and things. hopefully people are still reading... we kinda dropped the ball on blogging. SO BUSY US GIRLS!

-love you all





PS. FOR BLUE EYES... EYES ONLY!!!!

-"Blaaahhhhhh" (picture in head: throwing up in plastic wine cup)

Comfort of Strangers

Bikini contest in Greensboro, N.C

Look Ma! No Hands!

Allie being adorable




Some strapping Austin stage hands:
















This was a big day for me




















Jen enjoying a dozen oysters in Birmingham



















Ryan checking out the rider food...

New Skirt and a new outlook on life

Hey my lovely friends,

I found myself at my computer this afternoon staring at a blank screen. I really wanted to write today, in what I guess is now my public journal (that I share with 3 other girls) but couldn't find anything significant to write. However, in the last 72 hours I've learned a lot about myself, and until the last 5 haven't been able to really process it. So here's what I've been processing.

Self-consciousness. Seriously. Why? What is it that causes us to internalize other peoples actions? I have been doing it my whole life, and its so exhausting. I can't sit here and contemplate why anymore, all I know right now is that I am more comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been in my life. I'm so grateful to the people whom I've encountered and talked to these last few weeks. I've learned more about myself than I anticipated to, and that's what makes touring so damn cool.
How craaaazy is it to be living on a bus with 10 other people? Traveling from state to state, meeting at least 50 new people every night, living off lunch meat and PB&J's? I'm so grateful I get to experience this. If I had a choice between this and ANY other job in the world, it wouldn't take me longer than a second to choose the status quo.
The good, the bad, the drunk, the loud, the ugly, the beautiful, the heat and the cold.... I'm enjoying every moment. This tour, along with the previous ones these past 2 years, have really helped me learn more about myself.
I don't know if this is the kind of subject you were hoping to read, or if I should be sharing any of this with you, but I had to get it off my chest.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE :)
I posted some pictures below... in the next blog down... from the last couple of days. Today we're in Philly (30 mins away from my home town!). We had lunch at this amazing Vietnamese restaurant, then Laura and I walked around China town for a while. We went into this great store that is exactly like every store in Asia... trinkets everywhere, people following you around to make sure you don't steal (smart by the way), cool instruments that we had NO idea how to play... I had a good time. Then we went back to the hotel, chilled for awhile and saw The Dark Knight. gotttaaaa say... pretty dark. I really loved it, but it made Heath Ledgers death all the more sad. By the way, I had to pee the entire movie and I think I may have really pushed my bladders limit this time.
then you know...Jen, Jeremy, Ali, Laura and I got in a cab and went back to the hotel. Overall, good rainy day in Philly.

I am excited for the show tomorrow. Really hope you all have been enjoying the shows as much as we have been. We're in the northeast now and truckin our way up to Canada.

I'm gonna hit the hay now. We get to sleep on beds tonight which is FANTASTIC! Waking up for a nice walk around the city. SO ON THAT NOTE.... Goodnight kiddies. thank you for taking the time to let me vent :)

-Alexa

PS. pretzel bites + fake cheese= regretful morning.

I think its a better look for me :)

she won this in a bachi-ball competition

It's all very zen.....

take notes ladies

Ali at Fox News

Hot... Muggy... Early... but still all smiles

Truck Stop
Location: Unknown
Needed Items: None
Clothing Selection: HILARIOUS

bubble mirror pic

Jumbo+ Gum balls= JUMBLO

Birmingham, AL

A couple of days ago we played in Birmingham, AL.  In the morning, we played on Fox 6.  It was really hot!!  Here's the YouTube video.....

Some cool views of Birmingham from the roof of the TV station....

Walmart

I think I've been to Walmart enough times this tour to fill my lifetime quota....  I dared myself to eat the sushi there.  I didn't get sick and it was actually good!  I love going to Walmart either really tired in the early morning or drunk in the middle of the night.  It's really fun to see what stupid impulse buys I leave with.  Today I bought metallic colored markers and Miley Cyrus lollipops.................

No Country for Young Girls

Our bus popped a tire on our way to Nashville yesterday....which gave us the opportunity to reenact Oscar winning movies in Mississippi....these are our "scary" faces.......we tried:(

Viva Nashvegas.

Bonjour Ladies and Gents,

In my last blog, or should I say first blog... I made a boo boo.

I said we were in Houston, but we were in Dallas.

MY baaaaad.

So moving on... We arrived in Nashville last night around 7:30pm. We were suppose to get here earlier, but our bus had a boo boo and we had to give eulogy to a tire. I, however, was asleep through all of this, so I missed the excitement... but I heard it was a heck of a time at the truck stop.
After we got into town, a bunch of us went to dinner at this great restaurant "Zola", which was recommended by the lovely and talented Jen Kuhn (one of our fellow contributors). Dinner was great, and drinks downtown were even better. We ended our night playing darts and closing down a bar, the hoping in a cab back to the bus.


Changing subjects...this picture is my favorite. this one, to my left. I have to agree with Laura that touring with girls is essential. So many feminine qualities are forgotten when the ratio exceeds 5:1.... So this tour I have to say is one of the best times I've ever had. Everyone on this tour is a good soul.

I've finally figured out how to pack for tour. So I have some travel tips for anyone who is going to be gone for a long stretch of time:

1. ALWAYS carry more underwear than you think you'll need. Chances are... you'll need it. (god knows when a good laundromat will come along)
2. When you pack, try to leave extra room. Seems we have all the time in the world to fold at the start, but it gets harder to keep organized as the trip goes on. also... for the obvious answer... you might go shopping.
3. Pack a good, and very mobile toiletry kit. It really helps when you're moving from city to city.
4. Bring a few key outfits and build around those. As you can see in the photo to my left, dresses are in abundance on this tour. They're small, easy to pack, and
easy to build around.
5. Bring pictures from home, and annoy people with blown up cat faces on your computer screen. Oh yes, I've got a giant picture of my kitty as my desktop screen.

I had a few more, but I feel like 5 is enough.
Ok, its back to bed for me :) I'm excited for the show tonight in Nashville. I'm also excited to take my mid morning nap in the hotel room.... yay for beds!

-Alexa

Houston? I don't even know her!

Blogging is tough without a laptop so I've gotta do it when I can. Right now I'm in the back lounge of the bus and we're parked outside the Houston venue. Alexa is inside sound checking, Vanessa and Jen are off on the never ending search for fresh vegetables and Ali is buried under piles of merch.
I can't believe its only the 5th show of this tour, it feels like its been a year since we left LA! I've adjusted pretty quickly for a newbie and think I could get used to this kind of transient kind of life....Lessons learned:
No number two on the bus EVER
No talking in the bunk area
Short people can and should sleep on the top bunk
Plugs are more precious than gold
Bus drivers have a lot of good stories
Touring with girls is essential
Hotel pools are the place to be
Coffee is hard to find in Texas
Walmart is evil but necessary
Girls in Texas are very touchy feely
You can and should sneak into the hotel hot tub at 2 am
People eat fried chicken gizzards
Friday night in Austin is insane

We started off in Arizona with two great shows in Tempe and Phoenix. I don't remember much because I was so uptight about getting everything right and meeting everyone on the bus. Once we hit Texas however, everything changed. The band sounds like a band, the people on the bus are now my family, privacy has gone out the window (as has shame) and the crowds are getting rowdier and more fun as we go along.

Gotta go put my face on and watch Alexa kick ass in her set. After Alexa, its Vanessa's turn and she's a true pro and and an amazing performer. I'm learning a lot from these ladies.

more to come!

xo,
Laura

Awesome Dance Moves

Here's the video I promised.....no judging......

"What?"

On our day off in Austin, TX - we hit up this awesome dueling piano bar named "Pete's"....

We did not get fed......:(  

Our stylish cowboy boots.......

We're almost drunk......

Awesome dance video of this night to come....Whenever Google will let me upload....

Alexa has a new hat...

Hey ya'll. yes I said "ya'll". We have been in Texas for three days now and I'm starting to feel like I belong. We rolled into Austin two nights ago around 11pm and immediately after docking at our Courtyard Marriot day room, we went out to a dueling piano bar on 6th St. I probably had a little more "fun" than I should have, but that's how us Phi Breta Radin's roll baby. Around 3am we rounded up the gang to try to get into the pool to go swimming, but sadly security guards came shortly after. Even Jansen and all her glorious people skills couldn't get the hotel manager to say yes to our desire of a nice romp in some chlorine. 

The show at the Parish was a good one, for me at least. I bought a new hat yesterday before the show. To be honest... I've bought MANY hats over the years, but no hat has ever wanted me so bad as this one did, and continues to... want... me. Ohhh yea. It was like love at "first glance of shelf area." This chick even got some on stage shout outs about the hat. Oh yes, it's that F**king cool.

So after the show, I had to go back to the dueling piano bar to retrieve my ID and credit card, had a few drinks then went back to the bus to go sleepy sleeps. Woke up around 2pm and now here I am, in Houston, writing you the first blog of the Phi Breta Radin tour blog. Jen and Laura will probably write one after soundcheck.

So many good pictures and video's to come, so stop by often chickadees. Much love for all the intrigued souls reading this. Stay cool! Drink a sugar free Marg!

-remember, hugs are like Hanky Panky's... one size fits all.

-ALEXA

www.alexawilkinson.com

myspace.com/alexawilkinson

Here we are with our laminates............courtesy of Alexa