Hard Highway

When one story ends, another begins

2014-01-22T13:44:00.001-05:00

What's that title all about? Well you may have noticed that I'm no longer on the road with Pop Evil, but you may not know where I went. (I'm assuming this question has been burning in the back of your mind for some time now...)

I parted ways with the road last may in order to focus on other aspects of my life. I'm getting back to the basics as they say, finishing college and redeveloping my photographic interests that I set aside so many years ago.

If you would still like to follow my story, head on over to my NEW blog at http://theDrewStory.blogspot.com where I will tell stories from my past, plans and visions of my future and a whole lot of pictures encompassing everything in between.

DON'T MISS OUT!!

http://theDrewStory.blogspot.com

Inner thoughts to start the day.

2013-02-12T11:52:00.001-05:00

Woke up at 9:30 this morning, I ate a couple of cherry pop tarts and brewed a pot of Kona. Delicious! I stumbled across the intro video I made for the "Lipstick on the Mirror" cd release party back in 2008. It seems like that was forever ago. There was definitely a different mindset in the air in those days. I've come a long way with my editing since then, I think at that time I just got lucky a lot. Still, there was an excitement I used to feel when putting those videos together. I think the vastly increased lag-time I have to suffer through since the move to HD is partially responsible for the loss of that. Maybe I'm feeling like I've done it all, or at least I've somehow caged in my creativity, so that it's not free to run wild anymore. When did doing what I love become a hassle?
For today, I'm hoping to find some inspiration in this cup of coffee, and will continue to press on. Can't wait to find out what today will bring!

Time to be Thankful

2012-11-20T18:49:00.002-05:00

I am a flawed person.
I spend a lot of time observing while standing at the merch table, and I see a great variety of people from many walks of life. I see happy people, angry people, jealous people, sad people, and I thought I had people figured out, but I've been metaphorically looking in the mirror a lot lately, and I've realized that a lot of the problems I thought I saw in society are in fact shortcomings of my own personality. I've always been stuck inside my head, alone with my thoughts, suspicions, ideas and fears, and I feel offended when others don't immediately recognize that it can be a struggle for me just to make it through the day. It's very easy to pass judgement on each other based solely on outward appearance and those quick interactions that take place between us during every day life. I find myself getting so wrapped up in my own life that I become completely oblivious to those around me, forgetting that each and every person I happen to pass by has their own world of troubles, adventures, excitements and heartbreaks.

I understand.
It is important to remember that these quick judgements and assumptions that I can make are based only on the small fraction of a person's world that they chose to let others in on. Concentrating on that for a minute, I apply the same formula to myself and come to the conclusion that I can have a great deal of jealousy, mistrust, or false perspective towards someone only because that person may be reacting to a specific mood that I've presented them with. When I think about it that way, I understand that I'm not so different from everyone else and it inspires me to be more outgoing, more understanding and more considerate.

I'm thankful.
This year will be the first Thanksgiving that I've been able to spend with my family since 2007. If being away from that for 5 years has taught me anything, it's this: Things will change, but not always the way I expect them to. What was important to me back then is not necessarily relevant in my life today. Taking that realization into account, I can see more clearly what is truly important to me and what I don't need to trouble myself with. I'm thankful for family and friends who have always been there for me. I'm thankful to live in a country where I am free to make my own mistakes and learn from them. I'm thankful for forgiveness. I'm thankful for all of you who read this and believe in what we do, and I'm thankful for a certain group of guys who make this blog possible through their talents and choices in life. We're all a team, and it is important to work together to overcome disagreements, remembering that it's ok to have a different opinion from those around you, and instead of stepping on the dreams of one another in order to reach our own, we can lift each other up and achieve things greater than any one of us could imagine on our own.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I look forward to seeing you all in the coming months and years!

Valemont, BC

2012-11-02T18:17:00.001-04:00

Today is a monumental day! We've stopped in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I can finally say that I've found a spot outside of Michigan that I think I could handle living in!
We're on the road from Edmonton, AB, to Vancouver, BC, and we fried a wheel bearing in the trailer. It just so happens that there was a little repair shop that was able to get us all fixed up and on our way.
While at the shop, Chachi and I took a short hike down the road to this AMAZING little Swiss bakery and I had the best double espresso of my life. Thank you kind-hearted Swiss bakery owner!!
I would give anything for a snowboard right about now. These mountains are calling out to me!
How did everyone's Halloween go? We spent the night in Edmonton, at the wold's largest mall, or so they say. There was a gigiantic waterpark inside, and ice skating rink, an amusement park, an aquarium with sea lions and penguins and more! The selection of stores and the food court could have been a little better, I feel, but whatevs...
Vancouver is the final stop of this tour, then after we head back to the States for a show in Spokane, WA, then we're dropping the guys off at the airport for the very first visit to Europe!
Things are starting to wind down for the end of the year, a lot of writing and scheduling out studio time is in the works. We're very excited to get a new album out! Believe me, it will be awesome!

Welp, I'm going to coach Chachi int he creation of a new blog! Stay tuned!
Happy November, and be safe out there, y'all!

That Orangey Time of Year

2012-10-04T16:12:00.002-04:00

How busy have I been?? Let me tell you!
Crazy busy!
Since my last post, we've crossed the country a couple more times with 5 Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Emmure, God Forbid and Battlecross. Yet another great tour in the books! We were a little nervous going into it, not knowing what to expect as it was a bit heavier of a scene than we were used to. But contrary to our fears, both the crowds as well as the other bands really embraced us and we were sad to part ways. Night after night of arena shows and shenanigans and memories made and some really cool video that you all will get to see soon!
Which brings me to my next topic. Purple. As the 4th and final single from War of Angels, we decided to take a look back at the trip at some of our favorite unseen footage in such a way as to tell the story of our journey throughout the album cycle. After slaving away for weeks and weeks, I'm proud to say that the video was finalized yesterday and now the distribution process begins!
If you've been to a show in the last few months, you may have noticed someone other than myself at the merch table. Our newest partner in crime, the lovely Miss Koolaid Chocolate, or "KC" as she is commonly known from exotic Dallas, TX, joined us back in July, adding another facet to our already unique crew. Sadly, she has returned home during our downtime and we miss her dearly! But what can ya do during time off?
Upcoming now in the Autumn months, we're going to head to the great territory to the north on our very first Cross-Canadian tour with Black Label Society! I'm looking forward to Halloween in Edmonton! I'm still working on costume ideas, even though it was my goal to start planning in April. That seems to be my plan every single year, yet it never happens. Oh well, I best get busy! Only 3 weeks to go!!
The smell of burning wood was in the air last night, added to the stunning kaleidoscope of fall colors in the midwestern woodlands always brings a sense of warm coziness in the cool breezy evenings, and it's a sign that hot cocoa season is upon us! I've got to dig out my ginormous box of swiss miss and get to work! FOOTBALL TIME!!!

Keyboard for my iPhone!

2012-07-17T17:57:00.001-04:00

I've always hated typing on the on-screen-keyboard on the iPhone. The buttons are so tiny and there isn't any tactile response as to when you've successfully entered a keystroke.
That is the reasoning behind this wonderful bluetooth keyboard!
In other news, today is our first day on the Trespass America Festival, and so far everything is awesome! There is a ton of new faces that I'm going to have a hard time remembering at least for the first couple weeks. I have the All-American tour shirts in finally! They look great! I'm super excited for this tour! Be on the lookout for new videos and shenanigans coming VERY SOON! Trust me this time!
Stay tuned for more!!

Burger ... Krazy?

2012-06-22T01:08:00.001-04:00

So either this Burger King has some immensely huge issues, or they were just screwing with me.

I pull up to the drive through and the speaker is just intermittent static, so I wait like 30 seconds and it continued, so I ordered 2 double cheeseburgers and it popped up on the screen. I said "yeah" and drove around. The girl was having a full-on conversation with the guy behind me. She sniffs around herself for a few seconds before asking me if I smell something burning. I tell her that I did not, so she walks away and mutters "Man, I am tripping balls!" Then I got a free pulled pork sandwich.

Spring? II

2012-03-08T11:19:00.002-05:00

So I feel a little bit early, but the bus is scaring me, so I'm sitting in the trailer scanning merch forms and I thought "Hey! Why don't I continue that blog post from earlier today?" So here I am, Listening to Pennywise and typing up a storm in the trailer.
So we wound up December with some shows around home right before Christmas, and then New Year's in Madison, WI.
After all those shows and miles in between, our trailer had taken quite a beating. We spent the majority of January at home measuring some new on-stage gear and playing some garage Tetris trying to figure out exactly how everything would fit in. After we got those measurements, we took a few trips to Lowe's and bought a lot of wood and screws. I now have a floor to ceiling shelving unit custom built by your's truly to hold all of my tshirt boxes and cables and such, while Bobo and Blinker have more floor space that they can take up with all their large rolling boxes.
With that all done, we set out for a 10-show mini tour with Lansdowne through VA, WV, OH and so on, where we had the worst bus of our relatively young careers. It seemed that almost every single day something was broken with it. Hell, the night it came into town to pick us up, the batteries died and I had to jump start it with my truck. On our way to show number 7, the engine felt that it was a good time to die and threw a rod through the block at about 7am. The rest of that morning was filled with finding a rental van and a haul truck and then driving the two 4 hours through the mountains to get to Lynchburg, VA. Luckily after driving back to the bus the next morning, there was a shiny new one there waiting to carry us swiftly away from certain death.
That brings us up to the present, touring with Otherwise, Man Made Machine and Lansdowne. MMM left us a couple days ago, and they will be missed. Hopefully we run into them again soon.
Any of you out there thinking about coming to one of the upcoming shows, stop thinking, just be there. It is definitely a great bill and you won't be disappointed!
Ok the batteries are dying, I've got to pack up, but hey! I'm gonna post this one in the morning, so the timing will feel a bit off, but just go with it. ;)

Spring?

2012-03-07T19:13:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, everyone, I can't seem to keep up with this silly thing! Now that we're in a running bus and steadily on the road, I think I'll have more time to get it done. The same goes for tour videos! I've got #18 in the works, but I can't seem to finish it to my liking. Maybe I'm getting too picky. What do you guys want to see in it?? I'm trying to get more of our behind-the-scenes type of stuff in there, but Chachi has been covering most of that in his daily videos. Should I put some of that in mine to have like a re-cap of the highlights? I feel like I have a lot of questions, tonight.
So tonight we're in Toledo, OH. The weather has been very warm and sunny for us for the last week or two, it feels like we didn't even have a winter. I can't believe it's March, already! I guess I should go back to October and fill you in on things.
We were touring with Theory of a Deadman and 3 Doors Down and it was almost Halloween. Right? The rest of the tour, every show was packed and we became great friends with 3 Doors Down. We all really look forward to seeing them and hopefully touring with them again at some point!
We'll be touring with Theory of a Deadman again starting in April, we're all looking forward to causing some mayhem with those boys again! If we're coming to your town, you had better be there! Remember to check out our TOUR DATES page on Facebook!
After 3DD, we played some dates with Puddle of Mudd and Lansdowne as far west as Missoula, MT, the others went further, all the way to Washington I think, but we were back home for a few days and then picked back up with them in Iowa.
I feel like I shouldn't do this, but I will have to continue this tomorrow, hopefully, because I have to go inside and sell some stuff! But don't worry, there's lots more to share! Don't miss out!

To Be Continued...

Halloweeeeeeeen!

2011-10-30T17:17:00.000-04:00

Well it's October 30th, 2 days off in a row and we're driving from Corpus Christi, TX, to Rockford, IL. Matt, Chachi and Tony flew to Chicago this morning for a little visit to the studio, it seems like we just can't get away from that place! For some reason, the Lions game is blacked out on our TV, which sucks, but it's whatev..
I finished shopping for pieces to my Halloween costume earlier today, not sure what we're going to be doing tomorrow night, but I felt that I needed to make one for tradition's sake.
We drove through our first snowstorm of the year a few nights ago and had a show cancelled because of it. We were driving to Denver, CO, with Theory of a Deadman and we both got stuck in a McDonald's parking lot somewhere in Wyoming due to the roads being closed down. It was cold. Only 3 days later, we were in Corpus Christi, TX, and it was sunny and warm! The weather can change so quickly from one part of the country to the next.
There will be a new tour video featuring the song "Purple" posted very soon! Stay tuned for that, it's really good! (I know, I made it...)
It's been so long since I've blogged that I barely know what to talk about! This last month with 3 Doors Down and Theory of a Deadman have been a lot of fun! There are always smiling faces backstage and people riding by on longboards and scooters and what have you. It's a very friendly atmosphere on this tour, you can never be too sure who will be lurking around the next corner!
In 5 days, we'll be in Grand Rapids, MI, our hometown, but just for a day, and just for a show. It's gonna be a weird visit, for sure, but that's the life of touring, I guess.
We have these sweet rugs in the bus! I am not a fan of hardwood or tile floors in living spaces. They're just so hard and cold. Carpet is a much better feeling when you dig your bare toes into it first thing in the morning, or afternoon, whenever I happen to get out of bed. Shoes suck, and I'm going to be stuck in them for the next 5 months. Ugh, that's the worst part of winter! I can't wait to get out snowboarding, though.
OO! Matt is giving away one of his basses! How sweet is that? I made up some flyers to hang around the merch table for it and I even put those little 2D barcodes on them that you can scan with your smartphone and they take you right to the sign-up page for it! CLICK HERE! to enter!
I want to watch a movie, see y'all soon!

Does that shirt come any bigger?

2011-09-15T13:13:00.000-04:00

Now I don't know how well most of you know this, but there are some small people in bands. This one specifically, most of us wear size small or medium shirts, with the rare exception of a large. 80% of the guys on this bus are small or medium, and yet when we get promo tshirts, (radio, sponsor, random giveaway) they're always large or xlarge. Come on now, tshirt people, if you really want us to wear this stuff, ya gotta get it in sizes that fit us! Otherwise, they'll either be regifted, thrown away or used as rags. If you would like me to hold one of these outcast shirts for you, I accept PayPal donations to PopEvilDrew@gmail.com, which goes into my "New Laptop Fund" so that I can bring you more exciting videos from the road quicker than ever without having to fight everyone else for computer-time!
Ok, my shameless self-promotion is over, and back to what's happening!
If you're a Baltimore Ravens fan and haven't seen this video yet, go HERE right now! And don't worry about my focus points, that's all part of the production process. It's a creativity thing... ;)
If you're not a Ravens fan, sorry, your team didn't ask us to play their kickoff party. :(
On a related note, if you're a Michigan Wolverines fan, go HERE right now and check out our song "In the Big House!"
So I've felt that the last few posts have been a little thin and dry when it comes to actual things going on, so I'll try to remedy that in this one.
First of all, of you are one of those who has brought us food in some form any time at all, but I'm mostly thinking this month just because it's the most fresh in my memory, THANK YOU!!!! It's very much appreciated, and you've made all of us very happy and brought us a little closer to home.
I have a green plastic baseball bat for sale at merch right now for $20, and I realize some may ask
"why the hell are you selling that??" Well the answer is simple: Chachi was running around hitting everyone with it on and off the bus for about a week, and finally Chris got sick of his shenannigans and made everyone sign it and told me to sell it. That got me thinking, how many of you would interested in random nik-naks from our travels along the road if they came with signed pictures indicating authenticity of said object? I can't guarantee that it will happen, but I've been tossing the idea around along with the idea of making jewelry from used guitar strings and picks.
It's raining in Jersey, today, I've been up since 9:30am, and it's definitely the kind of morning that lasts all afternoon, as John Mayer would say. Load in is going to start in a little while, and I'm definitely not looking forward to pushing heavy, rolling equipment up and down wooden ramps in the rain, but that just makes things interesting, right? I'll let you know if anything bad happens.
How many of you are sitting at work right now wishing it was the weekend so you could be out and about doing whatever it is that you like to do when you're not working? I can't say I feel exactly the same, but I'd definitely like to be out in the woods in a big truck splashing through the mud right now!
I'm really a dirty and crazy country boy at heart. Give me a big muddy truck, a tent, a campfire and maybe some hotdogs and a frosty brew and I'll be a happy man.
Tour News:
We've had 2 shows so far on this tour with Kyng and Finding Clyde, Egypt Central joins in tonight at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, and if you're nearby, I definitely recommend that you come out, because... well... because I'll be there and so you should come visit me at the merch table and pick up a copy of WAR OF ANGELS!
We've really been looking forward to this tour, and if you remember wayyyyy back to when I first started this blog 3 years ago, Egypt Central was the first national band that we ever toured with, and they've been great friends ever since. You'll definitely see things on this tour that won't happen anywhere else, and that's a promise!
Finally, I noticed over the weekend while we were enjoying a day off at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, a lot of you do not like Krispy Kreme. What's up with that? It's so delicious, and light and fluffy and amazing! I've had a lot of donuts in my day from places like Dunkin Donuts, Tim Horton's, Voodoo Donuts and numerous small, local eateries and bakeries, but my favorite still and by far is Brownwood up in Northern Michigan where I grew up. We used to get bags of fresh dounts before work, and the bags would get all grease-stained and the donuts were warm and delicious. Yummm, I'm starving! But anyway, I think Krispy Kreme takes second place, so to all you haters, you're missing out!
Ok, my battery is in the red, I gotta go. Questions, comments, concerns? Leave me a message here, on Facebook or Twitter! See ya!

The Milky Way and Oreos

2011-09-08T03:18:00.000-04:00

I don't get to look up at the sky very often and see what's really up there, anymore. In most places we're at these days, there are too many street lights and other types of light polution that block space out in a dull, orangey haze. It's really too bad, because the stars are beautiful. I hope that someday we'll be able to travel to distant planets and moons and return to Earth within a lifetime, maybe even fast enough for weekend vacations! How cool would that be??
For now, I guess I'll have to stick to terrestrial tourist destinations, and there's a lot of them that I haven't seen yet.
So I know I kinda lied back when I said I'd write a new blog and then didn't for a week and a half, but I'm getting it out now, and I guess now I have another week's worth of stuff to write about! (I'll probably just end up rambling about myself, though.)
We're nearing the end of a long and uneventful drive right now going from Grand Rapids to Baltimore, after a nice little collection of weekend shows near home. I had to skip out on one of those shows, last Saturday in Rockford, IL. My cousin got married up near Traverse City, MI, so I had to go do the family thing and support. It was a great outdoor-ceremony and the weather went from hot, humid and cloudy, to cold and slightly rainy throughout the day, but the party went on, anyway. There was beer brewed specifically for the occasion by the groom, himself, lots of champagne and other assorted liquors floating in the river, staying cold, and some amazing pork that had been smoked right in the driveway.
This box (or bag? I'm not really sure what those packages are classified as,) of Oreos is staring at me from the table, taunting me, willing me to eat them, but I don't have any milk to go with them. What a cruel situation this is. I can outlast you, Oreos! You will not defeat me, my will is strong!
I'm loving the weather, lately! Not the crazy stormy catastrophe weather that's causing all kinds of chaos, but the mild, slowly cooling weather in the midwest. The temperature is in the 50's, clouds are moving quickly across the sky and the sun is moving south. Soon, the leaves will change and football will be in full effect, and Hoodies will become common again. (Hint hint...)
We stopped somewhere in eastern Ohio today, for a little pre-tour dinner. Outback Steakhouse treated us very well, and I went against my norm and ordered the grilled chicken and vegitables. The chicken was ridiculously juicy and delicious, I'll definitely get it again!
Coming up this week and next, we'll be in Baltimore, MD, Syracuse, NY, Uncasville, CT, Albany, NY, West Chester, PA, Clifton, NJ, Jacksonville, NC, and Charleston, SC. I'm hoping the cool, calm weather follows us for most of the shows! I just got my slippers and pajama pants out of storage for the winter months.
Oh, I got my hair done again, yesterday. It's back to black and red, and I hope it stays in for a long time!
A Wii made it back on to the bus, this morning. Mario Kart has once again taken over the back lounge, and I can't imagine it will be too long before the trophy makes its way back into the bunk room. I swear we have the most intense video game competitions on this bus out of all touring musicians in any genre. I obviously can't state that as fact, but it could be. I wonder if there's a way to find that out...
Sounds like I'm running out of steam here, so I'll just end it at that. See ya soon!

The Black Hills and Four Forefathers

2011-08-05T21:39:00.000-04:00

[I had this whole nice blog typed out, and when I went to go get the video link, for some reason it logged me out and when I posted it, everything was erased! GAH! At least part of it was saved up until the TV link]
Looking out the window of the bus right now, I see some campers and what looks like a pole barn with the word "BUFF" on it. If I lean to my left, I can see that it actually says "BUFFALO CHIP," but I think I'll stick with my first glance because it makes me giggle.
Unfortunately for someone on the way in, we saw a bike in minor shambles, looking like it had been laid down on some gravelly pavement. Ouch! I send my condolences to whom ever that may be.
This morning we stopped at Mount Rushmore, a place I've wanted to visit since first hearing about it at a young age, when ever that was. Although there were some mixed feelings about the size of the monument from the driver's seat, I was definitely in awe of such a huge accomplishment, as well as the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. I definitely hope at some point we will be able to stop back for a longer period of time and get to go hiking on the trails all around.
For those who haven't seen it yet, go check out my new tour video (#16) right now, and then come back and finish reading.
Back? Okay, good!
Word on the street is that it's getting a little chilly outside, and I think I may have to dig out one of my hoodies or jackets for an evening stroll. I might even put on shoes! Oh my! Last I heard, it was 67 and dropping.
So yesterday we were lucky enough to be invited out on a boat in Minnesota, and it was a beautiful day to be out. I lost a pair of cheap sunglasses somewhere in the murky abyss, and with the help of some goggles and our nifty little waterproof GoPro Hero camera, I spend many minutes scouring the bottom for them. I was unsuccessful, unless you count the many beer cans and Sony Xplod receiver faceplate that I came up with. I like to think of them as bonus items. If you lost that faceplate in whatever lake it was that we were in, I'm sorry, but it probably doesn't work anymore.
Soon after, we were engulfed by a school of ravenous sunfish, nibbling at our toes and hopelessly staring us down (or up, as physics require.) I've got some nifty video of that too, although not quite Discovery Channel quality, I like to think it's pretty good considering what I had to work with.
After a few hours of floating, sinking and burning, we cruised over to Lord Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge for some dinner. I gingerly enjoyed a burger while my coarse tshirt rubbed against my sunkissed flesh, then it was back to the bus for me to finish the releasing process of previously mentioned TV16.
Alrighty, the great outdoors is calling my name, so I must wander. Have a great weekend, everyone! Catch ya on the flipside.

(Over-used cliche saying about Band Camp)

2011-07-31T22:42:00.000-04:00

Two days off in a row. That's what we get, and for once, we're not spending the entire time driving a ridiculously long distance between shows! It's good to be parked in one comfortable place for a day, and tomorrow the plan is golf! If you're new to Pop Evil, yes, we are avid golfers. You can see some of our outings in past tour videos I've put together. This time, I'm more excited than most because I actually have my own clubs with me now! I'm really hoping to beat Leigh and Dave tomorrow, but the outcome will depend on my ability to stay relaxed.
Last night at Band Camp, Dave and I were hitting some balls with a 7 iron in this big grassy area next to the busses, and after the turn, dave almost hit one of them. Shortly before that, a ball was hit into a crowded area, and everyone scattered. Whoops! Sorry!
So more on Band Camp! What a great show! Aside from the intense sun and heat, there was All That Remains, Anew Revolution, Aranda, Saving Abel, Egypt Central, Clutch, Volbeat and many others! It was an awesome lineup, and a bit of a tour-family reunion! Have I mentioned that I love festival season? First time I've ever seen Volbeat, and I was very impressed!
Dylan made it out to the show as well, it feels like forever since we've seen him and it we've definitely missed him! I've got some more chest-cam video to edit up for y'all, I'll get to it soon, I promise! I've got about 15 videos in the waiting line right now, so I'll be busy for a while!
It feels strange to think we'll be playing in Sturgis with Alice Cooper in a week. It feels like summer has just begun, even though tomorrow is the first day of August. I'll have some new tour dates for you, soon! I'm expecting a new itinerary any day now, and when I get it, you'll know!
I think I'm ready for bed, already. It's been a long day of slip-n-sliding, grilling and relaxing, and we have to do it all over again, tomorrow! I'm gonna need to get my energy back. Gnight, everyone, hope y'all had a great weekend!

Out on the trail (er)

2011-07-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

It's been kind of a stressfull week. So much so, that I really don't remember when it started. Let's say it started when the tire on the bus blew out as we were driving from Mississippi to Arkansas. That's only like 4 days, but it feels like at least a week and a half. So it's about 8:00am, we all went to bed about 5:00am, and one of the rear tires blew and the debris took out the airbag by that wheel. For those of you who have no idea what that is, it does the same job on the bus as a spring/shock absorber does on a car. From the name "airbag" you can pretty much guess that it's kind of like a balloon. When it popped, the bus dropped down about 4 inches instantly, and every single ripple or bump in the road caused the bus to bounce up and down and shake back and forth like a carnival ride. Being thrown out of the top bunk isn't the most fun way to wake up in the morning.
We got the tire replaced, but there was no airbag in stock, (finally got the right one shipped to us today) so the ride is still bouncy. Hoping it will be fixed tonight, after the show.
All the bouncing of the bus wreaked havoc on the trailer as well, throwing mic stands off the walls and scattering merchandise all over and so on, so we had to take an extra 20 minutes or so when we got to the show (30 minutes after doors opened) to get everything out of the trailer and make sure nothing was broken. Luckily enough, everything was fine, and other than extreme heat everyday, most things have been running smoothly until this morning when a tire on the trailer blew out. Now we've had this trailer about 2 weeks, and it's pretty much brand new, and I just can't figure out why the tire would blow the way that it did. Since Bobo changed the last tire, (on the old trailer) it was my turn to go out and do it, and come to find out, our floor jack is a little too small for the new trailer. It rides higher off the ground, as well as weighing a lot more. I had to put the jack right under the rear axle and then jack it up while lying on my back with both of my hands over my head. Definitely not an easy thing to do, and with very sweaty results. So the trailer got changed, and I realized I left my red merch light hanging on the ceiling at the club last night, so no more red light fun. :(

On the bright side, touring with Black Stone Cherry, Kyng and Lansdowne has been great! The shows have been fun and everyone is really easy to get along with. I'm a bit late for doors right now, so I gotta run inside and sell some CDs! See y'all soon.

I've got 10 minutes...

2011-07-08T20:04:00.000-04:00

I've got a little bit of time here before we have to hit the stage in Aberdeen, SD. Egypt Central is on stage right now, and yeah, I know. I'm a bad person for not watching their set. I'll make it up to them later with beverages.

I guess that today is the official start of the tour with Black Stone Cherry, although they played with us at Muskegon Summer Celebration last Friday, but I'm not counting that show. It was its own entity. We actually got to celebrate the 4th at home this year, which was great! I can't speak for what any of the other guys did, but Chris and I grilled up some brats, steak and chicken, and then blew up some firecrackers and shot paintballs at a piece of fence in the backyard. It was relaxing and fun!

Then, to celebrate the release of "War of Angels," we had an acoustic performance/meet and greet at the FYE in Rivertown Mall in Grandville, MI, on the 5th. The 6th, we drove to Janesville, WI, for another in-store at Exclusive Company. They had some of the coolest things there! I bought an ice cube tray that makes shot glasses! Apparently these have been around for a while, but I just found out about them, so the excitement is still there!

Yesterday, we were at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. I was hoping to see Katy Perry, but no such luck. Our set time was right before her's, so when we got done with everything and packed up, she was also done. Oh well, maybe next time! (Yeah, make fun all you want. She's hot and you know it!)

It was good to see our buddies in Finger Eleven again! The best part of festival season is reuniting with all the friends we've made on previous tours. I think I've said that before, but I'll definitely say it again.

Ok, I've got to run, it's show time!

Laundry Day!

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Today was the second day off in a row in the last week of our tour with Crossfade. Yesterday, we hung out at Walmart all day and had another bus change, got some shopping done and enjoyed a refreshing happy-hour at Steak n Shake! Excellent! Today, we got some laundry done and got a shower room at a hotel in downtown Cincinnati. It feels nice to be clean!
I finished a sneak-peek behind-the-scenes video for the Monster Video, you'll probably all see it in a few days. Let me know what you think when you see it! There's another behind-the-scenes video in progress due out after the real music video is released! My train of thought isn't running too smoothly right now, but I'm trying to fight out some interesting reading material anyway, so try to stay with me.
I just ate a Twix ice cream bar, they're absolutely delicious! I've been seen eating one outside a truckstop when it was seventeen degrees below zero. Silly, I know, but if you've ever had one, you know how good they are.
The last 2 weeks with crossfade have been a lot of fun! Sunday night, we were in Baltimore at Rams Head Live, and no offense to anyone else, but that is my personal favorite venue in the country. Not because it's in Baltimore, but because the bulding, staff, food, stage, and everything else are all incredible. We had some delicious pulled pork and sweet corn macaroni and cheese for dinner this time, I melted inside.
Crossfade, Adakain and Emphatic have all been great to hang out with, and everyone seems to be having fun!
Dylan is doing well at home relaxing and recovering. He's supposed to send me some pictures of hospital-type stuff soon to post on facebook. It's definitely weird on the road without him, but Chachi has been doing a great job at filling in. Right now, I'm making him watch Scott Pilgrim vs the world. He's never seen it, and there's not really anything else on tv at the moment, so why not?
Alright, I gotta go have another Twix bar...
Delicious.
Okay, no more tonight. I've only got one more left, and I need to save it for another day.
Still, the biggest excitement in my life right now is going home next week for a whole week off! I'm going to try to drive to Bellaire to see my family, it's been a long time since I've been up there. Maybe if there's time and my truck doesn't break, I'll do a little off-roading as well! It's been a long time since I've done that.
I gotta put another picture up tonight, just to leave everyone with...
CINNAMON ROLLS!

I'm the Monster in your Closet

2011-06-08T19:16:00.000-04:00

Once again, the bus is rolling east on I94.

I'm feeling artsy today, so forgive my strange or quirky paragraph structuring that may appear.
I've been trying to finish this book I started a couple months ago, we got so busy on the Drowning Pool an Papa Roach tours that I haven't had any free time to sit back and read, but the last couple days dealing with the strange scheduling around the video shoot for "Monster You Made," I've been able to get through 4 or 5 more chapters, and that much closer to the end of the series. I'm reading a book called "Wolves of the Calla" by Stephen King. It's book number five of a seven book series called "The Dark Tower." It's a long, but excellent read, and I definitely recommend it.
I'm sure most of you don't really care about books though, and you want to hear more about Pop Evil. That's fair, since almost all of you are being directed here through some PE-related site.
So yesterday, we spent 19 hours prepping and shooting a video for the new single "Monster You Made," which was directed by Robby Starbuck. Check this guy's work out, he's awesome! We shot at a few different locations through out Chicago, and they went with the whole theme fantastically. We're very excited about it, and can't wait to show you all! I'd love to tell you more about it, but we have to keep some secrets, otherwise there wouldn't be any surprises, right?
I think I said in my last post that the album will be out June 28th, but in order to get the best distribution plan that we could, we're gonna have to wait one more week. Sorry guys, but it'll be worth it, I promise! July 5th, the album WILL be out, but for those of you who can make it to Muskegon, MI, for our show at Summer Celebration on July 1st, we will have it on site and for sale!
In other news, anyone coming to any of our shows in the next 3 weeks with Crossfade may notice a difference on stage. Dylan has been having some issues with his back the last couple weeks, and I don't know the specifics of it, but he's going to be staying at home for the next few weeks, under doctor recommendation, recovering and getting healthy for the rest of summer, so please keep him in your thoughts. Our good friend, Chachi, from the band "Saraph" will be filling in on drums for the time being, and we're thankful that he was available on such short notice!
That's all the news I can think of right now, but hey! I'm doing better at updating this thing! At least this once...
We'll see how I do over the next few months!

So many shows and miles in between

2011-05-26T15:28:00.001-04:00

May is almost over, and big news has finally been announced! If you haven't heard already, the delays are over and WAR OF ANGELS WILL BE RELEASED JUNE 28TH! Finally, I will have some CDs to sell at the merch table again!
Today is a day off, we're at a truck stop somewhere in Ohio right now, on our way to Rocklahoma from Watertown, NY. Since my last entry, we've had an awesome tour with Rev Theory, Black Cloud Collective and Aranda, followed by another amazing tour with Drowning Pool, Anew Revolution, Trust Copmpany and Static Cycle, and now we're nearing the end of yet another fantastic tour with Papa Roach, Finger Eleven and Escape the Fate! All 3 tours have taken us from the west coast to the east coast, so as you can imagine, we've covered many miles in the last 4 months.
Festival season has just begun, and already we've been at Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, UFest, Big Gig, Pointfest, Rockford Speedway and Val Du Lakes, and there are a lot more coming up! I love being outside in the summer, and it's always great to see old friends and make new ones!
A week ago, we had a special event before a show in Ft. Wayne, IN, and we got to shoot at fans with paintballs! Haha, it was a blast! I think we won 3 out of 5 matches, but I think some will argue that... To be honest, I don't really remember who won or lost, because everyone had so much fun.
Ooo, I dyed my hair pink and black...
We've got some awesome new tshirt designs for the summer, two of which we've had for about a month now, and two more are on the way, soon! Does anyone still read this anymore? Lately I've been keeping a good schedule to make about 4 or 5 entries every year, and I always promise that I'll get better at keeping the stories and news coming, but I never seem to follow through, do I? I do think about it a lot, but things have been incredibly busy the last few months, and I just haven't had the time and inspiration to put anything together. That kind of sounds like a lie to me, because most of the time I just type what I think as I think it, kind of like what I'm doing right now.
At this point in the post, I think I'm going to have to start wrapping it up, because I've lost my original train of thought, and I'm not sure where I'm going anymore. Thank you for reading, and I hope I can post again before August! War is Coming!

Holy Eff, I'm Late!

2011-01-13T17:22:00.000-05:00

This is the first time I've come back to Blogger since my last post, and I didn't realize how long it's been! Two months? Holy crap! I'm sorry, everyone! But in all honesty, I can sum up the last 3 months in a few quick paragraphs here, so not to worry!
Let's take a trip back to my last post, we were back in the studio with Johnny K on a secret mission! Maybe that will be announced soon, but who really can tell these days? I had spent 6 weeks growing out a beard for my Halloween Costume, (Chuck Norris) and when Halloween finally arrived, I had been procrastinating so long that I did not have the rest of the costume! Gah! But for the first time in 3 years, we were actually home that night and we didn't have a show, so it was a pretty quiet and under-the-radar type of night.
A few days later, we were on the road again in Hartford, CT, with Seasons After and New Medicine, and soon after, Atom Smash joined the other 3 of us for a month long tour around the East Coast. I recommend checking out these bands if you haven't already, they're great guys!
Thanksgiving was spent in Williamsburg, VA with country artist Johnny St.Clair, who was an amazing host, and gifted Dave with a new guitar at the end of the night.
We returned home to Grand Rapids in December, and started to prepare for the end-of-year show at the Orbit Room, Dec. 18th.
Christmas came around, like it always does, and everyone got to spend time with family and friends. I spent a week and a half in Bellaire, and I got some amazing robot-print pajama pants that my aunt made me, as well as 7 lbs. of hot cocoa mix! I'm set for a few months, now. New Year's was a quick trip to Louisville, KY, only myself and the 5 guys went down for that show, and had a great evening!
Now here we are in January, getting set up for the first of 3 shows this weekend, and I'm quickly writing this out while TourVid 13-3 is rendering in the background. Damn, these things take forever! Dave is starting to get into the video-editing field of things as well, so I get a new assistant! Haha! Look for his video, a mix of old and new footage, some of which you've seen before, some you haven't, coming in the next few days!
Does anyone indent paragraphs anymore? I've noticed a general down-turn in the literary skills of the nation, I blame texting and instant messaging. Computers will end us all, I swear!
So next month we hook up with Rev Theory, Hail the Villain, The Black Cloud and Aranda for the Monster Energy '11 Tour, we're all super stoked! Hopefully we'll be in a city near you! Check out our tour dates on our facebook page, as well as PopEvil.com to find out! Alright, I gotta get back to these videos. Keep on rockin!

Chicagoland Coma

2010-10-15T18:17:00.001-04:00

Just a quickie to tease your tastebuds!
So I'm about a week early from when I said I'd blog next, but I figure y'all wouldn't mind too much.
Wednesday morning, I drove to Chicago with the guys for one more quick visit to the studio to record a special song unrelated to the album. I don't want to say too much about it because I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say just yet, but it's set to be pretty mainstream, especially with our Michigan fans, nation-wide.
Tomorrow we're making a quick jump up to Kenosha, WI for a show that I mentioned in my last entry, then back home for a couple days. Shortly after, we will be jumping back on the road and bringing New Medicine, Seasons After and Atom Smash along with us for a month-long east coast tour. Apologies to the other areas of the country, we didn't forget about you! We're trying to get back as soon as we can! You an help us out by calling your local radio stations and requesting "Last Man Standing!"
The new videos I promised are almost done! Actually the majority of them ARE done, I just have to do a few touch ups to the last couple. You can see the first one at http://www.PopEvil.com! I'm not sure what the release schedule is for the rest of them yet, but if you stay tuned, I'll let you know as soon as I find out!
So we just went out for "lunch" and Hot Doug's here in Chicago, and that was hands-down one of the best hot dogs I've ever had. We followed up with some ice cream at Marble Slab, and I'm about ready to take a 3 hour nap. I love food comas!
Keep on rockin'!

A New Era

2010-10-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

This past Monday, the first single off the new album "War of Angels" was released to radio. Finally the album cycle has started, and we're just camped out, waiting to hit the road again! First stop is Kenosha, WI, for a benefit show for Chase Benjamin Freund through the Caring Heart.
Be on the lookout for 6 new videos, yes, 6, that's why it's taking forever! They each correspond with a different song on the album and show some of the process of recording the song.
It's October once again, I'm up in Northern Michigan for a week off, kinda. The trees outside are starting to turn orange and yellow. Even the white pine in the front yard has a lot of yellow needles on it. I'm not so sure that's a good thing for that tree, but maybe it was starting to feel left out after all these years. Side note, when I was young, around the ages of 5 and 6, I was taller than this tree. It came up to about waist level. Notice how the left side branches are longer and how it leans to the left? That's because I ran it over when I was learning to ride my bike. Whoops!
Ooo! I took a pair of brown leather pants that I got about 10 years ago to the tailor yesterday. They were freaking huge, but I pretty much got them for free so I can't complain too much, but now in one week, they'll be a perfect fit for me. Haha. For those of you who like me on Facebook, I got my seat covers all washed and clean, but I still haven't put them back in, yet. I need to do that soon, before it becomes a month from now.
This seems to be a very thin and uneventful entry, and that's because there really isn't a whole lot going on right now. As mentioned earlier, we're in a holding pattern for the next week or so, just waiting to get our orders on what to do next. I promise you, I will have some very exciting band-related news soon, as opposed to some very exciting personal news, which I always seem to have for some reason or another... (Tailored pants, yellow trees...)
If I can manage it, be on the lookout for a new post in about 3 weeks! (Oct. 21st(ish))
See y'all soon!

"War Stories"

2010-08-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

So in honor of the new album coming out, as well as "Hard Highway" being a really old song, I'm debating about changing the name of the blog to "War Stories." What do y'all think?
We have one week left in the studio, then the recording will finally be done! There is a lot of excitement and anxiety in the air around here.
As most of you know, we went to Sturgis, SD, last weekend to help kick off the bike rally with Godsmack, Three Days Grace and Hellyeah. What an amazing experience! I don't even know if words can accurately describe it! Let me give it a shot:
Fun, Party, Awesome, Intriguing, Fascinating, Rock, Dusty, Hot, Loud, Goosebumps, Beer, Fields, Chrome, Rubber, Exhaust, Octane, Gasoline, Adrenaline, Fire, Burn, Windy, Huge, Memorable, Wicked, Sweet, Exhausting, Sun, Flies, Traffic, Monkey.
That's about as close as I can get right now, for any more, you'll just have to find some pictures online! It took me a couple days to recover from the whole ordeal.
So once we got back to Chicago, we started really hitting the studio hard. No sleep for us guys, we're really pushing to get everything perfect!
Since it's Saturday, today, we thought we'd take a little break from the intensity and have ourselves some time-traveling fun at Medieval Times! So from all of us to all of you, have a great weekend!

Time is winding down...

2010-08-05T17:14:00.000-04:00

So it seems like it has been a while since I last sat down and wrote out something intriguing and informational, so I'll give it a shot today.
Things are starting to get wrapped up here in the studio; one by one, songs are being crossed off the big board. (Yes, we really have a big board, it's in the kitchen! You'll see it in some upcoming studio videos. I'm working hard on them, I promise!) Today, for the most part, is a discussion and game-plan day, so I'm not videotaping at the moment, which gives me some free time to sort through hours of video and hundreds of pictures, and while my dying computer is trying to process all that information, I thought I'd do about the only thing I can do on it while it works away, which is type up all that we've been up to! Aren't you guys (and girls) lucky? Haha. On that same note, if any of you have a brand new Macbook Pro that you really don't like and aren't sure what to do with, feel free to send it my way so I can get some of this stuff done a little quicker... ;)
For the last 2 weekends, we packed our things up and drove an insanely long distance to Kansas and back, first to Wichita, and then to Dodge City. The trip to Wichita was a quick one, we showed up that morning, played the show, and left shortly after the set was over. Unfortunately, we missed out on seeing both our good friends in Texas Hippie Coalition, as well as rock legends, Styx. That's what happens on these one-off shows, though. The second trip, we had some hotel rooms waiting for us in Dodge City, so we got to go out the night before the show for an AMAZING dinner, as well as some fun with old friends. Then, we were able to get a decent night's rest, and get crazy at a hell of a fun show with Halestorm the next night! Then we had another full night's rest before we made the 17 hour drive back to the studio the next day.
This weekend, we have 3 great shows coming up! First up, Kaukauna, WI, at JJ Maloney's on Saturday, Sunday we'll be in Sioux Falls, SD, at Rookie's, and finally we will be getting crazy with Godsmack in Sturgis, SD, to kick off bike week! This will be the first trip to Sturgis for all of us, and we're very excited!
Other than my long-overdue purchase of the Ghostbusters 1 and 2 box set last night, I think that's about all that's been new. My mind is kind off off today, so if I remember anything else, I'll let you know! Hope all of you are having a great summer, and we can't wait to see everyone!

Oh, we're over half way there...

2010-07-16T14:37:00.000-04:00

So I don't really know what I want to say today, because I just woke up for some reason and my mind is not functioning at full capacity just quite yet so I'll try to make it up as I go along, how's that sound? Alright, the coffee is started, and I'm feeling better already! What's going on lately? Well, Matt, Leigh and Dylan left last night to drive up to Grand Rapids and start getting things ready up there, Dave and Tony are here with me in the studio still working on guitars, and we will leave later this evening to drive up to Grand Rapids as well to get ready for the show in West Branch tomorrow. It's going to feel nice to actually get out of Chicago for a little bit, I've been feeling a little bit like a hermit. I don't know how you big city dwellers do it! I need to get out in the country every now and then and just be away from everything.
For you tech nerds out there waiting for the next tour video, I'm working on it! I've got about 350GB worth of videos stored up on the media drive here, and when you add in all the other videos and photos I've taken since the end of 2006, I'm about out of space on this 1TB drive, so I'm hoping to pick up a shiny new 2TB drive this weekend to start filling up!
We've all been working out a bit, here, and for some reason, my lower body is still disproportionately stronger than my upper body. For example, I can bench 135lbs, but I can do 200lbs on leg extensions. What that means, is that if I were sitting upright in a chair, and a 200lb person sat on my feet, I could kick my legs out straight and hold them up in the air.
Reading back over that, I'm not really sure why any of you would care, and that really has nothing to do with music, and speaking of music, the coffee maker is yelling at me...
Mmmm, now this is the best part of waking up...
I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but the Aranda boys, Dameon and Gabe have been up in the studio right above us recording their new record as well. We've had a few ping ping and pinball tournaments with them, so far I think that the series is tied right now.
Hey, look at all those words up there! I knew I could manage to write something!
So recording is going very well, the new songs are all really taking their final forms, most of the work left is just adding guitar solos and other small parts, as well as some finishing vocals. It's about time, too, because we all can not wait to get back on the road to play some shows with the new music! The schedule we're sticking to right now says that we'll be out of here in about 3 more weeks, and shortly after that we're going to hit the open road! Look out, America, We're coming for ya!