Very early Friday morning, 4:35 AM
Ring. Ring. Ring.
My voice, sleepily answers: “Hello?”
It was Mike.
“Chance, someone just tried to break into the van.”
Our drive to Oakland, the first show of our quick weekend tour, was a little delayed. Traffic, accidents; the usual sort of stuff. I can’t tell you how beautiful the day was though, and while it took a little while to pick up the U-Haul trailer, soon thereafter we packed the equipment and headed to our usual (and one might regard as superstitious) stop on the 5 at the In ‘n Out Burger in Valencia. After a few cheeseburgers (animal style…obviously) and fries ordered well done, we were on our way up north.
The Club we played on Thursday was the Stork Club in Oakland. Our usual SF club (The Rockit Room) was booked and it took us a little while to fill up an extra show (we originally wanted a Saturday night, but just couldn’t get it to work). So, Bob contacted the Stork Club and it seemed cool enough.
The problem was, about a week and a half before the date, they bumped our slot from first… 9 PM… to last…unknowable. Now, I could have dropped the show then and there, but driving all the way up there for 1 show is a lot of money especially given today’s gas prices (and oil corporations’ record setting profits…hmmm, coincidence?!!) But I decided it was better that we take the show so we could make friends with the local bands on the bill, and maybe win over a club that would “do right by us” the next time we came.
Now, I should say from the onset that EVERY SINGLE person we met at the stork club from the door guy (Steve), the sound guy (Paul) all the people in the bands on the bills (especially the guys in Invincible Czars from Austin, TX) were super cool to us. Seriously, can’t say enough about how nice it was. But I’m afraid that going on at (brace yourself) 1:15 AM in the fricking morning is not exactly what one would consider “worth it.” We were exhausted; Flanders was sick and cranky, and, in retrospect, this show was probably not worth it. But you can’t know ’til you know, right? And the story to tell is great, right?
Oh, dear reader; it gets better.
For the third time in the past year, our kind friend Jen let us sleep over her place. The funny thing about it is that it’s beautiful, but it’s in one of those urban areas that one would consider a “city revitalization project” where new modern & upscale townhouses, apartments, and condos are plopped right into oh how should I put this?…very bad neighborhoods. Last time we stayed there she did mention to ‘not let the crack addicts…’ that frequented the neighborhood corners to’ bother us’; they were ‘scary looking but basically harmless.’
We pulled up to her street at around 3 AM, when Mike, my guitar player suggested, “you know, this place is just giving me a feeling; I think I’m going to sleep in the van tonight.”
It’s Mike’s van that we get to use on these Nor Cal tour dates that we do, so I can understand his want to protect it.
Flanders went to bed pretty quickly on a couch, while Steve, Bob and I ate our leftover thai food before attempting sleep.
It was about an hour later…That’s when the phone rang with Mike’s up-to-the-minute crime reporting.
“Chance, someone just tried to break in the van.”
“What!!???” I said.
“Yea, some guy, came by on a ten speed. He actually looked into the van and because he was still on his bike, he bumped the passenger side door. That’s what woke me up!”
I interrupted his story with the usual stream of holy sh*ts’ et al before he continued:
“Since he didn’t see me, he leaned his bike against the fence. I sat up (Mike was lying on one of the long seats in the back of his ‘Rastro Van’) and watched him walk towards the back of the trailer. He put down a bag he had and pulled out a set of bolt cutters. I thought, ‘holy sh*t, this guy has bolt cutters!!’ Once I saw that, I knew it’d be only moments before he took off our lock on the back. So I honked the horn.”
“Oh my God! How long did you lean on the horn?” I asked.
“About 3 seconds.”
“Ok, so like ‘One thousand one, one thousand two…?”
“Yea, something like that…”
Mike continued:
So, he looks up, quickly walks over to his bike. At that point, he stumbled as he tried to get on it. I still don’t think he saw me. Then he just took off.”
“Holy SH*T!!!!”
“Yea, seriously.”
“Dude,” I said; I don’t know what to… ugh! Man. Well, first of all I’m so glad you’re ok.”
“Yea, I’m fine.”
“But…” I continued. Do you think he’s coming back? I mean, I’m going to get dressed. I’ll meet you down there.”
But Mike said, “Nah man. It’s probably ok. I doubt he’s coming back. I mean, who knows….”
“Man, I can not believe how calm you are.”
“Yea, I had a pretty rough childhood.”
We talked some more, and I told him to give me 5 minutes, and I’d be down there. I just didn’t feel safe with him down there alone. We got off the phone and I started to get ready.
I came in to wake & tell the guys what happened and startled Flanders in the process (he probably thought I was one of Jen’s cats.)
Then Mike called back. He suggested it wasn’t worth it for me to come down because what if he came back and you know, it’s just not safe to walk around while something could be going down. We discussed whether Mike should consider driving the van away to some where safer, when:
“Dude, he’s back!! He just rode his bike by the van!! I bet he probably thought it was one of those proximity alarms! Can you see him? He’s catty corner to where the van is!!”
I looked outside the window and couldn’t see anything.
“Mike, I’m not getting off the phone with you until you’re driving away!!
“Getting in the seat,” Mike play by played. “Putting the key in the car.” (ding ding ding went the car’s interior). Mike started up Rastro Van and continued: “and I’m off and running. Ok, I’m driving.”
He drove around while we stayed on the phone. At that point it was five minutes to 5.
“You know, I’m going to pull into this Home Depot. All the day laborers are here and the stockers are piling stuff in and out of the store.”
Ok. Well, call me for anything. Security guard hassles, anything. I’m sleeping with my phones in my hand.”
We said our versions of good night, and seriously, I slept with my phone in my hand. I think I woke up every 30 minutes for the 1st 3 hours. The reason was I didn’t even hear Mike’s first call. It would be 7 or 8 minutes after the incident before we spoke.
Around 10 AM the next morning, I called him and he was still pretty calm, cool and collected. He came by to pick us up and the most hilarious part of this was that the guy was STILL THERE!!! Mike said his eyes opened like saucers when he saw the van/trailer ride by him. The 4 of us quickly ran downstairs but no confrontation or anything happened. We were all hungry, and went to a Dennys style restaurant called Lyons (infinitely better than SUCK ASS DENNY’s in my opinion). We grabbed grub, walked over to a TJ to get some grub for the ride to Sacramento.
Sacramento re-cap coming next.
Please visit mynameischance.com and Chance Music.
