Tour is where a band finds itself. A band on tour spends every waking AND sleeping moment together (usually on a floor) seeking the heart of what it is you want out of this life you've chosen. The journey itself fuels the creation, which fuels the journey, and so on. It's an incredible circle of life to be a part of. But some days it rains. Some days your phone gets cut off. Some days all hope seems lost. Some days peanut butter just can't fill the void. Some days you just gotta go. So that's what I did.
A while back I was talking to my dear friend Byron Bray on the phone and he sensed that I was in distress. He offered to buy me a plane ticket to get back to NYC for a few days to put my head and my heart back together. I knew it's what I needed, but was bailing on the Team even just for a few days the right move? The answer, as it seems to be most of the time these days, was simply YES! I was convinced that just as much as I needed a break from The Yes Team, The Yes Team undoubtedly needed a break from me. I'm kinda cray cray sometimes. Plus I knew that I could book a show and bring some money back for the cause. So the ticket was purchased and the waiting game began.
See, right before I left on this tour I started seeing a lady. Let's call her "Christine." Things were brand new when I hit the road so there was no real talk of a long distance relationship, but hearts have a mind of their own sometimes. And there I was...smitten by a lady on that other coast. The coast I escaped from. So there you have it...the REAL reason I needed to get back to the city. I had to see about a lady.
So, I got on a jet plane for a 3-day vaycay. A chance to breathe. A chance to reflect. A chance to relate. A chance to bring some Yes to a city that always needs it. And a chance to get some Yes from the people that we really needed it from. See what I did there?
I'll be honest. When I landed, I felt displaced. I wondered if I still belonged in the concrete jungle where dreams are of. But then I arrived at The Flame, Byron's favorite diner for coffee and fellowship with the man who made this little dream a reality. From that moment on there was no question in my mind. I was back! Thanks Byron. Even though you don't have a computer. Mental note: Print this out and send to Byron.
The next 3 days were a blur. I spent most of my time in Hipsterville, USA (aka Williamsburg) with the lady. She took me out to dinner at local spot called The Rabbit Hole. The pulled pork killed it! Going out to eat. Man, I forgot how much fun that was. Wait...was I actually enjoying myself in Brooklyn? Yes!
Wednesday I got to hang with my boys Miles and Joe. Last year we started a band called TJ and the Tater Tots. It was a long overdue reunion gig. We drank juice, played tunes, and finished with a full on PIZZA PARTY! Oh, NY style pizza. I have missed you. Tater Tots: I love you guys!
Thursday was the day of the show y'all! I booked my favorite Astoria spot, Winegasm. The night was destined for greatness. It rained. Cats. Dogs. Orangutans. You name it. On my journey from Brooklyn to Queens I got Super-Soaker 5000'd. I had brought Yes Team CD's and T-shirts to sell at the gig, but when I finally got to Astoria they were swimming in a murky pool at the bottom of my backpack. Oh well, visit Back to the Sea: The Kickstarter if you're interested in CD's and T-shirts NOT in the bottom of a wet backpack.
I met up with Ryan Guerra, Gregorio Hernandez, and Whit Baldwin at Guerra's place to jam a little before the show. This proved to be very successful in brushing up on tunes that none of us had played in a long while. Also highly successful in shared broments that were long overdue. After I finished Whit's leftover Bare Burger onion rings, we all braved the rain and headed out for the gig.
Winegasm was surprisingly lively when we arrived so I knew when our peeps showed up it was gonna get rowdy! And that's exactly what happened. One by one almost every person I needed to see walked through that door...with an umbrella and a smile. Aaron LaVigne got out of catering early and it basically turned into a full-on Salty's Fault reunion. Whit and I REGULATED!!!!!!! Meanwhile, the bar was full of standing water. Everything was wet. Life was good. Everbody that showed up fought heavy rain and subways and umbrellas to come out and share a night of music with me. That night I realized, more so than usual, it's not the place. It's the people.
"Where you invest your love, you invest your life."
Mumford & Sons
Yes Team, GO!
The MessNext:
Back to the City: Part Two, "Back to the Sea"
