(Building character in) Hartford, CT

Yesterday, we played at a place called 'The Webster Underground' in
Hartford, CT. This was part of the Webster Theatre. (The Webster
Theatre has two rooms -- a big one and a smaller one....this was the
smaller one). So we got to the show and did our normal routine. We got
our two new t-shirts, and they look really good!

So this venue wasn't too bad -- they had a good sound system, a bar, and
a 'green room' (where bands hang out). The only catch to this
show....there was no one there. OK, there might have been about seven
people there while the guys played. Four people from our label came
out, and it was great to see them! The guys actually played REALLY
well! They sounded great and put on a great performance. They were
more laid back due to the limited crowd size.

We ended up staying with the vice president of our label. His place was
sweet! We are now driving to Allston, MA (which is right outside of
Boston). I hope there's a few more kids there tonight! (Attendance this
week could be rough.)

*We all know that shows like last night happen to every single touring
band at some point. You win some, you lose some. Most importantly,
keep your head up and take it with a grain of salt. *

Buffalo, NY

We braved the bad weather and made it to Buffalo. We got there a bit
early, so we decided to get an oil change. This is our second oil
change of the tour! We then went to the venue and loaded in. This is
where things took a weird twist...

Everything was going smoothly until someone came in and started taking
out the PA system (for vocals). No PA system = no vocals = no
performance. Apparently, the venue was switching sound companies and
the new PA wasn't going to be there for a few days. Luckily, Gina had
friends from a local band that brought us another PA system to use.

We ended up playing the show. The sound wasn't amazing, but it got the
job done.

This was our first night of our week-long tour with The Fold and Sound
The Alarm. We ended up staying with our long-time friend (Kimbo).
Sound The Alarm stayed there too! We had a little party. We are now
driving to our show in Hartford, CT.

Tonight will be special because a few people from our record label will
be there! We are also getting two new t-shirts (new designs) today!

Pittsburgh, PA - Day Off

We had yesterday off. It was Superbowl Sunday, so it's probably good
that we didn't have a show (I don't think anyone would have come)! We
decided to take a little detour to Buffalo, NY by stopping in
Pittsburgh. We watched the Superbowl with our new friends in Waking
Ashland. It was a disappointing game, but we had fun regardless.

After the game, we started making our way to Buffalo. Unfortunately,
we hit some bad weather and had to get a hotel in Erie, PA. (Luckily,
the hotel was sweet!) We just left Erie about twenty minutes go and
we're making our way to Buffalo. The roads aren't great, but we should
be alright. (We have plenty of time to make it to the show.)

Covington. KY

The show in Covington went alright. The venue (The Mad Hatter) was
really cool. It reminded me of an old diner (there were neon blue and
pink lights lining the place). The guys played pretty well. They had a
few minor mistakes. Also, Corey's voice sounded thrashed during the
whole set. (He hit his notes and everything, but I thought his voice was
going to go out any minute.) We'll have to make sure we take care of
that a little better.

There was a good sized crowd there for the set, and the kids seemed to
get into it. The guys really went nuts during the last part of their
set. It was really cool because the guys from Jonezetta joined them on
stage to assist them with their drum cadence. (Jonezetta's singer,
Robert, also helped sing some vocals on the song 'Anhedonia.')

It was a good tour! We're really going to miss the Waking Ashland and
Jonezetta guys. Hopefully we'll cross paths with both bands again at
some point.

We are staying out another week to do some east coast dates with The
Fold and Sound The Alarm. Hopefully it goes well.

Today is Superbowl Sunday and we have the day off. We are going to
Pittsburg to watch the game with Waking Ashland and The Fold. It should
be a good time!

Lansing, MI

The show was really hectic. We were super, which was not cool. (We
were told there was no time change on the drive to Lansing -- that was
wrong, we also hit some bad traffic and some bad weather. Jonezetta
had to play before us (because we got there right when we were supposed
to go on stage). Luckily, all the bands were cool about everything and
the understood our situation. We are going to do our best to make sure
that doesn't happen again.

The show was not that great. The sound system was terrible and the venue
was filled with smoke. All the bands were really rushed. In fact, the
headliner (Waking Ashland) had their set cut short because of the tight
time constraints. There were a good amount of kids there, and they
seemed to dig the guys' show. Though, for some reason, these kids
weren't interested in any of the bands' merch. Kind of weird.

We stayed with Gina's friend (who lived just a few miles from the
venue). Overall, ok show, decent night.

I just finished driving my leg of the trip to Covington, KY. We should
be there in about an hour. Tonight is the last night of this tour. (We
are staying out another week on the east coast with The Fold, but Waking
Ashland and Jonezetta aren't on it). I hope it goes well!

Madison, WI

The drive from Chicago to Madison was pretty quick. We got to Madison
early in the afternoon and decided to walk around a popular shopping
area called 'State Street.' We found a really cool vintage store.
Everyone bought at least an item or two. We then went to the venue (The
Loft) and did the normal show routine. The place was a teen center. The
venue was alright. The acoustics and the sound system were sub-par
(compared to the places we have been playing), but the guys still
managed to play well (and sound the best they possibly could). There was
a good turnout and the crowd gave a decent response. Overall, it was a
decent night.

We drove to Milwaukee to stay at our Gina's (our merch girl) place. We
are now driving to Lansing, MI.

Chicago, IL

So we got to Chicago around 930am. The overnight drive wasn't too fun,
but we made it. We ate a real early lunch and went to our interview at
JBTV. The interview/acoustic performance went really well! The studio
was legit. A few friends/girlfriends joined us after that. We bummed
around for a little bit before the show. Then we started the whole show
routine.

The venue (The Beat Kitchen) was really cool! The sound was great! The
guys turned up their amps befoer they played, and their mix sounded a
lot better. (We were having an issue on this tour -- we didn't sound as
loud/full as the other bands.) It seems like we're now a lot closer to
that full sound. The crowd really got into it. Some good friends came
out to the show. It was great to see them!

We stayed with some girls that we met through an interview. They were
really cool. (They write for 'Venus' magazine.) We are now on the road
to Madison, Wisconsin. It's a short drive, so that's awesome. Overall,
Chicago rules and I can't wait for us to play there again.