Chapter 12.8 – The Bushweeds Autumn Tour 2023: part VIII – The Thirsty Cave.

 

Here's a place named "The Thirsty Cave", that's where I hang around

Where nobody turn their face if you take of the ground

Dead heads all around, pints of escape in their hands

Nobody's talking but they're some kind of friends

Here I sit and watch the time pass me by

I still see your face, waving goodbye...

- "The Thirsty Cave", Greenland Whalefishers

Tuesday – September 27^th

..but she didn't do that, of course. Again, they couldn't leave their vocalist and lead guitarist behind, but Kajsa did think that she should have a talk with Gerda later. This couldn't become a habit.. sure enough, they were only a simple, straightforward punk band at the core, but some punctuality should still be expected..

Merete didn't want Gerda being a little late again dampen the mood, so she told the bus driver to switch to the hip hop channel and turn up the volume as loud as possible to make sure that everyone on the street could hear that the speakers were going hammer and that The Bushweeds were in town. ;)

 

It looks like the band had left the festival grounds just at the right moment, because as the bus drove them up the Newstead hill to park outside the venue, a hailstorm came rolling in over town..

"So is that what "The Cave" looks like?" Sam asked, pointing towards the greyish white building to their left.

"No" Kajsa replied "we're actually playing inside a cave. You see those chainlink gates in that park there? That's where we're playing."

"What? Down here?" Sam said as they ran out of the bus to quickly head inside and avoid getting hit by the hail dropping down on them from the clouds above..
"Sweet! I wonder what the acoustics are gonna be like down there. I've never been inside a cave before!" Sam was definately enthustiastic about such a unique location, as he rushed inside to be the first one to enter.

 

"Oh.. this looks like a place for vampires" he thought after walking downstairs, finding himself in a long hallway only lit up by small tealight candles on either side. "I don't want to draw to much attention to myself, in case there some in there..." He paused by the stairs for a while, thinking it was best if they walked in there as a group. It was probably also better if he wore something a little less flashy and more regular. He didn't feel like standing out to much, you know, just in case.

 

..and so the band entered the cave for the first time. A legendary rock club run by volunteer students since 1969, located in what was once a bomb shelter during the cold war era.. but now, and important hangout for young academics and other punks with an interest in concerts and late night conversations over a glass of beer or two..

 

It was Kajsa who had managed to fix this deal for them, as she thought this should be the perfect place for them to play, and to gain popularity among the young and the hip of the city.. it was just to bad, again, that right now the place was deader than a ghost town... without ghosts!

It was hard being an up and coming band travelling half way across the country only to play night after night to almost nobody, but atleast they got paid, and it seems that after every concert rumour did spread around to make them more popular in every place they stopped.. yet somehow it was never good enough to make people actually attend their shows. They could only hope that with time this would show in record sales and the number of streams of their songs on Simify...

And of course, as expected, Merete wanted to warm up before the show by ordering a drink from the bar, but Kajsa gave her no time for that, as she called her band over to the stage for a brief sound check and musical warm up on their instruments before the concert was announced to start and they had to start playing.. maybe some people would show up listening during the concert. Maybe they needed to play one louder...

 

A one and a two and a three.. well, here we go again! As aways, under the direction of Kajsa increasingly steady beat, the band gave it their all and had great fun doing what they loved, but they had to admit to themselves that it would have been twice as fun atleast if they just for once could have an actual audience and not play to the walls, empty tables and chairs..

 

Even the one and only paparazzo who had showed up to cover this event was more busy taking photos of the restroom signs and the staircase leading down to the toilets...

 

This was perhaps their strangest concert yet..

 

There was one guy there though who had come for a sandwich.. as Gerda went on to improvise a short guitar solo over the bands backing beat, she hoped that he atleast would enjoy the show enough to spread the word to his friends, and that their music would soon be at heard at every student party across town.. they deserved that much for having come all the way here to play for them!

 

..and then for the grand finale. "This is going to be our last song for the night.. this ones a real floor filler. Everybody get on your feet!" Gerda said with irony as Kajsa counted up the beat "This one's called 'Thanks for nothing". Alright, here we go!"

 

- After the concert -

The band played as loud and hard as they could, doing their best to end it with a bang, before it was time to put down the instruments. If they could build a reputation as a solid live band who played every show with fervor and energy, then maybe one day they could actually attract an audience of the right people.. the misfits, the punks and rockers who wouldn't turn the opportunity to dance in their own way to some good old gritty party punk!

 

...but now it was time to collect what it was all about, even for a punk band: money. Kajsa had instructed Gerda to be the one to pick it up this time, but she would still follow her as she went over to the bartender to get paid.. and then ask for her to hand the money over to her afterwards, so that she could count them and split them evenly among the band members..

 

The band made 2000 simoleons for this job, and was awarded with 100 celebrity points each.

 

Merete celebrated her increased fame level by dancing alone in front of the stage...

 

Sam had lined up next to the sandwich eating kid and the bouncer to order a drink, while the paparazzo was still busy taking pictures of the stone walls and the restroom signs...

 

Then finally the paparazzo turns around to actually notice the band..

 

"Oh my watcher! Is that Sam from The Bushweeds? I can't believe it!"

 

The paparazzo approaches him now, wondering if she should ask for an autograph or his picture.. or both. Sam, who has been in a conversation with the sandwich eating youngster, now receives an insult. Somehow they had gotten in on the topic of astrology, which Sam mostly believes is nonsense, which of course didn't sit well with the youngster..

The paparazzo notices the tension and finds it best not to ask anyone for an autograph right now. A picture for her own keeping will have to do...

 

Sam then belittles the youngster for being rude, which is noticed by Kajsa. Remebering the incident in Bridgewood, she doesn't want to see any of her band members in a fight with a local, so she decides to keep a watchful eye on Sam so that she can be ready to intervene in case the situation should escalate.

 

The paparazzo has noticed to and has finally began to do her job right as she takes out her notepad to write down what just happened. Spending several days on tour and riding a car for hours on end to play show after show for a very limited crowd can take its toll on anyone, and though Sam now appears to have calmed down after shouting at the youngster Kajsa still keeps an eye on him as he walks behind the bar to chat with the bartender. Just in case.

 

..and rightfully so as Sam then launches into an argument with the bartender as well, this time for no good reason. Then Kajsa finds she has to step in and pull Sam away from the situation.

 

Everyone in the band (except Gerda who is still full from the eating contest earlier) is starting to get a little hungry, so Kajsa calls for Sam to get out from behind the bar and suggests that maybe they should buy a meal and get something to eat.. a full stomach may also make him a little more relaxed and just be enought to prevent som fight from breaking out..

 

Meanwhile the bouncer, who hasn't been doing her job watching the door for a single second, has gone up on stage to practice playing guitar.. well, who needs a bouncer when there's hardly any people coming anyway...

 

So Merete and Kajsa has ordered and eaten (or is eating) their meal, while Gerda wanted a drink, and Sam is waiting to get his order. And that's all it took.. for Kajsa to turn her eyes away from Sam just for a brief moment..

 

Life on the road must have taken its toll on both of their patience, because while Kajsa peacefully ate her meal by the table, Sam took the opportunity to hurl an insult at Gerda and accusing her for skipping the line.. which Gerda didn't take very well and rewarded him with a slap to the face..

 

..and then the fight was on. Where's the party spirit now? Well, it's not here...

 

Kajsa, are you paying attention? I think your band members may just be trying to kill each other.. ;)

 

Yup, she noticed, but her reaction isn't what I expected.. at first it looks like she's fleeing thinking it's best to get out of there, but nope..

She's cheering them on! Well, on the other hand, maybe this is a good thing.. they both probably needed to let off some steam after all these hours on tour, crappy motels, long, boring stretches of road and filthy apartments.. and as long as nobody gets seriously hurt and they can square up afterwards this was probably one of the better ways they could have dealt with it.. better to deal with the frustraiton this way then to get into fights with the locals and potential fans of the band, because that is never going to be perceived well...

 

So she just lets them fight it out, while she walks over to the lower bar to have a drink with Merete instead. This is no problem, they'll be fine...

 

They fight for what seems like a small eternity, long enough for Merete to finish her drink and walk over to them just in time to catch a glimpse of Gerda delivering the final blow that makes Sam give up.

"Ha! Don't you ever accuse me of skipping the line ever again, Sam! I was there first!"

Well, there seems to be no hard feelings now that they have fought it all out, and Gerda is pleased with herself now after the show and putting Sam in place, and thinks its time for her to head back to the apartment to get some rest...

"See you tomorrow Sam!" she says as she heads for the bouncerless door. "Don't pick anymore fights now!"

 

...and then there were three. Kajsa has now just asked the bartender if there was a swimming pool nearby. The fight between Sam and Gerda had reminded her of another thing that happened in Bridgewood, and now she wants to go skinny dipping again..

    "Well,.." as the bartender said, "there's always the outdoor public swimming pool at the North Point park, or if they want something a little closer and indoor they could always check out ADO Arena over by the fire station. They should be open 24/7."

"Yeah, maybe we'll do that" Kajsa told the bartender, not revealing anything about her plans to go for a swim in the nude.

-- The Swimming Pool --

 

..but she can't go without asking the other band members if they want to go for a swim, and just in time for the bar to close. Merete is positive, and Sam is already convinced he is the Loch Simness monster, so he shouldn't be a problem...

 

So, time to leave the venue and locate the swimming pool. Kajsa wanted to go for the indoor one, it might just be a little to chilly now to swim outside in the middle of the night. Lets see, what did the bartender say again? Take a right onto the four lane road out of town, then a left and another right under the raised highway.. couldn't miss it. She shouldn't, after all.. it was Kajsa herself who was driving...

Ah yes, there it is. ;) Lets see if it's open, and if its possible to go for a swim at this hour...

 

Kajsa felt optimistic that it was, as she saw someone just leaving and since all the lights inside were still on..

 

..and indeed it was. Merete found it quite funny to go swimming so late at night, and her and Sam was ready to go upstairs to locate the pool. Kajsa though, wanted to check out the womens changing room first to criticize the paper roll dispenser...

While Kajsa was downstairs practicing her avant-gardeness, Sam wasn't being shy at all, as he was already jumping into the pool with his bare bottom. Merete was taking it a little more easy, and chose to go for her regular swimwear.

 

..and then it was Kajsa turn. There's just something that feels very liberating about swimming in the nude.. free the nipple! If it was up to Kajsa, this would've been perfectly fine on any beach and public swimming pool at any time of day.. she couldn't see what was so wrong about a naked body. This was how every sim was born, there was nothing more natural than this! Swimwear was such a waste of fabric! "Way to go Sam!" she thought as she jumped in. She thought that being clothed while bathing should be up to the individual to decide, she wouldn't make swimming in the nude mandatory, so she also respected Meretes wish to stay clothed...

 

Merete though is super excited to watch Kajsa swimming in the nude. "Wooho yeah! You go girl!"

The three of them end up spending the entire rest of the night at the swimming pool until early morning.. here are a few more screenshots of their watery fun..

Sam using the diving board.

Merete jumping in.

Kajsa looks like she is the least experienced of them when it comes to swimming and diving.

 

Then early morning comes and it's time to get some sleep, which they will need before they continue driving south to Sunset Valley, their final destination before returning home...

It's time to get up, get dressed and leave..

Driving away from the swimming pool to the left behind the highway bridge. Their car is to at a road crossing in the bottom right corner heading east towards the apartment they're staying at, which is in the brown building in the top right corner. The trip home is spent in silence, as everyone is pretty much to tired to speak much right now.. they just want to go home and sleep. ;)

 

..but when they get home they find Gerda, whom everyone expected to be asleep by now, playing her electric guitar in the bathroom in front of the toilet.. "The acoustics are much more interesting in here" she thinks, as she plunks along on the strings.. Hmm, and I thought that was only true when you were singing in the shower. ;)

 

...well, anyway, after a little bit of the usual nonsense back and forth everyone eventually finds their bed and goes to sleep...

..good morning! ;)

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