Pittsburgh, PA (Diesel)

Last night's show was at Diesel in Pittsburgh, PA. We played this venue one other time about a year ago with Punchline. Pittsburgh is their hometown, so that show was great! This show was great as well. There were almost 400 people and everything went smoothly.

This venue is really nice. It's basically a dance club that brings bands in for shows. The lights are the highlight of this place. There are all sorts of crazy designs and things you can have projecting on the wall behind the band. I ran the lights during our guys' set, and it was a good time. I was even changing the lights at the bar. Ha. Good times.

After the show, we all went to our buddy Dustin's house. (Dustin is the bassist from My American Heart....we're on tour with them right now). There was a crazy amount of food and drinks there for everyone. All three bands on the tour came to hang out. We stayed for a couple hours and then made our way to our hotel outside of town.

We woke up this morning and drove to Lancaster, PA for tonight's show.

That's where I'm at right now. The show has been good so far. I'll fill you in with details once it's over...

Columbus, OH (The Basement)

Monday's show was at the Basement in Columbus, OH. Ahhh we love Columbus. The guys always seem to get a solid crowd response there. This show was no exception. There was no local on the bill, so our guys got a good sound check. This is a rare thing for them. The show was really good. It was sold out (300 people) and everything.

After the show, we went to Matt's cousin's house. He made us some amazing chicken wings and mashed potatoes. I love good hospitality! We stayed there for the night. The next morning we woke up and drove to our show in Pittsburgh.

We always have a great time in Columbus. I look forward to coming back.

Grand Rapids, MI (The Intersection)

Last night's show was legit! It was the biggest show of the tour (so far). 660 people rolled through the door. This was our first time playing in Grand Rapids, and it was great!

We're playing a headlining show in the front room of the venue in about 10 days. I hope some kids from this show come back to see us again!

Grand Rapids seems like a sweet place. I'm stoked to go back soon...

DAY OFF (Rockford, IL)

We had yesterday off, so we spent the day in Rockford. We all stayed at my friend's house. It was a great day. We all got to catch up on some sleep. Everyone did laundry too. We're all happy about that!

We went over to another one of my friend's place for a cookout that evening. It was awesome. We ate some great food and had a lot of fun. I'm glad that the band finally got to hang out with my crew of college friends.

*Thanks to all my ISU crew for such a great weekend! We had a blast and really appreciate the hospitality.

I'm now at our show in Grand Rapids, MI. Tonight should be another good one! We're playing this venue again (smaller room) in like two weeks. Hopefully we can hook some kids in tonight and get them back here for our upcoming show!

Rockford, IL (Forest Hills Lodge)

Friday's show was at Forest Hills Lodge in Rockford, IL. We'd never played Rockford before. Man, this show was good! About 450 people were there. The set went over well and everyone had a good time.

A whole crew of my college friends (some of them live in Rockford) came out to the show. It was the first time that a few of them had seen the band play live. I'm glad that they finally got to see them perform.

After the show, some of the guys went to a dance party on Mayday's RV. I went back to my friend's house and hung out with my old crew from college. It was a good night!

La Crosse, WI (The Warehouse)

Last night's show was at The Warehouse in La Crosse, WI. The venue was like 400 capacity, but it was on the third floor of a building. As a result, the fire code only allowed 200 people in the room. The show sold out.

The sound was pretty good. The guys sounded really good too. It was an early show, which was nice. After the show, we just went back to the hotel and hung out.

We're playing this same venue again on 5/9 (on of our headlining shows). I hope some people from last night's show come back to see the guys play their longer set!

Tonight we're in Rockford, IL. The show should be really good! All of my college roommates are coming out to see the guys, so that'll be cool. I'm looking forward to a good night.

Tinley Park, IL (Mojoe's)

Wednesday's show was in Tinley Park (Chicago suburb). We've played Chicago a lot, but never Tinley Park. The show was sold out (450 people).

The show was kind of weird. The guys played well, but the crowd was kind of stale. Some buddies of ours came out to the show. It was good to see them. After the show, we stayed with a friend in Chicago.

Des Moines, IA (House Of Bricks)

The House of Bricks is always a fun venue to play. We've probably played there a good four or five times in the last year. Last night's show there was the biggest show we've ever played at that venue. The show sold out at about 300 people.

As always, I had the restaurant's amazing potato skins for dinner (not sure where those fit into my 'healthy diet' I'm trying to maintain..ha). After the show, all the bands hung out. It was Josh's birthday (Mayday Parade's TM). A bunch of the guys went bowling. Max and I hung out on Mayday's RV with their merch guy, T$.

After that, we drove about three hours to Davenport, IA. We're now on our way to Chicago to do an interview with Fearless Radio (internet radio). After the interview, we'll be going to Tinley Park (Chicago suburb) for tonight's show. It should be a good day!

DAY OFF (Drive Day - OK to IA)

Today was an off day. We drove from Tulsa, OK to Des Moines, IA (where tomorrow's show is). We ate lunch at Panera (second time in two days). It was amazing as always. The drive wasn't too bad. I got a lot of business stuff done.

We're now hanging out at our hotel in Des Moines. It's nice to check into a hotel before 1am! I have a feeling I'm going to get some good sleep tonight.

Tomorrow's show is at the House of Bricks in Des Moines. We've played this venue a good three or four times. I like it a lot. I think the show tomorrow is going to be really good!

Tulsa, OK (Crush Lounge)

Last night's show was at the Crush Lounge in Tulsa, OK. This was our first time in Tulsa. The show was ok. There was a solid amount of people there, but the facility was pretty small. In addition, the soud was pretty shotty.

The guys still went over pretty well with the crowd. After the show, we went to our hotel in Tulsa. We're going to be back at the same venue at the end of this nine week run. Hopefully some people come back to see us!

Oklahoma City, OK (Bricktown Ballroom)

Last night's show was at the Bricktown Ballroom in Oklahoma City. The show was awesome! It was sold out (435 people), and they had to turn away almost 100 more people at the door.

The guys played pretty well, but they had some technical difficulties. Jared's bass kept cutting out. We think he was plugged into a shotty power strip (that the venue provided). We had never played OKC before, but the crowd was really into it. In fact, the guys even played "Justified" because the whole front row was asking for it.

We did our best night yet in merch, which was awesome. After the show, Mayday Parade threw a pizza party for the tour. They ordered a bunch of pizzas, and we all hung out on their RV and grubbed down. It was a good time!

After that, we went back to our hotel and went to bed. Tonight's show is in Tulsa, OK. We've never played there, so we'll see how it goes!

DAY OFF (Oklahoma City, OK)

Friday was a day off for us. We drove from northern TX to Oklahoma City and got a hotel. We relaxed most of the afternoon. It was Tim's birthday, so we all went out to dinner at TGI Friday's. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Overall, it was a nice off day.

Lewisville, TX (Fat Daddy's Sound Shack)

Last night we were in Lewisville, TX (northern suburb of Dallas). This town wasn't far from Dallas, but it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere! The venue was a really big and a little run down. (It was BYOB if that gives you any idea! Haha.) The show was decent. A good buddy of ours from back home just moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, so he came and hung out. It was good to see him

After the show, we hung out with the Mayday Parade guys for a while. They're on an RV on this tour, so we all chilled on their RV. Tim (our drummer) turned 24 at midnight. We all celebrated a bit. We eventually drove about fifteen miles north and got a hotel in Denton, TX. Today was a day off. We drove from Denton, TX to Oklahoma City, OK.

We're now hanging out in our hotel in OK City. We'll probably go to dinner and go out for a bit tonight for Tim's birthday. The show tomorrow is in town.

Well today is going to be a pretty relaxing off day. I'm pretty stoked about that. In fact, I think I'm going to head out to go for a run!

Houston, TX (The Warehouse Live - Side Room)

We hit Houston for our second time ever last night. The show was at a venue called The Warehouse Live. The place was nice! Last time we were in Houston, we played at the Java Jazz Cafe. It's safe to say that The Warehouse is way more legit.

The show was great! Lots of people and a great crowd response. All the bands sounded great.

After the show, we went to stay with a new friend. We're at their house right now. Everyone is getting all showered up and then we're heading off for tonight's show in Lewisville, TX (outside of Dallas).

Houston was great to us. I really hope we play here again sometime soon!

New Orleans, LA (House Of Blues - Parish Room)

Day 2 in New Orleans was a good one. We slept in, grabbed some lunch and went to the venue. The show was at the Parish Room at the House of Blues. Man, I love when we play at House of Blues venues! They're always so legit. They really take care of you when you're there.

There were only three bands on tonight's bill, which was awesome. The guys played first and they sounded great. The sound at House of Blues venues is always top notch. The crowd wasn't super responsive, but we did real well on merch. They must've liked it! We ate dinner at the HOB restaurant, and it was awesome.

After the show, we made our way to the hotel right down the street. We're now just hanging out, laying low for the evening. Last night was crazy enough for us. Tonight is going to be a relaxed night. Tomorrow's show is in Houston, TX.

Once again, New Orleans was good to us. I really like this city. I hope we come back here soon!

New Orleans, LA (DAY OFF)

Yesterday was our day off in New Orleans. We rolled into town around 4pm and got our hotel. After relaxing there for a while, we hit up the Harrah's casino for a little bit. I'm not much of a gambler, so I did $10 on slots. That was gone in approximately 5 minutes. None of the guys in the band gambled much.

After that, we headed over to Bourbon St. We first hit up a place called the Tropical Isle. They have these drinks called Hand Grenades. They're too good. Haha.

The other bands on the tour eventually met up with us and hung out for a while. We hit up a few different clubs and watched some bands play. It was a good time!

A buddy of ours (who is now in a band from NY) from our hometown happened to be in New Orleans last night. We went out to his van and woke him up. He came out and hung out with everyone for a while. It was great seeing him.

The night ended when the band decided to play a mean trick on me. Some of them decided to go back to the casino while a few of us stayed on Bourbon St. Well, the guys at the casino called me and told me that one of our guys got kicked out of the casino and was arrested. I obviously believed it and headed back to the hotel to gather up bail money. When I got back, our guy who was 'in prison' actually jumped out of our hotel bathroom. The whole thing was a hoax. I laughed it off and went to bed.

Our show tonight is here in New Orleans at the House Of Blues (Parish Room). It should be great! HOB shows are always fun.

Pensacola, FL (The Red Door)

The tour was in Pensacola, FL yesterday. We played at a newer venue called "The Red Door." The show was pretty good! The sound at the venue was no good, but the guys did their best to deal with it.

One highlight of the evening was that middleweight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. was at the show. The opening band was on his record label, so he was there for them. We ended up befriending the band and we went to Roy Jones Jr.'s studio after the show. It was awesome! The mixer board HUGE. I've never seen a board that big. We hung out with those guys for a while and then got a hotel.

We stayed up pretty late at the hotel. Today's an off day. We're on our way to New Orleans (where we're playing tomorrow). The next two days should be fun!

Augusta, GA (Club Hollywood)

Last night's show was at Club Hollywood in Augusta, GA. I think it's pretty funny that there's anything with the name 'Hollywood' in Augusta, GA. The show was actually legit though! The guys played well and the crowd was really responsive.

It was kind of crazy because The Masters golf tournament was going on in Augusta yesterday. Luckily, we avoided all that traffic.

There were guys selling hot dogs for $1 behind the venue, so we all hit that up. Man, they were good!

After the show, we drove four hours and got a hotel right after we crossed into Alabama.

We're about to leave the hotel now. I woke up early and ran four miles this morning. I'm feeling great! Tonight's show is in Pensacola, FL. It should be another good one!

Tallahassee, FL (The Beta Bar)

Friday's show was at The Beta Bar in Tallahassee, FL. This is Mayday Parade's hometown. The show was huge! There were about 550 people there! Matt's top keyboard was acting up, so the guys had to improvise a bit during their set. We had never played in Tallahassee (or Gainesville for that matter). It's always nice playing in new cities.

After the show, we drove a few hours and got a hotel in Georgia. It was another good day..

Gainesville, FL (Common Grounds)

So I'm already running a few days behind here...whoops! The Mayday Parade/My American Heart/The Graduate tour kicked off in Gainesville, FL on Thursday. The drive down was good. We got to the venue early and met up with the other bands. We already knew the My American Heart guys, but we didn't know the Mayday guys. They seem really cool though.

The show was great! There were over 400 people there. It was an 18+ show, which was a change of pace for us. We normally play all-ages shows. I had a group of friends from Tampa make the drive up to the show. It was great to see them! I miss that crew.

After the show, we all went out. It was a blast. I have to say that this show was a great way to kick off the tour! If the shows are anything like tonight, we're in for a good run!

Let the Marathon of Tours Begin!

Yesterday we left home for a nine week outing. This will be the longest we've ever been out for a single period of time. We're all really excited.

We've been home since mid-December (besides the week out with Simple Plan in February), so we're definitely all itching to get back on the road.

We're doing three tours over these nine weeks. Here they are (in order):
1. Mayday Parade/My American Heart
2. Our headlining tour with 1997
3. Nightmare Of You/Paper Rival/Edison Glass

Tour #1 should be really good. It starts today in Gainesville, FL. The show should be great!
Tour #2 will probably be pretty interesting. It's our first headlining tour, and we're playing a lot of new cities. Hopefully it goes well!
Tour #3 should be pretty solid.

I'm going to try to post a blog daily . Keep checking back for updates!
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On a non-tour related note, I ran my first half marathon last weekend in Springfield, IL. I had trained for a few months for it, but I really didn't know how it'd go. Well, it went better than I had planned on!

I ran the course (13.1 miles) in 1:33:52 (which is a 7:10 mile pace).
There were 807 runners who completed the race, and I finished 66th.
I was 2nd in my age group (Males 20-24) (There were 31 guys in the division)

Overall, it was a great experience! I hope to do another one (and possibly even a marathon) sometime down the road.