Shinybass journal entry 07-24-12

If I had a nickel for every mile…

Today is Tuesday (I think). The schedule of the past 5 days hasn’t left us much room to breathe, but then again, that’s how I like it. Busy is good, and busy and enjoying life is even better. I had a rare day off today, and I spent it in a dark movie theater watching the new Batman movie. I couldn’t help but feel for those poor people in Colorado who were just going to try and enjoy a night at the movies, and of course we know how all that went. I don’t understand the thought process behind something like that, and can offer nothing but prayers for the victims and their famililes.

Last Thursday (I think) found us leaving Nashville at 6AM, which means I have to be out of my door a little after 5 to meet the bus. As I drove to bus call, I was exhausted, but I was also at a serene calm as I drove before the world woke up. I really like the early morning, and being sort of crazy like that, I really do get up early for no reason whatsoever on my days off. Lots of you are yelling at me through the computer screen right now, but I can’t sleep in. I just can’t. I feel guilty. God has given me a new day to get something done, and I just can’t spend it in bed. My exceptions to that are hangovers. Wait you heathen – you take advantage of God’s gift by sleeping off a hangover? Yep. I can be much more productive for God after a night of drinking if I have had a little extra sleep. And before y’all start casting stones, remember there was wine flowing in the Bible as well. I am not hiding behind the Bible here – the Lord and I are just fine, and he knows I drink. And honestly – my hangovers are few and far between.

But back to bus call. We arrive in Memphis to a sweltering 100-degree day, and after throwing the football around twice, I could wring out my clothes. My stage gear was dripping wet, and I had to peel it off. I read a tweet from a drummer friend who said he hates outdoor shows. Well, sir, you are spoiled. I will just say it. I love to sweat, so I guess I chose a good profession. After a show with Trent Tomlinson and Jarrod Niemann, the bus ambled back to Nashville somewhere around the 6AM hour, and in 18 hours we were due to leave town again, this time to Iowa.

My college roommates were from Davenport, and even then it seemed like another world away from Mississippi. It was Iowa. Look at the middle of nowhere on a map and the word was probably inside the border of the territory you were exploring. I have been to the quad cities before, but this was the first time I had any real time in Davenport proper. I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. Yep. Another 4-faced clock.

Our first discovery of the day was in the form of the Music Experience in the free museum in downtown Davenport. The museum is dedicated to performers who have been through town or impacted the area. The big ticket item that I was looking forward to was Jimi Hendrix’ wah-wah pedal. Yep, I am a nerd, and they satisfied my curiousity. And the hat was an added bonus.

After a walk through the downtown area, it was off to the venue, which was a stage set up just off the Mississippi river for the first annual Heartland Jam. The headliners were Big & Rich, a show I have seen too many times, so JDawg and I walked next door and caught the Davenport River Bandits, the St. Louis Cardinal A-affiliate, and we had a blast. The baseball was good, the ice cream even better, and the city has really done baseball right with a stadium that was just big enough, and whereas not as scenic as my beloved PNC park, a great place to catch a game.

The next morning found us in Milwaukee for Festa Italia, which is one of the 400 festivals that Milwaukee has each year. I guess I can let a little cat out of the bag. For the past 2 months, Phil and I have been working on a special project that involves cameras and locations around the country. That’s all I want to say for now, but the day before the show was spent shooting all over town, then we rocked some 15,000 people. I was a little sleepy the next morning as I crawled out of bed for another day of shooting. I learned a lot about Milwaukee, and we have some really neat things brewing with what we shot. I finally shut down the mechanism around 8:30, and got in a nice sweaty workout before I showered and went to bed.

So with some really good shows and memories behind us, we have more shows and memories to make in front of us. Tomorrow is a show just off Long Island, then it is off to Osh Kosh, where I have been told some incredible things await us upon our arrival. I don’t want to talk about it, just in case it doesn’t happen, but it is on my bucket list, extremely special and rare, and something I have wanted to do my whole life. We shall see…

In the meantime, I will leave you with the picture that was placed on Old Dominion (our opening band’s) dressing room in Milwaukee. I can neither confirm nor deny how this ended up on the door for all to see, but I can assure you that we are on a vigilant search for the at-large pranksters.