This past January we jumped on a plane buzzing with electric excitement for our California tour. I was ready to look beyond the glamour and discover if being on the road was everything I thought it should be. Maybe we would be sick of being around each other by the end of it. Maybe touring would make me homesick, or the work would be too demanding, or playing all the time would be too draining. What if I hated the very thing I’d been chasing for so long?

It could happen… but I seriously doubted it.

I can’t speak for everyone, but for as long as I can remember I’ve harbored a dormant gypsy soul. There has never really been a time in my life when I wanted to stay home. Sure, maybe for a day—to grab fresh clothes or check in with the family. But the freedom of being untethered, unrooted, and transient has always been my most desired state of being.

I knew—at least for me—that this two-week tour would only be the tip of the iceberg. I’d probably have to be gone for ages before my wanderlust was fulfilled. However, I left behind a life of kids and aging parents, a dog and chickens, and a house that needed constant attention. My mind was split between chasing the dream and the duty of responsibility.

We landed in the happy warmth of Anaheim, switched on our phones, and my messages immediately started blowing up. As we were collecting our bags from the carousel, I was on the phone listening to my family  explain how my mother had fallen down a flight of concrete steps. She was now in the hospital awaiting surgery for a broken shoulder and wrist.

My first thought was, “Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding. I just got here.”

But despite the emergency, everything was under control. There was nothing I could do whether I was there or not. I had peace knowing the world I left behind was going to carry on just fine without me. From that moment on I could be fully present—and it was incredibly liberating.

We made Anaheim our home base while venturing out to shows in Santa Monica, Oceanside, Imperial Beach, and Riverside. All the band members from Frequency Within, Dancing Skeletons, Sanchez by the Sea, Cold Culture, and Go Scarlet  quickly became our best friends. The vibe was so incredibly supportive.

Puzzling our gear in and out of the rented minivan was a challenge, as was maneuvering through California traffic with a funky GPS connection. Not all sound engineers were great—even if they claimed to be. Some stages were better than others, and we just got used to playing in imperfect conditions.

Each night we got back and finally made it to sleep around 2 a.m. We slept as long as we could, then got up and did it all again. I was exhausted between the three-hour time difference from Indiana to California and the fact that I’m used to a much earlier routine. Thankfully we had nothing scheduled during the day, so we could just rest.

One of the biggest wins of the tour was Nicohl finally returning to the stage.

Last year was a monstrous nightmare of injury, continuous healing setbacks, and an inability to stand—or even sit upright without her leg elevated. She had a huge mountain to climb to make this tour happen. Aside from the obvious challenge of balancing the bass on her still-healing knee and having the strength to stand through a 30-minute set, she also had to get her playing skills back up to speed.  But she did it!

So here’s a shout-out to the hardest working bass bitch on the planet for making this tour happen.

Thank you, Nicohl.

We kept an extra bench on stage for her to sit down in the middle of the set, but it still took a lot out of her. Between shows she had to be in serious recovery mode with all her countless remedies. We are incredibly thankful she made the Herculean effort. We’re so happy to have her back.

We also managed to fit in two podcast appearances. One was an adventure into the notorious Compton neighborhood of LA for an interview with Pigz Radio, where we played three songs. But honestly, the highlight was going for street tacos afterward. (I fully believe the world runs on tacos.)  Here is a link to the Interview and podcast

The second appearance was a fun drink and ramble with Consistently Off. We had such a great time that we’re already looking forward to going back and sharing a show with them as their band, Filmspeed.

By the end of our run, we made a little money, sold some T-shirts, and made a ton of friends. We learned how to deliver a “full-court press” show on little to no sleep and how to load and unload a band van in record time. We honed our message and seriously leveled up our stage show. Most importantly, we enjoyed being together and worked really well as a team.

All in all, the tour was an incredible success.

10 out of 10. I highly recommend.

Touring really was everything I hoped it would be—and more.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.

We landed back in Indiana to an epic snowfall, record-low temperatures, vehicles that wouldn’t start, broken appliances, and various other problems. All I could think about was leaving—and never spending another winter in Indiana again.

Maybe next year we’ll make it a longer tour… and stay until spring.