Howdy from Minneapolis!
It's been a great first seven shows. Some of my favorite cities, including what could very well be one of my favorite shows ever up in portland.
The venue we usually play up here in Minnesota, the Quest, had a fire. The efforts to put out the fire caused an incredible amount of water damage. Consequently, we're playing a new place. See, I'm all for new places but we had a bit of a love affair with the Quest and James (the imposing black man who ran the place).
I've heard two stories about what will happen to our old "friend": either it will be back up and running in the spring or it may never be opened again. I was talking with "tall steve" (one of the hands who used to work over at the quest) -- we've both had a lot of good musical memories over there and yet, every good thing comes to an end.
This story reminds me of our credo for the current tour- this might very well be the last time you play this room. Do not take tomorrow for granted. Today and today's show and every soul in the room singing along is an incredible gift that may never be given again. Enjoy and live abundantly this moment for another breath might not be given.
And yet tour is kicking in, as it always does. Every day becomes rather like a Bill Murray groundhog day, the repetition of similarities.
Venues, faces, songs, radio stations, promoters, catering... today begins to blur with tomorrow and yesterday and the tour credo is threatened by depression and apathy.
Heres a few cyclical equations for the mathematically inclined:
recycled bus air+shaking hands in the cold after the shows+too much yelling on stage=my throat feels the familiar scratch of tour.
green tea+lot's of water+vitamin c=I'm ready to head back to the bus, the shaking hands and the yelling!
And I'm ready to scream it out tonight... my hot tea is brewed.
We try and screw with the set list every night, both for us and for the people coming to the shows. Tonight feels like a risky one, usually those are the ones that I fight for. I'll tell you how it goes... so in this corner: the tour/ life credo of living abundantly, and in this corner: the depression, apathy, and sickness of monotony. I'll keep you posted.
It's been a great first seven shows. Some of my favorite cities, including what could very well be one of my favorite shows ever up in portland.
The venue we usually play up here in Minnesota, the Quest, had a fire. The efforts to put out the fire caused an incredible amount of water damage. Consequently, we're playing a new place. See, I'm all for new places but we had a bit of a love affair with the Quest and James (the imposing black man who ran the place).
I've heard two stories about what will happen to our old "friend": either it will be back up and running in the spring or it may never be opened again. I was talking with "tall steve" (one of the hands who used to work over at the quest) -- we've both had a lot of good musical memories over there and yet, every good thing comes to an end.
This story reminds me of our credo for the current tour- this might very well be the last time you play this room. Do not take tomorrow for granted. Today and today's show and every soul in the room singing along is an incredible gift that may never be given again. Enjoy and live abundantly this moment for another breath might not be given.
And yet tour is kicking in, as it always does. Every day becomes rather like a Bill Murray groundhog day, the repetition of similarities.
Venues, faces, songs, radio stations, promoters, catering... today begins to blur with tomorrow and yesterday and the tour credo is threatened by depression and apathy.
Heres a few cyclical equations for the mathematically inclined:
recycled bus air+shaking hands in the cold after the shows+too much yelling on stage=my throat feels the familiar scratch of tour.
green tea+lot's of water+vitamin c=I'm ready to head back to the bus, the shaking hands and the yelling!
And I'm ready to scream it out tonight... my hot tea is brewed.
We try and screw with the set list every night, both for us and for the people coming to the shows. Tonight feels like a risky one, usually those are the ones that I fight for. I'll tell you how it goes... so in this corner: the tour/ life credo of living abundantly, and in this corner: the depression, apathy, and sickness of monotony. I'll keep you posted.
Up for Discussion