I do what I can do, when I can do it.

From January til September I was on tour. I've been all over the world and back. Today while I was trying to write some new songs for our new CD I began to reminisce about where I've been. I can't wait to get back out there. Here are just a few videos I found on Youtube.

This first one is from Sofia, Bulgaria. I had never really been to Eastern Europe before and I must say it was very exciting. While our intro was playing I felt a little nervous and as I walked out and saw 400 kids packed in I just knew it would be crazy. From beginning to end the set was pretty wild.



Later on in the tour, we would find ourselves going to Belarus. We were supposed to play 2 shows. The first one was supposed to be in a city called Brest (haha). Anyway, I remember waking up and people had already started loading in the gear upstairs to the club. As soon as everything was up there, we had to bring everything right back down. The show couldn't be held there due to skinheads threatening to shut it down somehow. I'm not really clear on the exact details. So we loaded everything back down and into the trailer. The show had already been moved twice so far. We had one other option and it was a small place in the middle of a park in Brest. We get there and can't bring the bus all the way in so we had to load the equipment through the park and up more stairs into this new club. While we were setting up, everyone who wanted to see the show were pouring into the park waiting outside for the show to start. There were probably about 250 kids waiting outside. The owner of the club decides after a while to pull the plug. Again?! Fuck. Well that was our last shot and we loaded everything back down the stairs and back to the bus. While this was happening, we took pictures, signed CDs, signed posters, etc. We hung out with the kids who never get to see hardcore/punk shows. Even though there was no show, it was quite an experience and I was really excited to just hang out and answer these kids' questions and let them know how much we appreciated them being there to see our tour.

After a while, we packed up and were headed to Minsk, Belarus. We were assured there would be no problems with this show. We get to the club and do our usual. Once doors opened, kids were pouring into the show and I couldn't wait to play. From the time our intro started til the end of the set it was just mayhem. Stagedives, singalongs, kids packed up front, circle pits. It was a hardcore show. To come all this way across the globe and have these kids go off is the best feeling in the world. Some bands I'm sure take that for granted but I never will. This next video is a song from that show.



It's crazy to think I get to see the world because I'm in a band. Most "normal" people working their 9-5 job could only dream of doing it. I get to because I play guitar in a hardcore band. How messed up is that? I thank everyone that allows me to be able to do this. If I wasn't doing this, there's no telling what I'd be doing with my life. Anyway, this next video is from our recent tour with Terror, Trapped Under Ice, Warriors and CDC. It was shot @ the Chain Reaction in Anaheim. I love playing there, I love playing California. I can't wait to go back. It was the last night of the tour after 2 months but only felt like 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone on that tour and everyone that came out. That night in particular will always be burned into my mind.

I've been gone a long time...

For the last 4 years, my life has been spent mostly on the road. I live in the back seat of a Chevrolet 3500 express van. I live in hotels across the country. I live in hostels in Europe, sometimes a bus. All my life I've lived all over the world since I was a military brat so I'm used to it. It's been a long time since I've had anywhere to call my "home".

I arrived at my house in Allston at around midnight on September 18th about 3 weeks ago. I will not be leaving Boston for an extended period of time until the end of January. I'm pretty sure this is the longest break I have ever had while being in Death Before Dishonor. For 2008, we've been going nonstop pretty much since the beginning. We did the east coast with Sick of it All, Madball and Wisdom in Chains. Shortly after that we played shows on our way out to the west coast. We were in Mexico for a little while. The band went to Australia without me because I like to get weird diseases at the worst times. Right after that we went to Europe for 2 months with Ignite and Burn the 8 Track. We were home for maybe 2 weeks and went right back to Europe to play some of the biggest festivals overseas. We got home from that and were home for a day and a half and immediately drove to the midwest to meet up with Terror, The Warriors, CDC and Trapped Under Ice for another 2 month tour.

Since I've been home I took a week off to just relax at home and have some time to myself. I spent the next 2 weeks looking for a job. After replying to countless Craig's List postings I found myself having an interview at the Newbury Comics Warehouse and at a Valet company. After playing phonetag with Newbury I decided to go with the Valet. I have my first training session on Tuesday. As it gets closer and closer I feel like ditching it but I just can't.

Usually after about 2-3 weeks of being at home, I'm itchin' to get back out on the road. Not this time. While I love being out, it's good to just be able to relax. Now that I'm home though, there's a little thing called responsibility that keeps haunting me that is never around when I'm on tour. It's been about 2 years since I've had an actual job. The last job I had, I worked for this place I had always worked at on and off making pizzas.

I don't really know the point of this post but I was really bored and hadn't updated in a long time. I was also reminded of it because Billy Madison was on Encore today and I watched it and if you don't realize where my blog name comes from, well then I don't know what to say.