ANDY 1, WORST CRIMINALS EVER 0
The van was broken into last night in Charlotte, NC after playing The Evening Muse. Not to worry… Shawn and I managed to find the only Motel 6 on the east coast(maybe even the country) that charges by the floor. Let me explain: There was no elevator, so there was a lot of walking involved to get to the higher floors. Therefore, the pricing was as follows - 1st: $50, 2nd: $40, 3rd: $30 ( all plus tax, phone/key deposit and a quick check of both driver’s licenses, of course ). Needless to say, the area we were in was kind of shady. I don’t know why they didn’t just fix the elevator and charge the same price for every room like most motels. Though, at 2 am I have to admit all I wanted to do was go to bed. That’s exactly what I did, after bringing in everything that was valuable in the van. This is part of our regular routine. The only thing in the van was the dissembled Andy Zipf Custom Shop and a very cleverly hidden i-pod. I slept well, got up for check out at 10:55 to check out at 11 so I could get our $10 key/phone deposit back and passed by the van on the way back to our 2nd floor “suite”. The first thing I saw was shattered glass on the ground next to the passenger window. Man, the feeling that sight brings really, really, really sucks. Then, I ran over to check what was missing. It looked like they busted the window, opened the door and rifled through the glove compartment and a couple of our Custom Shop bins…but took NOTHING! I yelled up to Shawn and he came down to check as well. Sure enough, we determined they are either the worst criminals ever, or they don’t like custom t-shirts and songs made with love by yours truly. I think it is the former. So, we cleaned up the glass as best we could and called around to find a company to replace it. Two hours later we were on the road to Columbia, SC(where I am typing this) with a new passenger side window. We gave the guys who came to our rescue two t-shirts and some stickers, to which they replied, “Sweet.” Now we are bros. God bless swag power. In an hour, Kyler England and I will begin our set at Jammin Java and all is well in the world. Yes, it was inconvenient and infuriating to have the van broken into, but I learned a valuable lesson, which I would like to pass on to you: Never stay in a hotel that charges less money for a room on the highest floor. It’s not worth it. P.S. I’m pretty sure it was this guy: Owner: Man Tried to Hide Guitar in Pants By Associated Press Tue Nov 28, 10:48 PM DE QUEEN, Ark. - The guitar-shaped bulge in Morgan Conatser’s clothing tipped off a music store owner that there might be a crime in progress. Clifton Lovell, owner of Guitars and Cadillacs on U.S. Highway 71 in De Queen, was talking with a customer last week when he saw Conatser, 29, walking out of the store. “I saw him walking out to his pickup truck and the bulges in his leather jacket. I said, ‘Hey what have you got there,’” Clifton Lovell said. He said Conatser, 29, replied, “Nothing.” Lovell pointed toward the unnatural shapes in Conatser’s jacket and pants and said, “You’ve got something.” Conatser then removed a solid body electric guitar from his pants leg and from underneath his jacket. “The neck of the guitar was almost down to his knee and the back of the guitar was almost up to his neck. It wasn’t hard to spot. There was no way he could sit down or get into the pickup,” Lovell said.
