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!