Tour Diary: Day 7 Apocalyptic Indiana, Tour Update

As I've gotten older, time has gotten shorter.  I don't mean, the walls are closing in and I now desperately regret my choices in life; it just seems to me that time has become more, "compact."  Part of the compacting stems directly from routine...  right now my routine revolves around school and sitting in front the computer trying to book as much as I can. 

The irony is that not much music happens during the routine. 

I do listen to a lot of NPR and BBC world news... and of course, now I write this blog.  But there's a push... with this blog.  The expansion of writing skills, in the prose style, that have long lain dormant, needs an awakening of sorts.  Right? Write.

Funny, the music thing was first inspired by a sense of "I can do that too..." and then "I want to contribute" which of course morphed into, "I've got something to say" which transitioned into "Oh, I really made some mistakes, look at them..."  to, for now, "I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way."  And for certain, songwriting and performing helps therapeutically; however, that's why I keep a journal... talk about therapeutic.  woof.

But that's not important here. 

This is a tour diary... so you have to talk about touring and booking and the craziness of the road.  Funny thing.  I'm older... the guys in the band are older... not much craziness happens... more like a comedy of errors, usually.  Here's a funny story:

Last July, I had booked a tour out to St. Louis and back and one of our shows was in Bloomington, Indiana.  A college town.  My close friend J. went to IU and that was a big deal for him, I don't watch much sports but isn't there some sort of Big 10 thing or something?... and my impression of college towns of the like display packed stadiums cheering in frigid weather, student unions, local bars jammed with hard working bar bands, the college students--living on the edge, knowing what's progressive or not--listening to music and drinking beer... you know, clichés. 

Anyhow, the place we played was Player's Pub.  This was one of those deals where I emailed the booker and never really heard anything back... the tour was coming up and it looked like we had a day off... and kind of irks me... I like to play every day out... so, I was getting nervous... then... like an email bolt form the cyberweb blue: 

"Hey Andrew,
I was cleaning up some e-mails I ignored. Sorry.  Noticed you don't have July 12th filled.  Nor do we."

There you have it... so I'm excited... I got a gig... filled the spot and now we're ready to go... (if you have time... read into that email and leave a comment...)

I want you to think about a pristine wildlife preserve, absent non-snack packing militia meat men.  Imagine the small clearing from dense woods to a soft clearing... a silent anticipating lake... the only movement is the sound from chirping insects, the lilt of a songbird... solace and solitude... you are truly alone with your thoughts... lost in nature.

I want you to think about the opening scene of any apocalyptic film... the main character staggers on his/her way out of a building... perhaps just becoming conscious and aware that something is wrong... massive man made structures, impressive ornaments adorning an urban dream.  To the left and to the right... automobiles that once sped families and friends to their destinations... their futures... sit unused, decomposing into rubble and rust.  The only sound is the frightened echo of that hero's voice calling with hope that he or she will be answered in familiar and similar tones.

Now... put those two together and you have Bloomington IN on a Sunday in July.

Seriously... but that's not even the funny part... that's just a minor inconvenience... while waiting for our set time, we were playing some pool and there was some transient looking fellow hanging out too... and he started talking with us... I can't remember the conversation... but, you know... me, Kurt, Andy, and Dave are easy going guys... also... we're all pretty funny and affable and all that... I think it was either Kurt or Andy was cutting the guy short, in a conversational manner to deliver a witty remark and the guy says... quite seriously and with attempted authority:

"I'm talking now."

To which, sensing the tension suddenly spike... like 0-180mph, the band made eye contact with each other... silently communicating, "wtf?" simultaneously with "meh."  This was our audience?  I don't think Kurt tried to make it right... he has a good sense of, "Oh, you're crazy... I will entertain this for another minute... but then will remove myself from the situation."  Which he did... the transient guy kind of wanders off and we don't see him again... but funny... nonetheless...

The remainder of the time out on the tour... you couldn't say three words without someone in the band interrupting you to declare that "he is talking now."

Anyhow...

Tour Update:

Crescent Moon Coffee from Lincoln NE emailed back that they are an acoustic venue and they need acoustic examples... so I grabbed some youtube acoustic performances... here's what I sent:

Grimm