9/5/08 - NYC - Just want to thank Cock Lorge and everyone at Pianos for such a great time tonight! What a way to kick-off a tour!
9/8/08 - BOSTON - So, Boston kicks ass! I will definetely be coming back. A very special thanks to TT's, Jonny Pape and Davina Yannetty for making it such a kick-ass time. Also, extra thanks to Davina for taking me over to the Cantab Lounge for an additional Boston performance. Next stop, Philly! (one of my favorite cities!)
9/10/08 - PHILLY - The highlight of my trip, of course, was visiting Rocky. A very special thanks to Jamie(who has never missed a philly show!) and Brenna for coming out!!! thanks for the shots, i needed them.... ah, now a brief respite in NYC and off to San Francisco. Then beware!!! Enter - The Todd!!! NY to LA!
9/18/08 - SAN FRANCISCO - wow. what a rollercoaster.
i vaguely recall visiting this city as a young pop, but this time i really got to explore.
i also got a real shot of life and my first real glimpse of life on the road. Mental Note: Avoid sleep deprivation and exercise daily. Limit alcohol intake.
Anyway, SanFran is a kick ass city. After my 2 shows on Monday, which went swimmingly, i had tues. and wed. to check shit out. i fell in love with crab and streetcars and that crazy pyramid building. A very special thanks to my old fan/new friend Jan for all her support, and to to CA and Melt Cafe. SF...i will be back.
I leave on wednesday to drive across the country. i'll update in about a week.
Til then, keep spreading the word!
9/21/08 - NYACK, NY - last nights show was great. got to play the old hometown and went on for about 2.5 hours. my good buddy matt (relaxed motivation) came out and played a few sweet jams and, well...i guess we all ended up drinking too much....
i have to admit, i am a bit apprehensive about going across the US over the next 3 weeks. i guess i gotta stay sharp and positive, i mean i AM really excited. anyway, i'll be enjoying my b-day tomorrow and then its back on the road. i will be video-documenting the entire trip, so i hope to have some sweet video up in november!
9/24/08 - TRENTON, NJ - i really love this place. Katmandu is such a kick ass club!
and it was the last warm(ish) day of the year, so everything was set up outside. 2 big stages, a gigantic bar and a great crowd, right on the delaware river. thanks again to lance for having me back, to sleeping satellites and to sunny for the pics! (see tagged photos). on the road to ohio!
9/26/08 - WADSWORTH, OH - we had a great time in this cool little town just outside akron. it was a small crowd, but a pleasent one. special thanks to my new fan Milo for hookin' up the sound! today we stopped in cincinnati and had some amazing BBQ. and now im in knoxville headin' to atlanta tomorrow to rock out 3 sets at Kat's Cafe. i really neeed sleep. that's all for now.
9/28/08 - ATLANTA, GA - big thanks to kat's cafe for having me. kat's is a real cool place worth checking out. an extra special thanks to ron wiles of the ron wiles music show for giving us a tour of the city and showing us a kick ass time. unfortunately, we had such a great time, my hangover got the best of me this morning. but i am happy to say i still got a good workout in. exercise and vitamin popping seems to be the reality of the road. its not ALL binge drinking and signing autographs.
i had sonic for the first time today. excellent. also, stopped in nashville and looked over my old stomping grounds. quite a throwback. it was really nice to be back there.
anyway i am exhausted, but extremely content right now in my smoking room at the shitty quality inn, gambling on football. tomorrow we head to st. louis, a city i am extremely excited to see.
10/1/08 - ST. LOUIS, MO - i love st. louis. just ask my tatooist... seriously, what a beautiful city. we made our way out to the busch brewery. awesome. laying down on the grass underneath the gateway arch on a beautiful day has an extremely calming effect. we had st. louie's best fried chicken over at Hodak's and, saw the coolest bar ever - the venice cafe in benton park.
as for the actual show at the way out club: (which is also a sweet looking joint) unfortunately, the attendance was on par with elenor rigby's funeral.
10/2/08 - NASHVILLE, TN - well i finally got the win i needed to keep me going. the crowd was outstanding, enthusiastic and warming. it felt great to finally play to a crowd like that. we had a great night and for me, it was great to be back in the city i once lived in. BIG thanks to dana at the beer sellar for hooking it up. they had a record attendance night! another big thanks to my buddy akshay for the couches and the PB&J's. what a debutante. we are currently recovering at a sleep inn in memphis.
looking forward to having some BBQ later. Dallas! you're next. team pop is comin' for ya.
10/7/08 - TEXAS - so leaving nashville, we stopped in memphis and had the best bbq yet at jim neely's interstate bbq! barbequed spaghetti. i know...but its actually kind of amazing. stopped in little rock briefly and ended up crashing at the border in texarkana.
dallas was a good show. not many people comin out but the people who do are awesome. on the 5th, en route to austin, we stopped at the jfk museum. extremely emo. we eventually got to austin and have had a great time under the supervision of our tour guide, sarah - an old friend of ours. so tonight i will be rocking out austin, should be a great show.... then its a brief trip thru the desert to my last 2 shows in san diego and LA!
10/8/08 - AUSTIN - i had a great show at clementine's in austin. the place was hoppin and despite my karaoke hangover, i rocked out to another capacity crowd. we hit the road today, but not before tour manager - todd defrietas- added a third to team pop: alice the kitten. so i now lay comfortably in my hotel bed in el paso, tx, ready to trk thru the desert tomorrow. san diego and LA should be kick ass shows. time for some sleep...
10/11/08 - SAN DIEGO - we blasted through the desert in 2 days and made it t san diego a day early. the show at the rhythm lounge was excellent. i am sooo fuckin tired.
10/12/08 - LOS ANGELES - i was really tired goin into this, but we had a good time at libertine on sunset. that is it. its all over. i fly back to new york tomorrow. after 5 long weeks, i am anxious to get back. this has been an amazing experience. and i got it all on video. matthew pop movie for xmas. new matthew pop record early 2009. i'd have to say the best show was probably in nashville, while the highlight of last night was hangin' with marty and elayne at the dresden room. thanks for reading....
xo
-m.pop