Shovelin’ USA Tour Wrap Up

What a month! 

Each weekend this past October Scott (Sugiuchi) and I were on the road selling special advance copies of Estrus: Shovelin’ the Shit Since ’87. Crider came along for a few of the events as well! Here’s how it all went down for those who missed the Shovelin’ USA Tour… 

October 6th - Bellingham, WA 

The tour started out where Estrus all began: Bellingham, Washington. The late afternoon affair at the Cabin Tavern was a reunion for many longtime Belly-Hammers, ’Hambillies and 3B Devotees. We got a special toast from Watts frontman Jeff Braimes, who recognized all those who are part of the local Estrus community. Plus, Al Von Zipper made it down from Calgary! The night ended with a bar-clearing set from Machine Animal at Ramble Tamble. Who would have thought a megaphone got everyone 86’d? 

October 7th - Seattle, WA 

Saturday night’s Easy Street Records stop marked the first panel of the tour, which featured the Makers’ Michael Maker, Gas Huffer/Monkeywrench guitarist Tom Price and the Statics’ Zack Static. We also had killer DJ sets from Easy Street’s Andy Nelson and local promoter Romany Peterson. And for the second night in a row, Crider wore his new flowery shirt.

October 8th - Portland, OR 

Well, Portland was simply a force. Scott and I were slinging and signing books nonstop at the Florida Room while Tina Luchessi (Trashwomen/Bobbyteens) and Cecilia Meneau (No-Talents) spun hits from their 45 collections. The panel featured Tina, Cecilia, Kelly Gator (Fireballs of Freedom) and Scott Pilgrim (Satan’s Pilgrims). Spoiler alert: The Rose City would be the one spot where we sold the most books in one sitting. And the crazy thing was everyone paid with real American dollars and not some sacred herb typical Portlanders use for currency. 

October 14th - San Francisco, CA 

Trent and Russell of the Mummies joined us at Amoeba Music in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. Before they began their joint DJ, I was asked to read a passage from the book to all the shoppers inside the store. One thing I quickly remembered about the book is that the font is size 12 in Times New Roman. So, the only way for me to read was to have the brick-of-a-book one inch from my face. Side note: design legend in the making Aaron Draplin came by to say hello! 

October 15th - Oakland, CA 

Across the Bay we landed at Oakland’s 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. Steve the owner made us feel right at home by defacing the shop’s in-store Lookout! Records sign. In addition to visits from the Trashwomen’s Dannielle Pimm and the Fells’ Jeff Glave, longtime Crust Club member Todd Caris informed us he he recently discovered a bootleg of the Makers at the Filmore that will soon be unearthed. 

October 20th - Chicago, IL 

I worked at Chicago TV station WGN from November ’21 through May ’23 — and usually with a tenure that short, the parting is usually on bad terms. Not the case though! I was so thrilled my co-workers invited me back to promote the book on the very show for which I used to write. Plus Dave got to check out the backstage Bozo displays. Watch the full interview here. 

October 21st - Chicago, IL 

Legendary Chicago staple Quimby’s Bookstore hosted our signing and Q&A. On hand for the discussion were Immortal Lee County Killers/Quadrajets’ Chet Weise, artist Alex Wald and photographer Marty Perez. Chet talked about what it was like being in a band on the label; Alex brought copies of his “Fire Shock” poster and explained its origins; and Marty was hard to pin down because he was up taking great pictures, as usual. If you are a zine freak and have never been to Quimby’s, you’re missing out. 

October 22nd - Chicago, IL 

October 22nd should be known as a holiday from here on out: Mike Miller Day. Delilah’s owner is the ultimate host — no one comes close. I could write another book just on the four days spent with Miller and his wife Sally. The party at the Lincoln Park whiskey bar that Sunday was one of the best I’ve ever been to in my 39 years on the planet. After the Immortal Lee County Killers tore through a ferocious, punk-blues repertoire—which also featured a guest appearance by Ken “Fucking” Vandermark—DJs Jim McCann (Baseball Furies) and Pete Nathon (Crown Royals) gave us a garage ’n’ soul dance party that lasted until 3am. Second spoiler alert: it took me a week to recover from this night alone. Damn you, Mike Miller. I love you, Mike Miller. 

October 27th - Austin, TX 

Scott’s designer network landed us an incredible opportunity at Austin’s Industry Print Shop. On Friday night the shop hosted a print-your-own-Estrus-shirt event where attendees got to pick from a handful of Estrus logos to use on a custom shirt. Iconic artist COOP showed up ahead of a Halloween Party (…at least that’s the excuse he gave us for his attire) to get a copy of the book. Eric Hartman of Emo’s fame also dropped by.

October 28th - Austin, TX 

Sugar Shack helped us close out the month of festivities with a set inside Breakaway Records. Don’t let a few grey hairs fool you. This band doesn’t age. Plus, we got a surprise Inhalants song too with guest singer Lisa Rickenberg. We sold out of books before the show even began, so I took that as a cue I could drink more. The night ended with a tour of Tim Kerr’s studio. 

Stay tuned for details on a couple events happening in December in Bellingham and Seattle. We’re also working out the details on a trip overseas. Thanks so much for coming to these things. It means a lot to Scott and me! 

Chris

To order your very own copy of Estrus: Shovelin’ the Shit Since ’87 click here.