Chicagoland Coma

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

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"

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...

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...

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!

After a mixture of carrot sticks and cheesedogs...

We've had a few crazy thunderstorms so far, here in Chicago!  The picture above is from the most recent, in which there were tornado sirens going off all around us!  We got quite a bit of rain that night (obviously,) and there are still puddles on the ground 3 days later.  Also this week, a pole-mounted electrical transformer decided to burst into flames after a violent explosion and scare the hell out of all of us who were around that particular window.  Click this sentence for a video of the immediate aftermath!  When all was said and done with that, we had lost one day of recording due to lack of power, but we gained a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo!  Party on!
Recording is coming along great, the new songs are sounding AMAZING, and they're not even mixed or mastered yet!  So that is definitely a good sign.  Leigh just finished up tracking some vocals, and now there is a festive foosball tournament going on, as well as some pinball here and there.
I just added a few more pictures to the PopEvil.com photo section, and there will be more added to the Facebook page tomorrow at some point.
Tomorrow is an off-day, and we're going to go check out some of the action for Taste of Chicago!  Y'all know how we love food!  Aside from that, we're pretty excited about our upcoming show on Wednesday at Summerfest in Milwaukee with Cavo and Janus!  It's going to be a fantastic show, so if you're in the area, make sure you come out!
Alright, I have to go take a shower because I feel like a yeti.  Happy Weekend!

Studio Time!

Finally, I've made it to the studio with the band to start recording some new videos for you guys!  I'm very excited about it, we just got a brand new camera for all the photos and videos, and it's freakin' sweet!  I'll try to put a few random photos and maybe some videos up here every few days, no promises, but keep checking back anyway!

We are right in the middle of downtown Chicago,and the view is great!  Leigh, Matt, Tony and I ran to Target earlier today, and I grabbed some delicious pasta for dinner!  But then Dave and Dylan had to show us up and order a philly cheesesteak pizza!  What a couple of a-holes!  It's ok, though, because I stole some.

Yesterday we made a quick 3-hour trip to Rock Island, IL for a fun outdoor party with Chevelle and Janus, and some good times afterwards at the Daiquiri Factory!  What an amazing crowd they/you were!  Thank you to all of our fans for always being amazing!  Even you crazy ones who drive across multiple states to se us show after show!  Haha  ;)

Alright, my battery is done charging, so I'm going to go see what there is to record!  Catch y'all later.

We were on a boat!

3 weeks ago, April 22nd, we hopped in the bus in Grand Rapids, and headed south. It seemed like a fairly normal trip in the beginning; lots of driving, a few shows, lots of movies on the bus, but we were ultimately headed for Tampa, and for a big ass boat! The weather gods were kind to us, and we only got rain 2 nights, one in St. Petersburg, FL, during the show, and after we were loaded out and sitting in the bus, the other on our day off in Ft. Walton Beach. The rest of the days were hot and sunny, and I'm sure that most of our fellow northerners are a bit jealous. Don't worry, we're back in Michigan and freezing with the rest of you, now! :)
I'm actually taking a break from building the next tour video, "TourVid 12" to write up this blog in hopes that running back through my memories of the trip will inspire some creative ideas. I've already got a few great ideas for 13, but I'm getting ahead of myself. This tour video is centered around the whole purpose of this excursion, Kid Rock's "Chillin the Most" cruise! Look for #12 in the next couple of days!
Anyway, 2 weeks ago from tomorrow, we made it to Tampa, after a long night of drinking in Satellite Beach, (Duterman surfs in his jeans) a few of us found the hotel bar at about 11:00am and continued the binge while waiting to board the boat.
On the boat, The Carnival Inspiration, Kid Rock was being his awesome self and taking pictures with every single passenger while they boarded. Sadly I'm not in our group picture, (I blame the merchandise) but I'm ok with that. :)
Is this a boring read yet? Hope not...
So the boat left the docks, and to everyone's surprise, Kid Rock then came out and did a special Cast-Off party on the pool deck, covering many boat-related songs, as well as playing a few of his own. Everyone was hanging out on the deck. The party continued early into the night, and by about 10:00pm, everyone but the musicians and professional partiers had long since passed out in their cabins. Those of us who were still awake didn't last much longer, it had been a long day, and everyone was very tired.
The next morning I awoke with a fierce hangover, and slipped on a notice placed under the doorway informing us that what Kid told us at the party was indeed true. Due to bad weather, we would be cruising to Nassau, in the Bahamas instead of Grand Cayman. I don't think anyone cared...
The rest of the cruise continued much the same, with bands playing all day and all night, and people having one of the greatest weekends in all their lives. It was pretty much impossible to have a bad time on that ship. So now we're back, and we've got lots of pictures on our Facebook Page for all of you to look at, and as soon as I wrap this up and get back to working, you'll have a (hopefully) hilarious tour video to enjoy!
Remember to keep checking our tour dates for new shows!
All you Michigan people, remember that this Saturday in Baldwin, we're playing Blessing of the Bikes!  There is no limit on capacity, so you don't have to worry about not getting in!  Tickets will be available for $25 at the gates, which open up at 5:00pm!  Don't miss it!
With that said, I'll talk to y'all later!

April Fools?

We've had some crazy weather up here in Northern Lower Michigan the last few weeks. In fact, one week ago today, I was outside enjoying bright sunshine and +80° weather, and now it's snowing outside. Not just a little bit of snow, either, this resembles a full-on winter snow day. So much for going out for a run today, I forgot all my cold-weather clothes in the bus! Haha.
Only 8 more days to go until we play "Harem" in Lansing, MI, and then 4 days beyond that before we head south in preparation of the "Kid Rock Cruise" to Grand Cayman Island! I certainly hope that it's not going to be snowing down there...
Here's some exciting news! Well, for me anyway, I don't really know if any of you will even care, but I'm going to tell you anyway! I finally got my car payed off! I'm really looking forward to not having to send all my money to the credit union anymore! :-D
On a side note, I saw one of these at Meijer the other day, (it's like Wal-Mart, for those of you outside of the Michigan area) and it looks like all kinds of fun for bus life!
Air Mag C11
That's about all I've got for now, more news to come once we're actually back on the road!

Jackson, Houma, and Tupelo!

I'm kinda getting a case of not knowing what the hell to write about, so tonight's plan is to just keep typing until something comes out. I'll let you know when that happens.

So our weekend was short, but a lot of fun! We left Grand Rapids on Wednesday to drive to Jackson, MS, and we made it as far as Memphis, TN. We had a massive thunderstorm that night, lots of lightning, and the rain was collecting and forming rivers in the streets! Then we got to Jackson, and it was 80 degrees and sunny! Nice! Then on
Friday we went to Houma, LA, and it was sunny and warm once again! Saturday in Tupelo, it was cold, windy and rainy. Not so much fun, but it was good to see Saving Abel and Framing Hanley again! Next trip out we're heading to Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York! Ok, time for the Anchor, see ya!

ShamROCK this Month!

A lot of things have happened since my last posting, even though it was only 2 weeks ago... I'm a little older, I'm a little wiser, I'm starting to get hair in really weird places...

But in a non-movie quoting capacity, I celebrated my 26th birthday last tuesday by laying on my mom's couch and watching TV literally all day long. It was amazing. Wednesday, I made of for my lack of productivity the day before by spending 5 hours thoroughly cleaning the interior of my truck. It's very refreshing inside it again. I had a little bit of a pre-birthday celebration last Sunday, Danny and I went to Hopcat in Grand Rapids for some beers, and then we met up with Shane a little later on, and all 3 of us went to the John Mayer and Michael Franti show at the Van Andel Arena. Great time! Tomorrow night, I think all of us are going to get together at The Intersection and ridicule our friends in Halestorm! It's fun to have days off when our friends have shows near us, whether we are home in Grand Rapids, or on the road somewhere else, but the nice thing about when it happens at home is that we have our own vehicles, so we can kidnap the band members and take them out on the town before their show, and get them all hammered! We're a little bit devious that way...

In band news, this coming Wednesday, the 10th, we are heading down south to Jackson, Mississippi, which will be followed up by Houma, LA, and then back to MS for some rock and roll fun with our buddies of Saving Abel, as well as Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. We're excited to get back down into the south!

That's about all I've got for tonight, so be safe, and we'll see ya out there!

Snowstorm!

So we've been out on the road for a few weekends so far this year, but
no extended trips as of yet...
On Saturday, we are heading to Sault Ste Marie, MI, a city we have not
been to in a few years.
We're all pretty excited about that!
Even more exciting, at the end of April we're going on a 5 day cruise
from Tampa to Grand Cayman with Kid Rock!
I did a lot of snowboarding over the last month and a half, and not
only managed to get back into shape a little bit, but I also lost
about 7 pounds! I'm very proud of myself for that.
As far as other exciting personal news goes, after randomly talking
about ripped and falling apart jeans on twitter, conversations led on
to having my very own pair of rocker pants made just for me! I will
be the total envy of all the other merch people, and that includes
you, Detroit! More details to come when I have them! I guess it's
supposed to be a surprise, so I'm being kept in the dark about most of
the details. Patience is not one of my greatest virtues...
So that's about all I got for now, so see ya soon!

Sent from my iPod

Almost time to hit the road again!

See, I told you I'd come back sooner than I did last time!
Well the majority of this month I've spent at my mom's house, way north in Bellaire, MI. The band has been working away in the studio in Detroit on their 2nd album, due to be released sometime later this year. As of yet, the exact date, as well as the title of the album are unknown. I can tell you this; I've heard some of the new songs in their early phases, and I am REALLY looking forward to this new release. It is full of diversity, and you can definitely tell where the influences are coming from. It really has something for everyone!
So as of right now, we are set to embark on our journey Feb. 9th, towards Sioux Falls, SD, from there we will head through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Kentucky. More shows are to follow, but those are just the first few. The schedule is getting more and more filled in as time goes on, so by the time we get started on the road, we'll have plenty of dates, so that everyone can come party!
Other than all that fun news, I've pretty much been ice fishing and snowboarding for the last month. I went out last night and was being my usual retarded self in the halfpipe and popped my shoulder out of socket for a sec, and holy hell did it hurt. It doesn't move very well today, but it should be good by the weekend, I just need some rest and some beer. Can't wait to see y'all again!