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.

5/3/2010

Day off! Soooooo good to get a shower! And do laundry. I actually slapped a Biohazard sticker on my bin just to warn the guys. I also found a sweet shirt at Mall of America in Minneapolis. We bumped into the guys in The Higher (the band we are on tour with) and looked around at some of the stores with them.

Mustache May has begun and we are in it full swing. Jeremy shaved his beard and is rocking the mustache. Ryan and I are both doing a mustache/soul patch deal and I am pretty excited about it.

I had some time in the hotel today to work on some mixing for the youth group project I have been mixing. I recorded everything at my studio. I am mixing and mastering everything. I played all the drums and additional bass, guitars, and synths.

We shot a video right before tour and here's a link to the finished product:

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

Mustache May has begun and we are in it full swing. Jeremy shaved his beard (picture) and is rocking the mustache. Ryan and I are both doing a mustache/soul patch deal and I am pretty excited about it. Pictures will follow! 

Buffalo, MN is tomorrow and it will be a really fun show. It packs out at this venue for us and I am excited to get another great show on! 

5/2/2010

Drive, set up, play, meet a hundred people, pack up, drive. Back in the routine and it feels good! It is almost 3 am and we are pulling into a Travel Center. I love these places. There is always really random stuff to look at and it is a good spot to sleep.

We woke up this morning and had a pretty intense bike ride, then a good workout session. We use the trailer ramp for incline pushups. The trailer hitch and resistance bands lends itself to all sorts of exercises, including my favorite: rowing.

The venue was good. It was clean at least. The venue provided us with pizza. I prefer buy-outs (where the venue gives each band member $10-15 for dinner instead of buying pizza), but I'm thankful for food either way!

We covered Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" and I didn't have a slide so I used an IBC Root Beer bottle. The crowd loved it. Things like that are a little out of the ordinary make for a fun show. One guy took the bottle, put tape on it, and tracked down the whole band so we could all sign it. It is just fun to make a connection with the crowd, even if it is over a root beer bottle.

We are in Minnesota and it is COLD. Definitely not prepared for this. The other guys are more than me -- I forgot to even bring a jacket! We have a day off tomorrow and hotel. With as late as we drive, it is never worth it to get a hotel. We would only be there 4 or 5 hours before we had to check out. Jeremy says that from our hotel, he can hit Mall of America with a rock...throwing it left-handed. That is pretty close!

Tonight, my girl Joanna got locked out of her car. I was so thankful for technology. I was able to price out locksmiths, call them and get her taken care of all the way from Iowa. I miss her and my family and all my friends. But I am so thankful to get a chance to do this. There is not any job that could be better!

Now I am going to fall asleep listening to Jeremy try to convince Josh and Ryan that Sunny D is essentially the same thing as orange juice. This debate is getting heated!
Goodnight!

5/1/2010

What a beautiful day! Madison, Wisconsin is like something out of a 50's sitcom. It was great. I wanted to get a good bike-ride in, but it did not happen.

We had a great time at the show. I felt good about my guitar and vocal work tonight. My in-ear monitor pack is definitely faulty, so I am back to my ear-plugs. But I can hear my voice and at least be on pitch.

Now we are headed back to Iowa! Looking for a good turn out tomorrow night! Until then, I am going to grab some sleep in the back of the van.

4/30/2010

We had a day off and a nice hotel in Iowa City last night. It was a nice to get a shower!
We had pizza at a local place by our hotel and apparently Jeremy and I got food poisoning. We both went to the hot tub after dinner. About 5 minutes after getting in, I started getting dizzy. So I got out and blacked out before I got to my towel and phone. I sat for about 5 more minutes, then got up and walked back to the room where I promptly discharged my dinner.

Jeremy was not so lucky. He blacked out too, but dropped his iPhone and broke the screen. It was a bad night.

Luckily, the beds were super comfy! I slept like a rock. We hung out in the van for a few hours after checking out. There was torrential rain and tornado warnings, so there was no bike riding. Ryan and Jeremy played video games, Josh got a beat-making app for his phone, and I mixed some for a youth group's praise and worship project I'm producing.
I used my new in-ear system tonight, so I'm excited about that! It's a sweet setup. It made our sound a lot tighter because I have Josh's click track in my mix. It helps so much!

If any band or musician thinks they're ok without playing with a click track live, you are wrong. Anyone who is on the level where you are trying get (making a living with music) will tell you the same. Just do it. If you are the caliber of musician that has any chance of making a living doing music, then it is not like it is that hard. If you are not that caliber of musician, then quit or get to that point. Quickly.

The show tonight was phenomenal! The crowd was crazy and at some points they sang so loudly that I could not hear Ryan! Everyone had a great time. Our merch table was mobbed after the show which is great for any touring band! God is good!

After that, we came out to a dead battery on the van. And the van just so happened to be parked in a narrow alley! So we pushed the van and trailer out so we could jumpstart it. Then we were out on the road again! Next stop: Wisconsin!

Other than that, I brewed a shot of espresso in the van and put it in chocolate milk. Boom: instant iced mocha!