California Run

First off, I apologize for the lack of entries. I find it infinitely easier to blog at home than I do on the road. I rarely break out my computer on the road. I bought an app to blog on my phone but Google is being a dick about security & won't let me post from my phone. It will be inconsistent at best on the road until I get that sussed out. 

Friday & Saturday's shows at the Hollywood Bowl were fantastic. Jason Mraz sat in on night one. Actually, throughout the whole run AJ Ghent & Sarah Dugas sat in with us every night. Night two at HWB had David Ryan Harris, Marc Ford, & Dwight Yoakum sit in with us on "The Weight." No rehearsal. No nothing. Just get up & play. Discomfort & all. 

Chula Vista was a good night as well. However, I think two nights in Hollywood; hanging out & partying for some of the guys caught up with them by Chula Vista (San Diego). The energy level was strange on stage that night. The crowd was great though. 

Day four in Phoenix was better. I felt like the energy was there & everywhere around us. Musically, probably the best show. I tripped over a cable on stage at the end of the show. I'm fine. I'm just clumsy sometimes. 

I have, however, been hitting our new gym HARD during all four days. This is the maiden voyage for this particular facility. We had a gym built into a 55' tractor trailer. Complete with tread mill, arc glider, Smith machine, regular bench, dual action leg machine, multi-function weighted cable machine, full body punching/kick bag, & speed bag. Two full sets of plates for the bars & 20-55 lbs dumbell sets. It's air conditioned, DirecTV, sound system, built-in fridge, & even Playstation (in case you want to tun & play Madden at the same time, I guess). 

I'm really happy we have this now. It saves me a ton of time that I used to have to take a runner to & from the gym. It saves me an hour MINIMUM. Plus it's OUR stuff. The guy who drives this trailer keeps it really clean & disinfected... & the machines in good working order. Pretty stoked. 

Travelio the Magnificent

Not really much to report. I stayed up "late" watching the Sox win last night. Got up "early" to shower & hit the airport. BNA--->DTW--->LAX. 12 hours door to door travel. It's getting eerily easy to travel. It's just part of my life now; like stopping at a gas station to fill up. You don't really put much thought into it but you have to do it.
I got to have dinner with my brother tonight. For old times' sake we had In & Out Burger. My brother & I spent every summer in the '90's out here. My Dad moved here full time in '91. So we grew up with southern California being our second home. It's his first home now. He's spent the majority of the past 10 years here. It's funny. I can go months & months without seeing him & it's like we saw each other last week. Brothers.
Also, a good friend of mine from the past got engaged today. I couldn't be happier for the couple. This has been one hell of a week... with 4 hopefully great shows to come... going into a couple days off with my lady... into starting the ZBB record... into the CMA's. Life is good today.

North Star

Yesterday was amazing. Rewind back slightly further; my album went on sale at midnight on Monday night. It was really neat to see it on the iTunes singer-songwriter page. It was even neater to wake up a mere 5 hours later for travel & see that I was hovering just outside of the top 10 in that category.
I flew home yesterday. By the time I landed, I was number 8. Errands filled my day. As did Tumblr Tuesday.
I finished the day number 3. It was a damn good day. A lot of people said some nice things on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, & in the actual reviews on iTunes. I worked really hard & long on this record & it feels good to have some validation. Yesterday was a LONG day, but totally worth every minute of hard work that I'd put in over the past three years making that album.
I worked out VERY hard this morning. It's been almost a week since I had a proper workout. I ran a few miles on Friday but that was it. It was a long & busy weekend. Again, loved every minute of it though.
I write this freshly packed for tomorrow's travel. Also, congrats to the Red Sox for winning game one of the World Series. I've been a Sox fan since I was in college. They weren't as well run back then & fielded some fairly average teams, but they have been pretty stellar since their 2004 World Series win. The Cardinals are no slouches. I'd imagine that this will be a close series. Most of the pundits are calling for just that. I love watching good playoff/championship baseball. I just wish the Braves were facing the Sox. There's always next year.

Charleston, SC

I apologize for the lack of entries. I have had very little time to blog. I've either been working, sleeping, or spending time with friends. I really enjoyed this year's festival in Charleston. It's easy to say that the Nash/Charleston festivals were the best that we've ever thrown. So glad to be a part of such great events.
I got pretty sloshy last night. I have yet to get sick on tequila so it's still very dangerous to me. I hear after you get sick on it you don't want to drink it anymore. Oh, well. I reckon that day will come... but not yet.
My set was today at the festival. I had Chris Fryar on drums, Matt Mangano on bass, & the incomparable Brandon Conway on pedal steel & guitar. It was a great set. I did okay for a having a vicious hangover.
I'm ready for bed. Good night.

No Sleep Til... Charleston?

I fucking ROCKED my workout this morning. 30 minutes of real deal cardio. Running & biking. Then 'pushing.' I bench pressed, squat, shoulder pressed, flied, etc.
My girlfriend's father is in town. We grabbed lunch before my doctor's appointment. (Don't worry, everything's fine.) Then I sprinted to the studio & demo'd four new songs. Where these will end up, I don't know. Are they for me? ZBB? Other artists? We'll see. Step one is done.
I ran my remaining errands. Since then I've been prepping for my Charleston trip tomorrow. Apparently I've booked myself a VERY early flight. So I'm going to bed now. Hope you sleep well.

Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight

A lot of good albums have come out lately.

• Kings of Leon "Mechanical Bull"
• Amos Lee "Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song"
• The Wood Brothers "The Muse"
• Will Hoge "Never Give In"
• John Mayer "Paradise Valley"
• Pearl Jam "Lightning Bolt"

... so you have your homework assignments.

Anyway, I had a great workout this morning. Followed by a rehearsal with the band that I pieced together for the Charleston show this weekend. I won't give away any specifics, I just like what we came up with. Not EXACTLY like the record, it serves the songs well though.

I also met with the good folks at the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy. We followed up about the tour I gave to the GrammyU students just before the Nashville SGMFF kicked off. I've been a Grammy member for 12 years now. It's a great organization to get a chance to be a part of. Actually got my ballot in the mail this week for the nomination round. It takes some time to fill that damn thing out but I'm glad that I have a vote. 

The rest of the day was nice. Errands. Went to a surprise birthday party for a friend. Answered a TON of Tumblr questions at one time. One prompted me to change the layout of this blog... as you can see that I've done. 

Change is good. Especially when it's for the better. 

Rest... sorta

I rolled off the bus around 10am. Got home at 10:30am. I spent a MAJORITY of the day running errands. I'm not kidding. Life just keeps throwing stuff at me. I keep catching it though.
However, I DID find the time to spend two hours next to the pool at my building. No workout today. I felt good about it. I could FEEL that my body needed a break & rest.
Anywho, about to crawl in the bed. A nice event filled day for tomorrow. Love you. Mean it.

Bristow, VA

Day three of 'EPIC TRAINING' hasn't left me much strength or energy. I feel good - considering. I can certainly tell that my body is ready for a day off tomorrow. That I will give it.

Tonight's show was full of interesting technical problems. The weekend has been full if them. Most of them are gremlins... not particularly anyone's fault. This band is GOOD. They roll through damn near anything placed in their way. 

We are all a bit weary though. This week off is greatly needed by all.

I'm limiting myself to errands & rest. Speaking of rest...

Virginia Beach, VA

10 hours of sleep is a very beautiful thing. So is two consecutive HARD days in the gym. I'm starting to really feel in shape. Not since high school have I felt this. It's where I should've taken my health 10 years ago. Better late than never, I guess. My Dawgs got beat again... leaving this as the worst possible combination of things to happen to Georgia sports in one week: the Braves getting knocked out of the playoffs, the Falcons becoming 1-4 (& losing to an average football team on Monday Night Football, no less), & Georgia falling once again out of contention of the national title picture. They still could have a chance to win the SEC East, but a few things still need to happen to accomplish this. Oh well... we'll see. Tonight was a great set. This band is on a roll. It really feels like we're heading for great things with next week's festival, the west coast the following week, & the studio & the CMA's following that. So tired now, though. Ready to brace for one more show this weekend. Adios.

Charlotte, NC

Was up EARLY for a show day. I normally get up around 10am on the buses. Much earlier today. Must've been from the early bedtime. Anywho, I DESTROYED it working out today. Cardio, legs, shoulders & such. More weight than I've done in a while. Some excericses were heavier than ever. I got a little rest after showering. However, I DID attend the Zamily gathering in the parking lot. The Zamily is full if some good folks. Tonight's show was good. We've been lucky the past few months that almost EVERY show has been great. A lot of it is luck sometimes. I really dug Zac calling "Can't You See" tonight. It's been a while & I just love that song... for obvious reasons. All I know is I'm gonna sleep GOOD tonight. Tomorrow... Virginia Beach & GO DAWGS!!!

In Motion

My girl & I hung out in Portsmouth, NH for most of the day today. It's really cool; old but taken care of, great food, neat "Mom & Pops" stores. The weather was pleasant too. However, all good things must come to an end. We had to make our way to Manchester airport... where I flew to Detroit. It was kinda fun to spend my layover in a sports bar in the Detroit airport. Especially, while the Tigers played an elimination game against the A's... in which they won. For some strange reason, I didn't even break out my headphones. I read my iPad & some magazines. I guess sometimes it's an OPTION to listen to music. Ha! I landed in Nashville in JUST enough time to be five minutes late for bus call. We're currently headed to Charlotte. Three day run this weekend. NC, VA, & VA. Ramping up for the Charleston fest.

The Newest of Hampshires

Today was pretty chill. Woke up. Ran a few miles. Tooled around town for a bit. Waited on my lady to get out of work. WHen she got home we drove to Durham, NH (University of New Hampshire). She showed me around her Alma Mater. It's very much like most campus towns that I've been to. It's really nice though. Needless to say, the foliage is UNBELIEVABLE right now. A computer couldn't generate these colors. After that we made our way to Portsmouth, NH. It was nice to chill out for the evening. Great food. Great rest. I go back to work tomorrow so I'm really enjoying this now. Peace out.

Fall Is Here, Bitches.

I was up & at 'em. Had a legit, proper workout at a gym today. Then went apple picking at an orchard with some friends. Had dinner with said friends. Then went to see 'Gravity' in IMAX 3D. If you are a fan of suspense, GO SEE THIS MOVIE> Right now. Go the fuck to see it. The camera work was great. It wore me out but I would love to see it again. It's also rather beautiful in IMAX 3D. IMAX really makes a difference. I remember the first IMAX movie I ever saw: 'Fantasia 2000.' In a time of pre HD & Blu Ray home entertainment, the vibrance of the colors was mind boggling. Anywho, IMAX should pay me. I am currently waiting for an apple pie to finish baking. My lady & I made that tonight. Can't wait to try it. Fresh picked apple, no less.

Here We Go

So here it comes. I'm gonna try this as long as I can. A true diary of sorts. If you've ever perused this blog, you know that I am no stranger to doing just that. However, since being in Zac Brown Band, I fell off the wagon with my blogging. I honestly don't know why I'm going to try this again... I just AM. This morning saw me up at 4:45am (Nashville). It was one of those travel days where you take the big plane to get on the little plane. My girl lives in New Hampshire. So I try to visit her (as she frequently visits me) as much as possible. This afternoon she had a meeting at work. That found me rummaging around a flea market style shop. I ended up buying a vintage Cross pen set, an 1893 Columbian Expedition half dollar, & a 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar. Some of you know that I love sports. While I just enjoy watching excellence at every sport, I DO have some team allegiance. Being originally from the Atlanta area, I root for the Atlanta Falcons (NFL), the Atlanta Hawks (NBA), & the Atlanta Braves (MLB). I also love University of Georgia football. I've been rather spoiled as of late. Some really decent teams across the board for the past few years. I did, however, watch the Falcons lose tonight. Things are NOT looking particularly up with a 1-4 record. & to add insult to injury, losing to the Jets at home on Monday Night Football just ain't cool. Also, the Braves were struggling to stay alive in the NLDS tonight. The Dodgers were just too mighty for us to handle. L.A. is an average defensive team but their pitching & hitting is unparalleled this year. Two of their better players are injured & they are STILL unbelievable... & they should be; at $220,395,196 in salary, their payroll is the highest in baseball (finally eclipsing the Yankees by $20 million). They beat us fair & square... 3 games to our 1. Oh well. My sports heart is heavy. At least my Bulldogs look good after starting the season with a loss. Wish I could say the same for the Hawks. The best I can hope for there is to limp into the playoffs maybe at the 7th or 8th seed. Here we go.