Tommorrow, Twine Ball!
I know things have been quiet, it’s been hard to find decent internet out here on the road, but yesterday, I spent about 2 hours of my day dedicated to rectifying that issue. Sprint replaced my faulty internet stick, and also took the time to ensure I had everything set up on my computer to make it work.
Yeah for internet!
We’ve spent the last few days hanging out at my friend, Tyler’s house in Kansas City, MO. It’s not too bad. Tyler moved away from Tacoma about 4 years ago, and it’s good to see him again. He’s got a lot of stuff in the works for his new band, American Dischord. Pop punk has never really been my thing, but it makes me happy to see him doing music again and making waves.
The only real downside to this is that I really don’t like being in one place for too long…the road is calling, but we’re in that leg of the tour now that has a lot of holes in the schedule. If you want to be smart and save gas, it’s best to stay put, and I couldn’t think of better company to do that with. Not only that, but it’s good to see Booger too. Tyler has this rad little white boxer (Booger) that used to play with Bosco back when The Hershey Squirts were still tearing it up in Tacoma.
The new kink in the plan is tires…I knew it was coming eventually, I had just hoped it would be a bit further down the road…and the roads on the east coast are gnarly too. I’m crossing my fingers that a rotation will help them to last a bit longer until I can gain enough capital to replace them.
Being that it’s now May 1st, we have successfully survived a month of tour together.
Every time you head out, there’s new experiences and what not…part of what makes the whole thing worth it…and heading out with new people who you’ve never traveled with before tends to add an even bigger unknown to the equation, especially when they’ve never toured like I have. Dealing with people is hard. Period. Dealing with people in a tiny box for weeks on end…a little harder. Things have been tense at times, for sure, but over all it’s been pretty good and I don’t have many complaints. The complaints I did have were expressed, and have seemed to be taken to heart on both accounts.
I’m grateful for crossing paths with folks I’ve traveled with before and talking to people here and there that helps to keep my mind on track.
Balancing home life and road life is never really easy, and things back home could be a lot better…but there’s nothing I can do from out here except offer words of comfort and love.
Among some of the places we’ve been to recently, I fell in love with Austin, TX. I had no idea a place like that even existed. A community of musicians and artists supporting music and the arts…with crazy looking buildings and a nightlife that puts most places to shame even on a Monday night. There’s a place to go dancing any night of the week, music pouring out all over the place from the basements to the rooftops, people who let you be to do your own thing, awesome food at great prices, and a vibe that was hard to leave behind. Even sitting in the bars, I felt at home without a drink in my hands. Sok and Josh always told me that I would love it there, and that’s an understatement. I grilled my buddy Ray with all kinds of questions about the place. He moved there from Tacoma in 2011, and hasn’t looked back.
Apparently, they offer great medical benefits for musicians who use that as their main source of income as well. It was pretty much a melting pot of awesomeness.
Everything that Dan and I both love to do and are into seems to thrive there, and I’m very interested in spending more time in Austin. I talked with Dan about it, and he said that he’d like to check it out. His main complaint is the heat…but really with riding season all year long and vegetation that is nothing like the bullshit heat and desolation he was accustomed to in Phoenix, I think it would be a nice change of pace for us. The fact that he’s willing to check it out is pretty rad, because normally when I mention moving somewhere, he’s immediately against it…this time, he just said, “I’d like to check it out.”
So that’s where we’re at with that. I told him that if he has no interest in moving there, I won’t press it. My home is where ever he is, and he’s got a lot going on in Tacoma with his bands and what not. We have strong roots there, and it took a long time for him to adjust to that. Besides, I travel constantly, and Austin will be there the next time I travel through.
I wrote a new song the other day called “Dream Killer”
and finished another one that’s been kicking around in my head for awhile now called “No”.
That is the nice part about down time, writing music. I’m also getting more excited as Europe approaches. Part of yesterday’s errand running also included tracking down a FedEx Office so I could scan and email my passport to Bob. He needed it to get my work visa set up.
I’m excited for multiple reasons…the experience, the adventure, and hanging out with the nut-job that is Bob Wayne. I say that lovingly. Sometimes talking to him is like talking to myself, and I understand why people respond the way they do to me at times. He also gets pretty loopy when he’s not on the road, so I’ve been getting some pretty hilarious texts and emails. “I’m shitting in the woods, texting on an iPhone, and holding myself up with a shotgun…is that weird?” I think we’re going to get along well together, and I hope it turns into a full time gig. We’ll see how we handle 2 months of touring together.
This is the schedule so far…pretty awesome. 🙂 Still hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’m actually going to go. But the non-refundable plane tickets are bought, the work visa is being taken care, and Bob keeps flicking me shit about if I can handle it or not…no, this is not a dream…this is my life, and I love it. 🙂
6/14/2013 – Puurs (BE) @ CC de Kollebloem
6/15/2013 – Waardamme (BE) @ Muddy Roots Europe
6/17/2013 – Stamford (UK) @ Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge
6/18/2013 – London (UK) @ Barfly
6/21/2013 – Belfast (NI) @ Voodoo Belfast
6/24/2013 – Birmingham (UK) @ Hare and Hounds
6/25/2013 – Brighton (UK) @ Prince Albert
6/26/2013 – Groningen (NL) @ Vera
6/28/2013 – Finowfurt (DE) @ Roadrunners Festival
6/29/2013 – Rotterdam (NL) @ Bluegrass Festival
7/5/2013 – Litomerice (CZ) @ Litomericky Kore
7/6/2013 – Bruck/Leitha (AT) @ Open Air
7/8/2013 – Vienna (AT) @ The Rhiz
7/13/2013 – Lindau (DE) @ Stadtfest
7/20/2013 – Muotathal (CH) @ Rednecks Roadclub
7/22/2013 – Selestat (FR) @ *Private House
7/26/2013 – Paris (FR) @ Mecanique Ondulatoire
7/27/2013 – Landhorst (NL) @ Slokopfest
7/28/2013 – Lichtenvoorde (NL) @ Zwarte Cross
7/30/2013 – Hamburg (DE) @ Hafenklang
7/31/13 – 8/3/13 – Wacken (DE) @ Wacken Open Air
8/9/2013 – Stockholm (SWE) @ The Liffey
8/10/2013 – Huskvana (SWE) @ Rocknart Fest
Among other interesting things, I met up with Hemlock for lunch at a Taco Bell in Oklahoma City, OK. It was so good to see them. They are one of my favorites of the touring musicians I know, always working, always happy to be where they are and doing whatever they are doing, and always a good time when I see them. I was really happy that our paths had crossed in Oklahoma. Chad mentioned something about possibly touring together in the future…I think I would love that. So good to see Jillinda too. She is one of the most hard working, bad ass road mamas I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
So one month down, and one left to go…all the shows we have booked, I’m excited to play…the empty dates make me nervous, but that’s just because I’m not a big fan of downtime, I like to keep moving constantly…although camping seems like a good idea if I’m going to be stuck in Utah for 4 days, no one else has really given a solid yeah or neigh on that idea…but whatever, it’ll all sort itself out.
Tomorrow…the worlds largest ball of twine.