www.40daytour.com

The reality

2011-06-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

This is the reality of Joplin, Missouri.

If it looks bad at the start, wait 30 seconds...

And it goes for miles...

Kindness everywhere

2011-05-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

The few days I was actually on the ground in Joplin, I found myself constantly needing to hold back tears from being completely overwhelmed by what I saw. But it was for the exact opposite reason than I anticipated before I arrived.

I thought the decimation, the devastation and the despair would lead me to tears of sadness. Instead, it was the hope, the generosity, the kindness that forced me to hold back tears from overwhelming love. Parents were driving their elementary school daughters around through the wreckage so the girls could offer the cookies they baked to the volunteer workers. Teenagers riding around in the back of pickup trucks with hundreds of hot dogs looking for people to feed. Everywhere you went, there were 18-wheelers being unloaded with donations from other parts of the country. When I saw the distribution center First Baptist Church Joplin had set up at their South Campus, I felt like I was walking into Walmart. But everything was free.

Food, clothing, water, hygiene products, toys, medical supplies. All free for the taking. No stipulations. Just there for those who needed it. In fact, there was so much bottled water that it became a running joke. It was a good thing. When I had arrived Thursday evening, there was still a boil order in place. People were showering in brown water and had been since the storm on Sunday.

Thoughts I captured in the moment...

2011-05-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

...with post-visit thoughts coming later.

The sun didn’t shine for the first nine and a half hours of the drive on Thursday. But suddenly, as I crawled within 40 miles of Joplin, Missouri on I-44 South, not only did I have to squint my eyes because of the brightness, but the light beamed visible rays through the slight cloud cover to the ground below, as if to suggest blessings were descending on the land which was scorched four days prior by the deadliest tornado recorded on American soil.

My car stayed firmly planted in the left lane of the highway, buzzing by fleets of military vehicles from the National Guard carrying bags upon bags upon bags of supplies to those who found themselves suddenly sunken into a state of sheer poverty. I had ditched the ipod shuffle hours ago because it didn’t seem appropriate, but I was growing weary with the silence and the gravity of the reality and uncertainty of what exactly I was approaching. So I searched for local news radio. I found two hosts who were speaking without the brash arrogance and hyper-opinionated banter that drives ratings in today’s talk format. Instead, they were hosting a small-town radio staple, a Swap-N-Shop style program, where anyone could call up at anytime and share what it was they had to sell. But this time, instead of offering a plasma TV or a boat or a beat up pick-up truck, the currency was compassion, information and verification of those they had indeed seen alive.

One lonely man called up showing his concern for the ladies who tended bar at the local watering hole he frequented, presumably the closest thing to a family that he had. “If anyone sees them, tell them their most loyal customer loves them, and misses them, and hopes they’re alright,” he said.

I arrived at First Baptist Church Joplin just in time to follow a crew of people over to a different church where they’d help unload supplies off a semi truck. As I trailed behind the church van without any idea where I was going, we turned down a road and went from a seemingly normal civilization to a complete catastrophe.

A neighborhood with substantially-sized houses was rendered a war zone. Cars were crumpled like they were cans of Coca-Cola ready for recycling. Some houses were so entirely leveled that it took a moment before you could tell if there was even a house there to begin with. Trees were not only uprooted, but stripped of their bark by the winds in excess of 200 mph. One car was standing straight up with its hood buried in the dirt, as if the back half of it was a plant growing from the ground. One house’s walls somehow stayed intact, but it was actually lying on a location other than where it was built. One car had landed on top of another car, which had been flipped on its topside. Mud was sprayed everywhere, as if the twister had played a game of paintball to finish leaving its mark after the bulk of the damage was done.

And this went on for miles. You could see for miles. What was once a neighborhood is now an open field.

Spray painted ‘X’s dressed what was left of the houses, signifying that they had already been searched for bodies. Some people spray painted their names on their house to let their neighbors know that they were alive. The winds of the EF-5 monster decimated one house so thoroughly that the appliances weighing hundreds of pounds were strewn on the lawn.

One storm did this. In a matter of minutes.

When we got back to the church, the pastor pulled me aside and shared stories of those he knew who had lost their possessions, their homes, their lives. One fourth-grade boy, who participated in the church’s youth soccer league, was among the 126 confirmed dead to this juncture, with hundreds more still missing.

Hundreds of volunteers from across the region and the country have come here to help. Only a handful are at this particular church, but we’ve got people from Oklahoma, northwest Indiana, Atlanta, and one knucklehead from North Carolina. One woman called in to the radio station and asked live on the air how she could help. She said she had a busload of 30 others with her who had come all the way from California and were ready, willing and prepared to do whatever they could.

I like the small group of volunteers we have here at this church. We sat around a table tonight after the sun went down, shared stories about where we were from, what led us here, what we’re going through in our own personal lives, and how God is always, always good.

They relayed to me the story from earlier today before I arrived: they had just finished cleaning the lawn of one home, and they saw a man get out of his car across the street and survey the damage for the first time. He had been away on business in Arizona, and at the very moment they were witnessing, he was arriving home to heartbreak. In this moment of absolute tragedy, the group approached him and asked if they could clean up his yard. He stared in disbelief for a moment before responding.

“How much do you want?” he uttered.

“Nothing.”

“Why would you do that for me?” he asked.

“Because we love Jesus, and Jesus loves you.”

The man wept. And they prayed together. And they served their brother in his time of need.

The next time you think to yourself that this world’s full of evil people, just remember that it’s also full of really, really good people, too. And while we can’t control what the evil people do, there is one person whose deeds and actions you can control: you.

@@@@@@@

When unfamiliar faces show up at the church, there are two questions that get asked right away: “What’s your name?” and “Do you need help or are you here to help?”

Dan, a farmer from Iowa, decked out in denim from head to toe, was the first to show up this morning. His white hair and mustache and high frequency of wrinkles in his tan skin suggest he’s been farming for a long time. But he’s not too tired to drive south and lend a hand.

More stories are shared as we prepare to start the day.

Joplin apparently had a large homeless population before the storm. Many of them lived behind a Walmart that was toppled. They’re all feared gone, never to be accounted for.

The ball of debris that existed in the twister is reported to have been three-quarters of a mile wide, and almost 20,000 feet tall. Yes, almost four miles into the air.

X-rays from a local hospital were found as far as 60 miles away. If the storm couldn’t flung a flimsy piece of film that far, no telling what it could’ve done to something with weight.

Among the dead is a young man who was working his job cleaning tables at Pizza Hut. When the storm arrived, he quickly pushed customers to a freezer at the back with a broken lock. He saved dozens, tried to hold the door shut while enduring the storm, and was sucked up by the winds, never to be seen alive again.

One man was sitting on his front porch smoking a cigarette two days after the twister. When approached by members of the church asking if he needed help, his only response was: “I came right out here to this same spot on the porch. I saw the tornado coming over the hill, and there were just bodies flying everywhere.”

The best advice I received came from my friend Ethan, a meteorologist in Jackson, Mississippi who unfortunately has too much experience dealing with these things. He knows I’m wordy, so he kept the instructions simple, telling me to say “I’m here to help. What can I do?” and then just shut up and listen.

You've helped me; now let's help others

2011-05-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Here's how I'm starting to see the world: there are no bad people, and there are no good people. There are only people, created equally. Life is a series of millions of decisions; some good choices, some good risks, some bad choices, some bad risks. Sometimes bad risks turn out well. Sometimes good risks backfire. Some people make mostly good choices. Others make a lot of bad choices. Just about everyone thinks they're a good person. But it's quite clear no one's perfect. So no one's objectively good or bad. We're all just people.

Some of these people really misrepresent Christianity. It's NOT about being better than anyone else because of what you believe or what you do. It's about simply acknowledging the fact that in the decision-making process, we've all got a selfish, imperfect voice within us. Christianity is about making a commitment to constantly trying to silence that selfish voice, and listening to the selfless, loving voice of God (who we believe to be Christ), a voice we all have inside of us (non-believers call it a conscience), then acting upon it. That's Christianity to me. Not trying to crack a crazy code to figure out the end of the world. Simply observing and listening to the love and compassion which exists deep (sometimes really buried deep) within each of us, the same love and compassion copied in the collection of books written thousands of years apart called The Bible.

So, I'm going to Joplin for five days to help the tornado clean-up. It's not a long stay, and the impact I'll make will probably resemble a drop in the ocean, but it's something, and I believe when we feel called, we should all do something. This isn't me trying to be a good person. This is me responding to the second voice. This is me trying to be what I believe Christianity is supposed to be. Non-believers do this humanitarian stuff, too. But I believe they do it because they're listening to their heart, and I believe what they're hearing in their heart is the conscience that God instilled in us all.

Imagine you experience this (fastforward to the 2:00 mark):

Then imagine surviving it, stepping outside, and seeing this: http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/24/news/economy/tornado_joplin/?section=money_latest

Seeing the destruction overwhelmed me. I instantly knew I had to do something. Afterall, I'm supposed to love my neighbor as myself, and man, would I want someone to do this for me if I were in their shoes. For all I know, Joplin is no worse off than Tuscaloosa, but I didn't have this calling then. I have it now. It's the exact same feeling I had before the 40-Day Tour. A feeling of acknowledging an idea, knowing it's a little crazy, even being scared that I'm not emotionally or physically prepared for what I'm about to experience, but doing it anyway, because the calling is so intensely strong that it's a no-doubter. I absolutely know I'm doing the right thing by going. And in a selfish way, it makes me feel alive. This is living.

First Baptist Church Joplin is providing me with meals and a roof over my head. If you'd like to make a donation to them, mail a check with details on how you'd like the money to be spent to:

First Baptist Church Joplin

633 South Pearl Rd

Joplin, MO 64801

Or, as always, you can donate to the American Red Cross.

If you can't give to this effort, but did give to the 40-Day Tour, you've already given to this effort, because I'm investing a sizeable chunk of my own money to load up my car and deliver supplies, to buy the gas to get there, and to buy the supplies needed to make an impact on the ground. Consider your donation to the 40-Day Tour as an investment in me when I needed it most, to enable me to grow into someone with the financial stability and ability to do this today.

I'll leave Wednesday after work, stay with my good friend Andrew Chelton in Nashville late Wednesday night, drive Thursday morning and afternoon to finish the drive to Joplin, and begin work early Thursday evening. Friday, Saturday and early Sunday will be spent helping however I can be used, and I'll start the 16-hour drive back mid-to-late Sunday, so I can be home Monday night in time for work Tuesday morning.

Much like during the tour, I'll try to chronicle my thoughts on this blog and post photos, but the truth is, my time there will be limited, so I'll spend very little time writing while I'm within the city limits.

Please pray for the success of the rescue workers and clean-up crew, and thank you endlessly for your generous support.

R.I.P. Grandpa Sim

2010-11-12T13:23:00.001-08:00

10 years ago today, laying around on a lazy Sunday in my freshman dorm room, I got the unexpected phone call that my Grandpa was gone. He was born and died a humble Youngstown steel mill worker. We had an inseparable bond from the day I was born. My mom went into labor with me at 5 a.m. on his birthday, and he was excited to share a birthday with his grandson, but as would be foreshadowing for years, I'm stubborn, I do things on my own time, and I didn't come out until the next day.

But our close friendship revolved around sports. He'd tell me stories of watching Babe Ruth play in Yankee Stadium, but missing most of the game because he sat behind a huge pole. Or how being a Depression-era teen led to filling boredom by literally foot-racing and boxing friends in their "Neighborhood Olympics" on a regular basis. But toward the end of his life, and as a Youngstown lifer, every time I'd see him, he'd say "Hey boy!! We need to get my buddy Tressel down in Columbus so the Bucks will stop all this losing to Michigan crap!!!" Two months after he passed, OSU made the hire, and has been winning ever since. He never got to hear me deliver a sportscast, but I often think about him while I'm on the air, just imagining how excited he'd be to listen in.

Tomorrow, I'm blessed to be part of the radio broadcast team bringing you Notre Dame vs. Utah nationwide. But the greatest blessing of my life behind a microphone always has been and always will be delivering his eulogy. I remember meeting so many people at the funeral I never knew, but people who came to pay their respects to the man, because of how he loved to help people just to help. Just because. Not so they'd owe him, or not so he'd be a hero. Just because, only occasionally asking for a bologna sandwich and a cup of coffee in return.

Two things I wish everyone would learn from his life:

a) you absolutely CAN live a life of immense significance never making more than $18,000 a year, because he did. And the only quantifiable value in a human comes from how many people they help, how many people they inspire and how many people they love. Not how many things they own or accomplish.

b) Tell the people you love how much you love them OFTEN. Because you never know when they'll suddenly be gone.

Wherever I Go video: FAQ

2010-09-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some frequently asked questions I've received about the Wherever I Go video:

Q: How'd you do this?
A: I lived out of my car for 38 days, drove 14,022 miles, visited 40 states, and asked mostly strangers and a few friends along the way to hold the camera for me.

Q: Did you write the song?
A: Yes. In fact, I wrote almost the entire thing in one two-hour period one morning when I couldn't sleep. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVEkFONc0fs&feature=related

Q: Did you use a green screen for any of the shots?
A: No.

Q: Are you sure? It looks like you might have.
A: Yes, I'm sure. Where would I even find video of all those signs on the side of the road with no one posing in them? And how would I collect all of it, what stranger would be willing to shoot that video and send it to me? How much work would that take? It's legitimately EASIER to just drive 14,000 miles in 38 days. Besides, that wouldn't be the experience of a lifetime, which I wrote about daily in each city on the blog www.40daytour.com.

Q: What's the main message here?
A: When you suffer a loss that breaks your heart, the silver lining is that you've been freed from the responsibilities that came along with whatever you lost. So it's a perfect opportunity to live your life to the fullest, live it with love and live it for others, because in my opinion, that's the only life worth living.

Q: Is this some gimmick to try and become a rock star?
A: I don't really think I'm a very good performer, so no, I don't ever see that happening. But I love writing songs, I know I'm good at it, and if someone notices my creativity or song-writing ability, that'd be cool.

Q: What do you hope comes out of this?
A: This video is full of love, so I hope it goes viral. I hope love goes viral. I also hope it inspires other people who are down on their luck to dust themselves off and bounce back stronger and accomplishing greater things than ever could have been possible without whatever setback they experience.

Q: Why is your sister the strongest woman you know?
A: Because days before her 21st birthday, she was diagnosed with a serious and usually fatal disease called Fibrosing Mediastinitis. She's doing very well, and her faith has her determined to stay full of hope, full of love and spreading that love through faith. Since being diagnosed, she's become engaged to her boyfriend. Much like I did on a much, much less serious note, she's taken a negative, plowed right through it and is living her life to the fullest. I'm very proud of her.

Q: What was your favorite spot?
A: All of them. The whole experience was the trip of a lifetime.

Q: What would you do differently if you could do it again?
A: Probably nothing. I wish I would've had the guts to obnoxiously play in front of a jampacked Subway train instead of a half-empty one, and I wish I would've included a couple other scenic shots I took in the video, but I have absolutely no regrets about the decision to do this or the way it played out. I love all the imperfections in the video. It makes it so grassroots, so real.

Q: Who's the special lady you're singing about?
A: The song is intentionally written generically so it can be about anyone you love. Some might feel that way about family, others might think of a significant other. There is a special friend who inspired me to write the song, and who I had in mind while writing the whole song, but ultimately I wrote the song about my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm not the kind of Christian who wants to wave that in anyone's face. I just want people to know He's inspired me to live a life of love, to love ALL others the way He has loved me, and THAT is what Christianity is all about.

Q: What if you put all this effort into trying to become a musician and you fail? Then what?
A: Who cares? Failing is awesome. Sure, you'd rather succeed, but failing means you had the guts to try something most others wouldn't. It means the deck was stacked against you, but you stared the situation in the eye and went for it anyway. Never fear failure. It's simply the result of circumstance. It's not indicitive of anything negative about you. Only that you were brave enough to try.

The making of the video: Wherever I Go

2010-08-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for this post since the idea popped into my head in late May.
Thank you to the hundreds of people from home and whose paths I crossed on the road for the unbelievable and generous support. God is so good, and working through all of you with the generosity you've shown.

Incredibly generous and unexpected support came from Michael Riches, T.J. Tripp, Matt Crumpton, The Goare Family, The Hodsons, The Hooleys, Chris Spielman, Brad Shaffer, Todd Goodman, Carl Petre, and my immediate family (Chris, Karen, Shea, Alyssa and Andrew Horwat). Sincerely, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This wouldn't have been possible without you, and I hope you take pride in knowing that. I hope to pay it forward for the rest of my life, and do it with your kindness in mind.

I also want to thank Mike Ricordati, Aaron Cassady, the Rahdes, Kelly Johnson, Wade Peery, Ben Jay, Dave Gust, Walt Novosel, Mike Thompson and Angie Harris for their significant contributions.

Thanks also to Blake Nolan, who sacrificed vacation to go on a tough, unexpected ride across the country from Seattle to Columbus (2,400 miles in three and a half days) so I could be with my family in a time of need.

In total, I drove 14,022 miles in 38 days over 40 states: Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, back home to Ohio, the Canadian border at Niagara Falls, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, before my move to my new, current home: Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In all, 44 people stopped to help film the video for me. 39 of the 44 were complete strangers, a handful of whom didn't even speak English. Thanks to Mike Dunn in Pittsburgh, Joel Rabe in Knoxville, Ross Schneiderman in New York City, Matt Crumpton on the Pacific Coast and Blake Nolan in Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle and select state signs for helping in the production of the video. This was truly a grassroots project, and I tried to make that transparent in the process and in the end result. Some of the shooting, all of the writing and all of the editing was done myself.

Special thanks also to the Dunns, Ross Schneiderman and Aaron Hornstein, Chris McKenzie, Matt Hoffman, Beau Boughamer, Brian Boesch, Tom Clifford, The Saporskys, Brian Earley, Howard and Amanda Rudolph, Keith Cawley, Andrew Chelton, Ethan Huston, Brad Shaffer, Angie and Chris Koch, Aaron Hancart, Matt Crumpton, Nicole Krishnaswami, Caleb Troop, Nathan Prinz and Nick Campbell, and a handful of complete strangers for providing a roof over my head at different spots across the country. I spent a number of nights sleeping in the car, and it's not fun, especially in the south, with summertime lows in the upper 80s. Your kindness in opening up a room for me will be appreciated until the day I die. Thanks also to Jillian Cross, who kindly donated to help me avoid sleeping in the car as many as six nights in a single week.

Great thanks to those who bought me meals on the road, especially to two wonderful women in Amy Saul and Allie LaForce for making sure I was fed on multiple occassions, both physically and spiritually. You ladies are truly, truly awesome.

It was also an extraordinary experience to be interviewed by members of the media as often as I was. Thanks to Dave Maetzold for pushing me to seek out media exposure, and Dana Sulonen, Spencer Adkins, Mark Dantzer, Mindy Drayer, Michael Riches, Megan Pringle, Ethan Huston and Stacey Chesser for your willingness to tell my story to the masses.

Thanks also to ALL the people who came to my CD release show and my welcome home show in Columbus, especially those who traveled great distances or who surprised me with their presence, namely Beau Bishop, Paul Keels, Russ Eisenstein, Matt Dowds, and all the guys and gals from STRIVE at Northwest Bible, and Brian Barnhart for his surprise visit (attempts!) in two different cities. All the gracious support from those two events went a long way toward making this trip possible.

I have been blessed with so many good friends, too many to name, who showed extraordinary interest and support in my travels. You are all friends I value dearly and I will for the rest of my life.

Thanks also to the strangers who helped me out by buying my CD or dropping me money to help me get through along the way. I've always felt the true mark of kindness is not just to help those who can pay you back, but to help those who cannot. Without asking for anything in return, you gave selflessly, and may God bless you for it.

I really, really didn't want to release this video without having the EP available for download on iTunes, including a studio-quality recording of this song along with several others I have ready for release. But the bottom line is: I just don't have the money to do it, I don't want to record a shabby, half-assed version of everything in my bedroom, and I have been so incredibly blessed by the outpouring of support that made my trip possible. If anyone wants to donate money from this point forward, it's going toward the Fibrosing Mediastinitis Research Fund at Vanderbilt to help find a cure for my sister's disease. I'd be selfish to ask for anything more.

That said, if I can ask one more favor, it's that you please repost this video for your friends and loved ones. Sure, I'd love for this video to somehow launch a music career, but that's not the point. If this video, or my story, could be used to inspire others to go for their dreams in the face of adversity, and to live life with passion and to the absolute fullest they possibly can, then I'll come out of this whole experience a richer man than I ever would/could by being a multi-platinum artists. So facebook it, tweet it, digg it, email it. Just let it be known: when you suffer a loss that breaks your heart, you've been freed from the chains and responsibilities which tied you to it. Go live your life, live it with love, and live it for others. It's the only life worth living.

Without further ado, here it is: the music video for Wherever I Go. I hope you enjoy watching it even a fraction as much as I enjoyed making it.

With love,
Tony C

Update on my sister's condition

2010-07-15T21:34:00.004-07:00

As most of you know by now, my 40-day tour was cut short due to an illness in the family. When I was in Seattle, I received a call from my mom informing me my youngest sister, Alyssa, was sick with an extremely rare and usually fatal disease. Obviously, I needed to get home to be with my family, so the four-day drive from Seattle to Columbus, Ohio began.

Thanks to all for the prayers and support. While the disease she's been diagnosed with (I believe it's called fibrosing mediastinitis) is serious and will take constant monitoring for the rest of her life, she is in no imminent, short-term peril. Since so little is known about it and she's a one in 3 million case, her and her doctor have decided the side effects of the few treatment options aren't worth the risk, so truly the best treatment is prayer. We'll pray the calcifications stop spreading through her body and her vital organs stay healthy. God bless you for your support and my whole family sends love and thanks!!

I know it would mean a lot to my sister if she knew you were praying for her. You can join her prayer group on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110250712360233.

To help find a cure for my sister's disease, please make a check payable to:

Fibrosing Mediastinitis Research Fund
c/o Richard Steinhart
Rm. T1218 Vanderbilt Med Center North
Vanderbilt School of Medicine
1161 21st Ave. South
Nashville, TN 37232-2650

For convenience, I've added a PayPal button, but please know this money goes to me, and we'll in turn pass it along to the research fund. If you're not comfortable with this, please mail a check directly to Vanderbilt. Thank you.

DAY 29: SEASIDE, OR

2010-07-10T14:52:00.006-07:00

First, allow me to explain myself for the lack of blogging and writing updates, because I'm really disappointed I've gotten out of the habit of writing on a daily basis.

This week has been one of the most driving intensive weeks of the trip, not just from a mileage perspective, but because a lot of the roads we've taken have been long, slow, winding and gorgeous. I've got a lot of my stories and thoughts down verbally on tape recorder, but I simply have not had the time to blog about them. It sucks, because writing has been one of my favorite things about this trip, and I plan to get them all down on paper eventually in the form of a book. I didn't think this adventure could produce enough original thought and material for an entertaining read, but I've been proven wrong. So I've officially decided a book is on the way. Not sure if I'll make it a hard copy or an e-book, but I definitely think it'll be worthwhile. Besides, writing and publishing a book has been on my bucket list for some time now, and this trip's been all about crossing items off that sheet of paper. So I might as well use the trip as a vehicle to accomplish something else I've always wanted to do.

I know I've written about this before, but having company on the road is a conflicting feeling. I cannot possibly have more fun than I do with Matt and Blake, and it's been an absolute pleasure and joy having them ride along. But, the truth is, for now, the road is my home. And if they're joining me on the road, I really feel like I have a guest. I feel the need to make sure they're having a good time or getting to do some of the things they want to do. So I don't get to waste an hour and a half at a coffee shop blogging. I promise I'll try and do better, though. In the meantime, I'm going to leave a placeholder for the last several days and go back and fill in the blanks once I get the chance. This entry will not serve for the entire week, but just for Day 29.

At this point, our sleep patterns are completely, totally screwed up. For the second straight night, Blake and I ended up going to bed somewhere around 4 or 5 a.m. local time, which is 7-8 a.m. in the east. It's going to be a tough recovery process for both of us in the next couple weeks. He'll head back to Ohio in about five days, but it won't be long before I follow right behind him.

We both woke up Thursday in Portland, Oregon after having way too much fun the night before. Blake crashed at his friend Micah's place, while I stayed with my friend Nicole from OU who I haven't seen in ages. She and her husband live in a really nice part of downtown with a huge, beautiful townhouse and a guest bedroom that made me feel like I was back in the Hollywood Roosevelt. Her husband is Hindu, and the whole room was adorned with beautiful Indian decoration. My favorite part, though, was the rubber ducky in the shower.

Our collective hangovers and need for naps Thursday afternoon meant we weren't getting out of Portland until about 4:15 p.m. PT. Before we left, I changed out my 30-day tags on my car, affectionately nicknamed "The Cone," for the official Ohio license plates with a mere 8,889 miles on it in the previous month.

I feel sorry for The Cone. If cars were personified, The Cone would be miserable, looking around at the other cars that were purchased around the same time, still shiny and clean and well-rested and free of interior scratches and with clean floor rugs and mileage in the triple-digits, wondering why it was so unlucky as to draw me.

We were planning on playing in Seattle Thursday night, but we definitely wanted to hit some of the northern Oregon coastline on the way up, so we called off Seattle in a hurry due to our late start. On our drive up, we experienced a humbling reminder of how old we're getting.

"Dude, I really think the elevation of Portland is the reason we're so hungover," Blake said to me lounging in the passenger seat with his head hanging sideways through a gravelly, strained voice, clearly articulating the amount of pain he was in.

"Is Portland really that high up?" I asked.

"Yeah, man! Didn't you see all the mountains around here? We're way up there right now."

Hmm. I'll take his word for it.

As we wind along and climb up Oregon Highway 26 northwest to Astoria, we come across a green sign on the right side of the road: "Elevation - 500 feet."

So much for that excuse. Looks like we're just pathetic.

As we got closer and closer to sunset, we made our way up Rt. 101 on the coast, first through Cannon Beach, then Seaside, and finally Astoria. Astoria has one of the most unnecessarily tall bridges I've ever seen. There isn't a building within 30 miles of Astoria that's five stories tall, yet this bridge connecting Oregon and Washington was built as if a ship twice the size of the Titanic needed to pass underneath it. Quite ridiculous.

We started to run out of daylight as we finished up our dinner. I wanted to shoot a segment of my music video in front of this statue of Lewis & Clark we caught drift of, but a local told us we overshot our target and it was back in Seaside about 15 miles south. Blake didn't really want to head back, but I've only got one chance to shoot this thing across the country. I want to do it right.

On our way back to Seaside, we drove through some of the thickest fog I've ever seen in my life. Fog so thick you couldn't see the water below you when you drove on a bridge. The daylight was fading, too. No chance at seeing a Pacific Coast sunset with these conditions, but you knew wherever the sun was, it wasn't hanging around much longer.

We got to Seaside as the fog turned to a dark grayish blue. We had literally minutes left before shooting this video was just no longer an option. This statue was on Broadway, right on the ocean as a roundabout circled it, and we arrived there with no time to waste. I zipped into an illegal parking spot, threw the emergency flashers on, and Blake and I pulled a Chinese firedrill pulling the guitar and camera out of the car and running up to get the shot in.

He recorded as I played the line that refers to Lewis & Clark and played the chorus, and sighed with relief after the moment was over. The next thing I know, I hear several people applauding. I look up, and there are dozens of people surrounding the roundabout, all of whom were listening as we shot Wherever I Go.

"Keep playing!" one person shouted.

Blake and I looked at each other, assessed the situation, saw the potential and figured there were worse places to be than on the ocean, so we moved the car to a safe location, brought the bongo drum and just sat on a bench and started playing. We played a couple awful covers, and no one was paying attention.

"Let's just play some of your stuff," he suggested. Sounded good to me.

We started with By My Side, and a crowd of about eight people stopped instantly. We followed it with Wherever I Go, and by the time that song was finished, the crowd had grown to about 20.

I started telling my story of traveling the country and wanting to get my music out there, and just started handing out free CDs to everyone. That's when the cash started coming in.

This one really nice woman walked over, talked with us about my travels, offered up some gas money, and left the scene for a few minutes to grab her 83-year-old mother.

"I had to bring her by," she said when she returned. "I knew she'd love this."

She picked her cane up off the ground and pointed it at me.

"Do you know any Woody Guthrie!?" she asked excitedly.

I hated to disappoint her, but not only don't I know any Woody Guthrie, but I've never even heard of him. I mean, I've heard the name, but I can't connect it to anything. I'm not a huge music history buff. It makes me feel very insecure around other performers and industry people, most of whom are music snobs. I've noticed music is the only talent-based industry where the performers are expected to know everything about the industry's history, which is ridiculous. No one cares if LeBron James can name Dr. J's scoring average or Bill Russell's blocked shot totals. Yet, I'm constantly feeling judged by people when I don't know any Elvis Costello or The Doors. There's SO MUCH MUSIC out there. You can't possibly know it all. Don't judge people for what it is they listen to. Just encourage them to increase the volume and the variety.

"Sorry, no Woody Guthrie," I said. "But I can play you this song I wrote." She seemed OK with it.

Blake and I busted out Round 2 of "By My Side" for a whole new audience. The 83-year-old woman with the cane was dancing. This family of four was clapping their hands. The crowd was at about 35 by now. This kicks the crap out of an open mic.

I must confess, I'm starting to feel like I'm done with the open mic scene. There are some GREAT ones around the country to play, and when it's a legitimate songwriter's competition, it's always a good time and there's always good talent. But for the most part, I'm ready to graduate from open mics onto gigs, hence my obnoxious tweet the other night.

The woman's granddaughter Meka told us about a spot called Girdle's right up the street. She told us we could easily get on stage because she knew Bucky, the guy who ran the live music that night, and she thought we'd be a great fit.

She took us up to Girdle's, a quiet restaurant as soon as you walk in, but a pretty cool bar scene down the hallway. It was kinda like a mullet: business in the front, party in the back.

Meka introduced us to Bucky, a friendly middle-aged man wearing a fedora. The stage was full of his gear, dozens of guitars, several of which he made himself, a full drum set, a violin, a keyboard and tons of electronics. It looked more like Dave Matthews Band was playing there than a guy with an open stage.

Bucky let us on stage to tell our story and play a few originals. When I said I was from Ohio, a man with dark brown skin and a thick black beard jumped off his bar stool and ran straight up to the front of the stage.

"YEEEEEEEEEAH!!!!!!!!! OHIOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" said the man, who we ended up naming Ultimate Ohio. As I spoke into the microphone, he continued to interrupt.

"OHHHHHHHH-AIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ultimate Ohio shouted from the top of his lungs.

We started playing a song, and Ultimate Ohio was all about it.

"You guys are awesome!!!" Ultimate Ohio screamed right in our faces as we played. "I SAAAAAAID YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!! GIMMIE FIVE!!!!!"

Blake and I looked at each other as we kept playing.

"CMON!!! UP TOP!!!" Ultimate Ohio demanded. I don't know if Ultimate Ohio plays any music, but he may not have considered the physics behind playing while singing and conversing while high-fiving. Not exactly possible. But that didn't stop him.

The most friendly and encouraging harassment in the history of the world continued through our sets, with Bucky jamming along on slide guitar, violin, electric guitar and keys. The guy's got talent.

We took a break, and as I went to my bookbag, a cute waitress with colorful tattoos, a nose ring, a plaid shirt and matching headband came up to me and tossed out a compliment. Her name was Sam.

"You guys were good," she said.

"Thanks. I've never played with a guy trying to carry on a conversation with me before, though. Kinda tough."

"Oh, that's Charlie," she laughed. "He loves everything about Ohio and he gets excited every time he meets someone from there."

I can tell.

"I gotta go do my job," she said. "But catch up with me later."

After another set where Blake jumped on the drums, we were ready to call it a night. One of Sam's friends came into the restaurant right before closing time and loved my story. He helped us out with gas money and wished us the best. Really nice dude.

Sam let us camp out in her backyard for the night. She had a fire pit back there, so we sparked up a camp fire, gathered around and put back a few home brews she made with her ex-boyfriend and her father. The house she lived in was quaint and charming, built in the 20's, and valued at around $15,000. We're talking reeeeeally old and small. But I loved it. And the fact that it was less than a quarter mile from the ocean made the property worth almost six figs and made it her happy home.

The house reminded me of my grandparents' old place. When they were alive, our family would drive up to Youngstown and stay for days. Compared to modern day standards, my grandparents' house was tiny, but compared to Sam's house, it was a mansion. Sam's house was not level, had swinging saloon-style doors to the bathroom, and was essentially an efficiency. But it was warm, cozy, and made me kinda feel like it was all I ever wanted for myself in life.

The fire burned until the dark of night started becoming undark. Blake and I put back about five hours of sleep in the tent, and Day 29 was history. We woke up, showered, and then it was back up to Astoria, across the hilariously tall bridge and into the state of Washington for Day 30 and State number-25.

DAYS 23-25: LOS ANGELES

2010-07-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

As Matt and I pulled out of Angie & Chris' driveway early Friday, it was hot. I mean, REALLY hot. 10:30 a.m. = 114 degrees. Above zero.

We jumped on I-10 Westbound for Los Angeles and began the six-hour trek, occasionally abusing the BK value menu or a local gas station along the way.

One of the coolest places we found was a town called Windy Point, California, where there was always a wind gust and there were literally hundreds of windmills at the exit. There can't possibly be an outdoor basketball hoop in that town. The wind is ALWAYS blowing 25 mphs or harder. The really bizarre part, though, was that it was smack dab between two huge mountains. On the ground, it was 117 degrees. At the peaks of the mountain tops, snow. I couldn't believe my eyes.

We ended up getting to L.A. around 6 in the evening and went straight to the Sunset Grill on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, which is where I was planning on playing for the night. We got there, and the set up looked horrible. The room was so tiny they couldn't possibly fit more than 15 people in it. Not what I was looking for.

I had the Unurban Coffee House in Santa Monica pegged as a backup plan, so we rode down the 2 for a while to sign up. Played at a really cool, laid back place where every chair in the room was different. Some were couches, some looked like wooden school chairs, some were foldouts, some were bar stools. Atmosphere were great, people were horrible.

Everyone was completely disinterested in everyone other than themselves. I suppose that's mostly what Los Angeles is all about. But it was funny, because Matt picked up on it right away, and it took me a little while longer to come to that conclusion. But with the beach waiting right down the road, we didn't want to sit in a coffee house all night. But it looked like we'd be wasting time there for a while. It was another open mic by lottery. "Matt" was drawn second. After about 15-20 names were pulled from the hat, I still hadn't heard mine.

"When they call for me, just go up there," Matt whispered to me. "You can have my spot, and we'll just bounce. No one will know the difference."

I played a two-song set and ran, because "Matt" wasn't Matt Crumpton, I had accidentally taken someone else's spot, and they weren't happy about it. So... we headed for the door immediately.

As we swung open the screen door of the coffee house, a strong, poignant smell smacked me right in the face. It was definitely marijuana. I looked to my left, and there was a man, sitting on the sidewalk, smoking weed in broad daylight. Apparently, it's extremely easy to get cleared to take marijuana medically in California. So easy that there are billboards all over the place that say: "Can't sleep? Call us. 1-800-420-DOCS." No wonder this place is so laid back.

We hung out with my buddy Aaron and his girlfriend Katie for the entire night, both of whom were fantastic hosts and very hospitable. By the time the drinks had been put away for the night, there was no way Matt or I was driving, so we hopped in the backseat of Aaron's Mustang and rolled up to the place I had been wanting to visit in Los Angeles more than any other: In-N-Out Burger.

My first experience with In-N-Out was highly anticipated and definitely lived up to the hype. I also kinda went wild with it, ordering it two more times in the next 24 hours. That's kinda how it was the first time I got wasted at college as a freshman, or the first time I made out with a girl. There's this new experience that you'd had hyped up so much, that you just can't get enough of it, so you do it over, and over, and over again. Truth be told, before I hit up the Starbucks I'm at right now on Sunset Blvd. to type this, I was in line for my fourth In-N-Out burger visit before I decided the line was just too long. But for those who know me best, I can only accurately describe my enthusiasm for In-N-Out burger by comparing it to its top rival: D.P. Dough.

Saturday morning was a waaaay bigger and better L.A. experience than we ever could have imagined. Matt met this music industry titan named Jeff Blue (Google him) at a conference in Pittsburgh. He figured he'd text the guy and seeing if he wanted to meet up for breakfast while we were in town, because... why not, right?

Not only did we meet Jeff for breakfast, but he invited us up to (one of) his multi-million dollar houses at the top of Hollywood Hills looking down over the entire city of Los Angeles and with a killer view of the Hollywood sign. His walls were covered with decorations commemorating his successes, including signing Matchbox 20 for their first album "Yourself or Someone Like You," which went platinum ten times. He also CREATED the bands Limp Bizkit, Korn and Linkin Park. He signed Daniel Powter. He wrote and played the drums on "Pictures of You" by The Last Goodnight. And he had Matt and me over to hang out in his backyard and play with his dogs.

Matt set up his client Jared Mahone with a co-write with Jeff for Monday, which should be a great opportunity for Jared, who's a great talent and an even better person. Very excited for him. But Jeff thought what I was doing was pretty cool, too, and when I told him Frickin' A was getting some air play in Columbus, he said he wanted to hear it.

I played it for him, and he looked at me like I was kinda crazy. "It's a good idea. I like the lyrics. But where's the chorus? And why did you play it so fast?"

"Ummm, because I never expected it to be on the radio ever," I answered. I felt stupid, but it was the truth. I wrote it for myself because I liked playing it, thought it was clever, and thought other people would like it, too. He did a 180 on his piano bench, now facing toward the keys.

"Play it way, way slower," he said.

The next thing I know, Frickin' A is a ballad, and I'm playing it along side maybe the most influential person in the music industry I'll ever meet. We jammed out for about five minutes, he made some suggestions on how to change it, and that was that. It was fun, but it's not going anywhere. I'm not the level of talent he's looking to sign to a major label, and his one-track mind works exclusively on building hits, not enjoying quirky, gimmicky, 90-second tracks. So, I'll hold on to the photo you see of the two of us jamming in his living room underneath the 10-times platinum frame from Matchbox 20 and call it a great experience.

As we walked to the car after leaving his place, Matt had a confession for me.

"I can't express in words how insanely jealous I am of you right now," he whispered. "Whether you realize it or not, that was one of the coolest things you've ever done in your life."

We bounced around to some other notable spots in the area, including a hillside with a sweet view of the Hollywood sign and the Santa Monica pier. We had a fun night out, went back to our room at the Hollywood Roosevelt and called it a night. (For the record, Matt paid for the room. I don't want anyone thinking I'm taking their donations and getting the fanciest hotel rooms in America on their dime.)

In the past seven days, I have stayed at seven of the most drastically different places I possibly could. I've slept in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, a.k.a. party spot of the celebs, and I've slept in a $25 motel. I've stayed in my car, on a complete stranger's couch, and at a plush house with a pool in Phoenix, Arizona. Every single night and situation is different, which I guess is what's really exciting about this whole trip.

The sun is setting right now on Sunset Blvd. I have to go shoot this video while I've got the opportunity. I've got a lot of other thoughts going through my mind and observations about L.A. that I'd like to get down, but they'll have to wait.

Tonight, I'm playing at the Canter's Kibitz Room for an open mic, and then later heading up to Jeff's house to catch some fireworks for the 4th from the top of Hollywood Hills if I'm not too late. Hanging out with Jared Mahone tonight, too, which will be a treat.

Waking early tomorrow and driving up the P.C.H. tomorrow with Crumpton for one of the best experiences of the trip, and playing in San Francisco tomorrow night. Hope to fill you in with more when I get the chance!!

With love on the 4th,
-Tony C

DAY 22: PHOENIX

2010-07-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

Skipped right over Day 21 because I was in the car the entire time... Now, I'm running behind on leaving for L.A. today. So here's the best I can offer in about ten minutes.

- Drive all day through the Rockies, headed south on 191 through eastern Utah.
- Came across Moab, a touristy town in the middle of nowhere. Had no idea that place existed.
- Talked to some bar owners. ALL of them wanted me to play, but they all wanted to wait til later. I had to get on the road.
- Drove 2-3 more hours south, and found a $25 motel. Super nice old man with gray hair, gray whiskers and rotted teeth made a hard sales pitch, and basically begged me to stay there for the night, so I gave him my $25, slept in a room with a lamp without a lampshade and took off at 5 a.m. the next morning.
- Made it into the Grand Canyon for free, shot some great video with French and Korean speaking people holding the camera for me.
- Drove into Flagstaff, met some guy from Ann Arbor who was "sorry" I am from Columbus.
- Saw brush fires driving south on I-17 into Phoenix.
- Picked up Matt at the PHX airport, in the 120-degree heat.
- Made it to Angie and Chris' house, beautiful spot in suburban Phoenix.
- Showed up at the Fiddler's Dream to play... it was actually a Quaker church. I knocked out a couple songs for an older crowd and then moved on to an Asian cuisine/bar spot in Scottsdale.
- Played a handful of songs, didn't sell many CDs, but had a good time hanging out with my cuz. Met a really good Rob Thomas-sound-a-like named George Kemper.
- Came back to the house, crashed and now off to L.A.

Hope to have more for you soon!

DAY 20: DENVER

2010-06-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Day 21 is pretty uneventful. Tons of driving to do still today. I'll probably get to my destination around 1 a.m. or so. I decided to take the day off from playing music and rather than poking around Albuquerque aimlessly, drive however long I need to to get to the Grand Canyon tonight so I can camp out and watch the sun rise over one of America's most treasured natural landmarks.

Lots of driving yesterday on Day 20 also. Denver was hazy and cloudy when I pulled in during rush hour yesterday, making the majestic Rockies barely visible. I arrived at the Toad Tavern excited to play, and the stage looked inviting. It advertised itself as one of the premier live music bars in Denver, and from the looks of it, it had all the potential to live up to the billing.

Talked to the woman behind the bar to see how to sign up to play. She told me it was booked for the night. After all I've been through in the past 20 days, a simple "it's booked" means nothing to me. I waited until the host arrived, told him my story, asked him if I could play three songs in between some of the hour-long scheduled sets. He was unimpressed.

I had little tolerance for the way they were blowing me off. I definitely don't think I'm God's gift to the music industry, but 6,000 miles in 20 days has earned me a sense of entitlement. I'm not waltzing in expecting anyone to bend over for me, but I'm not going to deal with a bunch of 50-somethings and their cover band telling me they can't set aside their Doobie Bros. for 15 minutes so I can expose them to something original. It was a middle-aged crowd anyway, not exactly my target demo, so I started asking around to find another option.

Landed a mile down the road at "The Blue Mood," which looked like it was going to be a disaster at first. No one in there, no one signed up, and the open mic was starting in 15 minutes. My buddy Brad, who met me there, shared a brew with me while we felt the place out. This duo whose name escapes me was playing first and allegedly bringing 40 people or so. If that's the case, I want a piece of that crowd.

They played really, really well together. I'd totally give them a shout out, but I don't remember their names and they haven't friend requested me yet like they said they would. Climbed up on stage, and the crowd got noisy in a hurry. They had already seen what they came to see. I had to work the room or risk a completely wasted night.

Launched into my story about the 40-day tour. Got some applause, but still noisy. Said I was going to open with a break-up song called Frickin' A. Got some laughs, but still noisy. Said the song was on the radio in Columbus. That got everyone settled down.

90 seconds later, they were hooked. It was unquestionably my most successful stop of the tour. Sold the most albums by a vertical mile, and made more money in about 15 minutes than I did in a 12 hour day as a sportscaster. Extremely nice people, extremely supportive, and an all around awesome experience.

I played Wherever I Go for them as my closer, and they were actually paying enough attention to give a big cheer when I dropped the line "I'll shout your name from a Rocky Mountain when I'm a mile high."

Went back to the Toad Tavern, and the place was empty. Chalk this night up for the good guys. The Blue Mood wasn't where I planned on playing, but it was definitely the right place to be.

(Side note: At a Starbucks in Grand Junction, Colorado. There's a mother on her laptop next to me, and her 4-5 year old daughter is skipping around barefoot, rhythmically spitting on the ground every five seconds, then stepping on it. Parent your child, lady.)

Woke up early this morning to do a radio hit on 930 AM in Cleveland. It was at 6 a.m. local time. After it was done, I took a shower, packed up and was ready to hit the road. Except... I was exhausted. Laid back down and slept another FOUR HOURS. Maybe the thin air, maybe the rough sleeping arrangements, maybe just working my tail off out here. But I'm pretty wiped out.

Got off to a late start today, got my first oil change, dealt with horribly rigid and unwilling-to-help people at the BMV so I could comply with the law and not have expired 30-day tags while on my 40-day roadtrip. Almost ran out of gas again. I'm really bad at western driving.

But MAN, I-70 west through Colorado is BEAUTIFUL. I always thought the Pacific Coast Highway was the best driving anyone could do in our great country. But the PCH has a rival. It was difficult driving. My transmission had no idea what was going on. And it rained off and on. But man was it beautiful. If you can't feel God's presence on that road, I feel for you. What a joy. A rapidly moving river below winding roads weaving through the tallest mountains this country has to offer, many of which are snow-capped, even in late June/July.

I pulled off at a point in Breckenridge to shoot part of the Wherever I Go video and met another traveling band: The Corey Brooks Band. Extremely nice guys, Christian music artists, and funny enough, they're from West Virginia and were in the Ft. Worth area at the exact same time I was. Check them out: http://www.mystorytour.com

Excited to stay with a cousin in Phoenix and to have my roommate Matt Crumpton joining me for the next five days. This should be a real highlight of the trip: Grand Canyon tomorrow, Los Angeles over the long weekend, PCH and San Francisco on Monday, all with one of my best friends in the world. Adding to the visit is the fact that July 31st will be the end of two and a half great years of being roommates with him. It'll be sad to move out, but God's path for my life is calling.

From the wild west,
-Tony C

DAY 19: KANSAS

2010-06-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

Time to write about Day 19, which means today is Day 20. I cannot believe this trip is half over.

Only one real significant thing happened yesterday. It was a first ever since I hit the road back on June 10th. I paid for a place to sleep. Actually, YOU paid for a place to sleep, thanks to all of your kind donations. But... it just made sense. I'll explain why in a moment.

Wichita was a complete waste of time. After my phone interview on WTVN in Columbus yesterday afternoon, I finished the drive north on I-35 up the Kansas turnpike. After stopping for an hour and a half to blog last night, it was already late by the time I tried to make it downtown. I wasn't even sure the location I picked out online for Wichita wasn't a comedy open mic or a poetry open mic, so I decided to just hit up a place to have a few brews, open some conversation, sell a few CDs, and call it a night.

I figured Wichita State University's campus might be a good place to do this, so I waltzed into a McDonald's and asked for a McDouble, a fry and some direction.

"You gotta ask Shelley," said the woman behind the counter. "She graduated from there."

Shelley comes out excited to tell me all about Wichita State. She tells me to turn out of the McDonald's going left onto 54/Kellogg, then north on I-35, then exit on 21st St. and take a right and just follow 21st all the way until I get to campus.

Shelley is a moron, and I don't believe she went to Wichita State. If she did, don't ever, ever invest in a Shocker education.

I'd learn later that night that what she meant to say was: turn RIGHT out of the McDonald's, eventually you'll RUN INTO 54/Kellogg St, then take I-35 to the FIRST EXIT, which is Rt. 96, then take THAT to 21st St., then turn LEFT on 21st and take it into campus. This woman literally was one accidentally correct turn away from giving me COMPLETELY, TOTALLY, ENTIRELY WRONG DIRECTIONS.

After an hour and a half, it's dark, and the campus, which she promised would offer a lot, offered little. I saw a Hookah bar on campus and thought, "Hmm, never been in one of these places before. Always wondered what it was like. Maybe someone in here can tell me about a cool bar."

I walk in and instantly am overwhelmed with the smoke. I had no idea what to expect, but it was still way weirder than I imagined. Very dark, very dirty, lots of couches with people gazing at an action movie on an old-fashioned, non-HD, 70-inch screen TV. This guy advises me to hit up the Old Town District, and he helps me maneuver my way down there. I get there in about seven minutes, and end up right around the corner from the McDonald's I started at.

Not only did the lady give me the completely wrong directions, but she took me all the way around the city for no reason. Columbus folks, the only way I can describe this is... it's like telling someone to take I-270 to get from campus to the Arena District. Complete, utter, non-sense.

This made me decide that Wichita was just like my old car after the accident earlier this month: a total loss. I decided to start the trip to Denver around 10:30 p.m. and get as far along as I possibly could to make for an easier drive in the morning.

O.A.R., the Barenaked Ladies and 1990's one-hit wonders have me feeling great. I'm at less than a quarter tank as I leave downtown, but there are no gas stations anywhere, I'm hitting up an interstate, and I've wasted the last two and a half hours driving in circles, so I'm ready to hit the road and find gas somewhere on the side of the highway.

Bad choice.

I get further and further from Wichita, and the roads get darker and darker with nothing available at any exit, which is becoming fewer and further between. Eventually, I'm below the 'E,' and there's no pull-offs anywhere in sight. I'm going 60 mph to conserve, until I finally stumble upon exit signs which offer a Burger King and a Shell. I'm running on fumes.

I get off the exit, and the Burger King is still open. The Shell hasn't been since 2002.

I walk into the BK lounge and ask for help.

"The nearest gas station is 2 1/2 miles off the highway," he tells me. "Good luck."

I can see the lights ahead for this little town of Newton, Kansas when my car starts to get grumpy. I'm going like 25 mph down a 50 mph road at midnight to try and make it to the gas station when finally, the Kwik Mart is within sight. Simultaneously, my car's had enough and decides to shut down.

PHEW. I didn't make it to the gas station, but I got close. That could've been a LOT worse.

A nice gentleman running the Kwik Mart gives me a free canister to fill, take back to my car, and then drive up to buy a full tank at the gas station. Another example of how people are good and willing to help.

I pull in, pump a full tank, go inside to finish cashing out, and walk back out to my car. The woman filling her pick-up truck at the pump next to mine bumps a button and the alarm on her truck starts going off. And it went on, and on... and on. She couldn't get it to stop.

"Frickin' A!" she finally yells out of frustration. I think I just sold an album.

I introduce myself, tell her about my song "Frickin' A," and give her my card so she can check it out on iTunes and download it. We talk for a little while longer about music, living in cars (which we've both done), etc. I prepare to climb back in to continue my journey when she makes a confession.

"Hey, just so you know," she says brushing the black hair back out of her face. "I think you're really cute."

Now... I know I've said on here that I've got no problems with staying at a woman's place for the night. But I'm NOT looking to get into trouble or random hook ups. Something tells me I shouldn't go down this road. What to say. What to say.

"Well, I can't honestly say I'll ever be in Newton, Kansas again, but thanks for the compliment. Good luck to you."

Time to go.

I continue the drive north until I get to I-70, which made me think of home. Funny to think I live less than a two miles to the north of the road I'm on, just about 1,000 miles down it.

As I'm driving west through Kansas, I see a GIGANTIC field of windmills. This would be GREAT for the Wherever I Go video, but there's no rest areas, no Walmarts, no safe places to stay other than the side of the road. I decide it's time to break down and get a room, so I can shoot these windmills in the morning.

I exit and follow the signs to Ellsworth, Kansas, which is eight miles off the highway. As I drive through the town, it's quiet and everyone's asleep. Except the police force. There are seriously a million police cars in the tiny uptown. Not a million, but literally, like ten. All just parked or slowly crawling along the roads. It was like they had swallowed the town whole, or were working on an epic takeover, like bees on a honeycomb. One of them was going in the opposite direction of me, and when it passed me, busted a U-ey and started following me. I can hear it now: "What's this damn stranger doin' here, driving all over these streets!? Better call for back-up."

I'm telling you. This town can't have more than 300 people in it. Literally ten police cars just hanging out. All inhabited by Barney Fife look-a-likes. All looking to bust me for something.

I get out at a gas station where four more cops are just hanging out, I ask for lodging, and they point me to where I am now. Even though it was only six hours of sleep, six hours in a bed feels like 12 to my body.

Now, it's off to Denver. I cannot wait to gradually experience the climb in elevation on the drive west on I-70 today, and to see the Rocky Mountains slowly pop out of the ground. There should be some great shots for the video today.

Til next time,
-Tony C

My life is amazing...

2010-06-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is my daily reality... jamming with cowboys in Dallas.

DAY 18: DALLAS / OKC / NORMAN

2010-06-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever ago when I last updated the blog yesterday morning around 11 a.m. CT.

It's gonna be rapid fire to fit everything in here... Just so I don't forget these things taking place. I'll write the details in a book someday.

-Left Ft. Worth, Texas yesterday morning and went to Dallas where I found an open acoustic jam at a bar just outside of downtown. This place was CLASSIC. Cowboys in 10-gallon hats, guys with white fumanchus and white pony tails. Slide guitars, banjos, harmonicas, you name it. GREAT people and lots of fun to jam with in the middle of an open bar.

-Drove right over the spot in Dallas where JFK was shot. There's a big X in the middle of the road. Very weird experience.

-I know everything's bigger in Texas, but the freeway exits are HILARIOUSLY bigger. Like, apparently the concept of a simple off ramp is just not understandable to these engineers. I feel like I'm driving around in George Jetson's world or something. Most complicated intersections of highways I've ever seen, with ramps stacked one on top of another on top of another. I swear the highest of them has to be 100 feet up in the air.

-Shot some more of the Wherever I Go video on the way north. Haven't shot nearly as much for this as I hoped to. I need to make a much more concerted effort to do it, but got some cool stuff at the Texas-Oklahoma border right by the Red River.

-Showed up at the Porthole to play. Perfect example of how I NEVER know what I'm walking into on any given night. Place was pretty classic. Lots of bikers, very smokey bar, I was the youngest by a good ten years. Still got to play a five-song set, though and sold a handful of CDs. Very nice people there.

-Struck up conversation with a large group of people on the patio. All were extremely nice and extremely wasted/hilarious. One guy talked and talked and talked, free-flowing stream of consciousness, but the catch is... he sounded like Ozzy Osbourne. No clue what the guy was saying.. but he just kept talking and talking.

-Lots of Dave Matthews fans in that group. I closed with a cover of What Would You Say, and the group encouraged me to go out on the patio to play more Dave. I did, and they just kept throwing money at me. Worked out really well.

-One super nice guy who was also a big Dave fan offered me a place to stay for the night. I said it sounded like a plan. Two minutes later, he pulls the offer off the table. Says it's been a long time, and he wants to try to hook up for the night, so he gives me $40 and tells me to go get my own room. The woman I think he was interested in told me I could stay on her couch at her place, but no one would be there... except her teenage daughters. She goes... "You can stay at my place without me there. Just don't do anything with them."

-Instead, I drive down to Norman to hit up Oklahoma University's campus. Went into a bar and tried to gameplan where I was staying for the night because some big storms were rolling in. Met lots of awesome people, had some pleasant conversation, even met a guy from Youngstown, Ohio! Sold some CDs, handed out a couple more, made a few friends.

-At closing time, I point out to the girls I'm talking to that it's kinda backwards the way all this stuff works. If I go into a bar and spit game all night, I'd have a place to stay because I'd be hooking up with a girl, and even though those actions are socially acceptable, they're actually very creepy motives. But to just be friendly and respectful of women and not try to hook up with them, and still ask for a place to stay, you are considered socially creepy, when in fact, you are completely harmless. They agree, offer me their couch, they gave me their address and they took off. I had a block and a half walk to my car in a terrential downpour. Got to the car, GPS wouldn't work, so I drove around just completely lost in a typhoon for like 20 minutes.

-Finally, I show up at their place. It's apartment 1103. I pull in at Building 11, grab my guitar case and suitcase, and I race through the rain to get up to the building. First floor apartments are 1113, 2nd floor is 1123, 3rd floor is 1133. There's no basement. There IS NO 1103.

-I walk around the building three times at 2:30 a.m. to try and figure out how I'm missing 1103. Can't find it anywhere. I am COMPLETELY UTTERLY drenched. Might as well had jumped in a pool at that point. Finally, around 2:55, after about 30 minutes out in the rain, it dawns on me. Wait, I'm might not even be at the right apartment complex. I wasn't.

-Knock on their door around 3 a.m. dripping wet. Dry off, plop on the couch, and they pop in the Ellen DeGeneres DVD. They recite half the lines of it word-for-word before Ellen gets to them. They laugh hysterically, and think I'm lame for not laughing along. I'm so tired at this point I could sleep standing up.

-They then break out the weed. As always, I pass. They try and talk me into it, but they give up quickly. As I'm judging them in my head, it dawns on me... 100 percent, and I DO MEAN 100 percent of the strangers who have offered me a roof over my head have also offered me drugs the same night. I in no way, shape or form am condoning the use of recreational drugs. But I find it interesting that there's a direct overlap between people who do that, and people who have the kindness in them to offer a tired, traveling stranger a couch for the night. No one, and I mean no one, whom I've never met before has offered me their place to stay without offering me weed. Come up with whatever motive you'd like to try and put in their place, but they were kind enough to offer me a spot, and the offer stayed on the table even though I chose not to partake with them.

-They waited til 4 a.m. to buy McDonald's breakfast, bought me a sandwich without me even asking, and then broke out the pillows and blankets for me on the couch for the night. Really, really, really nice. If I could do that every night, I would. Except maybe I'd get to bed four hours earlier.

-Woke up around 11:30 and bounced to downtown Oklahoma City to hit up the YMCA. Got a shower and went around the corner to the beautiful and solemn OKC memorial.

-Drove up historic Route 66 to get some shots for Wherever I Go, but the camera battery died. Missed some good shots, but I'll make it back up in Arizona by jumping back on 66 for a while.

-Did another radio interview today with Dave Maetzold on 610 WTVN-AM in Columbus. I'll post the audio once I get it.

That brings me to Wichita. Not sure what's going on here tonight. About to head downtown and look for a place to play. The girl here at Starbucks just told me I could literally walk in and ask to play somewhere, and they'd probably let me. So we'll see how that works out. Might just drive up to the Colorado border tonight to make for an easier day of driving to Denver tomorrow.

DAY 17: FORT WORTH (again)

2010-06-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

For those unaware, Fort Worth, Texas truly has one of the most beautiful downtown areas I've seen in the entire country. This place is awesome.

Sitting at the Corner Bakery Cafe after locking myself in the bathroom and cleaning myself up the best I could. The YMCA I showered at yesterday morning doesn't open until 1 p.m. on Sundays and I'll be long gone by then.

Going to hit the famous "stockyards" on my way out of town for the recording of Wherever I Go. It's one of the more iconic places in Texas. I'd like to hit the Alamo, but San Antone is too far out of the way in relation to everywhere else I need to get. Plus, after 100 degree days and 85 degree nights in the car, I'm looking forward to heading north.

Nothing super exciting yesterday on the music front. Saturdays are tough, since all the bars are booked with gigs and there's nowhere to play. Spent much of the day at an Advocare conference anyway. What a fantastic company. I hope I can play a role in their growth once my tour finishes up.

Advocare had an awesome chapel this morning with a passionate, inspiring preacher and a room full of about 2,500 people. He said if God is supernatural and we are natural, and we are inviting God into our lives, we should have something supernatural shining through us. Extraordinary love toward others, extraordinary faith, extraordinary works and encouragement. It was a great service and exactly what I needed to hear.

God has supplied encouragement to me right when I needed it. NBC 4 in Columbus ran an interview I taped a couple weeks ago, and I got a nice supply of emails and notes of encouragement once people saw it this morning. It took 17 days, but I finally started to feel a little lonely yesterday. I think it was a combination of things. Extremely tired from bad sleep in the car, the fact that I was indeed sleeping in a car, and I dunno how or why this works, but had a woman on my mind for the first time in a while. Met a girl named Ashlei on Friday night, had a great conversation, tried to meet up with her after her shift at work Saturday, but just missed her. Good luck in Fort Worth, kid. I wish you all good things.

I've had the homeless on my mind quite a bit in the last 24 hours. I've made a commitment to not staying in a hotel/motel for the entire trip, and while I'm getting some support and donations from beautiful people who want to help me out, I'm going to try and stick to that commitment unless I become deliriously exhausted and it's difficult to drive. This experience is difficult, but it's something I'll carry with me the rest of my life. I swear I'll never take a bed for granted ever, ever again. I also swear that if sleeping in a car is the price I have to pay in order to live this experience, I'd still do it in a heartbeat. I've probably done more living in the last 18 days than I have in the previous 27 years.

My church back home in Columbus is big into service, and we have a homeless ministry we've been building in Central Ohio. While I've always enjoyed that work and tried to serve with a compassionate heart, there will always be a disconnect. Even after this experience, there will continue to be a disconnect. Even though I don't have a roof, I have a car. And even if I didn't have a car, I would still have all the love and support of all of you. Homeless people don't have that. Maybe they made some mistakes to put themselves in their situation. Maybe they didn't. All I know is they have needs. It's the duty of the fortunate ones like us to provide for them. They have prayers to get out of their situation. God wants to answer them. But God needs soldiers. Sign up at your local homeless ministry to be one of them. Be the answer to someone's prayer. Let your natural body do supernatural work.

If you're reading this, know that I love you. That is all.

NBC 4 interview in Columbus!

2010-06-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

My NBC 4 interview with Mindy Drayer aired in Columbus this morning. Thanks so much to her and the folks at WCMH for the great exposure! Funny how the TV biz works. Everyone's watching me carry on a conversation on the airwaves in Columbus, Ohio, when in reality, I'm sleeping in the backseat of my car in a 90-degree parking garage in Fort Worth, Texas. Haha

I know there were two parts to the interview. This is all I was able to find online, maybe the rest will be up later. Enjoy!

DAY 16: FORT WORTH, TX

2010-06-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying I'm a Christian, I'm transparent, and it's important to me to live my life as such, so I'm not out and about to get myself into trouble. But I'm also a homeless musician, so I'm not going to be picky when it comes to the couch I'm crashing on for the night.

Well, not TOO picky.

A long day on the road through some pretty rocky Texas-sized thunderstorms landed me in beautiful Fort Worth on Friday night, with no place in particular to play and a bundle of CDs for sale in my backpack. Time to hit the road and make friends.

I open up conversation with a group of six people, one of whom was celebrating her birthday. She seemed to be pretty into me, too. I told stories of the road, shared some laughs, played some drinking games and was pretty convinced that someone in this group was going to come through for me with a place to stay for the night.

Then, hopping from bar to bar, she runs into an ex-boyfriend's friends. I have no idea what's taking place, but whatever it is, it's dramatic. I'm out.

So, back to square one. I start hitting it off with this guy and his two lady friends. Again, we share stories, laughs, drinks, and everything's going well. Then, the pendulum swung, and I'm not even sure what induced it or when it happened. But one of the girls starts telling me about how she was emancipated when she was 14.

Interesting. I didn't expect the conversation to get serious, but who am I to judge? Then the guy in the group speaks up.

"So you need a place to crash tonight, buddy?" he asks.

JACKPOT. This guy seems totally normal, has two gorgeous women hanging out with him for the night, and can give me a place to put my head down for the night before hitting the streets and finding a place to play tomorrow.

I take him up on the offer, and then it gets weird in a hurry. He starts telling me he just lost his day job and now he's looking to pick up a second job. I ask him what his other gig is.

"I deal coke," he said, with the exact same facial expression I'd expect from someone who told me they work at CVS.

Immediately, he launches into stories about how his roommate is trying to kick him out, and how he had someone swing by to buy off him unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Again, I'm out.

Exasperated, I go into another bar, nestle into a seat and pray for something to happen between now and closing time. It's 1:30, I've had too much to drink to be on my game at this point, and it looks like I'm settling in for a night in the car. Then, a beautiful woman plops down in the bar stool next to mine and sighs. She's just finished her shift at another bar for the night. She asks me if I wanna do a shot. Third time's a charm.

We talk, hang out until closing time and then start roaming around downtown Fort Worth. She's aware of my situation and what my night's been like. We wander the streets for like 20-30 minutes, and with all the bars closed, I'm feeling confident that we're either headed for her place or for an afterhours somewhere. Either way, having a roof over your head for the night is always a nice luxury.

Then, her phone rings. The conversation is short. She turns to me and offers a hug.

"Well, we should probably part ways since your car was in the other direction, but it was so awesome meeting you!" she says.

WHAT!? That's it? I'm not looking for anything more than a couch!! All that, and then that's it? I gave up easily. I Facebooked her (as if I'm ever going to be in Fort Worth again), we parted ways, and then it was off to the car parked on the fourth floor of a parking garage.

That brings us to now. Four and a half hours of sleep in a car when you're hyper-aware of your surroundings and it's 85 degrees for the low does not equate to great sleep.

But, I suppose, that's just another day on The 40-Day Tour.

I'll say this, too. I've accepted the fact that as I meet people on the road, they are taking interest in the blog, reading it, and they might not always like reading about themselves. But, that's just the nature of the beast. You're gonna have to deal with it, and take it with a grain of salt. Considering I like most people, even the people who don't like me, if you don't like what you're reading, it's all in good fun and for the sake of entertaining the other followers. Definitely not anything personal.

stupid

2010-06-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

now I feel petty after the end of that last post. and I'm seriously not mad. the whole thing just made me laugh, shake my head and think... man, its always nice when you don't talk to someone for months and a correction is the way you hear from them. but whatever, I'm over it and I feel stupid for my little rant. i'd delete it, but I'm updating on my phone at an east Texas burger king because there's no internet.. anywhere. the phone app won't let me delete, only post.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.3.6

Memphis recap, headed WEST

2010-06-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

For me to fully write everything I've experienced would take just about as long as the trip itself. So I'm going to write in short, choppy segments just to get the idea across, so I can get back in the car and continue the journey.

Stopped at a Starbucks in Ruston, Louisiana right now... home of Louisiana Tech University. Takes me back to the WAC dynasty days with Brad, Matty S, Eric, Kurt and Jamie R.

Shot some pretty cool stuff for the Wherever I Go video on Beale Street. Also came to the uncomfortable realization that high school and college kids are the ones who want to buy my CDs. So I'm going to have to swallow my pride, strike up conversations with them because they're the ones who really think this trip is cool, and then sell the CD and move on.

Unloaded about 20 EPs yesterday, which might have been my most successful day of sales yet. Parked across the street from the Gibson factory. Didn't get a tour, but did hang out in the store for a while to escape the 100 degree heat and got tipped off about a good open mic in Midtown Memphis at a cozy spot called "Java Cabana." It was an infinitely better experience than Club Chill from a marketing standpoint, although Club Chill was maybe the most hilarious situation I've found myself in this whole trip so far.

I heard about Club Chill online, so that's where I showed up to play.. right around the corner from Beale. It was just like it sounded. A club, where I walked in to a huge empty room with about eight patrons, and loud rap music blaring. I experienced simultaneous split emotions of "run as fast as you can" and "I cannot WAIT to see what happens here."

Introduced myself to the host of the open mic, named Fat Matt. I asked what kinda stuff people normally do there on Thursday nights. He goes: "poetry, rap, break dancing, whatever."

I guess I'm "whatever."

I decided to stick it out and give it an honest shot, but definitely wanted to hit up this artsy coffee shop, too, so I went to Java Cabana, signed up for right around 9:30, then drove back downtown.

Fat Matt signed me up sixth on the list. Didn't see this jiving with playing at Java, but I thought I'd stick it out to see what was going on. He gets to the mic to start the night at 8:30.

"How ya'll doing?" Fat Matt asked the crowd of about 18 people in a place which had a capacity of about 400.

He opened with a laid back, fun vibe, then decided he wanted to have an open discussion by passing around a wireless mic before starting the performing. Remember, I'm sixth.

"I was watching Court TV," Fat Matt started. "There was this lady. She had a kid, but she wasn't a fit mother. She was on drugs and shit. And this other lady, she tried to kidnap her kid. And so the lady didn't want her kid to be kidnapped, so she killed the lady. So my question to you is... was she justified to kill the lady?"

Is this really happening? I look around. Everyone's taking this seriously. Not only are they taking it seriously, but everyone's eager to give their input. I want to play my music, or get out of here, preferably both. But there's no one in the room, so it'll be obvious and rude if I leave. And Fat Matt could definitely beat me in a fight.

Finally, the mic made it around to a knucklehead who says: "I think you should be able to abort a kid all the way up until he is 8 years old." Everyone starts laughing hysterically, and I'm just sitting there with my jaw open. "I mean, if you saw my nephew, you'd agree. He needs to be taken to the clinic."

I stood up, walked up to the stage, put my backpack on my back, grabbed my guitar and prepared to book it. Then Fat Matt stopped me.

"It looks like Tony's ready to play."

"Sorry, man. I just gotta get to my other spot," I said with sincerity.

So, he cut the nonsense and let me get up there and play a few songs. To my pleasant surprise, I ACTUALLY sold a CD there. Couldn't believe it. But I've never felt so out of place in my entire life.

I booked it to the parking garage and got back to my car. I noticed Memphis is full of beautiful women who travel in groups with guys, and far outnumber the guys in those groups. Sounds like my kinda town.

When I got back to my car, I beat myself up a little bit. I crossed multiple situations where I could've opened conversation and just didn't. For whatever reason, I was WAY too far in my shell considering my circumstances. I should literally be talking to every single stranger I meet. What have I got to lose? But, after having a friend with me the last four days, being alone again yesterday made that feel harder than it should be.

Java Cabana went PERFECTLY. As I pulled up, the guy right before me was playing his last song. I literally went to my car, grabbed the guitar, and walked straight up onto stage to play. I've never timed out something better in my life.

I sold about 14 CDs there and talked to just about everyone in the coffee shop. It was a pretty young crowd, even some high schoolers, but again... I seriously think that's where I'm gonna make my money. This isn't about making friends. This is about sales. So I gotta swallow my pride a little and sell, sell, sell.

The whole crowd was appreciative of Frickin' A, though, and when I was out of there for the night, I settled in to a three hour drive to Jackson. Over a 32-hour span, I played music in FIVE DIFFERENT VENUES in the cities of Nashville and Memphis. I'm hustling. I'm tired.

Stayed the night at my buddy Ethan's, then woke up early (though not as early as he has to!) and recorded an interview on the WAPT 16 interview set. I didn't get a picture, but I wish I would've. You would've recognized it as THE EXACT same set, same chairs, same background, same location as the interview Sasha Baron Cohen did disguised as Borat, which later became world famous after it was placed in the movie.

The guy who interviewed Borat in the movie still works at the station, too! I would've met him, but he had the morning off. Ethan told me it worked out pretty well for that TV anchor. Even though it was embarrassing, he still randomly gets four-figure royalty checks showing up in the mail.

It's time to turn up the personality for the next week. I'm on my own and have nowhere to stay. Gotta start shamelessly opening up dialogue, selling CDs, and figuring out where I can stay for the night. The stories are about to get better.

Oh, one other quick note. I've gotten dozens of emails from old friends and complete strangers telling me how inspiring my trip is because I'm doing what I always wanted to do and turning a bad situation into the experience of a lifetime. It's truly a privilege and honor to hear from each person, and I definitely take the time to respond to each one.

Then, this morning, I got an email from an ex-girlfriend, whom I'll leave nameless. Don't worry, hun. With the plethora of options, no one will ever know it was you. It said (in a nutshell)... "you spelled complement wrong. It should be compliment. Good luck."

I cannot find the adequate words to describe how nice it is NOT to be in a relationship. Of all the things in the world I'm out doing right now, that's what I'm going to hear about? I've tried to be pretty modest about this whole trip so far, so I feel comfortable climbing the high horse for a change, all just to say...

I'm inspiring people to make the best out of a bad situation in life, and I'm living it right out here on the occasionally-lonely road. I've had my music on the air in eight states, and I've done TV interviews in five more. I'm living with integrity, I'm not taking advantage of my opportunity to hook up with girls, I'm occasionally sharing my very very limited funds with the homeless people I meet, and I'm doing everything I can to show Christ's love to complete strangers. If the ONLY thing you can think to say to me is "you used 'complement' instead of 'compliment,'" then the only thing I can think to say back is...

I miss you. Like a clean man misses booze. Like a worn-out pair of shoes.

Thanks for the back-handed complement. Or is it compliment?

DAY 15: MEMPHIS

2010-06-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Coming to you today from a Starbucks across the street of the FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, and a short walk down an alley way from Beale Street, closed down to traffic but open to tourists of all shapes, colors and sizes ready to consume the best blues music north of New Orleans.

I'm a few miles short of 4,000 on my 15-day old vehicle. Can you say "resale value?"

I found a place to play tonight off Beale Street at a place called Club Chill, for HypeLife's Melting Pot Open Mic. I'm very, very intrigued.

Last night in Nashville turned out really, really well. Didn't make any major life-changing connections (at least it doesn't appear, yet), but I met some really talented musicians and got to play on three different stages over the course of about eight hours.

Pulled onto Broadway around 3:30 yesterday afternoon, which is the strip of Honky Tonk bars earning the town's NashVegas nickname. Crashing with high school bud Andrew Chelton for the night, we wandered around killing time until Chelt got off work.

Stepped into The Stage on Broadway because a) there was no cover, b) it was a seventh straight day of over 100-degree heat and it provided air conditioning, and c) there was live music at 3:30 in the afternoon. On stage was the beautiful and talented Sarah Montgomery Weaver, who seems to have all the trappings of a country music star. Good looks, great voice, awesome stage presence.

She climbed down from the stage for a brief moment to make her rounds with a tip jar. I had two tips for her. A dollar, and my CD.

(Brief interruption in the story-telling... A college-aged girl just sat down next to me here at Starbucks and I was about to make a move to tell my story and sell my CD. Then I saw her t-shirt. It reads: "Jonas Brothers Rock!" Just nevermind.)

I told Sarah my story, she was very bubbly and receptive, and even sympathized.

Sarah: I totally understand. I just lost my job, too.
Me: Oh yeah? What were you doing?
Sarah: I was a bartender. How bout you?
Me: I was a sportscaster.

Her face did that psuedo-surprised slash impressed slash intimidated slash who-does-this-guy-think-he-is look.

Sarah: Well, OK. You win!
(Laughs into awkward pause)
Sarah: Well, I suppose that means you want to play up there with me, huh?
Me out-loud: Yeah, sure!
Me in my head: Oh, God, no. Here!? This is a honky tonk bar full of people who want to hear Alabama and Travis Tritt. Not me. Besides, you're hot, and good. I'm not, and not.

She played a couple more songs, then called me up, teased me, and handed me her guitar. I cranked out Frickin' A, and felt more out of place than a deer in the headlights. I don't think a single person in the crowd got the song, or appreciated it at all. Except Sarah.

"That was awesome!" she said. "Play two more!!"

Jeesh. Get me outta here.

I played the most country-sounding song I possibly could, which I suppose is Forever For Just a Little While. I mean, at least that song has the word "booze" in it.

About three-quarters of the way through the song, I felt a snap off my right pinky finger and heard a weird sound. (CRAP!! Did I break a string on this girl's guitar!?!? I'm a habitual string-snapper. This girl's going to HATE me if I snapped a string on her guitar!!!)

Luckily, I didn't. But the anxiety I felt in that tenth-of-a-second where I thought I might have caused my voice to crack. This is going reeeeeeeally well.

I finished the song, and Sarah either thought the song sucked, could tell I wanted off stage, or both. She jumped back up, gave me a big hug, wished me luck and sent me on my way. We'll see if she gets her break someday. But she's good. She deserves it.

(Another brief interruption in storytelling... Memphis' Starbucks is ridden with good-looking women who have complete disregard for driving laws or common courtesy. I just saw the third different woman park her car in a non-parking spot, the second of which to do it in the wrong direction on a one-way alley. Who do these people think they are??)

We met up with Chelt, then ate dinner and headed up to The Blue Bar & Rack Room. It was a very, very small audience. Very small. Almost no one was there when we showed up, and it wasn't long before it was my turn to play.

I met the sound guy, whose name was J.J., a friendly, heavier man with stringy white hair hanging halfway down his neck and a gray goatee. He had just arrived back in Nashville from Australia, where he was following Corb Lund running sound for him on his world tour. Corb Lund isn't a very big name here in the US, but apparently he was big enough elsewhere to play on four continents in the last half year.

Me: It's gotta be good to be home, huh?
J.J. (continuing to set up the stage): Well, I arrived home four days ago to find out I'm homeless, my house is locked up and foreclosed on, my wife left me and I have no idea where my things are. But yeah, it's nice to be back in Nashville.
Me (jaw agape): Oh my gosh, man. I'm sorry. Are you doing alright?
J.J.: Yeah man. Life's too short to cry over the details.

THE DETAILS!??!?!??!?!!

J.J. (stopping what he's doing, looking at me and shrugging): I'm 51 years old, and I've already hit the reset button three times in life. What's a fourth?
Me: Well, I just lost my job recently, and I've always said... jobs, relationships, property... they're all good things. But whenever you lose one of em, you gain a little more freedom.
J.J.: Yup. And I'm really, really fucking free, brother.

I played my three-song set, then left the stage for Alicia (different than the Chattanooga Alicia), a cute, young, wide-eyed, excitable girl with short black hair and a cool pop-country style, both to her music and her attire. She dropped out of college temporarily after one year to focus on music, so she's living with her folks in Michigan and playing wherever she can whenever her family travels. Before she took the stage, she complemented me on my songwriting.

Alicia: I LOVE your songs!!! They're so happy!!!
Me outwardly: Thanks!! Come talk to me after you're done playing.
Me inwardly: Are you freakin' serious? One song drops the word "frickin'" 21 times and another is a bitter breakup song.

Joel, Chelt and I bounced out of the Blue Bar after watching a really, really strong duo act called Travis & Julie. We swapped CDs, shared stories and we were on our way.

We stopped at the Commodore right around the corner from Vanderbilt's football stadium to see if I could squeeze into a third mic for the night. Alicia walked in with her brother about a half hour later and sat with us for the rest of the night.

The Commodore was unique, but apparently this is how they do it in Nashville. They'll put three or four artists all on the stage together, and they all take turns playing songs and rotating through. The host made room for me at the end of the night in a lightning round where everyone gets to play one song.

(Sidenote: Dave Matthews' song Captain just started playing in Starbucks. A real treat.)

It was a decent sized and pretty attentive crowd. I was starting to get a strong buzz. But much to my pleasant surprise, they fit me up there for one song at the end of the night as the second-to-last act. I let my third version of Frickin' A rip for the night with the Better Than Ezra outro. The liquid courage made it fun. By the end of the song, I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I think it worked.

The guy who followed me was so surprised by the song that he kept complementing it on the mic rather than starting his own song. Turns out, the reason he was doing that was because he was so into Frickin' A that it threw him off, and he couldn't remember how to play what he wanted to play!!! Haha, that felt pretty good.

I sold several CDs, handed out a lot of cards, and then went back to Chelt's to crash for the night. Dropped Joel off at the airport this morning after four great days with company, and then wandered down to the Mississippi River for the day. Veered off course for a little while to shoot a quick segment for Wherever I Go outside of Graceland, then made it back downtown, which brings me to now. I'm starving and really getting sick of this intense heat, but all-in-all, everything's going great.

Off to Beale Street to find some BBQ, shoot more of the video and make my way to Club Chill for the open mic tonight. Then, driving down to Jackson, Mississippi to stay with my buddy Ethan for the night and shoot a segment with him tomorrow morning on WAPT 16 which will air sometime next week.

I'm back on my own, so it's time to turn the personality back on, sell-sell-sell, and see who I can meet!! The next week will be very exciting. I'm staying with friends for 14 of the first 15 nights of the trip. After tonight, no real definite plans for the next week. Gotta be ready to kick it in the car for a night here and there, but figuring all this stuff out will be the fun part.

Until next time,
-Tony C

DAY 14: NASHVILLE

2010-06-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I’ve got a feeling this blog is going to suck. So… that’s my disclaimer. But right now I just feel compelled to write about all the things I am remembering from the last 24 hours so I don’t forget them, so… here it goes.

Joel’s driving west on I-24 right now, and I’m blogging on his MacBook 103 miles outside of my favorite city in the United States. If this trip were SOLELY about music, I’d definitely be spending more time than just tonight in Nashville, Tennessee.

I played in Chattanooga last night under Lookout Mountain and miles down the road from the world’s most famous choo-choo train. Like I mentioned while I was writing from the bar at Tremont Tavern, it worked out perfectly because we were literally like five doors down from where we were staying for the night.

The open mic got a LOT better with a guy named Jordon who played immediately before me. Dude was good, and had some serious passion and soul behind his music. Still, only about half the crowd listened. It was a pretty tough crowd to crack last night.

I followed with a four-song set: Frickin’ A, By My Side, Wherever I Go and Forever For Just a Little While. Felt OK about my performance, but again, it was a tough crowd. People continue to embrace the story at all the different stops, though. I sold a few CDs, handed out a few more, traded a couple, and signed one “Thanks for the gas money! Tony C.”

The girl who played after me was young, gorgeous, timid and pretty good. Her name was Alicia, and I told her I would help get her music out there, but she hasn’t facebooked me yet so I’ve got no idea what her last name is yet. Not holding my breath, either. But she had such a gentle look, beautiful voice, and a short blonde ponytail pulled through a camouflage hat pulled low to hide her gorgeous brown eyes because of stage fright. She wasn’t frightened, but still didn’t have the confidence you’d expect a girl that beautiful to flaunt.

I talked to her for a while before my set and she told me she had planned at being at Eddie’s Attic the night before but her ride backed out on her. Small world. All I could think was, how bizarre would it have been if someone from Eddie’s Attic Monday night would’ve walked into the place I was playing in Chattanooga!! HA… almost happened, though, in multiple ways.

I got a phone call earlier in the day from a guy named Jamie Starace who is managing one of the acts from Eddie’s Monday night. He called me to ask where I was playing on Tuesday, because he said they were just going to go wherever I was for the night!!! They thought I was staying in Atlanta, so when I told them I was out of town, that changed things. But man, what an honor!! People are actually interested in following me. It’s been such a fun, humbling, awesome ride.

One of the most interesting guys I’ve met the whole trip was a guy who truly understands what it means to be a performer. His name was Veazey, and because of a stroke suffered as a teenager, he played the guitar by putting a baseball batting glove on his right hand, wedging a pick between his thumb and pointer fingers, and then taping his hand closed. He wore Chris Sabo-esque glasses and told me his dreams of selling out Chattanooga’s biggest venues as a headlining act.

His guitar playing wasn’t good, but it didn’t need to be. His personality was phenomenal, his songs were hilarious and his voice totally worked. His first song was about drinking. “I don’t want to get drunk tomorrow / I don’t wanna get drunk next week / I wanna get drunk TONIGHT.”

After that was over, he encouraged the crowd to join him in a “Holler and Swaller.” He told everyone to raise their glass, give an old Texas “YEEHAW!!” at the top of their lungs, then tip their drink back, and… SWALLER!

His second song was another silly original, before closing his set with Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be.” It’s not possible for me to describe the hilarious dichotomy between the nonsensical nature of his first two songs, then the same guy playing one of the sappiest love songs of the 1990s with the entire bar singing along at the top of its collective lungs. Great stuff. He told me he’s meeting with Sony on Friday to pitch them one of his songs. Best of luck, Veazey. Seriously, I wish you nothing but great things, my man.

I started to lose my voice, which happens way too easily to me if I get in a loud place. So I exited stage left and played on the sidewalk for the next 30 to 60 minutes to get out of the cramped loud atmosphere. One thing led to another, and the next thing I know, we’re at a 24-hour diner with a waiter who decided I was high-maintenance because I had to be a musician because I wore double-breasted snap-button shirts and I have long hair. Ultimately, I allowed his prophecy to come true, since I couldn’t decide among the THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY OPTIONS on the menu.

Time to try something new. Why not? I’m on MLK Blvd. in Chattanooga, Tennessee at 2 a.m. I went omelet with Texas fries. I now know why southerners tend to be heavier. Texas fries should probably be the death of anyone. About the equivalent of four potatoes cut up, dripping with cheese and bacon… AS A SIDE DISH.

Got some much needed rest and woke up early to watch the USA shock Algeria in the 91^st minute of their World Cup match to advance to the Round of 16. Packed the car and headed off to Lookout Mountain to shoot parts of the video for Wherever I Go, which turned out really cool. I got to meet some nice folks who were walking by and wondered what I was doing. Opened up some dialogue about the trip, about faith, about different parts of the country. Some unreal views from Point Park atop Lookout Mountain. And the good news is, it was only $3 to get into the park, as opposed to the $18 per person ticket for Rock City or Ruby Falls.

Again, sorry if you found this blog boring. But I just want to get this stuff down while I’m thinking about it. Hope to have much more exciting stuff to report from Nashville tonight, where I’m staying with an old high school buddy and playing at a “Writer’s Night” at the Blue Bar and Rack Room. The music tonight should be incredible.

Until then!!

-Tony C

DAY 13: KNOXVILLE/CHATTANOOGA

2010-06-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Snap. Back to reality.

After playing what may be the best open mic in the United States of America last night at Eddie's Attic in Atlanta, it's back to struggling in a venue where you battle the beer and the bad tunes preceding you for attention.

Tonight's stop is in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kinda had a long, unpredictable, interesting day.

Started by waking up early in the ATL. Got a phone call from Mark Dantzer on Mix 107.9 in Columbus, and had the opportunity to do a phone interview to promote the 40-Day Tour. He played the studio cut of Frickin' A, and then the day was off and running.

We left Howard and Amanda's house after 18 hours of fantastic hospitality.

"What great people," Joel said to me as we walked out to the car, luggage and guitar in hand.

"Yup," I agreed. "Now it's on to the next stop."

The next stop was right down the road at a Waffle House. Thanks to Joel, the waitress quickly learned it was my birthday, and she started playing "The Waffle House birthday song" throughout the restaurant.

"How old are you, 50?" she joked.

"Close," I said. "51."

A gravelly-voiced chain smoking woman with bright red lipstick and thin beehive hair turns, looks at me and loudly declares: "HONEY, YOU AIN'T 51!!!"

Classic.

We drove up to Knoxville where I was slated to play at the Preservation Pub for the night right in the midst of the beautiful Market Square. It reminded me a lot of Charlottesville, Virginia. A big avenue closed off to traffic with shops, bars, restaurants, bricks, seats and shade. Gorgeous.

I walked into the Pub and went straight to the bartender at like 3:30 in the afternoon.

Me: I know I'm early, but I'm from Ohio, so I don't have much of a choice.
Barkeep: ARE YOU BIG DADDY LOVE!?
Me: Ummm, no, but you can call me that if you'd like.
Barkeep: Oh. Well Big Daddy Love is playing here tonight.
Me: What about the open mic?
Barkeep: We don't do that every week anymore. Big Daddy Love is playing.
Me: Oh. Well, I came all the way from Ohio to play here. Does he need an opener?
Barkeep: No. He's really good. He'll play all night.

Who says that? Time for Plan B.

Keith Cawley, an old OU buddy who works at a TV station in Chattanooga, hooked me up with a TV interview at NBC 10 while I was there, on the aptly named program "Live at Five at Four." The interview went great, and I was able to get my story out there to a whole new market of people.

I told my story about getting stiffed locally, and got on Google search on my phone to find a place to play for the night. All the local papers suggested there were no open mics, so I looked online for Chattanooga. There's a Tuesday night gig at Tremont Tavern. Beauty.

So we hopped in the car and went back south for an hour and a half. This place really, truly feels like a tavern. A big, long bar divides the room, and is definitely going to make it hard to get people to pay attention to me as we play.

Oh yeah. The other problem: all the people playing right now SUCK. NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE is paying attention to any of the live music right now, and I sit here typing at the bar and am batting clean-up.

I'm about to walk around, beg people for their attention for my 15 minutes, tell them my pity-story, and see if I can rope them in with a few zingers and Frickin' A. But let me tell you... tough crowd, and it looks like an even tougher set up to succeed in.

The good news: I was supposed to play an hour and a half from Keith's house, which is where we're staying for the night. Thanks to a coincidence of titanic proportions, I'm playing at a bar LITERALLY five doors down from where I'm staying. It's a small world, or at the very least, a small city.

Tomorrow, it's Lookout Mountain to shoot some of the Wherever I Go video, and then off to Nashville, where Johanna Jacobson set me up with an AWESOME opportunity to play in front of a few dozen Nashville songwriters tomorrow in the Music City. Should be a really awesome night.

Til then!!!
-Tony C

Eddie's Attic recap

2010-06-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

Just woke up in a house of a dear, old friend in Woodstock, Georgia, minutes before doing a phone interview on Mix 107.9 FM in Columbus, Ohio with Mark Dantzer about the 40-Day Tour. As the interview finished, I rolled back over, checked my facebook account on my phone, and the little red number in the corner had blown up!!!

My heart started beating quickly. Did all the people who watched me play at Eddie's Attic last night look me up, like my music and want to start following me!? Did I get written about somewhere well-read and now people are hearing about it and sending me congratulations?

Oh. No, nevermind. I forgot. It's my birthday.

I have to admit, though... reading messages of love from people I know and hold dear to my heart far outweigh the messages of short-term endearment I've been getting from new friends I meet along the way. Seeing Howard and his wife Amanda last night was so, so good, and they were so hospitable. Seeing my friend Ellen from college show up at Eddie's Attic in Atlanta to show her support was an incredibly pleasant surprise. These re-connections, relationships and messages of encouragement would make this trip worth it, even if it resulted in bankruptcy.

My Dad told me once when I was a kid that I would be lucky if I had five true friends in life. True friends are that hard to come by. Twelve days into the 40-Day Tour, I honestly feel like one of the luckiest people in the entire world. Unfairly blessed. A sinner, falling infinitely short of the glory of God, being overwhelmed by kindness, generosity and love from both the Father and His many beautiful children. As I've said multiple times before on this blog, everyday I grow further and further convinced that success is not determined by how many things you own or dollars you have, but by how many people you inspire, people you help and people you love. You can all count yourselves greater successes for how much you've inspired, helped and loved me along the way.

My vocabulary can't supply a description which would do Eddie's Attic's open mic justice. Eddie, a skinny, older, kind, warm gentlemen with a dirty mouth and a thick southern draw, stands up at the beginning of the night and welcomes everyone, confesses his love for the Monday night songwriters open mic, and encourages everyone to stay quiet and pay close attention to those on stage. If you haven't played music publicly before, you have NO IDEA what a treat it is to play for a room of 150 captivated people paying close attention to your work. When the room's full of people NOT paying attention to you, not only is it discouraging, but majorly distracting. After all, that's the beauty of the singer/songwriter experience. You're putting your heart, your soul, your life on public display for everyone. If no one's consuming what you're putting out there, it's majorly disheartening.

Furthermore, the open mic is a competition. 26 people played two songs each. At the end of the night, three were called back up for one last song. One winner was chosen from the three finalists for a $60 prize and an invite back to the winner's shootout in November.

The night started with two very talented acts. Their execution was superb, but their songwriting was very deliberate and kept the crowd rather subdued. Then, came a duo called Trees Leave, which absolutely killed it. The first song feature one guy on vocals and guitar, while the other played a sick mandolin lead. Their second had the lead singer picking up a violin, and the mandolin player grabbing the guitar. They switched off instruments pretty well, and had the crowd going the entire time they played. Let's just say this. They were awesome. And not even a finalist.

Later, there was a beautiful, talented woman named Johanna Jacobson. She has been living in Nashville for the last seven years writing music and trying to get some placements. She played a couple of beautiful songs, and then after my set, we talked at length about songwriting, Nashville, the industry, etc. She invited me to a songwriter's circle on Wednesday as I pass through town, which is booked, but she's trying to make a little room for me with some of the decision makers on such things. It sounds like it'd be a lot better experience than just playing another open mic, so hopefully that works out. Again... not a finalist.

I called the eventual winner from the moment he opened his mouth. His name was David Ramirez, from Austin, Texas, who sang with so much soul that even the bartenders fell silent and stared as he played. http://www.myspace.com/davidramirez

After his act, he said he was selling his CDs in the back for $12. Instantly, a line formed. I haven't bought ANYONE'S CD on this trip, I've always just traded people. But this time, I was intimidated. I was pretty sure if I offered to trade, he'd say "no." I mean, it's not a good swap. A 5-track EP produced in my bedroom for a CD personally delivered to me by a rising star. That's like a Griffey Junior rookie for a (wait for it, Beau & Jason) Todd Van Poppel common. He won, and he deserved it.

A couple of other PHENOMINAL acts worth looking up are Cowboy Johnson and Craig Gleason. Gleason's songwriting is clever and his performance is strong. Cowboy Johnson has a raspy old voice when he talks but when he sings, he can hold a note like his voice is a Taylor guitar. What an amazing night.

They called me up around 8:55, and I headed up to the stage and quickly plugged in. They asked me to do a mic check and a guitar check, but I didn't want to. I was planning on playing Frickin' A first, and I didn't wanna blow my cover. So I busted out a little Tik Tok from Ke$ha and got people's attention for a minute. Then, it was story time.

Before I got into the whole schpiel, I pulled out my video camera and panned the whole crowd. Everyone thought it was funny, but I explained I was kinda documenting all that was going on and I needed to record it. I got into the bullet points of the story. Said I had lost my job, threw my life in the car playing music from NY to LA and I was calling it the 40-Day Tour, and today was Day 12. When I said Day 12, the crowd erupted.

I started out with Frickin' A and they loved it. I can't honestly imagine I'll get that kind of reaction ever again in my life. I'm telling ya, if you're a singer/songwriter, you HAVE to play Eddie's Attic. Just make sure you book it well in advance, like, two months ahead of time.

I followed it up with By My Side, which also seemed to please the crowd, and I got myself a line of people waiting for me offstage to buy the CD. (Helps when you're only selling it for a Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger.) Howard bought me a recording of the night, so hopefully I'll be able to upload it for ya soon.

Today, it's a short drive up to Knoxville, with a stop midway up to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail for a while. Looking forward to staying in Chattanooga tonight with another dear old friend, Keith Cawley. Sorry this blog isn't very exciting with any crazy stories or anything, but this one, my friends, was alllll about the music.

PLEASE check out some of the talented artists I named. They deserve the support!!

Love,
-Tony

DAY 12: ATLANTA

2010-06-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Sooooooooooo... I can finally tell the whole story. I should've gone to jail Friday night.

As I relayed the story about the Georgia State Highway Patrolman who pulled me over Friday morning and didn't run a background check on me, I left out one crucial detail that I was completely unaware of at the time: the fact that he didn't run a check on my license makes me one of the luckiest sons of guns around. There very well may have been a warrant out for my arrest.

I was completely oblivious to the fact that Wednesday, while I was wandering around Washington D.C., I was supposed to be in court for a traffic citation. Obviously, I didn't show up. Friday night, I was pulled over, and if he would've run a check on me, who knows what might've showed up. The ticket says that by failing to appear in court or paying the citation, I would be subject to arrest and having my license cancelled. I could've spent the night in a southern Georgia jail cell.

I found the ticket citing me for the accident on Sunday morning and immediately freaked out when I looked at the date. If you know me, you know I don't freak out about anything anymore. I'm pretty reasonably laid back. Except for when I might go to jail.

We left Fort Rucker, Alabama this morning and went straight to Howard's place north of Atlanta, where we're staying tonight. I went into the guest room, stared at the ticket, took a deep breath, and made the most honest, genuine, heartfelt confession of my life over the phone. I messed up. I know it. Please let me pay this ticket. Please don't cancel my license. Please don't make me come back to Ohio.

The woman on the other end told me as long as I get it paid this week, nothing would happen. But... no credit cards, no online options. Just the good ol' USPS was going to have to come through.

I bit the bullet and spent $19 to overnight my ticket and my check to the Portsmouth Municipal Court. It'll be there in the morning, and then, I'm back to being a law-abiding citizen.

Now, it's back to focusing on the music. It's Eddie's Attic tonight in Decatur, Georgia. This is probably the biggest and best open mic I'll play on the trip. If not, it'll be right up there with Village Underground.

Time to eat before heading out. Can't wait to blog about this experience later tonight.

DAY 11: FT. RUCKER, AL

2010-06-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I can't stomach much of a blog update today because my mind is on other things. Can't get into the details about those other things quite yet, but I promise I will tell the full story once I can. Chances are, it'll make you all laugh and shake your head at me, I'll have a couple more gray hairs, and the world will keep on spinnin'. But... I'm not telling the story until I'm 100 percent sure that's the case.

Joel and I rode down to visit a buddy of ours from church on his military base in Fort Rucker, Alabama today. No real opportunities to play music in the area tonight, and a definite opportunity to visit an old friend. So, we took it.

Totally excited about playing Eddie's Attic tomorrow in Decatur/Atlanta. This is one of the best open stages in the country and is a golden opportunity for a musician to not only play before a captive audience but to also play at a historic venue.

More to come soon...

DAYS 9-10: JACKSONVILLE & ATLANTA

2010-06-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm actually pretty proud of myself. It took nine days before I fell behind on the blog. I promise to catch up and remain focused the rest of the way... PFFFFFFF.

I was in a Starbucks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Friday morning, around the corner from ISP Networks, waiting on an interview for a part-time job. No formal news on that front yet, but things are looking pretty good. I'll pass along the good word once something's official.

Then my phone rang. They were ready to talk. So I packed up my laptop, stuck it in my backpack, and walked over to the studios. That was the last time I'd seen a computer, 48 hours ago. It has been an exhausting 48 hours since then.

After we were done talking, I hopped in the car and began the eight-hour trek to Jacksonville to stay a couple miles from the beach. It was a pretty boring drive for the most part. Stopped off in Columbia, South Carolina to consider finding a place there to play/stay for the night. Quickly decided to continue the trip to Jacksonville.

It was a pretty boring drive until I hit southern Georgia. I was on the phone with my friend Megan when I pulled right up into the blind spot of a truck. It tried to swing over into my lane, and I had to slam on the breaks and swerve to avoid it hitting me. Close call.

I got off the phone with her and continued my drive. About two minutes later, I notice someone's riding right on my tail. It's a cop. You've GOT to be kidding me. I've been watching my speed the whole trip, I've been through a ticket and an accident in the last month. PLEASE just leave me alone!!

He throws the flashers on and pulls me over. Out walks a tall, thick, muscular Georgia State Highway Patrolman with coal black skin. He walked up to the passenger window of my car carefully but with purposes.

Cop: How are you today, sir? (in a THICK southern twang)
Me: I'm fi...
Cop: I need you to grab your license and step to the back of the vehicle. Now.
Me: Can I ask why I'm being pulled over?
Cop: I'LL TELL YOU WHEN YOU GRAB YOUR LICENSE AND STEP TO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE!

At this point, I'm scared. Not only can't I afford another ticket, but Kimbo Slice over here is not a happy camper. My mind starts racing through the possibilities. Am I going to be thrown in a Georgia jail? Is he going to punch me in the face like that white cop did to that black girl out in Seattle? Race hardly ever enters my mind when I'm at home in Ohio, but it just becomes such an unavoidable thought down here. He takes my license from me.

Cop: Is the reason you was swerving because you was distracted on your sail phone?
Me: Is it illegal to talk on your cell phone while you drive in this state, sir?
Cop: IT WILL BE IN A MONFF!!!
Me: I apologize, officer. I didn't know. I'm from Ohio.

He stares at the license for a long time.

Cop: What's yo date of berff?

Who is this guy? A bouncer at a bar?? Does he not believe it's my ID?

Me: 6/22/82.
Cop: Where are your temp tags from?
Me: Ohio. I bought the car last Wednesday.

More long stares at the license, as if he was trying to memorize it. Bizarre.

Cop: I saw you swerving twice. It's wet, and there's high volume of traffic out here. You could kill somebody. Why was you swerving?
Me: Well, I only remember swerving once. It was because a truck almost merged into my lane without seeing me. I even told the person I was on the phone with about it.
Cop: You been drinkin?
Me: (God, no! It's like 6:30 p.m. I've been driving for the last six hours.) No, sir.

More long stares at the license. He never bothered to ask for registration or insurance, and never looked me up in the system at the car. He just stared at the little piece of plastic. And stared. And stared.

Cop: Let me explain to you how it works in Georgia. (Blah, blah, blah.) No more talking on the sail phone. Drive safely.

PHEW!!! Catastrophy averted. Thank you, Heavenly Father.

I continued to Jacksonville and rolled in around nine to stay with my buddy, Tom. We went out for the night since there were no open mics in town. His roommate is a manager at a huge bar down there, so Tom told me to break out my guitar in the parking lot and just start playing. Tom knows the entire coastal part of the city of Jacksonville, so he recruited a nice-sized crowd and we just played and played; 90's one-hit-wonder after 90's one-hit-wonder. I sold a few CDs, handed out a handful of business cards, and called it a night.

Woke up feeling like garbage Saturday morning. Cranked out a column for uWeekly, then hit up Waffle House, then the beach. Shot a couple choruses for Wherever I Go and called it a day, and began the long, slow, headache-sustained, traffic-ridden drive through pop-up torrential downpours to Atlanta. I hoped to get there by five. I pulled in at nine.

This is going to be a cool leg of the trip. I met up with my buddy Joel from Columbus who will be riding along with me for the next four days. We'll play Eddie's Attic in Atlanta on Monday, go hiking on the Appalachian Trail Tuesday, hit up Nashville on Wednesday, and I'll drop him off at the airport Thursday before heading down to Memphis. All in all, this will be the best birthday week I've ever had. I'll be missing Dave Matthews in C-bus on Tuesday, but all in all, all couldn't be much better.

DAY 8: GREENSBORO, NC

2010-06-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

The best feeling in the world right now is ending the day. I can't put into words how good it feels to crash at the end of the day. The only downside is... I have to blog before I go to bed. I want to give it my all in chronicling this stuff, but I'm usually doing it while I'm drifting in and out of consciousness.

I'm in the top floor of a completely random two-story house in Burlington, North Carolina. My friend Brian is living here for the summer as he calls the play-by-play for the Rookie-class affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, and his pad has got a couch with my name written on it.

The day started late with me sleeping in at Washington D.C. for a bit. I was in no hurry to leave this morning, even though at the beginning of the day, I had nowhere to play. This was a "faith" day. I had no idea where I was going or staying, but just have faith it'll come together, and it did beautifully.

I started by making a poor life choice for lunch. Large DQ twist cone and a coke, waiting inline for like 15 minutes to get it behind a girl who had like 12 mermaid tattoos on her. It wasn't the mermaid tattoos that bothered me about her, though. It was that flies kept landing on her skin and she didn't brush them off. Flies can occasionally sneak on all of us. But if a fly is on your skin more often than its NOT on your skin, I have concerns.

Then I headed toward Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty University, where I was a candidate to become their next play-by-play voice of the football and basketball broadcasts. I say "was" because that was the case at 1:00 or so. It's not now, which isn't bad news considering I have another potential job lining up very nicely.

On the way to Lynchburg, I stopped in Charlottesville because I've never seen UVA's campus and I've heard so many good things about the town. It totally lived up to the hype. I got bold/obnoxious at one point and borderline held up traffic to try and shoot a line of my music video. In the song Wherever I Go, there's a reference to Lewis & Clark. There's a big statue of the two of them in the middle of a roundabout in downtown Charlottesville, so I stood in the middle of the street with the camera rested on top of my upright guitar case and tried to film it while cars drove around me and people stared at me like I was a crazy person. It would've been awesome if the shot would've turned out, but it didn't. So, L&C won't make the cut, but it's still going to be a ridiculously cool music video.

The coolest part about the campus is a street with tons of shops and restaurants and bars on it which is impassable for cars. It's closed off so that only pedestrians can walk the street, and lots of tables are set up for places to sit and eat or drink in the middle of the road.

One of the bars in the middle of that strip is Miller's, which 20 years ago had a bartender working there who kinda had the same ambitions I do now. He liked writing songs and playing them on the guitar, and eventually he found four people in town to jam with and start a band, which played its first show at that same bar he worked out. The bartender's name was Dave Matthews. It was very cool to see that place, walk inside, and think about that whole occurrence taking place. Everyone's got a story that starts somewhere. Mine is here and now, on a couch in Burlington, North Carolina.

Not that I'm on my way to being a world-famous musician. I don't think I am. But thinking about Dave's story got my mind to continue further down that train of thought. I'm living out some of the best days of my life right now. The reason isn't because anything about these days is particularly extraordinary. It's because they are just filled with, soaked with, and beaming hope. The excitement that hope brings is infectious, it's encouraging, it's motivating. Hope allows you to see things for what they could be, not what they will be. And since the "what might be" is almost always better than the "is" no matter how good the "is" is, that means immersing yourself in the "what might be" is the best place you can possibly be.

Right now, there's so many possibilities for me to be excited about. I'm excited about another job opportunity. I'm excited about getting more TV interviews for my music, or playing more gigs, or selling more CDs, or meeting more people, or writing more blog entries. There are so many things to be hopeful for. I haven't been beaten down yet in all the new things I'm pursuing. It's like entering a relationship. You think the person's perfect. Clearly, they're not. But you just don't know their imperfections when you just start dating, so they seem perfect. That's how I feel about life right now. Everything feels perfect. Because I have optimism and hope that something good's going to come out of all these things I'm working on.

So, continue to hope. Find new things to hope for. And make them experiences. Not depreciables. Hope is extremely underrated and very important. Corinthians says "faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love." Love is the greatest, but hope is really freakin' good, too.

I drove around Lynchburg for a while after Charlottesville. I'm not heartbroken that I didn't get the Liberty job. There were Southern Baptist churches on every corner and a handful of confederate flags flying. One was outside of a "Southern Pride Store" where they sold confederacy memorabilia. There was a sign outside the store that read: "We will never forget." OK, you go ahead and never forget. Meanwhile, I'm going to try my hardest to.

My old OU buddy Stephen hooked me up with a place to play in Greensboro. It was a pretty decent bar, and the guy hosting the open mic was legit. His name was Michael Ken, and he won the 2006 season of Nashville Star on CMT. Had a great conversation with him about the biz, and he's gotten to do some pretty awesome co-writes so far in his career. I'm looking forward to hooking up with him and making some music in the future.

I had ONE beer at the open mic. As Ron Burgendy would say: BEER WAS A BAAAAD CHOICE. Remember, I dumped 20 ounces of Yuengling over top that lunch of ice cream and Coca-Cola. It made for a volatile rest of the night in my stomach. Reaction of the night was easily when I asked the waitress if they had any Gas-X. She was a cutie, with a nice southern twang and an outgoing personality. Sooo... I scared her off. Oh well, there will be many more to choose from soon.

It's off to Jacksonville, Florida tomorrow and some fun on the Atlantic Coast. Can't believe the trip is already 20 percent in the books. Crazy.

DAY 7: WASHINGTON DC

2010-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm laying on a pull-out couch getting ready for a real treat: an eighth grade style sleepover.

I'm getting the guest treatment. While my buddy Beau crumples up on a love seat, I'll be sprawled out experiencing my best night of sleep I've had since leaving Columbus a little less than a week ago. I hope.

"It's my sincere wish you get a good night's sleep through my snoring," Beau said. Then he pointed to the bedroom. "But if it were less severe than I'm making it out to be, I'd be in there sleeping next to my wife."

Lucky for me, I'm tired enough to sleep through a fire alarm right now. Unless, of course, there's a fire. The travelling has included a lot of hiking through major metropolises with a heavy backpack carrying business cards and CDs and an even heavier guitar case with multiple cameras inside. By the time I get to my spot for the night, I'm always ready for a good night's sleep.

Since I blogged earlier today, it's dawned on me that the last two weeks of my life have really been incredible. Two weeks ago was the car accident. A week ago was the CD release/sendoff party, where I was just humbled and overwhelmed with love and support from everyone who showed up. Tonight, I'm seven days in to the tour, having slept in my car, played for an MTV executive, walked right into a red-carpet awards show on Wall Street in NYC, been interviewed by three TV stations, and I currently have my music playing on the radio in eight different states (more on that in a minute). Meanwhile, there's more positive personal news which isn't official yet and won't be for a while, but I can't help but feel incredibly blessed.

The day started with an interview on the show Good Morning, Maryland on ABC 2 in Baltimore. You can watch it below, but hit play and then hit pause for a minute. It takes a while for the video to buffer.

Ultimately, what a cool experience. I can't honestly say I'd ever imagine the chance to do something like this. Of course, people are buying my story, not my music, but who cares? This is just too damn cool.

I drove in the rain from Baltimore to D.C., and even had to pull over once because the downpours were so heavy. It's a humbling feeling to realize you don't have a home to go to when you're stuck out in a storm. Just further reinforcement in my mind why we should be kind to our homeless brothers and sisters. It's not a fun feeling, and I had a car roof over my head and I knew I had a place to stay for the night.

Lucky for me, once I reached the national mall in D.C., the rain was gone for good. But, dang was it humid. I probably sweat more today being outside than any day so far.

I got some awesome shots for the Wherever I Go music video, and I'm getting more and more excited to see how this thing's going to turn out.

Met a kid named Jonathan who was busking outside the Washington monument. I sat down next to him and started playing along. He was a really nice kid, has got a nice voice, and I immediately just saw a lot of myself in him. I'm glad we were able to connect.

We swapped CDs and then started playing originals. We got a handful of people to find their way to us and even got a handful to throw some money down. I got kinda jealous because the money was going in his case, since mine was closed, but I figured I'd let it go. Very, very smart move on my part.

Around the corner came a policewoman on horse Court Street style. Apparently, we were in trouble. She wasn't taking what we were doing lightly at all, and said we were actually breaking two laws because we were a) soliciting alms and b) selling items without a license (he had his CD set up and sitting out in his guitar case.)

She mentioned there were three options: she could give a verbal warning, she could write us a ticket, or she could arrest us. She said the latter happens quite often to repeat offenders.

I'd been sweating my tail off all day, but the beads just grew bigger. What the heck was about to happen!? I was quick to acquit myself saying my case was closed, I had just sat down next to him and I was from Ohio and didn't know any of the laws. Luckily, she let us go. But it was just another example of how restrictive a lot of this stuff is. It's tough out here.

After Beau got off work, he called me and informed me that the OU alumni association Washington D.C. chapter was having a get together at a bar called Garrett's. WHAT!? I go to freakin' Washington D.C. and I hang out at an OU alumni event!? That's what we did. Pretty small turnout, though, so we bounced to the open mic.

We switched the open mic from Tiffany's Tavern, which is bluegrass heavy, to a place called J.V. Restaurant. I never ended up playing there. MAN, was this a po-dunk bar. A little slice of Nelsonville smack dab in the nation's capital. When I walked in the bar, there was a one-legged man singing a song about pork and beans. I can't make this stuff up, I'm just not that creative.

We quickly bounced and headed for a non-music setting to hang out for the rest of the night. I was content with the day's work and was ready to kick it with Beau and some surprise company. My buddy Brian was in town and I just missed him earlier in the trip in Pittsburgh. Great to see all these old faces I love.

Our server was very pretty and one of the more interesting people I've met in a long, long time. Hopefully we stay in touch for a while.

I could go on and on, but my eyelids are getting heavier and heavier.

TTFN,

VIDEO BLOG RAPID FIRE

2010-06-16T09:20:00.001-07:00

Arrived in NYC on a Sunday morning...

Played at the world-famous Village Underground Open Mic. This is the act that preceded me... intimidating!!!

One of the coolest spots in all of NYC. Gotta check it out when you're there...

Day 6 in Baltimore at the 8x10!

DAY 6: BALTIMORE

2010-06-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Let me paint the picture for you...

It's midnight, and I'm staying in a spare bedroom at a buddy's house near downtown Baltimore. I'm trying to blog, and the next thing I know, I wake up at 1 a.m. fully clothed with my head on the keyboard, two and a half paragraphs typed, and the longest string of "dddddddddddddddddddd" known to mankind. I wanted to finish the blog, but I was just too tired.

So, now I'm at a Starbucks somewhere between Baltimore and D.C. with a belated update on Day 6. I've heard people joke about the ghettos of Baltimore before, and I definitely drove through some rough spots, but man are there some really nice spots, too.

Federal Hill is gorgeous. Just a large, sprawling old-town feel to it with blocks after blocks of 2-3 story brick apartments and shops painted all different colors. I parked my car outside the 8x10, which is where I played for the night and rolled next door to Magerks to get a drink. Turns out, I walked into the official Ohio State Buckeyes backers bar of Baltimore. There were like four people who claimed to have grown up or worked in Columbus at some point. Kinda made me feel at home.

I walked up a huge hill to get to Federal Hill park, which is a gorgeous elevated view of the city and the harbor. If you ever find yourself in Baltimore, this is the place to be.

I've decided my new strategy for selling my CD is just to ask people to video tape me. Whether I use it for the music video or not, it gets people curious and asking questions. Plus, I think it's cool to shoot some back-up footage in some other areas to maybe use in the video.

I've also decided I'm not selling the CD for $5 anymore, because it's just too hard to get people's attention and interest to the point where they're willing to make that kind of investment. Plus, I paid a buck per CD to have them manufactured, and EVERYONE I've met is willing to pay a buck. I'd rather get the music into 1,000 people's hands and get my money back then make the same amount of money, get the music into 200 people's hands, and have 800 CDs sitting around for the rest of my life.

I've even autographed a handful of 'em, which is just hilarious. And there are always going to be people like the hotties from the Magerks softball team that'll throw me more cash and say keep the change.

Playing the 8x10 was a cool experience. Chuck Berry even played there as recently as seven or eight years ago. It's a really tiny room, but it's got a huge elevated stage. Definitely the most elevated stage I've ever played on. The crowd was TINY. Maybe one of the tiniest of all the open mikes I've played. But it was an interesting and attentive crowd, which is cool. Beers are way too expensive there. I had two Yuengling drafts at Magerks for $3, then a bottle of Bud Light at the 8x10 for $4.50. No wonder the crowd was so small. But the music was good and it's a good venue for live music.

Crashed at Hoffman's last night ahead of this morning's appearance on Good Morning, Maryland. It was a cool experience to get my story out there on TV in a major market, but I'm continually surprised how few hits a TV appearance is getting this blog. Not a major result at all. The good news is... I DID get to play Frickin' A, which hopefully might lead to some digital downloads. But again, it's just the experience. I've been on TV playing music in Columbus, Huntington/Charleston, and now Baltimore. Some people would kill for that opportunity.

Me: "...I couldn't be your A through Frickin' Z." (guitar outro)
News anchor Megan: That's really cool!! Thanks for coming on!
Me: Thanks for having me.
Megan: Let's toss it over to weather now to get a quick check of your morning forecast.
Weather guy: Take a look at the radar... CHECK OUT ALL THAT FRICKIN' RAIN!!!

It should be posted on their website soon... and I'll pass the link along ASAP.

I was kinda freaking out when I woke up this morning. I started my day with no voice at all, which happens quite frequently. I had to sing at the top of my lungs for the entire drive to the station just to get a little warmed up. Not used to singing at 9 a.m., but I'm looking forward to playing in D.C. tonight and it should be a good show.

I want to get a LOT of cool shots for the Wherever I Go music video at the national mall, which is where I'm headed now. But it looks like there's plenty of rain in the forecast today... so not sure how much luck I'll have. In fact, it's pouring as we speak. :(

It's been a while since I posted a video blog, but I have plenty of them to upload. I just haven't gotten around to it. Maybe I'll get caught up here and pray the rain stops soon.

Hope everyone's enjoying the blog wherever you are!!!!

My daily devotional emailed to me today was one of my favorite verses: Romans 8:28 -- "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."

With love,
-Tony C

Thank you, Ryan Adams

2010-06-15T08:22:00.001-07:00

"Used to take the Subway out of Houston and 3rd /
I would wait for you and not try to hide."

- Ryan Adams, New York, New York

If it wasn't for that song lyrics, I definitely would've gotten lost on the way to Village Underground on Sunday night. But, as I was walking along 3rd, I knew it had to intersect with Houston at some point, or else that lyric would've never existed. Unless, Ryan Adams was plotting to get people lost, which I suppose is entirely possible based on the way he treats his fans at his concerts.

Anyway, I've decided to continue on with the tour to Baltimore today, and hopefully come back to NYC for some prolonged period of time in the near future. Before I leave, here's a little bit about what I experienced last night.

So, apparently Kenny's Castaways doesn't have an open mic anymore. So I did some quick online research and landed at Sidewalk Cafe in the East Village. It had some good reviews online. Ummm, it was interesting.

When I go to an open mic, I really just wanna hear good, original music. But there are lots of different types of open mics out there. This one wasn't my cup of tea. Doesn't mean it wasn't good. But it's not what I appreciate.

Let's start with the positive. There were some really talented performers. I personally thought they were few and far between, but the ones who were good were really good. A girl named Kathleen Smith has a song called Tinfoil Girl. I liked it a lot and it's definitely worth the 99 cent iTunes investment.

Two other very entertaining acts to pass along. A young kid named Tony Gong who's songwriting is tremendous. His schtick is to stay sort of laid back on stage, his voice isn't very good at all, but it TOTALLY fits with what he's doing. His songs are hilarious, clever, sincere, and good. You can find him on MySpace.

There was another band of 20-21 year olds called Wilbur. I just really, really loved their sound, they have great stage presence, they're fun to listen to, and they just truly seem to be having a good time up there. Probably my favorite act of the night. http://www.myspace.com/wilburmusic

There were two other really enjoyable songs, one I think was called "Banana Peel."

Now, for the bad... tons of hipsters who got up there and just did weird stuff. I know that's entertaining to a lot of people, and it fits in with the target demo of the night, so the crowd seemed to enjoy... but it just wasn't for me. Weird poetry, improv that wasn't funny at all, and some really bizarre musical acts.

The open mic goes by lottery, so you have no control over when you play. There's also a "lightning round hour" where if you land in that time frame, you only get to play one song. That's where I landed, so I sat through all that for 90 seconds of Frickin' A.

This was not the type of crowd I'm going to impress. People like that song because it's funny, clever, short and sweet, and pretty good. But when you sandwich my performance between poetry about sex crimes and a guy playing Dolly Parton on the accordion, I just don't have a prayer of standing out.

Not only that, but the story of guy-loses-job-and-throws-his-life-in-the-car-to-play-music doesn't really seem all that outside of the box to this crowd. Because most of them are hipster. A lot of them probably don't have jobs. My "creativity" seems so boring and mainstream to them.

One guy I met got on stage playing a SAW. My nomadic 40 days was nothing to him. He's been doing it for FOUR YEARS. He's a professional homeless guy who plays music, writes poetry and sews patches for a living. He said he had a pet rat which would crawl all over him while he would play on street corners and he made "a lot of money" doing that because people thought it was so interesting. "A lot of money" to him is probably $20, because he mentioned he has no problem wading through garbage cans to find his meal for the day.

He mentioned to me that he lived in New Orleans recently for about nine months. He found a squat to live in for about 9 months, aka an abandoned house in the Lower Ninth Ward which has been left vacant ever since Hurricane Katrina. He claimed it as his own and just lived in it.

In my humble opinion, that's no way to live. Yes, what I'm doing is fun and liberating and vivacious and maybe even a little bit crazy, but it's nothing compared to what some people do who have just decided to heave their life into a swirling pool of complete and utter anti-establishment psyche. Yet, that guy seems happy. I guess happiness is just all in your perception.

To me, happiness is overrated. It becomes something that we chase endlessly before realizing it is not a sustainable result, because life continues to happen to us and we continue to adjust to the new environments we find ourselves in physically, financially, emotionally, etc. I've always thought peace and joy is really where you want to be, and I've found that through Christ.

OK, enough of all that. Off to Baltimore after shooting my last shot for the music video by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Peace!
-Tony

DAY 5: NYC PART II

2010-06-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

This city is wearing me out. I'm too exhausted to try and write eloquently, so I'm just going to blabber for a while.

Here is what's going through my head right now:

I can make it. I can actually do this. There is a realistic scenario in which I could launch a life-long career in music. The question is... at what price? Not just lifestyle wise, but financially, too. I think I'd have to live here for at least a month before packing my bags and moving on to Nashville, then L.A., then rinse and repeat. I just don't think it's worth spending my time anywhere else. But the roadtrip will go on, because the roadtrip is part of the idea. But yeah, I definitely want to come back for like a month if I could. How I'll afford that? Who knows...

People like my songs. I'm confident in that. I'm not confident in my voice, but oddly when I've been playing for strangers lately, a lot of them have complemented me on my voice. Everytime I ask someone for help with the music video, they always like the song and complement my voice, which I thought was weird. I spent the majority of the afternoon in Midtown Manhattan, everywhere from Times Square to Central Park. My feet, back, neck, knees are killing me, part of which has to do with the accident.

Hilarious exchange between me and this woman up by Rockefeller Plaza... She was gorgeous, ethnic, petite, and trying to hand out fliers of some sort.

Me: I have an idea. How about you listen to my song for 90 seconds, and then I listen to what it is you're selling?
Her: Sir! I am a tarot card reader!! Let me read your palms and I can tell you about the future!!
Me (inside my head): Oh, God.
Me (outside my head): OK, but let me play you my song first.
Her (waaay too eager): No, sir!! This is important!! I have to tell you about your future!! Let me see your hand!! I will give you a free sample!!
Me: But I just want to play you a song.
Her: Sir, this can't wait!! I have really good news for you about your future that you need to know now!!
Me: Is the good news that you're going to listen to my song now?
Her: No... but it's very important!!
Me:

I tried busking it for a little while. That's just an absolute waste of time. I think after a day of failing at most my stupid, pre-conceived notions of what might work, I've started to put together a formula for how to get Frickin' A out there...

a) play the biggest open mic I can find in this city every single night for about a month..
b) spend my days at the most touristy places I can possibly find in NYC and just flat out stop people and ask them if I can play them a song for 90 seconds. I'm finding that tourists are willing to stop, because they're on vacation. They don't have anywhere to be. Secondly, they're going HOME eventually, which means the music is spreading outside the city. Central Park is perfect, Times Square would be, but it's too loud, and actually there are way more tourists than I would've thought on Wall Street.
c) read up and look for events where I can just give my CD/business card away for free. Right around the corner from where I'm staying tonight is the "Webby Awards" which are broadcasting live on YouTube. It's legitimately a red carpet event. I legitimately, physically bumped into the actress who played "Stiffler's Mom" in American Pie when she was entering the building for the event later tonight. Anyway, these are places where I could legitimately get my stuff in the hands of people who could do something about it.

I am totally beat, but I have to make it up to an open mic in the next two hours. Kenny's Castaway's no longer has an open mic, so I'm going to Sidewalk Cafe on Avenue A in the East Village. An online description of it reads: "The king of NYC open mic nights. Sign up is at 7:30 (don't be late!) and is done lotto-style. My first time there, I was number 47. It goes all night (literally - til 3 AM sometimes), and you should be ready for an open mic experience like no other."

Plans for the next 24 hours:
- Get up at like 5:30 a.m. and take the train back over to Williamsburg to move my car before they sweep the streets.
- Then take a train back up to Midtown to check out The Today Show.
- Then try to execute my newfound ideas for promoting Frickin' A.
- Leave by about noon to go get my car.
- Be in the car by 1 p.m. to arrive in Baltimore by 6 or so.

Thanks for checkin' in!!!
-Tony C

Pics from the NBC4 interview

2010-06-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mindy Drayer for the interview and Marshall McPeek for the pics!! I'll let you all know when it's going to air...

WHAT A NIGHT!! MUCH NEEDED BREAK!!

2010-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Not a "rest" break. I mean, like, maybe a "break" break. If tomorrow goes as well as the last three hours have gone, I might play here in NYC for the next four nights.

Today was one of the longest, eventful, most exhausting, most exciting, most interactive, most action-filled days I can ever remember experiencing in my life. I woke up at 7 a.m. in the back seat of my car on a side street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania like 17 hours ago. It feels like it was 17 days ago.

So, I'm about to head to bed and get a little bit of sleep before hitting NYC hard for Day Five of the tour and Day Two in one of the world's greatest cities. But before I do, let me fill you in a little bit on the last 17 hours.

First off, I wasn't sure I was going to get in at the Village Underground, home of the self-proclaimed best open mic in the world. After experiencing it, I'll say this: It's a lot like calling someone the prettiest girl in the world. You can't definitively say its accurate, but you also can't say anything is concretely better. It was unlike any open mic I've ever experienced in my life.

I was the first person there for the night and the first person to sign up on the list. From a performance standpoint, EVERYONE was out of my league. Big, beautiful EXPLOSIVE voices that belted out tunes with precision and power. It was well worth the $15 cover charge (plus, two drink purchase requirement).

Everyone who signs up gets one song, and one song only. They're pretty strict about it, so a lot of people try and jam out as long as they can.

There's a band on the stage that not only opens the night strong, but also jams in the down time while people walk back up on stage. I'd guess every third open mic performer is planted, because they're simply singing along while the band on stage jams out to the pleasure of just about everyone in the crowd.

The music was eclectic and amazing. The house band sounded like a mix of gospel, soul, funk and rock. The atmosphere was electric, with high crowd interaction in a darkly-lit room with half low-wattage bulbs and half candlelight. It was an incredibly classy environment. The predominantly African-American crowd was dressed SHARP, while I was wearing a thrift-store button down with my acoustic guitar and my humble voice. I felt so out of place. I was legitimately nervous to be called up on stage.

When my turn arrived, the woman singing introduced me while the band continued to play. I walked up and was legitimately confused as the band just continued to jam out. When were they going to stop? Are they ever going to stop? Am I supposed to just jam along with them and NOT play an original song? Do I just start talking?

Eventually, I was able to tell my story and I introduced the song Frickin' A, which I decided to go with even though it's so short. Had to put my best foot forward.

I was incredibly and pleasantly surprised by the crowd's reaction. Not only did they listen, but they laughed. A lot. They were really into it!

When I finished playing, the house band started jamming immediately, and the open mic host asked me to play an encore!!! I couldn't believe it!! Sure, I hadn't been up there long, but they wanted to hear more! I busted out Forever For Just a Little While, which I don't think the crowd really dug that much. It just didn't seem to fit the open mics style. By My Side would've been a much better choice.

After I was finished, I stayed around to watch some more of the performers. As I sat alone in a large room full of people enjoying the music, I noticed someone all the way across the room from me who looked really familiar, and they were looking my way. It was hard to tell, because he was wearing sunglasses in a dark, basement-type of setting, but I'd bet more money than not it was Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. He was totally into the music, looked exactly like him, but wasn't being bugged by a swarm of people, which made me think twice. But everyone says celebs hang out at Village Underground's open mic all the time.

I wanted to go talk to him, but then I realized how late it was getting, and I needed to meet up with my buddy Ross so I could crash at his place for the night. As I headed out the door, I was stopped by a nice gentlemen who recognized me as the Frickin' A guy. He stopped me and told me he really liked the song, so I put my backpack down and told him I wanted him to have a CD. I pulled out two, one for him and one for the woman he was with. He asked me how much it would cost, and I told him no charge. I just wanted him to have it. The woman he was with spoke up.

"Young man," she said. "You have no idea what a good investment you just made."

She pulled out an ID card from her work and flashed it up for just a moment. The big, bold letters across the top were all that caught my attention. They read: "MTV NETWORKS."

She told me her name was Jill and said she really liked Frickin' A, thought it was really clever and said she wanted to do something with it. I gave her my card, told her about the Wherever I Go video idea, and told her I'd love to hear from her. She was interested.

I have no idea if she'll ever call, and quite honestly, I think I'd be foolish to wait with bated breath for it. But man, did that give me the morale boost I needed!!! Not only do people like that song, but IMPORTANT people like it. I'm in the right city for this. I need to hang here as long as I can.

A couple things while I'm thinking about it...

- If you text me and I don't respond, it's probably because I'm in the car. I'm being very, very careful about driving these days...

- I'm not getting a ton of sleep tonight. Definitely plan on waking up early and trying to catch some TODAY show or exploring the midtown area while the whole world makes its way to work.

- This city is so damn expensive, but I always leave the high-priced experiences feeling like it's worth it.

- Tomorrow, hopefully playing at Kenny's Castaways. Not 100 percent sure their Monday Night open mic still exists and stopping by there earlier today, but we'll check it out tomorrow and see.

DAY 4: NEW YORK CITY

2010-06-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, blogging from my phone for now. So ill be as brief as possible with the millions of thoughts thru my head...

Open mic in Allentown was a nice set up for a small town, but ended up being a crappy experience for me. Got lost, showed up late for sign up, ended up performing last & no one was left. Oh well.. 1st three days weren't what this trip was all about anyway.

Slept in the backseat of the car last night. Pretty tired today but still got a good six hrs in.

Woke up, drove to NYC and spent some of the most pleasant quiet moments of my life at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Just me, my guitar, my backpack, my bible, the smell of sea water, and a majestic view of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

Shot a cool part of the "Wherever I Go" video. Great lunch & dinner with old friends. Got lost on the subway. Never have before, but also never been riding alone either now that I think about it.

Exhausted right now, but LOVING the city. Hoping to get a spot at Village Underground tonight, but nervous I won't based on the way things have gone recently. Thinking of just heading there now and busking until they open.

I've been to almost all of North America's biggest cities, but this is the only one where I walk around looking at others and I am genuinely curious about their story. Where are they from, what do they do, what language do they speak, why are they here?

Currently writing a song about it.. "Put Me In The City." If there's ever a Vol. 2, it'll be on there.

DAY 3: ALLENTOWN, PA

2010-06-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sitting at a McDonald's just outside of Allentown, Pa. enjoying my third and fourth McDoubles of the day. For the mathematically challenged, that's eight beef patties in one day for $4.

It's been a really, really long day of driving. My car rolled off the lot three days ago with 11 miles on it. I just hit 1,000 a few minutes ago. The aches from the accident last week are bothering me after eight hours in the car, especially the knee. But, all in all, it's been a good day.

I pulled into Columbus from Pittsburgh at about 2 a.m. last night, and got up to tape an interview with Mindy Drayer at NBC4 in C-bus around 7:45. The interview was cool and should air in a couple of weeks on a Sunday morning. Then, I turned back east and just arrived here around 6 p.m., probably less than two hours away from New York City, which is where I'll be staying the next two days with my buddy Ross on Wall Street.

Dave Matthews kept me company the entire way. Haven't listened to much Dave recently, and I decided to indulge in my old favorite to complete the drive. Underrated Dave songs which I completely forgot about until today: Trouble, Dreamgirl, You Never Know, Fool to Think.

The open mic tonight appears to be pretty different from most of the open mics I'll play at on a regular basis. I'm pretty used to playing in bars, but from what I read, this is more of a singer/songwriter get-together and maybe more of a chance to talk about songwriting with the other people there. It's called "Upper Milford Municipal Building." So... yeah. Not a bar.

I'm going to try to get in, play, experience some other artists, and get out rather quickly. Since I've been in the car all day, I haven't had the chance to interact with hardly anyone. I don't have any idea where I can find much of a nightlife around here, but the goal is to look for some and then start sharing stories in rapid fire fashion.

Tonight should be a real treat. Severe thunderstorms are expected to blast the area tonight, and this is the first night of the tour where I don't have a place to stay. The plan is the car... for now. But that could make for a rocky night.

Just livin' the dream...

DAY 2: PITTSBURGH

2010-06-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Day two of the 40-Day Tour has been a challenge.

a) I'm distracted. One of my best friends in the world lives in the Steel City, and quite honestly, it's been way too long since I've seen Mike Dunn. All I wanna do, as Sheryl Crow might say, is have some fun.

b) Pittsburgh, known for its beautiful landscape, great sports and three rivers, is definitely NOT known for accurate websites and newspaper listings. The two places I planned on playing tonight both don't have open mics anymore, and one of the establishments actually closed down over a year and a half ago. So... hate to tell you, Pittsburgh City Paper, but your open mic listings suck.

Plan C is to hit up the downtown area tonight. The Point, which is the "point" where the three rivers meet, has an outdoor arts festival tonight. Kris Kristofferson is playing a free concert there, so hopefully the street team (Mike, Missy and Me) can sell a few discs.

Today was an exciting day on a couple of different fronts: one for the career in music, another for the career in sports.

Alan Kabel, a former colleague of mine, now hosts a syndicated country radio show on in seven different states. He works out of Portland, and he's expressed interest in having me stop by when I'm out there in early July. He's also interested in playing Frickin' A, which could be an awesome fit for a feature he does.

I'm supposed to do a phone interview with him today just to talk about the tour, so this is definitely exciting news. If I get an aircheck of it, I will post it ASAP.

I also talked with some folks involved in college sports who I've interviewed with before, and there could be some potential part-time work available. It might require moving, but would also open up a lot of doors down the road in the type of broadcasting I really want to do.

Also, today was the first day we started filming the music video for Wherever I Go, and we got some GREAT views from Mt. Washington high above the city. When this music video is complete, it's going to be SO cool. Hopefully something the YouTube peeps enjoy.

Speaking of YouTube, I posted a video from The Winchester last night in Cleveland so you could see what Open Mic #1 looked like. Enjoy!!

Thank you, Cleveland

2010-06-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

Alright, night one is in the books.

For the record, the jesting toward Cleveland in the previous post was all made in good fun. Besides, all I really said was I drove through some ghetto to get to where I was going. Every city has that. No offense intended. Lakewood was cool.

As for the experience, Winchester Music Hall is a great place for an open mic. It's a cool place to play with a huge room in the back for bigger acts. Lisa Loeb has played there, so... draw whatever conclusion you will from that.

I got to meet some cool folks tonight and some talented artists, including a kid named Joe Crompton who had some nice original material. But my favorite person of the night, by a mile, was Teejay.

Teejay went right before me. He's only been playing guitar for a few months, but he was comfortable getting up in front of the room and letting some of his songs rip. So... much respect for that.

He reminded me a lot of an old friend of mine named Wade Peery with his enthusiasm for the simple things. But there's one big difference between Teejay and Wade. Wade doesn't have a tattoo on his forearm of a smiling tooth with a halo and a left arm that looks like it was drawn with a pencil. Sorry Teej, but it's literally the worst tattoo I've ever seen in my life.

I asked him how something like that even takes place on the same planet I've grown accustomed to walking the last 28 years. His response: "Man, one night I got so blackout drunk that I don't remember anything, and I just woke up with it. It's a good thing I don't drive, or else someone would've died that night. But no one did... I don't think......"

My set was decent, but I've definitely done better. Frickin' A was pretty quality, though, and got a nice reaction. Snapped the B-string on By My Side, second string I broke today. So Frickin' A was played in it's entirety with a man down.

I picked up a few new friends along the way and sold a handful of CDs. Even had someone ask to get their picture with me. I hardly made anything tonight, though, because of the toll roads to Pittsburgh and the $5 I shelled out for my copy of the performance, which really wasn't worth it. The mics hardly pick up the crowd reaction and the mix wasn't that great, but it's good to listen back for critiquing.

Tomorrow, it's off to downtown Pittsburgh to hit the Duquesne Incline and begin shooting the music video for Wherever I Go, which I'm really excited about. Still not 100 percent sure where I'm playing tomorrow night, but we'll figure something out. Hopefully having my buddy Mike Dunn with me will help me hit the streets and sell some CDs.

Talk to you on Day 2!
-TC

DAY 1: CLEVELAND

2010-06-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'm in a rundown Burger King eating my first Buck Double of the 40-Day Tour, which may ultimately hit triple digits by the time this bad boy's all said and done. The guy behind me in line looked miserable. The guy in front of me looked insane, with a backpack on, earbuds in, slamming the drum beats on the counter top while he ordered.

Welcome to Cleveland. A city with a self-esteem as low as mine was circa sixth grade.

As my roommate and Cleveland-native Matt Crumpton likes to say: "Just push it in (to Lake Erie). The thing is: it's right there. Just push it in."

I drove through some pretty shady areas to get here, but I kinda dig the area where I'm playing tonight. I'm in Lakewood at "The Winchester," which is smack dab in the middle of a strip of pubs which I would imagine gives this area a pretty decent nightlife. I turned down the road and saw neatly-kept lawns and old Victorian style homes. Made me feel much more comfortable than the bar-protected pawn shops and liquor stores a mile or two back.

I can't believe this never occurred to me before. I have no idea where I'm going in any of these cities. There will be some pleasant surprises. There will also be some spur-of-the-moment spontaneous cancellations.

It took me a little longer to pack this morning than I planned, so I'm leaving my room in shambles. Oh well. Some things never change. It'll feel like home when I come back July 20th.

There are still some headaches to deal with post-accident. Despite having this conversation about five times with the insurance company, they STILL towed my car to the wrong location; Cincinnati instead of Columbus. So... I'll have to do without my toolbox, my camping gear, my atlas, and everything else that's still in it.

That's the least of my concerns for now, though. I'm more worried about the fact I have a one-day old car full of gear with a decal on the back admitting to the world I'm far away from home. My car is to thieves as a bleeding distressed victim is to piranhas or sharks or some other river monster.

I've never driven a brand new car before, and honestly never imagined I would. It feels weird. I just drove up to Cleveland, and literally quintupled the number of miles this car has on it. Not that that's a bad thing. :)

I busted a string playing at home earlier today before I left, so I gotta re-string Marty (my Martin D1) and get ready for gig No. 1. Three song set tonight. Forever, By My Side, Frickin' A. We'll see a whole lot of this over the next month and a half.

Welp, I should get going. Good news: Mat Kearney's "Closer to Love" just started playing over the PA here at BK. Weird news: a guy just walked in who is, well, interesting. He's very fat, wearing a wife-beater and has soft-core pornography tattooed on his left bicep. You stay classy, Cleveland.

I mean, I know and love LOTS of great people from Cleveland, so I'm not trying to hate. But c'mon......

Just puuuuush it in.

Thanks to ALL!

2010-06-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

I can say with certainty that the 40-day tour will happen. I can also say with certainty it wouldn't have happened without your deep and continued support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who showed up, everyone who wanted to but couldn't, and everyone who has contributed to making this trip a reality. Since it's after midnight here in the east, that means the trip starts today. That's pretty hard to believe.

Today was further evidence to me that I will never accomplish anything on my own. It's only through the grace of God and the love and support He shows me through those who do His work that I'm able to accomplish anything.

I have so much more I want to write, but it's 2 a.m. on the day I'm scheduled to leave and I haven't even packed yet. Luckily, I've got a list a mile long of things I already know I'll need, so I won't forget anything. But yeah, I've obviously still got quite a bit to do before the trip officially begins.

Today was filled a myriad of amazing moments that I'll probably forget if I don't write them all down. I actually drove around in my car listening to song "Frickin' A" get played on the radio like it was a normal song. Mark Dantzer is really hooking me up with a great audience at Mix 107.9 and that alone, to randomly hear my song played during morning drive, is a dream come true.

Mark then took a phone call moments after the song aired, and the caller loved the song. He played the call back on the air, which just blew me away that I was hearing that about something I made.

I ran a few errands, before finalizing the deal on my new car. Chris, who sold me my new wheels, actually showed up for the CD release tonight. Unbelievably nice of him, I guy who was a complete stranger 72 hours ago.

My buddy Noah re-installed a new "40daytour.com" decal on the back of my new car. Greg and Matt purchased some Advocare products from me today to help give me some cash for the road. I had handfuls of people show up for the party tonight which I never expected to see: people who others in the crowd were thrilled to see and meet in person for the first time.

What an indescribable, unbelievable blessing Wednesday, June 9, 2010 was. And the lesson for the day: none of it would've ever happened if I was a person who is too proud to ask for help. Everything positive that happened today came as a result of me asking someone if they could do me a favor. If you think someone can give you the help you NEED, then just ask. You'll be in awe of the results.

Just remember that when someone asks you, return the favor. This trip is dedicated to all the people who live their lives with servants' hearts. This trip has been all about serving others, and allowing others to help me when their hearts feel compelled. This trip is a 40-day microcosm of life.

Back on track!!

2010-06-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

I will never forget today, June 8, 2010, as the day that saved the 40-day tour.

As I said in earlier posts, there's never ever a reason to lose faith. It's just amazing how things were able to finally come together at the last minute.

First thing's first. Car situation resolved!!!!!!!

Thanks to the good folks at Byers Mazda Subaru, I'm getting in a brand new 2010 Mazda 3 for less of a monthly payment than I was making before the accident, with a shorter term on the note, and with ZERO miles on the car. This has honestly worked out better than I ever could have imagined, thanks to Chris and the good folks there who helped me work out the perfect deal.

The experience at Byers was a thousand times better than it was at another dealership in town which I'll keep nameless. I won't embarrass this place because I'm sure not everyone who works there was as horribly obnoxious as the 21-year-old kid who talked down to me and even went so far as to make fun of me to my face. I looked at him, laughed, and said I was going to Byers. He responded by instantly taking $800 off the price off the car, then another $500 in a desperate attempt to save the sale. It was quite pathetic.

The media exposure today was fantastic, too. It started with a hit on Mark Dantzer's morning show on Mix 107.9 FM, where I got to play Frickin' A live in studio (download here). The ripple effect included new facebook and twitter followers, as well as a mention on a local blog which covers the city of Columbus.

I also had my first column published for UWeekly, which will continue as long as I'm on the road.

My CDs finally arrived today the day before the big CD release/sendoff party at Callahan's, Wednesday night from 7-10 pm. It wasn't nearly as cool to open the box and pull out the hard copy of the CD as I thought it was going to be. I think that's indicative of how much crap I still have left on my plate before I'm ready to leave.

I honestly don't feel like I'm going to be gone in 48 hours, but not only will I be gone, but night one of the tour will be done. I just need to somehow pull everything together as quickly as possible before setting up at Callahan's tomorrow night, then hitting the road in a one-day old car Thursday morning.

Status: certainly uncertain

2010-06-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

I know I'm going on this trip. I just don't know how. I'm scheduled to leave in less than 72 hours. I have no definitive plans for how I'm going to do this. But I'm still planning on doing it. If you've learned anything about me from the last 25 posts, you know that I have faith. So, I'll keep having faith.

My friend Beau told me last night he thought I was doing a really good job at just taking all these challenges one day at a time, and honestly, I think I've got it down to one hour at a time at this point. But that's all I can do. The 40-Day Tour will go on, even though I have a mountain of issues to deal with, including finding a car. If I stare at the mountain, I'm never going to get over it. So I might as well start walking.

The walk continues tomorrow morning. I'm VERY excited to reunite with my friend Mark Dantzer and sit in on his morning show Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. on Mix 107.9 FM in Columbus. I'll tell stories about setting up the trip and what I'm looking forward to, and he's even going to let me play Frickin' A (which is now available for download on iTunes and Amazon!)

Funny story: I'll actually be returning to the same building where I made my radio debut 15 years ago as a 7th grader in 1995. Mix 107.9's sister station is Sunny 95, and I was a guest on their morning show performing Abbott and Costello's Who's on First? routine. They've got the same hilarious morning show host: Dino Tripodis. Wonder if he'll remember me.

Since I'm leaving on Thursday, I'm starting to assemble a checklist of items I need to bring. Am I missing anything?

- CDs (mine and others)
- Laptop, charger
- Car plug-in thing
- Flip HD
- Guitar, strings
- Business cards
- Pillow
- Sleeping bag
- Camping gear
- Advocare products, backpack
- Bible
- Normal backpack
- Suitcase
- Toiletries
- Allergy meds
- food/cooler
- Cell phone & charger
- Blanket
- clothes, shoes, laundry bag
- one suit for interviews
- Recorder
- Tuner w/ 1/4" cable
- camera
- photo USB uploader
- notepads and pens
- atlas

So much for packing light, huh? I guess I am literally moving into a car for a month and a half, but I wanna pack as light as possible. I guess I could shove a lot of that stuff into my backpack.

For the record, I want to say a few things about "success." Lots of people have asked me what will make for a "successful" trip. My roommate Matt and I were sitting on a patio sipping on a few beers last summer, and he asked me what my definition of success was.

I answered "having a lot of people show up at my funeral." Kinda morbid, right? But seriously, that's always been in the back of my mind. Judging my success based on things I accomplish seems fruitless, because a lot of those things can't be shared with others and will ultimately go with me to my grave. Some say "success" is a very arbitrary idea and not something tangible that you can count or weigh. I totally disagree.

To me, success can be counted in three ways: How many people have I inspired? How many people have I helped? How many people have I loved? If someone inspired me, helped me, or loved me, I'm pretty sure I'm showing up at their funeral.

This definition of success seems so beautiful to me because it takes the ego out of the equation. None of us can brag about our success this way, because we'll never know how successful we were. We'll be gone days before our earthly judgment of success.

So, what will make this trip a success? Anything that leads me toward becoming a greater success in life. I think that can be boiled down to three specific goals...

- I hope to inspire people to identify their dreams, go for it, and never look back.
- I hope I give people a pretty convincing testimony that having faith in God is worthwhile, because I've had plenty of reasons to let my faith falter, but I've kept it strong and it WILL carry me.
- I hope I can encourage people to learn to humble themselves to be willing to accept help, because the whole "ask and you shall receive" mantra has been in full effect, and let me tell you, I've been receiving in ways I never could have imagined.

If I can do those things, the 40-Day Tour will be more of a success than anything else I've ever done in my life, regardless of whether or not I sell a single album. And along the way, I'll remember the late, great John Wooden's 12 lessons in leadership to last a lifetime...

1. Good values attract good people
2. Love is the most powerful four-letter word
3. Call yourself a teacher
4. Emotion is your enemy
5. It takes 10 hands to make a basket
6. Little things make the big things happen
7. Make each day your masterpiece
8. The carrot is mightier than a stick
9. Make greatness attainable by all
10. Seek significant change
11. Don't look at the scoreboard
12. Adversity is your asset...

...so Lord knows I've had plenty of assets!

Keeping the faith!!

2010-06-06T15:19:00.001-07:00

With D-Day now just four days away, there's plenty of reason to be excited and hopeful that the 40-Day Tour is alive and well.

It turns out my car was totaled in the accident last week, and based on the events of the last three months, I find myself with no job, banged up credit, very little cash, and now... no car. But I do have my new career (however long or short it lasts), and I'm confident in my ability to make enough money on the road to sustain myself. Playing open mics and selling my new CD (on iTunes and Amazon now!) will carry me. I just need to fish for a way to move around the country.

I've got a nibble.

There's a potential sponsor for the blog in the works, and if they like what I have to offer, it'll come with a car to get me from New York to L.A. and everywhere in between. Like I've said so many times before and like I'll continue to say until I'm six feet under, perseverance pays off, and God provides.

I've got a lot more to write about, but very little time at the moment. Check back for more later!!

Full of faith, rock bottom

2010-06-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

This story keeps getting crazier, and while it's taking a bit of a toll on me, I'm strangely starting to enjoy the challenge. The more dire the situation gets, the more motivated I am to overcome it.

Just got off the phone with the insurance company after my car accident Wednesday. Got the worst case scenario news.

My car has been totaled and they will not be repairing it. I owe more on the car than it's worth, meaning between the car insurance and the gap insurance, they'll write a check directly to the bank for the price I owe on the loan.

This means I'm on my own finding a new car. I have no job/income, no cash reserves and some pretty dinged up credit. I am not going to be able to get a loan to buy a car under these circumstances.

This makes the chances of the 40-day tour occurring seem bleak. However, I'm not calling it off. I just simply have no idea how I'm going to do it. But I have faith. I need to have faith. This is my chance to show others that it's worth while to have faith. I have every reason in the world to feel sorry for myself right now, but instead, I'm having faith. God will supply if He wills it. He has supplied so far. I have faith He will again. If He wills it.

Now that I've learned that my car is totaled, the rental is due back Wednesday. So I'm out of a vehicle Wednesday. That is four days away. If you're reading this or have any ideas or solutions, please shoot them my way. tonycastricone@gmail.com

I'm going to put together a small presentation and hit some of the bigger dealerships in Columbus. If anyone wants to get some free advertising when I do my interviews in the local and national media, have some ads presented on this blog which is getting more and more hits everyday, and be a part of a pretty dang cool story, all I need is a car for the trip and it's a deal.

I'm also buying a lottery ticket.

This situation is pretty dire right now, but it's flat out not in me to give up. This trip is my opportunity to make a short-term income, live out a dream, and find long-term employment. I'm being tested. I have no car, no job, very little cash, and plenty of reasons to tuck my tail. But I'm charging forward with faith and I'm not calling this trip off until July 20th, aka, Day 40.

As fellow sportscasting veteran Jim Day sent me in a message yesterday, Galatians 6:9 -- Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

- THE SHOW IS STILL ON FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9TH AT CALLAHAN'S. Please don't think it's called off. I'm going to find a way to go on this trip, and this is still my sendoff/CD release party. I'm still very excited to see you all there!!!

- As of today, I'm on iTunes!! That is so dang cool to see. By the way, HILARIOUS side note, when you search for Tony Castricone, two things come up. My album, and a DVD called "Douchebag Beach."

- I'm still suffering from some headaches and neck pain from the car accident. But everything seems to be OK for everyone involved at the moment.

Some local media pub...

2010-06-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a long day in Athens. After yesterday's car accident, I thought I was OK. Turns out I'm actually in a lot of pain. My neck is severely sore, and my back is slowly starting to join the party.

But I went forward with the Open Mic tonight. I knew I might not perform my best, but I also knew I had to take this opportunity to get my music out there.

I'm pretty wiped out and in desperate need of some sleep. I'll update you all tomorrow on how the open mic in Athens went (I thought very well this time), and the latest with the car accident and where I stand on getting a vehicle in time for the 40-day tour, which starts in less than a week at this point.

For now, here is a story that was on WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia. Reporter Spencer Adkins put together a really nice piece on me which ran Wednesday night, and he also cut down our raw interview into a soundbyte montage featured below.

Enjoy!
-TC

Catastrophy

2010-06-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

The good news is... everyone's OK.

The bad news is... just about the only thing that could derail the 40-day tour actually happened. I was in a car accident. A bad one.

Like I said, everyone's OK, and ultimately that's all that matters. But this is certainly a disaster.

I was driving from Columbus to Huntington, WV for an interview with WOWK-TV and an open mic appearance at the V-Club. I will be shocked if my car's not totaled. Brown oil and green coolant immediately slid out from under my car down the highway.

My sunglasses flew off my face and were completely mangled upon hitting the windshield and floor, leaving me an eerie presentation of what I could have looked like if I didn't have my seat belt on. My airbag failed to deploy for some reason. I'm very lucky to be OK.

There'll be a big bill I'm going to have to float for this. The bill pales in comparison to the sickening feeling I have. I want this tour to continue not just for me, but I know people are excited to follow it. I'm supposed to leave in seven days. I just don't see how that's possible.

I have a rental car, but I'm not supposed to take it outside of Ohio, West Virginia or Kentucky. It's paid for 30 days deep, so it'll give me time to find a new car if mine is banged up beyond repair. But it's a stretch to think I'm going to be able to leave on the same route next Thursday.

What I can do is hit a bunch of cities in those three states until everything's sorted out. But this is certainly a setback.

Up until the accident, I was flying high today. I had every reason in the world to be. It was the start of a preview leg of the tour. I was enjoying some Avett Brothers and Better Than Ezra while cruising down the highway on a sunny day. I was catching up with friends on the phone and reminiscing about a 105-mile bike ride I took down a comparable route 12 months ago.

I even stopped off at The Hippy Hut in Circleville to buy a new guitar strap, and shared my story with the first few complete strangers on the road; something I'm really hoping I still get the chance to do. But, for now, things are up in the air.

I'm charging through with plans to hit the road however I can. My "sendoff" show is still on for next Wednesday, June 9 at Callahan's. I'm going to have faith that this is still doable, because I've had a lot of faith so far to get to this point, and it's all paid off. And that's what it will continue to take... more faith.

Playing in Athens Thursday night at the Donkey. If you can make it and you're in the area, I'd love to see ya. I'm on with Robin Barnes on Power 105 at 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning, and then on 970 WATH with Brian Boesch from 6-7 p.m. as well. I'll talk to you all then, after prayers of thanksgiving that today wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Fortunately, life's not all about me. If it was, I think by now I'd have plenty of reasons to bury my head in a mud pie ostrich style and just never come out. But you smile, you keep persevering, and you remember that life is all about living for others anyway. So even when I've lost it all, I still have that.

Wild, wonderful, West Virginia!

2010-06-01T14:39:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, I venture out on a short preview leg of the journey. If the 40-day tour were an NFL season, this week is Week 3 of the preseason. This is time to get focused, get ready to perform, and get pumped.

I'll be playing in West Virginia at Huntington's V-Club tomorrow night for my first open mic in a different state. My good buddy Spencer Adkins at WOWK-TV will swing by to help give me a little bit of local pub. Then it's off to Athens to do a couple radio interviews with good peeps like Robin Barnes and Brian Boesch, and play at The Donkey Thursday night.

Got an oil change to prep my car today. (I'll be getting three more of those in the next month and a half). This guy sitting in the waiting room had a Donkey Coffee House in Athens T-shirt on!!!! I couldn't believe it. I had to strike up a conversation with him. But he was predominantly non-responsive and anti-social, so it didn't go anywhere. Probably because he was the kind of person who wears a Donkey Coffee House T-shirt.

I worked my tail off today with a massive checklist of things to do before taking off for West Virginia, but I was again completely and totally humbled for the generosity of some of you. God is so good and He is working through so many people. You know who you are, and you have hearts the size of the whole great country I'm about to travel. I literally and sincerely would not be able to make this trip if it wasn't for everyone's support. I can't thank all of you enough. I'll owe you forever, I'll forget it never, and I'll have your backs always.

I've tweaked Wherever I Go quite a bit here in the last few days, and I think it's going to make for an awesome music video. I've also crunched some numbers and decided if I can sell 12 records a day on the road, this trip will pay for itself. Now, that might not sound like a lot to many of you, but it's actually pretty intimidating to me. But I've planned this whole entire thing with the faith that God will provide, and I'm telling you, someone has provided every step of the way. Probably capital-S Someone. So I'm keeping the faith.

I also want to write a song called Please Buy My CD for when I'm playing street corners. Hopefully some pathetic/hilarious rhymes can help me hit my goal.

Finally, I was able to land a weekly column while I'm gone in a publication called UWeekly, which is a free, alternative paper which is distributed on Ohio State's campus. I'm hopeful that can help me get some digital downloads, too.

Next time I talk to you, I'll be on the road!! Til then,
-Tony C

Happy Memorial Day!!

2010-05-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm leaving on the trip of a lifetime in just 10 days!!!

On a day where we honor those who have sacrificed to make our land so free and so great, I can't help but think that what I'm about to do would not be possible, or would be infinitely more dangerous, if it wasn't for the brave men and women who protect our borders. I do not in any way take for granted the sacrifices which have come before, still occur and will still be made long after I'm gone. In fact, I'm taking FULL advantage of those sacrifices by roaming freely and expansively with my guitar, my CDs, my heart on my sleeve and my ambition on the 40-day tour.

Some people are wondering if this trip is a cry for help/attention, or a sad situation where I've slipped under the delusion that I am destined to be a rock star. I can't worry about what everyone thinks. In fact, I've got all the advice for how to handle the situation tattooed on my left wrist: "Gal. 1:10," which reads: "Am I trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, then I could not be a servant of Christ."

But still, if you don't get it, I'll try to explain...

When I lost my job, I was going to have to do something drastic. There are NO sportscasting jobs in Columbus, so I either have to a) pick up and move, b) change careers or c) figure out if God wants me to do either, neither or both by really putting myself out there. I think C is hands down the best option, considering that I can accomplish two dreams in the process: traveling the country and using music to make a living, no matter how short a period of time it's for.

I could always d) sit in my room and feel sorry for myself until my money runs out, but I'm not exactly sure where that would get me.

So C it is. By doing C, I'm also opening up myself to meet someone who could lead me to a career change, meet someone who could lead me to a sportscasting job in another city, meet someone to help me start a career in music, or meet someone to become one of my best friends in the world. I don't think I'm a world-class performer, and I don't want to be one, really. But I'm taking a risk, I'm cashing out my 401K, and I'm going for broke with complete and total faith that the person I 50 days from today will be a much richer person than the man I am today, regardless of what the bank account says.

This excites me to no end. Hopefully it excites you, too. Live your life. Live it to the fullest. Live it for others. Live it for your Creator. And have no regrets. Kind of the definition of Frank Turner -- "Journey of the Magi." Great song. Thanks to Dan Mize for pointing him out to me.

"I could've played safe. / But in the end, the journeys brought joys that outweigh the pain."

Crazy Heart = crazy boring

2010-05-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

Just watched a movie tonight about some cowboy who spends his life on the road playing music, so I thought, "hey, I might like this since I'm about to go on The 40-Day Tour, right?"

Wrong.

First of all, the songs sucked. The plot didn't hold my attention at all, but if it would've had that Once musical feel to it, I would've been happy with it. But instead, he drinks himself silly, uses the end of his expired cigarette to light his next one, and sleeps with women half his age. He also had his shirt off half the movie, which at 50 lbs. overweight, everyone could do without.

Crazy Heart was maybe the most boring movie I've watched since I saw Magnolia in the theatres in, what, 1999? I sure hope my roadtrip is more exciting than his wanderings back and forth through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

It's after midnight EDT, which means I'm 11 days away from leaving. I can't thank everyone enough for all their support, and I'm really getting excited to see what doors God opens for my life during this adventure.

I opened up for The Winnie Cooper Project last night and was pretty happy with how all my original stuff came out. They've never played better, they are really hitting their stride and they're always an entertaining act. Make sure you see them if you're in C-bus.

No more boring stuff. Items of interest to you...

- I might need a Flip HD camcorder to take with me on the road to help video blog and shoot this music video I wanna do. If anyone is interested in selling theirs, don't bother with Craigslist. Just call or email me ASAP.

- There may be more media exposure coming. Don't wanna stick my chest out before anything's set in stone, but some pretty cool things are in the works which I'll let you know about ASAP.

- Funny story: I just had my first experience with how I will occasionally have to overcome stupid people to get behind the mic from time to time. I called The Donkey in Athens to book a time slot when I pass through town this week. Here's how the conversation went...

Me: Hi, I'd like to book a time slot for your open mic.
Donkey guy: Oh, OK. But you have to come in to sign up.
Me: Well, I'm out of town, but I'll be passing through next Thursday and I want to play.
Donkey guy: Well, we can't sign up anyone over the phone. We get lots of people who call in, sign up, and then don't show up.
Me: Oh. But I did this two weeks ago, they signed me up, and I came down and played. I definitely will be there and I want to do that again.
Donkey guy: Umm, do you know anyone in Athens?
Me: Yeah. Why?
Donkey guy: Have them come in and sign you up.
Me: So wait. You're telling me you don't believe me when I tell you I will be there and I want to play next Thursday. But you DO believe someone who walks in and has never played a guitar in their life and is claiming to be an entirely different human being than who they actually are, and just wants to put my name and information down on the sheet?
Donkey guy: We just have to have people signing up in person so we know they're going to come.
Me: So I have to burden a friend to go to the store and sign me up, when the person physically signing up might not even actually be there Thursday night?
Donkey guy: Yes.

Man, I hope people are a little more helpful in other cities.

- Finally, as I've said I'll do from time to time, I want to introduce another superstar in the making. Since my music career is going to last approximately 40 days, I'd like those who read or follow this blog to at least be introduced to people who have a legitimate shot at doing this for 40 years. Ladies and gentlemen: JARED MAHONE. Google him and look up the story behind his "Mixtape Project." Very, very cool idea, great human being, and amazing talent. Enjoy!

New song: Wherever I Go

2010-05-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

So I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning on three hours sleep with an idea in my head for a new song. This song is ABOUT the 40-day tour. The idea was to write a song where I could shoot a music video for it while I'm gone, and the performances would be cut in from all over the country.

My hope isn't to sell a bunch of copies of this song at all. I just want it to become a cool video of a guy playing his guitar on a subway, in Times Square, at the Golden Gate bridge, the St. Louis arch, etc. I think this accomplishes that, but ultimately, it still won't matter if the song sucks.

I can't tell if the song sucks or not yet since it's such a fresh idea, so that's what you're for. I also can't tell if it's been written before and I'm directly ripping off a chord progression or melody line, ha! Let me know if it's a keeper or not! I typed the words below...

Wherever I Go

I'm about to hit the road, but I think it's pretty clear
My heart is yours forever, but I can't find you here
So guitar and cameras in the car, and memories to take me far
Nothing to lose means nothing left to fear

So I will follow a yellow line from the Atlantic to the Pacific
But the specifics just don't matter, I know (this line is weak)
One life without regret; what's in your heart, you don't forget
I'll love you wherever I go
I'll love you wherever I go

I will see Pittsburgh's three rivers from an incline called Duquesne
And I'll play your song for strangers on a Midtown Subway train
I'll be sleepless in Seattle in a needle in the sky
And I'll scream your name from a Rocky Mountain when I'm a mile high

So I will follow a yellow line from the Atlantic to the Pacific
But the specifics just don't matter, I know
One life without regret; what's in your heart, you don't forget
I'll love you wherever I go
I'll love you wherever I go

And I'll play for you at tributes to the leaders gone before
And I'll think about our ancestors when I'm at freedom's door
And I'll write a song about you as I walk the Miracle Mile
From east to west, I must confess, I'll do it with a smile

So I will follow a yellow line from the Atlantic to the Pacific
But the specifics just don't matter, I know
One life without regret; what's in your heart, you don't forget
I'll love you wherever I go
I'll love you wherever I go

You'll be with me as I drive up the Pacific Coast Highway
Tell a pretty girl about you in San Francisco Bay
Doesn't matter where I am, because you're always on my mind
From the madness of Manhattan to that old Hollywood sign

So I will follow a yellow line from the Atlantic to the Pacific
But the specifics just don't matter, I know
One life without regret; what's in your heart, you don't forget
I'll love you wherever I go
I'll love you wherever I go
I'll love you wherever I go

Sorry, but it's the truth...

2010-05-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

...God is so good.

Without getting into any self-righteous detail, I think it's fair to say I like to help people. I've often heard that a man's character is defined not by what he does for those who can help him in return, but by what he does for those who are incapable of giving back to him. Lord knows I've struggled with selfishness over the years, but I've sincerely tried to give selflessly to others expecting nothing in return. It's the example Jesus set for me 2,000 years ago, and even though I fall far short of the bar, I definitely make a conscious effort to try and give to others with zero expectations or strings attached.

I've been asked recently by non-believers why God would allow "bad things to happen to good people." The two false assumptions being: a) losing my job was a bad thing and b) that because I've got a soft spot in my heart for the underprivileged, this somehow renders me "good" enough that I deserve nothing bad to ever happen to me. But still, I get the basic principle of the question. Where is karma? Where is the "what goes around comes around?"

I've never used karma as motivation for paying forward, frankly because I don't believe in it. But furthermore, I don't think there would be any genuine caring or love involved in the action if I was doing it because I thought, even as a secondary outcome, that good fortune might circle back to me.

But, some might say, karma is fair. Doing good for others and not getting repaid is just not fair. Well, I've never worried about what's fair. I've worried about what is good. And God, most definitely, is good.

As I get ready to retire for the night, I've got tears in my eyes at the thought of how good God is. Today, he provided for me in the most amazing and most humbling of ways.

A good Christian brother of mine, knowing of my passion for this trip, my unemployment, and my financial hardship, slipped a check into my pocket. When I noticed it was a check, I thought it was really nice of him to help me out with $10 or $20. When I pulled the check out of my pocket, I was shocked.

I won't say who it was and I won't say how much the check was written for. What I will say is it's going to go a long way toward making the trip doable, something I was seriously starting to question. It's not going to change the fact that I still have to watch every single penny, I still have to sell records to stay on the road, and I'm still going to go all 40 days without staying in a single hotel. But it is an incredible, incredible gesture by someone who puts God first in their life, who lets God guide their decisions, and who I know first hand is not living in the lap of luxury. It's someone who has given enough money to make a negative impact in their bank account, but a real, real positive impact in mine. Someone who works hard, lives modestly, doesn't have much money to spare, but is a shining example of Christ's selfless love.

I try to give of myself to others not because of what it might kick back to me someday, but because I love the Lord and because God is good. And as part of God's goodness, He will provide. He won't provide every little thing we want, but He will always provide what we need. And I'm telling you, that is so much better than karma could ever be.

Late nights & Bear Grylls

2010-05-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

It's 1:21 in the morning in the east. And I'm still up working.

This 40-day tour has become a monster. When I decided to do it, I knew I'd maximize my enjoyment if I put a lot of effort into it. But planning this bad boy, taking care of all the minutiae involved with releasing a CD, and trying to make sure I have enough money to make it more than a weekend affair is starting to devour me. I leave in two weeks. I can't frickin' wait. Frickin' A.

Speaking of which, I uploaded my music to TuneCore today, which means it'll be available on iTunes in 2-3 weeks and available elsewhere even sooner.

I'm opening up for The Winnie Cooper Project at the Thirsty Ear on Friday night. Very pumped for that. I'll be on from 7:45-8:45 to warm up the crowd. You should definitely stop by if you can make it. Their Clinton-era acoustified hip-hop schtick is pretty awesome and something enjoyable for all ages. Between 22 and 35.

So I'm sitting in front of the TV today with my laptop, and apparently Bear Grylls, host of Man vs. Wild, has another show called Worst Case Scenario. He takes his extreme survival techniques and applies them to a scenario that (supposedly) anyone could find themselves in. Today's show was "how to survive if your car breaks down in the desert during a road trip." Naturally, this piqued my curiosity.

The first thing the guy does is unscrew his license plate and head toward dirt, turn to the camera, and in his British accent says "I desperately need to stay hydrated." So he uses the plate to dig like some ridiculously deep trench until he gets to mud. Then he rips one of his dirty socks off, puts the mud in the sock, and rings the mud until tiny drops of water start seeping through the sock, then he SUCKS HIS DIRTY SOCK AND DRINKS THE WATER.

Dude gets like six drops of water out of this. Totally not worth it.

Then he RIPS THE REAR VIEW MIRROR off his windshield and ties it to his radio antenna so it will flop around and create an SOS signal with the sun's reflection. Pretty extreme measures, but hey... if it saves you, then it's worth it, right? So then a plane flies right over his head, and it DOESN'T EVEN NOTICE HIM. Hilarious.

Then he digs a shallow trench in the ground and lays down in it. I completely missed the point of that. Then he collects a bunch of brushes and twigs and spells out "SOS." Still doesn't work. THEN, he takes a TIRE off his car, STABS IT WITH A KNIFE, and lights the tire on fire!! Eventually, someone sees the smoke and comes to his rescue.

So, now I'm convinced I'm breaking down in New Mexico or Arizona. Especially since The Cone will be well over 100,000 miles by that point.

Alright, off to bed. Tomorrow, the goal is to set up more interviews all the route, work on getting up and running on MySpace music, sell some Advocare 24-day challenges and slappa-da-bass in the church worship band. Ciao, folks.

CD FINISHED!!

2010-05-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

What's up, peeps? I absolutely loathe the fact that it's been so long since I've been able to post anything. But all my energy the past week and a half has been devoted to finishing my EP. If I didn't have something to sell on the road, then the trip wouldn't be able to sustain itself, I'd run out of money, and the tour would be very, very short lived.

BUT... it's finally finished!!! I sent all the files off to the disc printers today, and I should get them back in time for the big sendoff event Wednesday, June 9th at Callahan's in the Arena District. That night should be a blast. I hope to see ya there!!

Thanks to my awesome sister Shea who worked her butt off on the album art. Everything looks way better than I ever thought I was going to have for this project and it's all because of her!!

Lots of funny little stories and observations from the past week and a half that I wanted to share with ya'll. Too many, in fact. I'm going to have to save them for another time. But I also have continued to find ways to shamelessly self-promote over the last week or so.

Today, I added a rear window decal to my car. Hilarious. I'm now officially that guy. But hey, if my Ohio plates are cruising around in Texas, someone notices, hits up the website and buys an album, it'll be worth it. Um, actually, no. I need four people to do that in order for it to be a fiscally sound choice as opposed to a poor life choice. But you get the idea.

The thought crossed my mind, though, that The Cone (Blake's nickname for my car) just became a lot bigger target for anyone who is looking for trouble. This sort of flamboyant peacocking will almost certainly result in the slashing of a tire or the mangling of a taillight somewhere over the 10,000-mile path.

The next 16 days before I leave are going to be jam packed with work. I need to continue to set up interviews as I pass through certain cities. I've got to promote my sendoff/CD release ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9TH AT CALLAHAN'S ON PARK STREET IN THE ARENA DISTRICT OF DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215. I've got to make some money. (Speaking of which, if anyone is looking to lose a few lbs. or just generally feel healthier, I have the answer for ya so give me a shout. ;) )

OK, note to self. Don't forget to someday write about the following things...
- stories of what it was like to record my EP on Matt's mysterious Mac which best resembles the island on LOST more than anything else I've ever seen
- tales of a trip to the thrift store
- my ideas for future music and a music video on the road
- bombing the open mic in Athens
- show coming up Friday night at the Thirsty Ear opening for The Winnie Cooper Project
- the government continues to take my money when I'm unemployed. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around.

Life in "the studio"

2010-05-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

Alright, in the interest of full disclosure, just so everyone knows, when I say I'm recording in "the studio," think a lot less "recording studio" and a lot more "studio apartment."

"The studio" is what we call the mysterious third bedroom in our house, a "bedroom" which is so small it probably couldn't even fit a twin mattress. But for visual effect, that's where I'm recording. Looks kinda like my bedroom: a complete, total Castricone disastercone.

I'm laying down all the vocal, acoustic and bass tracks, and I had my buddy Blake roll into town to bang out some bongos on a few of the songs. He's pretty sick on the percussion and it really brings those songs to life. Can't wait for you all to hear em, even though I'm still humbled as heck by the recording process. I'm kinda excited to release the EP, and kinda not. I think I'd rather just play live for everyone and not ever have it on tape. I've always hated listening to the sound of my own voice, even in broadcasting.

I'm going to have to introduce you all to Blake in a later post. He'll be along for part of the roadtrip, and he'll provide plenty of color during the adventure. He sure wreaked enough havoc in Columbus Saturday night.

News and notes: Check out Jewelee Peters on iTunes. She just released a single called "New Song." It's a good tune, she's a friend of a friend, and it deserves a good listen and probably your 99 cents. C'mon, make it two Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers instead of three the next time you hit the Wendy's drive thru. It'll be worth it. :)

Alright, no more blogging until the CD is FINISHED. Peace.

Race to the finish

2010-05-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

My roommate Matt and I have a makeshift home recording studio in this closet-sized room in our house. I've spent the better part of the weekend in it, furiously trying to finish my acoustic EP before Monday so I can have the CDs printed and in my possession by the time I hit the road June 10.

This is where my respect for musicians has grown immensely. Recording is hard. For the last 11 years, I haven't had a problem picking up a guitar around a group of people and getting everyone to have a good time. But to try and crank out a near-perfect rendition of anything, no matter how many chances you have to retry, is something that really separates the best of the best. It's humbling, to say the least.

I'm really happy with the songwriting on all five of these tracks. Not sure I'm ever going to be thrilled with my ability to perform, but my songwriting has grown immensely. The tracks will be available for digital download very soon on NoiseTrade, and eventually on iTunes, which can be anywhere from a three-week to three-month process.

Funny moment while Matt, who's producing the EP, was listening to my vocal track on Forever For Just a Little While. His critique accurately point out that I really do a poor job of holding the note on the word "hold," the second time I say the word "better" was much better, my performance of the word "bad" was pretty bad, but not as bad as when I sang the word "worse."

Mad shout out to my sister Shea, who is doing an AWESOME job with the album art. The photo above is going to be my front cover. Thanks, too, to Kyle Robertson, who took a really kickin' photo I'm using for the back cover. We've got a few small edits to make, but it's coming together. More updates soon, ya'll!!

Strong day for the tour

2010-05-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today, I hit the 1,000 views mark on the blog odometer. It's a humble little accomplishment, but it's exciting, so thanks for reading.

This may be the best day of tour planning yet. It started with an email from Megan Pringle, a former Columbus TV anchor who now hosts Good Morning, Maryland at ABC 2 in Baltimore. We were able to nail down Wednesday, June 16th as a date for me to be a guest on her show, and it appears I'll even get to perform live on set, which is way more than I asked for and extremely exciting.

I also took a wrecking ball to the song I mentioned yesterday and was able to completely re-work it into something I think is both catchy and full of imagery. I like songs with lots of "furniture." It's called By My Side, and I think it makes for a very nice completion to my acoustic EP. Literally nothing about the old song survived except its chorus, and I think it's much better that way. I can't wait for you all to hear it when the music gets posted in less than a week.

Monday night, Matt and I hit up this songwriters group all the way out in Newark. (Look at me, I'm driving from NYC to LA, and I refer to a 45-minute drive as "all the way.") It was an interesting experience. I expected to walk in and see a punch of young, punked-out performers. Instead, it looked like a 4H parents meeting. But you can't judge a book by its cover; they were all decent songwriters and even better song critiquers.

Matt played The Search which is one of my favorite songs of his. I really hope he releases it on his next album. I played Forever For Just a Little While and got confirmation of what I already knew: not everyone's going to get the pre-chorus, but the chorus is pretty money. I think I'm going to cut the pre-chorus out altogether on the album cut. But I'm excited for ya'll to hear this one, too. I really like how this one is turning out.

As I said yesterday, I wanted to introduce you all to Chris Trapper's music. He's one of my favorites. I really think he's one of the best songwriters around. Some of you know him, most of you don't, but this is a cool story about Chris Trapper:

I covered his song Keg On My Coffin one day for fun and posted it on YouTube. He saw it, looked me up on Facebook, FRIEND REQUESTED ME, and sent me a personal note saying he loved it! How cool is that? This guy is super connected to his fans, and I strongly suggest you become a fan.

Without further ado, Chris Trapper with Keg On My Coffin, I Wish I Was Cool, and Too Much Pride.

Highway robbery

2010-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

That's what I call it when the City of Columbus takes $193 from an unemployed man before he can retrieve his car after it was towed when parked outside his house on one of three days a year they sweep the streets.

Robbery, I say.

Obviously, I am in no position to deal with a $193 hit to the pocket book. More importantly, it sabotaged my plans to help an instrument building class with the charity I'm involved in: Music Loves Ohio.

I made virtually no progress toward the 40-day tour today, which greatly disappoints me because it's all that's been on my mind recently. I'm constantly looking for ideas on how to maximize the potential of these 40 days. Feel free to share yours here.

The real hindrance is recording. I'm never going to fully be able to focus on the trip until the recording is finished and shipped out to the manufacturers. My deadline is Monday, so it's coming up soon, and I still am not 100% happy with one of the songs on the album. I'm tweaking and tweaking, and starting to get to the point where I either go with what I have, or scrap it and leave that song for Volume 2.

I'm also starting to freak out a little financially. This towing episode today made me realize there is ZERO room to spare when it comes to money. I've become a big fan in recent days of the BK Buck Double. Two beef patties, one slice of cheese and 25 grams of protein for four quarters is a heck of a deal. I might even have a Buck Double counter on the website to see how many I put down in 40 days.

Ultimately, I'm going to have to sell CDs. I want to give them away for free, and I probably will never turn down someone who's interested in one, but my cash is growing thinner than dandelion soup, and I still have almost a month before I leave.

The good news is publicity seems to slowly continue to find me. I'm talking to a show called Good Morning, Maryland in Baltimore about getting a sit down interview for a few minutes. These small victories make me hopeful I can sell enough digital downloads to complete the entire 40-day journey I have mapped out.

Doubt, or the devil, is creeping in. Time to pray.

Someone remind me when my mind is clearer, I need to write about the songwriters get-together I visited in Newark on Monday and I also want to introduce you all to Chris Trapper.

"I cannot be still"

2010-05-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

By now, you know the story about the 40-day Open Mic tour.

But one of the things I hope to do along the way is not only share my music with others, but share others' music with others as well. There are a lot of amazing singer/songwriters out there. Many of them are sitting in $450/month one-bedroom apartments paying the minimums on their credit cards to try and maximize their sound, their circle of followers, their success.

Some are rising stars, some are struggling, some are established, some are just beginning. I've got no idea where Nathan Lee is in his journey, but I appreciate him greatly.

I found out about Nathan Lee when I was doing a narcissistic search of the 40-day tour on google to see if anything popped up. Turns out, he beat me to the punch. He pulled off what he called "the 40-day risk" last year, where he traveled around with no gigs booked in the east and the south, playing for whoever would listen to him.

I e-mailed him just to connect and let him know I was doing something comparable. He was kind enough to give me a quick reply, suggesting the best advice I could possibly get: "just pray."

His MySpace music page has a good variety of songs. My fave is "Open Road."

Check out Nathan Lee's soul-filled song "Still" in the video posted below.

I also liked his song "New York City." Enjoy!!

"There are no rules here"

2010-05-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ray Kinsella: What are you doing?
Terrence Mann: I'm going to beat you with a crow bar until you go away.
Ray: You can't do that!!
Terrence Mann: Are there rules here? Oh, no. There are no rules here.

Field of Dreams is my favorite movie, but that line in particular is pretty indicative of what the 40-day tour will be like: no rules.

That's why it's hard to set a real specific path. I have a few places that I need to be, but other than that, it's definitely a malleable route.

For instance, I leave Dallas on Sunday morning, July 27. I have nowhere to be until LA that Friday night. Do I bounce north to Oklahoma City and Wichita and Denver before heading back south? Or do I tour Texas with Austin and Houston and San Antonio, all cities I've never seen before?

I wanna take it as easy as possible on "The Cone," my 2005 Mazda 3 which is scheduled to have its 100,000th birthday sometime on the east coast, but these are the sorts of things I feel I'm going to have to play by ear.

My friend Blake is slated to join me from LA all the way up the coast and possible even beyond. My buddies Joel and Jordan are meeting me in Atlanta, and Joel plans on riding around through the tour of Tennessee. Mike says he wants to "live life for the Tetris," but is non-committal and probably out based on his recent track record. Matt plans to join me in Kansas City and may ride along for part or all of the rest of the way home.

Having temporary spot co-pilots will be awesome. I'll still have plenty of alone time when they're not around, but the company they'll provide the rest of the time could be clutch. Furthermore, they can help spread the word about what I'm doing. I've been doing quite a bit of self-promotion lately and I'm starting to feel rather narcissistic, even though I'm really only doing it because I want to share the experience with as many people as possible. Maybe they can help avoid this. Or maybe I'm truly just a self-serving clown.

Frickin' A: live at the Ear

2010-05-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

After I was finished playing at the Thirsty Ear last night, a really nice OSU student named Andrew came up to me and said he recorded the end of my set.

Since a lot of people are starting to wonder what my music actually sounds like (sorry, recording is taking way longer than I had hoped), here's a pretty decent-quality version of Frickin' A for you guys.

Enjoy!

For the record, even though it might not sound like it with the EQ and the echo-i-ness of the bar, I am actually playing an acoustic guitar. A Martin D1, in fact. Just sayin', so ya'll don't think I'm traveling around the United States with a banjo on my knee.

Rockin' the 'Ear

2010-05-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

My roommate Matt and I played a Wednesday night acoustic open stage at the Thirsty Ear tonight in Grandview. It was a nice little practice run for what I'll be encountering once the 40-day Open Mic Tour officially begins on June 9th.

The weather was pretty nice, so the bulk of the crowd was outside, but the folks indoors were attentive and seemed to be into the whole situation. I got an applause before I even played a single note. Just taking 30 seconds to tell my story seemed to get everyone's attention pretty quick.

I opened with Forever For Just a Little While and got a pretty strong reaction from it. I can't wait until I finish recording this thing so I can get these tunes posted and available for download so you all know what I'm talking about.

I followed it up with Back to California which will be on the album. That song's weird. People either absolutely love it, or it does absolutely nothing for them. Not a whole lot of in between. Then I busted out Somebody Told Me They'd Give Me a Million Dollars If I Wrote a Song With a Long, Ridiculous Name (Murphy's Law). The original idea was to put STMTGMAMDIIWASWALRD (for short) on the album, but Matt convinced me to keep it to a fairly tight five-track EP and release my other stuff later if there's enough interest.

The set wrapped up with Frickin' A, which will probably be the case for every performance. It's a clever, quirky, painless, fun 90-second song which always seems to get a reaction. One gentleman stopped me afterwards just to say: "Frickin' A! That's so clever! I can't believe no one's ever done anything like that with that phrase before!"

Well, sir, frickin' A.

One OSU student who was there happened to record my last couple songs and said he'd send them to me, so if he does and it's quality enough, I'll post those bad boys for your listening pleasure. Several others just stopped me to inquire about the idea. I guess that's the exciting part. Knowing that I'm going to have the chance to connect with complete strangers on something. Get excited for this.

We left the open mic night a little early to see another show on campus featuring Mike Perkins and our buddy from O.A.R. Jerry DePizzo. Seeing those guys always reminds me what a good musician is. With Kevin Sweeney on keys and John Zuck on bass, WOW, are those guys amazing.

I think it takes four things to have a chance at making it in music: hard work, ridiculous talent, smarts, and an 'it' factor. I think I have one and a half of those. But all four of those guys have all four of those factors, and outside of Jerry, the other three are just amazing, broke local guys. It's a brutal industry.

But then again, so is broadcasting. Why do I keep choosing these impossible paths for myself? Probably because they're just so damn fun.

Chances of finishing: 40%

2010-05-04T21:03:00.001-07:00

When the legendary Blake Nolan and I jammed the backseat of my 2005 Mazda 3 in July 2007 for URT1 (Ultimate RoadTrip I), the circumstances were much different. We had money. We had each other's help. We had jobs to return home to. We had a car that was young, strong, and looking forward to hitting the 50,000-mile plateau during the journey.

Now, as I prepare to embark on the 40-day Open Mic Tour in about five weeks, the circumstances are much more uncertain. I've got no co-pilot, other than my acoustic guitar and 1,500 CDs I'm giving away for free. I've got no stream of income after the journey's complete. My car will hit 100,000 miles early in the trip and will be in need of maintenance, constant attention and frequent breaks.

But the route I'm taking will give me the opportunity to see a ton of places I've never or hardly seen, share my music with a ton of people who'd never hear me otherwise, and as my friend Sara reminded me tonight, I'll meet a ton of cool people. And the latter is the most exciting part to me. I have no idea who God is going to put in my life over this 40-day journey, but I know that He'll do so with a purpose, and an opportunity to change both my life and theirs.

This whole trip is a gigantic leap of faith. I'm leaving with almost nothing. I very well may have to call it off early if a credit card maxes out, or I run out of cash, or my car coughs up oil or tears a ligament. But it's also a once in a lifetime opportunity to live out a dream. I am under no delusions this will launch me to stardom. I'm not even sure I'd like it if it did. I'm just not a great performer, I'm aware of that, and I'm OK with it. But I have met enough people who have heard and happened to like my songs that I know I'm a clever, catchy songwriter, and I'm excited to share that with thousands of strangers in the coming months.

I will come home with literally nothing in the way of possessions. But I also think I'll come home a very rich man with new friendships, new experiences, new opened doors and new opportunities. Quite honestly, stuff has never satisfied me. I am happy living a life in which all of my most prized possessions are those things which cannot be taken from me. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm about to hit the jackpot.

"Still 'everything happens for a reason' is no reason not to ask yourself if you are living it right." - John Mayer, Why Georgia

Trust me. When you suddenly find yourself unemployed, you field dozens of 'everything happens for a reason' phone calls. But despite that, you've still got to live it right. I truly believe I am living it right. I know it's slightly counter-cultural to have an aggressive disregard for personal possessions, but I think that's what makes it interesting. And I'm starting to get confirmation that this trip is interesting, since today three television stations across the country booked interviews with me during my route. I'll get to tell my story of living without regrets to a massive audience in Huntington, WV and Jackson, MS and Kansas City, MO, and God willing, many many more places.

I'll probably need some help in order to pull this off. But if I'm meant to complete the journey, God will put it on enough people's hearts to help in some small way that will allow me to pull it off. And that's the most exciting part. I don't WANT to pull this off on my own power. I WANT to depend on God. I WANT to let Him work through others, so that by the time this is all said and done, He may be brought glory.

Or maybe God wants me to get my butt back home and get a job. I'd say that from where I stand now, that looks about 60 percent likely.

"People hate original music"

2010-05-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

I can see why my roommate thinks that. In general, people are content with whatever is spoon fed to them by their favorite radio station, and rarely hunt down anything outside that box.

If you're reading this thinking, "but I liked The Shins before Garden State" or "I dress like a hipster and everyone I know likes indie music," good for you. But you're in the minority.

In an on-the-go society, most people just don't feel like devoting FOUR MINUTES to trying something they might not like. Thus, even though there are a ton of incredibly talented singer/songwriters out there, many of them are never heard by the masses.

That's why even though I've written dozens of songs, my roommate has convinced me to limit my EP to five tracks. This way, I at least have a puncher's chance of being heard, especially considering Frickin' A is about 90 seconds long.

I have a handful of other songs I want to get out there, and maybe I'll record a couple low-fi in-home versions of them and toss them up on YouTube or MySpace Music before I leave for the Open Mic Tour on June 9. But ultimately, no one really cares about them except me.

It's funny to think about the fine line between songs that "make it" and others that don't. I've been told a song I wrote called Tomato Soup sounds like a ripoff of Ben Harper's Steal My Kisses. I take that as a complement, because a) it's not, and b) I love that song. But there are so many songs that sound nearly identical.

When I was a freshman in college, I had to give a "how to" speech to a class. My speech was "how to play the guitar." Everyone thought there was no way I could teach them anything in five minutes, but after demonstrating an F-chord, a C-chord and a G-chord, I showed them that if they could strum those three in that order, they had just learned the chorus to four very different songs. Counting Crows' Hangin' Around, Third Eye Blind's Jumper, Michelle Branch's Everywhere, and Live's Lightning Crashes. All the same song. All the same timing. All the same strumming pattern if you want to. It's that easy.

I just noticed today that Sondre Lerche's My Hands Are Shaking sounds a heck of a lot like Amos Lee's Sweet Pea.

So what's the point? The point is... please take a couple minutes a day and listen to something you've never heard before. And once in a while, make it one of my songs, please. :)

Write? Right.

2010-05-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Apologies go out to my ex-girlfriend Lydia for stealing today's blog entry title from her. She's a creative gal, and it fits like a glove.

Afterall, I'm not going on this trip of a lifetime because I think I'm a phenomenal singer. Far from it. It's all about songwriting for me. Always has been and always will be, and I'm excited that the open road is going to be my muse for 40 days.

I've written dozens and dozens of songs. Some are good, some suck, and some may go unheard by anyone other than my roommate Matt Crumpton, off whom I bounce just about everything musically. But I'm really looking forward to seeing how I might grow as a songwriter during this Open Mic Tour.

I feel like I can muster up a good melody. I can get super creative with the chord progressions and riffs, even though it's not necessary at all to write a catchy pop tune. And lyrically, I'm pretty darn strong. Structurally, I'm a pretty sound, formulaic writer. I've got two real serious weaknesses when it comes to songwriting, though: I have the hardest time finishing what I've started (I've got about 30 unfinished songs), and I have a hard time deciding where I want to take a song, which I guess is the same thing as not being able to finish one.

What's the end goal? Once I've started, where am I going with this thing? I guess that's why it's good to start with a chorus and work your way out, even though I almost never do that. But I kinda have a very storyteller pattern to my songs, and I never have an easy time figuring out where I want to take the story, or how I want to bring it full circle.

I guess that's why I was able to write Frickin' A in about 15 minutes. I didn't have to bring it full circle. It was just a rant, a diatribe which just flowed out of frustration one day.

Nonetheless, I've got a handful of tunes I've already finished up and will be on the CD I'm releasing June 9th at my sendoff show at Callahan's in Columbus' Arena District. I have a handful of others that already have me well on my way to finishing Volume 2 of my current album to be released at a time TBD.

Several of the songs I plan on putting on my next album are songs I really like a lot. But I plan on writing a LOT while I'm on the road, and I think it'd be pretty sweet if Volume 2 was comprised exclusively of songs I wrote while on this roadtrip.

All I know is this: I'm under no delusion that this trip is going to launch a career for me as a performer. I know it won't, and that's not the goal. There is no goal other than to meet a ton of people, share myself with them, and grow as a person and as a Christian from the experience. But, I'd be lying if I said I'm not trying to catch an eye or two as a songwriter during this whole ordeal. We'll see what God has in store.

Unemployed... and hiring?

2010-05-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's been brought to my attention that even though I don't have an income, I need to hire a public relations director, because apparently, my story is pretty cool.

Cool enough that my buddy suggested I should start pitching myself to TV and radio stations and get some pub outta this whole ordeal. As the two black-and-white Guinness drinkin' fools would say: brilliant.

He says the Today Show is even a possibility. Hell, if Borat could try to sneak a sleeper hold on Matt Lauer, then I could P90X sneaky-lunge my way onto the set for a few minutes. Besides, Matt and I should be tight. Fellow Ohio Bobcats are always looking out for one another. We even lived in the same dorm our freshmen years: James Hall representin'.

I got pretty geeked thinking about the PR possibilities of this 40-day tour. Then it dawned on me the irony of all this. I've just been fired from a broadcasting job. Now that I'm reacting to that life setback in a positive and somewhat-interesting way, it may be easier than ever to get the attention of the broadcasting industry.

God works in mysterious ways. :)

Booked Eddie's Attic!! 6/21

2010-04-30T17:56:00.001-07:00

Ever do something in life so routinely that you didn't appreciate its significance, only to spontaneously burst into a joyous jumping fit moments later repeating the same words over and over? That was me upon booking Eddie's Attic for ten minutes the night before my birthday this upcoming June.

Jumping up and down the second floor hallway of my apartment laughing and yelling to myself: "I'm playing at Eddie's Attic!! I'm playing at Eddie's Attic!!" No one else was home. I was celebrating with myself. That's all I needed for this one.

John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Mullens, Ani DiFranco. They've all played the Attic. So will I.

This is about as exciting as an all-inclusive open mic can get. It books months in advance, and it serves not just as an open mic, but also as a competition. The three top performers of the night, as voted on by a panel of judges, get welcomed back for one final song of the evening. Then, a winner is chosen. That winner gets a $60 handshake and an invite back in November for a biannual Open Mic Shootout with the place packed with industry professionals. Pretty dang cool.

I'm strategically placing the Atlanta stop toward the front end of the roadtrip. I know damn well that this roadtrip will be tough to complete. I'm broke. I'm unemployed. I don't have anyone bankrolling this bad boy. So the likelihood of my bank account rolling down to goose eggs or of my 100,000-mile veteran of a car coughing up oil along the way is high. I want to make sure I experience all the good stuff up front, so if I have to turn around, head home and call it a career, I still get some of the legendary stuff in.

But this is exciting. Playing Eddie's Attic is a dream of my roommate. I'm starting to realize a lot of people are going to be able to vicariously live out some of their dreams through me on this trip.

The start of it all

2010-04-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

There are a thousand different reactions one can have to becoming suddenly unemployed. Almost any of them are valid. But when it happened to me, I knew there had to be a way to turn this into not only a blessing, but the opportunity of a lifetime.

Sure, I felt sorry for myself for a couple days. Life sometimes deals a really crappy hand. But after I fielded dozens of phone calls from good folks who shared their sympathies with me, something told me if I played this crappy hand right, I could turn everyone's sympathies into jealousy.

I think I've done it.

I had been a successful sportscaster in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio for five years right out of college. It's still all I know how to do as an adult. It's my professional identity. It's also a dream come true. I had wanted to be a sportscaster since I was a little kid.

I don't think I'm done with it, either. I think I still have a lot of upside in the field, and you can decide for yourself by clicking here. But if I am, I can walk away honestly saying it was a blessing from God to live out that dream. I got five more years out of it than many people can/will ever be able to say, and if the curtain falls on that chapter of my life, I can confidently scratch "Be a Sportscaster" off my bucket list with satisfaction.

But there's something else on the bucket list that I haven't attempted yet. There are plenty of reasons I've rationalized not doing it. But at the root of it all, it was lack of confidence. Fear of failure. A feeling like I've got too much to lose with my other career I've worked my entire life to build. Now, I've got nothing to lose.

Now, I've got no excuses. I'm single, I'm jobless, and I'm completely unattached from the world. I have outright autonomy to take action with my bucket list, and the reason I'm going for it now is because there's a voice in my head, probably God's, telling me if I don't do it NOW, I'm never going to have the opportunity again, and I'll regret it the rest of my life.

I'm going to, for however long or short as I possibly can, be a touring musician.

Not indefinitely. I'm sure once my run of fun is up, it's back to looking for a 9-to-5er until my next broadcasting gig. But I'm not taking it lightly, either. I've been playing guitar for 11 years, and I've written dozens of songs. I'm laying a few of them down in a studio, I'm printing them onto as many CDs as I can possibly fit in the trunk of a Mazda 3, and I am touring the country going from Open Mic Night to Open Mic Night just giving away my music for free. Six weeks, 9,500 miles, sparing no expense to hit everywhere I possibly can on an unemployed budget.

Sound like a crappy business model? I guess it depends on your definition of success. If the goal is to be rich and famous, then yes, my business model is a dumpster fire. The truth is I don't even have enough money to complete this thing. But ask any TRUE musician, any respectable singer/songwriter out there. Stop tau-tau-talking that Ke$ha. I'm talking the Newton Faulkners and the Gabe Dixons and the Mat Kearneys of the world. Of course they'd LIKE to be rich and famous. But I firmly believe what an artist REALLY desires from the depths of his or her heart is for others to consume, enjoy and appreciate their work, their sound, their lyrics, their performance, their creation.

That's all I want. My music IS me. It's my heart, my soul, my beliefs, my desires, my creativity, all exposed for the whole world to either accept or reject, take it or leave it. But it's a complete, unabridged description of me, and I want to share me with anyone who will have me. That's why I'm giving away my CDs for free. That's why I'm traveling the nation. I'm sharing with folks who just might identify with me or feel something from or relate with the handful of songs I've written. And if there exists a single individual who gets ANYTHING out of any one of my songs, whether that person's in Wichita or Walla Walla, then the trip will be a complete success.

I have rigged together a list of open mics I think should lead to a pretty good experience. Check out the tour page here. But the truth is, I've never been to half these places. I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going. So if you know of a quality open mic experience available in a certain city on the night I will be there, please e-mail me and let me know. I'd be thrilled to hear from you and see what you think of my summer idea anyway. Also, check out my blog at http://40daytour.blogspot.com where I will constantly be chronicling my adventures.

Thanks for reading my story and God bless,
-Tony