Day 2 May 23, 2008: The Name of the town is Phoenix

Woke up early. The wife called and it was on from there. We ate the big breakfast, again, THANK YOU BETH! And head for Phoenix. The destination was The Ruby Room Lounge. Didn't know what to expect, but we knew the drive was long and we gots ta rock no matter what. On the way, we peeped out the map and decided to take a more scenic route to Phoenix. So yeah, it was supposed to save us gas, not time, and make for good scenery and it came through. We ended up climbing to about 13,000 ft. above sea level in the mountains and into a SNOW STORM! I'm not kidding! A snow storm in late May. Summer tour my ass. It got wild man. I mean it. Snow so thick that it was coming down sideways. It covered the mountainous landscape and made for some great videotape. I believe Arizona boasts the most range in landscape in the United States; from desert to mountains. It was an adventure to say the least.

I kept thinking that this is how scary movies start. (insert announcer voice) "In a world, full of doubt. An independent band takes off into the wild in search of glory and adventure. They were right about adventure…" Cut to us stuck on a mountain and crazy peoples watching us from the hills. Okay so I've seen too many of these flicks.

We pulled into Phoenix and checked out the venue. It was small, but it had a great small musician type atmosphere. The people that really come to check out a band and not just get drunk. It was cool. There were 5 bands on the bill, including us and it was fast and furious. We came on second and Mother's Anger 3rd. It was a solid grooving experience. We played with other bands called, The Thankful Birds, The Toomstoners and The Sound of Birds. All solid acts for real. It was cool. The singer with the Thankful Birds, Leslie, put us up at her pad. It was awesome. She told us she had some floor space and that's all you need on the road. Solid Goodness. No funny business, just a good person who opens her home to other musicians when in need. We were. It was very nice of her. Her dude was also very cool with 5 strange dudes crashin there.

Check out: The Thankful Birds, The Toomstoners, and The Sound of Birds from the Phoenix area. From Jazz rock to Rockabilly to Pop Rock/Alternative.





Untitled from Jose Suaste on Vimeo.

Day 19: June 9, 2008

I was asleep for what seemed like a minute, then we pulled into a gas station. Stitch was done and wanted sleep. I knew I was up next so I got down, and bought me a Rockstar. I hate this shit, but to be honest it really works. I can't sleep when I drink this stuff. I only use it on long drives, because it really does the trick.

This drive was pretty uneventful. I mean, we wanted to get home, that was the focus. No big deal. We went through Colorado, then New Mexico, then The Panhandle. The further south, the less engaging the scenery. I'm telling you, we got ripped off in that department. I fell asleep after lunch and woke up about an hour from Dallas. Joseph and Emsy killed the rest of the drive after I was done. They did a great job. We got to Dallas, unloaded the gear at the studio, and I took everyone home.

Finally I saw my kid and my wife. They were waiting with open arms. I didn't get home till 10pm. I have to admit that it was a little strange finally being home and relaxing and sleeping in own bed. It'd been long time. I was happy, but unsettled. Adjusting from tour mode should take a day or two. My hours are all screwed up. I'm glad to be home, and now it's time to focus hard on the rest of the summer and more writing music and more touring. We'll see what happens. I hope you guys stay in touch. We got some interesting things coming up.

The tour is over and we played with dozens of bands, met great folks, made good connections, and again, I am inspired more than ever. We rocked crowds, lost items of clothing, ate good and bad food, bathed when we could, and have explored the great Northwest. What's next? The Midwest? The East Coast. It's all out there for the taking.

Oh yeah, the van did great. She drove about 5,450 mi. give or take a few.

Day 18: June 8, 2008

I woke up late. The afternoon was quiet and I was feeling like laying down all day. We're finally at the last date of the tour and I'm tired. I wanna chill, but hey I'm in another town that I've never been to before so I can't stay in all day. Mama D our gracious host cooked us lunch and suggested we head to Boulder. Apparenlty Denver isn't too cool. We jumped in the van and headed toward Boulder. It's about 30 min away. The last thing we want to do is drive, but it was cool. We hit an outdoor mall/park area and chilled all afternoon.

After the R&R we headed to venue only to discover that the promoter didn't even know we were supposed to be playing that night. We got confirmations from the owner, booking info, and it's on our tour shirt officially. Chris the promoter told us that we could go on at midnight and that we couldn't load in till 11pm cause they had a battle of the bands going. I felt an argument brewing but we decided to go eat instead. Emilio has a friend that told him about a great vegetarian place so we went for it. Like I said, I love meat, but I heard this was phenomenal so I was on board. The place is called the Watercourse and it was great. I actually had a seitan steak. Not satan, but "Say-tahn" it's fake meat but it was great. We stuffed ourselves and headed back to the venue.

There was a battle of the bands going on. Chris"the promoter" was cool though, he convinced me to still play the show and assured me that he'd get folks to stick around. Mama D was there and so was my boy Wes from Dallas. He just moved there and begged us to not bail on the set. We decided to play the show despite the initial confusion. We could have not unpacked and headed for Dallas at that moment, but that's not Jointmethod's style. We wanted to rock and let Denver know what's up.

I'm glad we decided to stay and play. After the battle of the bands was done Chris gave us a proper introduction and we rocked 6 songs for the kids that were there and they were blown away. Every one of them bought a CD. EVERY ONE! Jointmethod is officially out of CD's. We have to get more pressed asap. We may be adding another track that the latest edition of JM created so be looking for it. We made good money and packed it in. The plan was to leave the venue, drop off Mama D and head for Dallas, but those plans changed.

Chris the promoter convinced us that we needed to see Red Rocks. I'd never been and he promised it wasn't far and that at night it's a great experience so we said fuck it and rolled with it. The trip was about 30 min, so it was kind of far but we pulled in at Red Rocks and it was all that I expected and all it was talked up to be. This venue is what is called the total music experience. We walked around the entire complex at night under the Colorado stars and walked on the stage that so many artists have graced. I want to play there. I'm going to make it happen. If you don't know this venue, look it up online. It's called Red Rocks in Denver. This is a natural amphitheater among the rocks on the outskirts of town.

As I stood there with old friends and new ones, I realized how great this moment was. The stars were bright in the sky and so were my thoughts. I took it in and reflected on the entire tour. There were many highs and some lows. We gained so much and yet we were humbled by lack of audiences in certain places. Emsy may no longer be with us after this and I am a little scared of diving into the music like I want to. I'm deep now and I realize that everything that has happened is all about learning. Words came to me on the mountain:

"I realize, this life is all about learning. The world is a book and everday a page turning.
School is in session till the final bell. We learn from the tests that we pass or fail.
As a student do your work or find yourself expelled. As a teacher you inspire, those you touch excel."

Maybe I can turn that into something. We'll see. There are no words to explain this experience. I've had the time of my life. I've felt extreme yearning for home and have missed my loved ones greatly. But I've enjoyed the trill of the road too. I'm actually a little sad it's ending.

Emilio of course found something to climb while Chris, Stitch and I explored the higher parts of the venue. We walked back down in time to witness some deer in the parking lot looking for food. Milo and crew made it back to the van and we headed back to Mama D's to drop her off. We did that, got some coffee and headed out for Dallas. Stitch was taking first shift and the world went to sleep. Our goal was to get a jump on the day, but now we're late. We'll see what the last day on the road has in store for us.

Day 17: June 7, 2008

After hitting the snooze a couple times on my phone alarm, I mustered enough energy to get up and get ready to roll out. We had another big drive ahead of us so we needed an early start. Christian told us about this breakfast place that was great, but we had to get there before 11am so we could beat the rush. He decided to join us and we beat the rush. This was a healthy/vegetarian diner in Salt Lake called The Blue Plate. OMG! This place rules. The portions are hefty and food is spectacular. Great choice and a solid start to the drive. We had some serious mountain driving to do today, so we were stocked up.

We said our good byes to Christian and hit the road. This drive was really jaw dropping. Beautiful mountains, river rapids right next to the highway, wild life, the whole nine. A bit long, but by now we're road warriors, we know how to handle it. Stitch and Joseph had a huge wrestling match in the backseat. I thought it was a little gay, not that there's anything wrong with it, but yeah, they like to wrestle. WE'VE BEEN AWAY FROM OUR WOMEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. It tends to weigh heavy on you after a while. But that's another subject we won't get into. Use your imagination.

We pulled into Avon, Colorado which is a ski resort town and met the folks at the venue where we were playing. Loaded Joe's Coffee House Lounge is the place. Brian the manager/doorman/soundman/babysitter-bartender was super cool and greeted us with a smile. Allison who also works there and makes the best Mocha coffee ever was also very nice. It's a cool spot, but again we were cursed with bad weather outside and a bigger event 20 min down the road so the crowd wasn't very big. We were booked to play for 4 hours. We were to be the house band from 10-2. That meant that Jointmethod would do 2 sets and so would Mother's Anger. Not the best situation after a long drive, but that's the road and the job.

Oddly enough, although there weren't too many folks there, we made a killing in merch. I mean it.We sold t-shirts, CD's, stickers, even buttons. The people couldn't get enough. It was really encouraging. Both bands rocked 2 sets and packed it up. I get the feeling that this little resort circuit could be lucrative for the future. The only downside is the weather aspect. We didn't have a place to stay in Avon, and this was the first time we were unlucky in finding a place with someone from the show, so we decided to make the 1 and a half hour drive to Denver to stay at Mama D's. She's a band friend for years now and she puts up bands she's friends with.

We figured an 1 ½ drive is no big deal, but we didn't know about the weather situation. If we'd known what was instore for us, we would have maybe stayed in a parking lot. We started the drive and even though it was drizzling, I wasn't worried. That changed dramatically however. Soon we were climbing in elevation and the weather was taking a turn for the worst. Emsy who had a strange reaction to the elevation suddenly was a chatterbox. The man hadn't said anything for 3 weeks and now he had opinions on everything. We were all enjoying the show. Suddenly Stitch points out that there was ice on the road. My attention turned to the road and sure enough there was ice on the road and then snow. And I don't mean like light flurries. It's started coming down hard and we kept climbing. Stitch was whiteknuckling it the whole way and I was just as tense next to him. We go to 10,000 feet and we couldn't see shit. Stitch wouldn't turn away from the road or even talk. I was panicking. I'm looking at the guardrails and parts are missing from them, like people have gone through them. This shit was scary. WE'RE NOT FROM THE SNOW!! WE'RE A TROPICAL PEOPLE!

Not only that, but we're running out of gas. Yes, we forgot to fill up before heading into the mountains in the middle of the night. Not very smart. We got lucky and found a small station in the mountains, strategically placed for retards like us. We filled up and trekked down the mountain. What should have taken us 1 ½ hours took us 3 and we pulled into Mama D's drive way at 5:30 in the morning. The stress was over. Mama D had enough beds for all of us and I hit the sack immediately and passed out. No more strength left.

Day 16: June 6, 2008

I woke up early and showered up. On the road you have to take advantage when there's a clean shower available. You never know when the next one is going to come. We stocked up on baby wipes just for that reason. They're a quick solution for freshening up on the road. Tops and Tails a.k.a. "Whore's bath." This rock and roll stuff ain't glamorous. So a band that has a driver and a bus and hotel rooms should never, EVER, complain. Really.

We were headed to Salt Lake City and it was another big chunk of driving. It was about 6 hours away. We're on our way back towards home so the drives are getting big. Late in the tour it's a little tougher than before, but we manage. The guys get restless and start to wrestle each other in the back. Anything to break up the monotony. Let me see, there's sleeping, eating, driving, sleeping, reading, and that's about it.

Now we heard all kinds of crazy shit about SLC. The Mormons, the wives, the alcohol laws, the cops, watered down beer, and it's all true. In Salt Lake City, music bars can only serve alcohol between 10pm and 1am. That's it. The beer is watered down to 3% alcohol. You're not allowed to have more than one drink at a time so you couldn't have a beer and a shot. Also, you can't have a double shot. There are magnetic tops to the bottles that actually measure a shot to a precise amount and it won't let you pour more. I'm not kidding. Not that I was drinking shots or anything, but that's how it is. It's pretty wacky.

Now the venue, The Urban Lounge, is a cool spot. Great sound system, good layout, friendly staff and even a green room for the bands. Mike, one of the promoters who actually booked us, was hammered when we arrived and no help, but Alex the other promoter was a really cool guy. He helped us out all night long and took care of us at the end of the night. He gave us the door money, real Chech beer, and all the soda and bottled water we wanted to take for the road. Like I said, he really took care of us.

We even had some familiar faces in the crowd. My boy Christian who lives in Salt Lake came down with one of his boys to support us. It was good to see someone we knew again. It'd been since San Fran since I'd seen a friend. Also, Javier who is a younger brother of an old school buddy was there. He's stationed at the Air Force base in Ogden which is about 30 min away. He came down with a friend and also supported us. It was good to see him. I hadn't seen him since he was a little kid. Damn, I'm getting old.

We ended the night on a positive note considering again, that the crowd wasn't as big as we would have liked. Christian let us stay at his house. I almost forgot, we ate dinner at this Vegan place across the street called The Sage Café and it was incredible. Great tasting and plenty of food. It hit the spot. I never thought I'd ever say that, but hey, it's good to broaden your horizons. SLC was definitely another wild experience on this trip. The drive up there was amazing. The mountains and passes through them are beautiful. The show was solid and we're close to the end now. Home is in sight.

June 5, 2008

I woke up early. We had a long day of driving ahead of us and I wanted to get a jump on it. I walked into the house where Stitch, Emilio and Joseph slept. I hadn't stepped into it because I was dead tired and I had passed out in the van. It was a classic party house. Those in bands or who have friends in bands know what I mean: drum kit in the living room, bar décor, people passed out everywhere. I went to the attic space where the boys were asleep. It was a chore but I was able to get them going. We jumped on the road.

We headed south by way of Portland to meet up with Jeremy of the Prick and the Burn because we left some stuff at his house. When we got there he informed us that his friend in Boise had a hook up and actually got us a show in Boise that night. Now we really had to get on it. It was a 7 ½ hour drive and it was already passed noon and Boise is one hour ahead of us. We drove hard all day. We made quick stops and just hustled all the way to Boise. Emsy blew up on us all of a sudden. He's growing a little more unhappy each day. I think we're all just tired, and maybe a little tired of each other.

Around 8:30pm we arrived at Mr. Lucky's in Boise. It was cool little club with some cool peeps working there. We had to immeditately load in, because we were a little late, but there was no hassle. We met Christie and Blaire and they really know how to make people feel welcome. Nice people. Again, back to the fact that people on the road are sympathetic to the traveling band. Blaire even let us crash at her pad.

But back to the show. There weren't that many people there, but it was a fun gig. It was actually a Mother's Anger gig. I decided to take the night off and so did Jointmethod, well kind of. I worked the room for tips and sales as the guys played. They did like a 90 min set, and there was even an older couple there who slow danced to a few Mother's Anger songs. They bought a CD and a t-shirt. I sold another t-shirt and got us some good tip money from the people that were there. Christie, who's dad is the owner, said we were welcome anytime back at the club and she'd advertise us heavily to bring in a big crowd.

Oh yeah, the reason I said I kind of took the night off is because Jointmethod did a few songs at the end of the night. I was kind of tipsy so it wasn't my best vocal performance, but I was on the bar with my wireless mic doin' it big rockstar style. The waitress, Blaire, let us stay at her house because we had no place to stay. Cool visit to this town. Maybe next time we'll get to actually see part of the city. Who knew Boise knew how to have a good time? What else is there to do there, except have a good time? Big ups to all the Boise folks. We'll be back.

June 4, 2008

Woke up early. Emilio poked his head in the van where Joseph and I slept. It's no joke, but it's really comfortable there. He asked if we wanted to head to EMP and I was totally down. We got spruced up and headed to Seattle. We had a show in Tacoma that night but the day was ours. We booked it to Seattle and made it in to the EMP(Experience Music Project). It's a wonderous place. Almost too much info. They have the guitar that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock there! A history of the guitar, jam rooms, History of grunge. You name it. This is a music paradise. We spent some hours in there and then decided to head back to Tacoma, but not before we ate at a Mexican food restaurant that was actually pretty good. I should have taken a picture of the burrito that Joseph ate. It was enormous. I knew he was going to pay for it later, and he did.

Emilio has been itching for some new ink and since one of the girls, Dez, that we met the other night was a tattoo artist, he wanted to stop by her shop. We did, and he did. Emilio got a new tattoo in Tacoma, Washington. He got a horse shoe on the inside part of his elbow. It's cool looking and it's all documented in photographs and videotape. I even got a haircut since I was waiting since it was a barbershop/tattoo parlor. The hairdresser is actually the wife of the drummer from the punk band "Zeke." She was really cool and she trimmed up my hawk. With a fresh cut and a new tattoo, we headed for our performance that evening at Maggie O'tooles.

We got there and all the other bands were loading in. They were eager to talk to us to find out how we got on a tour and how it was going. To us it's no big deal, cause all it takes is some hustle. Any band with a solid press kit and a some enginuity can network themselves into a tour. That's what we did. There's no label. No big management. No marketing budget. Just some guys with will and determination to play out of state. It can be done. You have to be pro about it, but you can do it. I recommend my new band training series on DVD entitled "How to Make it On Tour with only $5 a day!" I wish, but it's coming the way things are looking.

These guys were all nice people and the crowd was decent. We were on 4th and 5th in the line up and didn't play till midnight. We rocked it out! We took no prisoners. We definitely turned some heads that night. The promoter Levi, put us up at his house back in central Tacoma and we passed out. At least Emsy, Joesph, and myself did. I heard Stitch and Emilio stayed up till dawn! It was a solid night. Big ups to Monty Ray and Season of Vision.

Day 13: June 3, 2008

Woke up to a dog licking my face. It's Marty, she lives at the apartment we stayed at. It was noon, so it was time to get up. Joseph and Emsy slept in the van but Stitch and Milo were right next to me. Our hosts got up and announced that they were cooking breakfast for us. Another free meal on the road! I can't believe people's generosity really. It's been wild. Everywhere we go we meet cool people. We had plans on heading to the EMP (Experience Music Project) in Seattle on our day off, but after we ate and chilled and I did some graphic design work it was too late to head the 50 miles to Seattle. So….

Stitch has another friend in Tacoma named Lisa who's deep in the music scene in the Northwest and she extended a dinner invitation and a place to stay for the evening. Free food? Twice in one day? SUN IS SHINING! We made the short drive to the other side of town and landed on a private community just off the highway where Lisa lives. We met her actually at an intersection. She was coming from the store and the Pizza place. She ordered 5 pizzas for us and her family and even bought us beer. Her house was great. It was very nice and comfortable. For us on the road, it's a blessing. Big couches, playstation, food, beer, and cable TV. THE LAP OF LUXURY! We chatted and met her kids and hung out for the remainder of the evening. Did a little writing and thinking. It feels like forever since we've been home. I'm missing the kiddo bad.

What I have learned on the road, is that if you have a little backing and good connects and dedication, you can stay on the road for quite some time. I guess you have to be kind of good, but still, you can make it out here from shows and sales to last a while. It can be addictive. If I didn't have a loving family back home, I could route out for a lot longer, but I can't be away that long. Home is calling me. Tomorrow is another show and another crowd to conquer. We're like a music army, invading every town. I like the feeling.

Day 12: June 2, 2008

It's Monday morning, I think. Yes it is. Woke up at Jeremy's house and bounced out after a shower and some laundry to Olympia. It's only a few hours away but the idea was to get there and try to bring people into the venue. The thing there is to hang out and talk folks into coming into your place. We got a write up in the local entertainment mag. It was cool, but it also said that we were metal! I don't get it. Don't they listen to the CD before they write? Whatever, it's all good. We're playing a venue called Charlie's Tavern. I gotta say, it didn't look too promising. It's really a sports bar with a sound system and a dance floor. No stage. On tour, you have to take the good with the bad. But it was a fun show and the booker is a big dude by the name of Dave. He's the coolest.

The town is a small hippie/college town in the northwest. The funny thing about being on the road is noticing the difference in the social climate. For example, Emilio's dreds are kind of a big deal back home. You see them from time to time, but not nearly as much as up here in the Northwest. Every white dude and their mom has dreds. It's pretty funny. So Milo fits right in. Stitch and Joseph hit up a thrift store for warmer clothing. Joseph bought a scarf/hat that makes him look like Big Bird. I'll post a pic for sure.

This is our second show with Prick and The Burn. The went on first and were really good sports. They played a short set, so we could take advantage of all of the crowd, which to be honest wasn't much. Another painful show on the road. The show was great, the vibe was solid, but attendance is haunting us.This road thing is heartbreaking at times. We want to rock so loud, for all to hear, but the reality is that there's a million bands out there and they all want the same thing. Us being from out of town with no major marketing budget, isn't too helpful. But there is a bright note. We've been selling CD's and merch at every stop without fail. That's says a lot. We haven't gotten a negative response yet. That's really encouraging. I even had a guy come up to me personally and say, "Don't quit. No matter how hard it gets, and how small the crowd is. Don't quit. It'd be a shame if you guys quit making music."

We're also making friends on this tour. At this show we met two girls, who really dug the show and put us up for the night. We offered Joseph as collateral and a sex slave for the evening for their generosity. Just kidding. They were just good peoples and we crashed at their pad for the night. Their names are Dezz and Naja Monique. Very cool ladies. They had a couple couches and floor space and that's all we needed. The show was a success, even though I'm noticing that Mr. Robinson isn't feeling the tour too much. There's been a distance there this whole tour, but lately it's really showing. He's become quiet. The road does things to folks and whatever is on your mind will come out. There's no choice, we're together literally 24 hours a day. I hope we can work it out. I put head to bed/floor and passed out in my sleeping bag.

Day 11: June 1, 2008

We got up, took showers, not together, and headed out to search for food. We went down to the Pike's Market on the shore cause I wanted to see the guys throwing fish. It didn't happen. I guess it's a TV thing and not a reality thing. FUCKING TV AND ADVERTISING! Damn it, I was disappointed. The market area was cool though. There was actually a market fair going on. Tons of food, and arts and crafts. This is a really cool city. I take back what I said earlier. I mean, who am I to demand something from a city where I ain't paid my dues. We had a good time for a while, ate and then headed to Portland, where our show was that night.

We were doing a show with The Prick and The Burn and those dudes are solid cats. Jeremy and Jordan. Their music is good. They're a two piece out of Portland and the venue was solid. It was really a bar with a big stage room, and the attendance was low, but the sound was good and the reaction was good. Of course I want tons of people there, but I don't care if there are 200 or 2 people there. I'm gonna rock regardless. I love it. I'm on the road playing music. How can I complain?

Jeremy put us up in his house. It's a cool place with a playstation and we played some old school games like, Road Rash! The first game with a soundtrack. Those who know, know! Portand is a cool town, but we gotta roll out. We're heading for Olympia asap. Gotta show there and We need to rock it. WE NEED MONEY! It's a slow process conquering the world, but we're doing it one CD at a time.