Week #21: Three, two, one, free-fall
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The week before going on tour feels like counting down to a free-fall.
Unknowns take the stage before I ever step on one. Will the shows be good? Will we get back safely? Will we make any money? Will the vehicle hold up?
If anyone wants a crash course in art, business, adventure, heartbreak and glory; go on tour.
Just a week ago I played a one-off show in Indianapolis. It was at a dingy, dark, and cramped bar that we hadn’t been to since 2017. The tight space, grumpy sound person, the heat - it seemed like a recipe for a rough night.
I could sense people in my camp had been existential lately (myself included once my van died). The weight of uncertainty, compounded by comparing ourselves to peers advancing faster, had been taking its hold.
“Don’t judge a show by its cover,” I told a bandmate from a neighboring urinal before we took the stage. I’d been in this situation many times, and I knew what a warm response could do to a spirit aching. What was a small crowd turned into a roaring lion. Grateful, is how I would describe their reaction.
The organizers climbed on stage at the end of our set. They surprised us with a trophy. An award they’d been holding onto for us for eight years.
“Thank you for coming back. We know we’re probably smaller than what you guys are used to lately,” one of them told me before we left. I let her know it was actually the show we needed.
Here was my week:
Writing: 4h 30m
Writing ecosystem: 7h 30m
Music: 3h 30m
Band admin: 4h
I’ll be in these cities this coming week. Come say what's up: 7/22 Gainesville @ The Ox.
7/23 Orlando @ Will's Pub.
7/24 Miami, @ Las Rosas.
7/25 Tampa @ Skatepark of Tampa.
7/26 Atlanta @ Boggs Social & Supply.
