Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Milwaukee, WI - DAY OFF!

We had our first day off yesterday. It was awesome! We got to Milwaukee
at about 4:30am. We stayed at Max's older brother's condo. It was
nice! We all slept in until about 2pm. The rest was much needed.

We just relaxed all day, watched a few movies, BBQ'd, and went to bed.
It was a great day :o)

Minneapolis, MN (Hubert H. Humphrey Stadium - WARPED TOUR)

We were in Minneapolis on Sunday. We drove all night to get there. The
day ended up being decent. It was a hot one!

The guys didn't play until 8:20pm. That's basically the last slot of
the night. There ended up being a decent crowd for them (~50). The
crowd was really into it! We did decent on cd and merchandise sales.

Chicago, IL (First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - WARPED TOUR)

Saturday's Warped date was in our home state of Illinois. This was the
Warped show that we were looking most forward to playing. The day ended
up being awesome!!

The guys played mid afternoon. They had a good crowd and the kids were
really into it! You could tell that the guys were really pumped on
stage. It was a lot of fun to watch!

The guys also did an acoustic set at the MySpace tent and they did a
signing at the Shirts For A Cure tent. Both events were a success! The
guys had good crowds for both things.

We killed on merchandise and cd sales. This was actually our best day
of merchandise sales to date! After the show, we drove overnight to
Minneapolis, MN.

*Thanks to all of our friends who came out and supported us! It means a
lot.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Detroit, MI (Comerica Park - WARPED TOUR)

We ended up getting to the Detroit Warped show around 3:30pm. (If you're
wondering why we were so late, refer to the previous blog.) We actually
got a really good parking spot on the street. We loaded equipment and
merchandise in as quickly as possible.

The guys played well and got their best crowd response yet (for this
tour). They had a good sized crowd (~300+). We did really well on
merch sales (especially considering the fact that we didn't get there
until 3;30pm). We packed up and headed to Chicago.

We got to Chicago early in the moring. We all got a couple (as in 2-3)
hours of sleep and then headed to the venue for the Chicgo Warped tour.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Scranton, PA (Montage Mountain Amphitheatre - WARPED TOUR)

Yesterday's show was in Scranton, PA (home of NBC's TV show, 'The
Office'). It ended up being pretty good! The major downside was that
the guys played at 8:15pm. This was the closing slot for their stage.
By this time of night, most kids have either gone home or they're
watching the final headliner of the night. As a result, the guys had a
small crowd.

They played on the Hurley.com stage. (They had been playing on the
Smartpunk stage for the first week of the festival.) We actually found
out yesterday that the guys have been upgraded to the Hurley.com stage
for the rest of their time on the tour! Pretty cool! We sold a lot of
cd's and talked to a lot of kids.

In the past four days, we've averaged around 100 cd's sold/day. This is
awesome! We're really excited that this tour finally shaping up!

After the show, we started our drive toward Detroit, MI (our next
stop). Well, at about 5 this morning, we pulled into a rest stop to go
to the bathroom. We heard a really loud noise coming from our front
right van wheel. It sounded like metal scraping on metal. We weren't
sure what to do. Well, a tour bus from the tour had happened to stop at
the same rest area. We flagged down the driver and had him check it out.
He said we'd be ok to drive it like 50mph the rest of the way to Detroit
(and then find a repair shop).

Well, we decided to try it on the highway. We made it about a mile and
the noise was still there. Next thing we know, we smell a really strong
scent coming from the van. We decided to pull over immediately.

We called AAA and had them tow us to a nearby repair shop. It turns out
that our front right hub on our van was loose. If we would have driven
20 more miles, our tire would have fallen off! The nose of the van
would have dived into the ground. Luckily, we were smart enough to stop
driving.

In addition, we had a broken leaf spring on our trailer. We didn't even
know about this, but the repair guy caught it. We're lucky he did,
because the trailer wheel could have fallen off if the other leaf
springs broke.

Anyways, we were really lucky to get all those repairs done before
things got worse! Well, about four hours and $500 later, we're finally
continuing our trip to Detroit. We should get there around 2pm. I
called Warped Tour and told them what was up. They hooked us up with a
7:05pm time slot so we could make it in time! Loading equipment through
the crowd is going to be chaos, but we'll get it done. I hope the
second half of this day is a lot better than the first half!

*Thanks a lot to the guys at Rich's Towing & Service, Inc. in Middleburg
Heights, OH! They worked really fast and cut us a good deal!

Columbia, MD (Merriweather Post Pavilion - WARPED TOUR)

This Warped Tour was pretty good! We played early in the day in the big
amphitheater. There were a lot of kids there when the guys played! Our
merch spot was at the top of the hill in the lawn seating. We were by
some bigger bands and we actually got a lot of foot traffic! We also
got our highly anticipated booty shorts in. They sold really well that
day. In addition, we sold a lot of cd's!

The layout of the show was terrible. We had to park our van (and haul
our equipment and merchandise) a good half mile away from where we
played. Not cool.

After the show, we went to Baltimore to meet up with our friend, Brian.
He produced the guys' album. We grabbed a drink at a bar called
'Friends.' After that, we went back to the studio where the guys
recorded 'Anhedonia.' We showered and slept there for about two hours.
Then we hit the road for our next stop in Scranton, PA.

Virginia Beach, VA (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - WARPED TOUR)

Virginia Beach was pretty cool. We got a decent merch spot and
everything. The guys played later in the afternoon. They had a good
crowd! They played well. After their set, they did a signing at the
Absolutepunk.net/Capitol Music tent. They had a small crowd of kids
come up to meet them and get posters signed. Overall, it was a good
day!

After the show, we drove to Towson, MD (right outside of Baltimore) and
stayed with our great friends, Julia and Jacqueline. We caught a few
hours of sleep and then headed off for the Columbia, MD Warped Tour.

Charlotte, NC (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - WARPED TOUR)

We had an 8 hour overnight drive from Orlando to Charlotte. It wasn't
fun, but we got it done.

This Warped stop ended up being our best one yet! We got the opening
time slot, and we thought it was going to be a bad thing. We were
wrong! There were a ton of kids there when the guys played. I think it
was partially due to the fact that they were the only band playing at
that time slot. That was fine with them though!

We hustled cd's all day long and it paid off. We sold 127 cd's!!!
Anways, it was a great day. I got to see my friend, Simpson, again too!
Overall, Charlotte was great to us.

Orlando, FL (Tinker Field - WARPED TOUR)

We played Orlando Warped Tour on Sunday. Before I get into that, let me
tell you a funny little story that happened last night....I was doing my
leg of the drive from Miami to Orlando. We stopped at a rest stop to go
to the bathroom. Only a few of the guys got out (the rest stayed
sleeping in the van). Well, we left the rest stop and got back into the
van. I drove another 45 minutes toward Orlando when I got a call from
an unknown phone number. It ended up being our drummer, Tim. WE
ACCIDENTALLY LEFT HIM AT THE REST STOP! He had gotten out to go to the
bathroom and no one knew. We all thought he was sleeping in the van the
whole time. Anyways, I turned around and went back to get Tim. We ended
up getting to the hotel at like 3am and had to leave by around
7:30am...

Anways, the Orlando Warped show ended up being pretty decent. The guys
had a good sized crowd and they played pretty well. There were a few
sound issues during the set.

We had a helper named Laima who helped us sell cd's all day. She did a
great job! We sold like 41 cd's that day, which was our best yet of the
tour. Overall, it was a good Warped show.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Miami, FL (Bayfrony Amphitheatre - WARPED TOUR)

Today's Warped Tour was in Miami, FL. I had never been to Miami. It
seemed like a cool place. The nightime scenery was sweet!

Anways, we got there a little early and set up our new merch tent. We
got situated and started promoting for the guys' performance. They had
been playing between 2:45-3pm the last few days, but they played at
7:45pm tonight. They were the last band to play on their stage.

I was told that the guys played well. (I held down the merch tent while
they played.) The crowd was small (~50), but they were really into
them!

We didn't do very well on merch sales today, but that happens every now
and then. We lowered the price of our CD's, so hopefully sales will
increase dramatically.

There was one point in the day when it rained really hard. Winds were
pretty strong. We all had to get in our tent and hold it down.

Overall, it was a decent Warped show. It was probably the most
populated warped show we've played yet! I hope Orlando is good to us
tomorrow.

St. Petersburg, FL (Vinoy Park - WARPED TOUR)

Yesterday's show was in St. Petersburg, FL. It's only about thirty
minutes from Tampa, which is my old stomping ground. Anways, I was
familiar with the place because I went there last year to watch Warped
Tour.

We stayed with our buddy Caleb the night before the show. We got to the
grounds right on time and staked out a merch spot. The day went pretty
smoothly. There was some heavy rain for a little bit, so that put a bit
of a damper on things. The guys played well and the crowd was into
them. They had a pretty decent sized crowd. It was especially fun
because most of my Tampa friends were there for the guys' set. They
were singing along and having a good time.

After the day ended, we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies. We
bought a new tent because our old one broke (in three days).

After Wal-Mart, we went to Caleb's apartment (again). We showered and
slept there until 2:30am. At that point, we got up and drove to
Miami....

Overall, St. Pete Warped Tour was pretty decent. I was glad to see a
lot of my Tampa friends! I hope we're back in Tampa soon!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Jacksonville, FL (Renyolds Beach Yacht Center - WARPED TOUR)

We drove through the night and got to Jacksonville right on time. It
took us about an hour to park. We finally parked and went to scout out a
merch spot. We thought we had a good spot, but we were wrong.

The day went fine. It was extremely hot. This venue was a lot
different from Atlanta. We were on grass and dirt here. By the end of
the day, we were all covered in sweat and dirt.

I didn't get to see the guys play yesterday, but they said it was a lot
better than the first day. They went back to their setlist from last
tour, and they said it was much more comfortable for them. Apparently
the crowd response was also better yesterday. I heard the crowd was
rather small.

We didn't do very well on merch sales yesterday. I don't really know
what the deal was. Hopefully that will shape up soon.

The guys did a signing with my friends' clothing company, Stereobear.
They only had a couple kids come up to the table. It's ok, though.
That's what happens when you're a new band.

After the show, we drove to Tampa and stayed with our buddy, Caleb. We
showered and got a solid five hours of sleep. We're now on our way to
the show in St. Petersburg, FL. Hopefully today goes well!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Atlanta, GA (HiFi Buys Amphitheatre - WARPED TOUR)

Today was our first day on Warped Tour. None of us had ever played the
festival before. We were warned that it's a lot of hard work and can be
very tiring, but also very rewarding.

We got to the amphitheatre around 7am. We went to the production office
and got our pictures taken. I was given a lot of information in a
little amount of time, and I was on my way. We picked up some cd's and
merchandise that was shipped to the venue. After that, we searched
around for twenty minutes looking for the guy in charge of
merchandising. We finially found him, and he told us where to put our
tent.

We went to the van and started unloading everything. Some of the guys
loaded their equipment to the Smartpunk stage (where we were playing
later in the day), while others helped me gather our merchandise and
claim our spot for the day.

We went to set up our tent, and a few metal bars already broke.....not a
good sign! Haha. Anyways, we got the tent and merchandise display all
set up. After that, we wrote the time we were playing on about 1,000
cards. We then dispursed these to the crowd of kids waiting in line to
get in the gates.

The guys made picket signs (advertising the time they were playing) and
also walked around with discmans and headphones, attempting to get kids
to buy their cd.

They ended up playing at 3pm today. (The time they play changes every
day --- and we don't find out what time they play until each morning on
the day of.) There were probably about 50 kids standing by the stage
and another 750 people sitting in the amphitheater seats.....so it was a
pretty big crowd!

The guys didn't play that well. I think it was a mix of multiple
factors. Anyways, things should be all good with their set tomorrow.

Overall, it was a pretty decent first day on the tour. We didn't sell
near as much merchandise as we had planned. CD sales were also much
lower than expected. Hopefully that will all shape up in the real
quick! We're on the tour until August 3rd, so we've got some time to
work out the kinks.

We're now driving to Jacksonville, FL for tomorrow's show. I'm hoping
to get 3-4 hours of sleep at some point....

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Springfield, IL (Breadstretchers)

The guys were supposed to play a big show at Capital City Bar and Grill
on Saturday night. It was the Junior Varsity's CD release show. There
would have been 400+ people there. Unfortunately, some angry mother
called the fire marshall and complained about the venue filling over
capacity and underage drinking. As a result, the fire marshall made some
harsh demands, and they couldn't be met. The show was cancelled 24 hours
before it was supposed to happen.

We were really bummed about the show being cancelled, so we tried to
book our own show. We lucked out and booked one at Breadstretchers.
This venue was our old stomping ground. Everyone's old bands (J.A.C.K.
and Best Of Winter) used to play there all the time.

Anyways, we booked the show 24 hours in advance. It ended up being
really good! We packed the place as much as we could. It's probably
about a 100 capacity venue, and we fit like 144 people through the
door. There were also like 30-40 people standing outside, watching
through the glass.

The crowd was way into it! The guys played a long set again. It went
over really well. We did well in merch. It was an especially nice show
because we were running it. It was really relaxed. Overall, it was an
awesome show!

P.s. I don't think I ever mentioned that WE WON the MTVu 'Freshmen'
contest! Hopefully the video for 'Sit & Sink' goes into rotation ont
MTVu soon :o)

Quincy, IL (Turner Hall)

The guys played a show last Friday at Turner Hall. The show was in
Corey and Jared's hometown of Quincy, IL. It ended up being really
good!

The guys played like twelve or thirteen songs, which is the longest set
they've ever played. There was a good crowd (~250). The sound was
pretty good. People went nuts for the guys. I would have to say that
kids went the most crazy when they did an encore and played
'Justified'. Overall, it was a great night!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Rochester, IL (Sparks In the Park)

Last night, the guys played in my hometown of Rochester, IL (population: 3,000). The show was part of the town's 4th of July celebration, 'Sparks In the Park.' The guys played a little bit later than expected (sound to a while to set up). Anyways, there was a decent crowd (150-200). The guys played well and the kids were way into it. They were chanting along to a lot of the songs. We did well in merch sales! The major downfall of the set was the sound (the sound guy kept trying to tweak levels when they didn't need to be tweaked). Regardless, the guys still had fun and the crowd enjoyed the set.

I announced the guys before they played. Kind of cheesy, but I was excited to finally show them off to my hometown. I'm glad that people (from my hometown) got to see what I'm doing with my life! Overall, it was a good night!

Milwaukee, WI (SUMMERFEST)

We played a show in Milwaukee this past Thursday. It was a big festival called "Summerfest." It's actually ten days long and has a lot of big name acts. Apparently it's the largest summer festival in the world! This was the first day of the festival.

We were on the US Cellular stage (which is a real legit one). We were slotted to play at 7:15pm...right before Say Anything and Jack's Mannequin (they're both pretty big). Well, Say Anything dropped off a few days ago, so we got bumped up to their spot. This put us right before Jack's Mannequin. Perfect!

The show ended up being amazing! This was the biggest crowd the guys have ever played for. There were around 3,000 people watching them! The guys played well, the sound and lights were great, and the crowd was way into them! We did pretty well on merch sales.

There was a contest going on that day called the US Cellular "Emerging Artist" contest. The crowd voted (by text messaging) on their favorite band to take the US Cellular stage that day (I believe there were 8 bands on the stage that day). Anyways, we weren't really too aware of the contest...

Well, next thing we know, after the guys are done with their set and chilling in their dressing room, Andrew McMahon (singer of Jack's Mannequin) comes in and tells us that we won the contest! We were stoked! The guys won a guitar, two really nice microphones, a cell phone, and a drum cymbal! In addition, that should ensure us a good slot on the festival next year. This night couldn't get any better!

We didn't get out of Milwaukee until about 1:30am. We drove all the way home (and got there around 8am). Overall, it was a great time. I can't wait to go back next year!