Tales From The Road: Rewind, Reese's, the Hobbit Bridge and the Home Stretch

Well, here in New Britain, Connecticut the scent of blossoming trees is on the breeze and Spring is poised to be in full swing. Before I get into the most recent of shows, there are two tasty tidbits I mistakenly left out of my last blog. That said, allow me to 'click' the rewind button, just for a moment.

1. Back at the KOA campground in Madison, PA I did a cool thing. As you may remember, we had been there 6 months earlier and I enjoyed a solo hike where I snapped a few nice pics of rainy, wintery, fallen leaves, etc. Anyway, while doing so (last year) I had my iPod with me and enjoyed Gavin DeGraw's record 'Free' while I hiked. I thought it would be fun this time around to listen to the very same record while starting my hike from exactly the same spot. I did, and was continually amazed by the beautiful changes a new season had brought to my path. The soundtrack highlighted different things this time, like the sunlight shimmering off the surface of a nearby lake. I noticed horses grazing everywhere and beautiful flowers. It was such a neat way to see the same place in two different seasons....a place far from home that I may never find myself in ever again. :)

2. While at Ohio Dominican University, in Columbus, OH I sat in the student center and sipped coffee while I prepared for a unique morning. We were set to play in Bloomington the next night for Little 500 and one of the most popular Bloomington radio stations, B97 had scheduled a live radio with ME to discuss the show. There were all these specific instructions....one minute before nine, text '7k' to this number, then call immediately after....I felt like James Bond. Although before my spy mission was to begin, I had to make a call of a different sort, since that day was my nephew's 6th birthday. After he and I chatted about pool parties and tee-ball, I proceeded to call B97 for the interview. It was a blast, as Josh probed about 7k and plugged the show. As it turned out, Josh from B97 broadcast live from Jake's that night as I made my second appearance on the radio. It was great fun.

"Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter," is sort of the famed Reese's quote and honestly, that's how we all feel about Pennsylvania. There is a really special blend of New England and Midwest that exists that we've never seen anywhere else. Admittedly, when traveling Eastbound INTO this gorgeous state, everyone must endure the four tunnels of death (see last year's blog) but it's WELL worth it. Obviously those tunnels wouldn't be a problem for the average vehicle, but maneuvering a 40ft bus and trailer through them feels like trying to shove a tennis ball through a McDonald's straw. Anyhow, the weather was DROP-DEAD-GORGEOUS and truly epitomized Spring. The people were very sweet, helpful, easy-going and receptive. The shows were two of our favorites so far.

Show #9 we rocked Alvernia University in Reading, PA with our friends SAFETYSUIT. The show was held in a very large gymnasium and the students flooded the stage when we asked for dancers. It marked our first time performing in a gymnasium and were pleased by the arena-like sound and light show. Afterwards, we were famished, so we went to an all-night diner with friends and headed for the hotel. Each of us where wiped-out and went to our rooms to dump video and crash. Oh yeah, with 4 cameras rolling at every show, we all have cameras that need to be charged while video is saved to our hard drives. The only time we have time....is when we're sleeping. We met in the lobby for a delightful breakfast and didn't have to check-out, for a change, since show #10 was also in Reading, PA at Penn State University Berks.

The PSU Berks performance was their VERY FIRST concert and we feel VERY fortunate to have been a part of this special event. Just like the previous night, we were on the bill again with our friends from Nashville, SAFETYSUIT. We pulled the bus up behind the outdoor stage and were met by a gaggle of friendly students. After hugs and handshakes the entire group headed for our pre-show dinner. It was great to relax, laugh, answer questions and sign autographs with the other patrons of the restaurant wondering who the heck we were. Arriving back at the stage, it was time to load-in and soundcheck. Both went off without a hitch and we were ready to hang on the bus for a bit....just then we were told of a bunch of contest winners that were anxious to meet us after the show. A 'meet & greet' had been arranged for those students to get on the bus after the show to hang-out, get autographs and photos. Wow. As we took the stage, a beautiful Spring night breeze whisked by and the lights came up to reveal a seemingly endless crowd. From the very first note, they were wide-eyed and cheering...but then the fun REALLY began. After getting a handful of students onstage to dance and sing along, it was clear that the audience had been stirred into a frenzy of fun. One gal in particular had her iPhone and took a few videos that can be viewed on our FB page and on YouTube. As we stepped off stage, a line formed at our merch table. We posed for photos, sold merch and signed autographs for two solid hours. Police officers stood by for safety and ended up using their flashlights to illuminate all the stuff we were signing. It was bananas. The 'meet & greet' on the bus was fun as we answered questions, shared concert stories, argued about pro football and took photos. We returned to the hotel and collapsed. Whew!

The setlist was the same for both shows:
LITTLE BIT MORE
CALIFORNIA IS THE END
WHAT YOU DO
MY HIGH LIFE
WRONG GIRL
REMEMBER ME
BAD ROMANCE
I GOTTA FEELING
HOT IN HERRE
DISPENSE
TURNIN' IT UP
TAKE IT OFF

Our trek toward Connecticut was a seemingly simple 4ish hour drive. Thus far, Emily (our Brit-tinged GPS) has set our course pleasantly through farmlands and outskirts. Well, not this time. In hind-sight, it would've been wise to choose a model that had a 'truck' or 'rv' or 'bus' mode. That said, obviously, ours does not. So, in not accounting for our vehicle HEIGHT (which is a whopping 13 feet, by the way) we were led down the path of doom. I was behind the wheel and David was my faithful navigator. Shortly after passing through a bit of New Jersey, we were darting through a bit of New York. Following Emily's route we took a ramp that clearly said 'PASSENGER CARS ONLY'. I thought it was odd, proceeded with caution and noticed a narrow roadway ahead. With clenched jaw and David's encouragement, I 'threaded the needle' as we like to say and all was well. We all figured the 'passenger car only' thing referred simply to the narrow passage and for 20 miles or so, we were right. With Jeff in the back and David grabbing a snack, I noticed a white sports car in the lane next to me. He was going the exact same speed as I was, flashing his lights, honking his horn and screaming at the top of his lungs. I could only look over at him very very briefly as I drove, and I couldn't decipher what he was trying to convey. His sunroof opened and his fist pumped repeatedly skyward, then my stomach sank. I thought maybe I had mistakenly cut him off and he wanted to attempt to kick my ass. Freaked out, I yelled for Jeff and David to come up and look over my shoulder to try to figure out what was up. Jeff thought maybe the guy was trying to tell us there was something wrong with the bus. Just then, the guy sped up and swerved in front of me. We saw his hand poke up out of the sunroof again, only this time he was frantically pointing toward the side of the road. I was still thinking maybe I had irked him in someway by mistake. Then I saw it in the distance, the ominous yellow caution sign. As the numbers came into focus, I stopped breathing. The sign warned that an upcoming bridge had a low clearance of 8ft. 8 inches. Oh, so THAT'S what 'passenger cars only' means. The road made a gentle bend and another identical sign came into view. I also noticed an exit sign and hoped with every iota of faith it was BEFORE the low bridge. I honked my horn twice and waved as if to say "Oh, got it. Thanks SO much!" and then I saw the bridge. It was a beautiful stone archway with a stereotypical Hobbit vibe. Seeing Frodo and Sam trotting across it wouldn't have surprised me one bit...but enough of my daydream....there was the exit ramp ONE HUNDRED FEET before Frodo's death trap. We exited into two-way, rush-hour traffic further exacerbated by road construction and noticed our savior pulled off to the side. We pulled behind him, still holding our breaths and sweating bullets. Jeff hopped out to hug and thank him and I overheard him in his uber-stereotypical NY-meets-Joe Pesci voice say, "Yous guys almost freeakin' died back there." He continued almost as if it was a Saturday Night Live skit with directions back to the REAL interstate. Personally, I had a knot in my stomach for 3 hours. It was horrendous and stressful...and needless to say, this will be Emily's last tour with 7k.

Tonight marks the last show of the tour and the beginning of the home stretch for us. We perform a 4 hour show in the student center of Central Connecticut State University tonight, head to the hotel and begin our COAST-TO-COAST drive tomorrow morning. So far, this tour has been the experience of a lifetime...AND we are excited to return home to loved ones, the beach, showers.......the list goes on and on.

Til next time,
Jeff, David & Corey