Band goes on three week tour of south and Midwest states, and contract a bad case of food poisoning in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The trio spends two days emitting various substances at Archers of Loaf house. Weakend and several pounds lighter Pinkerton plays next show in Atlanta vomiting in between songs.
In Memphis band plays show with the Grifters and the then relatively obscure Guided by Voices . After playing "I am a Scientist" on stage, GBV's Robert Pollard admits that he wrote the song in response to repeated listenings of NRSK's "The Opposing Engineer Sleeps Alone," prompting someone in the audience to suggest they do a split single. *
The show was followed by an ice storm in Louisville, Kentucky. The band weathered it out in Rockethouse, in downtown Louisville, the gigs were snowed out, but the house was occupied by members of Slint, Rodan, Crane and June of 44, among others.
The Rockethouse is a mini version of the Chelsea Hotel with touring bands constantly spending nights there. The kitchen walls were covered with the magic marker scrawls of every conceivable band name of the period.
The band passes their time sledding in nearby cherokee park. NRSK and Boston band Kudgel (see Black Helicopter) are snowed in for three days as Kentucky's biggest blizzard, ever, throws down three feet of snow.
NRSK missed two shows already due to weather, and was eager to make it to their last two gigs in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Undeterred by the governor of Kentucky's ban on highway travel, the trio headed for the Indiana border.
Having been told to turn around by several state police officers, the band finally (gets out of the car to physically) move a road barrier and crosses the Ohio river into Indiana where the roads are open. Unfortunately, the storm follows them, and neither of the Ohio shows are reachable. So they and drove twenty-four hours straight, to return safely to Northampton ready to begin their last semester at Hampshire College.