"Hooray for Hollywood." Or at least, "Wow. Look, it's Hollywood." The Endpoint tour has reached California. As a matter of fact, I am writing this article on the corner of Heliotrope and Melrose Ave.

I think the best way to approach this article is from the beginning of the Western half of the tour. The first show was in St. Louis, which has always been a good city for Endpoint and Split Lip. In fact, the owner of Bastille's, Jim Bastille, told me that the Endpoint and Split Lip show was the best turnout all summer. The night ran smoothly until fifteen nazi skinheads showed up and began picking fights while Endpoint was playing. The local crowd handled the situation quite well, with minimal violence. The nazis were escorted out within minutes.

The next stop was Fort Smith, Ark. To be completely honest, I thought this show was going to be a total flop. But the shows that you don't expect much from usually turn out the best. About two hundred people filled the rented VFW hall to see the four bands play. Out of the two local bands that played -- Doodle Bug and Bench Mark -- Doodle Bug was the best. They reminded me of Void, an old Washington, D.C., punk band. Endpoint was slotted late, so we were very tired when we played.

Next on the tour was Austin, Texas. Austin had a very small all-ages scene. I have to say that it was one of the most supportive cities Endpoint has ever played. Out of the one hundred people who paid to get in, most of them bought merchandise from the bands. I find that smaller scenes tend to be more supportive than big scenes, mainly because they are starved for music. I would have to say that Louisville is fairly spoiled, but not as much as major cities. This is mostly because we have such a strong local music scene.

After Austin we had to cancel a few shows because Endpoint's drummer had to go to the hospital in Tucson due to an illness.

After a couple of days we moved on to California. Once in California we made our way to Hollywood to play the first in a series of California shows. This show met all of my expectations, considering Endpoint played the exact club last summer. Three hundred people paid to get in, including Zack, the lead singer of Rage Against the Machine. Split Lip had technical difficulties, so they were only able to play four songs. Endpoint's set was cut short because singer Rob Pennington split his head open during the set. California makes Louisville look like heaven; Louisville has less attitude.

I have mentioned only a few shows, mainly because the tour is only half over. After Endpoint returns home on July 21, I will leave again with Guilt for the remainder of the summer.

Take care.