Is It Summertime Yet?

One thing that I’ve tried to do from time to time with this journal is show the ‘not so glamorous’ side of what we do.  That will continue with this story:

We were up in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota last week playing shows.  More specifically, we were staying in Superior, WI and had a show in Proctor, MN.  To get from one town to the other you have to cross one of two extremely long and very tall bridges across Lake Superior.  As I am not a huge fan of heights anyway, I do not enjoy going over these (or pretty much any) bridges (think about how bad it must be for me to cross the 7 Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys).  But it was so much worse last week.  The day we were scheduled to play it started snowing, and over the course of the afternoon and night there was more than a foot of snow that fell.  It was already snowing and windy on the way to the show, and on the way back after the show it had been snowing for hours and the bridge was incredibly slippery.  I remember thinking that with this much snow and the weather conditions being like they were, my home town would have shut down.  There would have been a ‘no travel advisory’, nothing open that night, etc.  But not here; it was just another night.  I couldn’t believe that anyone at all came out to our show.  Some people told us they even walked to the bar to come see us b/c they knew we’d still be playing, but didn’t want to drive there.   But anyway, the point I was making earlier was that driving over the bridge was terrifying.  But that wasn’t even the worst part of the evening.  Here’s pretty much the rundown of our night, all after the show was over.  First we got the van stuck in the parking lot at the bar.  The roads hadn’t really been plowed; there was no way the parking lot was cleared yet.  So yes, we got stuck; and had to get out and push.  We finally got out to the road and headed back to Superior where we were staying.  Yes, you guessed it, that’s when we had to cross back over the bridge.  But with my head down and lots of praying (no, I was not driving) we made it safely across and back into Wisconsin. 

I guess to tell the next part of this story I should describe our lodging situation, so the story actually makes sense.  We were staying at the band house owned by another club nearby.  They were kind enough to let us stay there for a few days.  The house doesn’t have a driveway or anything like that though; parking is in the alley behind the house.  I give you those details to tell you this: in our infinite wisdom (or lack thereof) we decided that we were going to be able to make it through the alley to the parking space.  Problem: the alley is on a slight incline.  Other problem: there’s a freaking foot of fresh unplowed snow in the alley.  We make the turn into the alley and got stuck within ten feet.  So, Kevin and I get out to push while Josh tries to maneuver the van from the driver’s seat.  Not having any luck whatsoever pushing the van up the incline into the alley, we decide to try to push it back into the street and turn it so we can possibly find some street parking.  So we got it pushed back into the street, just to get it stuck again as Josh was trying to turn the van.  Oh, by the way, it was 1 a.m. at this point; still snowing, and pretty cold.  Well, after a few more unsuccessful attempts at pushing the van out, I’m ready to just leave it in the road and call it a night.  If someone wants it moved badly enough, they’ll tow it.  I think we were all at a point that the tow charge would have been better than the suffering.  But just as we were about to give up, a few neighbors came out and helped us.  I guess maybe my continuous yelling of curse words woke them up or something, who knows.  But these two guys came out, and with their help we were able to get out of the road and back into the alley.  By this time Kevin and Josh had switched places and Kevin was steering while Josh was back with me pushing with the two neighbors.  So, as I was saying, we got the van out of the road and into the alley, and Kevin gunned it to get up the hill and toward the parking space.  But about 10 feet from the parking space the van went sideways and got stuck yet again.  So now we have a van almost sideways in some back alley, I’ve fallen in the snow too many times to count, Josh has somehow hurt his wrist, and I think Steve even fell once.  And each time Kevin tried to move the van from that position it just slid further sideways to where it was pretty much perpendicular to the alley and over in the deep drifts.  At this point I just say screw it. We are out of the road and at least in the alley.  We’re all cold and soaked from the continued snowfall (and from falling in it), as well as tired from pushing a van up a hill.  We decide to leave it there and call it a night.  We thank the two neighbors for their help and go into the house to warm up. 

End of the night, right?  NOPE.  We go inside, get out of our soaked clothes and are all sitting around the table catching our breaths and warming up when there is a knock on the door.  At 1:30ish in the morning.  A different neighbor is at the door telling us that the cops want us to know that we cannot leave our van there; that if it is blocking the alley it will be towed.  Are you kidding me?  TOW IT!!!  But no, Kevin, Josh and I get our wet clothes out of the dryer, put them back on, and head back out to try to get the van unstuck yet again.  With the help of the same two neighbor guys, we all take turns shoveling the snow around the van, and after about 45 more minutes of pushing and falling and lots of cussing, we finally get the van somewhat in the parking space. 

Worst night ever!  Now you know the ‘not so glamorous’ side of this lifestyle.  Oh, and by the way, we got stuck again the next day too.  And yes, I fell in the snow again.  Is it summer time yet?

Here’s another thing that happened the other night (thankfully a different night) that just really irked me.  We started off the show, and before the first song ended I broke a string.   Usually breaking a string isn’t a big deal, it happens.  What pissed me off so much is this: earlier that day I got the guitar out of the case to change the strings; it was about time for new ones.  But in a moment of laziness I looked at the strings, decided that they would hold up for one more show, and put the guitar back in the case.  And what happens?  The first flippin’ song I break a string.  Just my luck.  I spent the rest of that set fuming (at myself) and playing an electric guitar on songs that I normally play with the acoustic.  And while doing that is not all that different, there are changes in strumming pattern and a few other subtle differences.  It was just annoying.  And even worse it was all because I was lazy and didn’t want to do the prep work for the show.  Then I had to take the entire break to change all the strings on the acoustic guitar and get right back up on stage for the next set.  So, is there a lesson to be learned here?  Yes: don’t be lazy!  I had an adviser in college that taught us about the 6 P’s: “previous proper planning prevents poor performance”.  Remember that! 

Wow, just read all that back to myself and realized that this has been a really negative journal entry so far; time to think of something positive.  Well, it is still snowing and below 0 degrees outside.  Wait, that’s not positive.  I had the flu last week.  Nope, not positive either.  Damn!  Here IS the positive for me: I continue to receive amazing feedback from you all about our latest album “Back In Town”.  And that is the best thing I could really hope for right now.  It means so much to me that there are people out there that like and appreciate our music.  So thank you to everyone out there who has written a quick note to tell me that they have our CD in their car and listen to it all the time, or that they played the album for their friends and now those friends want a copy too.  And also to everyone who has taken a moment at a show to say they love this song or that song.  The support you all continue to give us is the positive for me.  When I break strings, or get stuck in the snow, or all the other negative things that can and do happen to us while out here on the road, the continued support and appreciation really is what keeps us going.  It keeps me motivated.  So if you like what we do, or are enjoying our new album, let us know.  We love to hear that our music is having an effect on you in some way.  And keep spreading the word.  Tell your friends about us; play our music for your co-workers; invite new people out to our shows. 

Well, next week we are back at home and I will have plenty of time for writing.  So prepare for a nice long ‘journal entry’ next week.  I have a few questions you have submitted that need answered.  Plus a couple of other things on my mind I’m already looking forward to writing about.  So if you have things you want to know about us, EMAIL me and ask them.  I will answer as much as I can. 

Like the other posts, I want to conclude this one with my usual shameless promoting:

Make sure you check out our FACEBOOK page, and be sure to ‘follow’ us on TWITTER.  Check out our website www.themichaeldband.com to see our schedule and find out when we’re going to be near you.  And don’t forget about our new album “Back In Town” on I-TUNES.  Lastly, below are more lyrics from another song off our new album. 

Thanks for reading and following us.

“Back In Town”

I met a couple of boys who love to make some noise and play the music that I like to do

So we took our band on the road a couple years ago just to see what we could get into

We headed north to Bismarck where after it gets dark they drink whiskey like it’s going out of style

And out in California man I should warn ya those girls know how to drive me wild

Yeah they get the party going everywhere so

I travel ‘cross the land with a guitar in my hand

This bottle never lets me down

But the road leads the way at the end of the day

So I’ll see you all when I get back in town

Yeah we love to raise some hell with them southern bells down in Georgia on the Forth of July

And out in Arizona ooh you should know they got the stuff that really gets me high

And we’ve  done shots off the bodies of them Key West hotties, no I didn’t even need the lime

And I still can’t remember that Friday night in Denver but they say it was a hell of a time

From the east to the west coast, Canada to Mexico

I travel ‘cross the land with a guitar in my hand

This bottle never lets me down

But the road leads the way at the end of the day

So I’ll see you all when I get back in town

I travel ‘cross the land with a guitar in my hand

This bottle never lets me down

But the road leads the way at the end of the day

So I’ll see you all when I get back in town

Yeah I’ll see you all when I get back in town

I Need My Comfy Sweats

I guess I’ll start with a few things from last weeks’ blog before I get to stuff for this week.  First a correction: apparently it is called ‘whippin’ shitties’, not ‘spinnin’ shitties’.  Several people corrected me on this.  My mistake; guess I heard it wrong.  Secondly, I was complaining about the word ‘blog’, and asking for a better term.  Someone said it is really just a journal anyway, so I should just call it a journal entry.  Which makes sense to me.  It is not the most flashy word, but it really does describe what I’m doing here; just journaling from the road.  Sounds better to me than ‘blogging’.  Wow, that word really does annoy me for some reason.  So I guess I will start calling these ‘journal entries’.  Okay, now that those things have been cleared up, on to new stuff. 

I thought it would be interesting to talk about what it is like to be sick out on the road.  I woke up with flu symptoms Monday morning: achy body, fever, scratchy throat, tons of congestion, and could barely talk.  I’m sure it was partly from such an intense weekend with not enough sleep – my immune system just shutting down on me.  It was a crazy weekend; traveling on Friday to the show, playing in Milwaukee on Friday night (which is always wild), tearing down Saturday morning and going to Madison, WI to set up and play the show (which was a blast), then tearing down Sunday morning, traveling to Savanna, IL and playing an afternoon show.  Even before our Sunday afternoon show started I was dragging from lack of sleep, but after that show I was just dead tired and ready to drop.  The Madison show was especially insane, and then getting up the next day for another show was apparently just too much.  Anyway, getting sick on the road is tough to deal with.  Lucky for me we had 3 days off for me to somewhat recover.  But sometimes we get sick and have a show that night, or even the next day.  What then?  Sometimes it is just feeling achy and having some congestion; but then adding the scratchy throat in the mix is the worst (well at least for me it is – it is ridiculously difficult to sing with a sore and raw throat).  But we’re expected to go on anyway.  We don’t really get to call in sick, especially if it’s a weekend show.  If the show must go on we just have to suck it up and go play.  There are a few tricks I’ve used to help get me through on those nights where I just have to sing with a sore throat.  I carry ‘meds’ with me in case: always have Claritin, Mucinex, a huge bag of cough drops, and a few other things.  The spray stuff that numbs your throat works occasionally.  And I always have salt with me so I can gargle with warm salt water.  It is nasty, but really helps.  And when all else fails: Blackberry Brandy!  Just kidding… kind of.  While it is awful trying to sing and perform while sick, I think the worst part is actually just not being home.  Think about when you’re sick, you just want to be in your bed, in comfortable sweats and having someone pamper and take care of you.  Unfortunately out here on the road that just isn’t an option: we’re a thousand miles from our own bed, no comfy sweats, and no significant other out here to take care of us.  So for me that is the worst part; just dealing with it all by myself.  But hey, that’s part of the deal I guess.  And at least this time I had a few recovery days before a show. 

I’m reading that part back to myself right now trying to determine if it made any sense, but in my still groggy state from this flu I have no idea if it is coherent or not.  Oh well, I’ll just move on to other things and forget it.  I think you get the idea anyway.  Maybe the rest of this ‘journal’ won’t make much sense either.  Guess I better proof read this one twice before sending it out. 

So, this weekend we had two extremely different types of shows.  In Madison we played the grand opening weekend for Red Rock Saloon.  It holds somewhere around 500 people, is close to the University of Wisconsin campus, and was just packed with younger people partying.  It felt a lot like a concert: lots of people jammed right up to the stage, screaming after every song, beer being slung everywhere.  For us those shows are amazing.  I love the atmosphere.  I love that we can get a crowd like that hyped up and basically control how their night is going to go.  And I am thankful that I have a band that is good enough to entertain a crowd like that; because I don’t think it is all that easy.  But it seems like in environments like that (lots of people crammed into a small place expecting to be entertained by the band) we do really well.  I don’t really worry about holding that crowd.  I know we are able to do it.  I hope that comes off as confident about the abilities of the guys in this band, not as me being conceited about it; because I really do think it is more about ‘us’ excelling than just me. 

But then we go to a place like Savanna, IL.  It is a small town.  The show is on a Sunday afternoon.  It is the exact opposite of the crowd we played to the night before: there is far less people, they are not jammed right up to the stage, they are not all partying hard.  It is different from our stand point too: it is in the afternoon instead of at night, we are in a small bar, there is not the excitement that comes from a weekend night show, etc.  But I must say I honestly enjoy playing there as much as I did in Madison the night before, just for completely different reasons.  And I think this is what makes the crowd in Savanna so cool for us.  They are just there to hear us play.  They come to a bar on a Sunday afternoon for the band.  They want to hear our music.  From the first time we played there, they have been appreciative of what we are doing.  They listen during the songs.  They clap after each song.  They know the music off of our albums.  They have our albums.  They have our shirts.  Hell, there was someone at our show this past Sunday that had on a shirt that we don’t even carry anymore.  That person has had that shirt for several years, and chose to wear it after all this time to show support for us.  And at the end of every show we’ve played there, they chant and stomp and request an encore.  It is a really genuine group of people there.  I am blown away sometimes.  So, from me, thank you to the people in Savanna that have been coming out on Sundays for the past few years to support our music.  We have noticed, and it is extremely appreciated.  And I guess what I’m saying here is that there’s not just one type of show that is my favorite.  Yes, I love huge party crowds that think we’re a bunch of rock stars.  But in a different way I also love those shows when people are just actually listening to my music and appreciating it for what it is. 

Well, I know this isn’t the longest ‘journal’ entry, but I’m still trying to get over this illness, and honestly just can’t think clearly enough to write too much more tonight.  I’ll do my best to make it up next week.  But I could really use some ideas; so what would you like to read about next week?  EMAIL me and let me know; maybe something really abstract.  Oh, and I almost forgot: I really enjoyed the comment that was posted on last week’s entry about ‘Stairway to Heaven’ being the greatest song of all time.  I’d really be interested in seeing the science that backs that up.  Tim, hopefully someday you and I can sit down and debate that when I get back to Nebraska.  I mean, it is a pretty damn good song; maybe not my favorite of all time, but still right up there among the legendary songs.  No one can deny that.  And I do love Led Zeppelin.

Well, as always, make sure you check out our FACEBOOK page, and be sure to ‘follow’ us on TWITTER.  Check out our website www.themichaeldband.com to see our schedule and find out when we’re going to be near you.  We hope you make it out to the show when we are close.  And don’t forget about our new album “Back In Town” on I-TUNES.  Lastly, as promised from a few weeks ago, below are more lyrics from another song off our new album. 

Hope everyone has a great week. 

“What They Say”

Some say I’m a rebel, I’m a gypsy, they don’t get me

Others say I’m a sinner, I don’t act right, I’m out all night

But girl if you get me beneath the full moon I can show you

Just how much fun I can be, if you want to take a ride with me

Climb on up in the front seat we’ll head down a back road

Slide over next to me and turn on the radio

Go ahead and crank it up you can let your hair down

Do what you wanna do there ain’t no one around

Come on baby, go crazy, then maybe

Honey you can see if it’s true, what they say about me

I bet you heard I was a smooth talkin’ whiskey drinkin’ don’t give a dang

I would run with the devil if I thought he could hang

That your mama is gonna hate me, so don’t date me

Yeah that’s right I’ve got an attitude, I like to kick back on the two track

So if you want to find out what I’m all about

Climb on up in the front seat we’ll head down a back road

Slide over next to me and turn on the radio

Go ahead and crank it up you can let your hair down

Do what you wanna do there ain’t no one around

Come on baby, go crazy, then maybe

Honey you can see if it’s true

What they say about me

So if you think you are ready come and ride with me yeah

Climb on up in the front seat we’ll head down a back road

Slide over next to me and turn on the radio

Go ahead and crank it up you can let your hair down

Do what you wanna do there ain’t no one around

Come on baby, go crazy, then maybe

Honey you can see if it’s true, what they say about me

What they say about me yeah

Back Home Again...

Well, it has been two weeks since I’ve posted anything, so as I’m sitting here at home I thought I should go ahead and type up another edition of this blog (btw, I really hate the word blog.  Can someone please come up with a better word for what I’m writing here?).  We were off all of last week and do not head back out on the road again until this Friday.  These writings are dedicated to what happens in our lives off stage, and I have taken that to mean while we were out on tour, but I was thinking yesterday maybe that should also mean what is going on while we’re off the road.  Maybe people don’t know what we do when we go home – trust me though, it is not that exciting (for me at least).  As a group, we spend so much time together during a tour that when we head home we don’t communicate very much; our time away from each other becomes pretty valuable.  But then also when we get back in the van after our time at home we always seem excited to see each other again too.  The point is, I don’t really know too much about what the other guys are doing with their down time.  But here’s my speculation: Kevin is probably building something; Josh is spending time with his kids; and Steve is filling in with some other local bands.  But for me… well, I don’t build things, I don’t have kids, and I don’t know the local bands where I live.  I guess I spend my time off the road differently.  Let’s see, here are some things about me when I’m home: I go to bed early – like 10pm early, which is sometimes when our shows are just starting.  I catch up on reading.  I read an entire book yesterday; it was awesome.  I eat much healthier foods: no McDonalds, no Wendy’s, no Denny’s.  I actually really enjoy healthy home cooked meals; asparagus, grilled chicken, vegetable soups, etc.  Okay, I did have a burger the other night, but anyone who knows what a GCB is understands that it is a perfectly acceptable excuse.   I also try to stay off the internet (in general) and our social media sites (in particular) as much as I can.  As necessary as it is for me to be ‘connected’ for our business and marketing, sometimes it is really nice to just be away from it all for a little while.  I think I’ve spent a total of 20 minutes on our FACEBOOK fan page since we’ve been home; and I don’t think I’ve touched our TWITTER page.  Oh well, I’ll catch up when we go back out.  Speaking of going out, that’s another thing I don’t do when I’m off the road.  I just like to stay home.  No bars, no parties, nothing.  I’m out in crowds so much when we tour, it is very relaxing for me to stay in when we’re off the road; to not have to deal with crowds, or just noise in general.  Like right now, it is so peaceful; the only sound is the clicking of my fingers hitting the keyboard as I type this. 

But as much as I love being home with my family and getting some much needed and deserved rest, part of me starts to miss the stage pretty quickly too.  I start to miss the rush from performing: the spotlight, the energy, the vibe.  Yes, when I’m home, part of me misses the road; and when I’m on the road, I definitely miss home. 

Wow, now I guess you know way too much about my time away from touring.  Maybe that was a little too much.  Oh well.  Hey, does anyone know what the term “spinning shitties” means?  I heard that phrase the other day and had no clue what it was.  Come to find out it means doing donuts with your car (btw, is it ‘donuts’ or ‘doughnuts’?)  Anyway, hearing that phrase made me wonder if you all know what ‘two trackin’ is.  In the song “What They Say” off our new album, there’s a line that says “I like to kick back on the two track”.  I got the term from my friend’s wife who is from Michigan and said they used to go two trackin’.  She was surprised that I didn’t know what it meant.  If you don’t know what it is, ask me the next time you see me at a show.  That way I’ll actually know someone is reading this. 

Here’s another random thought (or a bunch of random thoughts strung together): I was going through some old records the other day, and I kept catching myself saying, “wow, I love this band” or “this album is great” or “oh, this is like the greatest song of all time”.  After I finished sorting through the albums, I thought to myself: is there a greatest song of all time?  Which then made me think: what’s my favorite song of all time?  It is actually a pretty common question.  I used to say “Black” by Pearl Jam was my favorite song.  But I wonder, is it?  Or was I just saying that b/c I love Pearl Jam that much.  I mean, I do really really like that song.  It moves me.  But is it my favorite song ever?  Maybe it is more accurate (for me at least) to not have one favorite song, but a collection of a few songs that all are way up there for me.  Like how there is the ‘top albums of all time’ list, it would be the ‘top couple songs of all time according to Mike’ list. But then I wonder, what is it about a song that makes it one of your favorites ever?  Is it solely the lyrics? The way it makes you feel when you hear it?  Or do you associate it with a memory/different time in your distant past?  Or maybe a combination of those, plus other things I’m not even thinking about right now.  I don’t know.  I do know this though; songs that I really love are the ones that somehow make me think; either about what the artist is saying, or how it relates to me in that moment (or sometime in the past), or sometimes even just makes me feel at peace.  If anyone knows what makes a song so great that it is a ‘favorite of all time’, let me know so I can use that knowledge in my song writing.  Then maybe one day someone will tell me that one of my songs is their favorite song ever.  That would really blow me away.  Actually, I already know one person who thinks one of my songs is their favorite; but it is a song most of you have not ever heard (and probably will not ever hear). 

Oh, quickly going back to the ‘top songs of all time’ list thing: I had a friend one time back in college that made a CD version of a mix tape that he called “The Almost Perfect CD”, which had a bunch of great songs on it.  Every song was awesome.  It was almost perfect.  Well, it was almost perfect for our group of friends, at that time in our lives, in that setting.  I wonder if that ‘mix-CD’ would still be ‘almost perfect’ now.  Or was it just right for us back then.  Which brings me back to the original point: can there really be a favorite song of all time?  Or is it just a favorite song for a while?  I’m sure there is no right or wrong answer here, just opinions.   By the way, that was just by pure coincidence my second shout out to the same old friend in this week’s blog.  I wonder if he actually reads this stuff. 

Well, we’re heading back out on the road this weekend.  We play in Milwaukee, WI on Friday night, then head to Madison, WI on Saturday, performing for their grand opening weekend.  Plus Madison is a new town for us, which is always exciting for me.  Then Sunday we head down to Savanna, Illinois.  It should be a really fun weekend for us; Milwaukee is always a blast, we get a new venue, and the shows in Savanna are always great.  Plus, we’ll be promoting the new album in these towns, which is great for us too.  From there I think we head back up to Northern Wisconsin and even have a few shows in Minnesota.  If we are near you at any of these upcoming shows, come out and say hi (and pick up a copy of our new album!!!)

Alright, I think I have rambled on long enough for this week.  As always, make sure you check out our website www.themichaeldband.com, and be sure to ‘follow’ us on TWITTER and ‘like’ our FACEBOOK page.  And if there is anything you think I should write about on here, feel free to EMAIL us as well.  And if you haven’t already, make sure you go pick up our new album “Back In Town” on I-TUNES. 

Lastly, as promised, here are the lyrics to another song from the new album.  Thanks for reading.  See you at a show soon.

“THE MEMORY”

I remember holding you listening to Janis sing

about ‘Summertime’ and ‘hangin’ with Bobby McGee’

I remember spring time when that letter came

You got accepted and everything changed

But looking back I wouldn’t trade it for a million dollars ‘cause I’ve got more

I’ve got the memory of the way it was

I miss the past but we’ve both moved on

Its hard to understand when you’re 17

I lost the girl but I still got the memory

I remember late nights out on the back roads

Smoking cigarettes that we stole

I still think about that late summer day

Staring down at a stone with your name

I wish you’d never gone out that night, had those drinks, crossed that yellow line

But I’ve got the memory of the way it was

God knows I miss you  but I try to move on

I hope you’re up there looking down on me

I lost you brother but I still got the memory

And just because time moves so fast

Doesn’t mean we forget the past

I’ve got the memory of the way it was

I miss the past but we all keep moving on

As the years go by there is gonna be

Someone we lose but we’ll always have the memory

Yeah I’ve still got the memory