Evan's blog

Posted by: Evan on August 09, 2009

Soda Sundays Twelve

We're driving through Vermont which could be the most beautiful state I've ever been to. When I think of vacation I never imagine beaches, sun, water and that stuff(infact that sounds like hell to me) but a log cabin in the middle of the woods, a lake, fireplace and some books now THATs what I'm talking about. I think I dream of the day when I can vanish forever into my own recluse of nothingness in the shadows of some far away greenery.

I've never been a huge nature guy, hiking, canoeing, camping etc always felt really boring and annoying to me. It's like I'm very cynical about it all until I actually see it in person and immediately remember how powerful it can be. Nature this powerful is kinda like girls in my life. I talk the talk all day long about how tough and unaffected I am by it until the day something comes along and turns me upside down reminding me how little I really do know. Thats the great thing about love, or really anything THAT cool, it instantly breaks all the rules and resets everything you thought you had figured out.

Don't worry, I haven't sold enough records yet(zero to be exact) to leave you all yet, and I love you all TOO much to ever really vanish. I'm just saying that it was an unexpected refreshment and recharge of my faith in a end game to have seen the places we've seen the last few days. If I've learned anything, it's that LA is NOT where I want to spend the rest of my life. I do love it there, but damn it can be a real shithole sometimes.

ok, back to reality now. This week's shows were AMAZING. obviously 100% thanks to YOU. I've been having more fun then ever hanging with everyone at the shows, singing "Shake It" on stage with my older brother's of a band-Metro Station and getting to know the wonderful lads in Mayday Parade as well as kicking it with Mitchell. I can't believe we've only got 4 more shows left, it feels like a summer love that came and went too quickly and we've gotta enjoy our last night at camp together or something. Trace keeps asking me to sleepover on the bus so I think maybe I'll oblige in the next night or two(send caring wishes for me, who knows WHAT they've got in mind). Tonight we've got some Syracuse action the off to Grand Rapids, Gurnee, and wrapping up in Madison.

When we wrap(which is sadly before my next Soda Sunday) I'll be en route to LA to finish #4, prep the tweaks on "Pumpkin Pie"(WHAT?why? oh jeez, now I'm intruiged) and start prepping the BLC for Secondhand Serenades tour in september. I can promise this, if you've never seen me, you are in for a TREAT. If you have seen me, you're in for a HUGE TREAT. We're gonna take this to the next level and I have no intentions of letting anyone leave any show from now on without joining our wonderful family and having a shitfuck of fun!

We've got a day off tomorrow(I have no idea what to do) so I'll probably goto a mall! I love malls, I love walking into the same familiar chains, looking around, a little chair massage action or dippin dots, just pure amazing randomness. Although I will say it's been insanely weird being recognized. I've spent my whole life being the guy next to the girl everyone is looking at and when people come say hi now I still think it's some mistake.

Trademark's have been filed for IGetTo: and we've got some incredibly exciting things in that spectrum coming up. New merch too, new promo, press(zzzZZZzzzzZZZZ) SIMS, Wetseal, clothing, all kinds of fun!! Stay tuned.

I'm thinking an A&W rootbeer suits today
Love,
Evan

Posted by: Evan on August 02, 2009

Soda Sundays Eleven

-What a spectacular week it has been. Tour with Metro Staion, Mayday Parade and Mitchell Musso couldn't be better. I'm having a BLAST playing shows, hanging out with everyone and getting to meet all my wonderful new friends and family members!!

It's always a little nerve-wrecking starting a new tour, it's not the shows...(that part is cake) but its like the first day of school all over. you don't know if you're gonna fit in with the other bands, or if they'll hate you etc. Also, every band has a different following and since I'm just the punk acoustic fool tagging along I'm never unaware of the fact that everyone in the crowd will most likely have NO idea who I am (which is either really good, or really bad).

anyhows its been amazing! I mean last night in Denver we sold 160 T-Shirts and I got to sign and hang with you guys for 2 hrs until security kicked us out. I'm starting to see it all happen right in front of me and its exciting.

the downside of touring has been/and always will be(for me at least) being away from home. I love the faux comforts of going to sleep in the same bed every night and having the things that help me feel centered around me. It's like being a traveling salesmen or a gypsy or something, u just pack up and move every day, leaving behind what infinitesimal thread of home you had created in the 20 hrs you stayed in X City. whatever, believe me I wake up every morning look at my wrist and remember that "i get to:" do ALL of this! speaking of which, you should start to follow @IGetTo on twitter and @reply. It's going to be a very cool thing we've got coming shortly and who knows, it may actually make you feel better! Try using it this week, instead of the "i HAVE to" goto work, pay my bills etc etc try "I GET to" goto work or whatever. :-)

We're starting week 2 with another couple long drives and shows in MO, DC/Balt,PA, NY etc. I'm stoked cause I get to see my parents (it's been a WHILE) and I'll certainly be making a CRASH visit to Stone Mill bakery(my favorite restaurant in baltimore). as well as seeing some great friends and foes. Ahhh Baltimore, how I miss you so until I spend 10 minutes there. Its funny, I think its the melancholy reality slap of adolescence lost and endless "what if's" that plague my uncorrupt enjoyment of my former home. I do still love it. Infact, sometime's I think I'll just sell 10 million albums, get my "fuck you" money and move back to cozy little baltimore where I'll run the city council and goto ravens games in the governor's box .....but then I remember why I play music in the first place cause 1-I hate real responsibility and normal 9 to 5 life and 2- it's the only thing in the world I actually enjoy doing every single day of my life & it keeps me here.

However I wouldn't be shocked if you saw some Taubenfeld 2016 in a city near you! ya never know what I've got up my sleeve.

We're SO close on the BMG at a million plays c'mon!! I just approved the final "It's Like That" video and you're gonna FREAK out so hurry up and let me give it to ya already!!

Whose coming to say hello to me this week? Come get a kiss on the cheek(yes guys too), hang out, whatever ya want!!

Love you all
Evan

@EvanTaubenfeld

Posted by: Evan on July 26, 2009

Soda Sundays # 10

Double Digits baby!!! What an epic day of all sorts. first off I'm writing this from the interweb while traveling from St Louis to Springfield to kick off my stint with Metro Station, Mayday Parade & Mitchell Musso. It should be incredibly fun and i feel like it's the sequel to the Snakes & Suits tour where I left off.

We've got a sprinter van(yea I know, I fought violently for a bus but my label said I'm "not established enough" yet to deserve one(even though I'm paying for it all with my money) but you know what who cares!! I guess at some point every band gets to do a little stint of due paying greatness and all things considered having hotels every night and sharing this gigantic wireless internet, dvd playing, xbox having van with 3 people seems well within easy. What's great is that I'll knock out all remaining west wing episodes I brought, read books, blog, tweet, relax, all while under the guise that I'm really "paying my dues"

I'm a tinge nervous about the first show, not about the performance just more so about meeting the new bands. I've met Metro Station once before and they were incredibly nice and cool but haven't got to meet the other bands yet, I'm sure it'll be great. I mean, Metro has to at least love the non-stop representation of their green hoodie that i basically made the entire W2BLC record in.

Tweet & Greats, hangs, meetups, photos, autographs, bullshitting, laughing etc.... thats just a small small amount of the things you can expect from myself and the blc in the coming 2.5 weeks. The disaster of 25 minutes I so generously refer to as "my set" is really just the misdirection. This whole tour is really just about me coming to see YOU. I want to hang, chat, get to know all my family members out there and also recruit as many news ones as possible. We'll be filming as much of it as possible to document it and throw it on the web for those of you who can't make it to the shows as well as using twitter and other really cool online places to step up the show(twitter request, ustreaming from the show, etc).

Album artwork is FINISHED!! nuts right?? I have to say, I thought it was "good" and was stoked but when we made the last round of tweaks I'm now incredibly happy with it. I think you're all going to freak when you see it! It's short sweet and simple but its really cool and i LOVE the back cover.

I planned ahead and knocked out the weekly review last night and now the only thing I've got is some warmups, the QA video(I'll film in a minute) and some chilax [what a bro word, ugh...] until we arrive at the venue!!

So, all I'm trying to say I guess, is that this whole tour isn't about me, its about you. It's all about us all hanging, meeting, and sharing all of the experience with as many people as possible. As big a narcissist as I am I'd much prefer to get to have a great time with my extended family and friends, I mean the truth is why else make big bad ass pop music ? I wanna make you smile, thats why.

Love,
Evan

p.s- you read my loveblog yet? RT that shit to win the 4th iPod shuffle foolz!!(ends TOMORROW)

Posted by: Evan on July 22, 2009

disclaimer: any names used are fictional!

on my mind......social networks in relation to my fantasy of one day having a love life. 

So, needless to say. I'm a hopeless romantic. I'm sure a few of you are rolling your eyes right now and that's because you may know me well enough to have acquired the knowledge that I keep my little achy breaky heart protected very very well by about 2 million layers of shields, shells, and bank quality vault's to ensure I don't get crushed on a daily basis. The proud walking contradiction that I am really presents itself fully in my live when it comes to romance & love. 

Deep down we all hope for that fairy tale scenario of meeting the person of our dreams, being swept off our feet and falling madly in love(white picket fences, kids, bath towels with initials, all of it).... but experience has unfortunately, at least for the time being,  made me a cynic who hides from the risks of it all in the deep dark shadows of my art. although "Pumpkin Pie" gives me hope daily!  The good news is that regardless of the outcome, I'm starting to realize that our new web 2.0 friend has brought a whole new twist into the equation via social networking.  5 years ago when a girl broke my heart and changed her number I could only keep tabs on her via friends of friends or cousins to make sure she wasn't happier without me! and on those rare occasions when she'd seemingly vanish from the earth forever I'd be left to my own devices and concoct some ET version or her and I in the movie "serendipity"...the truth is she probably just changed her number, moved on and could care less..its me who is the freak. whatever....

anyway, along come these social sites: facebook, myspace, twitter, bla bla, bla bla..... and now I can torment myself daily with the "i wonder what shannon is up to" and actually find a pretty solid conclusion in a matter of moments! this changes the ENTIRE game. Here I am, part of me greatly enjoying stumbling across the shocking knowledge of things like "holy shit dude.....jenna is a lesbian?" (true story, the facebook pictures tell it all...she was actually married, then split, and now in love again and you know what, I'm stoked for her!) but the other part of me feeling disappointed in the vanishing of mystery. I mean, perfect example is a girl I dated from san deigo, it didn't work out, i liked her a lot(never hit love) and now I'd love to pick her brains about why(I'm like cusac in "high fidelity") or even just see what she's up to but NO, my friendship request is still "pending". while I enjoy connecting all these wild make believe dots in my head about aliens, fathers, and other issues I fear that soon enough she'll accept the request,  I'll look her page up and down, say to myself  "oh, she's normal, we just weren't right, now I'm bored"

pause, breath.

I dunno where I left off.............
right, more effects of SNs on my (our) lovelife. yes I love knowing what all my xs are doing, what they look like, who went on to wed, get pregnant(my high school sweetheart just had a baby!! thanks FB) or live alone in misery(still waiting on this actually), I mean the newsfeeds can basically act as a stock ticker of "HAHAHAHAHA SHE's SOOOO HAPPY, LOOOK AT HER< YOU IDIOT< YOU MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE" which adds to the self loath of your favorite intimacy adverse semi self conscious narcissist(a.k.a : me) But it is very suspenseful to search them and click that little "info" button and wait anxiously to see "in a relationship" and watch your heart sink. go find me a friday night activity that beats that! 

well, how about some good things. on one side, I can't explain how many first dates I've saved myself with just one 5 minute stalk session of someone's profile...RIGHT??? It's like, you meet someone, they've got a vibe, you're kinda into them, so you do what any normal person does which is google, facebook, and myspace them. within 5 minutes I've usually gone "oh... they're not as cute as they are in their starbucks outfit" or "oh dude, she's got a cat? I'm allergic, this isn't gonna work" oh oh this one "a smoker???? you're kidding me...."  but then again at the same time I've become rather self conscious that my female counterparts and potential partners in crime are doing the same thing to me and hence making a snap decision about my potential in a relationship because they must think all I do is eat stone mill bakery and give away ipod shuffles.

oh oh oh and now even if you get IN a relationship there's all kinds of issues about like "why'd you write on her wall" or "babe, you wanna tell me why the F*ck Johnny @replied you?" and all the in between insanity that happens now in the realm of online flirting, cheating, scandal and misunderstanding. a shrink once told me "text messaging will be the death of relationships" and I think she had a very very good point. One misworded status update could start world war 3.  get tagged in the wrong photo and you could be single by dinner!  It's like reliving the cuban missile crisis every day but there are no cigars or good looking kennedys 

how bout you ponder this for a second:  tweeters can't be cheaters!  think about it for a minute you scandal making mofo's.... inconsistencies will get you in BIG trouble. lucky for me I've never cheated! but, I have been caught in a few very very tricky predicaments in my non-romantic sphere by tweets come back to haunt me! just sayin....lookout!

like a balloon deflating there is hardly air left in this love filled rant and I'm about to go on tour (which is why I decided not to follow up with 2 really nice sweet people I'd met this month who could have potentially sucked me out of the hiding place I've been in since valentines day)....sometime's I think I'm supposed to laugh and cry all at once, maybe in the next chapter, I'll get the picket fence and mortgage, or whatever I'll be alone and just e-stalk my way through it! stay tuned to find out...

-Evan
p.s- if you're out there and reading this and you're my soulmate please @reply me

[EDITORS NOTE: about an hour after posting this I was notified by my x-girlfriend that we were no longer to be facebook friends]

Posted by: Evan on July 19, 2009

Soday Sundays Nine

I've been procrastinating like a mofo today with the SS blog. Well, procrastinating is a loosely used term in this particular situation. I didn't get back from my show in modesto until late last night(and if you follow me on twitter you'd know that some very late night /mid morning craziness may or may not have ensued). woke up to take a friend out for coffee and get my ass back in the studio to prep for a huge string session tomorrow.

I was thinking Zankou chicken would be the perfect closer to the weekend but I'm now leaning toward Sushi Dan. It just seems more like a pre entourage dinner to me, plus tomorrow night I'll want to celebrate being finished with this incredible amazing record I've been working on so the Ku will suffice just dandy then!

iPods are fun!! giving out the 2nd one tomorrow and announcing the next contest! See , I just love you that much that I gotta keep buying you things(wow, it's really like we're all dating now, please don't sleep with my friends) Hanley joins me friday to pre for Metro and then its off across the US for 11 shows and 17 days of fun BLC style. If you come to any show just walk up to me and say hi. I want to meet you all, take pictures, sign things, bs, etc.....It's going to be fun.

You'll know all about the show I wrapped on last week on the 21st! (tuesday) so after more iPods, more news(BIG), surprises, and other greatness it should be a fun week for all of us. I saw Dr.ew(also known as the Dr.) with Demi at Nokia last week and they killed it. I can't express how proud I am to see my younger brother following in my footsteps and beyond. Wait a minute, I never even did Conan.....whoa, this is like when I finally realized he had gotten stronger then me and I had to stop beating him up. BTW, I get incredibly star-struck around David Archuletta, I don't know why. He's the nicest guy in the world but I think because I legitimately like his music that I got all like flustered when he came out of his dressing room. I finally understand how it feels to get all weird around people. It's only happened to me three times, Archie, Kevin Eubanks, & Nick Hexum of all people. Whats wrong with me?

I'm off soda again, f that s. its no good for you! ! ! but apparently neither is zicam nasal spray which I've been using for years now. HOLY SHIT this song sounds big man, I've been typing this while my engineer is stemming down our tracks for the big day but wow, I'm stoked. You'll LOVE it. Shhhh........

first press got me all excited, record is realllll now! look out! I think i took to long approving my album art(still haven't finalized) so I accidentally pushed the record back 2 weeks.... so maybe august becomes september, we've waited this long, whats two more weeks? plus, I mean, well. i dunno I'm out of points and hungry.

ROCK the iPOD contests!!! they're really cool. I may have to enter under a pseudonym and rig one of the contests I like em so much.

bracelets on tour!!!(very very very very very cool ones)

Love,
your adhd friend Evan

http://www.zankouchicken.com/

http://www.sushidanla.com/

Posted by: Evan on July 12, 2009

Well, after yesterday's Slurpee induced coma I'm glad to feel like I don't need soda ever again. so maybe this will evolve into Slurpee Sundays or something. 7-11 day was basically the greatest thing to happen to me in a little while! (and it's been a good month, so that should show HOW happy it made me).

Entourage starts tonight, or at least Momma T tells me so(she's usually incorrect about that kind of stuff so i won't be shocked if I tune in and its a 4 year old episode).

So, this week...hmmmm. whatever, it was great! ha. Anyway by now we've announced all the Metro Dates and almost all of the Secondhand Serenade dates so you should be making notes about when you're going to come meet me and say hello! Metro is going to be acoustic and Serenade will be full band(I know we keep switching that re metro but I'm 60% sure this is final now). Ha, its actually cooler this way because if you didn't get your acoustic fix on during Snakes & Suits you'll have another chance(and I'll keep it fresh) and then you'll be able to come see me AGAIN with the full band to scratch the rock itch. Also, more importantly you'll be able to buy twice as much merch and make me a big evil billionaire. (wait, did I say that out loud.... SHIT) [and YES I KNOW THIS IS TYPING SO I COULD DELETE IT BUT IT SEEMS MORE REAL IF I DONT EDIT]

hmmm, what else we got. You'll know very shortly all about the wonderful show I've been filming and you can check twitpic, et com and the other sites for fun pics of me being a prep, in a tux, at a funeral, and more. I'm actually feeling like we're still in our calm before the storm because after the little secret happenings I see on the horizon, I am glad to report that we haven't even gotten warmed up yet. I hope you guys are ready.

iPod shuffles for my little lovers! basically, I get sick of given out t-shirts and pics and other things (even though they're great, I wanted to change it up) so I bought 10 iPod shuffles, we customized them with "Blacklist Club 1 of 10" and so on. They're resting in a nice warm box awaiting YOUR address so stay tuned all week(s) for the contests. First one is tomorrow, starting with FACEBOOK. Be ready, very very ready.

lastly, as per YOUR request....(well, at least I'll make you think it was your idea...truth is, i couldn't be happier because I've been DYING to do this for over 3 years) I'm very very glad to share that my soul mate and partner in crime Kim Hanley will be joining me on the Metro AND Secondhand tours! She's coming out with me to help, do all the BLC shit, and co-takeover the world. so, come say hi to us BOTH! (we still need to find transport for Metro so who knows what's gonna happen.....) You guys should thank WBR for being cool enough to support the BLC/Hanley cause! They love you guys, and can't believe how amazing our family is so I guess this is our first little treat!

It's Like That sick vid almost done.......could be a week, could be a month, but it'll be sometime before you can say "It's Like That"

ok, maybe not, but whatever.
I love you all

-Evan

p.s- QA video is up, log in, sign up, get your password. go watch that shit, its HD yo!

lastly, ask yourself these every week(i do), write down the answers and think about them for a second. you can throw it out right after.....you may be surprised....

1‐ What
will
I
try
to
improve
on
next
week?



2‐ What
was
I
most
proud
of
this
week?



3‐ What
was
my
biggest
accomplishment
this
week?



4‐ What
have
I
done
to
get
closer
to
my
life
goals
this

week?



5‐ What
was
hard
for
me
this
week,
and
why?



6‐ What
was
my
biggest
waste
of
time
this
week
and

why?



7‐What
did
I
do
this
week
that
made
me
ashamed?

Posted by: Evan on July 05, 2009

wow, even I think that title looks ridiculous. I promise to stop using new age computer abbreviations on my words from now on(or at least in the titles I'll try).

anyway, this week kinda kicked ass. I filmed ALL night sunday into monday which basically set the tone for the days the followed. A lot of exciting stuff on the set, on the show etc. I'm actually fully convinced now that I'm a prep deep down inside, or maybe I'm a musician deep deep down inside the prep thats deep down inside of me. not sure, whatever let's move on...

Fireworks view from Fort Cody last night were awesome, little BBQ with all of my friend and then recuperated from the orlando hurricane/show I performed. I won't get into what happened last time I was there for the show since it's well documented by now but I can say it was incredibly awesome to return as well...ME. I've had this little wish list of things to come back and do again as a solo artist(like VMAs, Grammys etc etc) and radio shows are surprisingly one of them. I felt like a proud parent(of myself) when I checked in and they handed me the packet with my little cheesy pass but it said "Evan Taubenfeld: Artist" instead of "Evan Taubafield: Guitar" see kids, it's the little things that make me smile.

The show was awesome but during my second to last song the weather cut me short and I spent the next 10 minutes running through a insanity downpour to catch the car to catch my flight. It was a sad moment when I realized it was either buy crocs for the flight back or get sick in my freezing soaked cons, these events ultimately led to my twitter post with the picture(peep my timeline, you'll find it)

Got some amazing texts from friends all over hearing BMG on various radio/tv things which made all of the travel and neglect to my body seem beyond worth it. Band auditions tomorrow so hopefully I'm twitting to tell you we've got a drummer and guitarist now but no promises. I'm a complete snob when it comes to musicianship and there's nothing worse than a band with shitty players.

Warner Bros has been incredibly excited with how bad ass all of you guys are and it just makes me smile when I think about the little family we've got going on and how ridiculous its going to get! I'd like very much so for Obama to fly to "Blacklistclub Land" and try to smooth things over with us instead of other countries because we've grown THAT big. hey, can't hate on me for thinkin large at least.

hmmm, what else.....saw Public Enemies, it was good but don't rush... dvd will suit it just fine. Six Feet Under has gotten stagnate in season 3, and Thomas Sowell is my current hero. I wish I could use that machine from the matrix that programs information into your brain in like supertime. I'd spend ALL day just soaking up all the things I'll never be smart enough to comprehend. I guess that's why I'm a musician. Pop radio/music is like politics for stupid people, but I love every fucking second of it.

-Evan

Posted by: Evan on June 28, 2009

talk about a tough week. obviously its not news that there were some incredibly tragic losses for us as a whole and for some of us individually(yes me). thriller was the first song I learned on piano and basically from that moment on I wanted to do music. also, my little wingman Lockestar departed for doggy heaven(but its ok, I know he's being a maniac up there and terrorizing the others!)[plus, we all know Locke never REALLY dies]

I'm also simultaneously hanging in the sick ass ET.com BlackListClub chat room with my good friends and bs-ing about misc shinanigans.

birthday was yesterday, I never really loved my birthday and always hated the attention I got on it but for some reason yesterday I enjoyed it even though I need a walker and some applesauce cause I'm all old man and shit.

ok ok, so let me focus(sorry chat things keep popping up). what we got????? hmmm....

It's Like That lyric video is gonna be ridic. I've seen a few select shots from it and I can't wait to get it to ya! Orlando on July 3rd should be a nutfest with me, steve, and devin + 100k people and tons of amazing bands so if you're in the area please come watch and say hi. Last time I played that show our tour manager got arrested so I'm nervously excited.

initial prep for metro tour and our other exciting tour(shhh....) are going well, I think it's going to be a blast and it's full band now not acoustic, so you can't use the "but I saw you on the snakes & suits tour" excuse for not coming! I'll make sure we ROCK it like never before.

I've been shooting scenes for this little show I'm doing all week(infact I'm about to leave for a all night shoot that is sure to destroy me, ha) which has been amazing. I feel like its only a matter of time until they realize "wow, this kid sucks, lets fire him" but until then I'll keep doing my best and having fun with it. I can't give too much away but I'm playing a total prep and it's a murder/mystery drama type thing. very very good script and I think it's going to be huge! One huge adjustment is just that the movie/tv business is SOOOOOO different from music. I'm having fun acting and stuff but man am I glad I'm a musician first. we spend SO much time prepping for like one single shot, it's insane but I guess thats just how it works. I'm used to the like, throw on your guitar, get on stage, rock for 45 minutes and get instant gratification bla bla. Also, and you'd think I'd be comfortable in front of the camera but holy shit is it scary when there's like 40 people watching you taking notes and hot lights etc etc..... whatever! If kid rock can do it I can do it!

I'm listening to a different version of Pumpkin Pie(wha????? sims??? something else??)

I'm a hypochondriac, anytime anyone has anything I think I have it.

Album artwork lookin pretty damn good, got some minor tweaks but you're gonna like it, and the special edition blc shit is going to well..... you'll see.

love you all for making my birthday and week amazing, couldn't do this without you. now I must return from my adhd bla-ness and goto work! will film QA video asap!

-Evan

p.s-you just WAIT for the blchitmen, and.......

Posted by: Evan on June 14, 2009

Sunday Sunday #4

I'm sitting here in my hotel in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin after what I can only describe as a surreal series of events(most of which are dreams come true for me). Let me start with yesterday, which started with a 5am departure from LA to Milwaukee, into a 3 hr car ride to Wasau where I was blown away to find out that I had been #1 on their Top 9 at 9 countdown 2 nights in a row! My exhaustion was trumped by nervousness for my first ever meet and greet. I mean, this was truly amazing. I don't think the wonderful people I met realized I was more excited then they were because after all the years of being in the shadows I'd actually been patiently waiting for the day where I'd get to have my very own meet and greet. Anyway, it was a blast, and I got into Fond du Lac(after a few very strange construction detours and a garmin that I'm certain has pure malicious intentions)....Oh, sidenote, had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse in Wasau. I've only ever eaten at another Texas Roadhouse in Tokyo so maybe one day I'll find one in Texas. Just weird.

Fond du Lac was a ridiculous day. I slept 11 hours(I know, that's unHEARD of for me). and I actually think it messed me up more than it helped me. I was basically a zombie and couldn't grasp reality the first few hours(Devin, Isaac, and Steve who'd flown in the night before to meet us in Fond helped me snap out of it with a good lunch, some Wal Mart and other random in town stops). The show was awesome, I can't really say enough. It was surreal, just a few years ago I was doing this radio promo summer/fest shit with Av and couldn't imagine getting to come back and do them myself so I just tried to take it all in. Another crazy meet & greet(with a very large amount of excited new friends and family members for us!) and then back to the hotel to do it again! As I'm writing this I'm realizing that I'm one of the luckiest people in the world for having the chance to do this again for my own record. I feel like Mickey Rourke or something.

What else we got..... Hmm, oh, it's cheaper to upgrade on air tran than it is to check my 2 suitcases so I'm rocking some biz class tomorrow(you get 2 bags free, the bean counters there aren't too sharp). Some hang in Orlando, then ATL, DC, NC, PA, and landing in Canton at the end of the week for a little fathers day back yard bbq! we'll see if I'm as excited and energized next week...

You guys have been kicking major ass one the online voting and radio! The 91.3 countdown was awesome, we just need MORE! It's been super cool to see how incredibly powerful and real our family has become! It's only gonna get bigger.

Thomas Sowell's "Economic Facts & Fallacies" has been PURE candy for my brain this week....It's just delicious.

I'm typing this saturday night but I'm going to pass out and finish on my plane ride tomorrow...(who knows, maybe it'll be my first BLOG from 30k)

I'm back! sitting next to my new airplane neighbor(snoring and should have bought 2 seats but I love him cause he has a genuine energy about him). I think I inaccurately predicted the "fresh" and "inspired" energy I assumed a next day continuation of this blog would bring so I guess I'll just wrap it up and watch some Six Feet Under.(well that and there's no wi-fi on this flight so my options aren't overly abundant) Tonight I'll relax Orlando style, maybe Ruth Chris it up to fill the belly & get my weekly review on cause tomorrow starts a week of early wakeups, conference rooms performances, and long car rides.

I really do love you all,
Evan

p.s- my song just came on the radio on the airplane, wow that was cool.

Posted by: Evan on June 07, 2009

I did my weekly review yesterday since we've got rehearsals today. Green Bay is in for a treat because I've enlisted Devin Bronson, Isaac Carpenter & Steve Shebby to come burn down the stage with me. I'll let you know post rehearsal if my confidence has dissipated.

The high school show I played this week was surreal but at least they seemed to enjoy it. There's nothing more humbling then having "story of me and you" interrupted by a PA announcement of "would the person with the honda accord please move their car, it's blocking the exit....also, the raffle numbers are:" It was comedy at its best but as my great friend and mentor says when it comes to the music business you either get the joke or you don't.

Simlish is significantly harder to sign then I planned for, I survived it only cause my lack of fluency in the faux language is greatly eclipsed by my skills at pro tools and melodyne. I am however stoked to have the song in the game, I remember playing Sim City 3 like 15 years ago and it seems life has come full circle in that regard. I want my sim to be a fucking bad ass though, I'm gonna have to talk to EA immediately.

I wanted to see The Hangover & Star Trek but #4 has proved to be more time consuming (but BAD ASS) so I'll have to wait... chair massages at whole foods and a parties on the police scanner have kept me euphoric. My newest hobby is collecting rare currency and vintage stock certificates. I know, I'm a fucking weirdo, but I still love you.

how sick is the weekly Q&A video going to be????? (really really sick)

big tour dates coming this week...plus so much more...and now a word from our sponsors.

-Evan