At the very last minute...

... Easy Way Out was tapped to support headliners Ill Scarlet at an awesome club called the Foundation. Saying yes to such a request is certainly a simple task, however, executing a plan to follow through and actually make it to the gig can be a long and arduous experience. Especially when the show is way the hell up in Barrie, On.

Before I get into this tale of epic adventure, 2 things should be noted. A) this is going to be a long post, so you you may want hit "Print Screen" and take this into the crapper B) playing at the Foundation in Barrie, On. at 8:00pm on Thursday November 29, 2007 was one of the most electric experiences Easy Way Out has ever had the opportunity to be a part of. Thank you to our Barrie audience for making EWO feel so welcome and for making damn sure that we get invited back to play again soon. Cheers.

Back to the story already in progress...
So, sleepy eyed and surely recently relieved, drummer Mark Cesario checked the EWO MySpace account as he does every morning over a decadent bowl of Count Chocula. An email had been sent out from Panda Productions to a number of bands regarding a tremendous opportunity to fill in for a band that dropped out of an Ill Scarlet show. Cesario moved without hesitation, in fact the last sentence from the email hadn't even been read yet by the time he was dialing guitarist Mauro Cecchi... from there the ball of communication began rolling like a 280lb greased up ball bearing heading down hill on a clear patch of asphalt.

Within a half hour all of the members of EWO were on board. But, Murphy, that son of a bitch, decided to practice his stupid law for chumps and contact his next door neighbour, Dr.Obstacle, who felt the need to check in on our situation and mix things up a little.

Prognosis: one guitar in the shop (not such a big deal, we'll get you a loaner) and one set of FUBAR brakes (potentially life threatening, you probably shouldn't go anywhere today)

... uh thanks Doc but you can go to hell, we decided to get a second opinion from Sinsei Success, who told us "he who stand still, never go anywhere" .... what? So since we didn't understand any of that either EWO just said f**k it, we'll get there if it kills us.

Mark and Andrew, each traveling from different directions, went up on their own. Mauro went to pick up Jay in Markham and they both headed to Woodbridge where Reef was patiently waiting. This is where a vehicle switch would be made and all three would head up together in Reef's reliable truck. Dr.Obstacle was back again... this time with help from GridLoc, the Norse god of bumper to bumper traffic. Mauro and Jay were blocked in every direction. Then it began to set in; that same dark dampening feeling of futility a child feels when he realizes that the Easter Bunny ain't real, the Tooth fairy's a sham and that Santa is just uncle Chester liquored up on holiday eggnog sporting a red suit and white beard. In one graceful turn of the head, Mauro looked at Jay and uttered in a Stallone-Esq tone: We're takin' this shitbox to Barrie. Mauro called Reef, told him to "go on without us". Mauro pulled onto the shoulder of the 407, took it to the Bathurst exit and began traveling north.

Tracking the back roads until they were well ahead of the 400 traffic and maintaining a combative attitude towards the elements, Mauro and Jay finally rejoined the rest of EWO unscathed and reasonably unshaken. This would be the last trip Mauro's car ever made. Once we got home at the end of the night, it would no longer go into reverse and a few days later.... it died. May it rest in peace.

Sound check went well though...

... and the show... well that's a post for another day. Just getting there is an exhausting tale to recount.