hello everyone:

this is the first blog in a really long time!  i'm going to recap the first bunch of the tour.  hope you like it, i know i have so far :)

1/28 COLORADO SPRINGS:  i, like i normally do, had a blast at the black sheep kicking off the tour.  i played with razor wide (www.myspace.com/razorwide), under summer stars (www.myspace.com/undersummerstars), jeremy facknitz (www.myspace.com/jeremyfacknitz), and the myth of modern medicine (www.myspace.com/themythofmodernmedicine).  we had a real blast...and i'm very thankful for their hard work and rocking out.  after the show, we returned to the purple house for a few drinks and hung out for a few hours.

1/29 DENVER:  i got up to denver in the evening after picking up the new shirts.  (THEY ARE BAD-ASS.)  i loaded in my stuff and started mingling with friends.  kyle came early, so we chatted a bit over a newcastle and people fed through the doors to start filling the place up.  by the last band's set (width of a circle...they're a david bowie cover band!), the place was hoppin'.  so many people there you could barely move.  it was sweet.  people from all walks of my life attended (middle school friends, college friends, family, my sister's friends) and succeeded in making my night.  thank you to everyone who kept getting me drinks ;)  after the show, i retired to chez ziegler in broomfield where i stayed for the next 4 nights.

i played a lot of wii...enough to beat most of steve's existing records and achieve a few more of my own.  i caught up with my middle school confidante emily and we talked over a delicious st. mark's stout.  i started working on the next tour for april (mid-west!) and got to hang out with haley the night before i left.  we made (read:  my mom made us) some tasty scones and a jigsaw puzzle while watching some of this is spinal tap until haley passed out on the couch :)  having seen a lot of old friends, and getting to see haley once more before roadage...i was ready to embark!

2/3 SIDNEY:  i had to do laundry before i left, so (taking the liberty and freedom given by an empty house) i played wii naked for an hour or so and waited for the dryer to finish.  once it was all done, i got dressed and took off!!!  i randomly stopped in fort morgan and saw krys at work for a quick five-minute leg stretch.  i got into sidney a couple hours early and was instantly greeted warmly by ben and hayden, then greeted ice-coolly by a budweiser!  steve-o came over and worked on his new strings, then adam came.  once it was almost 6, we split for the shelter house where (on a wednesday frickin' night!) a BUNCH of kids came out to support the show.  everyone was great, and while our attempt at a fire failed, we emerged victorious in our attempt to completely rock.  after, we went back to adam's place and he recorded a bunch of live tracks.  the video up in my comments is his work!  thanks man.

2/5 KEARNEY:  i got into kearney on the 4th, the day before the show and hung out with ryan o'connor (www.myspace.com/rbomusic).  we jammed a couple of tracks out together and printed flyers out too.  the guys at his place were immensely nice and open to my crashing there a couple of night...so thanks to them!  i felt like i was getting sick, so after promoting at the school i laid down for a catnap before i had to get over to the coffee shop i played.  a handful of kids came out from flyering, and another came from ryan's help.  we jammed our songs out, talked to some new friends, and then i met up with a friend, joe, after the show.  we enjoyed a "cordial" (kearnian for a "beer in the car while you're chillin'" (see also:  "the recession drink"/"recession drinking methods").  after packing up and heading back to rbo's house, joe and i met up again for drinks, this time at a friend's place...then a bar...then a house party.  i had a great time and we definitely put the "UNK" in "DRUNK".  joe lost his phone even before we GOT to the bar.  i sure hope he found it.

2/6 LINCOLN:  i left ryan's house very appreciative of his hospitality.  go listen to his stuff!  i always like getting into lincoln, the people are just really nice...and look past the fact that i'd root for the buffs in a head-to-head game.  i hit the campus pretty hard with flyers and was already excited to see friends from a previous tour, jesse and sydney.  the promo was a success!  not only did i find a group of stellar kids to come to the show (they learned the chorus to "apple tree" so they could surprise me by singing along!  thanks my beyonce!), but i also found out that it was one of their birthdays and sorta invited myself to hang out with them for the super bowl the next day.  jesse and sydney took me to yiayia's pizza for a bite and a beer (delish), and then we went to a couple of bars for conversation.  hanging out all night was fun...we later went to a house party where we played "civil war" and their invention "wii drink".  wii drink is where you bowl and drink/hand out drinks according to your performance.  afterward, jesse let me crash at her place and i got a bed to sleep in!!!

GO SAINTS!  that was a great game.  the birthday boy, dylan, and i celebrated his day with a grape cigarillo and rum and cokes.  the saints won, and i was rooting for them...so that was great!  after the game, i was taken to d'leons for a chicken burrito (d'leons is sorta like the albertaco's of colorado springs) and was not let down.  GO CHICKEN BURRITO!  i ended up crashing on a futon that had van gogh's starry night on it.  i slept great for the 5 hours that i slept, and drove to omaha!

2/8 OMAHA:  i'm sitting in barnes and noble, just bought new guitar strings from across the street, and am gonna go across the street again here soon to check in with the venue.  earlier, i handed out a bunch of flyers at UN-Omaha and met a few people who sounded like they were down to get their leftmore on on a monday night.  gonna do some crosswords now.

i'm playing with a band called grab ass (www.myspace.com/grabasslovessatan) tonight at THE HIDEOUT LOUNGE at 9pm which should prove to be a fun night!  i need to get some damned sleep. 5 hours a night the last 3 nights isn't cutting it.  15 hours in two nights is barely enough...so over the course of three full nights, it sucks.  i want some good snuggle-sleeping.  it's fricking cold out here, but hell, the sun's out so i won't complain much ;)

i'll be in touch in a few days to a week.

To Lincoln, 10/9:  i again did my best to display my gratitude to troy and sam before leaving for lincoln.  they always do so much for me, and i'm thankful to call them great friends.  i got into lincoln handed out flyers on campus and around downtown until i went to chris and patrick's place (www.myspace.com/asthecitysleeps).  IT WAS FRIGID.  for the first time all trip, i would have been uncomfortably cold sleeping in the van, so THANK YOU CHRIS!  they'd informed me that erich (their guitarist) got the swine flu...so i was worried i didn't have my surgical mask for my michael jackson h-ween outfit (i'm not gonna be MJ, but i shit you not...they sell those masks at hot topic FOR his costume).

turned out erich wasn't around, so i didn't get swine flu.  i just watched chris play mirror's edge after joel was done with civilization 3 on the ps3.  almost got motion-sickness, that game is crazy....

Lincoln, 10/10:  i hung out with chris and joel all day, doing little until i handed more flyers out at UNL.  i then headed to the meadowlark to set up, worried that the snowy weather would keep people away.  my assumption was correct, but chris and patrick came, and i met some nice people there :)  before i left, a schizoprenic girl came in and asked for a ride (one of the nice people i met there works at the mental clinic across the street, and made the diagnosis right away).  he quietly let me know, and i gave the girl a ride the 15 (terribly chilly) blocks home.

from there, i went to charles's house for a party he was having.  i unfortunately had to leave there early cuz everyone at the loft i was staying at was going to bed, but we had some fun random talks before i needed to go.  lincoln was fun, despite the small turn-out for the show.

Kearney, 10/11:  i didn't have a show in kearney, cuz i usually book the roman, but it's closed on sundays.  i took the opportunity to watch the broncos play (in those shite-and-piss AFL jerseys) the patriots.  i think it was one of the best games denver has played since the super bowl against the packers, and it's probably one of the biggest too.

OK, no more sports-nerding in this blog.  after the game, i went to qdoba for a victory burrito.  our good friend cameron, who goes to school at UNK, met me there and we talked about tour and caught up for an hour or so before she offered me a couch at her house to sleep on.  (again, SO GRATEFUL for this...cuz it was snowing and crappy out.)  i slept in, and grabbed a bowl of reese's puffs before hitting the road.

Sidney, 10/12:  i always, always love coming to sidney.  where?, you ask.  SIDNEY, NEBRASKA.  i got in early and chilled out with ben and mickey from dolly hit dollie (www.myspace.com/dollyhitdollie) in the shelter house where the show was.  it was a cool, covered and heated park area.  we left there to grab lunch, and continue chillin' out.  after a few hours of shooting the shit, hayden mccall (couldn't find your link bro!) suggested we have a drink, cuz he was a bit nervous.  it was understandable, knowing that he faced his first-ever official show playing solo.  we got some whiskey and calmed down...and he played great!, as did everyone there.

the crowd in sidney is just so attentive; and, you don't often get as big of a crowd that loves what you're doing so much.  luke, garth, ben, adam, hayden, stevo, marcy, and so on!  you're all just too kick-ass!

Casper, 10/13:  i played a hot topic show.  the mall was DEAD!  but, i turned a few heads, met the nice hot topic employees, and sold a CD to a guy named dave who i wouldn't have guessed to like my music.  goes to show that you never know who you're hitting with your music/art/performance!

i finished the show and stepped on it to riverton, where i met up with joey (the man) and sean (the man's right-hand man) at wal-mart.  joey bought me some delicious soup and we went to the dorms.  i stayed at reva, addie, and claire's apartment on the couch, cuz the cushy green blob was too small for me to stay on.

Riverton, 10/14:  i woke up to a breakfast wrap from the cafeteria from reva.  and i instantly realized that it was :10 'til 11...when i was supposed to be at the radio station for the interview joey was doing.  oops.  i got up, brushed my teeth, devoured the wrap, and ran (literally) to the broadcasting area.  realizing that my string was broken from the last show (i've been breaking strings like mad...gotta get that fixed), i borrowed joey's guitar (you understand now why he's the man?).  i ended up borrowing just the g-string and put it on my guitar.  i played a couple of songs and had a blast doing a couple of liners afterwards for the station to identify with.

we went to lunch (joey's meal-plan treat) and played a bunch of foosball.  joey had class and meetings, but we still got to hang out a bunch.  while we couldn't, though, i did crosswords, and told people i saw about the show that night.  we played video games with colton right before the show and after dinner (on joey, of course...).

the show was great!!!  by word of mouth, and nothing more, there were about 40 kids there rockin'.  i played a long set, cuz i was the only one performing (and broke a different string).  sean let me borrow his guitar, this time for the last 3 songs.  we rocked out and then chilled more at reva and them's apartment.  watched the proposal with ryan reynolds and sandra bullock.  uh...yeah.  and then i went to bed on their couch again!

waking up, i got breakfast with joey (yeah.) before he had to go to class.  i left for laramie, for my show tonight.

NOW, i'm at the grounds (where the acoustic show is tonight) writing you all this blog.  the show starts at 7pm, and then i'll be hanging out with russ and all of those guys...people we met last time we were here with andy and greg.  awesome people, and i'm excited for it.

TOMORROW, i'm in fort collins for the house show at kyle's...and i can't wait to see him, cuz it's been a while!  after the show tomorrow...the tour is completed.  i will be back in colorado for a few weeks, playing around before i head back out on 11/5.

thank you all for keeping posted through these blogs.  sorry this one is more than a week in summary, but i hope you enjoyed it!  i'm done blogging til november, so be in touch other ways...and i'll see you all at the fun. show at the black sheep on NOVEMBER 4TH!

love to the max,
joe

Louisville, KY 10/2:  i left clayton's place and headed for clarksville (a suburb of louisville) to play a hot topic show.  it was a great crowd, including timmy and commander bay...always nice to see them!...and we had a nice time.  i then headed back downtown to derby city espresso.  i barely missed the human suspension :( but set up and played while the crowd filtered out.  met a few nice people and chatted before i headed over to the powers' residence.  claire was getting to bed (silas, their baby, just nodded off) but dan and a couple of friends played xbox with me until like 5am :)  i got up and headed to bloomington!

Bloomington, IN 10/3-4:  i met up with nicole and renee and scott (friends from our second tour).  nicole, scott, and i went to opie taylor's (by dan's suggestion) for a burger.  then, we proceeded to hang out and drink beer for most of two days :)  i talked with andy, nicole's boyfriend for a couple hours about music (he's in a band called redbird (www.myspace.com/redbirdredbird) and then i crashed.  i headed up to terre haute.

Terre Haute, IN 10/5:  today was joe's birthday!  he was super-stoked for the show and came down with josh to see it.  briar, who also played at a danville show with us, was in town for the show!  we had a nice little group of people chillin' for the show at hot topic, and it went great.  josh bought me delicious chinese(?) food, and everyone at the store (brad and john) were super nice!  i finished there and headed to an open mic at the verve.  a lot of good musicians playing, and all-around nice people.  i drove that night toward st. louis.  it rained so hard at the rest stop that i thought the van was going to get washed away.

St. Louis, MO 10/6:  no show, but a fun open mic at the shanti.  i was hanging out in soulard (a district) all day and i started writing a song about the night of rain i'd just experienced.  again, met some great people and hung out.  i drove that night, afterward, to boonville, MO where i found a delightful rest stop to crash at.  i'd have to get up and drive up to maryville for the show the next day...so i did.

Maryville, MO 10/7-8:  i got into maryville around 4pm and hung out with troy and sam at their place for an hour before going to NWMSU to hand out flyers. then it was to java joint to get the PA set up.  it's been giving me some issues, so i wanted to get it all sorted out before the show.  luckily, mike martin (one of the guys who played that night) was there and he helped sort the speakers out.  we got sound going, had a fun night of music, and then started the party!  we went over to nate's house (another guy who played) where we played some drips and hung out.  i had another great talk with james, and chilled with vlad too.  then, sam and troy and i went to get food.  mcd's was closed, so we went to hyvee.  oh my lord, troy got so much food!  we ate, and passed out.

it's been a lazy day today, and i've done little but hang out and talk.  i watched the rockies game (YES!) and got some amazing news.  i will be playing with fun. on 11/4.  seeing that i believe that they've crafted the best album of 2009, this is a huge thing for me!  i'm so excited about it, and encourage you all to come be a part of the night with me.  honestly, they're well on their way to becoming my favorite band.  they're simply their namesake.  come have some fun with us!

all for now, the next week and a half is gonna fly by, and i'll be back in the springs in no time.  love you!!!

Mobile, AL:  so i left serda's coffee shop after saying hello to john serda...the guy who owns serda's coffee shop and went to the blind mule for the show that night.  i was there very early, but ran into the sound guy (and now bartender, too), jimmy.  jimmy put us up for the night at his house the last time that we were through, and is a truly stand-up guy.  around load-in time, the bands came in.  elyse therose (www.myspace.com/elysetherose) and muskrat hannah (www.myspace.com/muskrathannah) were both GREAT.  luke almost broke his neck rocking the guitar so much...i swear, i have no clue how he does it.  i also played pool with a few of the girls who were at the hot topic show i'd played earlier that day.  once the night got to wrapping up, these fratty turds and their push-up bra girlfriends kept jimmy behind the bar til WAY after last call.  eventually, he'd had enough and closed up so they'd leave.  he opened his house to me, again, and in the morning offered chorizo and eggs for breakfast!  what glory!

Pensacola, FL:  i arrived in the slightly less humid city and knew only to go to the handlebar first.  college football was on the tv, so i saddled up and sat there a while.  a couple of the older gents next to me bought me a couple of cheap drafts, and we shot the shit.  they'd had an ongoing joke regarding a bet that went awry for one of them about left-handed shortstops in the major leagues (one of them said "there were plenty of lefties who'd played shortstop", only to find out there was ONE...in 1898...).  anyhow, i proceeded to the end of the line cafe for a thai tea and free wifi.  i looked into the next tour outline, and catching up on emails.  once finished, i grabbed dinner and returned to the venue.  this means chuk (www.myspace.com/thismeanschuk) opened the night up right, then mr. fahrenheit (www.myspace.com/mrfband) did and i skanked the set away.  i got up to play, and was delighted to have a bunch of people really intent on the music.  beav, the door guy, offered me a place to stay...which i intended to take, until i accidentally passed WAY out in the van outside.  SORRY MAN!!!
Day Two:  I went from beav's to ryan's friend layne's house and sucked at mario kart.  we hung out for a couple hours before it was time to go to the park!  ryan played (www.myspace.com/andryanrennie1), and played my favorite song "more (for me?) to see".  leela and maelynn played too.  a kid named steven.  and a couple of others did too :)  we were right next to a bay to the gulf, but i didn't get in...didn't really feel like it i guess.  after the show, i drove up to birmingham for the night.

Birmingham, AL:  i got up earlier than i've usually been (around 10am) and made flyers for the night at rock'n horse.  funny thing, the guys at the venue don't normally open on mondays, and thus, forgot there was a show going on.  the bands were there, some people for the show were too, and the place wasn't even open!  we got it sorted out, and the storeys played a beautiful set.  after that, somebody and the somethings (www.myspace.com/somebodysomething) ruled my brain!  they played fantastically, and i'm glad to have been part of the night.  steve (singer, guitar) and harry (drummer, backup vox) took me out afterward to formaggio's and got me a calzone (SOO GOOD!) with sweet tea (OH LORD!!!).  i stayed at steve's and got a shower, plus he offered a bowl of cereal on my way out!

Nashville Area:  i played a hot topic show in murfreesboro and met quite a few great people!  best part is that garreth spinn came to watch and we got to talk a bit!  it's always good to see old friends from previous tours.  room for a nice segue, the show at mickey roo's in franklin later that night included elinore (once called the common loon, www.myspace.com/commonloontunes) and kenny from farewell fighter (www.myspace.com/farewellfighter).  i got bbq for dinner and ate WAY too much.  very worth it...megan, our server hooked me up with some left-over brisket fries...believe it...and a JAR of sweet tea.  she cleaned out a salad dressing jar and set me up!  the girls from elinore have yet to fail me, and definitely pulled through last night.  oh yeah...i played "knives" for the first time ever cuz cory and john wanted me to so badly, they pretty much threatened me with their friendship if i didn't oblige.  they did the showdown wonderfully.

now, i'm here at clayton's chez de luxe, and we're heading to his new restaurant!  if you are in nashville tomorrow, for any reason, it's the grand opening at WHISKEY KITCHEN!  come out!  or, if you ever are in town...check it out...it's gonna be sick!!!  'til nex time :)

hello everyone, i figured it's time to write...sorry it's been a full week without any blogospondence, but here goes!

Colorado Springs, wednesday night/thursday morning:  we played at the loft in colorado springs with our friend seth (from paper mache) and noah gundersen and the courage (www.myspace.com/noahgundersen).  locals, bishop takes the kingdom started the night off right!  officially, the night started around 3pm, when haley and i went over to our friend mike and nerissa's and played darts and drank beer in the man cave.  then, haley bought us all pizza and we all rejoiced soundly.  with our bellies full, we headed to sound check.

the night was really good, musically.  being my last night in town before leaving alone was a little weird, but it seems like everyone still managed a fun night!  after the show, it was back to the house for a quick, smiteful victory at drips before a return to mike and nerissa's!  we chatted and bonfired til late in the night.  grand night, really.

Amarillo, thursday:  i got into amarillo after the long drive and met up with gandhi at the 806!  man, i love that place.  jason was awesome as usual...and i really felt like i could start the tour off the right way here.  i played with a couple of strongbow ciders in me (the last two they had!!!) before the unit breed (www.myspace.com/theunitbreed) got up and psychedelically ruled.  after, gandhi and i got drunk on a couple beers listening to mount courage (a texas band of 11 singers!).  thomas and a buddy came over for a minute, where we spoke of geocaching...i wanna go...and then i crashed out on his couch.

the next morning, gandhi arranged a special art tour treat!  since i had an off-day, he thought it'd be cool to show me some of amarillo that you'd generally not see.  him and his buddy moody trucked me through crazy-ass plains to what is known as "the amarillo ramp" by robert smithson.  simply, it's bull-dozed dirt formed into a ramp with green-painted rocks strewn about.  but, it was really cool to learn the history of it.  it used to be in the middle of a dammed watery area, so you could climb onto it...plus, it gave some amazing views of the horizon 360 degrees around! after that, we went to stanley marsh III's property and i got to see his newest piece up-close!  it's actually what you see as the profile pic right now!

ABQ, friday:  i didn't have a show in albuquerque, but had a blast anyhow.  met up with our friend andrew and he made me a delicious bowl of ramen.  sorta shot the shit for a little before we got drinks at this bar that afforded us a taco bar trip (ingenius).  twice.  then we went to a local brewery for a beer, before a quick game of drips at his place and partying at his friend's place!  pretty much once we got back, i passed out.  i can't stress enough how much hanging out with andrew meant.  if you meet him, you will know why.

Flagstaff, saturday:  i don't know how i wasn't hung over, but i wasn't when i woke up at andrew's place.  i drove the long drive to flagstaff and began by printing out flyers for the show with great black wave (www.myspace.com/greatblackwavetunes) and met up with josh and ben to pass flyers out at NAU.  it was the first opportunity for me to use the PA, and i've realized how clueless i am with its ins and outs :(  matt usually handled getting us to sound good, so that's been a struggle.  GBW to the rescue!!!  we used their PA and our speakers, and it went off without a hitch!

i then returned to ben's place for an extravagant steak dinner and strawberry pop.  after a little bit, i went back over to josh's to crash out.  he made me biscuits in the morning...with jelly...oh man.

Tucson, sunday:  i drove through phoenix and met up with zach from the new project, who's going to school there, for some in-n-out :)  it was delicious as always, but i really wish matt and chris coulda been there for a toast.  zach gave me a couple pointers on the PA, and i was on the way.

i played a hot topic show and our friend chelsea came!  it was nice to see her, and a girl who saw us there last time, natalia, recognized me!  it was pretty cool, but i still didn't totally figure out the PA....  my night show at the hut was scary, turned FANTASTIC.  the barkeep, michael was a total crack-up.  great guy...he seriously made my night when i was sitting there scared.  the show started late, which i forgot about, so i was getting nervous until BOOM!, everyone showed up.  reservado (www.myspace.com/reservadomusic) started it off so right, then the avalanche symphony, then lauryl finished it out (kinda late, thanks for stickin' through gents!).  since it was a school night, and they were mostly young'ns, i played mini-sets between all of their sets and the night worked out pretty damned smooth!

i drove to almost el paso that night, cuz i was feelin' it (and michael gave me the rest of his CRUNK energy drink...drank...whatever)!

El Paso, monday:  omgzzz britney was in town the same night i was...which totz killed our draw.  gawwwd i can't believe it!  haha, okay.  met up with MJ and lalo from buckeye (www.myspace.com/buckeyerock) as they made shirts for the show that night (i'm wearing mine right now).  we played at a coffee house called kinley's, and the owner IS kinley.  what an amazing guy!  javi started the night off, then i went, then buckeye took it on!  MJ bought me a noodle bowl to end all noodle bowls...i slurped and enjoyed.

after the show, we went to MJ's place and watched "junior" with arnold schwarzenegger and danny devito.  what an underappreciated film....  MJ made me a DVD of "it's always sunny..." and i headed for san antonio the next morning.

San Antonio, tuesday:  it was nice and overcast the whole drive...actually quite beautiful.  definitely the easiest 8-hour drive i've ever made!  i met with ray from no time for the old in and out at his place.  he made me tacos AGAIN...and you all need to try one if you haven't!  we drank some lonestar at the bar when the show was getting going, and i'm so glad to have met all of the cool people in SA, you're all great!  vietruse played like champs, and i skanked to "terroriste" like i do :)  we went over to a party after, where there was this CUTE kitten who couldn't have been more than 2 months old.  just tiny.  after ray left, i followed suit and busted to austin.

Austin, wednesday:  it rained ALL day.  i passed out flyers to about 100 people in it, and got wet.  met a few really nice people, too!  i got to the venue super early, and spent some time updating things on the space and planning the next tour (southwest US 11/4-11/18!).  once the other bands started showing up, we bantered about this and that until one of the guys from guitars said he didn't think i was on the bill...HEARTSINKER!...and i wasn't.  total miscommunication, the booker forgot about me :(  the show was, sufficed to say, very good and i got a chance to play a few songs after the other bands finished.  oh yeah!  and derrick davis came out for a drink and we got to have some really good talks...thanks bro!!!  all things considered, for what it could have been, tragedy was nearly completlely averted.  everyone at the bar liked the music AND was really understanding of my situation.

both nights there (the night of, and the night before) i stayed at the same wal-mart parking lot and enjoyed the cool air.

Hammond, LA, thursday:  we're almost there!  so i drove another 8 hours from austin to hammond (kinda between baton rouge and new orleans) for an open mic i'd found online.  not expecting anything, i entered the bar early.  by this time, it was SUPER-muggy and the air-conditioning felt like making out with jennifer love-hewitt...well, minus her being there, and making out being there, but inside a place that had really nice air conditioning....  i met paige and stephen there and they were SO NICE to me!  i'm grateful to have met them, they helped assuage my fears of the unknown night ahead of me.  jacob was the bartender and a really nice guy.  then, when people started showing up for the open mic, i introduced myself to a few.  jed and kelly were there cuz he was trying to get into the "open mic hero" comp (every week, a winner is chosen and will compete after the 10 weeks to the crown).  lotta lotta talent, and jed won his round!

i must mention casey, seeing that he MCed the night and was one of the most talented dudes i've witnessed play at an open mic.  he played guitar to start the night, was singing and making people laugh...then he popped up to play drums for someone's song!  ended up that he bought me a beer and a shot (thanks man!) we chummed it for a bit.  he let me go back up to play a couple more songs at the end of the night (and drummed impressively to my cover of "99 problems").  i would not have expected how great this night went, and i owe it all the cate st. pub and its people!

Mobile, today:  holy shit it's hot.  well, not too hot, but humid!  i drove from hammond late last night and found a walmart in gulf springs, MS.  jesus.  i'm sitting at serda's now, hoping john'll come in so i can say hi like i like to.  it's good to get to write all this down, but it's twice as nice to do it in here with the A/C on.  you walk outside here and it truly feels like you're entering a sauna...that phrase was never so appropriate to the current climate.  i tried sleeping at the walmart and got 5 hours of sleep cuz it was too hot to sleep by 930....  yeah.  now, i'm gonna chill out til i have to go over to the hot topic for the static show.  then, tonight it's the blind mule with muskrat hannah and elise therose!!!


love you all, miss you dearly...it's weird being out here solo, but i'm adjusting and making the best.  don't worry about me or anything like that, i'll be alright ;)  maybe, just get a few extra minutes of sleep and pass them my way hehe.  the next update will be before an entire week disappears, but i can't wait to pass on my adventures!!!

--joe

Hey Everyone
  we just posted our final audio blog on our player and are headed home to Colorado Springs as a i Type. Thank you to all of you who have been reading and listening to our chronicles. we will be back talkin and typing in the middle of september as we hit the road again. Until then! take care and thank you.

love
matt
joe &
chris

hey everyone,
  we just posted another audio blog that covers the last week or so, excluding last night, which was spent in vegas. and there are a few stories for that one. but we will prob do another one on our way home from amarillo, even though we say that this is our last. so listen up and thanks! talk to you soon.


love
matt

Hey everyone we got a new audio blog. ive found that its kinda hard to get them posted the same day because our power inverter broke so i only have limited time to record and mix it and post it before the battery dies on my puter. anyway this is only a day late. check it out! were in san fran now and ive got ocean water in my hair. happy to be here. thanks for listening.

love
matt

All right i finally gave up on trying to embed a player in the blog and i just posted the audio blog as a track on our main player. its at the bottom and titled ATB 6.16.

so give it a listen! its a little crude but it has some details about what has been going on weaved into the immaturity. they will get better and more fluent, i think this first one was hard cause we didnt know how to carry ourselves in a 'radio' format. Ha! anywho give it a listen and we will be putting up another one tomorrow sometime.

take care everyone!

love
matt

super ps!!!!!!!!
i totally forgot to let you all know but were playing a show with GOOD OLD WAR at the black sheep on july 6th! its incredible.

well hello there everybody! we are curently in pocatello idaho getting ready to hand out some fliers for the show this after noon.

i dont want to get into details very heavily about the last few days because we are working on getting a podcast going so we all can talk to you at the same time! but we dont really know how to do it. so im gonna reasearch that and we should have it up by tonight or tomorrow morning. we already have it recorded we just need to figure out how to post it. so stay tuned so you can hear all of our lovely voices!

love
matt