It hasn't killed me yet, but give it time...

Greetings from Charlotte, NC. Once again, I haven't written in my online man-journal in a while. Combine terrible internet reception, laziness, and long nights of hanging out mixed with a little bit of party-animaling, and you'll find an excuse why.

This month, I'm glad to say that I'm on the road once again with The Bronx. We're direct support for Every Time I Die on the aptly named November Reign tour. We started off, yet again, in Canada. This time it wasn't too terrible. We were only there for 5 days and hit mostly major cities.

The tour is great. I have no complaints. It's just friends hanging out for a month, traveling together. You really can't beat that.

We're also joined by a young band of stand-up characters, Stick To Your Guns. They give me hope for the generations coming up after me. They're so respectful, kind, fun, and outgoing. They're a far cry from most kids in the 19-21 age bracket, but I'm definitely not going to complain. They deserve every bit of success that comes their way.

On a side note, I have to express how much of an exciting night it was on November 4th. We sat in the venue in Toronto, anxiously awaiting the results of one of the most hyped elections of all time. A small group of Americans and a sold-out Opera House full of Canadians enjoyed a great show and celebrated - ultimately - the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

I'm not going to lie - I thought there was a chance he would lose. I thought for sure that the election would once again have some kind of fault and maybe even be rigged. But this time, people actually did something. They stood up for what they believed in. They chose a person based on the ideas he represented, and because those ideas give us hope for a better tomorrow. Maybe he won't accomplish any of his goals. Maybe the mess he is stepping in to is too much to make a significant dent in. But thats beyond the point. We'll see a president in office who stands for everything we can hope and dream for. For the first time in a very, very long time, I can say that I'm proud to be American, and the rest of the world is cheering for us.

Cut to the next scene, back to the world of the rock and roll touring machine: This tour is sadly almost over. But I can honestly say that it will be amongst my favorites. We had the fastest load-out known to man so that we could watch the Lesnar/Couture fight. We hung all night in Memphis and watched Matt and Keith do karaoke. We spent 9 hours in Buffalo Wild Wings for Zack's birthday. I finally got my "Beat It!" tattoo from Oliver. And we got to hear the final mastered copy of the El Bronx album. Truly amazing.

So where does this leave me post-November? Home in New Jersey for almost 2 months. But that's not before I fly to Los Angeles for a few days for The Bronx record release show. I'll also try to visit a few choice destinations, work a bit somewhere to get some extra cash, and prep for the long year of touring ahead.

2009. The year of the road warrior.

The Bronx will cover some ground around the world next year, and I'm proud to say that I'll be working hard for them. If you haven't yet, pick up their new record. And keep your eyes peeled for the mariachi record next year.

Corky room - out!

Every picture tells a story...

Greetings from Montreal.

It's one of our many days off, so I figured I would write in this thing briefly. We've spent the past 2 days in Montreal. The first day was fun. Bryan, Jorma, Matt and I went to Foufs and met up with Michelle and Amy. Those girls are a blast. We laughed alot, had some beers, and enjoyed late-night pizza and poutine.

Last night we played Metropolis. It was a weird show. We didn't do well in merch, and the girl working for the venue was an annoying piece of gutter trash. I almost flipped out on her when she insulted me at the end of the night. I like Montreal, but some of the people here really know how to push your buttons.

Tonight we'll be going back out with the twins. I'm excited to see more of this city and have a good night out.

But on to the real reason for this update. I took some candid photos of the band sound checking in Toronto and figured I would share them. Not the most spectacular photos, but it's something different than my usual rambling. So now, for your visual enjoyment:

Still I look to find a reason to believe...

It's been a little while, hasn't it?

I'm on the road again. I'm very thankful to be here as well. If I had to sit in New Jersey for another 2 months I may have lost my mind.

I'm currently working for The Bronx. We're doing a full Canadian tour with Bad Religion. I have to say that these dudes are a great bunch. We get along smashingly, and they appreciate my hard work and dedication. Oh, and they truly know how to party. Everyone on this tour rules hard.

However, Canada is kind of a bum-out. We've had merch stolen 2 nights in a row. The people are seriously mentally deficient. The food doesn't taste right. There's rarely something fun to do. And did I forget to mention that the people suck? Because they do. I don't know what I hate more - the south, or Canada.

After Canada, I'll be doing some more touring with The Bronx (a week in October, and all of November with ETID). It's nice to have job security. I've been told that I'll be busy for a long time. That really makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I'm excited to share many more adventures with this band.

And even though I feel like I'm doing something right, I still can't help but wonder what I'm doing with my life. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. And I love touring. But it does get a bit lonely. I wonder when I'm going to settle down and stop wandering. I wonder when I'll be able to pay my student loans. I wonder when I'll meet someone to grow old with and make a few little me's and her's. I'll tell you one thing that I've learned in the last few months: life throws curve balls with ferocious heat, non-stop. Some good, some bad - but all there, all the time.

I've been listening to the new Kings Of Leon record on repeat lately. It's pretty amazing. Usually I don't feel the need to ramble like this, but that album has really spoken to me since I've been on the road with this tour. Pick it up. It might reel you in.

I'd also like to address a somewhat serious but not serious matter that has bugged me just a tad bit. I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the plane crash involving Travis Barker. Before I rant briefly, let me preface it by saying that I don't like any of his current music, did not enjoy and was majorly bummed out and annoyed by his reality TV show. I've never met the man or even been in the same room as him. However, I think it is absolutely rude and terrible that people who I know and call friends think that it might be funny to post bulletins on the internet wishing bad things upon him while being in the hospital, or just saying things that are plain disrespectful. The man is laying in a hospital bed in critical condition. Critical = not good. He is a father. He is someone's son. He is a fellow musician. I know we all have childish humor, and I am guilty of it sometimes as well. But seriously. Let's be adults for once. Let's try to grow up.

On a completely different note, I still think I'll be moving to California in January. My future roommate will be apartment hunting while I wander the Earth like Kane from Kung Fu (except I make money while doing it). Hopefully she finds something sweet. I'm excited to surf and eat breakfast burritos while I'm not touring. If this doesn't pan out, then maybe I'll just move to Beverly, MA. Who knows.

I'll stop rambling. I need to start prepping for the post show turd-rush at the merch table.

We have an 18 hour drive to Toronto tonight. Plenty more time to ponder useless nonsense and over-analyze my life.



I'm too young to feel this old.

End Transmission.

Warped Tour is officially over. It was similar to the end of summer camp. You say goodbye, but you know you'll cross paths with many of the friends you've made again. You promise to keep in touch, and exchange your respective lists of contact information.

Yesterday, I stepped back in to the real world. Jess and I went to Disneyland. We got park passports so that we can go whenever we want in the next year. I'm excited to go there around Halloween and Christmas.

Afterwards, we hit up all-you-can-eat sushi with Lisp, Shug, and a few others from the SA camp. Parker is hilarious. The food was delicious. We had a great time. I know I'll be seeing Lisp soon, but it was definitely sad to say goodbye to him for now.

Tonight we are heading out to Newport with Biggie, Brad, and some others. More extended tour goodbyes. Then on to karaoke with some of Jess' friends.

I'm nervous for the fall. I don't have a tour lined up. I feel like I've failed and didn't accomplish my summer goals. I'm not quite sure where to go from here, but I'm making as many moves as possible. I can only hope that keeping constant contact with business relations will lead to employment soon.

I'm taking deep breaths, and living life one day at a time. This week in California is important, as well as relaxing.

California dreamin'.

Over and out.

I'll be doing my best, and I'll see you soon.

In 2 weeks, tour will be over. No more punk-rock summer camp. No more bag showers. No more BBQ's. No more 7am wake-ups, scrambling for a tent spot. No more nipple-flicks from Lisp. No more watching fights on the ETID bus.

I will spend a week in California, and then fly home. I have no idea who I will be touring with in the fall. But I do know that I need to find something quick. Possible job leads are all on hold, as no one really knows what their fall plans are. Scary.

It's funny how at the beginning of tour, you just want it to end, and by the end of tour, you don't want to go home. We're all along for the same ride, and no one wants to get off.

I've seen many places and met many people. I've made some great friends. It will be sad to leave them. If we could ditch the bad aspects of the day and just keep the good, I would wish that this tour would never end. But alas, all good things must come to pass.

Where do we go from here? I do not yet know.

What have I learned? Many life lessons.

The world is still the same. There's just a lot less in it.

The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool.

In the summer of 1995 - at the age of 12 - I attended my first Warped Tour in Philadelphia. I watched bands like Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, and Blink 182. I bought my first band t-shirt from the Pennywise stand. It was the first of countless concerts I would attend.

13 years later, I am working on the Warped Tour. I am a few days shy of turning 25 years old. I'm working for The Color Fred. Bands like Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, and Angels & Airwaves are playing on the tour. If you asked me 5 years ago what I'd be doing with my life at the age of 25, I would not have said this. It is quite strange how life unfolds, and the paths you take along the way.

I've come to meet some unbelievably amazing people in my profession. I am very lucky be able to say this. This tour is filled with old friends, and I am making new ones every day. It's great to be out with The Color Fred. They are some of the sweetest dudes in the world. And once again, I am able to be out with the A&A crew, Ping, and Ben. They really do treat you like family. It's extremely comforting.

My days are filled with sweat and heat and merchandise peddling. I can't say it is a bad gig, because quite frankly it's not. I wake up early, load in, and sit and sell all day. My nights are filled with mingling, barbecue, and welcomed late-night phone conversation with someone who I've become quite fond of. It's strange because this is something that I didn't see coming. It's funny how things like this happen. It's funny how a crush leads to a few sweet kisses, and how that can make 2 months seem just a bit longer. It does, however, give me something to look forward to.

Big things are on the horizon. Hopefully, some music will be written and recorded post-tour. This fall could be quite ridiculous. I will be moving to California by the end of the year, if not sooner. My world is changing, and I don't particularly mind it.

I'm picking up good vibrations.

Viva Las Vegas

Last week, I went to Las Vegas for one of my best friend's wedding. It was all I could have hoped for in a vacation with friends and more. The weather was perfect the whole time we were there. We stayed at the MGM Grand, and truly lived it up the whole time we were there. We ate great food, lounged by the pool, explored the strip, shopped for obnoxious t-shirts, and on the last night were partying like we were in a rap video. It was ridiculous. I loved every minute of it.

The wedding itself was a beautiful sight. They kept it short and to the point, but it was by far the best service I have ever witnessed. They didn't talk about religion or read any passages, or drag it out and make it boring. They just talked about marriage, and JC and Jackie, and the adventure they were about to embark on. As corny as it may have been, I left the chapel a tad bit emotional, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me want to get married.

As with any vacation, no one wanted to leave. But all good things must come to an end, or so they say. We all returned safely to the fine state of New Jersey (or Pennsylvania for our non-armpit-of-the-country residents). One week later, we all dressed to impress and attended the reception dinner in Philadelphia. It was great to see so many friends in one place, celebrating the wedding of someone we all love dearly. It's moments like those when you wish you could freeze time, so that no one had to go separate ways and grow up. For it is an undeniable truth that growing up leads to change.

And alas, I woke up this morning to the phone call confirming that in a few days, there will be a big change. I will once again embark on 2 months of touring. We leave at the end of the week. A part of me is very excited, and nervous, and sad to leave. It's very odd to start a new chapter of your life - a new career. It's very odd to be displaced from the things and the people and the places that you have grown to be so familiar with. I can't say that I don't love the traveling, and being surrounded by and working with great people. There are so many people that I am looking forward to seeing again and spending the summer with. But there are also many things and people that I will miss back home, and not filling my summer with them seems so foreign to me. The grilling, the late nights, the beach, the diner, the city(ies). I mean, tour will be great. The people will be great. But there really is no place like home.

It's funny how growing up, you just want to get away. And when you're older, you're torn between staying and leaving. What comes next?

Wake me up when we get there.

If I Had My Own World, I'd Build You An Empire...

And...tour is over. Or, ending. We are finishing the trek home. I have done a poor job keeping this updated. So now comes the short-hand long-winded recap of the tail end of this tour.

Driving from Colorado through Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon was beautiful. The mountains are breathtaking, and they make you feel smaller than you've ever felt in your life. Lots of thinking on those long drives. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes it makes your brain feel like you're going to explode. I've decided to make some changes for the immediate future. Big things happening. Stay tuned for more.

Portland was amazing. We had a whole day off there. I hopped on the train at night and went exploring downtown. What a clean, beautiful city. It seems like a city of young people. The adults even seemed young - like a bunch of Henry Rollins' walking around. I met Lindsay's friends, and they were great. Trip is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. They came to the show the next day and took me to get coffee at some crazy well-respected coffee shop. I didn't realize how huge coffee culture is out there. It's insane.

After the Pacific Northwest, we moved onward to California. Ahhh, California. It was everything I had expected and more. Magnificent. The Redwoods, the sweeping coasts, the mountains, the Golden Gate Bridge. New goal: save money in 2008 so that I can move to Cali in 2009.

The last few shows were extremely fun. More bonding, hanging, and semi-partying. Chris came back for a few shows. A good time was had by all. I will miss California, all of its sights and sounds and smells, and the people who I have befriended on this tour. Luckily, it won't be the last time I see many of them. This summer will be a blast.

The trek home has seemed to take forever. Hanging with The Color Fred has been awesome as usual. Solid dudes. I can't wait to get home and see everyone. BBQ's at Pat's. The Diner. Parties in NY. It will be a good 2 months. Time to decompress.

See you soon.

I Don't Know Which Way I'm Going, I Don't Know What I've Become...

I will be 25 years old in a few short months. 25. What have I accomplished? What am I doing with my life? Where will I end up? Scary.

I have a college degree. I have $110,000 debt due to student loans. I have a job that I love and that pays me to travel. I don't know how well it will pay me. I don't know where I will live after this tour. I've been single for well over 3 years. I'd like to get married and have a family some day, but I don't understand how I will meet someone while doing this job. Nor do I see myself meeting someone back home. And I didn't meet anyone while living in New York for 3 years. I want to make music, but I fear that while my friends also want to, that I may not come home to written songs or motivation. I have more gray hairs coming in. I feel significantly older. I look significantly older. I'm out of shape, and not close to being in as good of shape as I was 2 summers ago.

Why do we put such a concern on what we're doing by a certain age in our lives? Why does our culture revolve around the crowning achievements that people make at age X or Y?

What am I doing with my life?


This was pointless.

Welcome To The Good Life...

This post is a few days late. Well, close to a week. I'll keep it to a short re-cap of the party and the last few days.

We partied in Canada. It was awesome. Everyone raged. We rolled deep. It was a great time. I love learning more and more about the people that surround me every day.

The last few days were good. Ohio is a worthless state. Learn how to plow your roads. Use your tax dollars.

The only good thing about Ohio is Andrew's house. (Well, and the random girl I kissed...what?) The movie theater in the basement was nothing short of killer. I caught bits and pieces of Michael Clayton while doing laundry. I ripped it to my computer and will watch it later. More comments to follow at a later date.

Joe left. That was sad. But I'm thankful for the experience of working with him and he taught me alot. I'll definitely go out of my way to keep in touch with him and maintain a friendship there. Rad dude. He'll be missed.

Joe's replacement, Ron, also rules hard. Solid dude. I'm very stoked to be finishing out the tour with him. He is yet another person who's experience I can learn greatly from. And it will be fun to hang with him.

Ok. It's 4:08 AM and I need rest. Van call at 9:30. The next post will deal with more serious matters. Read if you dare.

Stay classy.

If this is only a test, I hope that I'm passing...

Today we had a show in Montreal. We crossed a bridge to enter the city. I believe we drove across Lake Champlain. It was beautiful. The water was half frozen with chunks of ice floating through it. The sun gleamed off of the water, and the city stood above the coast just ahead of us. It was a breathtaking sight. It was a pleasant break in mood.

Montreal seems interesting. I would like to explore it more if given the time and opportunity. I got to eat Vietnamese food for dinner. It was delicious.

I think everyone is partying at the bar next door after the show. That could be a post in and of itself.

On a worse note, we talked about some virtual world called Second Life the other day. It angered me. A lot. Apparently it is a virtual world that operates on real currency. People sit on their computers all day and run fake virtual businesses and make real money. They do fake things on the internet and go to virtual replications of places, instead of leaving their house and seeing the real world. Excuse my vernacular when I say FUCK THAT. Anyone who takes part in that is a moron and deserves to get beat the fuck up. You are stupid. I could go on and on about this, but then I would ruin my night. I'm already in a weird mood as it its.

Also, women are terrible. 3 and a half years and my hope is still lost somewhere at sea. I'm glad that men older than me like Joe and Chris feel the same. Let's get off these terrible topics.

Re-cap of things we've learned/re-learned/acknowledged today:

- I've made awesome friends on this tour.
- I will miss Joe when he leaves after Chicago.
- Montreal is pretty.
- Tom DeLonge is hilarious.
- I need to make music again.
- Women are awful.
- Second Life must be destroyed.

Onward towards the party. Hopefully it will give me something fun to write about.

Keep it sleezy.

It's all happening...

So this is where it begins. Laying in a hotel bed in Plattsburgh, NY. Tomorrow we cross the border and drive to Montreal. We are 3 weeks into tour, and it feels like it's just beginning. We still have a month of touring left. I'm still excited every morning when I wake up.

Let me back up and re-cap the events until this point: Fly to LA, Prep, Drive to Arizona, 4 shows in Texas, Eat Texas BBQ for free, make an obnoxiously long haul to Ft. Lauderdale, 2 shows in Florida, Hang in Charlotte and meet Will's friends, Shows in the Northeast, Onwards towards Canada. That about brings us up to date.

Everyone in every band is amazing. I thoroughly enjoy the company of the friends that I share a van with every day. It's a great feeling to pull up to the venue and get hugs and high-5's from the same people you see every day, and for everyone to be excited to see each other. This next month will provide us with some serious hangs. I am stoked.

Changes: I've cut my hair and trimmed my beard. No more mountain man. I was sad to see it all go, but it was time for a change.

Ok, it's time to sign off. Early wake-up tomorrow. I need to make these posts more interesting.

Goodnight USA. Good Morning Canada.

My cold, cold sailor heart says get on your way...

In an attempt to document my first tour, clear my head, and stay sane on the road, I've finally decided to start this blog. It was a long internal debate. At first I thought the idea of a tour blog would be interesting. Then I thought, "Who gives a shit about what I have to say while I'm on tour, or in general about anything?" And then I said, 1-2-3-fuck it.

So, for those of you who care to read, I will try to update this as much as possible, and I apologize in advance for any nonsensical ramblings on the topics of life and what it all means. Hopefully we won't get in to that. I can't guarantee anything prolific, or anything close to "hip" for that matter. This may be more for me than for you. But hey, it's the internet. Do what you will.

I'll make my first official post in the next few days and update on the shenanigans of road-life. It truly is a wonderful thing. Until then...don't front.