i want to write this down so i'll remember
being on tour was really something. there's so many cliche's said about it that used to bug me but now i guess i understand them a little more. we played 9 shows in 10 days, one 4 day leg and one 5 day leg, heading all over the northeast and a bit into the south. until you leave new york, you may never realize how kind people in other parts of the country are, places that aren't even all that far from here. i think i've fallen completely in love with philadelphia. we got into my minivan with the trailer attached at the back and drove all over and slept on people's floors.
the shows themselves were a mixed bag as to be expected. some of them were great, meaning we played well and also sold alot of shit and actually made some money. all accross the board we did pretty well financially, enough to break even at least, and now we're basically going to need to be doing this forever, throughout this school year we'll be gone many of the weekends, i already have things in the works for september in addition to the final week long stretch in the midwest we'll be doing in august.
it was a very emotional experience for me, i shed some tears i have to admit. my memories of touring probably won't even be the shows, it'll be the road, the car, the driving. i did all of it this leg, probably because i'm insanely stubborn and controlling, probably because i'm the only wanker in my band who doesnt drink (exception: the ithaca show). i want to just say some things that happened emotionally so i'll remember feeling them. being back here has filled me with this dread of ordinary life...i dont know how i could do it. on the road everything seemed so better even when it wasn't so great, it's like all the problems were left behind. i'd never loved the other members of my band so much as i had for those days, even though sometimes we're a bunch of idiots (not excluding myself from the idiocy mind you).......it really was like family. being away made all my feelings of loneliness i've been battling disappear. now that i'm back it's like....right, that's why i felt like shit back at my house, i'd forgotten, and now it rushed back....when i was away i felt like i was a part of something, and it didnt make me feel small at all, i feel completely alienated in this house, but i feel like a member of some beautifully twisted family in the van.
here are some emotional and funny anecdotes....
on the way to ithaca it was a completely beautiful day, and sarna handed me this mix cd he made, which was surprisingly really good. it's sad but a little funny that his taste in music improves when he's miserable, and it was filled with all these great emotional singer songwriter songs like paul simon and john lennon, etc. anyway, we were driving into the mountains when wild horses came on, and it abruptly started pouring out....like fucking buckets of rain, it was crazy....so naturally i'm driving and feeling this beautiful songs blasting and the tears start coming, streaming down my face, and i just feel everysingle fucking word in the song, every syllabul mick jagger sings, which is not a common thing for me with the stones.....anyway, the remarkable thing that happened is that as soon as the song ended, so did the rain. it cleared up into this beautiful bright blue sky and it was really shocking, i'm not exaggerating at all, it literally stopped as soon as the song ended like perfectly...it's probably the most hopeful oracle i'd ever encountered...it was amazing.
funny things that happened:
1.) we played at a rap club....we were the only 6 white people in the building.....i dont think i need to say much more, besides at the front door it said the following...
men: $15
women: $13
thugs: $20
2.) we played at a tractor festival like 2 nights after the rap club.......acres and acres of heavy machinery and older people in cowboy hats showing their children how to use cranes and move dirt.....weird.
3.) mike sarna and emily's sister...
4.) cracker barrel and wawa.....the 2 loves of our lives.
5.) will forthman after midnight. ("give me a break, it's 3 in the fourning" (it was actually 5 am, so really he didnt even kind of make sense))
6.) the footage....we actually playedpretty well apparently, i'm pleased, and we're gonna release it perhaps...
7.) exemption....we met them for 2 days, and they are probably the nicest kids i know.
8.) vin and his family, (who are actually the nicest people anyone can know)
i think i'll write more later, i need to practice now, and chase away these back at home blues.
much love.
the shows themselves were a mixed bag as to be expected. some of them were great, meaning we played well and also sold alot of shit and actually made some money. all accross the board we did pretty well financially, enough to break even at least, and now we're basically going to need to be doing this forever, throughout this school year we'll be gone many of the weekends, i already have things in the works for september in addition to the final week long stretch in the midwest we'll be doing in august.
it was a very emotional experience for me, i shed some tears i have to admit. my memories of touring probably won't even be the shows, it'll be the road, the car, the driving. i did all of it this leg, probably because i'm insanely stubborn and controlling, probably because i'm the only wanker in my band who doesnt drink (exception: the ithaca show). i want to just say some things that happened emotionally so i'll remember feeling them. being back here has filled me with this dread of ordinary life...i dont know how i could do it. on the road everything seemed so better even when it wasn't so great, it's like all the problems were left behind. i'd never loved the other members of my band so much as i had for those days, even though sometimes we're a bunch of idiots (not excluding myself from the idiocy mind you).......it really was like family. being away made all my feelings of loneliness i've been battling disappear. now that i'm back it's like....right, that's why i felt like shit back at my house, i'd forgotten, and now it rushed back....when i was away i felt like i was a part of something, and it didnt make me feel small at all, i feel completely alienated in this house, but i feel like a member of some beautifully twisted family in the van.
here are some emotional and funny anecdotes....
on the way to ithaca it was a completely beautiful day, and sarna handed me this mix cd he made, which was surprisingly really good. it's sad but a little funny that his taste in music improves when he's miserable, and it was filled with all these great emotional singer songwriter songs like paul simon and john lennon, etc. anyway, we were driving into the mountains when wild horses came on, and it abruptly started pouring out....like fucking buckets of rain, it was crazy....so naturally i'm driving and feeling this beautiful songs blasting and the tears start coming, streaming down my face, and i just feel everysingle fucking word in the song, every syllabul mick jagger sings, which is not a common thing for me with the stones.....anyway, the remarkable thing that happened is that as soon as the song ended, so did the rain. it cleared up into this beautiful bright blue sky and it was really shocking, i'm not exaggerating at all, it literally stopped as soon as the song ended like perfectly...it's probably the most hopeful oracle i'd ever encountered...it was amazing.
funny things that happened:
1.) we played at a rap club....we were the only 6 white people in the building.....i dont think i need to say much more, besides at the front door it said the following...
men: $15
women: $13
thugs: $20
2.) we played at a tractor festival like 2 nights after the rap club.......acres and acres of heavy machinery and older people in cowboy hats showing their children how to use cranes and move dirt.....weird.
3.) mike sarna and emily's sister...
4.) cracker barrel and wawa.....the 2 loves of our lives.
5.) will forthman after midnight. ("give me a break, it's 3 in the fourning" (it was actually 5 am, so really he didnt even kind of make sense))
6.) the footage....we actually playedpretty well apparently, i'm pleased, and we're gonna release it perhaps...
7.) exemption....we met them for 2 days, and they are probably the nicest kids i know.
8.) vin and his family, (who are actually the nicest people anyone can know)
i think i'll write more later, i need to practice now, and chase away these back at home blues.
much love.