Storyteller

day 86 APR 13 Frankfurt aM, GER - Braunschweig, GER via shuttle

2010-04-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

I made it back before the Icelandic volcano started spitting ashes and fire. yea... what a long day. 36h awake. riding a car - walking - waiting - flying - walking - waiting - flying - walking - waiting - flying - walking - waiting - riding a train - walking - riding a car - walking - maybe sleeping - showering - eating - party at NEXUS - hell yea..

86 days - 46 (+1) states - 20335 miles - 32726 kilometers

NYC - Massachusetts - New York - Ohio - Michigan - Indiana - Illinois - Wisconsin - Minnesota - North Dakota - Montana - Washington, State - Oregon - California - Nevada - Utah - Colorado - Wyoming - South Dakota -Nebraska - Iowa - Kentucky - Tennessee - Alabama - New Hampshire - Georgia - South Carolina - North Carolina - New Jersey - Dc - Pennsylvania - Connecticut - Texas - Louisiana - Mississippi - Arkansas - Kansas - Missouri - Idaho - Florida - Virginia - Maryland - Oklahoma - Arizona - New Mexico - Delaware - Ontario

PREFUSE 73 & VOICES VOICES & GASLAMP KILLER
01JAN 18 Frankfurt aM, GER - NY,JFK - via plane
02JAN 19 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY (0h) 0m
03JAN 20 Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA (4h) 240m
04JAN 21 Soundlab - Buffalo, NY (7h) 460m
05JAN 22 The Summit - Columbus, OH (5h) 330m
06JAN 23 Eagle Theatre, Pontiac, MI (4h) 240m
07JAN 24 Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL (6h) 315m
08JAN 25 Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN (8h) 410m
09JAN 26 The Aquarium, Fargo, ND (3.5h) 240m
10JAN 27 Off day, Billings MT (12h) 610m
11JAN 28 The Palace, Missoula MT (11h) 540m
12JAN 29 Nightlight Lounge, Bellingham WA (7.5h) 365m
13JAN 30 Nuemos, Seattle, WA (1.5h) 90m
14JAN 31 Holocene, Portland, OR (2.5h) 175m
15FEB 01 Off day, San Francisco, CA (12h) 640m
16FEB 02 Slims, San Francisco, CA (0h) 0m
17FEB 03 Troubador, Los Angeles, CA (7.5h) 385m
18FEB 04 Off day, Las Vegas, NV (4h) 280m
19FEB 05 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT (10h) 430m
20FEB 06 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO (11h) 540m
21FEB 07 Off day, Omaha, NE (11h) 540m
22FEB 08 Off day, somewhere in Iowa (10h) 470m
23FEB 09 Off day, Chicago, IL (0h) 0m
24FEB 10 Off day, Chicago, IL (0h) 0m
TORTOISE & DISAPPEARS
25FEB 11 LOUISVILLE, KY / HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL (7h) 400m
26FEB 12 NASHVILLE, TN / EXIT IN (4h) 300m
27FEB 13 BIRMINGHAM, AL / BOTTLETREE (4h) 300m
28FEB 14 ATLANTA, GA / THE EARL (3h) 250m
29FEB 15 CARRBORO, NC / CAT'S CRADLE (8h) 400m
30FEB 16 WASHINGTON, DC / BLACK CAT (6.5h) 350m
31FEB 17 MILLVALE, PA / MR SMALLS THEATRE (5h) 300m
32FEB 18 TORONTO, ON / LEE'S PALACE (8h) 400m
33FEB 19 ANN ARBOR, MI / THE BLIND PIG (7h) 350m
34FEB 20 CHICAGO, IL / THE LINCOLN (5h) 300m
35FEB 21 Off day, Cicago, IL 0m
36FEB 22 Off day, Cicago, IL 0m
37FEB 23 Off day, Cicago, IL 0m
38FEB 24 Chicago to Austin via plane
USA 2010 TITLE TRACKS + PRETTY & NICE + TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS
38FEB 24 The Mohawk - Austin, Texas
39FEB 25 off day Baton Rouge, Louisana (8h) 450m
40FEB 26 Club Downunder @ FSU - Tallahassee, Florida (8h) 450m
41FEB 27 Will's Pub - Orlando, Forida (3.5h) 220m
42FEB 28 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia (7h) 400m
43MAR 01 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina (8h) 450m
44MAR 02 Gallery 5 - Richmond, Virginia (2.5h) 165m
45MAR 03 Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, Maryland (3h) 150m
46MAR 04 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3h) 200m
47MAR 05 isThe Middle East (Upstairs) - Cambridge, Massachusetts (6h) 400m
48MAR 06 Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY (4h) 300m
49MAR 07 The Cake Shop - New York, NY (0h) 0m
50MAR 08 Off - Washington, DC (4h) 300m
51MAR 09 Off - Washington, DC (0h) 0m
52MAR 10 The Black Cat - Washington, DC (0h) 0m
53MAR 11 The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (7h) 450m
54MAR 12 The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (3h) 200m
55MAR 13 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (5h) 300m
56MAR 14 High Noon Saloon - Madison, MN w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (2.5h) 150m
57MAR 15 First Avenue - Minneapoles, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (4h) 180m
58MAR 16 Off - Oklahoma City, OK (14h) 750m
59MAR 17 SXSW - Austin, TX (8h) 400m
60MAR 18 SXSW - Austin, TX
61MAR 19 SXSW - Austin, TX
62MAR 20 SXSW - Austin, TX
63MAR 21 SXSW - Austin, TX
64MAR 22 Austin TX - Orlando FL via plane
CURSIVE + ALKALINE TRIO + DEAR & DEPARTED
day 64 MAR 22 Orlando, FL - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio
day 65 MAR 23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution w/ Alkaline Trio (5h) 230m
day 66 MAR 24 Tallahassee, FL - Florida State University – The Moon (10h) 480m
day 67 MAR 25 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio (7h) 390m
day 68 MAR 26 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live w/ Alkaline Trio (6.5) 350m
day 69 MAR 27 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom w/ Alkaline Trio (4.5) 250m
day 70 MAR 28 Austin, TX - EmoÕs w/ Alkaline Trio (4) 200m
day 71 MAR 29 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pat (10h) 500m
day 72 MAR 30 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee w/ Alkaline Trio (20h) 550m
day 73 MAR 31 Off, San Diego, CA (7h) 400m
day 74 APR 01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio (0h) 0m
day 75 APR 02 West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues Sunset Strip w/ Alkaline Trio (3h) 120m
day 76 APR 03 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues Las Vegas w/ Alkaline Trio (5.5) 300m
day 77 APR 04 Las Vegas, NV - Raleigh, NC via plane
day 78 APR 05 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 79 APR 06 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 80 APR 07 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 81 APR 08 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 82 APR 09 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 83 APR 10 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 84 APR 11 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation
day 85 APR 12 Raleigh, NC - NY, La Guardia - Toronto ON - Frankfurt aM, GER via plane
day 86 APR 13 Frankfurt aM, GER - Braunschweig, GER via shuttle

day 85 APR 12 Raleigh, NC - NY, La Guardia - Toronto ON - Frankfurt aM, GER via plane

2010-04-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

Mike and Chika drove me to the airport. Oh, I was ready to leave the house 4 minutes after my alarm. so, at 4:04am. New record I guess.

- first flight to NY was easy and fast
- now I'm sitting here for 4 hours to wait for my flight to Toronto.

day 84 APR 11 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

My last day here in Chapel Hill/Carborro, NC.

- sleeping in like every day
- *
- homemade American breakfast
- *
- going out for bowling
- *
- playing b-ball and do a bunch of lift ups (only 10) ;-)
- *
- shower
- *
- dinner at Motown with Mike, Mike, Chika and Emelie
- *
- chillin' out while Mike's and Emelie's dog has some gas probs... hahaha
- going to bed by 1am
- go up by 4am for my flight...

day 83 APR 10 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

and again some workout. Honestly, I'm feeling alive. We watched a lot of b-ball again and had great food at a Japanese restaurant. The weather is amazing since I'm here and I'm so thankfull for this.

day 82 APR 09 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

oh Nice american breakfast. Omelets and stuff and yes, we did play basketball. It was great. I did even some workout after. Like sit ups, push ups stretching and stuff like that. honestly, I feel born again. Burger for dinner, wathing b-ball for fun, then out for a drink and to the show of Monsonia at the Limelight. What a great evening and performance of all bands and artists that night. Back to the Bow bar for another drink and then back home for some fun and watching b-ball. While writing this I'm fighting my headache.
But we'll go for Sushi in a minute or so...
love you all...

day 81 APR 08 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

a day with Eddie and Mike G
- first time in 20 years starting the day without a coffee. a brand new experience.
- Waffelhouse coffee mugs
- can't find the book for Johanna but I keep on looking
- laundry done
- Mexican food for lunch. delicious

ROSKISNKI QUARTETT

best pop song made in Braunschweig ever: http://www.theroskinskiquartett.com/

check it out you lazys...

making plans for the next few days

- playing basket ball
- going out tonight... shows and bars

day 80 APR 07 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

and again and again... the onöy difference. Michael did a really great barbecue for a few friends.
The Charlotte (North Caroilina) Bob Cats made it the first time to the NBA playoffs.

day 79 APR 06 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

And again a wonderful day in Chapel Hill. 90° and sunshine. Today we wont do anything besides enjoying life. Drinking sweet ice tea and watching the sunset. ...this is life, love you all...

day 78 APR 05 Chapel Hill, NC - vacation

2010-04-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm chillin' now in Chapel Hill with Mike, Mike and Chika.

Guess what happened yesterday.
I was leaving the house the first time since I'm here to buy something at the grocery store. I walked down the street and two guys walked up the street on the other side.
I looked at them, stopped, pointed at them, they stopped, pointed at me and we all thought, what the fuck... guess who it was.

Drummer and Bass player of Ted Leo.

You can imagine that we had a fun night...

- going to the Ted Leo show and watching the NCAA College Basketball final at the same time.

it sounds crazy but I loved it. It sucks that Duke won but next year is Butler time.

day 77 APR 04 Las Vegas, NV - Raleigh, NC via plane

2010-04-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

All I want to do today is meeting up with Mike G, having a nice dinner, taking a long shower, maybe watching a movie and going to bed early. I need sleeeeeeeeep and I'm totaly destroyed.

Happy Eastern to all of you...

day 76 APR 03 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues Las Vegas w/ Alkaline Trio (5.5) 300m

2010-04-05T14:56:00.001-07:00

For sure a great show one last time. Everybody gets exited about going home or going somewhere else like me but also a little sad because a great time ends in Vegas after 7 weeks madness on the road. I mean what is 7 weeks, ha, more the 2 1/2 month for me by now and keep on going for a week ;-) After show we all take it easy. we say good bye here in there or making plans for the night.
After we finished loading we all go up to the Foundation Room at the Casino where the after show party is taking place. The Casino is attached to the House Of Blues. The Casino is bigger than a soccer field. It is crazy. It takes us an hour to find the elevator to the Foundation Room. There we got stopped by the house security. These guys are looking like The Men In Black... after another 15min of waiting, they let us in because they released, we're the band... hihi...

- the elevator has only two floors: 1st floor = Casino - 2nd floor = Foundation Room. CRAZY!!!

We're going up and my ears starts popping. Are we going to the moon? I was just there. A few years ago. It's nice up there but not that special. We step out and hey, what the BIEP! It's a dance club packed with people. The DJ's looking like security guards in $2000 suits. Half naked girls dancing on tables. Ah, table dancer. and we 're sliding through the crowd. Another check point. The let us in.
We're entering a balcony and hey, that's worth it. We're not on the moon but almost. Above LA in the middle of the night. I love it.

Somebody buys a beer. A small one in a bottle. $18. Ok the DJ's wearing $2000 suits. Finally we said good by to everyone and trying to find our way back. We arrive at the hotel and I can go to bed for 4 hours or so. I have to leave the hotel by 6 and when I left, Patrick wasn't even back from gambling and partying. Ted woke up and I had the chance to say goodbye and hug him. Now I'm in my plane while flying to North Carlina, Chapel Hill.

day 75 APR 02 West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues Sunset Strip w/ Alkaline Trio (3h) 120m

2010-04-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

oh, what a day...

- leaving San Diego by 5am
- arriving at the bus company somewhere outside of LA by 10:00am
- leave the bus behind, load the van, taking care of personal belongings.
- driving down to LA - House of Blues and stopping for some In and Out Burger 12:00pm - 02:30pm
- meeting Alice and Kim (Eagle & Talon) by 3:30pm
- lunch by 04:00pm
- going for a hike. Beautiful view above LA 05:00pm - 07:00pm
- going for the best ice cream I ever had by 07:00pm (Peanutbutter Cup)
- taking a tea brake at Kim's place and making plans for tonight by 08:00pm
- going out for a bar and meeting Alice's and Kim's friends by 09:00pm

... hm, It was a German bar. Ok, at least the bear was great. The first time good bear since 75 days...

- goimg to a Karaoke bar by 12:00am. The bar tender was the most drunken person at the bar.
- going back to Kim's place and talking about live, love and everything till 05:00am.
- falling into sleep and going back to the van by 09:30am.
- Las Vegas... I'm coming.

Hey Alice, hey Kim,

It was so great to see you. hopefully soon again.

day 74 APR 01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio (0h) 0m

2010-04-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's strange. We're here in San Diego the second day and it feels like that I know the city like my hometown and also like I'm here since month. I'm not bored or so but it maybe because I'm every day in a new city since 2 1/2 month. and now for two entire days in the same. Anyway, the weather ist still great and sunny. We went to a cool Mexican place for lunch and to great Indian restaurant early evening. That's basicly all I did. More to come1 tomorrow. ups, the show was great as every night.

day 73 MAR 31 Off, San Diego, CA (7h) 400m

2010-03-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

The plan: Beach! Plan B: The pool!
Reality: Good food, a long nap, in a nice city.
Do I get bored? I hope not.
Oh, don't forget: PRETTY GIRLS CAN MAKE GRAVES...

day 72 MAR 30 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee w/ Alkaline Trio (20h) 550m

2010-03-31T15:31:00.001-07:00

Tempe is a suburb of Phoenix. The best weather ever. Maybe 95° dry and sunny. just great.
Met some street punks. really interesting and nice talk. had the first time egs for breakfast since a long time.

day 71 MAR 29 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pat 10h (500m)

2010-03-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

New Mexico. First Contact. Every restaurant on the strip was open but dead empty. Finaly we ended up with a delivery service at 2am. I met a guy named Mike and he had a nice present for me and Ted. see ya in Tempe Arizona...

day 70 MAR 28 Austin, TX - EmoÕs w/ Alkaline Trio (4) 200m

2010-03-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

Austin again. Nice one... At Emo's. A wonderful venue. I really like the atmosphere.
I met Dave Dondaro again. He says hi to Christoph, Martin, Jan and Eike. I hope you read this. Needed to find a good toilet really urgent and ended up in a Hilton 5* hotel and couldn't find one. So, I had to ask at the front desk. Shit, 2nd floor. I made it last second. ok, enough TMI (Too much information). but I almost shit myself.
Great show, a lot of funny cookies, I faded out and woke up in the desert of New Mexico.

day 69 MAR 27 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom w/ Alkaline Trio (4.5) 250m

2010-03-28T17:37:00.001-07:00

what to tell?

best shower ever, best massage ever, great show, cool after party and a song written for me by my massage therapist. Can you believe it?

Right it down....

I gave you my card. i hope you're doing fine.
I gave you my card. and when you're the next time town.
I hope you hook me up the next time you're in town.

2010-03-26T21:41:00.001-07:00

day 68 MAR 26 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live w/ Alkaline Trio (6.5) 350m

Houston... we got a problem...

We don't have a problem. I'm just eating a sandwich. Made of pita bred, peanut butter, chopped celery, raisins and hot sauce. Is this weired???

I think...

...'Mama, I'm Satan'...

You're going to do what I say
And say what I say
You stretch your peacock feathers
You're always on display
Don't act so goddamned conflicted
You wouldn't have it any other way

You're going to write down these words
And pass them along
You're going to fill your book
With your rights and wrongs
You're going to tell your lurid world
The true intentions of these songs

I'm writing out a confession
Every record I've written has left me smitten
A career in masturbation
All in all we're pawns
The ego of mankind stirs in us all

You want to wipe that slate
And start all over again
You want to hide your face
In shame of what your grandpappy did
Pretty soon here we'll all be grandfathers
And our offspring will sing the same shit

The world was built on ego
It was built on slaves
The world was built on a tickle
Between our legs
Come on, you big strong man
You wouldn't have it any other way

I'm writing out a confession
My fathers and brothers
Raped your sisters and mothers
We are the sons of butchers
All in all we're pawns
The darkness of mankind stirs in us all

I cast you out
I cast you out
I cast you out
I cast you out
I cast you out
I cast you out
I cast you out
I cast you out

I'll drag you out
I'll drive you out
I'll drug you out
I'll tear you out
I'll cut you out
I'll kick you out
I'll push you out
I'll pull you out
I cast you out
I'll curse you out
I'll shut you out
I'll shit you out
I'll clean you out
Grab a rope and hang you out to dry
Now I'll damn you out
I cast you out
I'll shove you out
I'm staying
All in all we're pawns
The darkness of mankind stirs in us all

We're all connected as human beings, including the bad parts. We're all in a way responsible for all the wrong that society has been built upon(ego and slaves), and we must realize; accept; and then "repent" before any good can come.

Good 0 Bad

'by Cursive from 'Mama I'm swollen 2009'

day 67 MAR 25 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio (7h) 390m

2010-03-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

I guess I'm dreaming all day. Because my back feels again really bad. That's why I can't tell a lot about today besides that I took it really easy. New Orleans is a great city I guess. But I could tell you my dream I had a while ago...

I dreamed I was on tour, in a van, in Canada. Guess with who. It was just one guy. Singer songwriter. Just him, me and an accoustic guitar in a van.

???

It was Elvis. Elvis Presley...

I asked him: 'hey Elvis, why is it just me and you in a van on tour In Canada?' He said: Oh, it's just because I'm not so big in Canada.'

HA.

That's it. really. it happened. Even in English.

see ya tomorrow.

day 66 MAR 24 Tallahassee, FL - Florida State University – The Moon (10h) 480m

2010-03-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

a show without Alkaline Trio. By the way, I wrote yesterday about Poker and so. This happened today or better tonight. hm, I'm confused. Whatever.

Love you...

day 65 MAR 23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution w/ Alkaline Trio (5h) 230m

2010-03-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

What a great hello. It was like coming home. I can't believe that we haven't met with in a year.
Honestly it will be the best time ever I guess because I'm not in charge for anything. I'm just helping here and there and have a good time. Haven't met the guys from Alkaline Trio yet but the Cursive show was just great. I defn. make them come over to Europe asap. I'm addicted to sunshine and now I have sun every day and heat and ... I'm happy... and then at night... a serious poker game... fun... exiting... and finally I lost 5 bugs... what the BIEP!

day 64 MAR 22 Austin TX - Orlando FL via plane

2010-03-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

I think there will be not a lot to write about today but let's see. I'll arrive in Orlando by midnight. so, after the show. I'm sitting here at a Dunkin' Donuts, drink one coffee after the other and have to kill 2h before a cab is picking me up for the airport. Can't wait to see the guys in Cursive and crew again. Will be for sure a good time. The tour will take place only south east all the way to the south west and ends up in Las Vegas. Where I can go married...finally... At least Tim K. told me a few days ago that he wouldn't mind to marry me. ok, this prob. is solved. here is the tour and the sun...:

CURSIVE & ALKALINE TRIO
day 64 MAR 22 Orlando, FL - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio
day 65 MAR 23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution w/ Alkaline Trio (5h) 230m
day 66 MAR 24 Tallahassee, FL - Florida State University – The Moon (10h) 480m
day 67 MAR 25 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio (7h) 390m
day 68 MAR 26 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live w/ Alkaline Trio (6.5) 350m
day 69 MAR 27 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom w/ Alkaline Trio (4.5) 250m
day 70 MAR 28 Austin, TX - EmoÕs w/ Alkaline Trio (4h) 200m
day 71 MAR 29 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pat 10h (500m)
day 72 MAR 30 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee w/ Alkaline Trio (10h) 550m
day 73 MAR 31 Off San Diego, CA (7h) 400m
day 74 APR 01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues w/ Alkaline Trio (0h) 0m
day 75 APR 02 West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues Sunset Strip w/ Alkaline Trio (3h) 120m
day 76 APR 03 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues Las Vegas w/ Alkaline Trio (5.5) 300m
day 77 APR 04 Las Vegas, NV - Raleigh, NC via plane

day 63 MAR 21 SXSW - Austin, TX

2010-03-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Again a lot of sleep, food and Basketball. I also walked around in the sun. But I'm so far out of town here that it is quiet boring but relaxing and hey, I enjoy the sun so much.

day 62 MAR 20 SXSW - Austin, TX

2010-03-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

just sleeping and eating and enjoying the silence. For sure… also watching a lot of Basketball.

day 61 MAR 19 SXSW - Austin, TX

2010-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

First day on my own and I sleep in and find my way downtown in a cab for 40 BIEP! bucks. I meet up with Tone and and hey, this was great. Say say hi to Ingo as well. later on I meet up with Voices Voices. Great hello after we toured together this rough winter tour in jan/feb. afterwards I find my way to the Les Savy Fav show. My back is killing me again but I give a shit. after the show we have some time to talk. It was really good to see the guys again. I just want to sleep now but it takes me 1 1/2 hour to find a cab. I make it back to my back by 5am. SLEEEEEEP…

day 60 MAR 18 SXSW - Austin, TX

2010-03-21T19:37:00.001-07:00

Second day at sxsw and third show. I took place in a real garage. right in between oil and spare parts. but it was cool. That's it for Title Tracks and we go out for dinner. After the we have to say good bye after a long and really good tour. I stay in Austin for another 3 days before my flight to Orlando FL. I den. miss John, Andrew, Nick, Michael and Eamonn already.

day 59 MAR 17 SXSW - Austin, TX (8h) 400m

2010-03-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

First night at South By South West SXSW. Two shows and both good. What a hectic place can Austin be. huh, everybody is crazy but in a good way. To bed asap.

day 58 MAR 16 Off - Oklahoma City, OK (14h) 750m

2010-03-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ha, 750m, 6h of sleep and keep on going. But I can smell the summer.

day 57 MAR 15 First Avenue - Minneapoles, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (4h) 180m

2010-03-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

last show with Ted Leo and the best one. I was running into Blake an old friend I toured with on a Bright Eyes tour. What a surprise. Lauren and me just have good times and the venue is so full of history. For example here was made the Prince movie Purple Rain. everybody is a little sad on the and but we have to keep on rolling down to Austin. Just 1150 miles. What the BEEP!

day 56 MAR 14 High Noon Saloon - Madison, MN w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (2.5h) 150m

2010-03-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

The temperature is going up but still some snow on the ground. First time since a while we had a couple drinks after the show before we left to the hotel.

day 55 MAR 13 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (5h) 300m

2010-03-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Back in Chicago. Got my left behind luggage back. Cold and rainy. Crazy show. Ted is a sweet heart and he remembers Ingo and says hi to Ingo...

day 54 MAR 12 The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (3h) 200m

2010-03-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Back in Pontiac. Good to see Graig again. what a beautiful venue. Still cold but it's over soon.

day 53 MAR 11 The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (7h) 350m

2010-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

just to let you know. We had only good times but from now on, we only will have better times.
First show tonight with Ted Leo and it was a blast like every upcoming night. ...only sleeping can sometimes 'hard'...

day 52 MAR 10 The Black Cat - Washington, DC (0h) 0m

2010-03-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

and now showtime again tonight. but I had to fight my hang over the whole day but hey, I won.
the show was fucking great like you can imagine. after show it was a short night because we had to go up quiet early to get the rental van, load the gear and drive 350m to Cleveland, OH.

day 51 MAR 09 Off Washington DC (0h) 0m

2010-03-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

the plan was to do some sight seeing today but Andrew and me ended first up in a cafe where we met some friends. yes, even me. then we went to this wonderful mexican restaurant and had the best dinner of my life. the day was sunny and warm but at 5pm it went a litle cold again and we had to walk back to Andrews place to get our coats. We were so full that we decided to relax for a while.

later that day we went, if you believe it or not, to a New Age DJ Night. I think it was cool but also weird. huh, how relaxing is this music. It's so much easier to drink… ;-) afterwards we went to the Black Cat bar where Georgie James is playing tomorrow. For some reason, all the whiskey and the beer was for free. An now, while I'm writing this I have to pay the bill of my horrible headache. A coffee and an OJ and a shower will help. On the way back home I couldn't walk anymore I really thought I have to die or something but we made it. I had later that night a secret meeting with the toilet but nothing bad happened. So, this was Washington DC sight seeing. hm, at least I wont drink anymore...

day 50 MAR 08 Off Washington, DC (4h) 300m

2010-03-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

not much to tell about the day. sleeping in. 'breakfast' at 5pm. i talked to Ingo via Skype a lot today what was really good.

49 day MAR 07 The Cake Shop - New York, NY (0h) 0m

2010-03-08T16:53:00.001-08:00

and again. Pete and his wive took us out for some sight seeing and for dinner. I had time to shopping and at night I met my longtime friend Gabe. the show was BIEP! great and we left NY right after and drove all the way to Washington DC. to bed at 6am. It was also Eamonn's last show with Title Tracks on bass guitar. from Washington on Michael is with us on the bass. He couldn't make it for the first three weeks because work. I hope Eamonn is not too sad. we had a great time.

day 48 MAR 06 Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY (4h) 300m

2010-03-08T16:48:00.001-08:00

wonderful relaxed day. easy drive, great show and we met Pete who is running the Title Tracks label Ernest Jenning rec. Him and his wive are wonderful people. we stayed and his place and had a nice midnight dinner and talked and talked and talked and slept…

day 47 MAR 05 isThe Middle East (Upstairs) - Cambridge, Massachusetts (6h) 400m

2010-03-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

this can be a day on tour:

11.00am start driving

02.00pm a lot of traffic around NY

02.00pm a stop, a go and a crash. (nothing bad happened)

03:30pm the police finally let us go

04.00pm car rental station

04.30pm keep on driving

08.30pm load in and set up gear

09.15pm finally I found parking

09.25pm start setting up CDs and shirts

09.50pm load out gear and CDs and shirts

10.00pm start driving to the hotel (30m)

11.00pm start eating food

12.00am going to bed

strange, isn't it?

day 46 MAR 04 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3h) 200m

2010-03-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

and again a really good night. honestly that is all I can say. We stayed at John's friend place and we had Bezel with mustard at midnight. Sorry that I can't remember his name.

day 45 MAR 03 Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, Maryland (3h) 150m

2010-03-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

Golden West Cafe… yes it was a cafe, no it was a restaurant and when we arrived everybody was eating and it was really busy. even the stage had tables and chairs. at 10 they started setting up a small PA and cleaned the small stage. at 10.30 was showtime. the whole evening turned into a great show inside of restaurant. strange but cool.

day 44 MAR 02 Gallery 5 - Richmond, Virginia (2.5h) 165m

2010-03-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

wonderfulf venue. a bunch of people came out and the best show so far. everybody is happy and we drove over night to Washington, DC. sleeping in, great breakfast and chill.

day 43 MAR 01 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina (8h) 450m

2010-03-03T14:23:00.001-08:00

cool venue and a really good show but not that busy again. but a BEEP! great night. we wnt out with Michael G from Fin nag Foom. first we dropped our luggage at his place and then we went to a bar wrier Eddy is working. he invited us for a beer and a Jage shot. then we went to the other bar were I got invited for more beer and Jager by the guy from Auxes. But I forgot his name… sorry. then we went to Michaels place and had a relaxed night with a lot of cirrus tickets. wonderful… half of the time for me over here is gone.

day 42 FEB 28 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia (7h) 400m

2010-03-03T14:21:00.001-08:00

long way to go. fast night again and not busy again but a great show.

day 41 FEB 27 Will's Pub - Orlando, Forida (3.5h) 220m

2010-03-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

nice venue and people. not that busy. fast evening and then sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

day 40 FEB 26 Club Downunder @ FSU - Tallahassee, Florida (8h) 450m

2010-03-03T14:18:00.001-08:00

university show. not really busy and the youngest audience I've ever seen…
Pretty and Nice are great.

day 39 FEB 25 off day Baton Rouge, Louisana (8h) 450m

2010-03-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

driving driving driven through the sun from Texas to the sun in Louisana.

day 38 - FEB 24 The Mohawk - Austin, Texas

2010-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

great. I sleep barley 3h, woke up and lifted my BIEP! up back up. faster bathroom meeting ever and I stepped outside. everything was white again. new snow. what a BIEP!. But there was this big black limo and the guy with sun glasses and black tuxedo. waving at me and opening the trunk.

what is this, a dream, the end of the world as we know it or just the City Car I ordered a day before.
whatever, I just joined the back seat and had a nice slow and icy drive to the airport. The check in and security check took forever and I arrived at the gate5 min before departure. ha, half an hour delay. perfect. Had a guy sitting next to me acting like he was fat but he wasn't. strange. the next time he should buy 2 tickets for himself. what a BEEPER!.

Austin, TX. SUNSHINE!!! a little chill but great great great. I had to wait an hour outside and this was great as well. when the picked me up we had a lot of hugs and started driving to the radio station.

- radio interview
- radio show
- dinner at a nice Japanese restaurant
- load in
- 6 bands tonight!!!
- good show but too many bands

- I was tired and had a hang over

sleeeeeeeeep… see ay tomorrow.

here is what is coming up...

TITLE TRACKS and PRETTY & NICE
38FEB 24 The Mohawk - Austin, Texas
39FEB 25 off (8h) 450m
40FEB 26 Club Downunder @ FSU - Tallahassee, Florida (8h) 450m
41FEB 27 Will's Pub - Orlando, Forida (3.5h) 220m
42FEB 28 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia (7h) 400m
43MAR 01 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina (8h) 450m
44MAR 02 Gallery 5 - Richmond, Virginia (2.5h) 165m
45MAR 03 Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, Maryland (3h) 150m
46MAR 04 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3h) 200m
47MAR 05 isThe Middle East (Upstairs) - Cambridge, Massachusetts (6h) 400m
48MAR 06 Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY (4h) 300m
49MAR 07 The Cake Shop - New York, NY (0h) 0m
50MAR 08 Off ((4h) 300m
51MAR 09 Off (0h) 0m
52MAR 10 The Black Cat - Washington, DC (0h) 0m
53MAR 11 The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (7h) 450m
54MAR 12 The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (3h) 200m
55MAR 13 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (5h) 300m
56MAR 14 High Noon Saloon - Madison, MN w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (2.5h) 150m
57MAR 15 First Avenue - Minneapoles, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (4h) 180m
58MAR 16 SXSW (20h) 1150m
59MAR 17 SXSW
60MAR 18 SXSW
61MAR 19 SXSW
62MAR 20 SXSW
63MAR 21 SXSW
64MAR 22 Austin TX - Orlando FL via plane

day 35, 36, 37 - Off days in Chicago

2010-02-23T13:25:00.001-08:00

9h of sleep and I feel great. we went out for breakfast and hey, Brian from Disappears was working at the restaurant. then we did the final load out and dropped the gear at the rehearsal room. that's it for today besides chillin'... the next day we went out for breakfast again and hey, I should start a diner in Germany one or the other day. I had 12h of sleep, saw John's studio and had the best Thai massage ever. finally we went out to the Big Start bar. just good times. Today we had breakfast again at a wonderful diner with lots of vegetarian and vegan options. I bought a second suit case for all the thingsI'm planing to buy over here and tonight I'll stay with Elliot and we go out for Ryan's birthday party and after for Johnny's & Jeff's Jazz show in town. My flight is leaving at 8:40am tomorrow to Austin, TX.

day 34 - FEB 20 CHICAGO, IL / THE LINCOLN (5h)

2010-02-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

ok, best show. sold out and again a lot of fun. I'll stay with Doug the next couple days

day 33 - FEB 19 ANN ARBOR, MI / THE BLIND PIG (7h)

2010-02-23T13:18:00.001-08:00

finally we got new shirts delivered and it was a sad moment when we had to say goodbye to Disappears. but We'll meet up again for sure. hey, do you know what, we still have fun.

day 32 - FEB 18 TORONTO, ON / LEE'S PALACE (8h)

2010-02-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

15min only for the border… great… sold out show and maybe the best so far. everybody is in a good mood. only Jeff is a little sick.. huh, and still fun fun fun...

day 31 - FEB 17 MILLVALE, PA / MR SMALLS THEATRE (5h)

2010-02-22T16:55:00.001-08:00

wonderful venue. it feels a little like Switzerland for some reason… and fun fun fun...

day 30 - FEB 16 WASHINGTON, DC / BLACK CAT (6.5h) ((turned into 8h))

2010-02-22T16:53:00.001-08:00

besides going into Washington it was an easy drive. the city traffic was insane. it took us 1h for 3 miles. we made it finally by 6:30pm. after that it was an easy night and I met Michael from Title Tracks. he is totally upset because Title Tracks are already on tour and he couldn't go because his job. but he will join them in a couple weeks like me in a few days. everybody seems to be a little burned out but tis morning on the way to Millvale PA everybody was in a good mood again. I'm not sick anymore at all and this makes me really happy. I'll give them as much positive energy as I can.

day 29 - FEB 15 CARRBORO, NC / CAT'S CRADLE (8h)

2010-02-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

can't wait to meet up with the guys from Fin Fang Foom. tonight. John and me riding the cargo van today. I will also meet the first time Alyson who is working for Tortoise since ages. and hey, we still have a lot of fun. btw it was a great night.

day 28 - FEB 14 ATLANTA, GA / THE EARL (3h)

2010-02-22T16:49:00.001-08:00

the best show so far and still a lot of fun…
btw. best promotor I met in a long time.

day 27- FEB 13 BIRMINGHAM, AL / BOTTLETREE (4h) ((turned into 12h))

2010-02-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

besides that Ryan and me had to drive back to Nashville and to Birmingham again, I think we still have a lot of fun. we forgot three big pieces of gear in Nashville. Tortoise was able to play the show without but we had to get it back asap. Ryan and me had a nice talk on this long and boring drive and as we arrived in Nashville at the Exit In we were running straight into a burlesque party. naked girls everywhere. I wasn't tired anymore for maybe 2 minutes. The Bottletree is a f… great venue by the way.

day 26 - FEB 12 NASHVILLE, TN / EXIT IN (4h)

2010-02-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

we still have a lot of fun and the blues was hitting me very hard today. but this is a different story.

day 25 - FEB 11 LOUISVILLE, KY / HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL (7h)

2010-02-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

wonderful. Elliot picked me up at 8am. we drove to the rehearsal room and strted loading the gear. we did short stop at a bagel shop and then we started driven in two vans down to Louisville KY. very good first show like all Tortoise shows are great. Disappears (Chicago) are opening up every night and you should check them out. They are great as well. I'm still a little sick and really tired every day but it's going better and better every day. and I have to say we defn. have fun fun fun.

day 23 -24 - FEB 09 to 10 Off days, Chicago, IL (0m)

2010-02-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

we arrived in Chicago at 3pm and I decided to stay for two night in a hotel before the Tortoise tour starts. just relaxing and doing something good for my spine and my cold. I have to say it worked out. today I'm feeling much better. Elliot drove me around for shopping today and we talked about the Tortoise tour. he is doing sound and a great guy. I'm really looking forward to this trip.

G and Ryan had to go to NY (820m). I called them today. 24h after they left Chicago. They're are still traveling because they had to stop again 5h before NY. Guess what…. BLIZZARD and closed interstate. I'm with you guys, drive save… FUCK WINTER! WHAT A SHIT!

day 22 - FEB 08 Off day, Chicago, IL (470m) or maybe somewhere in Iowa…?

2010-02-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

I just tell you we had to stop somewhere in Iowa because a blizzard. -10°F again and a strong wind. wonderful if you don't have to drive. that's it because i'm writing on a story about this special day and it will be a different blog. I just say STORYTELLER… more later...

day 21 - FEB 07 Off day, Omaha, NE (540m)

2010-02-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

first time that we didn't arrive too late for doing what I wanted to do in Omaha. Midnight… enough time to go to the Oliver's and meet up with Ted, Dan, Chris, Pat and have couple drinks and a nice breakfast the next morning. Too short but we have to go. the winter is back and I'm sick. but I give a shit. oh, in the morning when everybody checked out of the hotel in Denver for the flights Mr. Lawless took the cash deposit from the front desk by 'accident'. he thought it is for his cab ride to the airport. what the fuck. I gave him already the money for the ride at fucking 10 in the morning. I use too many swear words these days. It is maybe because the Gaslamp man is not with us anymore. His basic communication was something like fuck, holy fuck, shit and holy shit, my fucking good, motherfucker, la la la la la… whatever, I stop here. wish you a motherfucking good night… let's have a coffee.

day 20 - FEB 06 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO (540m)

2010-02-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

can't drive anymore but I do. whatever… in Denver I socialized the first time and with a women called Bobbie and I hope to meet her again on my trip. the show was the best one on this trip I think. more than 1000 people showed up and the backstage situation was the most wired one I ever had. almost everybody had excess and free drinks. there was also a serious snow party going on in the backstage bathroom and maybe something else. here do you have your sex, drugs and rock'n'roll story… this Gaslamp Killer/Will guy is bitching and complaining almost about everything since the very first fucking day and I have to say I'm over it because he has the easiest live on tour I think. Maybe it is because he is doing his first long US tour but hey… if you're not even able to lift two light pieces of shirts and gear you shouldn't go on tour or you should pay somebody to do it. I hope he doesn't mind this or one of the following entries but I guess he does… ;-) the tour is over but G, Ryan and me have to go a long way on our own. Denver-Omaha-Chicago and then they need to go to NY. let's see how it goes...

day 19 - FEB 05 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT (430m)

2010-02-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

- no memories…?
- burned out but…
- great promoter and show. hope I meet him again.
- GK took a flight to Salt Lake. lame… but good for us...
- I'm sick… here… but who cares. they are all sick as well

day 18 - FEB 04 Off day, Las Vegas, NV (280m)

2010-02-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

- I was looking forward to see he first time Vegas
- we started to late and had to deal with Gaslamp Killer issues in LA
- It took us hours and hours to drive through LA traffic twice
- GK lives in LA
- GK has a fucking car
- so, what the fuck.
- but I don't care…
- wonderful drive
- everything in Vegas is a casino. even the gas station
- we arrived too late and I went to bed
- I come back with Cursive and they even play a show in a casino. because everything is a casino

day 17 - FEB 03 Troubador, Los Angeles, CA (385m)

2010-02-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

there was the plan to meet up with some friends in LA Eagle and Talon, Cornbread, etc… but we arrived so late and left right after show that I didn't call anybody. I'll do it the next time in march. I promise. The show was great and the night too short again. It all feels like that we're only driving. Voices Voices are a great band and wonderful people. I hope I can work with them in Europe. My back starts hurting again and now I know exactly where it comes from. DRIVING for too many hours!!! that really sucks but it is how it is. At least I don't complain about it every day. I still can't believe that I travel/drive the almost the whole country within three weeks and I I definitely don't want to go back to the winter but it looks like that we have to.

day 16 - FEB 02 Slims, San Francisco, CA (0m)

2010-02-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

what a great night. I met Jon from GSOM and he told me that I maybe can go with them to South America this year. I can't believe it but let's see… the show was amazingly good and the night went away too fast. I'm so f… tired and finally everyone gets sick. hopefully not me…

day 15 - FEB 01 Off day, San Francisco, CA (640m)

2010-02-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

some people call it off day. I call it off night. we arrived after a 15h drive in San Francisco and went straight to bed. but it was good to sleep in and taken it easy the next day.

I'll try to post some videos one or the other day. The Slims is a really good venue and the house manager Scott even remembers me from 4 years ago with Cursive here in San Francisco. he is a great guy and I think we all have a lot of fun tonight. can't wait to meet GSOM after they finished rehearsal.

day 14 - JAN 31 Holocene, Portland, OR (175m)

2010-02-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

hey, another short ride and a nice place. tomorrow is no show but we'll go all the way down to San Francisco (15h). I don't wear long johns anymore and only one pair of socks. maybe tomorrow just a t-shirt… who knows. can't wait to see JB and the Guantanamo School Of Medicine again. ok, maybe just The GSOM. here in Portland is everything fine and nothing special happened so far. I have to say I like Portland.

day 13 - JAN 30 Nuemos, Seattle, WA (90m)

2010-02-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

this was perfect. short drive, check in to the hotel before the load in, great or even best show so far from every band and Rachel is an amazing house manager at the Nuemos.

and I just took a nap from the first band on until we had to load out (3h). at least I had sweet dreams…

day 12 - JAN 29 Nightlight Lounge, Bellingham WA (365m)

2010-02-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

this was maybe the most beautiful drive I've ever done. hm, maybe it was Stavanger to Bergen in Norway….? I'm not sure but just look at the pictures. The Venue was great but the bands didn't like it that much because it's a small town right in between Vancouver and Seattle. I think these are shows you have to play when you're on tour to keep the costs down and play for people who don't have the chance to see your band in a bigger city but, whatever.

day 11 - JAN 28 The Palace, Missoula MT (440m)

2010-01-31T18:08:00.000-08:00

there is not much to say about Missoula. It wasn't that cold anymore, great promotor and a really good show. I take the chance to introduce you to some nice, cool and great people…

Guillermo, Ryan, Ben, Yusuke, Jenean, Nico and Will:

day 10 - JAN 27 Off day, Billings MT (610m)

2010-01-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

I can't remember anything but the drive. wow, an off day… 6h in a hotel and keep on driving… what a funny thing to do… I guess I need more circus tickets if you know what I'm talking about ;-)

day 9 - JAN 26 The Aquarium, Fargo, ND (240m)

2010-01-31T17:14:00.000-08:00

Fargo… I was really excited. I heard a lot about Fargo and I love the movie.
on the end it wasn't like this. Fargo is for sure a little depressing but the people are nice. den. the temperature is exactly like in the movie. we had -22°F (-30°C) and a strong wind.

at night I had to walk to the van and back to the hotel twice. my face, my snot, my everything was simply frozen. the walk was max 10min twice and always on the way back I had the wind right in my face. but somehow was it a great experience.

day 8 - JAN 25 Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN (410m)

2010-01-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

and suddenly it was winter…

f… long drive again but beautiful. The Triple Rock is a really nice venue with a great sounding room. even Yusuke our sound man was really happy about the sound for the first time I think. oh no. he was happy in NY as well I think.

I'm already burned out because the long drives but It became even worst in a couple days…

day 7 - JAN 24 Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL (315m)

2010-01-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

I was really looking froward to Chicago. To meet up with old friends and hey half of them even showed up. There was Nate, Nicolas, Dough, Dan and Johnny.
5t was a really cool evening for me and I can't wait to meet the all again on the 8th or 9th of feb.

here is a small update on my journey:

PREFUSE 73 & VOICES VOICES & GASLAMP KILLER
JAN 19 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
JAN 20 Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA (170m)
JAN 21 Soundlab - Buffalo, NY (460m)
JAN 22 The Summit - Columbus, OH (330m)
JAN 23 Eagle Theatre, Pontiac, MI (240m)
JAN 24 Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL (315m)
JAN 25 Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN (410m)
JAN 26 The Aquarium, Fargo, ND (240m)
JAN 27 Off day, Billings MT (610m)
JAN 28 The Palace, Missoula MT (540m)
JAN 29 Nightlight Lounge, Bellingham WA (365m)
JAN 30 Nuemos, Seattle, WA (90m)
JAN 31 Holocene, Portland, OR (175m)
FEB 01 Off day, San Francisco, CA (640m)
FEB 02 Slims, San Francisco, CA (0m)
FEB 03 Troubador, Los Angeles, CA (385m)
FEB 04 Off day, Las Vegas, NV (280m)
FEB 05 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT (430m)
FEB 06 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO (540m)
FEB 07 Off day, Omaha, NE (540m)
FEB 08 Off day, Chicago, IL (470m) Olli will be dropped off...

TORTOISE
FEB 11 LOUISVILLE, KY / HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL
FEB 12 NASHVILLE, TN / EXIT IN
FEB 13 BIRMINGHAM, AL / BOTTLETREE
FEB 14 ATLANTA, GA / THE EARL
FEB 15 CARRBORO, NC / CAT'S CRADLE
FEB 16 WASHINGTON, DC / BLACK CAT
FEB 17 MILLVALE, PA / MR SMALLS THEATRE
FEB 18 TORONTO, ON / LEE'S PALACE
FEB 19 ANN ARBOR, MI / THE BLIND PIG
FEB 20 CHICAGO, IL / THE LINCOLN

FEB 24 Chicago to Austin via plane (tbc)

TITLE TRACKS
14. Feb. 2010 Brillobox - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15. Feb. 2010 South Park Tavern - Dayton, Ohio
16. Feb. 2010 The Pike Room - Pontiac, Michigan
18. Feb. 2010 The Hideout - Chicago, Illinois
19. Feb. 2010 Der Rathskellar at Wisconsin Union - Madison, Wisconsin
20. Feb. 2010 The Firebird - St. Louis, Missouri
21. Feb. 2010 Hi Tone Cafe - Memphis, Tennessee
23. Feb. 2010 Rubber Gloves - Denton, Texas
24. Feb. 2010 The Mohawk - Austin, Texas
26. Feb. 2010 Club Downunder @ FSU - Tallahassee, Florida
28. Feb. 2010 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia
01. Mrz. 2010 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
02. Mrz. 2010 Gallery 5 - Richmond, Virginia
03. Mrz. 2010 Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, Maryland
04. Mrz. 2010 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
05. Mrz. 2010 isThe Middle East (Upstairs) - Cambridge, Massachusetts
06. Mrz. 2010 Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY
07. Mrz. 2010 The Cake Shop - New York, NY
11. Mrz. 2010 The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists
12. Mrz. 2010 The Crofoot - Pontiac, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists
13. Mrz. 2010 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists
14. Mrz. 2010 High Noon Saloon - Madison, MN w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists
15. Mrz. 2010 First Avenue - Minneapoles, MI w/Ted Leo And The Pharmacists
16. Mrz. 2010 - 21. Mrz. 2010 SXSW

23. Mrz. 2010 Washington DC - Raleigh NC via Amtrak train

….who knows what's next…???

we had damn good hotels on this trip...

day 6 - JAN 23 Eagle Theatre, Pontiac, MI (240m) in time the first time

2010-01-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

I won't write about the shows anymore only if something interesting happened.

It's going colder every day and I'm really looking forward to go to Fargo, ND.

today somebody offered to play at the after show party. G and Mr. Lawless decided to go for and have fun at night. the rest of us decided to go to the hotel and take it easy. we handed them a little of the backline, left them behind and this is how it started:

a 'normal' night of a ™ … (all after show at the hotel)

2:00am - phonecall one: 'hey, we forgot to take the instrument cables with us. can you come back little quick? answer: 'yea, sure…'

3:00am - phonecall two: 'hey, we forgot the pedal board. can you bring it to us? answer: 'nope!'

6:30am - phonecall three to six or so: 'hey, we can't find the hotel, rulps… please help us… or so. answer: no answer because I didn't pick up the phone. (btw they had the address)

they came back at 8:30am or so. that means they over slept and we were running late again.

PLEASE HANDLE YOUR BUTT… ;-)

here is Mr. Gesetzlos point of view...

...so we played this club in pontiac, michigan, and this place is big, 3 stories above ground building, and huge basement below, complete with laundry facilities, showers, a little office with time clocks and punch cards, the real deal, catered meal, cooked in-house, real professional... and we play to a hype crowd of reeally cute kids, i signed some girl's breast, sold some cd's, etc... and this kid's jocking us, he pays two of us to come out to this art gallery in detroit and perform, so we do it, take a cab which the kid paid for, and we get to this afterparty, party a la nO2, and dudes are roaming around this place straight outta eyedrum, and they're speaking the same language, giant blue balloons in their hands... some cute girls with red cups, purses, and we set up, play some of the noisiest shit they've ever heard, lucky for them... it gets so bad at one point the kid who laced all this up realizes people don't know what to think, so he stops us and asks me to play a straight beat so he might rap over it, which is exactly the point we should have got the hell outta there cuz it turned into some 8 mile type shit, mc's jocking the mic, repping prefuse, repping ben lawless, detroit, et al... and we're supposed to be the backing band for this shit, and then actually trying to leave is a complete nightmare, the kid took like 3 hours to get us a cab back, granted he did pay for all of this, cab fares, and some cash for playing, and though we declined the blue treats offered, we did receive some party favors... an amazing cab ride back with a gentleman by the name of Wilford Hardy, who sang some chilling gospel numbers, keeping us company, i actually cried... but upon arriving at the Crown Plaza Hotel, everything goes awry. G is totally drugged, what we don't know, but all he can manage to do is stare at the fresh floral centerpiece arrangement in the middle of the lobby, talking to them, laughing, wavering, while i try to check us in but there's some confusion as to whose name the rooms are booked under, the hotel had silver sun pickups, but we're prefuse73 and gaslamp killer and voices voices, but finally after a small eternity of like 15 minutes, we realize our room is booked under my name, who knew? Mr. Hardy had loaded all the equipment into the lobby himself so i took both carts up to our floor, dropped 'em off, went back down fro G, but as soon as he has to move in any direction other than standing and weaving, he goes limp. we just make it to the elevator when he actually collapses, body in the elevator, legs in the lobby, i get him in, get us up to our floor, and literally drag him by under his arms to the room, get him in, up on the bed, he falls off between the bed and the wall, laughing hysterically, i get him back up, then i get all the shit in the room (i think) and decide that since i haven't eaten anything substantial in quite a while, i went downstairs for a little breakfast, eat some eggs and potatoes with jalapenos and onion, smoke a cigarette, and go back to the room for a little shut-eye... when i wake up the next morning, my bag is missing, so i search frantically, holding up the van, i can't find it! anywhere! it has my camera, flash drive, and my notebooks of music, words, lyrics, notes, stuff i had been working since i was thirteen! i know it was in the lobby, i must have dropped it taking all the shit upstairs... after like four or five trips back and forth from the room to the lobby, looking everywhere, it's gone!... i go back up and look one last time in the room and good thing i did, G's wallet was on the floor between the bed and the wall right where he had fallen the night before! saved his day. all was not lost. i smoked one last cigarette, left my information with the receptionist, got in the van and left Pontiac...

2010-01-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

day 5 - JAN 22 The Summit - Columbus, OH (330m)

It's bad when you'd plan to write a blog and you're hanging so far behind schedule. but I'll try to catch up. I can't really remember the drive but it was easy and smooth.

The Summit is a really cool place and it reminded me a little on many European D.I.Y. venues. good people, in house catering, cool punkrock bar next door.

the show was the show but something happened before and during the night. so, we had somebody really tired with us. It was funny on the end but we were running late again. no names but a short story.

I guess you heard before that sometimes on tour this groupie or one night stand thing is going on. but you should make sure that the following things are not happening:

- the women shouldn't be that drunk that she is throwing up the whole night before she is falling into sleep.

- at least you should be a gentleman and try to stop her from drinking her contacts by accident.

- finally, you should never give the drunken promotor your credit card to book you a separate hotel room because you have to find him somewhere in town the next morning to get the card back and that means you're running late for sound check again in Columbus.

day 4 - JAN 21 Soundlab - Buffalo, NY (460m)

2010-01-31T11:22:00.000-08:00

460m sounds far and trust me it is. I can't remember what exactly happened but we arrived late again and this is how it started.

I give the word to Will (Gaslamp Killer) lay back and enjoy…

...TBC...

day 3 - JAN 20 Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA (230m)

2010-01-31T11:12:00.000-08:00

hm, what can I tell. Ryan and me organized some stuff before the first drive. we picked up everyone what took us a while in NY and then we left NY. We had to fill up the van with diesel because it was almost empty and that took ages to find a gas station who has diesel. but finally we made it with the last drop…

230m doesn't sound that far but I took at some point close to Springfield (huh…) the wrong exit what means I had to take a 30m detour. but suddenly the traffic stopped for 2 hours because an accident. after all that we arrived at the first show f… late and everyone was quiet exhausted. VOICES VOICES arrived before us and played the show. we arrived exactly in time for Gaslamp Killer. he jumped on stage and played an amazing set. Prefuse 73 right afterwards and they also rocked the house. asap to the Hotel and sleeeeeeeeeep.

so, now you know exactly how touring is. exhausting and boring ;-)

I promise that this is the first and last time that I write something like that because it's exhausting and boring ;-) … see you tomorrow… in the Hell of Buffalo...

day 2 - JAN 19 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY (0m)

2010-01-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

... scrambled eggs and baked beans for breakfast, a lot of things to organize, a long and amazing day in NY, a f... great show at Musichall Of Williamsburg, 500 people went crazy. great people in Gaslamp Killer and Voices Voices, no jet lag at all :-) to less food during the day, half an hour basketball tv and a good deep dream less sleep again... that's it for today. I kiss you all if you don't mind.

day 1 OFF DAY in New York

2010-01-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hey there,

hope you're all doing well. I defn. do... my train ride was boring and relaxing at the same time. my flight was nice and I was drunk. thank you Lufthansa. 3 hours stocking in customs wasn't nice and fun and I also thought that my ex girlfriend is in the row of people with me. I guess it was a day dream or something like that. but when I finally went to the counter and left all of my finger prints and eye photos behind. the guy asked me one question: 'how long do you stay in the US?' and I said: '3 month.' and he yelled at me: 'WHY?'. ups, but I kept my cool and told him the truth. visiting friends traveling around and having a good time. he smiled at me an I took a cab to Ryan's house in Brooklyn.

here we go and it was a great hello. we chilled for a while, had two beers and then I enjoyed a basketball tv channel for an hour or so and felt into a deep dream less sleep...

2010-01-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

ha, I totally forgot to tell you where I go to and with who.

here you go:

PREFUSE 73 & VOICES VOICES & GASLAMP KILLER
JAN 19 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
JAN 20 Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA
JAN 21 Soundlab - Buffalo, NY
JAN 22 The Summit - Columbus, OH
JAN 23 Eagle Theatre, Pontiac, MI
JAN 24 Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
JAN 25 Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
JAN 26 The Aquarium, Fargo, ND
JAN 29 Nightlight Lounge, Bellingham WA
JAN 30 Nuemos, Seattle, WA
JAN 31 Holocene, Portland, OR
FEB 02 Slims, San Francisco, CA
FEB 03 Troubador, Los Angeles, CA
FEB 05 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
FEB 06 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO

FEB 07 Denver to Chicago via plane

TORTOISE
FEB 11 LOUISVILLE, KY / HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL
FEB 12 NASHVILLE, TN / EXIT IN
FEB 13 BIRMINGHAM, AL / BOTTLETREE
FEB 14 ATLANTA, GA / THE EARL
FEB 15 CARRBORO, NC / CAT'S CRADLE
FEB 16 WASHINGTON, DC / BLACK CAT
FEB 17 MILLVALE, PA / MR SMALLS THEATRE
FEB 18 TORONTO, ON / LEE'S PALACE
FEB 19 ANN ARBOR, MI / THE BLIND PIG
FEB 20 CHICAGO, IL / THE LINCOLN

FEB 24 Chicago to Austin via plane

TITLE TRACKS
21. Feb. 2010 Hi Tone Cafe - Memphis, Tennessee
23. Feb. 2010 Rubber Gloves - Denton, Texas
24. Feb. 2010 The Mohawk - Austin, Texas
26. Feb. 2010 Club Downunder @ FSU - Tallahassee, Florida
28. Feb. 2010 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia
01. Mrz. 2010 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
02. Mrz. 2010 Gallery 5 - Richmond, Virginia
03. Mrz. 2010 Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, Maryland
04. Mrz. 2010 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
05. Mrz. 2010 isThe Middle East (Upstairs) - Cambridge, Massachusetts
06. Mrz. 2010 tba - New York, NY
07. Mrz. 2010 tba - New York, NY

09. Mrz. 2010 Washington DC - Raleigh NC via Amtrak train

FIN FANG FOOM & THE MERCURY PROGRAM
11. Mrz. 2010 tba
12. Mrz. 2010 The Crowbar w/ The Mercury Program - Tampa, Florida
13. Mrz. 2010 Harvest of Hope Fest w/ The Mercury Program - St. Augustine, Florida
14. Mrz. 2010 tba Orlando, Florida
15. Mrz. 2010 tba West Palm Beach, Florida
16. Mrz. 2010 tba Miami, Florida
17. Mrz. 2010 Common Grounds w/ The Mercury Program Gainsville, Florida
18. Mrz. 2010 The Earl w/ The Mercury Program - ATLANTA, Georgia
19. Mrz. 2010 Local 506 w/ The Mercury Program - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
20. Mrz. 2010 Gallery 5 w/ The Mercury Program - Richmond, Virginia

2010-01-13T12:30:00.001-08:00

This is how it looks like here where I usually spent my off time, my fun time, my pain time. Huh, people call it sometimes Home, for a while. (ok, it looks like this only these days…) I guess you can imagine that I'm quiet exited to leave this shitty weather behind for a while. You should know that I'm traveling since basically 10 years non stop but still have an apartment. Hey, I'm not rich it's just really affordable. it's also my job to travel. To travel with bands and taking care of them. I don't want to go into details of my job. People call me a Tourmanager. I call myself… babysitter, bartender, social worker, hell driver, under payed seller, life artist, and so on and so on… when I started the job I really had itchy feed but after a while it turned into the total opposite. Today I'm just leaving 'home' because I love the feeling of being homesick and it's so wonderful to come home after a long long journey.

One last thing for the first entry. I'm sorry for my bad English and I'm not 100% sure if I do the whole Blog in English. I might switch here and there into German. Let's see…

the days before (-6)

2010-01-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

Jui, this is a little strange. My first blog. But it's not only me. It's also Michael aka MC HOP or so. But first it's just me because I have kind of a long journey ahead. Ok, first of all, this is how we look like. sometimes…and we started a project together called Storyteller. It's just a try to do the total media overkill. But more later. The only thing I want to say is Music / Stories / Movies and much more...