12/29/2010 Mix, mix, mix

I am editing guitars. I love this. When I get them all trimmed up and get the signal path set, I just close my eyes. It is like the sound wraps its arms around me and pulls me through the song. The colors and shapes of the final product makes me happy. They are round and gritty. There is a creamy look to the colors and no frequencies that jump too far of the shape.

I really love the way the guitars on the album complement each other. Jordan played a Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall JCM head and my Vox 2x12 with Celestion Super Leads. I played a Telecaster through my Laney and my Vox, but coupled that with a Sunn 410s cab from the 1960's.

I kept the pedals to a minimum, minus a compression pedal. All those pedals degrade signal. I can hear it and it drives me crazy. Any effects can be done in post. I ran both through an A/B/Y box and went direct with everything. I recorded with a direct line, a Sennheiser 609, an Audix i5 (which was tremendously bright, btdubs), and MXL 990 condenser as the distance mic.

I am running Guitar Rig on the direct line. I love Guitar Rig. I use an Orange modeler for Jordan and a Vox AC30 for me. Mixed right, both guitars have a lot of personality and mirror the two different sounds Jordan and I have live. After that, I send all four tracks to a bus channel and a Chris Lord-Alge guitar plugin.

I ran Chris' bass much the same way. He used a 1950's reissue Fender P-Bass through my Laney head into an Ampeg 4x10 cab and also direct. I used a Shure SM57 on the horn and CAD bass mic on the woofer. I just really wanted the grit on the high end of the bass on the mic side. I ran it with a little drive to get a good aggressive top end. I wanted the low end from the direct line, because I wanted that silky smooth. The direct line went through a variety of plugins including Guitar Rig, compression, and a Sub Bass plugin that adds a sub harmonic in 30-40 hz range.

The drums are all done, thankfully. The quantizing in Logic Pro makes things SO easy. I close mic every drum and then the normal overheads. I love a good stereo image, but I also used a condenser mic in the center, 4 feet from the drums. My friend Dan Schultz told me about this and I love the result. The drums sound bigger and are more in-your-face.

I threw all my plugins out the window on this album and pretty much only used the Chris Lord-Alge drum plugin for everything. Those things are gold. Again, a tip from Schultz. I bus them all out to a Trident A-Range, Tube-Tech CL 18 to amp it up, and finish it off with a Stereo Spread plugin.

Now we are to the vocal recording. I am using a Neumann TLM 193 for the guys, courtesy of my friend Niki Caligiuru. It is sublime. I run it straight into my interface. I do not want anything to color it before it hits the hard drive. I have not devised a plugin plan for vocals yet, but I have a veritable arsenal of them. I am sure the Chris Lord-Alge vocal plugin will make an appearance!

So that was not at all what I intended to blog about. I wanted to write about something to get my mind off of mixing for a minute. Oh well! You tech heads will enjoy that!

12/22/2010

Wow, I have not kept up with this! Sorry! I have a lot to blog, but I am going to try to keep is short and to the point.

First off, GOSSIP! What whaaaaaaaat. Paramore lost Josh and Zac this week. Josh wrote a nice statement here. Not that any of this is surprising or unbelievable. Especially if you have anything to do with the music industry. This is all sadly very believable. I wish all the best to those guys. I am not a huge fan of Paramore, but those guys are great musicians in their own rite and I wish them the very best.

The RV is officially done with maintenance. That is exciting! New batteries, cables, wiring, alternator, shocks, water pump, pulleys, belt, hoses, radiator, new fluids in everything, and running and clearance lights...it's like a new RV! I am ready to finish the bunks, hang the tv's, wire in the subwoofers, install a "sewage release port funnel," and get it on the road! So I will be driving down to Orlando tomorrow to pick it up with the guys. I will also be visiting with Jeremy. He has a sweet Mustang that we are wiring up a CD player in.

We have some exciting stuff coming up! We are picking up a lot of touring and getting set pretty much until summer. It looks like we have some nationwide tours coming up (tentatively, because ya never know). I am ready to get back on the road and stay super busy with tour.

The record is coming along very nicely and we cannot wait to share it with you! It has some great stuff in it and I am very happy with how it is turning out.

Speaking of recording, did you go to http://www.facebook.com/paintmeirrational and look up the new Christmas song??? Because you should!

11/21/2010

The last final shows are over and all that is left are the Orlando shows. They were awesome and I am so thankful we got to do them and see so many great people! I have really made some cool friends over this past year. I am so glad I got the chance to do this. I know I am going to continue to tour and play music with Paint Me Irrational and I am super excited about that, but I will miss my Between the Trees days.

That said, we are looking for a tour vehicle. Of course, everyone thinks you can just buy a van and go. Not quite accurate. I have some requirements here:

 First off, diesel. Maintenance is more expensive, but the gas mileage, reliability, and longevity of a diesel vehicle trumps gas. Not to mention the who biodiesel concept.  

Second, I want an RV/bus. The concept here is to get something big enough to get the equipment inside and not have to tow a trailer. Easier parking, better gas mileage, less threat of theft, no trailer upkeep...the list goes on forever here. Plus, I want to be able to stand up and have living space in a vehicle. And with my construction experience, I could build a rockin' RV interior! 

I cannot get anything with running water in our budget. That is a little frustrating, but who says we cannot work on that later? I am definitely going to put a sink in whatever we get. We will carry a couple gallons of water for washing up, brushing teeth, etc. I would like to not have to get hotels. 

Paint Me Irrational has a unique concept. We understand that music is easily downloaded and a band cannot rely on record sales. We want to pique peoples' interest by giving out a lot of free music. There is not really any way to get around that. We want to give away 3 song downloads and as many acoustic songs as we can put together. That is our first method. We are going to work with Kickstarter to try to get enough funding to get recording finished and cd pressing done. We will still sell our full length to try to cover expenses, but we know we cannot rely on that. 

We are running on basics as much as possible: house show tours, guerilla radio tactics, word of mouth, internet canvassing, etc. We have some crazy ideas too. We want to canvas university orientations and spring break party spots, giving away 3 song cd's. Our goal next year is to give away 10,000 cd's. Lofty aspirations. Not to mention, a praise and worship EP. Lord knows we need some good praise and worship. 

So this is scratching the surface of what we want to do this next year. Get ready for round two! Stevie's #mylifeisaparty continues! 

Btdubs,

@steviebenz

http://www.formspring.me/steviebenz

http://www.facebook.com/stevie.benz

This Year In Review

This tour is coming to a close. It is the end of a mini-era for me. I had so many things change this year. I saw tons of places, played tons of stages, did a million things I thought I would never get to do. I moved to a new place and set up my dream studio. I got a new puppy who is the sweetest thing ever. I dated a wonderful, beautiful girl for awhile. I met so many people and made so many new friends. And now the band has come to an end. This year ran the gamut of emotions for me. 

There have been so many beginnings and endings for me this year. I know it set me up for what is next. I am so excited for that, but I cannot help but feel a tinge of sadness for the ending. I have loved listening to Between the Trees for years, and getting to be a member of the band has been an awesome time in my life. Playing some of the songs that meant a lot to me as a listener has been very cool. I am moving on to another band and will continue touring, but I am so thankful for this experience.

Aside from the band breaking up, there were quite a few things that fell through that were a bummer. I wish some of the tours had worked out, like the two The Rocket Summer tours we were supposed to do.  That would have been awesome. I wanted to do more of the theme park and college dates we were looking at. Those would have been amazing. 

On the other side of that, touring with The Almost was awesome. I also got to play festivals and hang with Phil Wickham, Relient K, Red, Anberlin...the list could go on forever. I learned a lot about the touring side of the industry, which was great. I picked up an awesome deal with Gibson Guitars. I got to meet the guys from Moss Amps and will hopefully be working with them in the near future. 

On the personal side this year, I feel like I have grown but I have found it hard to keep up with friends at home. It is kind of like moving. You want to keep in touch with your friends, but there is this strange disconnect. I try to keep up through Twitter and Facebook, but I know that it is not like being there daily. When I am home for a bit, I reconnect with whatever friends I have left at home and it is like I never left. It just takes some time. Long tours are the worst. After a month or two on the road, I feel like I need a solid week just to catch up with everyone back home. Obviously, not everyone is the same. There are some friends that I have gotten closer to since I have been on the road!

I have realized what people mean when they talk about getting lonely on tour. You can meet a few hundred people in a day and still be lonely. That seems to contradict itself, but it is a phenomena most touring musicians experience. That is why it is so great to see one familiar face in the crowd. I feel like I found my long-lost best friend when that happens! The people who you meet and connect with and spend time with when you are back in a city really are your best friends on the road. 

Being single and on the road is great on so many levels, but you also know that when the tour and fun is over, you are not going home to anyone. On the one hand, you have no fighting and no drama to deal with. Ever. On the other hand, there is no one to tell about your day and hear about her day. You never have to leave somewhere to take a phone call; but then again, you never hear "I love you" at the end of a phone call. There is never a special event you miss because you are out on the road, but there are never any special events to look forward to when you are home. For those of us who cannot remember dates, there is no anniversary to remember; then again, there is no anniversary to remember. It is the epitome of a catch-22. You cannot win. Or lose, I guess! 

I guess for someone like me who plans to be touring long-term and invest such a big part of my life into being on the road, it makes sense to be single and just deal with it. That will probably always be the thing I question...until I meet the beautiful girl of my dreams who will fall madly in love with whatever is left of me after I have destroyed my body rocking out hardcore for so long. 

But after the show is over, guitars are put away, merch is packed up, and every fan has gotten a picture, I lie down in my little bunk and listen to the hum of the wheels rolling over interstate pavement. I check my phone to see where the next show is. I put on my headphones and turn my light out. And before I put my exhausted body to sleep, I thank God for my family, my friends, every person I met that night, and for the chance to live a dream that only a tiny percentage of people will ever get to experience. At the end of the day, that is all anyone really wants. I was thankful to live this year with Between the Trees. I will be just as thankful to live touring with the next band. 

It is a wild life and I am living every second to its...wildest? Yep. Sounds about right. 

10/21/2010

Disclaimer: this is a rant. 

I am just saying whatever pops into my head.

I think there is something wrong with me. Or right with me (for who I am). It is no secret I do not like playing acoustic guitar. People tell me it is "organic and artistic." I know, I know. I still hate it. I am hard pressed to find anything musically I dislike more. It is so bland and unexciting to me. I just want to sleep when I strum the first chord. Or puke. I could puke, too. Straight bile. 

It is not just acoustic guitars. I do not have time for nostalgia. I do not have very much to remind me of any type of past. I have a ton of pictures on Facebook and that is about it. I have a picture on my nightstand and I think that may be the only actual print picture I have. I do not like records either. It sounds like someone had a bad guitar cable. I hear an old record on an ancient system and think, "this would sound much better as a CD or FLAC mp3 playing on my studio monitors." 

I do not care for classic rock. I could not care less about how The Beatles got us to where we are today. I feel like I am a fair musician without ever once learning a Beatles song. I do not think I have ever listened to a complete Beatles song. I am sure I have overheard one. But I do not have any interest. There are a few Led Zeppelin songs that are cool, but nothing I would listen to everyday. Or even once a week. It just does not sound good to me. The recording process then was not good. I know it is simply because of the lack of technology, but that just means I like new stuff that sounds pristine. 

Old guitars. Why? I do not care who played it or recorded what with it. Does it make it sound better? Nope. Does it make me play better? Nope. Then why does it matter? I like my guitars that are new. I think the "relic" option is cool, because I like the look of a well played guitar. But I am a clean person. I would prefer not to have someone's grossness on my guitar. 

I am not one to hang on to songs I write. If someone wants one, step into my office, sign a few papers, sign a check and go make it awesome. But you better bet I am getting writing credit and my cut. I do not think I have ever worried about a song I have lost. I can just write a better one. Same concept, better rhyme scheme: new song.

I like auto-tune. And I do not think anyone should record without it. It makes my synesthesia go crazy when the focal point of the music off key. I want to throw the stereo system through a wall. A concrete one. THAT IS RIGHT. I WANT TO BREAK A CONCRETE WALL.

Give me the next best thing before it hits the stores. 

Make it new and make it sound good. 

That said, I am allowing myself room to change. Someday in the future, I may be an antique guitar collector who scrapboooks while listening to Beatles' albums on my antique mono system. 

I admire people who love antique stuff and nostalgia. I read blogs of friends who collect records and old clothes. They have "finds" at thrift stores and pawn shops. I think that is cool. And I appreciate it because they have a viewpoint of life I just do not have. On one hand, they kind of drive me crazy from time to time, but I am sure I seem inhuman to them. But they make me more well rounded because I try to understand where they are coming from. I want to understand why they like that stuff. 

There is always something new to learn when I attempt to understand someone who has something I do not have. I feel like when I get that insight into someone else, I add a little piece of that to me. Every little bit helps. 

10/18/2010

I am obsessed with The Buried Life. I think it is a big part of my life wrapped up in a tv show. Doing everything you wanted to do just because you knew you only had one life to live. The "bucket list" concept. No one wants to get to the end of their life only to realize that they never truly lived.

The problem I have found with my bucket list is that it keeps getting longer. With everything I cross off, I add 2 more. The whole "quit my job and tour with a rock band" covered a lot of the items on my list somehow or another. I have seen the whole country a couple times, lived in a van, camped on Lake Tahoe, played on hundreds of stages, met thousands of people, played on tv, radio, internet, etc. But the more I do, the more I realize I want to do. I have some items that are related to music, some that are not. 

I have hatched a concept to cross off as many items on the list as I can, while touring with a rock band. But not just my bucket list. The band as a whole. Everyone makes a bucket list, everyone contributes to making each other's bucket list a success. And play rock and roll in between. That would make for some cool blog entries and more than a few funny videos. Sweet, huh? 

Obviously, if you have seen The Buried Life, this concept of documenting a bucket list is not a new one. I am not plagiarizing. I know where this foundational concept came from. Directly or indirectly, all our best ideas are somebody else's best ideas. 

We have made it through the past couple shows well. My caffeine headache has subsided mostly. I have noticed I am a little more energetic. That is always good. Nothing like Stevie with a little more energy! I am eating a lot of salads, good food, and lots and lots of water. We are up for show two in cold, gray Ohio today! 

10/15/2010

Today I was back in New York City! It was great again! Today is seemed more like it is always depicted in movies: cold, windy, crowded. But that gave me a good excuse to go into a corner cafe and get some coffee! 

The show itself was great. We had a really cool group to play to. I had a miserable headache though, so that put a damper on it for me. But the view from where I was playing was pretty fantastic! 

I think my headache is due partially to me cutting out soft drinks from my diet. I cut it out because my abs have started to disappear, and I kind of freaked out. I know I do not get as much cardio as I should because there is no jumping around on stage for 45 minutes every night. There just does not seem to be any time to exercise on the road! It is a little frustrating. I walk every chance I get and do my push-ups and sit-ups every morning, but that is not really cardio. 

I got a new bass I am very excited about. I need a good solid bass and this one is much like the one I have wanted since I was a kid. It is a reissue of a 1957 Fender American P-Bass. Instead of the band trying to sell off the bass at the end of the year, I told the guys I would take the as partial pay for the tour and it would work out really well for everyone involved. This is a stock picture of it:

Sweet, huh?

I am going to be playing bass for the next touring project I am involved in, but it is still in the works and I am saving some of those savory details for later! 

Until then, the final Between the Trees shows have been scheduled and are posted on the Facebook site. Those are going to be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to seeing a bunch of people. I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the names popping up on the event sites! Cannot wait! 

10/12/2010

I spent yesterday in New York City. It is such an amazing place. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a great experience to see one of the greatest cities in the country.

From Central Park, looking back at the city

I could live there, if it was not for the winters. I hate being cold. So Los Angeles would be a better fit for me as far as living. But I get the feeling New York will find its own special place in my heart. So many people, so many things going on, so much to do. 

We are in New Jersey...again. We are playing here somewhere tonight. That should be good. Another acoustic show. My friend Allen heard we were doing an acoustic show in Gainesville, where he lives. He was very excited. He loves that whole acoustic thing more than anyone I know. I am happy we are doing an acoustic show in Gainesville for that reason and that reason alone. When I got the show offer, that was pretty much what made me go for it. 

I am ready to get back in the studio as soon as possible. I will be working with a band called Paint Me Irrational in November and December. They are one motivated group. With the right connections and a little push, I think they could be huge. 

With December and the end of Between the Trees looming on the horizon, I am starting to put things in place for what I am going to do next. I want to develop and produce bands. I want to record. I want to market. I want to network like a madman. I want to tour. Essentially, I want to be a record label and a band. Labels are becoming more and more obsolete outside of the top 40 realm. It is not worth it for a younger, smaller band to have a label. There is nothing a label can do for a smaller band that I cannot do for myself with determination, hard work, and a touch of charisma. 

I had such a crash course in the business the last two years. I am thankful for that! It is going to help here soon! I will not even have a break between my last shows with Between the Trees and some cool things that are on the horizon. God  provides work.

On a final note, I am listening to Oasis all the time. I love every album. That is all. 

10/10/10

I do not know if it is the date of today or the tour craziness or what, but today has had me thinking a lot. I spent a good bit of time thinking back over the last year and how quickly my life changed. It has been such a year for me.

At this time last year, I was floundering. I had broken up with a girl that I thought I was going to marry. I was blessed to be working a great job with some of my closest friends, but I found zero fulfillment in it because I was not doing what I was made to do. I was dealing with an incredible amount of frustration. I kept saying I needed a change. I knew I had to do something, but I had no idea what in the world to do. I felt like I was always on the brink of doing music full-time, but there was a disconnect between leaving my secure job in home building and starting a full time career in the most unsteady, insecure industry there is.

I was so excited and nervous to take that first step. I had a million questions. Would I make it on the road? Was I good enough? Did I love music enough to take that big of a pay cut? Could I throw away my 3-5 year plan that I had for my life? Was I willing to go out on a limb and commit to live my life on the road with three guys I did not know? Could I leave the town I grew up in with my family, friends, and everything that was familiar?

I had a massive mindset change in the midst of all those questions. I woke up one morning with this crushing realization that I will only live once. I will not get another shot at this year. I will not get another chance to relive one second. That may sound silly, but it was so life changing. It was one of those realizations that motivate you to completely overhaul your life.

I found myself answering those questions with more questions. How do I really define "success?" What good is a big paycheck if what you do does not fulfill you? Why does everyone around my age have a similar 3-5 year plan doing the same basic things as me?

What if I did something different?

What if I decided I wanted to look back and say "I've done everything I wanted to do and I've lived every second to its fullest"?

What I decided to not let society dictate to me what "normal" life is?

What if I said I would not spend one more second doing something I do not love?

And there began my journey into an unconventional life.

Things that were absurd to me are a real part of my every day life. Nothing is ridiculous. Nothing is too far out. Money is not nearly as important to me as it was. I am still business minded, but I can never again measure my success by a number in a bank account. I finally understand people that I used to think were crazy because of how freely they lived life. I understand the saying "if you love what you do, you will never work a day of your life."

I want to build an RV out of a van and put half a million miles on it. I want to play music on every continent. I want to meet the pope. I want to go on a cruise because I feel like it. I want to own a collection of guitars and a collection of stories to go with each one. I want to see and do so much that there is no topic of conversation that I cannot add to.

God gave us life, but this is a short life. Is there anything you can afford to miss?

10/9/2010

I never know what to expect at these shows. We have had everything from the most laid back, intimate backyard set to a deafening, rowdy sing-along party. They are all fun. I prefer the rowdy crowds. The craziness. The aftermath. You just never know what is going to happen, but it is always fun! More like a non-acoustic rock and roll show...just with acoustic guitars.

So many people at the house shows are asking what I am going to do after Between the Trees. I have quite a few things going on that I can say I am doing for sure, but I am waiting on a word from a few other things.

I have so much to do when I get home that is "for sure." I am excited about all the things that are in the works. I am going to be producing and recording with a band called Paint Me Irrational (search them on Facebook and support them!). They are some very talented guys. I have an album I am working on. There is a possibility I will be doing some movie scoring too. I am also setting stuff up for next year with touring. I do not think I can be off the road too terribly long. I love it too much!

I applied to be a substitute teacher at the private school I went to. That just sounds like fun to me. I have been working with youth since I was in high school. Hopefully I will be hearing back about that when I get home. I have to go get finger-printed and have a background check done. Great. That sounds like a lot of time sitting somewhere and waiting. THAT IS MY FAVORITE.

Also, I am on Twitter. That is an easier way to keep up on the day to day. My Twitter name: steviebenz.

10/4/2010

I love the mountains, but do they ever creep me out. It is hard for me to imagine living up in the mountains, so far away from a big city. There are just too many places for zombies to hide out in the mountains. It is pretty up in the Carolinas. But it is not for me.

The show in North Carolina was a lot of fun! As far as playing, it is about as easy as a set can go for me. The songs fit together nicely, the set went smoothly, the crowd was great, and there were not many awkward moments except one broken string.

Today was a day off. We are in Greenville, North Carolina, home to the lamest mall I have ever been in. Ryan and I worked out. That was great. The hot tub was awesome. I spent a good few hours recording today. I felt productive, besides the fact that I did not eat very well. Wendy's. I thought for a second about doing another vegetarian tour. I immediately dismissed that idea. I do not want to tour and be grumpy.

Tomorrow is Virginia Beach, Virginia! It just keeps getting colder!

10/3/2010

So show 2 of the acoustic house tour is done. I am not the biggest fan of playing acoustic. I want to play hard and throw down. Playing acoustic does not lend itself well to that. I enjoy the small crowds and the intimate settings of porches, living rooms, back yards, etc. I love hanging out with all my friends. I think minus the acoustic guitar, this is going to be a great tour!

I have had to play some games the past two nights. That does not actually really begin to cover it. Friday night, I played games till 5:30 am. Catchphrase, charades...a lot of fun stuff! Aside from the rivalry of a bunch of Gators in the middle of University of Georgia student housing, we had a great show on a back porch, complete with neighbors coming over. On top of that, the hostesses fed us and it was awesome! Topped it off with Core Skittles.

Tonight was a lot of fun too. We played well and we are settling into the acoustic set. After the set, I played Apples To Apples. It was good too! A little more laid back, which was nice. We are settled into the hotel right now and recuperating.

Tomorrow is Boone, NC. It is going to be a rowdy good time!

9/26/2010

End of tour. What a sad day. I have made such awesome friends with the bands this tour. I am excited to keep in touch with these guys and hang out. Joel from The Almost is into old cars like I am, so I will be hitting up his shop to hang some and also make some music, of course. I also feel like Paint Me Irrational could tour and have a great time with the House of Heroes guys. And of course, Colours, Phil and Rico's band. Best tour manager and merch guy of all time!

We are on the road home. For a few days, at least. We have an acoustic house slow in Georgia on Friday. Then we leave the 12th for a 6 week tour with an artist that you all know and love. I cannot spill who it is yet, but a hint: NASA + season. That is all the hint I can give!

We are driving home through Kentucky. It is night time so I do not even get to check out the scenery! But tomorrow, I will be home. I get to see my awesome family and my little Sunshine puppy!

9/24/2010

We had the best day off yesterday. The Almost and crew met up with us in Columbus,OH and we went out to a tiny little place with acoustic music. It was called The Treehouse because it literally had a tree growing in the main room. We hung out in the bus until 5 am having the best time ever. We got going the next morning at the crack of noon and went to Cracker Barrel. We got the "celebrity discount" and everything was half off which was awesome! Then we went and saw The City, which was a great movie. I felt a little conflicted at the end, but it was good overall.

The food in Columbus is where it is at. We had dinner at Buca di Beppo. That was a true Food Network experience: fried calamari, penne pasta with shrimp, some type of salad I cannot recall the name of (but it was awesome!), chicken parmagiano, and a glass of merlot to top it off! That was delicious. I did not think it could get any better. But it did.

The next place was also featured on the Food Network: Jeni's Ice Cream. Where else can you enjoy sweet corn ice cream? Or celery ice cream with bourbon soaked raisins? Or my personal favorite: goat cheese ice cream? I also had cayenne chocolate ice cream. It was such a weird combination. The sweetness of the chocolate, the cold ice cream, and the spicy cayenne pepper hitting right after! Amazing.

Tonight was a great show in Vincennes, IN. My friend Maggie was there with a couple friends and we got to celebrate her birthday. We had a lot of fun! Then when we were packing up, all the power in as much of the city as we could see went completely out. It was the most creepy thing I have experienced on tour. I felt like the zombie apocalypse was starting. We packed up and got out of there quickly!

I have had the opportunity to experience so many incredible things all over the country on tour. I want to experience and see everything, I guess. I am so thankful to God that I am here. Driving across the country again. Taking it all in.

9/22/2010

Jeremy bought new tires for his 67 Mustang. He got a great deal and I'm happy for him. What is funny is that we decided to take the back 2 bench seats out, load the equipment in the back, and travel without the trailer. It is a little cramped back there! And now when we unload the gear at the venues, we have to unload the tires too! It is a funny sight to see.

Last night was a great time in Ohio! The venue was cool, the sound was great, and the crowd was loud and rowdy. It feels so good when Ryan stops singing and the crowd sings it back to us and it is just as loud as we are. I love to know that the lyrics we are singing are connecting with the people listening. It is just a cool feeling.

Tomorrow is a day off. The tour is going to hang out, cook, and spend the day having fun! Aaron from The Almost claims to be a pretty good cook, so I am excited.

Tonight we are playing Ohio again. Better get ready for maximum face meltage!

9/10/2010

My days are starting to blur. I love that. I wake up with no idea what day it is, what state I am in, how many days I have been on tour and how many days until the tour is over. I know it has been roughly a week! The clock means nothing, except when it is time to play. I eat when I feel like it. I sleep when there is not anything to do, which is not often. I make new best friends every night and we party like we grew up together.

I love tour life more than anything.

My brother made it to the show last night. It was awesome! He brought a friend we actually did grow up with, so that was cool too.

The show itself was a mess of technical difficulties for me. I broke a string on my main Gibson last night, so I had to use my backup. I had a patch cable keep coming out of my tremolo pedal. On the solo at the end of "Story of a Boy" I hit my lead boost pedal a little hard I think...I kicked it over and it came unplugged. That killed all the guitar going to my amp. Silent guitar solo!

On the other hand, the catering was awesome last night. I love barbecue.

We are driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania. The leaves are all turning. God is the greatest artist of all time.

Festiva9/18/2010

Festival day! So many bands, so many people, so much food! The weather was magnanimous. I met so many people. The show was good and the crowd had a great time.

Our stage had a very strange tech crew. There was no mic in the soundbooth, so the front of house tech was yelling back and forth to get things set on stage. Very unprofessional. Then he literally walked up, threw our guitar case out of the way, and adjusted the volume on Ryan's guitar amp. Bellowing the whole time about stage volume. In front of a huge crowd. Totally ridiculous.

I saw some awesome live shows today. The Almost has put on a killer show every night on this tour, so today was the same. Those are some cool guys too. I hung out on their bus today and watched "Taken" with them. I really like them and their crew. So awesome to be on tour with guys you feel like you connect with and enjoy hanging out with!

Tonight was my first night seeing Red play live. Those guys have killer set. Their drummer is one of the best drummers I have seem live. He was flawless and very technical.

We are back at our hotel and I am going to get some swimming in before I sleep!

9/18/2010

We played a really fun show at Washington College in Maryland last night. The campus was beautiful. Jeremy and I had a romantic stroll around the campus and sat on the bleachers and talked about touring, women, cars, and God. It was awesome. I really cannot explain how great it is to see the country while playing music with your friends.

After the show, we went to a legitimate Irish pub and I had the best fish and chips I have ever had. It was a cool little place. After that, we headed to the hotel and I was so exhausted I opted to sleep completely dressed, shoes and all. I slept like a rock, but somehow in the course of the night took off my shoes and my jeans. But I left my jacket on.

Speaking of jackets, we are in Pennsylvania and the leaves are turning. It is 60 degrees and beautiful. Luckily, I brought a couple flannel shirts and a jacket! I get the feeling the midwest will be cold!

We are playing another festival today. I love festivals than anything.Skillet its playing and I am very excited about that. I have listened to Skillet since 1997! I am definitely giving them my contact info just in case they are looking for a guitarist. At this point, no idea is "far fetched" to me. Literally anything can happen in my life and it will not surprise me!

9/16/2010

When you show up to a venue and "prime rib" is on the catering menu, you can pretty much count on it being a great show. Besides it packing out at around 600 people, the sound was incredible, the stage was huge, the green room was a studio that was set up very nicely, and the food was great! Pretty stark contrast to Georgia last night!

I met a guy is a big part of the Moss Amplifier company. They make amazing amps and every guitarist who reads this and uses big boy toys should check them out. Do not be surprised if you see one of these custom built, hand wired, all tube amps become my main rig.

We are on the way to Washington College now. We have a big show there tomorrow. I am looking forward to it. This is definitely my favorite tour. The guys in Chasen, House of Heros, and The Almost are amazing! The jokes and foolishness is already out of hand and it is only the 3rd show!

9/15/2010

We kicked off the tour last night and it was a blast! It is going to be a lot of fun. The bands are great, the crowds are going to be good, and I think the mix of bands is good.

We stayed with my youth pastor and his family in Millbrook, AL where I lived for a few years. It was great to see them!

We are in Georgia now, and the venue is definitely a hardcore club. It will still be fun. Hopefully, we will not end up with a crowd of hardcore kids wondering what is going on. That always makes me laugh. You would think if you pay money for a ticket, you would know whether or not it will be a show you like.

It is ironic to me when people come to a show, then are obnoxious because it is not their preferred style. Really? I mean, come on. You do not need a college degree to figure this out. Learn some etiquette, have some manners, stop being an idiot. Okay, I feel better.

We walked around downtown Augusta, GA today. It has a really historic, cool vibe to it. As we were walking down the main street, we crossed this cross street that was an invisible line that separated the black/island stores, clubs, and restaurants and the white hipster stores, clubs, and restaurants. It was interesting how that one street was such a distinct divider.

We are about to load in. We are going to rock out tonight, then get some real sleep at a hotel!

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9/6/2010

Listen. Stop. Play. Soundcheck. Be here. Eat. Sleep. Don't sleep. Wear this. Tune. Set up. Set up on the other side of the stage. Get a wristband. Drive. Sleep. Meet and greet. Sign this. Play this other guitar. You're late. You're early. Stand here for the camera. Here's your coffee. Break down your gear. Your table is over here.

"Your in-ear pack is number 1. You'll be referred to as 'number 1' all day for soundchecks."

What constantly amazes me about playing music is that the only peace I have is in music. When I get done with a crazy day of travel, meeting people, and playing a show, all I want to do is listen to something that will help me wind down. And the stranger thing for me is to think that the band I am listening to probably had the same kind of crazy day I did! That seems weird to me when I really think about it. I wonder if I am listening to Anberlin to relax and they are listening to Between the Trees. It is more than possible. We are friends, so they have our material. Oh, the what ifs...

I wish every show I played was outside. In the middle of a giant field filled with dancing sun-burnt people. Festivals have always been my favorite. It is such a disarming, natural setting. All the artists are on equal playing ground. We all ate together, talk, unpack gear, borrow each other's guitars. Me with everyone from to Phil Wickham to Reliant K to Phil Keaggy in one room eating fried chicken and swapping tour stories and gear tips like old friends.

I feel like a communal experience like that is what musicians crave and need. It was not about "what can I get here?" and "who is the bigger band?" The best conversation I remember having in the past year was last night, sitting on our road cases in the back of our trailer with Paul Colman. It was completely open and brutally honest. Totally a God-arranged time. After a conversation revolving around the failures and frustrations of music, he summed up in two words the best advice I have ever been given as a musician: "What box?"

I always thought of myself as a forward thinker and risk taker. Before that statement, that is. I realized in those two words that I have to rely on God more than anything to take me down a creative and uncertain path to a brilliant future.

The festival was great. It was amazing to see so many musicians I grew up admiring just being people, like we all are. Such a wonderful experience with many awesome people.

I am home getting some friends/family/puppy time before we take off with The Almost next week! Get ready, people.

9/24/2010

This has been my view all day, lying on the floor of the van.

I am in my fifth state for the day. We are driving up the east coast to get to Frenchtown, NJ. We are playing a huge festival called RevGen, which will be awesome. Lots of great bands and a ton of people. Plus, it is outside, which is my favorite.

I think this trip is taking a long time because I haven't watched a movie or slept all day. I read a portion of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." Such an incredible classic. And of course, played a lot of solitaire and online Scrabble.

I have been rolling over a concept in my mind all day. I am thinking about a Youtube video series. Sort of a how-to for musicians wanting to tap into a sort of synesthesia. How to cultivate a sight/sound connection and picture the color and texture of the sound they want to create. This is natural for me, but I think given the concept and exercising it, most musicians could very easily start to connect colors, textures, and sound. Then I will not feel so alone in my weirdness.

So this is a synopsis of my big, exciting day of travel. I forgot my keyboard, so I was not able to record today. We have eight hours left! Halfway there!

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8/22/2010

Illinois State Fair is one cool place. The stage we were on was not enormous, but the crowd was awesome, the weather was amazing, the sound was great, the list goes on...

I actually took some time to hang out on a friend level with fans who came to see us. I have never had time before, I guess. I spent time with three awesome people from Wisconsin who had accents that would knock you over! I was able to get tickets for rides through the promoter and got me and the girls on all the rides we wanted. It was a blast.

I spent a good deal of time talking to a guy who was working at a new label starting up and he and I had some great conversation about the music industry. There is a lot of new considerations for a new label, as the old model for a label no longer applies. There is just no sure thing in the industry right now.

I have thrown around a couple ideas with people doing band management or even an indie label. That is something I still want to kick around in my head a little bit. But there is some direction there.

We are on the long road home now. I will be sitting at home again. So if you are in Gainesville, we should hang out.

8/21/2010

So it has been awhile since I have put up a blog. I have stayed busy. That has been good.

I played some shows with my friend Allen Haynes and our project, Blue Landing. They were a lot of fun! I hope to play some more shows with that. Check out our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/bluelanding.

I am unexpectedly single, which I am very not exited about. I am the type of person who functions better in life when in a relationship, despite my limited number of actual relationships. This puts a very strange spin on touring. It takes a lot of structure and stability out of it for me.

I just really enjoy the solidity of praying with a significant other and saying "I love you" every morning and night. Something about that structures my day and helps me keep my head on straight. I miss adoring that girl. But God has calmed rougher waters and higher mountains have come down.

I have been recording in the new place I am in. I have my studio set up nicely and am thankful for the incredible ways God has blessed me with that. I have a few projects going right more and I am excited to hone my skills there.

We are on our way to Illinois now. I'm hoping the weather is nice, as we are playing a state fair and will probably be outside. It should be fun either way. I love outdoor events. There is a great energy outdoors.

We took a chance on a local Mexican restaurant right outside of Nashville. It turned out positively, which is amazing! That is always a scary thing.

Now we are making our way through Kentucky. We will be there in a few hours. I have had a very strange schedule the past week or so and I only sleep a couple hours at a time.

I feel like I am about to pass out right now, so I guess that means my body and mind are going to shut down together and rest a bit! I do not mind it so much when we are traveling! Rock n roll show tomorrow!

6/27/2010

We are watching Rocketman. I love this movie. "How many times have I told you not to wander around in a martian dust storm?"

We went kayaking today.

We managed to fit them in there.

It took awhile.

The trip was a little nerve-wracking.

But we made it!

Without losing one.

Or getting a ticket.

And I gotta say...




It was WELL worth the wait!

I have decided after the little trip that it would be well worth it to track down a tandem kayak for me and Joanna. It would be an awesome way for us to spend time together and she is all about physical exercise. For whatever reason.

So we are going camping. Again. On Lake Tahoe. That should be sweet. I am only concerned about food. I do not know if we are going to have to bring our own or will have options there.

I have had a lot of burgers lately. I think I am getting obsessed with them. We had In-N-Out and Smashburger. Both of which are amazing! Both of which are only on the west coast. I have a new plan for cooking burgers. I will make the patties, heat up the stove as hot as it will go, and seer all the burgers on both sides. Then throw them on the grill and slow cook them. Voila!

Our July tour has been cancelled due to it being a terrible tour and some of the guys needing to get home to deal with some pressing family issues. We will resume in August, only playing festivals. You may have deduced that I will have a month of free-time on my hands. I'm very excited about this. I have a little project on my hands.

I started with this:

And so far, I've gotten this far:

It is amazing what you can do with a metal-cutting blade and a little time. I cut off the old exhaust and...well, that is it. I don't actually plan on putting any money into it, so I figure I will just remove things and make it better. So far, so good. I have some suspension spring spacers in there to lift it a couple inches and give it some ground clearance. I guarantee I will have it airborne within the first week of having it on the dirt track. Which I still have to make.

I will keep you posted!

PS: I grew a beard!

6/19/2010

High school camp is over. Middle school arrived today. Time to start all over again! We started learning some more up-tempo songs for this crowd! It will be a good time overall.

We have been talking over what to do after this tour. We are going to have the opportunity to play some theme parks after the camp. Then there are a lot of festivals in the summer. That is looking more favorable for the remainder of summer, unless we get a good tour or two. I am in favor of staying on the road as much as possible, but a band is a democracy. So essentially, I am praying God gives us some big tours. I learned music to see the world. There are lots of other professions where you can sit at home and get old. But there is a lot of music and a lot of opportunities out there! You never know where I may end with this talent and the favor of God.

We are going to have a few days off between the camp and when our tour starts so it looks like we will be doing some camping in the Redwoods or closer to where our tour starts in the Rockies. I am really excited about that.

It is always an adventure!

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6/17/2010

I am not good at poker. I am not good at card games in general.
I would go so far as to say I am not good at games of any sort. I got invited to play poker with some of the pastors and church staff here. Sweet. Shoot me in the face. Video chat with Joanna instead? Yes, please! I had been looking forward to that all day.

Worship has been going great at the camp. We have had a chance to really bond with a lot of the kids and that has helped free everyone up in worship.

The brakes on the van started grinding today so we ordered brake pads. Luckily, I was able to check them thoroughly and the rotors are still smooth. It is also still overheating which has me feeling a bit anxious. I am going to flush the radiator this weekend and see if I can get any gunk out. If I cannot get it out, then we are going to have to get a new radiator shipped to the camp. Replacing it without my own tools will be fun!

Tomorrow is paintball day. And yes, I fully intend to take full advantage of my rockstar status to get a gun and be out there with the kids!

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6/14/2010

Worship at the camp has been awesome! The kids are amazing. I just got done throwing water balloons at them for 2 hours while they were playing football. I just sat on a porch with a Dr. Pepper Soda, 12 oz Can (Pack of 24) next to me and chilled. It was sweet.

Now I am getting some downtime in the chapel (which has wireless!) and getting ready for our next worship set tonight. I met a bunch of kids (there are about 500 here) and hung out with a cabin full of cool guys during their discussion time.

The weather is perfect, which is not unusual for California. High-70's, 10% humidity, and a constant cool breeze. Not too shabby! I am looking forward to swimming, a ropes course, and possibly a zip-line 150 feet in the air over the Redwood Forest! We shall see if I can get them to let me do it for free.

6/11/2010

There are few people in this world who drive nonstop from Florida to California. I mean, it is 40+ hours. I do not know how people did it before we had smartphones and DVD players in vans! Then again, I guess they just did a lot of drugs. Not an option, so luckily there are smartphones I got the Motorola Droid and I am very happy with it. The graphics, layout and performance are amazing. It is not an iPhone, but it also NOT AT&T.

Much to the dismay of my bandmates, they were without data and internet service for several hours today. I lost 3G coverage for 5 minutes in Louisiana, but was quickly back to surfing the web, downloading apps, using my IM service, and listening to online radio stations. As much as I get teased for not having an iPhone, I would rather have a comparable phone that has service 99.8% of the time as opposed to hopefully 65%. Plus, I have gotten all the same apps for my phone. I will post if I cannot find an app that the iPhone has (or at least something comparable).

Right now we are driving through Texas. It is one giant state. We had some awesome barbeque for dinner. We will be in Texas for around 800 miles! That is crazy to me. I will probably be driving for a few hours tonight. Luckily, I loaded my entire iTunes library on my phone before i left!

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6/10/2010

Break is over. Time to get back on the road! I had an amazing 2 weeks with my family and Joanna and her family. I am so thankful for all of them!

We are leaving for California tomorrow. We are doing praise and worship for a youth camp in Northern California for 2 weeks, doing some writing in L.A., then catching a 3 week tour back to Florida. This is going to a be a crazy ride!

We had some issues with the van, but those are fixed now. New fan clutch, door handle, A/C switch (yeah, the A/C went out for our trip to Gulf Shores), and casing for the air filter. All GOOD things!

We led worship at Celebration Church in Jacksonville tonight. It was awesome and really anointed. It made me look forward to leading worship in California even more. It is such an amazing thing to be with a band that knows how to rock out in clubs and bars, but in an instant, turn around and lead 1,000 young people into deep worship. Talent, gifting, blessing...whatever it is, I am glad to be a part of it.

So now comes the part I want to get over with as quickly as possible: packing. I really try to not spend tons of time on this. I want to throw all my important belongings in my big plastic bin and be done with it. But when you leave home for a month and a half, you really need to put a little thought into packing! I plan on doing a lot of recording while I am on the road and really getting a lot of TV and film music on my hard drive. I have 50 or so songs, so I want to get about 100 more and have a good collection. Then at the end of summer, I am going to start pitching them again for sync licensing and get the royalties going!

The barrage of blog posts will start going this week. Hopefully I will have some funny stories and good times to keep this thing interesting!

5/27/2010

The long road home. We have one more show to play the it is time to grab one of these: Dr. Pepper - 36/12 oz. cans and pop in [What's The Story] Morning Glory by Oasis and get going!

You may notice I have some cool links going. I partnered with Amazon to make links for all the stuff I talk about. So if I am talking about Spain, then you can just click and check it out. Pretty nifty, huh?

I have big plans for my two weeks off! I got a 1990 Volvo 240 that I plan on making a dune buggy/rally racer. That will be fun. I have to finish the youth groups' CD. I am going to intonate my guitars. I will definitely spend all of my time with my family (plus Sunshine, our new puppy!) and Joanna!

I will load pictures of the car. Then I will get back on this blog as we head out to California!

5/27/2010

We had a good day off in Memphis. We all love Tennessee, so that does not hurt. We went to an awesome drum and percussion store. They had some amazing ethnic instruments. We spent a good amount of time playing with all the toys in there!

After that we went to Olive Garden. I had lots of salad! The weirdest part is that I ordered pizza. Do not ask me why! I have had a LOT of pizza in the last five weeks. So pizza was not the best idea. But it still tasted good!

After that, the big basketball game was on. I spent most of that time mixing the youth group project and making an instrumental intro track for the album. It is coming out really well! Then I put some pictures to a song my other band, Blue Landing, released right before tour. It turned out nicely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfp6LmWnXCI

Now we are settling in for the night. We have an early morning TV performance/interview. Then check out of the hotel and playing The Abbey tomorrow night. Then it is back on the road home!

5/26/2010

Oh, Georgia. Why are your roads forever under construction? I have a feeling that if the road construction in Georgia was ever actually completed, the state would just cease to exist because half of the state would be unemployed. It is very hot here. Not as bad as Florida was, but still pretty hot!

The turn out for the show was decent. The crowd was good and merch sales were great. It gets us gas and food! We make it another day and get to do another show. I Skyped Joanna in for the show. I set up my laptop right beside me onstage and turned down the computer's mic as much as I could. For the next one, I'm going to hook up my audio interface and a studio mic and see if I can get a quality sound through to Skype. We will see!

One of my longest lasting friendships is with a family from Alabama. The Jackson family will forever be part of my family. Their son, Josh, and I grew up together. He comes out to any shows close, so he came out tonight. It is always one long, unpredictable night when we are together! Just like old times. A lot of people say that as a figure of speech, but it actually is just like no time has passed and we are still joking and talking like we are teenagers. Pretty awesome.

We have a day off tomorrow. We are going to hang out in Tennessee and get ready for our grand finale in Memphis. We also have a TV show appearance the day of the show. In the morning. Early. Really early. As in we have to BE there for rehearsal at 7 am. But it is always fun! This will be my second TV appearance with the band and the last one was really a lot of fun! It will be a nice little change up from the normal routine. It is all one wild ride!

5/25/2010

I will never understand why venue staff feels the need to be rude to bands. It does not help anything.

Today, we got half our equipment loaded, then realized the stage was too small to backline. So we put it back in the trailer. Several hours later, we went to get wristbands and check in with the door guy who the most annoying frat boy I have ever encountered. This is how it went.

Door guy: "Why didn't you backline?"

Me: "No room."

Door guy: "Well you should have loaded on."

Me: (with California surfer accent in the most sarcastic tone I can muster) "It's all goooood, bro. It's all gonna be awe-uh-some, bro. No worries, bro."

Door guy: (extremely annoyed) "Well it's gonna be hard to load in around a sold out crowd."

Me: (also annoyed, still with Cali accent) "Yeah. Bro. Yeaaaaah."

Door guy: (more annoyed) "Well, talk to your band and see when you can load in your stuff."

Me: (Cali accent) "I couldn't tell you, bro. I'm just a hire on guitarist. I don't care, as long as I get paid."

I think I won. It was great. The venue was a little rough, but the crowd was awesome! I wish I could have had a little more fun with them, but the stage was so small that I literally could only take one step in any direction. I also got to hang out with my friend and old band member Jonathon and his wife Shanna. That was awesome!

So Joanna and I had a really long talk to just decompress from the week and an awesome prayer time. Now we are at the band's original guitarist's house. We are watching 'Dumb and Dumber.' Good way to end the night.

5/25/2010

Well we played South Florida. Yup. That is about it.

I had my friends from Florida Allen and Tim come out and bring people. That was awesome! It is always good to see people from home. While I have your attention, Allen and I play in a band called Blue Landing. Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/bluelanding. There is a music player on the left side of the page with 5 or 6 songs, so check it out and add us!

We are on the way to Orlando now. It will be nice to have a shower! We are sleeping for a few hours, then it will be time to drive to Tallahassee. I will have great friends there that I have not seen in a long time. It is nice being on the road because if my friends cannot come to me, I go to them!

One week left! Five weeks on the road has been amazing. I will be happy to be home for about two weeks though. I will spend those weeks with my family and Joanna. we have couple private shows in those two weeks around Florida. That will be a blast. Then we are back on the road, off to California to lead worship at a youth camp and tour 3 weeks back to Florida. After that, we are waiting to hear confirmations on some awesome things that are coming our way!

5/23/2010

Back in Florida! Definitely the funnest part of this tour. We had a day off with our families on the 20th, Tampa the 21st, and Orlando last night. The shows have been a lot of fun. We have had great crowds and all our friends and family here.

I never really understood why sound guys are so obnoxious and mean at first. The Florida shows have been ridiculous as far as the tech just being so rude when we meet them. Last night, the guy redeemed himself, which was great. But the sound guy in Tampa did not. And for the sound system they had, it was pretty weak sounding, not to mention the ridiculous feedback we had all night long onstage.

Regardless, I do not understand why they cannot just be nice. The point is to work together. I think a lot of the tension comes from sound techs who have not played live regularly. They do not understand why we need what we do, because they have not done it. I do wish everyone could just be nice.

Aside from the feedback, we had a blast in Tampa! Joanna drove me there with her friend Kayla. We walked around Ybor City for awhile. Then we got the frap type drinks at this crepe place and they were amazing. The place was empty, so we decided to just hang out and enjoy the A/C. Our server ended up talking to us for a long time and decided he liked us (or just reeeaaallly liked Kayla) and gave us crepes on the house. So good! It was such a fun day!

The hometown show last night was great! We had a good mix in the monitors and the sound out front was great from what everyone said. We played a really long set. I think we played every song I  knew! On one of the encore songs, the former keyboardist/percussionist Wes came out with a tambourine and rocked out. And on "White Lines, Red Lights," Bingham the former merch guy/manager/roadie/all-around band best friend came onstage and got the crowd hyped up. It was a blast. All our families came, so that was awesome too!

Now we are off to South Florida where the fans stare at you like cows stare at trains. We call it the "cattle-car show." I will have some friend there, so it will be fun! I am looking forward to it!

5/20/2010

A day off at home. I am excited! I am sitting in a rest area on the FL Turnpike waiting for Joanna to pick me up and take me to Gainesville. We drove from Virginia to here last night after the show. 13 hours straight.

Last night in Richmond, VA was a lot of fun! The crowd was good, the venue was unique, and it was all located in a cool part of downtown. I also got to see my brother and Dan Schultz, an old friend of mine and incredible musician.

Dan is one of the few people that inspired me to explore crazy guitar stuff, to be educated about theory, to search for perfect tone (and how to hear it), and to play beyond what most guitarists are satisfied with. I got to hear some tracks he is working on and it was very impressive! I cannot wait to hear the rest of the album!

It was great to see my brother. He works in Washington, D.C. so we do not get to see each other much when I am not touring through close to where he is. It is always awesome to see him!

I am now picked up on my way home to see my new puppy!

5/16/2010

It amazes me how many people will just walk up to a stranger and ask for money. It also amazes me how idiotic the stories are. The best one so far is the guy who says he has zero dollars and is about to be very sick without his medicine. What makes it great was that he said all this from his new shiny Lincoln with a full tank of gas and the A/C on. Are you kidding me?

Aside from that, New Jersey was a good time! The crowd was rowdy, the venue made amazing food for us, and people hung out after the show and made us feel very encouraged about what we do every night. A girl even remembered from last tour how I was cold and actually gave me a Snuggie. But it is an x-ray Snuggie! It is black and has a white skeleton on it. What is funny is that it is proportional so all the bones are in the right place!

Now we are driving from New Jersey to Virginia. We are in Delaware and making good time! I am looking forward to the Virginia shows. My brother lives in D.C. so he will hopefully be able to make it to the show in Richmond. It will be great to see him. I think I see him more times a year now that I am touring than when I was in one steady place.

My sister, brother, and I share a common love for travel and moving around. I think we both share in wanting to see as much of the world and different cultures as we can. Tommy and I have both been all over the world, and while he is a few countries up on me in Asia and Africa, I am hopeful that I will be catching up with a couple tours we have in the works. We have really strong fan-bases in Italy, South Africa, Japan, Spain, and the United Kingdom. We want to hit those markets and get over there and play!

I will be seeing everyone as we make our way south! I miss my girl and family a lot (and our new dog Sunshine who I will be meeting!). I am so thankful to have them in my life to keep me grounded. My girl Joanna is a gem when it comes to my mini-bouts with getting really bummed out and being grumpy and down on myself. She is solid and she prays through it with me and helps me keep my head on straight. My mom and my sister are the best thing ever. Hands down, the best family I have ever seen. Cannot wait to see them!

I am excited for the next couple days! I see my brother in Richmond, my girl in Tampa, my mom and sister in Orlando, and lots of cool friends from Gainesville in South Florida.

On that note, Sofla is my absolute least favorite place to play. It is like playing to packed house...if that house is a morgue. But if my friends are there, hopefully it will get loud and rowdy. I love the shows where it is on the edge of chaos. Too many crazy fans in a room that is way too small. That is the best kind of show!

Yeah, so I am out of black socks. This is a problem. I cannot stand to not wear socks. I cannot stand to wear dirty socks. I do not want to wear white socks because it looks tacky. I think that tomorrow, a Walmart will surrender its bathroom sink to laundry day for Stevie.

5/15/2010

I had a milestone in my life: I had a Philly cheesesteak in downtown Philadelphia. It was everything I hoped it would be.

Our show there was okay. There were not as many people as we had hoped. It was a huge venue, but the promo material from the headlining band never made it to the venue. This is not unusual. Most venues use promo materials our label sends out, because they do not get anything from the headliner.

Overall, this tour has had to contend with college finals and now high school. We have had a lot of good shows, but there have definitely been some duds. It would be really good for us to jump on a big tour this summer and not one that we are just treading water with. That is in the works. Hopefully, that all comes through. A band is a small business that has its ups and downs. It is just a lot more fun than anything else you could be doing.

We went bowling the other night on our day off. It was great, but I had eaten at Outback and had fallen asleep for an hour before going (at midnight). Needless to say, I was not very awake. Then last night, the guys from the other band challenged us to another game. I let the other guys handle that. I did not care to spend the money or bowl...again. So I watched Talladega Nights in the van. Possibly one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

Today, I woke up and realized I had not had good exercise the past couple days. So I did my normal workout beside the trailer in the Walmart parking lot. We were right next to a bus stop, so I got a lot of weird looks. I just waved. C'mon...LOTS of people bust out resistance bands, Perfect Pushups, and jumping jacks in a parking lot!

Now all I need is to make myself a soy mocha and I will be ready to start my day...at 2 pm! New Jersey tonight! We are expecting a great show!

5/13/2010

No one snores quite like my boys in the band. It does not keep me awake. It is not terrible. It is kind of just the dull roar I fall asleep to every night.

It was a good night tonight! The venue was fun and we had a good time. We all played well and the crowd response was good. Our dressing room was trashed though because Norma Jean and Every Time I Die had played the night before.

We got a pretty sweet deal with a clothing company called Killbrand. I found a lot of cool shirts, hoodies, and bags that I liked. They give me the stuff I like, I wear it on stage, people from the crowd buy their merchandise. Pretty good deal for me and them!

*This is the part where I tell you I am sitting here playing a Gibson guitar with Ernie Ball strings and sipping on a Red Bull*

This morning, we got a rude awakening. Literally. We bunked down at 4 am in a Walmart parking lot. At 7 am, we were woken up by someone pounding on the outside of the van. We looked outside and saw a police car, so Ryan opened the window. The officer said staff at Walmart had called and reported a suspicious vehicle parked all night.

First off, we had only been asleep 3 hours. Second, what is suspicious about a shiny giant van and new trailer? We were parked with the semi trailers with all the lights on and the sunblockers in the windows. What do THINK we are doing?

He ended up running the tags on the van and trailer. He told us we needed to leave in a half hour. We just went to another parking lot across street.

Now I am sleepy and headed to bed. Talked to my mom, my sister, my brother, and Joanna today! Joanna and I had a great prayer time tonight. It is always wonderful when that girl calls with good news!

Day off and showers tomorrow. Cannot wait!

5/12/2010

Last night we played at a club called Diesel which was top notch. Great sound, great look (the whole ceiling was LED's) and stage set up. As with most venues like that, the staff was a little less than friendly. That is always a bummer because it makes for a much nicer experience when the bands and staff are all friends. It was just one door guy. The sound tech was great and even the promoter seemed friendly.

There was a pretty harsh altercation between the staff and the opening band, who was extremely late. They were told when they showed up that they were too late to set up and were not needed in the line-up. So we got a solid 45 minute set. That is sad for the opening band, but was great for us.

We also had the best sushi I think I have ever had. If you are ever in Pittsburgh, PA, check out Nakami downtown. Good prices and amazing sushi!

Today has been on heckuva day. We played Allentown, PA. I got very lost while biking through town, looking for espresso. I found organic espresso at a tiny health food store. I promptly got lost on the way back. I ended up in the ghetto and was kicking myself for not paying more attention in Spanish class.

Hispanic ghettos bother me for two reasons. First, I do not understand Spanish so I know I could inadvertantly make someone angry. And I could not use my sense of humor and charm to get out of a bad situation. Second, I cannot thing of any worse way to die than getting stabbed. Maybe being completely engulfed in fire. Anywaaaays...

The venue was Crocodile Rock. If you are in a band and are being booked at the downstairs venue, then just cancel. The bands all got a 20 minute set with 5 minutes for set change. There was talk about canceling, but that would have meant forfeiting our guarantee from the venue. So we crammed 40 minutes of awesome into 20 minutes.

Now we are camped out at Walmart with everything essential to life inside a giant 24-hour warehouse. Tomorrow, we will start with coffee from Dunkin Donuts inside. I am bunking down for the night. I just had my nightly prayer time with Joanna; something I look forward to so much everyday! We are in our van with snacks and Hurt Locker on 2 flip down screens complete with a massive sound system and tons of blankets, sleeping bags and pillows. Another good end to a good day at Camp Between the Trees.

5/11/2010

I am going to compile a list of the best ways to stay healthy on the road. Then I am going to write a book for bands or anyone who travels. You can literally eat for next to nothing and have it be somewhat healthy.

Salads: you can buy side salads at any fast food joint for a buck. This is generally how I do lunch. Two salads with nonfat dressing. It is nutritious and delicious. Tip: Burger King has the best side salad. It is huge and has romaine lettuce and chopped veggies. McDonald's and Wendy's tie for second place. Wendy's probably drops to 3rd, simply because they have bacon crumbles on their side Caesar salad and I do not eat pork.

Chicken sandwiches (or nuggets): also on the dollar menu. Your best bet here is to toss the bun, unless you can get a wheat bun, and tear the chicken into chunks and put it on your salad.

I know that does not seem filling and I doubt it every single time I go to order, but I am always full after the meal.

Drinks: I never buy a Dr. Pepper at a restaurant. $2 for a 20 oz? Seriously?? $3 at Walmart gets a 12-pack that I keep on ice in the trailer. Just walk in there with your own can. I have never had someone say anything to me. It is fast food -- they do NOT care. I also get a water at every stop, just to keep up my water intake.

I keep a loaf of whole wheat bread (or cracked wheat flat bread), peanut butter, and honey in my clothes bin of the trailer. That is what I hit when I get a craving for ice cream or cookies. The peanut butter and honey cure the sweet tooth and it has much better nutritional content, especially with wheat bread. I will usually eat one in the morning as soon as we check out of the hotel and one between lunch and dinner since we usually have dinner at 2 am. This also takes the edge off, so I do not over-eat at dinner.

Fruit: you can buy single pieces of fruit at a Walmart Supercenter for well under a dollar. Fructose is a really good alternative to a donut or something terrible in the morning!

Coffee: this definitely gets its own section. I know there are lots of different methods here, but I do specialty coffees which is expensive on the road. I brought an espresso brewer with me and I can brew in the van. I keep a jug of chocolate soy or almond milk on ice in the trailer. I am not a huge soy or almond fan, but they have a lot of advantages. They are much healthier than regular milk; they keep longer; they do not have to be refrigerated as carefully as milk. So pour a cold cup of chocolate almond milk, brew a shot of espresso, mix, throw in an ice cube and BOOM -- instant mocha. I generally spend right under $15/month on coffee fixings versus the $120 I would spend on Starbucks in a month.

So there ya go! Hope that helps anyone who would possibly be interested in this lifestyle!

We are pulling into Pittsburg, PA right now. Looking forward to a good show tonight!

5/10/2010

I need to get my passport. I seriously almost got myself in a jam today. We talked to our friends in The Rocket Summer today and they said they needed a supporting artist for a European tour that starts next week. So Ryan started calling management and seeing what it would take to jump on it. I realized very quickly I would be out of luck with no passport. I had planned to get a passport before we left for this tour, but never made it happen. Our manager said there was no possible way we could push work visas through in time, so it was a moot point. But I will absolutely be getting it when we get home from tour.

On that note, we have a couple things coming that could be really exciting. If they work out, it would mean some big name tours.

As our schedule sits now, we are going to finish up this tour at the end of May and will be headed home for two weeks. That will give me a chance to see my family (with the addition of our new Golden Retriever!) and my girl Jojo. It will be great to see my friends and the youth group I work with. It is a surprise because we were supposed to tour all the way out to California and write for a couple weeks with Adam Watts (Switchfoot, Miley Cyrus, High School Musical movies, etc). Then after writing, we are scheduled to play a Christian youth summer camp for 10 days. But our scheduling got switched up and now we are planning on writing with him after the camp. So that will be awesome!

We had a day off today and had nice hotel to hang out in last night and tonight. We had a great time just hanging out and relaxing. We got the van maintenance done, went bike riding around town, watched a movie, and hung out in the hot tub then in the sauna. Just a cool day!

Tomorrow we're back in the grind. Four dates in Pennsylvania, then we start our trek down the coast to Florida. It is going to be a good time! Pennsylvania usually has lots of fun shows!

5/9/2010

This blog has been mostly tame stuff about daily life on tour. But because it is the music industry, it is ugly when dishonest people get involved. This is a very honest look at an experience we had last night.

Back story: last year the band was booked on a dumpy tour by a kid who is an aspiring booking agent. He was working for a tiny booking agency that our label used just for that tour. The band ended up pulling off the tour early. It was essentially American Legion halls with no stages and mobile sound systems. Not quite the venues we should be playing.

In January, this kid came into our dressing room in Pontiac, MI demanding money, claiming our record label never paid him. We told him we had nothing to do with it since his contract was not with us, but our record label. Regardless of his rudeness, we called our label and management to help him track down his money. Our manager found the receipts proving that his company had been paid and forwarded them to him, CCing Ryan on all the emails. His company was paid. He was not paid. It was his company that had failed to pay him.

Last night, he was the booking agent for the show. We played, there was a big, it was all good. At the end of the night, we went to settle up because we had a contract that guaranteed us a certain amount from the promoter. He said that he was refusing to pay us because he had still not received any money. He denied getting an email with the receipts, even though all of us had seen them, read the email, and had seen his email address on the list. After a call from our booking agent and label, who said they would resend the receipts, he still refused to make good on our contract.

Essentially, he booked us simply to steal money from our band, knowing full well it would not affect our label or management (the people who he claims owe him money). He said that he knew that the money he claimed is owed him is not our issue and verbally admitted that what he was doing was immoral, illegal, and ethically wrong. He said, "this is just how I do business."

It is pathetic that messed up teenage kids are trying to conduct business on high school terms in an adult world. It is sad that he has his morals so skewed at such a young age. There are people who take something that is fun and amazing (music and touring) and make it unpleasant. But God takes care of us and will hopefully intervene is this kid's life before he messes with the wrong kind of people or continues on this path as an adult.

If you are in a band and touring, do not book anything through Jonathon Wilson.

In better news, we are in Ohio and on the way to Cleveland: Rock City! It is going to be an awesome show and we are looking forward to it and a hotel! Hot showers, swimming, and doing laundry. Then a real bed. Cannot wait!

5/7/2010

Indianapolis = rain. Lots of it. We loaded into the venue last night right before it unleashed rain. Which was great because we were late loading in and rain would have slowed us down a lot more!

The show was decent. There were some people there that were really...really into it, which is cool, but a little unnerving sometimes. I love it though. Just a good reminder that people love to listen to and experience the music we love to play!

The venue had food for us, which is always awesome! Turkey sammiches, veggies, fruit, Oreos, coke. It was so good! Then after the show, we went to Perkins with our merch girl Courtney from the last tour and our friend Stephanie who comes to all our Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky shows. It was a really good time.

We were on the way to Detroit and at about 3 am I felt so sick. I felt like I was going to throw up or pass out. So I just laid down on my seat until I felt better. We finally did stop and got out and walked around to get some fresh air. Life on the road!

We slept in the van and woke up early to catch the 10 am showing of Iron Man 2, which was awesome! Can't wait for the third one with Thor! So awesome. We are headed to our show in Detroit tonight. Should be fun.

We are hopefully going to hook up and get some hang time with our friends The Rocket Summer. They are touring in the same area. We have been trying to tour together for awhile, so hopefully we can get that squared away! That would be fun!

And so will the show tonight! Small venue, off tour show. Just a cool little deal for our Detroit people!

5/6/2010

I did not get a chance to write a blog last night because I was driving. I think we pulled over at a rest stop and slept at 4 or 5 am. Then we had to be up early to be in Chicago for a radio interview.
Last night was our last Wisconsin show of the tour. The venue load-in was the worst I have ever seen. We climbed 3 flights of stairs to get our stuff up there. Which is quite a feat, because we have a 16' trailer full of equipment! But we made it and played to good crowd.

Tensions seemed to be a bit higher today because we all have our personal stresses, then normal band workings. We had some unexpected (and expensive) equipment repairs, not to mention buying the new trailer. We have been trying to eat healthy, but that is not always an option and it really makes a difference! Tour details for the next couple months are up in the air. But the biggest thing is that everyone is tired. The other bands are too. One of the guys from another band commented back-stage about how emotionally drained he is. But like he said, "Oh well, it's tour life."

The good thing about that is that touring and music, unlike any other activity, remedies the problems it creates. Yes, we are all drained but all we need is one good night sleep and we are back and ready to roll! We have a friend here in Chicago who is opening his home to us with beds and showers(!) so we are a long ways down the road towards being 110%.

We are hanging out with some old friends the next couple shows so it will be a great time!

5/4/2010

I wrote this in an email today to a friend. She specifically mentioned this part of the email and so I am going to share it.

"I'm a huge proponent of people with an artistic gift finding what God has for them! It's very hard for artists to not get burned in church and to be able to separate God from people in the church who misunderstand and misuse artists. That's a life-changing distinction for artists to make. I've seen so many talented creative minds lost because of that. But God has an awesome plan! He's started a good work, so He will be faithful to finish it!"

I will just let that be. It speaks for itself.

I just finished a conversatiom with an older businessman in Perkins. He is a "money-mind" and took particular interest in me when he overheard one of the other tables talking about our show. He asked me some very in-depth questions about business and personal finances. But then he wanted to know how I survive on the road away from my family and Joanna, and how I survive living such a hectic, crazy lifestyle in the most ruthless industry. Those open, honest conversations are few and far between, but they are a reality check and that conversation just sparked a lot of thought.

I get so caught up in the mad rush routine of drive, unpack, give every ounce of energy I have to a crowd, meet a kabillion people, pack, drive. Everyday is insanity. Everyday is different. There is no "daily schedule." Nothing is set in stone. I do not have time to decompress, think, or work through the things I have heard, seen, or experienced.

It seems weird, but that is really nice -- I have to be honest. I do not have to think or worry. Give me a guitar and stick me in a van going all over the country. My biggest concern most of the time is that I cannot ever seem to keep a Sharpie on me to sign stuff. Everything I need for survival is in the trailer. I play music I love every night. I record, mix, or write during the day because our van is set up for it. I get to pick out any Gibson guitar I want and just take it whenever I want. I do not make a million dollars every night, but I am set up for sure. Most musicians never get to that point. It just kinda blows my mind how God has worked everything in my life.

I know it could all end tomorrow. I know I could be back building houses in the middle of Florida summer. But for right now, I am living the dream and soaking up every crazy second of it. I miss my awesome friends. I miss my sweet girl. I miss my family. But I am blessed by all their incredible encouragement to go out and do what so few people get to do.

God is good.