Calexico - 11/13/08 - Washington, DC

We wake up to a cold grey morning outside XM radio studios. Everyone in the band and crew works on auto pilot to load in, set up and sound check for the Loft session.

Employees in the hallways are talking. Sirius just bought out XM and you can see the confusion on their faces. I ask some questions about who stays and who goes. There's some nice treatment for those leaving XM which is nice to hear but ultimately it's mostly XM staff that are fired.

The cafeteria is warm and there's more than enough food to feed an army. I wonder what it would be like to work at a place like this, a company man, like my Dad. Could I do this?

We return to the studio and knock out 13 songs. Tour manager, Joe Puleo, peers behind the door and gives us the signal to wrap things up. Time to head over to the 9:30 Club, one of the best clubs in the states. Period.

 

Great show tonight and the crew is badass. The Acorn has an amazing set. I wish we had more time so I could go over and check out the Richard Avedon show, Portraits of Power, at the Corcoran Gallery.

 

At some point during the show I make mention of the election and the crowd swells with cheers. It's from these moments that we are able to keep going even though energy levels are low. We hang tight to the mother ship that is the 9:30 Club and she takes care.