"Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown." - Anthony Bourdain
It’s Sarah’s Birthday. We had the weekend off and thought we’d head to Belgium.
Most of our time was spent wandering the streets of Gent and Brussels; my Rollie 35 hanging from my wrist and a spare roll of Ilford HP5 in my pocket.
“Now the work comes in every once in awhile, they pay ya pennies on the dime.” - “Gun” by Erik Koskinen
A pre-show walk with my buddy Erik and his band in minneapolis.
“Good things come to those who wait, but only the leftovers from those who are fast and bold” – My wife Sarah
It’s 10pm and I just got back in town from a run of shows. A buddy calls me up and tells me there’s a band playing tomorrow night that I should meet Their name is Wildermiss.
“I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone, on shore and when Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea[.] In “
- Ulysses
Flying to another country, only to play one night, is a whirlwind. Often, one’s glimpse of a city is only that which can be seen through a hotel window. So, we decided to stick around for a couple of extra nights as a band on this trip to Mexico: family diners, a desert show, and a short dance in the Pacific.
“It's so cold, it keeps the bad people out.”
- Prince in 1996 on why he lived in Minnesota
Over the past 18 years living in Minneapolis, I’ve spent my fair share of time in First Ave (We actually rented the whole building out to rehearse before and Asia tour with Owl City)
Funny enough, I’ve actually never played its side room “7th Street Entry” before tonight with Airlands.
"Our grandfathers were soldiers, so our fathers could be farmers, so we could be artists." ~ John Adams
My Grandfather passed away in January. It’s now July and the ground has finally thawed.
Dad and I stick around after the service to bury him ourselves. We smoke a cigar together, lit with Papa’s Zippo.
I miss sleeping with friends.
Tell me…
Is there another career, outside of music, that regularly involves slumber parties at 2 am in a hotel room?
Does a career in marketing ever include non-sexual pillow-talk with a co-worker? Lying in bed wondering how to fall asleep.
Do you just stop talking? Do you announce it and say, “Will… I think I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight!”?
For the curious, here’s how it works:
In music, the smaller the gig, the closer you are to your bedfellow.
Large tours, you’re getting your own hotel room. Mid-level, two to a room with your own bed. Grass-roots van touring, you’re pulling a “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” - sharing a bed and praying that you keep your sleeping hands to themselves.
Me: “André, I had the weirdest dream last night that I was visiting a petting zoo.”
André: “I know…”
And I’m not talking about sharing a king-size people! We’re talking, two men over 6’ sharing a double!
And it’s not just your close friends!
Seriously, I can’t think of any other job where, as a GROWN ADULT, you may meet a coworker for the first time and that night, you’re sharing a hotel room.
But one thing’s for sure, if you weren’t close before, you are after. For better or for worse.
It’s a closeness that only comes from learning someone’s most intimate sleeping habits and tendencies - and they learn yours.
Do they snore? Or does their nose just make a cute, quiet, little whistle as they sleep? Are they a side, back, or stomach sleeper? Do they like falling asleep watching tv? How many times do they hit the snooze button before getting out of bed? How fast, after waking up, do they take their morning poop? Are they organized, or is their suitcase a micro-bomb that goes off at the end of each day?
I know the answer to every one of these questions about every one of my friends I’ve toured with.
And I tell ya what. After this past year…
I kinda miss it.
