Night One: Taylor, MI – 3/4/2016
Statistics (general)
- Miles Driven: 130 miles
- Food: Eggs, soup, toast, fruit (home cooked meal before I left)
- Hours Slept: Eight hours
- Lodging: My friends house in Detroit!
- Weather: 30 degrees and snowing
Expenses
- Gas: $35 to fill up my van
- Food: None bought on this day
Journal Entry
This past evening I kicked off my third tour this year. I’m on the road for 15 days total, two days off, 10 shows (originally 13), but three shows fell through… at this point I’m going to make the best of it! I started this tour with a house show in Taylor, Mich. which is near Detroit. I was put in contact with the owners of this house through a friend of mine who couldn’t originally host. Kicking off the first two days of this tour with a couple of house shows is always a great reminder of what is yet to come.
I arrived to the house around 6:30 p.m., greeted by Ashley, and loaded my guitar and merch inside of the house. This evening I played with three other acts (Dead Fox, Candlelight Dusk and Kept On Hold) and entertained at least 25 people packed into a small living room. Playing house shows is one of my favorite things to do, everyone is there strictly for the music. I made some new friends, one of them being Andrew (frontman/leader) from Kept On Hold. We hit it off well and exchanged numbers for future tour opportunities. After a successful first night of tour, the evening moved into the midnight hour and I departed to stay with one of my best friends for the night.
This evening I am staying with my friend Chloe, a old summer camp friend. We stayed up until early morning hours enjoying beers and catching up on life. It was a pleasure seeing one of my best friends, and after a long day/night of music and hangouts, it’s time to rest and to prepare myself for tomorrow’s show in Akron, Ohio at the Fool Mansion.
Night Two: Akron, OH – 3/5/2016
Statistics (general)
- Miles Driven: 181 Miles
- Food: Free Chipotle, peanut butter sandwich, two apples
- Hours Slept: Six hours
- Lodging: Fool Mansion
- Weather: 40 degrees and snowy
Expenses
- Gas: None for the trip to Akron. Half tank mark from Taylor to Akron.
- Food: None
Journal Entry
This morning I woke up early at Chloe’s, made the bed I slept in and began catching up on homework and writing that I was running behind on while everyone was still sleeping. I stayed in the Detroit area and relaxed until 3:30 p.m., from there I set off to Akron, Ohio. Tonight I played at a house venue called the Fool Mansion (owned by the band CityCop), one of my favorite towns to play on tour. After driving for a couple of hours, I made it a point to take advantage of the touring musician promo at one of the Chipotle locations in Akron so I could eat. I must say, it was absolutely needed.
I played Akron around this time last year, and I have nothing but great things to say. Their DIY all ages music scene has been thriving for quite a few years now, something I am very jealous of. When I arrived to the house, I walked into the last little bit of their DIY talks meeting. A good number of showgoers from the area gather in the living room and talk about shows, what’s next for their scene and what they can do to improve. It was a great experience to see this meeting in working mode and it made me even more excited to play this evening.
I opened the show tonight, which was totally fine with me. I was the only acoustic act performing this evening, and everyone gathered in the living room for my set. It was amazing to see familiar faces, playing for new ones and enjoying the other bands who played (Mr. Foster, Gatsby’s Shipwreck and Penny Arcade). The amount of people crammed into this living room during my set kept me smiling the whole time I played, and it meant a lot to hear the positive feedback after I finished. The Fool Mansion is run by the band CityCop, a well known Emo/Hardcore/Punk group from the area and in the Midwest. We quickly turned into good pals since last year, and it was great to play at their venue once again.
By the end of tonight (2 a.m.) it’s time to crash right onto their couch for some sleep finally, after writing this of course. Tomorrow I continue my trek to the East Coast…. I haven’t been in the area since 2014 and I’m excited to play Buffalo, N.Y. tomorrow!
Night Three: Buffalo, NY – 3/6/2016
Statistics (general)
- Miles Driven: 212 Miles
- Food: Peanut butter sandwich, dried cherries, pretzels
- Hours Slept: Six hours
- Lodging: Slept at the promoters/my new pal’s house
- Weather: 45 degrees
Expenses
- Gas: $25 (filled the tank back up)
- Food: $10 grilled cheese
- Additional: $55 to fixed my smashed tail light
Journal Entry
This morning I woke up and explored Akron for a little while. By explored, I mean posted up at a coffee shop for my morning cup and started to get work done. This evening I am playing in Buffalo, N.Y. the first time I’ve played here since the summer of 2014. I’m very excited to perform this evening at the Allen St. Hardware Cafe and to meet my pal Andy Pothier for a good night of drinks and music. Shortly after finishing up my work in Akron, I set off for the three hour and twelve minute drive to Buffalo. I timed it out just right, where I’ll be arriving an hour before the show is set to begin.
Tonight’s line up consists of three other bands: The Observers, William Joseph and Oats Holy Roller, all local area folk acts who sounded absolutely amazing. I parked a couple spots down from the venue, waited on loading in and went for a drink at the bar and had a killer grilled cheese sandwich. I was greeted by my friend Andy around 9 p..m and by 9:30 the show was beginning. Tonight I closed out the show with a five song set. The show went great, until about 10 minutes before I was set to go on. A band member from The Observers came running into the venue to find me and to let me know that he’s pretty sure a drunk driver hit the back of my van. Thankfully he made them do the right thing to stop and wait to talk to me.
I ran outside, bummed out and upset because I was never in this situation before, especially while on tour. I kept my cool and tried to remain positive, but reality is… my car was screwed in the back. After exchanging info and chatting with the police, we did the best we could do right away and went on with the night. I was upset but still had a smile on my face when I was playing and I’m forever grateful for the support people were giving me this past evening. Tomorrow I’m waking up early, Andy Pothier gave me a list of some family friend mechanics that might be able to help. Hoping for the best and staying positive so I don’t have to cancel tour dates.
Night Four: Rochester, NY – 3/7/2016
Statistics (general)
- Miles Driven: 81 miles
- Food: Apples, granola, peanut butter sandwiches
- Hours Slept: Six hours
- Lodging: Slept at a band friend’s house
- Weather: 55 degrees and sunny
Expenses
- Gas: $20 to top off my tank
- Food: Coffee and muffin – $4.37
Journal Entry
I was able to get my car fixed in Niagara Falls. Andy’s family friend was able to fix me up the best he possibly could and send me off. Insurance will cover the rest. I thought the back tail light was something that could not be fixed so easy, at least that’s what the other mechanics around town were saying. I’ve come to find out that they were just trying to mess with me so I could give them my business and they could overcharge the hell out of me… like $200 overcharge. Thankfully Koch’s Auto was able to fix me up for $55. After getting my van squared away and showering at Andy’s, I got in my van, rolled the window down, blasted public radio and set off to Rochester, N.Y. Tonight I am playing in a church, the venue is called Mission Hall.
The drive was short and boring, so it seemed like three hours and not one hour and 30 minutes. When I drove into town, I immediately found a coffee shop to park at and went inside for my dose of caffeine and so I could get some work done. The show this evening consists of two other acts, Bobby Meader Music (Las Vegas, Nev.) and The Dwayne Johnson’s (Rochester Local). I burnt enough time to where I ended up heading to the venue. When I arrived I was greeted by my pals in Bobby Meader Music (we always cross paths on tour somehow) and greeted by my other friend Tim Avery, he’s the one who booked the show.
Live music sounded absolutely amazing in this church/community arts center. Two of us were acoustic acts, Bobby Meader was a full band. We had tons of fun and we stuck together trying to find a place who would host two touring acts (five guys total) and eventually we were in luck. Members from the Dwayne Johnson’s were able to link us up with their friend Matt, who had a floor space and extra bed for us to crash on. After the show we all headed toward this guys house and when we arrived we were welcomed with vegan tacos. I’m not vegan by any means but being welcomed into a house with tacos feels and tastes fantastic… especially on tour when you’re eating the same sandwich for days at a time. The night went on, we stayed up late, and eventually passed right out on the floor. What a night. Tomorrow I am in Philadelphia, I continue east.
Night Five: Philadelphia, PA – 3/8/2016
Statistics (general)
- Miles Driven: 341 Miles
- Food: Sandwich, cliff bars, dried cherries
- Hours Slept: Six hours
- Lodging: Upstairs of the venue
- Weather: 74 degrees and sunny
Expenses
- Gas: Made it to Philly without filling up.
- Food: Philly Cheesesteak
Journal Entry
This morning I quietly woke up, gathered my things and set off for a long drive to Philadelphia. Tonight I am playing at The Fire in Philadelphia, it’s funny enough that it’s next to a fire station. I left Rochester early so I could drive five hours to Philly and spend a little more time around town. Last time I played in this city was in 2014. I didn’t allow myself any time to explore, and left after the show ended, so I knew this time around I was overdue for some exploration.
After a long drive, I parked right in front of the venue and checked in with the bartender. I am playing with two other acts tonight, On The Cooling Board and Dares. The Fire is definitely a dive, but from what I hear they have shows almost every single day. I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours walking around in the 70 degree weather. After checking in, I immediately went for a walk to find my first Philly cheesesteak. The weather, setting sun and delicious food really put me in a fantastic mood. After visiting Rustico, a restaurant that’s a town favorite, I walked 15 minutes back to the venue.
Tuesday nights are usually pretty slow. A late weeknight show at a bar can sometimes be tough, especially without a few locals to help promote. Even though tonight was low attendance (a handful of people) I still gave 100 percent and enjoyed myself. The venue even had an upstairs apartment (green room) with a free case of beer. That definitely helped. At one point during my set, I had no clue where I was going to crash and thought Walmart was going to be home for the night… until the sound guy, David, mentioned there was a couch upstairs of the venue. I didn’t want to say no, so I accepted. Philadelphia parking is hell but thankfully I scored a prime spot in front of the venue. I was able to catch a few hours of sleep in a room that smelled like straight up dank and prepared myself for an early departure at 9 a.m.
Night Six: Boston, MA – 3/9/2016
Statistics (general)
- Miles Driven: 310 Miles
- Food: Dried cherries, peanuts/cashews, water, bananas
- Hours Slept: Six hours
- Lodging: A local band house
- Weather: 70 degrees and sunny
Expenses
- Gas: $25
- Food: None
Journal Entry
Thankfully the upstairs of The Fire had a shower. I definitely needed one. I washed up and gathered all of my things to get ready to take off. Tonight I am playing in Boston, Mass. at Middle East Corner Room. My original Boston show fell through a couple of weeks ago and Bobby Meader was able to get me a short three song set on this show last minute. I’ll take it, it’s much better than a day off that I didn’t plan on taking. I drove five hours to Boston, which took me through Manhattan, N.Y. traffic and a beautiful Connecticut highway. I opened up the show tonight with a quick 15 minute set for three other bands, with those three songs I received a positive response.
When I arrived to Boston I tried to find cheap parking, but unfortunately that’s impossible. I grabbed my jar of change and paid off the first half hour of parking while exploring around one part of the town. I must say, compared to any bigger city that I’ve been to so far, Boston is really clean and they have their transportation system figured out. Honestly, I didn’t do too much when I made it to town. After a half hour of exploring, I went back to my car and it was already 5 p.m. The show tonight starts at 9:30. I scored a free parking spot in front of the venue and hung around the Middle East (also a restaurant) for a few hours to relax and unwind.
It’s been great running into Bobby Meader Music and playing a couple shows with them on this tour. We’ve turned into solid friends and I’ve been learning a lot from Bobby Meader himself. Bobby and his band basically live on the road year round and they are barely ever home. I was the only acoustic act for the night. Echo Point, Bobby Meader Music and The Grebes were the others who performed with a full band. Although I didn’t do too much in town today, I did have a lot of fun and I thank the weather for that. At the end of the show I managed to score a place to sleep thanks to Boston locals, Echo Point. I was so tired by the end of the night. I grabbed my pillow and blanket, fell right onto the couch, and went to sleep. Tomorrow I am doing a radio interview for WEMF in Boston and will be heading to Brooklyn for my show Friday!