Before heading out today, we had been home from the tour for just under two weeks. During this time, we played a handful of shows in Jacksonville and nearby towns. We also spent a good deal of time practicing for the recording session. We did a lot of metronome work to get our timing solid and fleshed out a few new songs. I'm excited about the tunes we've decided to record; I think they offer a good variety of sounds and subject matter. Aaron Till and Jason Carter have agreed to lay down twin fiddle tracks for one of our songs, and Isaac Corbitt will join us on harmonica for a couple of tunes. We couldn't be happier about having such high-caliber guest musicians. Of course, I'm grateful just to be recording a third album at all. Before GCM, I played in several different bands, and I know it is no easy feat to keep the same group of guys together and stay focused long enough to create not just one, but three full-length albums. Brett and I have often discussed the drive to "complete the trilogy," and here we are, about to do just that. I hope we stay together for years to come and release many more albums, but even if we don't, I'll be proud of what we put out there into the world. Our recordings are a way for us to say "we were here." We were here.
I've had a chance to reflect on my experiences since the tour (and my daily blog) ended two weeks ago. I feel incredibly lucky for the opportunity, and I'm glad I decided to document the journey. With my three weeks teaching English as a Second Language to the group from South Korea, a weekend with Jen in New Orleans, and my road trip adventure with the band, I pretty much had the best summer of my life so far. I can't thank the people who offered me a place to crash during the tour enough. I'm grateful for our friends that came out to see us at our shows; it was great to see familiar faces along the way. I'm grateful for the time visiting with friends and meeting new folks. If any of you are reading this - thank you, thank you, thank you!
I've been able to do some bike riding in and around Jacksonville since we got home. Shadowfax and I rode the Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail, we explored the Amelia Island Trail, and we've done a good deal of traveling between my home in Riverside and downtown Jacksonville. I actually missed having a blog to post pictures of my bike and our adventures, so, as silly as it may sound, I created a Facebook page for Shadowfax. It's provided me an excuse to continue taking pictures of him in various locales and to promote bicycling, traveling and adventure. Riding around locally with Shadowfax helps me see familiar places in a different way and discover new parts of places I've been. Speaking of Shadowfax, he's sitting behind me in Mini Pearl now, although I don't know what time I'll have, if any, to do much riding. Since we don't need our PA system this time, there's more room in the van than before, and thanks to Shadowfax's compact Brompton fold, there's no good reason not to take him along.
As valuable as I believe this blog has been for me, and as much as I've discovered I enjoy the process, this will have to be my final post. In addition to recording this week, I also start back at UMass Boston with two more classes, and I'm afraid I will simply be too busy to continue blogging at this time. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm working on a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. My hope is that the degree will increase my job/volunteer opportunities teaching English to speakers of other languages. I had the opportunity to substitute for an evening class at the University of North Florida this past Thursday. It was a fun reminder of why I'm furthering my own education. I will most likely return to blogging (or whatever new medium comes along) again during breaks from school, or at least after I graduate.
This seems like a natural stopping point for the blog anyways. The tour is over and, unofficially, so is summer. I've also reached my goal of going 100 days without alcohol. In fact, my 100th day was two days ago. Readers of this blog may remember that I had wondered what I would do after 100 days. Well, I've decided for the time being to keep on not drinking. My body has recovered from many of the physical withdrawal symptoms, and my psychological urges to drink are few and far between now. I suspect that, if I were to have a drink, I would eventually find myself once again abusing and potentially have to begin the withdrawal process all over again. Rather than having a specific goal in mind this time, I plan to take it one day at a time. However, I do like the idea of having milestones to look forward to, so maybe I'll see what six months sober feels like. After all, I'm already past halfway there! I admit that since the tour, I've been less disciplined about my calorie intake, and I may have gained a few pounds back. Honestly, I'm not beating myself up over it.
Jen and I are experiencing the highs and lows of a relationship between traveling musicians with mostly opposite schedules. A few days after I returned from our trip, her band, The Cruxshadows, left for Dragon Con. She came home, and we had a little time together, but now I'm on my way back to Nashville. We've got two gigs in Tennessee after we record, and by the time we get home, her band will be out on the road again. We have no way to know what the future holds regarding our bands, our relationship, or anything else for that matter. I think that fact, plus the fact that we're both fairly independent people can cause us to wonder sometimes what the point is of a relationship at all. But then we talk about our concerns and go back to genuinely enjoying each other's company. We seem to remember that being independent can be a great advantage in many ways. When we remind ourselves to be ok with not knowing what tomorrow will bring, we tend to enjoy the present moment. She is always supportive of my goals, as I am of hers, and that is a valuable thing, indeed. For now, our relationship seems to be working.
Finally, I'd like to comment on the importance of attitude. It's a subject that Jen and I discuss often, and one that Brett and I touched on just last night. Jen and I could choose to see our relationship as doomed because we don't get to spend enough time together. Or we can recognize how lucky we both are to travel and play music for people. We can choose to see how fortunate we are to have partners who understand the importance of our bands. We can even choose to see our recent opposite schedules as a plus, because one of us is usually home to hold down the fort and look after our beloved Felix (the cat).
On a similar note, the band had a moment of weakness last night when we started to second guess the songs we are planning to record. Then we realized the only thing that had changed since we were excited about the same songs two days ago was our attitude; so why not choose a positive attitude? Again, it's all about the choices we make. I get sad. I get scared. I stay in my room all day sometimes. I think that's necessary from time to time. But then you just have to get back out there and do something. At least we're lucky enough to be able to make an album at all. We can't please everyone; we won't please everyone, and that's ok. We'll just make the best damned album we can at this point in time.
So there you have it. I conclude this blog, not as a definitive end, but as the end of an installment to be continued at some point down the road. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my words. I wish you all the best on your journeys, and thank you for being a part of mine. As I've been writing this post throughout the day (except for my three-hour driving shift), we are now just pulling into Nashville. Wish us luck!
Happy trails to you, until we meet again!
- Jon
