Rot Your Brain

So I've packed it in, saddled up and crammed all of my nonsense into a new (and much smaller) suitcase. I haven't had much of a break, and it seems like it's been full on for the last year. I feel oddly rejuvenated at the moment. Maybe it's the approaching summer, the new work or a proper alignment of planets, but I hope it lasts.
















And a good morning to you too.























I flew up to Seattle a few weeks back to start this new tour. I've done this once before, starting a new tour with a new band at this strange, beautiful outpost in the middle of nowhere. It's an odd introduction, for sure. The days are always long, and often plagued by weather-related calamity at that festival, but the shows are nothing if not memorable. And at least it's something to look at.















I think I won this year though, and bested the elements, my own nerves and I'd like to think The Kings of Leon as well, who were on just after us. It was good to catch up with some old pals who seem to have been scattered around the world lately. It's kind of like getting the band back together, only without the instruments.






















After Seattle we flew to Chicago for a few days off. Of all the places I've been in the past year, I think I've spent more time in Seattle and Chicago than anywhere else.















I could think of worse places to be, though also sunnier and warmer spots too.

















A few of us wandered out on a rainy day, and headed over to The Field Museum. It was good times with lots of stuffed dead things, some bullshit about pirates and a psychedelic nightmare chamber that Jesse seemed to have some sort of profound connection with. Strange, really.















Or not, seeing as he had just previously burst forth from the cocoon of a giant larvae.

















If nothing else I think that we all learned 3 valuable lessons:

















































And so began one of the most physically demanding, time consuming, frustrating, yet totally gratifying tours that I've done in a while. The good outweighed the bad. The small, sweaty clubs that were a disaster to work in turned out to be some of the best shows. So it goes.















And then it was mostly just a blur after the start of it. I know we tore through the midwest with little time to sit down much less take pictures or wax philosophical on the state of a modern rock tour. The days were pretty long, and I slept hard at night.















It was show after show...






















Party after party....

















Most often days off were spent recuperating, and not really socializing, which was just fine.
After a week I think I came to in Milwaukee to someone lighting the fuse in a parking lot.















Bottle up and explode.