The Hammer

This is Vanna White.

Our new rental.  We will destroy it with kilometers and jokes.

The new band is getting along splendidly and our first long trip (25+ hours) and first show in Hamilton were a great indication on how this is all going to go, I think.  I'm not really sure what I want to do with this series of travel logs.  The last set was about getting back into touring and figuring out how I would do it as a different person and a band leasder.  That trip was a way for me to work through some lingering personal challenges and when it ended, I felt like I had.  This trip is different.  I don't feel the weight of the emotional baggage I did before, but I think this trip will be about putting what I've learned to practice.

There, I just figured it out.  Thanks for the talk.

I've been thinking a lot about that actually.  One of the most difficult things I've been thinking about is how I will behave (and not react) when someone does or says something that conflicts with my new personal beliefs, and to this day I have no idea.  But a friend said something to me a few weeks ago that stuck with me.  He said that all of this knowledge and learning is not worth anything unless it is put into action.  But how do I put it to action in a positive, non-violent way?  How do I present my point of view while respecting the person who is saying or doing things that hurt other people?  Holding them accountable for their words and actions.  That's some hard shit.  When I was younger I would learn something that really spoke to me and I would be militant about it.  It was this new idea that I was willing to defend to the death!  But I know better now and I can't act like that anymore.  I'm sure I will get a lot of practice though - the other guys in the band are all 21 or 22 and there are plenty of chances to talk about discrimination and language.  Without being preachy or alienating.  With love, patience, compassion and empathy.  These are things my mother was really great at teaching me.   

There are also my personal challenges to change my relationship with alcohol and to be without romantic relationships for one year.  Two very difficult things to do on when on tour.  It's time to put what I've learned to practice though and I have faith in my strength.

PICTURES.

 The new band enjoying MOM LEVEL apple crisp (their words).  From left to right - Cody, Brennan & Karl.

 Cody & Karl stretching it out about 8 hours into the drive.

 Brennan, 20 hours into the drive staying awake with Justin Timberlake.

 NEVER EAT AT RESTAURANTS WITH TOO MANY ELVIS PICTURES.  The food is never good.

 An impromptu trip to Niagara.  It was nice to walk on some plush grass and get misted by the falls.  

This bird has it made.  

 I love this picture.

 And this one.

This tree is amazing.  It was huge and it deserves to have a small house in it that I can live in.  

 Same tree.  The huge leaves.

Every bathroom needs one of these for people who wear sandals.  BRILLIANT.  

 NEW SHIRTS and the models.  Thanks to the amazing Garland Lam for the design.

 THESE PEOPLE.  They gave us this sweet upgrade to Vanna White so that we're not so crammed.  Check out Mosely.

 After I had the upgrade done I went back to meet the guys and found them forming THIER OWN BAND.  They were really good so we're going in that direction and I'm just going to take pictures...

...like this one.














THAT'S IT.  See you soon, Waterloo.

Vancouver

Two days in Vancouver.

This post is several days late.

I'm not beating myself up over it.  By the time we left Vancouver I was feeling like I didn't want to do anymore driving.  I am out of practice when it comes to this, but it's like riding a bike.  Except one day you hope that the bike turns into a bus, and someone else is driving it for you.  The coming and going is the hardest part.  You see your friends and you don't want to leave because you want to spend time with them.  Or because you want to explore the city some more, you end up cursing the trip.  By YOU I mean I.  The drive back was also less appealing because there was one show in 3 days on the way home.  That's a lot of downtime.  That's a lot of money and a lot of driving.  When I got to Vancouver, when I started seeing and hanging out with all of my close friends out there, I knew this would happen. I've gotten better at not letting affect me though.  I find it easier to look for a solution rather then to complain about a problem lately.  My mind automatically goes there, and it took a long time to get here.

Vancouver was a great show.  We played to so many people who were really into what we were doing.  I love telling people that we've only been playing as a band for a month.  They are blown away.  I am blown away.  I feel like I've been playing with these guys for longer than that.  I never know when to use THEN or THAN, and I don't feel like looking it up.  I woke up one morning before we left worried that I wouldn't be able to wear the "band leader" hat.  I was going to be a leader.  I had to look after four people.  I had to make sure everyone was comfortable, fed, rested (as much as one could be on tour), able to approach me with issues, and I had to deal with those issues as they came up.  I've never been in that postion.  I've never had to be a leader.  It was stressing me out.  Brennan told me I was doing well.  I feel like I could still use a lesson in patience.

I'd like to be a leader more often.  But I am often to scared to take on that role.  This has been good practice though.

I just reread this a realized I didn't make my point about this post being late.  The point is that I'm getting used to doing this again, and I did not have the energy to share.  The one thing about being an entertainer is that you have to be 'on' a lot.  You have to keep people engaged, you have to connect in person and now online, because people forget.  But you have to be careful not to be too forward, because you don't want to scare anyone away.  Sometimes I feel like I just want to make music in my basement and avoid all this promo shit.  But the truth is that I like it.  I've liked this job since I was young, and I've since quit all of my jobs to do this one full time.  Both feet in the dark.

So far, so good.

 Such cool clouds when we rolled in.

 If you look about a third up from the bottom, you can see the clouds connecting to the mountain.  It looked so strange.

 These pictures almost look like someone cut really thin sheet of linen and put them on top of each other, then on the mountain.

 Brennan and Jon, happy to be walking around.

 SUSHIYAMA.

 Jon meeting Garland.

 Ming and Brennan.

 Tom and Garland.

 GIANT PEICES OF SASHIMI.  The slice of tuna was the size of a deck of cards.

The Biltmore.

 Setting up the box.

 I love this picture of Adam.

 Julia McDougall

The Ruffled Feathers 

 My little experiment.  A burger with hollandaise sauce.

It worked.

 Peaceful.  This place had amazing food.  And they make their noodles fresh fresh.  I saw them make them right in from of my eye.  You can have them HAND-DRAGGED or BLADE-SHEARED.  Those are some badass noodles.

GARLAND LAM.  I love her art.  Check it out.  

It may be a while before I get the last post up for this first part of the tour.  There are a lot of pictures to sort through and I have to plan another tour too.

Thank you for being so amazing.

#saysomethingright