So, I'm hermited away up in Salem, NH at a cheap little hotel, where I've been for the last two days. We leave tomorrow morning for Baltimore, en route to the one and only Maryland Deathfest. This weekend will begin a tour with our Swedish brothers in Victims and Seattle's finest...also known as Black Breath. I'm incredibly excited about this tour for too many reasons to list. Plain and simple? It's going to be fucking fun....two bands I really enjoy watching and listening to, and to have the opportunity to watch them every night for a few weeks is exactly my cup of tea.
Where do I begin to document the last six weeks of touring? I sat here and thought about it and have no definitive answer. Most important is that I made some great new friends....the type I rarely make, which means I actually can't wait to see them again, can't wait to have more conversations and do a bunch of dumb shit. Things were blown up, laughter was in high gear and I survived my first successful blackout.
My battle wounds from this tour are rather large. My legs look likeI stuck them in meat grinders, my torso full of odd colored bruises and small lacerations. About halfway through the tour, my contempt for playing in front of barriers caused me to leave the stage by any means necessary as much as possible, including a stint in Montreal where I climbed into the balcony before realizing the mic cord had no more give.
After most of the shows there were a few diehards that would come to the merch table where I was usually stationed and would apologize for the small attendance. I had to explain to them that there's nothing to worry about. When you're the first band on a five band package, odds are people aren't going to show up at 7pm, which was around the time we played every night on this. It meant nothing to me. We were on tour with incredible bands and just playing every night was enough. I don't go into these tours expecting legions of people to attend early. It's just not the way it works. Instead, I made sure the ones that were there, the few that were familiar with us, were given every ounce of rage and intensity we had within us, and I think that was accomplished. Sure, small clubs are ideal...basements, halls, etc., but when it comes down to it, you have 20-30 minutes a night to do what you do. Be it a kitchen, a warehouse or a football field, I just don't give a fuck. I love doing this and as long as there are any witnesses, at the end of the set, there should be no confusion as to how serious we take our art.
I got to see many familiar faces during this stint, the ones that saw us play to five people. They'd ask me whether I could believe I was on tour with Napalm Death or not. Honestly, it still blows me away. I watched them almost every night without fail. I would spend the hours before the shows talking with Barney about everything random. There is a reason some bands become icons at their respective genres, and ND proved that to me night after night. Have you heard the new record? No? Go buy it. Now. No bias needed, it is absolutely fantastic. Some of the best songs they have ever done are on it....I'd go as far as to say it's my favorite album they've done, especially after hearing so many of the new songs played live.
And.....Toxic Holocaust and Coliseum. Fuck yes. I'm going to have a hard time putting into words how much fun I had with these guys on this tour. I was able to appreciate them as people, for who they are as opposed to just the music they write. It was just......fucking fun, you know? I looked forward to showing up to the venue every day, seeing Joel stagger out of the Toxic van, playing air guitar and headbanging. I looked forward to Chris from Coliseum riding his bike around, hopped up on caffiene, cackling like a maniac. I had great talks with Ryan about why we do this shit we do.
Yeah.....the drives killed me a bit. There were some tough ones on this tour, which caused many a brain cell in all of us to get a little fried from time to time. But, every drive had a purpose, and that purpose was to get to another stage where we could take our 20 to 30 minutes and fucking go down in a blaze of glory.
I guess that's it......I'm no good at daily journal stuff. I can't break down what was done every moment of the tour.
Many other things happened during this time that I really wish I could blab about right now, but, sadly, I can't quite yet. Trap Them will have TONS of news very soon. Tours, recordings, lives, etc. All go, no fucking slow.
I can say that we are doing one of Scion's free metal shows on June 10th. It will be in Los Angeles at the Knitting Factory with Municipal Waste. So fucking awesome. We are flying out from the middle of the Victims tour for this show. Come rage. Hard.
After the Victims tour is complete, I will fly home for three whole weeks (!). I then fly back to Boston where we will do six days across the country before arriving in Seattle on July 9th, where we start tour with Skeletonwitch and Saviours. This tour is heavy on the west coast and midwest...we also get to go back to Austin, which makes us very happy. Dear Texas, we're sorry it took us almost two years to come back and visit you before the Napalm tour. We'll make sure to drop in more often...it seems as if you like us....you really, really like us.
After that tour, there's a little time off. The fall season looks very.....interesting. There is this tour that we're crossing our fingers for. IF it happens, you will hear me scream bloody distortion from the hills. I don't want to get my hopes up.
We will be recording in August. Again.....information on this on hush hush right now. I can tell you it will be an EP with three new songs and three covers. And I can tell you that it will be heavy as catholic guilt. Everything else will find it's way to the information booths very, very soon.
In life news: my wife still loves me even though I'm never home, which is amazing. When I saw her in Portland, I brought her roses. She brought me donuts.....we understand each other.
My dog probably thinks I'm a deadbeat dad, which sucks. That's okay....when I get home, I'm going to spoil the shit out of him.
Also, the
Corridor album, "Redux Doze" is out now on Manimal Vinyl records. Do NOT sleep on this record.
Current listening loves:
Gallows "Grey Britain"
Stax 50th anniversary box set
The Temptations "Definitive collection"
Kylesa "Static Tensions"
Hail of Bullets
Duffy "Rockferry"
all The Who we have in the van
Ceremony - all
I don't know....lots of heavy shit, fast shit, creepy shit....there's been a lot of driving hours
and, some of you may shake your head in shame for me, but I don't care.....does anyone watch Grey's Anatomy? Did ANY of you see that twist ending for the season finale coming? I, for one, did not and it kind of blew me away. I don't know why I love a show that depresses me so much, but I do. Call me a masochist.
Done.
